Why Linux is very useful on the desktop compared to the Windows operating system.

The Linux kernel is very flexible. There are so many distributions of Linux that I have lost count. There is the Vyatta routing distribution that is useful for creating a router on an old computer. The Clonezilla utility distribution is also very useful, this is a Linux based distribution of Debian that is used to … Read more

How to change the hostname on an Ubuntu or Linux Mint system with the command line.

Changing the hostname on a Linux system is very easy indeed. Use this command to set a new hostname. homer@homer-eME730:~$ sudo hostname netbook.local Then edit the /etc/hosts file to set the new hostname. homer@homer-eME730:~$ sudo vim.tiny /etc/hosts And edit it to the new value. 127.0.0.1 localhost 127.0.1.1 netbook.local # The following lines are desirable for … Read more

How to install Linux and totally wipe ChromeOS off a Chromebook.

https://superuser.com/questions/662927/is-there-a-way-to-completely-delete-chrome-os-on-a-chromebook-and-install-linu. This posting on superuser.com explains how to totally remove the Chrome OS from the Chromebook and install Linux instead. This is a good option if you want a proper operating system on your Chromebook and not the Google operating system supplied with the netbook. Installing Linux would allow someone to use apt-get to install … Read more

How to install Windows 7 in a qemu KVM virtual machine and enjoy a fast Windows desktop in a window.

The qemu KVM hypervisor allows a Linux user to install a virtualized operating system that will run very fast indeed once installed. To install the qemu KVM hypervisor; enter this command. sudo apt-get install qemu-kvm qemu-utilssudo apt-get install qemu-kvm qemu-utils Then create a raw disk image to house your Windows operating system. qemu-img create -f … Read more

Twitter blocked in Turkey, but there are solutions to route around this censorship.

As written in this posting: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread1003709/pg1. The Turkish government has just banned Twitter access on their Internet. This is another step towards government censorship and control of the Internet. This is not a good move by the Turkish government. This will lead to users with technical knowledge to use TOR to tunnel through the censorship … Read more

How to get the geographical location of an IP address.

How to get the geographical location of an IP address. This simple command will get this for you. [jason@darknet:~] curl ipinfo.io/203.113.124.148 ; echo "" { "ip": "203.113.124.148", "hostname": "No Hostname", "city": "", "region": "", "country": "TH", "loc": "13.7500,100.4667", "org": "AS9737 TOT Public Company Limited" }[jason@darknet:~] curl ipinfo.io/203.113.124.148 ; echo "" { "ip": "203.113.124.148", "hostname": "No … Read more

My useful system information script for any Linux user who wants quick system information.

This is a system information script I am working on. This shows some useful information about your Linux system. #!/bin/bash   echo " My System information script." echo " " echo " "   echo "The computer has: $(awk < /proc/meminfo ‘{ if ($1 == "MemTotal:") { print $2 }}’) Kilobytes of RAM." echo "The … Read more

Some more good themes for the Linux Mint MATE desktop.

Some awesome themes and wallpapers for the Linux Mint MATE desktop Themes http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/LiNsta+3+%28Linux+is+Not+Vista%29?content=44570 Linux is not Vista. A Windows Vista styled theme for Gnome and MATE. http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/MacOS-X+Aqua+Theme?content=13548. Mac OSX Aqua theme for MATE. http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Murrine+GTK%2B+Cairo+Engine?content=42755. Murrine GTK+ Cairo Engine. http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Faenza-Cupertino?content=129008. Faenza-Cupertino icon theme. http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/OSX-Nostalgie?content=157390. OSX Nostalgia icon theme. http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/E17gtk?content=163472. E17 GTK. This is a theme for … Read more

Simple MikroTik routing. Some useful links and information.

Simple static routing with a Mikrotik device. These links are useful when you are setting up a Mikrotik device and you need assistance with the complex setup of one of these tiny but powerful devices. http://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Simple_Static_Routing. Creating a DMZ with a Mikrotik device. http://www.mikrotik.com/testdocs/ros/2.8/appex/dmz.php. Simple firewall script for a Mikrotik router. http://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Basic_universal_firewall_script. Mikrotik Wireless FAQ. … Read more

Windows XP support ending soon, this will mean that security holes in existing installations will be exploited.

