Recent Posts

10776

General Software Discussion / Re: Awesome article re: organization and notetaking

« Last post by 40hz on January 20, 2009, 06:09 PM »

Fantastic article! Thanks for the link.

10777

Living Room / Re: Secure deletion: a single overwrite will do it

« Last post by 40hz on January 20, 2009, 01:57 PM »

what's a recommended utility for Windows systems?

-justice (January 20, 2009, 10:31 AM)

TrueCrypt, and forget about wiping

-f0dder (January 20, 2009, 12:27 PM)

Bingo! That's what I use for anything I'm concerned about.

But if you're in the market for a free utility for serious disk wiping, look no further than
Darik's Boot And Nuke (DBAN):

http://www.dban.org/

Darik's Boot And Nuke

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.

This ugly puppy will nuke any BIOS discoverable disk in any PC regardless of OS.

10778

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by 40hz on January 20, 2009, 12:12 PM »

However, I think I will give them a whirl just cause you asked...  :Thmbsup

-Edvard (January 20, 2009, 10:30 AM)

Don't waste your time. Haiku still isn't really usable at this stage of the game. A better choice would be Zevenos ( www.zevenos.com ) :

What is ZevenOS ?


ZevenOS is a GNU/Linux Distribution with a focus on a fast and easy to use system with a touch of BeOS.

Since 2001 BeOS is no longer developed. We took some of the main advantages of BeOS and integrated them into our distribution

Including i.e. :

– Performance
– Compatibility and Ability to run on old Hardware
– Easy to use Interface (oriented at BeOS)

As far as ReactOS goes, I try to stay on top of what they're doing, but I still think they're doomed in the long run. Gotta admire their determination however.

They deserve the Dom Quixote de la Mancha Award for tilting at Microsoft's windmills!

10779

General Software Discussion / Re: Another Linux Thread :-P

« Last post by 40hz on January 20, 2009, 11:36 AM »

You might also want to look at the Amahi Linux Home Server.

It's a very nice package that just might be everything you need.

Link: http://www.amahi.org

Overview

The Amahi Linux Home Server makes your home networking simple. We like to call the Amahi servers HDAs, for "Home Digital Assistants." Each HDA delivers all the functionality you would want in a home server, while being as easy to use as a web browser.

The core functionality available in the base Amahi HDA install includes:

    * Protect Your Computers Backup all your networked PCs simply and easily on your home network. If one of your PCs "dies" you can easily restore it!
    * Organize Your Files Access, share and search your files from any machine on your network, making it easy to share and find your photos, music and videos.
    * Internet Wide Access Automatically setup your own VPN so you can access your network from anywhere: safely and securely.
    * Private Internet Applications Shared applications like calendaring, private wiki and more to come, will help you manage your home and your family!

10780

Living Room / Re: Secure deletion: a single overwrite will do it

« Last post by 40hz on January 20, 2009, 07:06 AM »

Very true. That was noted in the article (emphasis added):

Something much more important, from a security point of view, is actually to overwrite all copies of the data that are to be deleted. If a sensitive document has been edited on a PC, overwriting the file is far from sufficient because, during editing, the data have been saved countless times to temporary files, back-ups, shadow copies, swap files ... and who knows where else? Really, to ensure that nothing more can be recovered from a hard disk, it has to be overwritten completely, sector by sector. Although this takes time, it costs nothing: the dd command in any Linux distribution will do the job perfectly.

If you want to be reasonably sure a file is unrecoverable, you still need to wipe the entire disk.

10781

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by 40hz on January 20, 2009, 06:34 AM »

Dude, you ain't seen the half...

P.S. - I have since added Plan 9 and Mac OS9 to that list

-Edvard (January 19, 2009, 06:12 PM)

OMG - Plan 9?

My, my, my...you are an OS  connoisseur! A man after my own heart, you is!

Check out Haiku and ReactOS when you get a chance (or some disk space ) if you haven't already

http://www.haiku-os.org
http://www.reactos.org/en/index.html

10782

Living Room / Re: Please help me build my new computer, DC!

