If you are a Windows user, then you should be prepared for April 1st, 2009. No it’s not about April Fool’s Day but it is about a worm named Conficker or DownAdUP that is expected “to evolve on April Fool's Day, becoming harder to exterminate but not expected to wreak havoc” (AFP).

Wreak havoc or not, surely I don’t want it inside my PC ever. Neither do you, This malware is a self-replicating program and can easily infects computers from the Internet or USB flash disks that could be triggered to steal data from your computer. Read more about Conficker from wiki here.

Here are symptoms that indicates your system might be infected :

• Account lockout policies being reset automatically.
• Certain Microsoft Windows services such as Automatic Updates, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Windows Defender and Error Reporting Services disabled.
• Domain controllers responding slowly to client requests.
• System network becoming unusually congested.
• Websites related to antivirus software becoming inaccessible.

So make sure your OS already patched. You can download McAfee AVERT Stinger Conficker just to make sure your system is clean. Don’t worry I won’t lead you to some nasty site. It’s a link from trusty softpedia.com.

If you already fed up by this worms and malwares circus around your OS, why not make a switch today. Ever heard something called Ubuntu Linux?

Did you know we never have problems with malware or at least very few? We can sit back and get through that day productively just like any other day without worrying are our anti-virus is up to date or not. Good luck on that day (or any other day).

 

image : wiki

keyword : conficker | windows | linux ubuntu | computer security

On one fine day, Tux wanted to (video) chat with its friends. So it went to uncle Google's house. Only to find this at the front door :

So Tux said : "Where's The Love G?"

keyword : gtalk | voice video chat | linux

This is one refreshingly slick looking IM for (Ubuntu) Linux with little red octopus as its logo. Why octopus? I don't know, it's kinda cute though.
Since Synapse still in alpha phase let's be gentle, shall we?
When you start Synapse for the first time, the little red octopus welcomes you to add a new account, a Jabber ID (JID) is needed. If you have Google Talk (gmail) or Live Journal account that should works.

I tried it with my gmail account but it didn't work, oh well, it is alpha and it works (Thank Stavros, who kindly dropped a helpful comment). Just edit your account, on Connection tab put talk.google.com in Connect Server and 5222 in Port.
Let's see what the Preferences menu have to offer.

• Accounts : obviously this is where you add/delete/edit accounts. At this moment you can only have one account, you can not delete, but you can edit it.
• Appearance : this is where you manage how your Friend Lists, Activity Feeds, Emoticon theme looks like. Still in development, so nothing you can do here.
• Message : adjust how messages appears. Its style, variant, font and background.
• Status : nothing yet. My guess is something like : available, offline, busy etc.
  
• Events : nothing yet. My guess is a calendar : birthday, appointment. etc. Or maybe something like Facebook's?
  
• Extension : manage and list plugins, at this moment it includes : Banshee Now Playing, Code Snippets, Flickr, Twitter, Youtube plugins.
• Advanced : nothing yet.
  

No voice/video chat feature to be found. Maybe it will be added later as a built in feature or as a plugin. Here hoping for Yahoo! Messenger plugin :)

For an alpha, Synapse looks very good and promisingly will be rich in features, if things develops as it should, Synapse definitely is going to be my favorite IM and maybe yours?

It's still in alpha, recommended for developers and beta testers. If you want to try it in Ubuntu here's the instruction.

Synapse is created by Eric Butler, with help from Chris Hergert, Allison Hughes, Arno Rehn, Darryl Ring.

update :
- March 29, 2008 : gmail account works

keyword : synapse alpha review

There's a new IM on the block. Called Synapse. It's still in Alpha, but from the screenshot found on its website it looks promising and good looking, when compared to your usual IM, yes I'm talking about Pidgin and Empathy.
Synapse.im, its website, is beautifully designed, so good  Stefano Forenza said "looks a bit of overkill for such a project in such early status". 

Synapse features (straight from its website) :

• Grid View
  
• Activity Feed : see your friends' activity, IM status, now-playing music, twitter, and more.
• Photo Sharing : it has Flickr integration,
• Web Previews
  
• Code Sharing : useful tool for software developers
• Highly Extensible : plugin ready

Now where's the video/voice call? I hate to boot to another OS just to use Yahoo! Messenger's video/voice call.
But, as this project is still in Alpha there's a lot of room for improvement and there is plugin ability to extend this IM beyond its original ability.
Go ahead give it a try. Synapse download and installation guide on Ubuntu here.
I'm still downloading it at the moment (along with the new Wine 1.1.18), I'll talk about Synapse on next post. It's still in Alpha, so I'll be gentle :) 



keyword : IM for Ubuntu | install synapse on ubuntu

Google, a starting place for most of us to the vast virtual world that is Internet. If you ever ask why even an address bar in web browser have to change, this is why, Google is a threat to the old address bar as many of us never memorize website addresses but just type some keywords and let Google does the job :)

Sadly, Google is not that serious in catering Linux users. If you go to Google’s repository for Linux there are only two applications at the moment : picasa and google desktop.

