Ubuntu, another choice

Everything you need to know about shutting down and rebooting Linux from the command line. Linux Shutdown Management

A dependable backup tool is not a luxury — everyone needs to have one. But that doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune to get the feature set that meets your needs. Whether you’re in the IT industry or you're a computer power user, you need to have a backup tool at the ready. With this tool, you will need scheduled backups, one-time backups, local backups, remote backups, and many other features. Plenty of proprietary solutions are out there. Some of them are minimal and cost effective, while others are feature-rich and costly. The open source community is no stranger to the world of backups. Here are 10 excellent backup solutions for the Linux operating system. In fact, some of these are actually cross platform and will back up Linux, Windows and/or Mac. 10 outstanding Linux backup utilities - Program - Linux - Builder AU

Linux LiveCD Router - free Speed-up your Internet connection ! Linux LiveCD Router allows you to share, firewall, balance and optimize your broadband connection. You can use ADSL, Cable Modem, USB 3G Cards, T1, Dial-Up, WiFi. Can balance and backup multiple ISPs and connections. Includes traffic priority settings for VoIP and other apps. Can avoid ISP traffic limiting. free download! Features Share and Firewall your broadband or dedicated Internet connection Includes Firewall Shorewall and Masquerading (NAT) Does not require any installation. It is a LiveCD, your computer simply boots straight from the CD (or flash disk). Does not require a hard disk Supports ADSL, Cablemodem, USB 3G Cards, T1, Dial-Up, WiFi Traffic Control, QoS WonderShaper DHCP Client and Server Remote SSH administration Secure Internet Access using OpenVPN Can balance 2 internet connections (multi ISP) Ideal for high speed (5 ...

A little more than a year has passed since cyberpunkcafe.com created the original " Fresh Free Open Source Games for Linux and Windows list ". Which is a list that showcases the new and ongoing development of great free open source games. During the past year developers have been relentlessly pounding out new games and adding to their existing code base all in an effort to entertain the gamers. So without further ado i would like to introduce the "fresh free open source games list 2009 edition". Once again this is not your average top 10 Linux, windows and mac games list. Most games on this list are in a beta /stable state so they will be totally playable. The majority of these games are cross platform so everyone will be able to enjoy. If anyone knows of any more fresh free open source games that we should should be showcasing in the next list or adding to this one, please send us an email at suggestions@cyberpunkcafe.com and we will try to make sure...

An oldie but a goodie, this tutorial shows you how to build a nice DVR, using open source software, a PC and a TV tuner card, perfect for those who wish to record and save video without the hassles of DRM. Essentially, it’s like building your own Tivo to record and playback your favorite shows on demand. First things first, depending on your budget you either need to dedicate a PC to the task or use old hardware you have lying around; but beware that you need a beefier system if you plan on recording several streams at the same time. If money is not a problem, ideally you would get a low-noise living room case and start from the ground up but just about any 2-3 year old system will do. Then you need to pick out a TV tuner card. Head over to MythTV’s compatibility site to make sure the card works with the system, but anything with DVB Linux drivers will work. After you’ve lined up the hardware, head over to MythTV’s site and download the their latest ISO, burn onto a CD and start...

Simple, sleek, swift, smart. Do. GNOME Do allows you to quickly search for many items present on your desktop or the web, and perform useful actions on those items. GNOME Do is inspired by Quicksilver & GNOME Launch Box. Download Do GNOME + Do = Crazy Delicious

Ubuntu Tweak is an application designed to config Ubuntu easier for everyone. It provided many usefull desktop and system options that the default desktop environment isn’t provided. At present, It is only designed for Ubuntu GNOME Desktop, and often follows the newest Ubuntu distribution. LICENSE Ubuntu Tweak is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation. More information can see at the the package’s LICENSE. Features of Ubuntu Tweak View of Basic System Information(Distribution, Kernel, CPU, Memory, etc.) GNOME Session Control Auto Start Program Control Qucik install common usded applications A lot of third-party sources to keep application up-to-date Clean unneeded packages or cache to free the disk space Show/Hide and Change Splash screen Show/Hide desktop icons or Mounted Volumes Show/Hide/Rename Computer, Home, Trash icon or Network icon Tweak Metacity Window Ma...

