links for 2009-05-30

• Hacks From Pax: Linux File & Directory Permissions Mistakes – The Community's Center for Security
  Hacks From Pax: Linux File & Directory Permissions Mistakes
  (tags: linux sysadmin unix security file permissions)
• Security – MoodleDocs
  All web application software is highly complex, and every application has security issues that are found from time to time, usually involving some combination of input that the programmers did not anticipate. The Moodle project takes security seriously, and is continuously improving Moodle to close such holes as we find them.
  (tags: sysadmin web security file permissions moodle)
• Changing permission for folders only – LinuxQuestions.org
  Files: chmod 0600 $(find . ! -type d)
  Folders: chmod 0600 $(find . -type d)
  (tags: linux sysadmin unix security file files permissions change folders only)
• Biblioteca digital de jEsuSdA 8) | Libros electrónicos gratis para descargar
  Digital Books
  (tags: linux multimedia sysadmin tutorial openoffice.org firefox kino admin books cinelerra digital libros digitales tutoriales blender inkscape)
• Linux.com :: Editing music scores with free software
  Not everyone needs to work with music scores on their computers, but if you're someone who does enter, edit, or store sheet music electronically, you can choose among many free software options.
  (tags: linux multimedia score editor editors music)

links for 2009-05-29

• Music Notation Software for Linux: a Progress Report, Part 1 | Linux Journal
  The following article presents a status report on the development of five of the most active notation software projects for Linux. Most of them are works in progress, but all are well along on their development track and in varying states of usability.
  (tags: linux multimedia score editor editors midi music)
• Online Free MIDI to MP3/WAV Converter • HamieNET.com
  You can create MP3 and WAVE from your standard MIDI files – online and free! No need to download any software or pay for anything. Unlike the MIDI format, with the converted MP3 files, you can burn the songs onto CD or import them into your Flash movies. The restriction of MIDI can be overcome by this conversion.
  (tags: to converter midi online mp3)
• SynthFont tutorial 2
  Convert MIDI files to regular audio file formats like MP3, WAV, OGG.
  (tags: to software convert midi mp3 wav ogg)

links for 2009-05-28

• What to do if you cannot execute CHMOD
  Sometimes you do strange stuff with your Linux PC.
  I did yesterday, when I was expirimenting with what would happen if I would chmod /usr/bin/chmod to 000. That gave me some problems :P.

  Luckaly I had an old (dutch) Linux magazine lying around, and there was the solution! Thanx to: Linux Magazine

  If the CHMOD program is not executable anymore, you should start it via the Linker.
  I do not know what it is, but it worked. If someone knows, then please comment :).

  Execute this command:

  sudo /lib/ld-linux.so.2 /bin/chmod 755 /bin/chmod

  If you're on another distro that doesn't need sudo, then just su.

  This also works for other programs, just as long you know the original path to it… (/bin/rm xD)

  Edit: 777 edited to 755,
  Here is another solution thanks to: Rainer Weikusat
  perl -e 'chmod(0755, "/bin/chmod")'

  (tags: linux sysadmin tips shell cli command line chmod)

links for 2009-05-24

• The Ugly Truth About the Web | Linux Magazine
  Tired of Arial and Verdana? Add some sizzle to your Web pages with a new open source project that can render any font in a page. (Flash not required.)
  (tags: web software development free open source html)
• Is Internet access a 'fundamental right'? | The Open Road – CNET News
  We live in a world that demands entitlements for just about everything. While the framers of the U.S. Constitution talked about the rights of assembly, speech, and religion, our modern world has crowned new rights. Universal health care is a hot one. But now the European Commission's Viviane Reding has suggested Internet access as a fundamental human right.
  (tags: software internet access rights human)
• Command line made easy: five simple recipes for grep – Ars Technica
  The grep search utility is one of the most essential building blocks of command line text filtering and processing. In this tutorial, we will give you a few simple examples that will demonstrate how to get going with grep.
  (tags: linux tutorial reference howto unix cli command line grep)

links for 2009-05-21

• How to configure Pidgin to work with Google Talk >> T & T >> The Tech Bytes
  Pidgin (earlier Gaim) is a multiple protocol Instant Messenger client which can be used to chat using MSN, Yahoo, AIM and many other protocols. But most people do not know that you can use Pidgin to chat with Google Talk users.

