Life without Windows or OS X

GNU/Linux is quite possibly the most important free software achievement since the original Space War, or, more recently, Emacs. It has developed into an operating system for business, education, and personal productivity. GNU/Linux is no longer only for UNIX wizards who sit for hours in front of a glowing console. Are you thinking about switching to Linux and want to learn how to use it? Have you been using GNU/Linux for some time and want to learn even more? This is the place for you.

Friday, July 22, 2011

The T-Mobile G2X on Simple Mobile


Note: This is not a review of The T-Mobile G2X. This is more of a review of how well the G2X run on the mobile virtual network operator, Simple Mobile. Simple has a bring-your-own-phone model and rents T-Mobile's national GSM network for its service. Simple Mobile is picking up steam in the market, and passed the 1.5 million activation

T-Mobile G2X is the US version of LG Optimus 2X. T-Mobile G2Xsupports the 1700Mhz band, features a 4” WVGA display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels and equipped with Tegra 2 Dual Core processor at a speed of 1 GHz and two cameras an 8MP at the rear side and a 1.3 MP camera at the front. This is an Android based device that runs stock Froyo Android/Linux 2.2.2. I'm perfectly happy with Froyo, supposedly the Gingerbread (Android 2.3.) update is coming soon; don't matter to me one way or the other. The voice controls work good, I've had no problems with wifi or bluetooth. The only thing I have seen is short battery life. So programs like task killer and JuiceDefender are a must and you need to turn off 4g when your not using it.

The Nvidia Tegra 2 processor has great performance. Tegra Zone, Nvidia 's mini app store show case top quality games. Their selection is very small right now. The G2X comes with Need For Speed Shift HD a racing game a demo version of N.O.V.A, a futuristic first person shooter.

All the calls made on the G2x were crystal clear. It sounded like I was using a landline phone and I didn’t have any complaints from callers on the other end. T-Mobile’s 4G networks, my average download speed was just under 3Mbps and my upload speeds got around 1.5Mbps. But having Tegra 2 dual-core power comes with a price. You may only get about 4.5 hours of continuous web surfing over 4G.

There are some people having problems with getting every thing working on the G2X. It's not obvious though how you activate the APN though.

g2x activation at simple mobile.
Simple Mobile website--> Enter in Android config on a new APN--> Save and hold down the radial button long enough for it to turn green. From there, internet, gps, mms, etc. all works.

Simple Mobile has 3 plans for this phone

  • The $60 plan includes Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text and data up to 4G speeds. However only phones like the G2X, support T-Mobile's HSPA+ network technology would qualify as supporting 4G speeds.
  • The $50 plan includes Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text and data up to 2.5G speeds. 2G speed is more than adequate for IM, MMS, Web browsing , Email and social networking.
  • The $40 plan includes Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Tubely.com: Online Scam

  • You will get a Friend request from (supposedly) a friend. The Invitation page looks just like Facebook and so many will assume that Tubely.com is legit and then go ahead and clicked on Accept, fill in the information fields, etc.
  • So If you receive an invitation from any one whom has supposedly joined Tubely, it is probably not true. Do not click on ANYTHING in the invitation - just report it as spam or delete it.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Install FireFox 5 on Linux Mint 9 LTS


If you’re still on Linux Mint 9 and want to try Firefox 5, then this tutorial will show you how.


First you need to open terminal. A "terminal" is a way of typing commands to the computer.

The easiest way to open the Terminal is to go to Applications menu - Accessories - Terminal.


It will look like this.





Next copy and paste follow commands in Terminal
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/
firefox-stable


sudo apt-get update

apt-get upgrade


The last thing you will see is

Configuration file `/etc/firefox/pref/firefox.js'

==> Modified (by you or by a script) since installation.

==> Package distributor has shipped an updated version.

What would you like to do about it ? Your options are:

Y or I : install the package maintainer's version

N or O : keep your currently-installed version

D : show the differences between the versions

Z : background this process to examine the situation

The default action is to keep your current version.

*** firefox.js (Y/I/N/O/D/Z) [default=N] ?


Note: This tutorial will work on Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick and 10.04 Lucid too.

Monday, July 11, 2011

The pitfalls of a home home WIFI net work

I am sure you heard; the Senate's website was hacked , just one of many breach of security to hit a major U.S. based institution. The Sergeant at Arms Office, which provides security for the Senate, said that the breach had not compromised any individual senator's information.

Home wireless networks can be attacked much easer, because of free and widely available Wi-Fi cracking programs like Gerix WiFi Cracker, Aircrack-ng and Wifite. The programs work by faking legitimate user activity to collect a series of so-called weak keys or clues to the password. WiFi has now become a mainstream technology. WiFi Access Points are increasingly being deployed by home users and organizations. Laptops and smartphones now come equipped with built-in WiFi connection capability. Incidents of WiFi hacking & malicious use are on the rise. People are downloading illegal content like music through home WiFi connections or using the connection to send malicious attacks.

Tips to protect Wi-Fi

Disconnect your computer from the Internet when you aren't using it. I know that sounds very simple. The idea is to make you a hard target. technologies such as DSL and cable WIFI modems have made it possible for users to be broadcast their signals all the time. The likelihood that attackers or viruses scanning the network for available computers will target your computer becomes much higher if your computer is always connected. Depending on what method you use to connect to the Internet, disconnecting may mean disabling a wireless connection, turning off your computer or modem, or disconnecting cables.

Modern network routers contain built-in firewall capability, but the option also exists to disable them. Ensure that your router's firewall is turned on. For extra protection, consider installing and running personal firewall software on each computer connected to the router.

Each piece of Wi-Fi gear possesses a unique identifier called the physical address or MAC address. Access points and routers keep track of the MAC addresses of all devices that connect to them. Many such products offer the owner an option to key in the MAC addresses of their home equipment, that restricts the network to only allow connections from those devices.

All Wi-Fi equipment supports some form of encryption. Encryption technology scrambles messages sent over wireless networks so that they cannot be easily read by humans. Several encryption technologies exist for Wi-Fi today. WEP-encrypted password (for wired equivalent privacy) is not as strong as a WPA (or Wi-Fi protected access) password, so it’s best to use a WPA password instead. Even so, hackers can use the same free software programs to get on WPA password-protected networks as well. It just takes much longer (think weeks) and more computer expertise.

Disabled SSID broadcast. In Wi-Fi networking, the wireless access point or router typically broadcasts the network name (SSID) over the air at regular intervals. This feature was designed for businesses and mobile hotspots where Wi-Fi clients may roam in and out of range. In the home, this roaming feature is unnecessary, and it increases the likelihood someone will try to log in to your home network.