« Last post by 40hz on January 20, 2009, 06:25 AM »

I freaked out a little when putting the cpu fan on because the click sounds when the fan is in place were not as I expected.

-superboyac (January 20, 2009, 01:23 AM)

Yeah, don't you just love that?

10783

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by 40hz on January 19, 2009, 06:00 PM »

Thanks for the tip, Paul. I'm currently downloading Sidux as well as Debian Lenny as I've seen quite a few good reports about it.
I'll install it and see if it whups some pants on Xubuntu... er, that is after I get around to giving OpenSolaris a go... 

-Edvard (January 19, 2009, 04:16 PM)

Sidux?
Lenny??
OpenSolaris???!!!

(Here's your special case badge, Ed... You've earned it!)



 

10784

General Software Discussion / Re: Another Linux Thread :-P

« Last post by 40hz on January 19, 2009, 02:03 PM »

First of all, welcome to the world of Linux!

I think you are going to be very happy with your decision to start exploring what the FOSS/GNU/Linux community has to offer. Marvels and wonders (along with the occasional annoyance) await you.

A Linux sever is basically a standard Linux installation stripped down to the bare essentials needed to perform its role. Because of that, the GUI and most of the convenience features get left out, which makes it more difficult for a newcomer to get comfortable with it.

One of the most common reasons why I see newcomers giving up on Linux is because they attempt to do too much too quickly. This is partially the fault of the Linux community, who tend to downplay the fact that you need to learn some things about Linux in order to use it effectively. While it is true that you don't need to learn a lot, you still need to learn something.

If you are planning on setting up a server, I would strongly suggest you first get familiar with Linux as a desktop environment. It will be time well spent, even if you have no plans to use Linux as your desktop going forward. (Just don't be too surprised should you discover you like it enough that you eventually switch to Linux as your primary OS. Quite a few people have.)

So, if you'd be interested in going the "start with the desktop" route, let me know and I'll post some additional suggestions and resources to get you started on the way to getting the background you'll need to run a server effectively.

Otherwise, pop on over to How-to Forge ( www.howtoforge.com ) for some cookbook solutions to what you're trying to do.

 

10785

General Software Discussion / Re: Animated Drawing

« Last post by 40hz on January 18, 2009, 07:58 PM »

Many moons ago, there used to be a nice little program called Sketcher by Fractal Design Software (the makers of Painter before they got bought out by Corel) that did that.

Sketcher is long gone, but you can get something similar from Project Dogwaffle.

Take a look at the animation features in the documentation (link below) to see if they have what you're looking for.

Animation: http://www.thebest3d...elp/PDHelp/index.htm

Homepage: http://www.thebest3d...ts/index.html#whatis

Is there anything similar to this for 'DRAWING' rather than painting??

Any draw program that supports a process called tweening should work.

Info on the tweening process: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweening

10786

Living Room / Secure deletion: a single overwrite will do it

« Last post by 40hz on January 18, 2009, 01:47 PM »

Interesting article over at Heise Online

Link: http://www.heise-onl...-will-do-it--/112432

Secure deletion: a single overwrite will do it

The myth that to delete data really securely from a hard disk you have to overwrite it many times, using different patterns, has persisted for decades, despite the fact that even firms specialising in data recovery, openly admit that if a hard disk is overwritten with zeros just once, all of its data is irretrievably lost.


Craig Wright, a forensics expert, claims to have put this legend finally to rest.

10787

Living Room / Re: Can a Linux man survive in Windows Land?

« Last post by 40hz on January 18, 2009, 01:02 PM »

Something just occurred to me:

I'm a 'Linux guy' - and I survive quite well in the windows world. Thrive in fact.

but

I'm also a 'Windows guy' - and I survive quite well in the Linux world. Thrive there too, come to think of it.

So, if somebody like me (who is bright and technically astute, but by no means a genius) can straddle both environments without breaking a sweat - why does the press feel so obliged to continuously harp on the non-existent chasm between the two platforms?

The difference in the userland experience between the two is more a matter of style (and habit) than anything else.