But that won’t stop us from taking the power of Google to Ubuntu desktop, let’s go!  

• Google Desktop get Google's search power right on your Ubuntu desktop. This search widget is also useful for searching local files. For installation you may need to install : glibc 2.3.2+, gtk+ 2.2.0+ Click the picture to go to Google Desktop installation guide.

  

• Google Gadget, yes there are already screenlets and gdesklets for Ubuntu to show little widgets on desktop, but you may want to try Google Gadget, especially if you want to have adsense monitoring widget right on your Ubuntu desktop, this application is compatible with the gadgets written for Google Desktop for Windows as well as the Universal Gadgets on iGoogle. Click the picture to go to Google Gadget installation guide.

  
• Google Earth, Google's 3 D earth viewer. I already write a post about Google Earth here.
• Picasa, an image viewer from Google. One of few good image viewers in Ubuntu.
• gmail-notify (or kgmail-notify for Kubuntu), a small application that monitors your gmail account for new emails and notifies you when there’s one (or more obviously). Already listed on synaptic package manager.

Have anything to add?

This post is not intended to be a comprehensive list and always open for suggestions and updates.

 

keyword : google | application | ubuntu

No, it’s not about how Ubuntu gets its version number. Which is taken from year and month of its release, Ubuntu 9.04 means Ubuntu version that will be released on year 2009 , 04th month. No, it’s not about that. But somehow I feel the urge to explain it, sorry :)

If you ever updated Ubuntu before, you must already realized how long some of its package’s version numbers are. Like these :

I suggested a simpler version number in Ubuntu, but apparently it won’t be that easy. Asa told me that in his comment which is very good and educational. I learned something new from his comment, so I think it deserves a post of its own.

This is how to read version number in Ubuntu, from his own words. He explained it in example, so it will be easier to understand :

If you had a package foo version 1.0-2ubuntu3 that means that the foo project release 1.0, and then debian made 2 changes and then Ubuntu took a copy of Debian's package and made 3 changes.

From the official explanation of version numbering is, I knew it follows certain format, that is :

[epoch:] upstream_version[-debian_revision]

Read the full explanation here. But believe me, it will be easier to learn from example above.

Why Debian? Learn Ubuntu long history here, but in short : Ubuntu is based on Debian.

Ps : Congratulation to Asa, on what? Want to know? See his website here.

 

keyword : how to read | ubuntu version number

Who never use Twitter?

Me !!! I admit, I only heard about it but never use it.

Linuxhaxor posted great article about Twitter clients for Linux. While I’m not (yet) into Twitter myself, I don’t even have Twitter account, I think this is a good info to pass on to fellow Ubuntu-ers who Tweet.

And a good reason to start Tweet-ing.

…after a while…

Now I just create a Twitter account, let’s see how much fun I can give to and take from it :) So which Twitter client I’ll use?

And for those who are like me, here’s a link to 7 things you should know about Twitter.

Twitter Clients that already listed on Ubuntu 8.10 synaptic package manager are :

• phython-twitter
• gtwitter
• prism-twitter
• twitux
• choqok (for KDE, that means Kubuntu)
  

I decided to use twitux as my Twitter client, it's small and get the jobs done.

Yup, that's my twitter id up there, but I urge you not to follow me. I don't have interesting stuff to tweet.

update :

*March 25, 2009

keyword : twitter client for Ubuntu

You heard it right.

Find it yourself, go to uptime.netcraft.com. This site provides a tool to  query what OS is used by server that runs certain website. And Microsoft's very own www.live.com uses Linux.
Here's the proof :

So what this means? Microsoft don't trust their own product? What do you think?

At least their main site www.microsoft.com uses their own Windows Server 2003 and 2008.

via Ubuntu Forum.


keyword : microsoft | linux | relation

As a stock trader you'll need a technical analysis software to help you make your transaction decision. And Ubuntu provides this. What a gem I found, and it's free.
This software already listed in synaptic package manager, Qtstalker.
Qtstalker can use data from various sources, including Yahoo! Finance or a CSV file, so you can use this software to analyze any market data.