1) Ubuntu Tweak Ubuntu Tweak allows changing all the itsy-bitsy pieces of Ubuntu desktop OS. It is the equivalent of TweakUI for Windows. You can achieve the same results by using the gconf-editor tool in Ubuntu. Ubuntu Tweak also helps install third-party upgrades in a simpler fashion so it definitely gives a new boost to your clumsy Ubuntu desktop and increases UserExperience. 2) Screenlets The Screenlets application provides access to hundreds of Google Gadgets and other open source widgets, like Remember the Milk or Google Calendar. Ubuntu can also hide the Screenlets until a key is pressed – to get it done you will also need to install the compizconfig-settings-manager package. This is what they say: Screenlets are small owner-drawn applications (written in Python ) that can be described as “the virtual representation of things lying/standing around on your desk”. Sticknotes, clocks, rulers, … the possibilities are endless. 3) Handbrake Handbrake works with the VLC media pla...

All right, it's time to talk about Linux games, once again. In this article, I'm going to present a whole variety of Linux games, across a range of genres. I'm going to review several titles in detail, complete with screenshots and grades. Next, I will talk about non-native Linux games, which can still be enjoyed using certain tools and methods. We will talk about the tools and methods, too. We'll also talk about mini-games that come bundled with distributions, Flash games, online game repositories, and more. It should be interesting. If you're a gamer, spend 5-6 minutes of your time reading. I promise you, you'll like it. So, if you are new to Linux and wondering if you can enjoy games on Linux, the answer is: very much so yes. Follow me. First, a philosophical intro ... Linux gaming is kind of a black sheep of the open-source world, a thoroughly under-appreciated and under-advertised part of the Linux...

Whether it’s down to the sagging economy or the slow but inevitable death of XP, I’m hearing from many people who are looking to jump off the Microsoft software bandwagon and pitch up with the FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) movement. But could you realistically move your home or business PCs over to open source software and make a 100% switch? This question intrigues me, and I think that ultimately there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to it. I think that some people could, others can’t, and others could, but simply won’t. At one end of the spectrum you have the home user who spends 90% of their PC time on the Internet. These folks could switch to FOSS in a heartbeat. Even if they do more, like write lists, maybe compile a few reports, and maybe even mess about with photos and a bit of video, switching to FOSS would be a doddle. Could you switch over to being 100% open source? Yes No Maybe Don't know Don't want to! View Results At the other end of the spectrum you...

I recently had a chance to install Ubuntu on my home PC and since I’m a fan of good themes and love to customize my desktop, I started searching for the best Ubuntu / Gnome Themes . I downloaded loads of them, bookmarked and saved the pages for further use. I confronted Dark, colored, light each with a different perspective. So after a good long list, here’s what I found and think are one of the best Ubuntu / Gnome themes . 60 Best Ubuntu Themes | A New Morning

I was at a conference when two techies walked into the open bar, one an open source supporter and one staunchly anti. They got into it a bit after a few drinks, and Mr. Anti commented loudly, “I wish open source would just go away! It causes more trouble than it's worth.” Statements I obviously have issues with. Now, I know most people don’t understand the role of open source software in our world, or just how many services that we take for granted would disappear without it. If you’re a card-carrying member of the community, you probably know where I’m headed. Say at the stroke of midnight, all open source software magically vanished. What would still work tomorrow? For starters, the Internet would “disappear” for the average user. Most Domain Name Servers (DNS) are run on open source software like BIND, which turns www.whurley.com into the IP address of the appropriate server. The majority of basic Internet users would be literally lost in translation. Of ...

