Are your Firefox extensions proprietary software?
01 June 2008
Look up the licenses of your Firefox extenstions, you might find that some of them, such as the StumbleUpon Toolbar, are not free software/open source at all, they are proprietary software,
Will Epiphany be able to compete with Firefox's extensions?
31 May 2008
Can the forthcoming Epiphany browser based on Webkit compete on GNOME when Firefox has so many extensions?
In this post I look through Firefox's extensions to try work out how many extensions Epiphany would really need to satisfy most GNOME users.
Firefox is your nanny?
22 May 2008
Firefox 3 now requires extension authors to submit their extensions to Mozilla for approval or to setup SSL. Firefox 3 refuses to install an unauthorised extension.
Epiphany and Webkit 2008
18 May 2008
In this post I compile and try out the Epiphany browser with the WebKit backend to see how the boys are getting on.
Swap out your ssh keys
14 May 2008
This post explains how to replace your existing SSH keys with new ones. This is relevant in light of a recent Debian/Ubuntu bug in the random number generator.
Give Linux a chance
12 May 2008
In this introductory article, I try to write accessibly about why you should try another operating system than Windows, you might even like it!
Twitter and GNOME integration
10 April 2008
This is part two of our look at using Python with the API of the Twitter social networking website. In this post, we make twitter updates pop-up on a Linux desktop.
Backing up my laptop
15 February 2008
To my surprise, my laptop has become my primary computer. With my old Fujitsu and my Macbook, I still made a remote connection to my desktop and worked there. However, with my Thinkpad, I have finally found a laptop that I am happy with, I think it is down to the quality of the keyboard. Working locally means I need to back the system up.
Office Software for Linux
20 January 2008
Are you thinking about moving your computer to Linux, but worried about living without office software? Well don't be. Linux has lots of its own office software.
OpenMoko vs iPhone - Free your phone or Fight your phone?
13 January 2008
Hello Everyone, I am rather busy at the moment so I am going to pull out some posts from my drafts folder that I never got around to publishing, so the subjects might be in a rather random order or discuss old issues but you are used to that I'm sure! Let's start with a comparison between the iPhone and the OpenMoko Neo1973-GTA02 FreeRunner.
For more on this topic, you can see my `Smart Phones and Devices`_ series.
A year after my 2007 predictions - the score card
01 January 2008
So last year, I made six predictions for 2007. How did I do?
How to setup an HTTP proxy with privoxy and an SSH tunnel
21 December 2007
Introduction
After the last post, John Reese wrote in with a number of suggestions. I'll deal with one in this post and later we can iterate around again as we try out his other idea.
How to setup an HTTP proxy with privoxy
21 December 2007
Introduction
Lets say, theoretically speaking, that a person wanted to access a service that is IP restricted to their home country, but they were currently abroad.
The Challenge: Encrypt your laptop's /home directory before Christmas
12 December 2007
The reason: people lose laptops
Encrypt your /home this Christmas: part three - moving your data to the encrypted partition
11 December 2007
0. The Plan
Encrypt your /home this Christmas: part two - creating an encrypted partition
09 December 2007
0. The Plan
Encrypt your /home this Christmas: part one - background
08 December 2007
Laptops can get lost and stolen. Besides the inconvenience and cost of replacing it, there is the potential for your personal data to end up in the hands of an identity thief.
I have not finished everything I need to do so I am taking my new laptop with me over the Christmas holidays. This reminded me that it was about time that I encrypted my /home directory. In this article I will explain how I did it. It took a little trial and error, but the good news it that now I have figured out the theory, the process is surprisingly easy.
It is called Linux, not GNU/Linux, get over it
22 November 2007
What is the operating system that I use called? I along with 99% of the human race, call it 'Linux' when speaking. However, when writing, I often use the term "GNU/Linux" the first time in an article to appease those who use this term. Today I decided to actually think about the issue.
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet."
The One Laptop per Child (in Gold)
11 November 2007
*I have been enjoying a visit of a family member and so have been off computers for a few days. This post was written last Thursday. *
Mass production of the One Laptop Per Child XO Machine has begun according the the Beeb, congratulations to everyone involved with the project.
My New Laptop - ThinkPad x61s
06 November 2007
Since my Macbook was stolen in July, I have been meaning to buy a new laptop since the insurance money came, but I just never got around to it, until last week.