 

10788

Living Room / Interview with an adware author

« Last post by 40hz on January 18, 2009, 08:05 AM »

A very interesting interview, courtesy of Sherri Davidoff on her philosecurity blog.

Interview with an Adware Author

Jan 12th, 2009 by sherri

Matt Knox, a talented Ruby instructor and coder, talks about his early days designing and writing adware for Direct Revenue. (Direct Revenue was sued by Eliot Spitzer in 2006 for allegedly surreptitiously installing adware on millions of computers.)

Link: http://philosecurity...ith-an-adware-author

I found one comment made by Matt Knox to be particularly telling:

It’s hard to get people to do something bad all in one big jump, but if you can cut it up into small enough pieces, you can get people to do almost anything.

A cautionary tale for all.

10789

General Software Discussion / Re: windows 7 beta available for free Jan 9 (!)

« Last post by 40hz on January 17, 2009, 02:21 PM »

I'm not sure people here agree with me. But i think microsoft is moving towards Opensource and Free software movement slowly.

-mahesh2k (January 17, 2009, 12:15 PM)

IMHO: If they are, it is only to get close enough to hit the F/OSS community over the head when it least expects it.

 

But seriously, as long as Ballmer and Microsoft persist in sending mixed messages about patent infringement, I doubt any move by Microsoft towards the OSS community should be construed as completely friendly.

Microsoft has been repeatedly asked to formally renounce any potential patent claims that may exist between itself and the FOSS/Linux community.

To date, they have consistently refused to do so despite a great deal of ambiguous and waffling PR talk that tries to portray their position otherwise.

And their licensing arrangements with certain distro developers has succeeded in doing little more than to drive a very large wedge into the whole Linux community.

Having worked with Microsoft in the past, my experience leads me to believe that if they are moving towards an accommodation with Linux, it will be either under Microsoft's own terms - or not at all.

I'm not the world's deepest thinker, but I don't see how you can reconcile the goals and behaviors of a free and open software community with that of a multi-billion dollar corporation whose dominant global position depends on their continued control of a closed, proprietary software product family.

But why should they do otherwise? They didn't get to where they are today by playing nicely with others.

And despite all the negative things said about Microsoft, the one thing you'll never hear anybody call them is "stupid" or "weak." Microsoft combines the ruthless mindset of an entrepreneurial venture with the financial and political clout of a megacorp - which makes them a very formidable factor in the software world.

And as far as the Win7 beta is concerned, I think that it came about more as a "smart business" move than anything else. Especially when viewed in light of the whole Vista debacle.

I don't have any personal axe to grind with Microsoft. I have a lot of respect for them as a business, even though I am less impressed with their products. But when it comes to business, Microsoft will always watch out for numero uno. They wouldn't be Microsoft otherwise.

10790

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows editors - do they have to be so bad?

« Last post by 40hz on January 17, 2009, 01:32 PM »

I wonder why some people are so obsessed with SlickEdit...

-f0dder (January 16, 2009, 06:50 PM)

Couldn't tell you. I use Notepad++ on Windows and KEdit on NIX.

10791

Living Room / Re: The last Mac vs. PC video?

« Last post by 40hz on January 17, 2009, 01:25 PM »

Wouldn't it be a riot if it turned out it was done on a Linux box?

10792

Living Room / Re: Wreckedcarzz vs. scannie (The Return of The Sound Recorder from Hell)

« Last post by 40hz on January 17, 2009, 01:20 PM »

Needs more cowbell. Use this to get it:

http://www.morecowbell.dj/

 

10793

Living Room / Re: Can a Linux man survive in Windows Land?

« Last post by 40hz on January 17, 2009, 12:48 PM »

The other, more pressing caveat, has to do with shareware licensing. Some of my applications cannot be installed under a server OS without paying a HUGE premium to upgrade to a server license. There are workarounds in the sense that you can spend time looking for FOSS alternatives or competing products with more generous licensing terms, but I didn't feel the benefits of running Server outweighed the cost re: my time and any additional outlay of cash it was going to require to get to where I wanted to go with it.