Ubuntu is becoming more and more complete and easy to configure. However, like any operating system there’s work to be done after the installation. Here’s a list of 10 tips that you can use after installing or upgrading Ubuntu. 10 Tips for After You Install or Upgrade Ubuntu | Tombuntu

Glest is a free 3D real-time strategy game, where you control the armies of two different factions: Tech , which is mainly composed of warriors and mechanical devices, and Magic , that prefers mages and summoned creatures in the battlefield. Glest is not just a game, but also an engine to make strategy games, based on XML and a set of tools. A few mods already exist. Operating system: OS Portable (Source code to work with many OS platforms), Linux, Win2K, WinXP Glest - The Free Real-Time Strategy Game

First, before upgrading read these: a) run the update manager to make sure that all the updates have been applied to your system. b) read the release notes . c) Read the other stickes in this forum. d) Back up all your data. There is no guarantee that all will go well. e) Backing up with rsync - tutorial links. ( see post #20 ) f) Remember that this software is still beta at this time. It is not for production machines. g) For more information about upgrading to Intrepid Ibex, click here . h) Test the Live CD for a while to make sure that your hardware will work with it. Use all the applications that you will use when you install it. i) Have a copy of Hardy Heron, in case the upgrade or clean install fails. That way you can reinstall it and have a working system. __________________________________________________ __________________________________ Second, this upgrade only applies to Ubuntu and Xubuntu Hardy Heron, 8.04. - Only upgrade this way: Quote:...

Are you a green geek ? Would you like to be one? There’s always more we can do to help the environment, or at least reduce our environmental footprints . Tina at MakeUseOf wrote a really good article about the meaning of environmental footprint and mentioned a lot of great non-technical steps we can take to reduce ours. But what about us, geeks, living surrounded by machinery? What can we do? Well, the Green Festival was in Washington, DC recently, so I headed over and learned quite a bit while I was there. This is going to be a three-part series, focusing on the three parts of being environmentally friendly: Reduce, Reuse , Recycle . This one is focusing on reduction. Whole thing here: Sexy Green Geek

Stand for a Free Society I come up with new words, phrases, analogies, all kinds of fun stuff in the English language and people paraphrase what I had to say and make money talking about some of the same things that I did. If I try to lock down what I talk about and write about, the same way as a proprietary software company does, then the whole industry of speaking, writing, media, would be overly litigious, and transaction costs would be prohibitive.Don Marti, 2005 interview There is much more to software than being trustworthy (being "Open-Source"): what really counts is the freedoms you get over it. Can you learn from it? Can you build upon it? Can you distribute it? That's what we refer to as "free software". Not a crazy concept It sounds peculiar to many users that software should be free as in freedom, since none of Microsoft's products are. Yet our society works with many free things in it, for example: Though no one has a proprietary lock on y...

There are many articles written about the reasons why users may wish to convert to Linux. Frequently cited reasons include the favorable licensing terms, the freely distributable software (with source code), support from the Linux community, improved security, open file formats, the fact that Linux can run on a wide variety of platforms, etc. However, unless a desktop user is provided with real alternatives to the existing software he or she currently uses, migration to a different operating system is going to be very difficult. This collection of articles aims to dispel the myth that Linux isn't ready for the desktop user to move away from the Microsoft world. If you are contemplating switching from Windows to Linux, please be assured that many of your favorite desktop applications have Linux equivalents, often with a comparable feature set. For each Linux application, we have compiled a portal page providing an overview of the software, a screenshot of the application in acti...

Duplicity backs directories by producing encrypted tar-format volumes and uploading them to a remote or local file server. Because duplicity uses librsync , the incremental archives are space efficient and only record the parts of files that have changed since the last backup. Because duplicity uses GnuPG to encrypt and/or sign these archives, they will be safe from spying and/or modification by the server. screenshot credit The duplicity package also includes the rdiffdir utility. Rdiffdir is an extension of librsync's rdiff to directories---it can be used to produce signatures and deltas of directories as well as regular files. These signatures and deltas are in GNU tar format. duplicity

This tutorial shows how you can set up an Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a secure system without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge. I want to say first that this is not the only way of setting up such a system. There are many ways of achieving this goal but this is the way I take. I do not issue any guarantee that this will work for you! The Perfect Desktop - Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) | HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials