Update Center

A new hackers secret code!

Cristi — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:56:15 GMT

Use this and no one ever will understand your PRIVATE and SECRET messages.
Mail me at grozac@ymail.com to get the code/decoder.
Coded in Python, C++ is next. Don't miss it.
Change your virtual life. Get secret.

Dolphin File Browser Review

Cristi — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:11:02 GMT

In the world of Linux there is always a choice to make in Desktop Environments, Media Players, Windows Managers, and File Managers... etc. But I will focus on a File Manager in this post.

In Linux you have many file managers, so many that I can't list them all right now. There are some command line based, GUI and all sorts of flavors and optimized for different purposes.

Some of them are Nautilus, Dolphin, Thunar, and these file managers are the default for GNOME, KDE, and XFCE.

I will take Dolphin. Dolphin is the default File Manager for KDE, and I am telling you KDE is a very good DE and Dolphin earned it place in it. It has numerous features that makes your browsing through files experience much more pleasant. If you wish to install it just run this command in your terminal:

Code:

sudo apt-get install dolphin

If you are in GNOME it will install some KDE libraries with it too but don't worry this is normal.

If you are in KDE you already have it installed so you can enjoy it right away.

After installing it I went into the menu and opened it. This is how a default Dolphin windows looks like.

The interface is very clean, it has 2 side panels, a Places panel and an Information panel.

The information panel proved to be very useful for me since you can get all the basic informations about the selected folder. See that plus sign on that folder? If you click it the Information panel will show informations about the parent folder of the selected folder, this gave me a break from right clicking on a blank field and clicking properties, very cool feature.

But if you take a look on the Information panel you will see some thumbnails on that folder. Those thumbnails represent the contents of a file or folder. This makes easy finding a folder with a specific content. But wait a second, you don't need to click each file or folder to get that! You can toggle the Preview Mode from the navigation menu, right under the menu bar. All contents of all currently displayed folder will be shown making your life easy.

Here is a screenshot with Dolphin in Preview Mode:

Notice that only 3 folders have a preview because the others have no content!

An another feature of Dolphin is its Split View Mode. Here is a screen shot just to give you a hint:

With split view you can easy compare the contents of two folders and as you can see the Information panel is still there. But wait a second, if you look more carefully you can see that the preview mode is still available. Now thats a big plus.

Dolphin has many view modes including Column, Detail and Compact. And the slider from the bottom of the windows allows you to adjust the size of the icons in an instant.

I decided to see the preferences menu of this program. Here is some screenshots:

Its very simple and the categories make orientation easy. I will not talk about this much , instead I will post some screenshots for you to make your own impression:

The only annoying thing I found about Dolphin is that folders opened with a single click and not with a double click, but this is already a matter of preferences. This can be easy disabled from the Dolphin's Preferences.

For me this program could replace Nautilus or Thunar in any day of the week and any second, I will just keep testing it for a while just to make sure. Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry if it was too long.

Kubuntu 10.04 Has A New Look

Cristi — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:11:33 GMT

Hello everyone! We see that Ubuntu Lucid has a new look but what about its derivate Kubuntu?
Well, Kubuntu has some modifications too. The last time when I tried KDE was when Intrepid Ibex came out, so today I decided to go to www.kubuntu.com and download the ISO image. If you wish you can download it too for free, but I suggest you to use a torrent download since it is a almost 700 MB download.
The download was finished in about 30 minutes at a speed of about 500 kb/s so I went to a walk and when I came back the download was already finished.
I quickly opened Virtual Box, created a new machine and indicated where the ISO is stored. VOILA! In 10 minutes Kubuntu 10.04 was loaded in Virtual Box as a LIVE Session!
The first thing you will see is this screen:

Now, after I selected the first options and let Kubuntu to load I got this:

As you can see KDE changed its color theme a bit and I love it... I don't know about other
early version of KDE but in intrepid the panel was blue.The whither lines of the panel theme on the left give it some more style and it makes it pleasant for the eye. I also see some modifications of the notification area. The first looks tempted me to try Kubuntu for a few weeks and I will do it as soon I can get my hands on a CD.