  Pidgin supports a protocol called XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol). XMPP is the core protocol of the Jabber protocol and GTalk is also based on the Jabber protocol. So it is quite easy to make Pidgin to work with GTalk.

  (tags: configure gmail chat pidgin gtalk messenger)
• How to Add Twitter in Pidgin (Windows/Linux) ~ Web Upd8
  microblog-purple is a plugin for Pidgin that works both on Windows and Linux, that supports Twitter, Identica, and Laconica-base server through the conversation windows.
  (tags: web 2.0 plugin howto twitter microblogging pidgin microblog-purple)

links for 2009-05-20

• How to Write an Abstract
  Because on-line search databases typically contain only abstracts, it is vital to write a complete but concise description of your work to entice potential readers into obtaining a copy of the full paper. This article describes how to write a good computer architecture abstract for both conference and journal papers. Writers should follow a checklist consisting of: motivation, problem statement, approach, results, and conclusions. Following this checklist should increase the chance of people taking the time to obtain and read your complete paper.
  (tags: reference howto articles science paper thesis redact an abstract)

links for 2009-05-19

• How To Convert Any Video File Format Under Linux | LinuxHaxor.net
  This video tutorial will explain how to losslessly convert any video file format, including quicktime .mov, flash .flv files, open source .ogv, .mp4, .wmv, .asf and more. I show you how to install ffmpeg, check the formats and codecs available to you, convert a file to a new format (windows media and .asf in this example) without any loss in quality during the decoding and encoding process, and create and run a script file that will enable you to run a batch conversion on any number of files at the same time.
  (tags: linux multimedia software video converter convert ffmpeg)
• Speaking UNIX: 10 great tools for any UNIX system
  Much like a vernacular, the universe of UNIX tools changes almost perpetually. New tools crop up frequently, while others are eternally modernized and adapted to suit emerging best practices. Certain tools are used commonly; others are used more infrequently. Some tools are perennial; occasionally, some are obsoleted outright. To speak UNIX fluently, you have to keep up with the "lingo."
  (tags: sysadmin tips tools unix)
• A Guide to Converting Java to C# | Heaton Research
  C# and Java are fairly similar languages. They are similar enough that projects, such as our Encog project, can be converted to C#. Yet they are different enough that this is not always a 100% straight forward process. Additionally, there are several considerations to take into account so that your Java program does not look like a "Java Program converted to C#". C# programs support unique indexing options, properties and many other features that are not available to Java programs. For a true translation, it is important to use these as well.
  (tags: to programming code java convert port porting c#)

links for 2009-05-13

• Backpropagation
  The project describes teaching process of multi-layer neural network employing backpropagation algorithm. To illustrate this process the three layer neural network with two inputs and one output,which is shown in the picture below, is used.
  (tags: neural network intelligence artificial multi-layer backpropagation)
• Blog of helios: The Thin Line Between Victim and Idiot
  There is however, a thin line between being a victim and being an idiot. If you do not know you have a choice and bad things happen to you, then you are a victim.

  If you know you have a choice and still insist on personally using a system over and over again that will ultimately lead to the same problems….

  I think the descriptor of idiot is fair.

  You disagree? You know that Windows is the problem…you know that it's just a matter of time before you have to do it all over again. You know you have an alternative but you insist on putting the source of the problem back on your computer. You may be uncomfortable with the term "idiot"…you give me another name for it then.

  (tags: linux microsoft software fiasco free open source windows mess disaster idiot)
• Walls – The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
  Without consideration, without pity, without shame, they have built great and high walls around me. And now I sit here and despair. I think of nothing else: this fate gnaws at my mind; for I had many things to do outside .Ah, why did I not pay attention when they were building the walls? But I never heard any noise or sound of builders. Imperceptibly they shut me from the outside world. — Constantine P. Cavafy (1896).
  (tags: linux microsoft software monopoly antitrust free open source .net dotgnu warning mono fud fear uncertainity doubt)

links for 2009-05-12

• English Verb Conjugation and Inflectional Morphology
  This interface provides inflectional variants for words in a large English dictionary.
  (tags: reference english grammar verb conjugation verbs dictionary)

links for 2009-05-10

• Groklaw – A Few Facts As Antidote Against Microsoft's anti-ODF FUD Campaign
  The best antidote against FUD is facts. FUD only works when people don't know any better. So, given some recent anti-ODF FUD in the air, I thought it would be useful to provide some facts.
  (tags: microsoft to open standards fud odf threat ooxml)

