In a new CentOS 5.2 Linux box that I recently set up, the Internet and intranet connections suffered from slow connectivity, with
do_ypcall: clnt_call: RPC: Timed out
messages appearing intermittently in the console, whether from commands executed directly from the command prompt or from windows applications. After tinkering with the firewall, DNS, DHCP and NIS server configurations to no avail, I finally discovered the solution. It was in the /etc/nsswitch.conf file where it the host resolution was looking up the NIS server before the DNS.

Below is the nsswitch.conf file with the change to the host resolution configuration. After making this change, the “do_ypcall: clnt_call: RPC: Timed out” messages disappeared altogether and connectivity was greatly improved. Read more »

Earlier we covered how to get Windows Vista running on your PS3 but because of its lag time it truly wasn’t useful for much else than a demonstration of how far we can stretch the PS3. If you want something that’s actually somewhat usable, Windows XP is a far better option and that’s exactly what we’re going to cover today. The basic principle is similar so Windows XP runs on an emulation layer on Linux on the PS3. Read more »

There’s no reason why you should do this as it’s completely unusable (consider the 25 minute boot time to start it up) plus you need Linux installed first just so you can get the emulation layer in place to run Windows Vista, but if you really want to be l33t h4×0r or are just really bored, simply follow these steps to install Windows Vista on your PS3. Read more »

One of the nifty built-in features on the PS3 is its unabashed support for installing an operating system on it, namely Linux. We recommend that you to at least upgrade the hard drive just so you have enough room for the OS and your game and media data. The PS3 is pretty much nearly a computer and having Linux installed on top of it really reaffirms this. Because it’s so powerful yet so cheap with Linux installed, it’s actually become somewhat of a favored research tool in academia. Hopefully you’re excited now as you’re going to need that enthusiasm to carry yourself through these very involved steps. Above all else, have patience. Read more »

If you’re like me an have to develop in both Linux and Windows platforms, sometimes it’s just useful to be able to share folders across your PC desktop and your Linux box. It’s quite easy to map Linux shares to Windows network drives, that is assuming your Linux box has Samba installed. In most cases, Linux distributions generally ship with this already installed. To test if you’ve got Samba installed on Linux, type: Read more »

I use “xkill” on Linux a lot because it saves you from having to list all the processes running and then individually “kill -9″-ing all the threads you think are associated with the process. It usually does an excellent job of finding the right threads to terminate and gives a visual way to pick out what to kill: just point and click. Unfortunately if you’re not careful you can easily terminate the wrong application as there is no “are you sure?” check in the xkill command. Occasionally, I’ve accidentally killed my beloved taskbar and while it doesn’t really affect the running programs, it’s annoying that I can’t visually switch between virtual desktops or see what other windows I have open and on which desktop. When this happens, you can bring it back by executing the “kicker” command. Simple as that. It will bring back your taskbar, just be aware that is becomes a child process of whatever you launched it from so shutting down from the taskbar requires you to close the parent process, sort of like a chicken and egg problem. Embarrassingly, I’ve had to use “kicker” a few too many times.

Windows/Mac/Linux (all platforms): OpenOffice.org, the free office application suite, has released a beta of its 3.0 version to the public with a few key features rolled in. The biggest update is native support for Mac OS X platforms, meaning no need to install X11 packages on older Macs or switch to NeoOffice for a smoother experience (although NeoOffice plans to release a 3.0 of its own, so stay tuned). OpenOffice also adds built-in conversion filters for Office 2007/Mac Office 2008 files, a new “solver” function for spreadsheets, enhanced notes and viewing options in Writer, and other enticements for those willing to risk a few bugs. OpenOffice.org 3.0 beta is a free download for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux systems.

http://download.openoffice.org/3.0beta/

The biggest complaint that I have about my Eee PC is that it feels like a toy and not a UMPC.  Every time I open it up, I feel like I am booting up Leap Frog or something.  But finally, the Eee PC has some decent competition.

Meet the HP 2133 Mini Note PC

The HP 2133 is the business version of the Eee PC.  Its all aluminum body makes the Eee PC feel even more like a toy.

There are some differences between the two UMPC.

Read more »

What is this?

Yes, it’s true. I’ve managed to run Windows 95 and Linux on the PSP. I’ve done it by porting the excellent open source x86 emulator Bochs.

Windows 95 actually runs quite well but don’t expect it to be a speed demon. It takes about 10 minutes to boot but afterwards it’s pretty usable. I was able to do things like: open “My computer” and browse the virtual hard drive, complete a whole game of Minesweeper and run various other applications. Now you too can get your Minesweeper fix on the go :)

Read more »

If you didn’t want to change other users’ passwords on Windows using the method covered in this post because it would have been too obvious, there is a better more subtle way to do it with some good old password cracking software. Now assuming you actually have an account on the computer that you’re going to infiltrate like the hack in the previous post requires, password cracking is a simple matter of installing the right tool: and that would be ophcrack, a freeware, open source password cracker. Read more »