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.

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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 :)

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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 »

A Home Theater PC, or HTPC, is a computer used to watch movies, television, or other video in a home entertainment setting, usually connected to a television and home theater receiver.

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Recently I had to modify a library to use dynamic linking in order to cut down on its size. Originally a 8MB file, I was looking at reducing the size to 1.3MB. Pretty great right? So why not dynamically link every time? Well, there are certain times when static linking, though it increases the size of your library, might be preferable.

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(credit: Phoronix)

Nowadays dual core processors are all the rage, with quad core processors just now entering the market. Why not make use of all the extra computer power? It was just a few years ago that only powerful computing clusters in universities and the workplace had dual CPU machines (not to be confused with dual core where you have two CPUs on the same die rather than two CPUs on separate dies) that you could use this special gcc trick to speed up your compilation time.

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Ubuntu is a Linux distribution for laptops, desktops and even servers.  Built upon the Debian GNU/Linux, Ubuntu tries to provide an up-to-date OS for the average user.  Some of its key features include regular releases, easy to use installs, nice UI, and focuses on usability.

Ubuntu the word stands for “humanity toward others”, and “we are people because of other people”.  Read more »