-Darwin (January 17, 2009, 11:58 AM)

Doh!

You're absolutely right. I completely forgot about that little wrinkle in a lot of EULAs
(i.e. 'personal use' ≠ running a server OS ).

If you're not eligible for NFS/NFR pricing on certain software, it can get expensive very quickly.

FWIW, the apps I had trouble with included Acronis True Image Echo Workstation and Disk Director. The straw that broke the camels' back was something else - which escapes me at the moment 

Probably most antivirus/antimalware and backup apps?

It usually comes as a shock to most new server owners when they discover that their days of free antivirus and backup software just came to an end.

I get more complaints about the cost of security software for Windows Server than I do just about anything else. Which is to be expected when you consider that many security products for Windows Server are more expensive than Windows Server itself.

10794

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by 40hz on January 17, 2009, 11:37 AM »

My

PCLinuxOS provides the least amount of "culture shock" for a Windows user IMHO.

Mint probably best provides the features most users want with the least amount of hassle.

Ubuntu has the most momentum, and is probably best for support and day-to-day completeness. There also seems to be more well-written material (i.e. tutorials, how-to's, books, etc) available for it than any other distro..

Debian is great if you really want to learn Linux and don't mind putting in the time to get there.

Centos, SLED, RHEL, and the non-Linux BSD family are better if you're planning on pursuing a career in NIX support or development.

And Sabayon is perfect for those people who haven't the slightest clue about what they're doing - but still want to look incredibly cool while doing it.

10795

Living Room / Re: Can a Linux man survive in Windows Land?

« Last post by 40hz on January 17, 2009, 11:25 AM »

Why would you pick Windows Server 2008 for your personal computer? Nobody uses that on their personal computer.

-Deozaan (January 17, 2009, 12:44 AM)

Actually, Microsoft doesn't seem to think it's so odd.

One of the new features added to Server 2008 is an option to install a package called the Desktop Experience:

http://technet.micro...ibrary/cc772567.aspx

Desktop Experience Overview

The Desktop Experience feature is a new feature in the Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 operating system. The Desktop Experience includes a variety of applications and features that are provided in the Windows Vista® operating system. If you use Windows Server 2008 as your primary operating system you might want to have some of these Windows Vista features available for your daily use.
What’s in the Desktop Experience feature

The Desktop Experience feature includes the following Windows Vista components and features:

    * Windows Calendar

    * Windows Mail

    * Windows Media Player

    * Windows Aero™ and other desktop themes

    * Video for Windows (AVI support)

    * Windows Photo Gallery

    * Windows SideShow™

    * Windows Defender

    * Disk Cleanup

    * Sync Center

    * Sound Recorder

    * Character Map

I think it's a great idea for students; individuals that need regular Windows but also want to become familiar with Microsoft's server product line; smaller businesses that need basic server functionality (i.e file & print services) and could use an additional workstation for occasional use, etc.

You obviously wouldn't want to be doing this on a mission critical server, but there are times and situations where running the server as your desktop OS makes sense.

Many independent MSoft consultants in my area do just that.

 

10796

Living Room / Re: Please help me build my new computer, DC!

« Last post by 40hz on January 16, 2009, 03:13 PM »

AFAIK there is very little difference between eSATA and SATA300 (same bandwidth and transfer speed of 3000Mbit/300Mbit for both). The only significant difference I am aware of is that eSATA allows for a 2-meter cable, whereas SATA only allows a 1-meter connecting cable.

If I understand what you're asking, the external eSATA drive can be plugged into any SATA connector on your mobo backpanel.

Note: some older mobos will only boot off an external drive if it is plugged into specific SATA connectors (usually #1 and/or #2) so check your docs to see if you need to do that. On a mobo as new as yours, it shouldn't be necessary.

10797

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows editors - do they have to be so bad?

« Last post by 40hz on January 16, 2009, 02:59 PM »

Take a look at SlickEdit.

http://www.slickedit.com/

Not cheap ($299), but several heavy-duty pro coders of my acquaintance swear by it. Supposedly, there's nothing it can't do.

