Tech Remedy

The first thing that you’ll want to do is go to the Wine Config and set Windows 2000 as the default app.

Next, enter the following into the command line:

wget http://kegel.com/wine/winetricks

Then enter:

sh winetricks corefonts dotnet20

And finally:

sh winetricks fakeie6

*- If you got an error about c://windows/ does not exist try to mount your drives

Free is an amazing word! I decided to compile a list of 100+ of the very best free applications for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Not all of the apps listed work on all platforms…so make sure to look into it on your own. This list is broken down into 11 pages. Each page accounts for a software category. Feel free to leave additional free programs that you like in the comments!

Categories:

• Web Browsers
• Anti-Virus/Security
• Graphics/Photos
• Media Players/Converters/Streamers
• Bit Torrent Clients
• Programming/Development
• FTP/SCP/SSH
• System Tools
• Chat/Messengers/Social
• Archive Management
• Productivity

My friend Mike asked me to install Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx as a dual boot with Win7 on his brand new desktop PC. The PC has an Intel i5 processor with integrated Intel HD Graphics. During the installation, the flicker/shaking of the graphics on screen was so extreme that I couldn’t read most of the text during the install. I’m glad I’ve done about a million and a half Ubuntu installs, so I knew my way around pretty well. I figured that once the install was complete and we rebooted, the problem would go away.

Well, the problem didn’t go away. I started searching for other users having the same problem and came across many who complained about the screen flickering randomly or occasionally. Well, that wasn’t the problem I was having. My flicker/shake was constant. It was also much more noticeable on the right side of the screen than the left side.

I will note that the problem doesn’t occur in Win7, so it’s not a hardware problem.

I have posted my question on UbuntuForums.org and now I must wait for a response. In the meantime, I will continue trying to solve the problem myself.

Bash scripting is one of the best ways to fully unlock the power of a unix/linux computer. Bash scripting gives you the opportunity to combine many commands into one script and even allows for some programming. Below is a collection of the very best Bash Scripting Tutorials on the net. Enjoy!

1. LinuxConfig.org Bash Script Tutorial

2. Mendel Cooper’s Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide

3. Mike G’s Bash Programming Introduction

4. Steve Parker’s Unix/Linux Shell Scripting Tutorial

5. Vivek Gite LSST

6. IBM’s Bash By Example

7. The Geek Stuff – 5 Practical Examples

8. Going Linux – Shell Scripting Tutorials

9. USALUG – Bash Script Beginner Tutorial

10. jbsnake’s Intermediate Bash Script Tutorial

11. Linux.com – Writing a Simple Bash Script

12. HypeXR’s Getting Started With Bash

13. SiteGround – Advanced Bash Loops

14. Conditions in Bash Scripting

15. Lutus’ Bash Shell Programming in Linux

16. Advanced Bash Environment Variables

17. GNU Universal Bash Reference Guide

+1: Bash Pitfalls…How NOT to write Bash Scripts

by Tom Duffy

If you read this blog, you are no doubt familiar with my love for Linux. Most of the posts that I make regarding Linux are targeted at people who already have a knowledge of Linux and don’t need a lot of help with the basics. I thought it would be a good idea to list 10 easy tips to help you learn Linux.

1. Live CD’s/USB Drives

Many Linux distributions can be run right off of a CD or a USB thumb drive! The reason that this is my first tip is because a Live CD or USB stick allows the user to try Linux without installing it. Get a feel for it without having to partition a hard drive! I have two absolute favorite Live distros. The first one is Slax which is a modular distribution. You can actually “build” your LiveCD or USB stick with all of the applications that you want before even downloading it! Visit www.slax.org to build yours!

The second Live Distro that I absolutely love is Gentoo. Gentoo is an awesome distribution, but it takes an insane amount of patience and knowledge to install it on your system. That’s why it is great to see a LiveDVD version with KDE4 that you can run without installing. Visit www.gentoo.org to download the ISO.

2. Be Patient

I can’t stress this enough to new users of Linux! As you start diving into Linux, you will notice many things that are similar to other operating systems that you have used. However, you will also notice many things that are different. Don’t get frustrated! My general rule is this…If I don’t know how to do something, I will give myself the task of trying to figure it out on my own for a short period of time. If after 20 minutes or so I have made no progress at all, I will look into finding some documentation on the web. Google is a great place to find all kinds of Linux Documents and we will talk more about that later! Just don’t get frustrated when you try to solve a problem and you can’t figure it out. Know when to call it a night and try again the next day!

