Tip: Using nmcli to connect to Internet in Enlightenment

If you are using Enlightenment in OpenSUSE or some other Linux distribution¹ , chances are you may face problems in using the NetworkManager to connect to Internet.

This is because the  NetworkManager applet (nm-applet) doesn't show itself in the taskbar of the Enlightenment desktop. And as the saying goes - what you can't see, you can't control.

'less' command as a substitution for 'tail -f'

Here is a useful substitution to the popular 'tail -f' command used by many Linux users.

The 'tail' command is used to view the last part of a text file. So if you want to see the last 5 lines in a text file named 'log.txt' then you do the following.

$ tail -n 5 log.txt

Introducing GNOME 3.16 - A Preview

GNOME 3.16 is the latest version of GNOME 3, and is the result of six months' work by the GNOME project. It includes major new features, as well as a large number of smaller improvements and enhancements. The release incorporates 33525 changes, made by approximately 1043 contributors.

Creating and Using Barcodes with Inkscape

Barcodes provide a simple, reliable, machine-readable way to read numbers or addresses into your computer (or smartphone or tablet) so that information can be looked up online or in a database.

Barcodes are used in a variety of industries such as in library systems, in blood banks, for labeling telecommunication equipments, ISBN codes in books, on packaged products - just to name a few.

Download Viber for Linux

Linux gets Viber. Viber is an instant messenger, video & telephony app similar to Microsoft Skype that allows you to connect with others freely. It is popular on mobile devices the world over with a base of more than 200 million users in over 193 countries. People use Viber to send free text messages, photo messages, video messages and share locations with other users. It also allows you to make free HD-quality calls to other Viber users on iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Windows, Mac, Symbian, Nokia S40 and Bada devices over 3G/4G or WiFi connections.



Now they have released a Linux version of the popular Viber client. Viber for Linux can be installed on the following Linux distributions - Ubuntu, Mint, and Zorin OS. But it should possibly work without any problem in most major Linux distributions. Unfortunately, this release of the Linux client of Viber does not allow you to make video calls over the Internet yet, which is supported on Windows and Mac OS X.

You can download the Linux version of Viber by visiting http://www.viber.com/products/linux/.

Mosh - A replacement for SSH

Mosh is a secure shell that is touted as a replacement for the venerable SSH.

How is Mosh different from SSH ? Well, Mosh uses a new protocol called the State Synchronization Protocol (SSP) that runs over UDP. This means it is possible to synchronize the state of an object from one host to another.

Fedora 19 Released

Fedora project has officially announced the release of Fedora 19 code named Schrödinger's cat. Fedora 19 features the 3.9.0 kernel. For end users, the new features include the Cinnamon desktop environment, GNOME 3.8, KDE 4.10, and MATE 1.6 desktop; Out of the box support for extraction of RAR archives using File Roller archive utility, a new screen management software for KDE named KScreen, OpenVPN 2.3, and more.

For the developers, most of the development tools like Python, Java, PHP, Ruby, GCC (4.8.x) - have been updated. But more importantly, Fedora 19 now includes the Node.js JavaScript runtime environment for developing fast, scalable network applications using the JavaScript programming language. MariaDB a fork of MySQL has also been included which replaces MySQL.

How to download Fedora 19

There are multiple desktops available for use with Fedora. Each has a slightly different look and feel and offers varying levels of customization. Visit fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora-options and choose the one that strikes your fancy.

If you are already using a previous version of Fedora, then it is possible to upgrade to Fedora 19. Visit fedoraproject.org/wiki/Upgrading to know more.

You can find the full release notes here. Fedora also comes with comprehensive documentation on every aspect of the OS that the end user might encounter which is a big plus.

Making UEFI Secure Boot Work With Open Platforms

"UEFI Secure boot” is a technology that offers the prospect of a hardware-verified, malware-free operating system bootstrap process that can improve the security of many system deployments. Linux and other open operating systems will be able to take advantage of secure boot if it is implemented properly in the hardware. UEFI is meant to replace the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware interface present in all IBM PC compatible personal computers.

openSUSE 12.3 Released

openSUSE 12.3 has been released. This release of openSUSE contain many features, and improvements under the hood.

Some of the endearing features of this new release of openSUSE are as follows :

Ubuntu - A Rolling Linux Distribution ?

Will Ubuntu switch to a rolling release ? This is the big question that is playing in the minds of Ubuntu users and developers alike.