There's a 30-day trial available on the website.

10798

General Software Discussion / Re: The Monkeys Have Hit The Button

« Last post by 40hz on January 16, 2009, 02:16 PM »

Basically: Go to forum, see pix!

-wreckedcarzz (January 16, 2009, 01:12 AM)

I did. And I didn't see much of anything other than a (very) few pretty pictures - which doesn't tell me much about anything.

Then I ran into this post:

Anyone found leaking private or unreleased Cairo materials, including but not limited to, images, data, code, or designs, collectively ('Materials'), will be banned via IP and their account removed. We reserve the right to protect our intellectual property and will consider taking any action necessary to rectify any unauthorized disclosure of Cairo Materials.

//* End Disclaimer *//

As some of you may be aware, we had someone post unreleased images of Cairo in our forums. Please note that we do not appreciate our property being released without our permission. While we understand that the itch to be the first one to see or use Cairo is hard to resist, we urge you all for the benefit of our entire community, not to scratch. We thank you all for your cooperation and offer our sincere gratitude for your continued support.

-The Cairo Development Team

Wow! I can understand not wanting their code or designs leaked - but a screenshot of a desktop? And implying they will take legal action about it? Already they're starting to sound like they're going to be one PITA group of people down the road. "Our intellectual property. "Our ideas." Me, me, me...sheesh!

So, thinking maybe I caught the developers at a bad moment, I figured I'd get a look at where the community's head is at.

Next, I opened the A cairo screenshot for those NOT in the alpha thread.

And the first thing I see is this post from somebody called jojosalami:

I thought it would be pretty harsh not to let ya'll in on all the fun we are having. Just kidding. Suffer.

All I gotta say to anyone not in the alpha is: It's amazing, it's worth the wait, it's everything you expect, it's the best thing since bacon (I'm canadian), it's lickable, it's NOT vaporware, it's amazing (I said that already?).

Trust me guys, the devs put a lot of effort in and it's fantastic.

Then this sequence of posts from various forum members followed a bit further down the page:

I still haven't/can't see any screen shots.
Are the testers not allowed to show them or are they just not posting them?

I realize it is an alpha so I don't expect much.
However, I would like to see a screen shot, maybe even a video?
Thanks

PS. For some reason I can't see the image jojosalami posted

-------------------------------------------------------------
That's because he didn't post an image.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Where is the screenshot??
I want to see the newest cairo.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Except that testers aren't allowed to post screenshots/videos.
Well, we shouldn't, we've been politely discouraged not to do so by the devs.

I, for one, plan to respect that.
-------------------------------------------------------------
i respect that.. gossip shouldn't prevail, i'm not one of the alpha testers either. :shock:
-------------------------------------------------------------
There wont be any screen shots posted by members but you never know if the team might post an image.

It is, as jojosalami, amazing and the release that you will get (ie a beta) will be even better, more features and more stable.

And that's when I gave up with the "I know something I can't tell...I know something I can't tell..." nonsense. Life's too short as it is.

IMHO: If they wanted it that private, they should have held off on the buzz-building until they released something. (I guess somebody's been reading Guy Kawasaki's "marketing" books.)

I think I'm going to ignore Cairo for the time being.  I'll just wait until somebody at DC does a review when/if it finally comes out.

 

10799

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by 40hz on January 16, 2009, 01:26 PM »

Oh sorry. From my lack of technical know how point of view, there's very little difference between BSD and Linux. 

-Paul Keith (January 16, 2009, 03:00 AM)

Brill!

10800

General Software Discussion / Re: I am looking for easy to set up, small memory print ,free smtp server

« Last post by 40hz on January 15, 2009, 09:15 PM »

I used PostcastServer Free Edition right up until my ISP started blocking port 25.

Runs on Win2k, XP, Vista, Server 2003/2008.

Easy to set up, but it's hardly svelte at approximately 11Mb when running.
That being said, it does work quite well. Very good helpfile too!

Homepage: http://www.postcastserver.com/

Free Version Download: http://www.postcasts...oad/release.aspx?p=3