Linux for Keysers | Adventures in Open Source

Apparently, there's some debate in the Linux world about remote connections. I've been using VNC for 8 years or so now. It's reliable, but definitely slow. I've found that NoMachine's NX Server (free edition) suits my needs best. It works even better than Windows' Remote Desktop, and of course much better than VNC (which really stinks). In my case, it opens a new session, when I connect to the server, but I think it can be configured to connect to an existing session as well. You might want to give it a try: http://www.nomachine.com/products.php I'll give it a try and get back to you all... UPDATE: I've installed the server on both my laptop and my desktop Ubuntu machines following the instructions found at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FreeNX . The results are astounding! While not identical in terms of functionality to VNC, I personally prefer the results. It's actually closer to an RDP session. I haven't tested the client to the ful...

I've been using Ubuntu for about 9 months now (wow, hard to believe - the time has flown by) and people often ask me what my favorite apps are or what I changed once I install it. Aside from some custom scripts I install for my own organizational sanity, there are a few recommendations I always give. However, I just stumbled upon what may be the most complete list I've ever seen. When I say "stumbled", I mean that. I just used StumbleUpon and this came up . Really great list for anyone looking to add or customize their Ubuntu 9.10 desktop. Happy customizing! UPDATE: I've also found a few additional add-ons that might be worth investigating. Here's a few: Guvnr's Picks Ubuntu Tips and Tricks

Some of my favorite Compiz settings aren't enabled by default. They actually help me be more productive (rather than just making my computer act like a cracked-out Mac). In no particular order, here are my favorites: Desktop Cube (with or without the rotating cube) I set my desktop to have four columns and one row because I use the rotating cube. To be honest though, the standard 2x2 configuration would work just fine as well. Don't forget to configure your hotkeys for moving between desktops and moving windows across desktops. Adding 3 more areas to organize your windows is a good thing. You might forget where one or two apps were so I recommend thinking of them in terms of general categories (entertainment, programming, etc.). Shift Switcher I like being able to preview windows I'm tabbing between. This option is helpful when there are a lot of windows open in the current desktop. Similar to Apple's flipping in Finder. Grid Lets me use hotkeys to resize window...

After install Qt Designer, if you want to use the help system, you're stuck unless you install one more package through Synaptic: Qt Assistant. However, there is no stand-alone for this program. It is bundled in the dev tools. Making it stand-alone is a valid request to the dev team for the Qt suite of packages. At the very least, if Qt Assistant is not made standalone then it should be a dependent of Qt Designer. Otherwise, if Qt Assistant isn't pulled from the qt4-dev-tools package, then Qt Designer should *REQUIRE* qt4-dev-tools as a dependant. Otherwise, users will install Qt Designer and not have any way of figuring out why they don't have help menu options available once installed. As a workaround, users who have installed Qt Designer must then install (through Synaptic Package Manager) "qt4-dev-tools". That also adds a bunch of stuff they don't need, but at least they can then use the help system for Qt Designer. Here's a link to this bug.

So, I got to thinking, "What if my laptop were stolen? I don't keep anything 'private' on it, but it would be nice to get it back, if possible..." So, how do you track down a laptop that has been stolen? Lojack provides an option that works even if the system has been reformatted, but it only works with Windows and costs $$$. So, what are the OSS alternatives? There is one called Adeona , but they're having issues getting a service up and running to store your computer's location and other info when stolen. I also doubt that it works if the systems has been reformatted. So then I got to thinking, "What about DDNS?" Dynamic DNS (or DynDNS, or DDNS) tracks your computer's current IP address and updates a service (such as DynDNS.org) every time your IP changes. This is useful if you know your computer has been stolen and you're wondering where it is. It turns out I'm not the first person who's asked this question and configur...

Directory and file-level encryption is a beautiful thing in Ubuntu. No additional applications to install. Or, at least on 9.04 (Jaunty). On 9.10 (Karmic), they removed this useful feature as a default option in the install for some reason. But, not to worry, it can be readded: In Jaunty, just right-click a file or folder in Nautilus and select encrypt. Assuming you've created a GPG encryption key for files and e-mail, it'll allow you to apply that encryption to it. In Karmic, this feature is removed. To re-add it, the open Synaptic Package Manager, find, then install the seahorse-plugin. Reboot. "encrypt" and "sign" will then be options in Nautilus. Launchpad is tracking this as the following bugs: #390744 #393645

If you've added an additional virtual hard drive to an Ubuntu VM, you'll need to do the following to be able to use it effectively for a web server: Partition the drive (MBR) Create a sub-partition (EXT3 or EXT4, depending on need) Modify fstab to be able to mount the drive on boot On the other hand, if you're mounting a network storage location, it's better to use Autofs (or AutoMount, as it's called) because it'll be less drain on your network and improve access times when shared.