Available indicators are :

• Accumulation Distribution
• Average True Range
• Bollinger Bands
• Commodity Channel Index
• Compare
• Counter
• Custom
• Detrended Price Oscillator
• Directional Movement Index
• Elder's Market Thermometer
• Elder's Safezone Stop
• Force Index
• Math Functions
• Moving Average
• Moving Average Convergence Divergence
• Moving Average Oscillator
• Money Flow
• Momentum
• Performance
• Pivot Point
• Rate of Change
• Reference
• Relative Strength Index
• Parabolic SAR
• Standard Deviation
• Stochastic
• Symbol
  
• TRIX
  
• Ultimate Oscillator
• Volume
• Volatility Ratio
• Volume Trends
• Williams %R

As I am new to this software, I still can't find Fibbonaci Control and Time. But I don't think it's there.

Installation is easy as any software that already listed in synaptic package manager. Just open Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager and find qtstalker then install it, that easy. And it has helpful Help.

I am not promising anything, but if I find this software useful, I may post a little tutorial on how to use it (not on technical analysis aspect of course).


keyword : stock trading | technical analysis | ubuntu

Well in case you're wondering, if you use Ubuntu 8.10 that means you use Gnome 2.24.1. So no, you don't have it.
The good news is Gnome 2.26 includes many long-waited improvement in Brasero, Media Player, Empathy, Evolution, Epiphany, PulseAudio and more (read it here).

The semi-bad news is : it is available on next Ubuntu, the Jaunty Jackalope.
Although surely maybe you can use Jaunty Jackalope's repository and install it on your Intrepid Ibex, just remember it may break your current system. I haven't test it, so I am not sure. But based on my previous experience : installing from alien repository that is not intended for your particular version is prone to crash your system. Especially with major update like this,

So I suggest if you reaaaaally want it :

• install current Jaunty Jackalope,
  
• wait for stable Jaunty Jackalope which is just around the corner, or...
• wait someone with bigger balls and time to try installing it in 8.10 and survive to tell about it, or ...
• try it yourself

keyword : gnome 2.26, ubuntu updates

Dear Ubuntu Software Developers,

Thank you so much for providing us tons of free updates that make our computers more secure, faster and easier to use. I'll say it again from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

But I have a little suggestion, could you please make a simpler Version Number, you know the ones that we can actually pronounce. Do you really expect we say something like this to our colleagues :

" Hey I just updated my flgrx-modaliases from Version 2:8.543-0ubuntu4  to Version 2:8.543-0ubuntu4.1. "

That's too long, IMHO.

And there many of them, like these :

Thank you, for your consideration. Keep up the good job.


Sincerely,

Ubuntu User

 

Every OS is vulnerable to malware. Linux is not an exception.

According to wiki :

The number of malicious programs—including viruses, Trojans, and other threats—specifically written for Linux has been on the increase in recent years and more than doubled during 2005 from 422 to 863.

The reasons why there are only small number (compared to Windows’) of them right now are :

• in Linux to make system-wide change, one needs to be a root. And malware can not do this without permission from the user.
• fast updates and fixes against bugs and vulnerabilities.
• not a primary target. Why make a malware to infect a hard-to-infect and small user base OS? While you can do it in less effort yet bigger impact?
• people who turn to Linux usually already computer savvy who aware and care about computer security and its threat.

   VS

It’s always better safe than sorry, right? So here’s four free antivirus for Linux :

• AVG for Linux
• Avast for Linux
• Clam AV for Linux
• Avira for Linux

Sure, there are commercial antivirus too. But I’m not going to list them here. If they want to earn their money let them do their work, I’m not going to do theirs.

images : wikipedia

Do you know where you stand? Take a look at this War of The Software map and stand your ground.

Now where dual-booters or even triple-booters stand?

click the picture for bigger resolution.

image source : mshiltonj

Aah Facebook, a place to stay connected with friends and families without actually meet them. That's good if you just want to stay in touch and not meet them :) but that's another story and not my business :)

If you are running Ubuntu there are ways to stay connected to facebook and your whole network easily. You can stay connected with these applications.

• prism-facebook : actually it's a stripped down web browser, without the oooh and the aaah, and automatically goes to facebook.com
  Install it via synaptic package manager, look for prism-facebook
• screenlets' facebook applet : screenlets is a widget-like application for Ubuntu that easily upgraded with new applet.
  Install screenlets via synaptic package manager : look for screenlets;
  and then add facebook applet, download it here and install it via screenlets manager,
• pidgin–facebookchat plugin, a Facebook chat plugin for Pidgin and libpurple messengers. It connects to the new Facebook Chat IM service. Download here. 
  

And while you're logged in Facebook, have you become The Linux Foundation fans? Or join Ubuntu group?

update :

March 23, 2009 :  pidgin-facebookchat plugin

 

keyword : facebook | ubuntu | applet | application 

Do you want to have that compact Ubuntu Netbook Launcher in your Ubuntu 8.10 desktop?