I also wanted to see how the interface of the other programs look so I went into exploring the desktop.
Here is a screen shot with Amarok:

If I dig a bit into my memories I notice that the theme looks more fresh (I love the default theme of Kubuntu!) and it looks very shiny (KDE is very shiny in general).The Play button and the Volume button are very big and this will make easy for me to mute and unmute the sound!I searched into Amarok for the Ubuntu One Music Store but I did not found it, I don't know, maybe I am blind, please comment if you found it.

Also the default movie player is Dragon Player but I have no experience with it so i can't give you my opinion.

Next, I opened Dolphin, the default file manager of KDE. And here is the screen shot:

Its shiny just like Amarok! The icon theme remained blue as always and the side panels are still there. No any apparent change in Dolphin. I did not had enough time to dig for the new features included in this release but I plan to do this as soon I install KDE on top of GNOME ( I am a Gnome fan, but this is about to change).

As instant messaging KDE offers Kopete. Kopete supports video calls for some protocols and that makes it earn its place.

I will offer a more detailed article about KDE 4.4 SC soon since this is just an attempt to see whats new in GUI... I did not look over many application but this offers a conclusion about the new default the of Kubuntu.
Hope you enjoyed it.

Whats Unique About Ubuntu

Cristi — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:42:02 GMT

If we look at Operating Systems in general we see that they have something precious that separates them from others.We see that Mac OS X known user friendliness makes it practically dumb proof, and Windows has its all big collection of software packages. But what about Ubuntu?
Well Ubuntu has a pretty big software collection too, but not as wide as Windows, and it has its level of user friendliness. But that is not enough to separate it from the others. The thing that separates is its COMMUNITY!
Now imagine your self having some problems with you Ubuntu systems. What is the first you would do? Yeah, that is right! You would Google the problem! But what happens if you can't find a solution to your problem because your problem is a bit unique?
Well if I was you I would ask help from the Ubuntu Community.You can ask help from them on their IRC network, that offers a very quick solution if any one knows it.But if you want others to benefit from your experience you would ask for help on the FORUMS.
Now, a good example is the official forums : www.ubuntuforums.org
I had several problems that had a quick solution just by making a free account there and posting a simple thread with the description of my problem.
The community is very active and you can tell that by looking at the bottom of their page.
Make a comparison between their site and the Debian forms. The Debian Forums look like a ghost town when compared to Ubuntu's.
As you can see getting help is easy when using Ubuntu and that is the thing that makes him UNIQUE.
Also the amount of documentation is very large and available in many languages thanks to the people working on it from all over the world.
Now if you do a comparison you will see that no other OS has this at the same level as Ubuntu.

Go social with Ubuntu right after the install!

Cristi — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:23:08 GMT

Today I was using Gwibber on my Facebook account and I was wondering " All this with no effort after the install".
Ahh, come on! Were do you see this in other Operating systems?
In Windows (Put the version here) you had to go through all the hassle of opening your web browser (Internet Explorer, FireFox, Opera, etc) then go to Google.com and search "Download my favorite social client"!
Then double click the .exe file and you know the rest, total waste of time!
But with Ubuntu this aspect has changed. Instead going through all the above steps you only have to do 2 things after the fresh install:
1. Open Gwiber
2. Set up you account.

Do you notice the difference? Well I do! You can enjoy you online social life right away thanks to Gwibber Developers, Canonical and the Ubuntu Team.

And thanks to the ingenious MeMenu now you don't have to open Gwibber's window... Just click your username and enter your cool status in that box and press the magic button called "Enter"... That status will be published on all Social Networks you have configured them in Gwibber. And since Gwibber is support multiple social networks you can have only one open window and enjoy Facebook, Twitter, Identi, Flickr, and others at the same time!

Now here are some screen shots with what you can get by paying nothing except a few clicks...

Gwibber on my Facebook account stream :

The best feature about Gwibber is the ability to view multiple streams:

The New Ubuntu 10.04 CD Cover

Cristi — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:22:17 GMT

Unless you ordered a Ubuntu Lucid Lynx CD from Canonical you do not know how the new CD cover looks.
Well I am here to tell you!
For the beginning I will tell you that it does not look BROWN!!! like the other covers!
The main color of the front part of the cover is PURPLE(What, NOT BROWN, I thought Ubuntu is all about BROWN!).
Printed on this background are many white dots in a matrix style. Also the "10.04 LTS'' text is made of dots, white dots.
The background image is the default Ubuntu wallpaper!
Here I will show you this picture to see your self if you don't believe me!

