Run Linux Applications on Windows

Microsoft Windows is a popular OS, but the majority of windows users are at risk of fraud, data theft, phishing, data loss due to the huge number of viruses targeted to Microsoft Windows. Nevertheless most windows users are not ready to switch to another OS even though there are plenty of choices. Linux is a free (and I would say a better OS than windows) with tons of features and applications available. Linux readily detects most hardware components from well known vendors. Still not interested?

Why not run Linux applications on Windows rather than buying expensive windows software?

www.ulteo.com provides a free application called "Ulteo Virtual Desktop" which ebables you to run Linux Applications from within your windows without ever installing Linux.

Download: http://www.ulteo.com/home/en/download

Some useful Linux applications:

Evolution:Evolution provides integrated mail, addressbook and calendaring functionality to users of the GNOME desktop. 


Gscan2pdf: A GUI to produce a multipage PDF or DjVu from a scan.

GIMP: An advanced image editing program

free secure personal vpn solutions

Related: http://sumbolo.blogspot.com/2009/10/free-ssl-virtual-private-network.html
Previously I wrote an article on using ADITA (Open VPN ALS) to setup a free Virtual Private Network. ADITA is not the only solution. Though ADITA is a very advanced software, the common users may not use all the features available. Therefore I decided to share two other free VPN solutions with you.

Tooth Paste – more uses than you think

Tooth paste is meant for cleaning teeth, but the nature of toothpaste and the chemical composition makes it a very useful product for many other purposes. I would like to share some of unusual applications of toothpaste.

1	Remove Crayon Marks So the children have made your walls,floor or furniture dirty with crayon! Can’t afford chemicals to clean the place? Don’t worry, there’s a simple solution. Squirt a small dab of non-gel toothpaste on the area where the mark is. Rub gently with a soft cloth. Now rinse with warm water. Viola! All gone.
2	Deodorize hands Are you trying to get rid of that strong odor of onion and garlic off your hands? Wash them with a blob  of toothpaste.
3	Whiten Sneakers Afraid of using bleach liquid to whiten your sneakers? Clean the rubber soles with an old tooth brush and non-gel toothpaste.
4	Buff a DVD So you weren’t so caring for your DVDs. After a couple of use you got scratches on the DVD.    Squeeze a little non-gel toothpaste on the DVD starting from the centre out to the edge. Rinse with water and dry with a non abrasive, lint free cloth.
5	Defog Goggles Apply a coat of toothpaste inside the swimming goggles, then wipe off. They will be crystal clear.

Cut your costs. Go green!

Quit UNRESPONSIVE Programs quickly

If you are a windows user you must have experienced the clumsiness of unresponsive (we Maldivians say stuck) applications. When you try to close the “stuck” application a dialogue box appears with an option to End the Task. But most of the times the unresponsive application is not closed, well not at least immediately. What about the famous ALT + F4 ? Well in this case that key combination may not be so helpful.

Luckily a hobby programmer have realized the necessity of a solution, and came up with an Open Source tool called “SuperF4”. What does it do? Well, if an application is unresponsive and  stubborn just press Ctrl+ Alt+ F4. Zap! The currently active application is terminated immediately.

Download: http://code.google.com/p/superf4/

THE REVOLUTIONARY OS

In a time when compute industry was completely monopolized,  computer Os were expensive. A group of computer programmers came up with an idea of a free OS. The philosophy behind this idea is RICHARD STALLMAN, the founder of the GNU project. The author of “Open source” definition is BRUCE PERENSE. The Author of Linux kernel when it was first released is LINUS TORVALDS.   

Linus Toralds	Richard Stallman	Bruce Perense

FREE PARENTAL CONTROL SOFTWARE

Internet has become an essential ingredient of our life today. Without internet our life becomes extremely difficult in this information technology era. Unfortunately internet is not controlled by any authority, therefore the content on internet cannot be censored or monitored. Some countries introduce internet filtering by enforcing regulations on ISPs. However all the restrictions introduced by ISPs can be bypassed, sometimes very easily.

As a parent, a brother or sister you wouldn’t want the younger ones in your family to watch nasty stuff out there on the internet. The question is how do you control what they see? I know that there are many software like netNanny, cyberPatrol and Web Watcher, BUT they cost a fortune!

Don’t just give up yet. There are very good free alternative solutions. Some very good free parental control solutions:

1	K9 web protection is a good free alternative solution for internet filtering. Configuration is minimal. The software knows which sites are not proper for the children. You can configure it through a browser based GUI interface. Download: http://www1.k9webprotection.com/
2	OpenDNS introduces a different approach of filtering improper sites. No software is necessary. You only need to sign up to the free service and configure your DNS server with the DNS server address they provide. If you are behind a router you can configure the router DNS server address with the address provided by OpenDNS. The configuration is done online. Website: http://www.opendns.com/

Both of these products have good documentations on how to install and use the services. Choose what’s best for you. Enjoy!

Jailbreak iPhone OS version 3.1.2

The iPhone Jailbreak dev team cautioned iPhone users from upgrading to the newest iPhone os 3.12. You wont be able to jailbreak your iPhone if you have upgraded to the newest OS. Well, not anymore. Another team has come up with a tool called "Blackra1n". Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes. I haven't tried this tool myself. But if you want to give a try then run for it. Link: http://blackra1n.com/ To download scroll to the bottom of their website and click the windows icon. There you go. Enjoy!