I really like the launcher, so stylish, compact and easier to navigate. OK that's enough reason to install and here's how it look now :

make no mistake, this is a Ubuntu Desktop not a netbook

Here's how to have netbook launcher in your desktop:

• add this repository :
  deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/netbook-remix-team/ubuntu intrepid main
• reload your synaptic,
  
• search netbook-launcher in your synaptic package manager,
  
• install and restart your Ubuntu after that.

To uninstall netbook-launcher just go to synaptic package manager and remove it.

Bonus: Icon Only Windows List

As an added and surprise bonus, this repository provide icon only windows list applet for gnome. Called window-picker-applet. Now, I've been searching for ages :) for xfce-like windows list applet that shows only icons of running applications.

How to install this applet ?

• After adding this repository and reload synaptic you can find window-picker-applet in your application list. Install it.
• Right click on one your panel -> Add to panel -> choose Window Picker
• There you go...
  

this is not launcher, but icons of running application started from thunderbird icon to the right

keyword : netbook | launcher | desktop | icon only | windows | list | gnome

There's one basic applet that is not present in current Avant Window Navigator (AWN), that is a shutdown applet. The closest thing is Quit-Logoff applet, but that is not what I want. I want to be able to shutdown via AWN.

There are two ways to enable shutdown function in AWN.

#1 Edit Quit-Logoff applet :

• activate Quit-Logoff applet from awn-manager
• right click the applet -> preferences
  
• change the logout command from the original command :
  gnome-session-save --kill
  
  to :
  gnome-session-save --shutdown-dialog
  
  notice -- (double minus sign) before shutdown-dialog
  

or you can try this ...

#2 Add New Launcher

If you're not keen on idea of editing default applet, you can make a new launcher from awn manager and assign different icon to it while retaining the default applet intact.

• open awn manager, by clicking awn manager icon or right-click either end of the bar and choose "Preferences" or press Alt+F2 and type awn-manager.
• on the left menu choose Launcher and then Add, a new dialog window will pop up. Give it a title and description, the most important thing to do is type:
  gnome-session-save --shutdown-dialog
  on the command. On the left, you can click the icon to change it to your liking.
• After adding the new launcher you need to restart AWN, by right click either end of the bar and choose "Close”. Start it again by pressing Alt-F2 and type avant-window-navigator.
  

Notice this icon below that I use as shutdown applet icon :

That's it, happy shutdown-ing :)

Thanks Alex Ho.

keyword : add shutdown | launcher|applet awn |

I never satisfied with something default, that's way I almost always tweak my stuffs in order to make it reach its fullest  potential : bike, cellphone. Ubuntu is not an exception.
I think most of fellow Ubuntu users feel the same way.
That the reason behind this post.  List of repositories I use to make my Ubuntu more powerful, more useful and way cooler.

...after a google session...

I'd like to write it myself, but I found somebody already posted about this. And not just things I already knew, I even learned something new.
Go to I'Been to Ubuntu to learn more about it.
 
Synaptic Package Manager is a powerful application, add that with more repositories you can install almost any application you want. Just be sure you add Ubuntu repository specifically made for your version. Although you can add 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope repository to your 8.10, for instance, there is always a chance you'll brick your system, like I did. Hoo boy, reinstalling is not fun you know.

I like how Ubuntu named after exotic animals. Heron, Ibex, Jackalope and just announced (Karmic) Koala.

That makes the next 10.04 will be named with L L.

Lion? Leopard? Although they are both great and mighty animals, they are too well known. So why not both of them at once?

Enter Leopon.

For the adjective I propose Leal.

That makes Leal Leopon.

What is Leal? And WTH is Leopon?

Leal means loyal and true;

Leopon is leopard – lion hybrid, result of breeding a male leopard with a female lion. The head of the animal is similar to that of a lion while the rest of the body carries similarities to leopards.

No, I’m not making this up. Look for Leopon here.

And here’s what Leopon looks like:

We have Jackalope which is a fictional hybrid animal, why not a real hybrid? And it looks awesome too.

So Ubuntu 10.04 Leal Leopon, what do you think?

keyword : ubuntu codename suggestion

Now this is a simple and cool trick.

Change your default Ubuntu font to Android's. Since it was made for mobile devices with its premium display space, using it on your Ubuntu desktop will make it looks sharp and more space-savy.

Like this :

Read the trick at stefanoforenza.com and while you're there you can digg the storytoo.

keyword : android, font, ubuntu

We've just shipped a lot of those 'under the hood' improvements for games out in CrossOver Games 7.2. We're really pushing Direct X 9 support pretty far along, and getting ready to move on Direct X 10.

Jeremy White

Nice...
Games are Windows stronghold and a reason behind many dual-booters out there. So when this finally happens we could see more people go Linux 100%.

news via codeweavers.com