3. Google

In all of my experience with Linux, I’ve learned a few “truths”. One of those truths is that no matter how bizarre and complicated the problem I’m having with my OS, odds are, someone else has gone through the same thing! Be specific with your searches to find solutions for your problem. If you are getting an error message, you should search for that error message. If the message isn’t very specific, try putting the error message in quotes in your search and then after the quoted error type the distribution you are using and the application that is giving you the error. For example, let’s say that when running OpenOffice Write on Ubuntu 10.04 an error message pops up that says “Open Source Error! This error can be freely distributed!” In order to search for a solution, I would type this into google:

"Open Source Error! This error can be freely distributed!" Ubuntu 10.04 OpenOffice

4. Learn the Command Line!

This is where the rubber meets the road! In order to truly experience the power of Linux, you have to learn the command line. In order to learn the command line, you need to start simple. Open up a terminal and try typing “help”. Try some basic commands such as “ls” or “pwd”. You can also use the Man Pages for different applications. A “Man Page” is just an instruction manual for an application. For example, to read about how to use the curl command, open a terminal and type “man curl”. Sounds silly, right? Don’t bother typing “man woman” though…I’ve tried. There’s not an instruction manual on Earth that can explain that level of complexity!

5. Dedicate a computer to Linux

After you have become comfortable enough with Linux through LiveCD’s and some basic instruction, try installing Linux on an old computer that might be sitting around collecting dust. You’d be surprised at how much life Linux can breathe into an old computer! Try installing several distributions until you find one that you like. Going through the install process is a great learning experience in and of itself! I’d stay clear of distributions like Gentoo and Slackware at first. The best ones to start with are Ubuntu, Fedora Core, and OpenSuse.

6. Use Linux Every Day

Learning a new Operating System isn’t an overnight thing. The important thing is consistency. Try to use Linux as often as possible. At the very least, try to use Linux at least once a day.

7. Make A Problem List

As you use Linux more and more, keep a list going of little quirks and issues that keep popping up. Your list should include everything from simple annoyances to full blown errors and crashes. Don’t make this list in your head. Create a new text document dedicated to this list. Keeping the issues written down will help you to solve them later!

8. Make A Common Tasks List

If you notice that you are doing some tasks every time that you get on your Linux machine, write them down! Create another text document and dedicate it to your common tasks. If every time you fire up Linux, you open a Torrent program to seed ISO’s of Linux Distributions, write that down. If you find yourself frequently downloading a file from the same place, write that down. The purpose of keeping a list like this is to later figure out which common tasks you can simplify or even automate. Wouldn’t it be nice if every time you turned on your computer half of the things you normally do were done automatically?

9. Automate Common Tasks

Using the list from Tip Number 8, try to figure out which tasks can be automated. Do you always open the same applications when you turn your computer on? Why not have them automatically start for you at boot up? Learn everything you can about automating tasks on a timer with the crontab command. Many of the automation features of cron can be used from the GUI! If you keep at it, a lot of your tasks will be simplified or even done for you!

10. Solve The Problems in your Problem List

In Tip Number 7, I suggested making a list of annoyances, errors, and other problems that you have with Linux. Now is the time to start problem solving! Go through your list and try to pick out problems that seem like they won’t be too complicated to solve. Try to solve them on your own at first, but don’t allow yourself to get frustrated! If you are running into a wall, use Google to help you find the right solution. Solving problems is fun, but the most important thing is to never delete problems from your list after they’ve been solved! Instead, type [SOLVED] next to them. Write the solution that you used in there as well! You never know when you might come across someone having the same problem! Sharing your experience and knowledge with other users is what Linux is all about. Someone was kind enough to post the solution that you used…return the favor!

I know this list isn’t anything ground-breaking or cutting-edge, but I think it could be useful. A lot of people who want to learn Linux don’t even know where to start. I think this little list of tips is the perfect place to start!

Linux is powerful. VERY powerful. The limits are unknown! What is the most effective use of this power you ask? Well, synthesizing a guitar tuner with the command line of course! Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1. Install SoX using a package manager or downloading the source here.

Step 2. Start simple. Let’s start with the following command which will give you an A:

play -n synth sine 220

To stop the tone, use your break key. Usually Ctrl – C.

Step 3. Step it up a notch. Now, let’s try a nice one liner that will give you each of the notes from the low E to the high E and then stop:

for n in E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4; do play -n synth 4 pluck $n repeat 2; done

Well, there you have it! Let me know in the comments section if you come up with any other cool uses for SoX!

