If you are a thinker, a mad scientist in the making or just a curious ADD person like me, the Arduino boards are just what you are missing in life.

Arduino is an open-source physical computing platform based on a simple micro controller board, and a development environment for writing software for the board.

Arduino can be used to develop interactive objects, taking inputs from a variety of switches or sensors, and controlling a variety of lights, motors, and other physical outputs. Arduino projects can be stand-alone, or they can be communicate with software running on your computer .

Arduino hardware can be used in Windows, Mac or Linux. The boards can be assembled by hand or purchased pre-assembled and the open-source IDE (programming environment) can be downloaded for free.

There’s a great starting guide at http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/HomePage, but I have also been recommended this book:

30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius

This guide shows you how to program and build a variety of projects with the Arduino microcontroller development system. Covering Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, it gets you up to speed with the simplified C programming you need to know–no prior programming experience necessary.

You can find more books and arduino boards and components on here.

Examples of what one can accomplish with Arduino:

Technorati Tags: Arduino, arduino projects, C Programming, DIY geek, geek gifts, IDE, Linux, Mac, muti platform, Open Source, Programming, robbots, Windows

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According to numbers from StatusCounter,  the iPad has bypassed Linux in terms of web surfing in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and The Netherlands.  As a Linux enthusiast I find it disturbing but at the same time it makes complete sense.

The OS battle is between Windows, Apple and Linux. Windows and Apple dominate but Apple has a very strong grip in the market, due to its great fan/user base.

I would say, with no fear of being wrong, that most users browsing the web with an iPad, do also from their Mac[add here you preference] computer. Without playing down the quality of the product, I believe the iPad is basically taking a piggy-back ride.

Initial source: http://royal.pingdom.com/2011/04/20/ipad-used-more-than-linux-computers/

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPad, Linux, OSX, Windows

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There has been a surge in computers infected with the Windows XP Security spyware. The user is normally affected by clicking on a very convincing fake Windows XP security warning displayed on infected websites.   Once the malware is installed, it continues to display pop-ups with security warnings and installs a heap of trojans  on the computer. This malware also disables all .exe files, making it impossible for the user to run anti virus scanners and malware removers. Here is how I recently removed this pest.

1. Disconnect your computer from the internet, this malware installs trojans which will make your computer vulnerable to remote access. Use another computer to download the following programmes, then run/install them on your infected computer in the following order.
2. RKILL stops the malware process ( http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/anti-virus/rkill )  – Note, the malware process did come back, but this gave me enough time to execute the next  step.
3. xp_exe_fix.reg ( you can read more about it here ) – This will fix your registry and enable the running of .EXE files, so you can install a malware remover and run your virus scan.
4. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware – it’s a simple and easy to use anti-malware by Malwarebytes. Install and run, it will ask you to update, reconnect the internet and allow it to update, disconnect internet after update is done. Run the full scan.
5. After malware scan finishes, click on “Remove Selected” to remove all malware from your computer.  After removal, reboot as instructed and your computer should be free.

Technorati Tags: malware, RKILL, Trojan, Virus, Windows, XP Security 2011, xp_exe_fix.reg

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• November 7, 2011 -- Arduino the Open Source hardware
• April 22, 2011 -- Has the iPad really overtaken Linux?
• November 11, 2010 -- IPV4 is almost exhausted.. time for IPV6?
• March 11, 2010 -- The future of gaming is OpenGL
• September 18, 2009 -- Open .eps files on GIMP for Windows

UK or US

According to Vint Cerf, vice-president of Google and the man dubbed “the godfather of the net”, Europe will run out of IPV4 addresses by mid 2011.  It’s time to switch to IPV6.

IPv6 was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and is described in Internet standard document RFC 2460, published in December 1998. It has the capacity to provide 3.4×10³⁸ IP addresses (around 340 trillion, trillion, trillion), probably making NAT (Network Access Translation) something of the past.

Are network and system administrators ready for the change over? Are SMEs ready for the change over? It’s time for a bit more reading I guess.

Technorati Tags: ip address, ipv4, ipv6, Linux, NAT, network, systems admin, Windows

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• November 7, 2011 -- Arduino the Open Source hardware
• April 22, 2011 -- Has the iPad really overtaken Linux?
• March 11, 2010 -- The future of gaming is OpenGL
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• April 9, 2009 -- 96% of Netbooks sold last year have Windows – Why?