And now for the back part of the case:
You guessed it... Its all dots, WHITE DOTS! (from were white dots fashion comes from?)

Inside a balloon the is some text that says:

Explore Ubuntu.
Like it?
Install it.
Love it!

Here is the photo!

The scan is not the best quality...

And now we see that Ubuntu has changed to purple in all ways!
I still don't know why they picked white dots for the design of the cover!

The Hardware Issues

Cristi — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:21:31 GMT

Now tell me please ( if you know) what is the biggest problem yo can have with a personal computer?
Bugs?
Viruses?
Driver Issues?
Kernel Panics (BSODs for WIndows users)?
I think its Hardware Issues!
Hardware Issues? But why?
Because each time you have a problem with bugs, software, drivers there is a fix that sometimes you can do it by yourself by following a tutorial from the web...
But when you only have one computer and your RAM or Processor burns is far worse... You cant get online to search the web from your machine because is currently DEAD...
The only fix is , if you don't have proper knowledge is to go to a computer shop were they can fix it, but guess what! IT COSTS $MONEY$... If you have the proper knowledge and the right tools you can try fix it your self but if you are unsure DON'T TOUCH IT because you may find yourself paying another 600 dollars $$$ for a new machine just because you touched your motherboard when you were charged with static electricity (I am telling you, that thing kills a mobo!!!)
But wait a minute... If you have a warranty you may be lucky after all...
Either way a any kind of problems takes you time so the best thing you can do is clean you processor fan and every other part of you PC every 1 or 2 months and every corner from dust (dust is a computer killer) dirt and other things that should not be there!

Ubuntu makes driver installation almost automatic!

Cristi — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:20:39 GMT

If you look at the post installation processes after a Ubuntu fresh install you will notice that almost
everything is automated...
Now that is not a common thing in Windows.
When do you see Windows notifying you that hardware drivers are available? Almost never.
But in Ubuntu this is not a rare thing!
In Windows you had to go on the provider website, fill in a form, download the driver, install it and
REBOOT!
In Ubuntu all you have to do is click the New drivers available notification and "Install drivers!”
It can't be more easy than that! All this because of a wonderful program and the developers of this
program!
The program is called jockey-gtk (weird name)... Here is a screenshot!

As you can see jockey-gtk gives you a list with all suitable drivers for your specific hardware.
Via this program you can install drivers for wireless, graphics cards,printers,and even more!

And lets talk about an usual printer setup on Windows...
To install your printer on Windows you have to do the following things:
1.Download the driver (f you don't have the CD)
2.Install your driver.
3.Plug in your printer.
Do you thunk it can't be more easy that that? If you think "yes" ITS WRONG!
In Ubuntu you only have to do 1 thing...plug in your printer, and that is step 3!
Ubuntu recognized my HP printer right away and in less tan one minute i had a working printer...
In Windows I had a working printer in almost 10 minutes(Compare the times)!

Now we see that if Ubuntu recognize some hardware and it finds some suitable drivers somewhere,
it will notify us and if you say "yes" it will make the process painless
(now I admit, in all operating system are hardware detection problems!)
In Windows you had to do all the job by your self
(except for plug and play devices).

Migration guide from windows to Ubuntu...

Cristi — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:08:39 GMT

Windows software comes in .exe files, which you are expected to get from the web or from a store. Ubuntu software comes in packages, which are installed and updated through a centralised system, like a more powerful version of Windows Update and Add/Remove Programs.

See the software installation guide for instructions on how to install new programs. Application packages will usually appear in the Applicationsmenu, configuration tools will usually appear in the Preferences or Administration menu.

In the same way that Windows only runs software designed for Windows, applications must be made for Linux to be able to run on Ubuntu. Most Linux software is available for free over the Internet. The following pages feature a small selection of popular applications available for free in Ubuntu:

Firewalls and antivirus software

Ubuntu's main firewall program is called ufw (click here to install gufw). There are currently very few Linux viruses in the wild, so Ubuntu doesn't come with antivirus software installed. See Antivirus for more information.