links for 2009-05-06

• Rescuing a Lost Root Password
  Some systems require the root password to boot into 'single' mode. In this case, try editing the grub boot line to add 'init=/bin/bash' to the end of the kernel line. This will boot you into a very basic system, using the bash shell instead of init. You may have to mount the root partition read/write:
  mount -no remount,rw /
  Then use passwd to reset the password.
  If grub is protected, try booting from a LiveCD or USB stick. Open a root shell, and use fdisk -l to show the available disk partitions. Mount the root partition with
  mount -o,rw /dev/hda1 /mnt
  Check it's the right directory with ls /mnt, then change into that as your root directory:
  chroot /mnt
  Now use passwd as before.
  (tags: linux sysadmin rescue recover root password tips)

links for 2009-05-03

• Johannes Eva – Viola, Alto, Bratsche – ♫♬♪♫♬♫♬♪
  Eva's useful guide to Ubuntu 9.04
  (tags: ubuntu jaunty 9.04 tips useful applications)
• Excel RE: edit drop down list
  Just click on the cell and:
  Data > Validation > Settings
  and the source field will tell you where the list is. You can then edit
  that list.
  (tags: microsoft excel edit drop down list tips)
• Fix for OpenOffice Writer bad screen redraw refresh | Nobody was Born with Linux Knowledge
  OpenOffice Writer and compiz Desktop Effects + nVidia 3D driver nvidia has long been buggy in redrawing / refreshing the page when you edit or simply scroll it up and down. The bug is actually not of OpenOffice Writer but instead concerns compiz and nvidia propietary drivers. A workaround exists, here is how to enable it:

  first install compizconfig-settings-manager
  sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

  then launch the applet from System -> Preferences -> CompizConfig Settings Manager navigate to Utility section and click on Workarounds plugin. Inside enable (tick) “force syncronization between X and GLX”.

  That’s it! These changes are applied immediately.

  (tags: fix tips openoffice.org bad screen redraw window compiz nvidia driver)

links for 2009-05-01

• !mad.Works : Blog :: Amarok 1.4 in Jaunty (Ubuntu 9.04)
  Add the PPA to your sources by creating a new file for the Amarok PPA:
  gksu gedit /etc/apt/sources.list.d/amarok.list

  Then in that new file add the following two lines:
  deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/bogdanb/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
  deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/bogdanb/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

  Add the key for the PPA:
  sudo apt-key adv –recv-keys –keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com \
  0x1d7e9dd033e89ba781e32a24b9f1c432ae74ae63

  Now update your sources, remove Amarok2 and install Amarok1.4:
  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get remove amarok
  sudo apt-get install amarok14

  And enjoy the best media player ever made!

  (tags: linux ubuntu tips install amarok 1.4 jaunty)
• StumbleUpon WebToolbar – 100 Beautiful Night Scene Photos | PXLshots
  Hi guys! Today we will delight you with another beautiful image collection. Night scenes. 100 photographs of gorgeous urban and rural landscapes and views. A mixture of darkness and lights, a real static show of contrasts and beauty.
  (tags: photo wallpapers photos art beautiful night)

links for 2009-04-30

• VijayDutt.com » Blog Archive » Install Amarok 1.4 on Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope
  Add the following source by editing /etc/apt/sources.list :

  deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/bogdanb/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

  Add the GPG key

  You can follow this youtube video instruction if you do not know how to add a GPG key.

  Now Run :

  sudo apt-get update

  sudo apt-get autoremove amarok (this will remove Amarok 2)

  sudo apt-get install amarok14

  (This PPA package has been named amarok14 in order to avoid upgrade to Amarok 2)

  Now , enjoy the good old Amarok 1.4 !!

  (tags: install amarok multimedia linux ubuntu jaunty 1.4)
• Redes Neuronales
  Aplicación que permite comprender como es el funcionamiento de una neurona artificial. El usuario puede variar el valor de los pesos, el valor de las entradas a la neurona y el tipo de función de activación. Con el boton evaluar se actualiza el valor de la neta que tiene la neurona y la salida de la misma.
  (tags: redes neuronales neural networks examples example application sample aplicación ejemplo)