As a Linux user and Open Source enthusiast I always want to see people moving away from the proprietary stuff and into the Open Source world, but sometimes it’s easier to keep them where they are (stuck to Windows), specially when it comes to gaming. I am not a gamer, and would rather spend my time on other more fulfilling tasks like testing a ClearOS installation, but when it comes to helping people migrate from Windows to Linux, there’s always that dreaded question  “Will my games work?”  The answer could easily be “yes very well, better than before!”  but in reality a majority of the games won’t. Why? The proprietary monster that is Microsoft has allured programmers, graphic card manufacturers and the common citizen into the idea that DirectX is the best, and it could not e further from the truth. While DirectX only runs on Windows, OpenGL offers equal or better results and runs on every platform. 

But don’t let me talk to you about this, as I said I am not a gamer, let those who know what they are talking about tell you. This great article will help you understand Why should you use OpenGL and not DirectX (Wolfire Blog), and you may also enjoy reading this article Commercial Gaming coming to Linux?  from the Linux Magazine.

Technorati Tags: DirectX, Gaming, Linux, Mac, Microsoft, OpenGL, Windows, Xbox

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• November 7, 2011 -- Arduino the Open Source hardware
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• November 11, 2010 -- IPV4 is almost exhausted.. time for IPV6?

As usual this post is a self help note, but as it’s public I hope it helps someone else. If you want to open .eps or .ps files with GIMP on Windows you will need to install Ghostscript (download it from http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/). After successful installation you will need to create an environment variable called GS_PROG on Windows. To do this just follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the ‘My Computer‘ Icon and select properties
2. Click on the advanced tab
3. Click on Environment Variable button
4. Under either User variables or System variables click on “New”
5. Set Variable name : GS_PROG
6. Set Variable path: C:\Progam Files\gs\gs864w32\bin\gswin32.exe   – this is where yous gswin32.exe resides, make sure you type the correct path.

Click “OK” for everything and then open GIMP, you should now be able to open .eps and .ps files

Extra information: .EPS/PostScript (.PS) is a  file that may contain 2D vector graphics, bitmap images, and text; includes an embedded preview image in bitmap format; often used for transferring image data between different operating systems. Adobe Illustrator, Acrobat, Photoshop or CorelDraw are the kind of programs that normally use/open these files.

Technorati Tags: .eps, Environment variable, Ghostscript, GIMP, GS_PROG, Microsoft, postscript, Windows

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Offline Blogging Tools let you comfortably write and effortlessly publish new entries to your blog.  I personally like the easy to use Scribefire, a Firefox addon, but there are many others our there.  Here is a shortlist…

Scribefire

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

This is an addon for Firefox so you need to be using Firefox (clearly)

BlogDesk

Platform: Windows

BlogDesk is totaly free of charge and optimized for the blog systems WordPress, MovableType, Drupal, Serendipity and ExpressionEngine.

BlogGTK

Platform: Linux

BloGTK is a weblog client that allows you to post to your weblog from GNOME without the need for a separate browser window. BloGTK allows you to connect with many weblog systems such as Blogger, Movable Type, WordPress, and more.

Windows Live Writer (by Microsoft)

Platform: Windows

WLW is a desktop application for publishing to blogs and works with almost any blog provider in the world including Windows Live Spaces, Blogger, WordPress and more.

Qumana

Platform: Mac, Windows

Great for bloggers on the move. Qumana features include easy text formatting and image insertion, simple Technorati tagging, advertising insertion with Q Ads and more.

Technorati Tags: Blog, BlogDesk, BloGTK, Drupal, ExpressionEngine, Linux, Mac, MovableType, Qumana, Scribfire, Serendipity, Windows, Windows Live Writer, WordPress

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• November 7, 2011 -- Arduino the Open Source hardware
• March 11, 2010 -- The future of gaming is OpenGL
• January 28, 2009 -- Synergy – share mouse and keyboard cross platform
• April 22, 2011 -- Has the iPad really overtaken Linux?
• November 11, 2010 -- IPV4 is almost exhausted.. time for IPV6?

According to the Windows Team Blog the sales of netbooks with Windows has gone from under 10% of unit sales during the first half of 2008 to 96% as of February 2009.   I wonder why that is……

The Windows team Blog arrogantly says : “When they realize their Linux-based netbook PC doesn’t deliver that same quality of experience, they get frustrated and take it back.”

I would question the term “same quality of experience”, because Linux does not strive to give the user same quality of experience as Windows, a Linux user has a completely different experience, and personally it’s a better one, but it’s like switching religion, … “leave your old ways behind” which is exactly what every new Mac User does (this is the only good thing I have to say about them).

Most of the returned Netbooks in 2008 had Linux installed. I don’t think it’s a case of dissatisfaction it’s a case of  “I didn’t research before buying it and just went for the cheapest”. Switching Operating Systems is a process, is a migration. It’s naive to think that you can just jump from one to the other and that’s it, you cannot just assume that the other OS will have the “you are dumb and I will do everything for you” wizards Windows has.