A rolling release model refers to a continually developing software system. In a rolling release, the user will never have to install a new version of the software. Rather, the updates to the software and the system will be pushed to the user as and when the changes are made.

An example of a Linux distribution that conform to a rolling release is Arch Linux.

Mark Shuttleworth - the founder of Ubuntu - says he is not convinced about rolling releases yet though he is keeping an open mind.

He went on to elaborate on the direction he wishes for Ubuntu in his blog post. Some noteworthy views he aired are as follows.

• Canonical is still undecided on whether to make Ubuntu a rolling release Linux distribution. LTS point release mechanism has been quite successful for Ubuntu and Mark feels this is the way to go when targeting end users. "Rolling releases are not real releases" - says Mark Shuttleworth.
• The real cost of supporting an architecture is way outside the scope of Ubuntu’s non-commercial commitments. Hence Ubuntu support for fringe architectures such as PowerPC may not happen. PowerPC was an officially supported architecture for Ubuntu between versions 4.10 and 6.10. From 7.04 onwards it is a community supported port. 
• The vision that Mark Shuttleworth holds is for Ubuntu to  run on a wide range of consumer devices - not just computers. This includes phones, tablets, PCs and other devices. The idea is for Ubuntu to be a viable alternative and a competitor to the big shots - Android, Chrome, Windows and Apple. This is the goal of the Unity desktop.
•  Put succinctly, he "doesn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a free and open platform that is THE LEADER across both consumer and enterprise computing".

Linux Ate My RAM - Help!

Help! Linux ate my Memory. Did it indeed?

I was curious where my memory had gone because, when I fired up a terminal and typed the command -

CentOS 5.9 has been released

The CentOS is an acronym for The Community ENTerprise Operating System. It derives its sources from Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and aims to be 100% binary compatible with it.

Fedora 18 has been released

This is the latest version of the Fedora Linux operating system code named "Spherical Cow". Fedora 18 "Desktop Edition" is made available as a Live CD so that you can try out Fedora 18 without needing to install it on your PC.

Book Review : PGP & GPG : Email for the Practical Paranoid

Sending email unencrypted can be compared to sending a postcard. Anybody who choose to can read the contents of your email. You should know that there are various tools available that makes it easy for strangers to snoop into email you send to your people. If you want to ensure your email is secure and it is read only by its intended recipients, then you should consider encrypting your email.

Bodhi Linux - A Cool Linux Distribution Based On E17

This is a review of Bodhi Linux - A light weight Linux distribution that runs the Enlightenment (E17) desktop.

Bodhi Linux is unique because it is one of the few Linux distributions that is based on the Enlightenment E17 desktop.

Ubuntu that runs on your smartphone announced

Now be prepared to buy Ubuntu powered smartphones. Hardly a year back, Canonical had announced "Ubuntu for Android" project which enables high-end Android handsets to run a full fledged Ubuntu Desktop when the phone is connected to a monitor, mouse and keyboard.

E17 Officially Released

E17 short for Enlightenment 0.17 has been officially released after a whooping 12 years of development. E17 is a light weight Window manager / Desktop that runs on Linux/Unixes. It has been developed from the grounds up which includes its own libraries. The libraries behind Enlightenment are collectively referred to as EFL (Enlightenment Foundation Libraries), each with a specific name and purpose. The window manager is a lean, fast, modular and very extensible window manager for X11 and Linux.

Ubuntu 12.10 will have a shopping lens

When Ubuntu 12.10 is shipped in October this year, the Unity interface will include a shopping lens.

A 'lens' is a piece of code that allows you to search for specific information both locally and remotely. Many useful lenses have been created for Unity by various third parties. For instance, you can create a Wikipedia lens that will display search results exclusively from Wikipedia right on your Ubuntu desktop.

OpenSUSE 12.2 Released

OpenSUSE 12.2 has been released. Chock full of features and speed-ups, this latest version of OpenSUSE has embraced GRUB2, Plymouth, and has taken the first steps in the direction of a revised and simplified UNIX file system hierarchy.

Fedora 17 - Beefy Miracle Released

Fedora 17 aka "Beefy Miracle" has been officially released. Fedora 17 brings a wide range of improvements both over and under the hood. For the details, read about all the changes for Desktop users, for System Administrators, and the full feature list.

Watch the video below where the developers talk on the Fedora 17 release.



Fedora 17 Desktop edition and its various spins can be downloaded from the following page.