The support for Windows XP will end soon. April 8th in fact. This means that existing installations of Windows XP, and there are many around the world will be rendered vulnerable to exploits. Windows XP has been around since 2001 and it is time that is was replaced by something better. Windows 7 is still … Read more

How to save your iptables firewall rules using the iptables-persistent package for Linux.

The iptables firewall is the built-in firewall for protecting a Linux machine from online threats. But the settings are not save upon a re-boot. This is easily alleviated by installing the iptables-persistent package for Ubuntu. Once this is installed, you will be greeted with a screen that will ask you if you wish to save … Read more

How to use the ping command in a script to get an IP address automatically and ping it.

This command will get the IP address from the interface supplied and then ping it. ping $(ifconfig enp6s1 | awk ‘/inet / { print $2 } ‘ | sed -e s/addr://)ping $(ifconfig enp6s1 | awk ‘/inet / { print $2 } ‘ | sed -e s/addr://) Here is an example. This shows how well this … Read more

Mt Gox source code leaked to the Internet. This is a good example of how not to setup a bitcoin exchange.

This is a screenshot of some leaked source code for a Bitcoin exchange. This source code is intended to access a MySQL database. Here is the full code listing: http://pastebin.com/W8B3CGiN. The bitcoin digital currency was devised to allow payment over the Internet using a digital currency. This breach shows that security is not absolute. But … Read more

Some more beautiful wallpapers for your high-resolution Linux desktop.

http://res1.windows.microsoft.com/resbox/en/windows/main/6c386979-15d5-4878-b7f6-cc15a17f32e2_5.jpg. Crater lake wallpaper. This one is very nice indeed. http://res2.windows.microsoft.com/resbox/en/windows/main/b76ed5b2-26aa-4408-8808-1e9481cd24fd_5.jpg. Full moon over a Greek township. http://res1.windows.microsoft.com/resbox/en/windows/main/5a08e8ef-3098-4209-abbe-991e746adf82_5.jpg. Illuminated Alhambra, Andalusia (Spain). http://res1.windows.microsoft.com/resbox/en/windows/2013-win81ga/4305912a-c44c-499a-b211-1b8dcf2253db_5.jpg. Kuala Lumpur at night. http://res2.windows.microsoft.com/resbox/en/windows/2013-win81ga/8ee15352-2ef5-4c41-bca8-1bd38261bde5_5.jpg. Quiraing, Isle of Skye (Scotland, U.K.). http://res2.windows.microsoft.com/resbox/en/windows/main/8b97cd10-a7f5-46f5-8dc4-727e94ce4aeb_6.jpg. Windmills, Kinderdijk (Netherlands). http://hqdesktop.net/wallpapers/l/1920×1080/17/outer_space_stars_planets_rings_digital_art_1920x1080_16429.jpg. A massive crater on a moon and Saturn in the background. Awesome HD space wallpaper. http://hqscreen.com/wallpapers/l/1920×1080/63/digital_art_outer_space_sea_1920x1080_62719.jpg. … Read more

The Importance of Good IT management for Small Business.

Enterprise computing may seem like something that only belongs deep in the halls of a large business. The reality is that it is something that should be considered by every business. If a company has more than a single computer at work for them, then networking technologies should be in place. Anytime a business connects … Read more

Useful networking study resources for students.

Some useful networking resources. http://www.routeralley.com/ra/docs/tcp_udp.pdf TCP and UDP reference. http://www.razorpoint.com/PDF/Rz.PortsList.pdf TCP/IP Ports listing. This is very useful for reference. http://www.gasmi.net/tcp.php Another TCP ports listing in HTML. http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/431 An introduction to the OSI model and how the TCP/IP  Protocol works. http://www.protocols.com/pbook/tcpip1.htm A definition of common TCP/IP names. Intro to TCP/IP. TCP/IP and subnet masking explained. Kali … Read more

How to list all iptables rules that are set on your Linux system. This is very easy.

The iptables -L or iptables –list commands will list all of the iptables rules that are set on your Linux machine. Below is the abbreviated output of this command on my Fedora Linux system. [root@localhost homer]# iptables –list Chain INPUT (policy ACCEPT) target prot opt source destination ACCEPT all — anywhere anywhere ctstate RELATED,ESTABLISHED ACCEPT … Read more