The Linux kernel is a complex piece of engineering. From boot-up to runlevel 5 multi-user mode, the Linux kernel initializes and manages a PC’s resources including the processor, the memory, the networking, the video output, and the local storage. As the kernel works with all these different subsystems and resources, it logs various high-level messages … Read more
Are you one of the many who carries your laptop with you everywhere? According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, there has been a sharp increase in the rise of laptop thefts this past decade – and not just with people who travel. There has also been a sharp increase in the … Read more
The multitude of different Linux distributions available is simultaneously the operating system’s greatest strength and its greatest weakness. It is a strength because it offers users choice, diversity and freedom. It is a weakness as there is no standard distribution, which means that the same software needs to be compiled and packaged multiple times, once for each … Read more
One of the biggest problems with technology, at least in the most developed societies, is how fast it can get outdated. If you buy a computer today, it will most probably be outdated in a year time. Given this, we have two choices: either keep on buying new hardware in order to keep our computers … Read more
In the late 1990’s, before Ubuntu existed, when Debian was just starting out, and when Fedora was still Red Hat Linux, there were only a handful of major distributions. One of the elite group was Mandrake Linux. Never heard of it? That is probably because about a decade ago Mandrake changed its name to Mandriva. Still none the wiser? … Read more
So you love your Linux machine, but you must have that one (or probably a few) Windows program working on your machine. You found what felt like a magic wand, and installed Wine. But when you go to use that favorite app, the shortcut keys you’re used to in the Windows world just don’t work … Read more
Lightworks is a professional video editing and re-mastering software that has been in circulation since the early 90s. It has been used by notable editors to help produce Emmy- and Oscar-award-winning movies, feature films and TV shows like Hugo (Martin Scorsese), The King’s Speech, the Departed, Pulp Fiction, Mission Impossible, Batman and Braveheart. Until recently, … Read more
There are many different video formats in circulation, including AVI, 3GP, MOV, MPG, WMV and the formats used by DVDs and Blu-ray. One file type that has become a common denominator across multiple platforms is the MP4 file. If you need to convert a video file to MP4, then HandBrake is an excellent choice. It … Read more
If you have recently upgraded your Ubuntu to Ubuntu 14.04 and found that when you open the Nautilus File Manager, all the hidden files are visible rather than hidden, here is the fix. Open a terminal and type: gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.preferences show-hidden-files false Alternatively, you can do it with a GUI. 1. Install dconf sudo … Read more
You have probably noticed different services on the Internet which automatically know roughly where you are in the world. From music and video stream services to online stores, these services use a technique, called IP geolocation, which matches your approximate physical location with the IP address you are using. Whenever you connect to the Internet, … Read more