Windows claims to “just work with peoples stuff”

• Windows supports nearly 3,000 printers, more than 700 digital cameras, more than 240 webcams and more than 180 digital video cameras.
• Windows supports the broadest array of PC applications and games.

Well this is down to the manufacturers really. Remember the issue with periferals and Vista? I remember having countless users tell me that their practically new printers would not work with Vista.

Mobile broadband on Linux

I think a big difficulty for Linux users has been with Mobile Broadband, most 3G Mobile Broadband devices will work with Linux but not “out of the box”, and that has frustrated many users. By the ammount of hits I have had on my post about the Huawei E156g I can tell this is a big issue, although the solution is very easy.

I have used Linux for the last 8 years and in my opinion Linux is as good OS as (if not better than) those of Microsoft or Apple. I know what I want a computer to do and I prefer having to go out of my way to make sure it does it the way I want it than having the computer tell me what I need and how I need to do things. My advice for anyone thinking of buying a Netbook or any computer with Linux is:

1. Try it first. Use a live CD on your current machine or use a Virtual Machine.
2. Try different distributions like OpenSuse, Ubuntu, Mandriva, PSLinuxOS
3. Search for specific applications for your specific needs
4. Test your periferals

Further reading: Ten reasons why Linux will oust Windows

Technorati Tags: Huawei E156G, Linux, Mobile Broadband, Netbooks, Windows

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Microsoft plans to release today the “final” version of Internet Explorer 8. It won’t be added to Windows update yet but the curious IE user will be able to download it from the official IE website once it’s been released. Officials have said that there are only a few changes between the (RC) version and this release. 

IE 8 will be included in Windows 7 as a removable option later this year, but before then I am sure several patches will be released. 

Technorati Tags: browser, IE 8, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Windows

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I was reading this article on ZDNET.com “Is Mac still the safer bet?” by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. This is a question that I have been asked many times also, “Is Mac safer than windows?” Although many times it sounded more like an affirmation than a question.

I wouldn’t say it’s safer, it’s just not as targeted. Once Mac becomes a target, the cyber criminals will have a lot of fun because of the lack of attention to security Mac users have. To switch platform with the sole reason of not having to think about security is very lame.

The Microsoft operating system is targeted  for its many vulnerabilities including the end users, who have now started to take security really seriously. Mac users have to step up on their care for security. Most problems I find with Mac users are:

•  Very simple (Unsecure) passwords
•  Blind trust in any program that is available for Macs (because its safe right!)
•  Addiction to desktop gadgets (because its safe right!)
•  Keychain unconditional love – store all and any passwords (this combined with my first point can be a disaster)
•  Will join any wireless network availabe (I am safe it’s a Mac)
•  Last but not least… they are  annoying. ;)

I do not intend to have a go at Apple/Mac and its users, but the lack of security awareness I have seen , specially the new ones recently switched from Windows, is scary. If a well developed targeted malware or virus were to be released now it would be a global disaster.

So my answer to the question is: “The operating system hasn’t been target untill then no one will know how much safer it is. Mac users brace yourselves!”

Technorati Tags: Apple, Apple Malware, Apple Virus, Mac, Security, Windows

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• January 28, 2009 -- Synergy – share mouse and keyboard cross platform

Synergy lets you easily share a single mouse and keyboard between
multiple computers with different operating systems, each with its
own display, without special hardware. It’s intended for users
with multiple computers on their desk since each system uses its
own monitor(s). 

Redirecting the mouse and keyboard is as simple as moving the mouse
off the edge of your screen. Synergy also merges the clipboards of
all the systems into one, allowing cut-and-paste between systems.
Furthermore, it synchronizes screen savers so they all start and stop
together and, if screen locking is enabled, only one screen requires
a password to unlock them all.

You can get synergy working on computers running different Operating Systems, the sharing is done via your local network and hosts are linked via the hostname or IP address. Setup is very intuitive. To install just follow these steps.

For Windows download it from http://synergy2.sourceforge.net

For Macs you can use the SynergyOSx or QuickSynergy

For Linux you can use QuickSynergy

• OpenSUSE go to http://software.opensuse.org 
• Ubuntu $sudo apt-get install quicksynergy 
• Other distros download it from http://quicksynergy.sourceforge.net

Watch this video with an idea of what is possible with Synergy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id3GHAruhAk

Technorati Tags: Cross-platform, Linux, Mac, QuickSynergy, Sharing periferals, Synergy, Windows

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