The Terminal

Linux includes a text-based interface like cmd.exe, called the terminal. Many Linux guides ask you to run commands in the terminal, which should be available from Applications > Accessories > Terminal. See Using the Terminal for more information.

Task Manager

Ubuntu's System Monitor is the closest equivalent to the Task Manager in Windows. It's available through System > Administration > System Monitor.

Where To Put Your Files

Linux doesn't use drive letters, so there's no C: drive and no D: drive. You'll get used to Linux's filesystem gradually, but for now here are the most important locations:

/home/: This is your home folder, which is fairly similar to My Documents in Windows. You can access this folder by clicking Places> Home Folder.
Because this folder is used so often, many programs refer to it as "$HOME" or "~" ("tilde", pronounced "till-der". For example, saving a file as ~/my-file.txt is the same as saving it as /home/
/home: This is folder contains everybody's home folders, and is fairly similar to Documents and Settings in Windows. The main thing to remember is that despite the name, this is not your home folder. If somebody tells you to go to your home folder, they mean /home/.
/media: This folder contains CD-ROMs, memory sticks, and other removable media. Individual drives will also appear in the Places menu item and on your desktop.
/tmp: This folder contains temporary files, and is cleaned out when you reboot.

`Safely removing drives`

When you are finished with a removable drive, right click on the drive's desktop icon and select Unmount volume or Eject, depending on what type of drive it is.

Installing Ubuntu... Cristi — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:08:01 GMT NotesThis tutorial assumes you definitely want to install Ubuntu on your full drive and erase Windows completely. Unless you are absolutely sure you want to erase Windows, do not follow this tutorial.Instead, I would recommend you start migrating to open source Windows applications in Windows, playing around with Ubuntu virtually inside Windows, and then use a dual-boot between Ubuntu and Windows. If you are using Mac OS X, the community documentation may help you out here. Installing UbuntuNow that you have the Desktop CD, you'll need to reboot your computer to use Ubuntu.Your computer's BIOS must be set to boot from CD first; otherwise, Windows will just load up again. To get into the BIOS settings, you usually have to press one of these keys during boot-up: Escape, F1, F2, F12, or Delete. Usually your computer will tell you which key to use. Once your BIOS is configured to boot from CD first, if you have Ubuntu in the drive, you should see this screen. Ubuntu will take a couple of minutes to load up. Just be patient. Select your preferred language. If you have at least 512 MB of RAM, you may want to select Try Ubuntu, as it will allow you to do other things (check your email, browse the web) while you're installing Ubuntu. If you have only 256 MB or 384 MB of RAM, you should select Install Ubuntu. This will give you the same installation screens you see below, but you won't have the rest of the Ubuntu live session running as well. If you have less than 256 MB of RAM, you should use the Alternate CD to install Ubuntu, or do a barebones installation. If you choose to install Ubuntu directly, the installer will launch immediately. If you choose the Try Ubuntu option, you'll be in the Ubuntu live session. From there, click the Install Ubuntu icon on the desktop. Answer the questions as best you can. Most of them should be self-explanatory. By default, the installer will give you the option to install Ubuntu side by side with whatever operating system is currently on your computer. You can choose that if you want to set up a dual-boot, but as I stated before, the safest dual-boot is probably with Wubi, unless you know what you're doing (in which case you shouldn't be looking at this guide). For simplicity's sake, you should select Use the entire disk. Or, if you don't want to erase your entire drive, click Quit and then boot back into Windows and set up a dual-boot using Wubi. The next screen will ask you for your username and password. On some smaller screens, you may have to scroll down to see some of the other options. Once you're sure you want to do this (this will erase your entire hard drive—make sure everything is backed up first!), click Install. If you booted Try Ubuntu, you can still keep using the live CD to play games or surf the web while Ubuntu is installing. Yeah. That's right. Eventually, the installation will finish (the whole thing can take anywhere between 15 minutes and an hour, depending on the speed of your computer). You can either Continue Testing if you want to shutdown your computer or Restart Now if you want to restart your computer. Either way, Ubuntu will eject your CD (or prompt you for when to remove your USB stick, if you used UNetBootIn instead of a CD burning program). The next time you boot up, you should have a working Ubuntu installation!