I was checking out the LaunchPad of nUbuntu (a network security variant of Ubuntu) and I came across the funniest bug I’ve ever read. Make sure to read the comments as well! Here you go:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/nubuntu/+source/apt/+bug/56125

There are a lot of things to love about Linux. Security…Stability…Cost…Customization…the list could go on forever! There aren’t a lot of people that talk about the look of a Linux desktop though. When you first install your favorite distro, it usually looks a little on the bland side. KDE 4 looks really nice out of the box, but it is still a little boring for my taste. The ability to make your desktop look exactly the way you want it is truly an awesome feature of the Linux platform. My taste tends to lean towards elegant simplicity combined with powerful usability. I wanted to share these screenshots of what a Linux system can look like after a little tweaking and customizing. This system is running Ubuntu. The dock is cairo-dock. Compiz handles the 3D cube desktop.

The last screenshot shows me running a script that I wrote…It’s a bash hacking simulator game. So, don’t worry, I’m not actually trying to break into the NSA’s web server! Please feel free to comment on the screenshots!

Stumbling around the internet today and I came across this awesome little comic strip! It made me laugh, so I felt like sharing it here. Enjoy!

Source: http://www.linuxhaxor.net/2009/03/29/lh-strip-2-getting-priorities-right/

by Tom Duffy

In these times of economic recession, it is important to save every penny that you can. The internet, as you all know, contains a vast world of services and products. A lot of them can save you money! You probably know about most of the services that I’m going to talk about here, but many people still aren’t taking advantage of them. So here’s my top 5 money saving internet services:

5. Online DVD Rental

Companies like Netflix have changed the way we can rent movies. A lot of people are already using Netflix, but the real money saving potential of Netflix is the combination of the Watch It Now feature and canceling any home cable or satellite services that you have. With more and more movies available on the Netflix Watch it Now site, it is obvious that we can pull our Netflix plan back to the 1 DVD at a time minimum and take full advantage of watching movies on our computer. I can already hear all of my readers who use Linux groaning. That is because Linux isn’t supported by Watch it Now which sucks, but it is still a very cool feature for Windows users. With Watch it Now, you can watch as many movies as you want on your computer with no extra fees. If you have a supported device, you can even stream the Watch It Now movies directly to your TV! Some of them are even in HD.

4. Free TV Shows

By cancelling cable or satellite services, we can save at least $50 per month. You would be surprised at how many networks allow you to view their shows on their website for free! CBS, NBC, FOX (no Linux support), A&E, and many more networks have full episodes that are viewable online for free. There are also sites that have many different networks to watch all in one place such as WWITV.

3. IP Telephone

Services like Vonage use the internet to make phone calls. That’s only kind of cool though because they still want you to pay 20 bucks a month for it. Services like Skype allow users to make internet phone calls from PC to PC for free! They will also let you make PC to Phone calls for very cheap. Sign up for Skype! Get all of your friends and family to sign up too! Then you can save cell phone minutes by using Skype when you are near your PC. After a couple of months you will probably notice that you can pull back your minutes on your mobile plan which can save you some cash.

2. Online Retail and Grocery Coupons

There are a bunch of online coupon sites that are not very good. If you are patient, you can find some real deals on some of them though. I’ve had the most success with Wow Coupons which allows you to print coupons right from your computer for use in various retail and grocery stores. Remember, every penny that you save adds up over time!

1. Host Your Website At Home

This one isn’t for everyone. If you have a website that you host through a hosting company, you might be paying anywhere from a few dollars per month up to 40 dollars per month depending on the hosting company and features. If you have an internet connection with a high upload speed, you should really consider hosting your own site. It takes some work and some patience, but it feels great knowing that you aren’t forking out any money to that hosting company anymore! The best part about hosting your own site is that you can get all the features that you need for free! All you need is a computer that you are willing to set aside as a web server. For an operating system, you should use Linux because for web servers, it is much better than Windows and it’s free. I recommend CentOS or Ubuntu Server. There is a ton of information available on how to setup a web server using Ubuntu or CentOS out there on the web. Do some research and start your project. If you don’t have a static IP address you can use a service like DynDNS which lets you host a site without a static IP.

All of these services can really save you some money! By canning your home cable or satellite service, your home phone service, and pulling back your mobile minutes you can save up to $100 per month…or more depending on what you were paying for them! With Skype, the key is really to get your friends and family on it. I hope this list helps you save some money in these tight times. Good luck to everyone!