Latest articles & site news

updated July 3, 2009, category: Software & security

My favorite desktop virtualization software includes VirtualBox and VMware Server. I love and use them both. They are quite similar overall, however still offering the user a different, unique subset of features that the other product does not have, thus nicely complementing each other.

Just a few days ago, VirtualBox 3.0.0 has been released amidst a flurry of excitement. This was a great opportunity to see how well it fares, both against its predecessors and VMware Server.

Take a deep breath and follow me for a ride. I'll torture you with a long introduction, but it should be worth it.

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updated July 2, 2009, category: Software & security

Writing an introduction to this article is a little bit tricky, because it will spoil the surprise of what this article is all about. Therefore, I have decided to write a lengthy excuse that explains why this article has no ordinary introduction like all others, which usually quotes the first 2-3 paragraphs.

Now that you know this, feel free to click the link below and enjoy a tremendous article that combines Linux and humor in one fell swoop.

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updated June 29, 2009, category: Computer games

Welcome to the seventh Linux gaming compilation. Hopefully, you will like this one as much as the others. I have carefully selected today's titles, and I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised by the repertoire. The long-awaited Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is finally here. Then, there's the masterpiece UFO: Alien Invasion, a remake of the legendary UFO: Enemy Unknown. Fans of board games, including 3D board games, will also like today's choices. Racing fans won't be left in the dry, either. We will talk about Liero and Liero clones, two other FPS, a number of arcade games, and more. It should definitely be interesting.

That's it, I think. Let us begin.

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updated June 27, 2009, category: Software & security

For the first time in its history, Microsoft finally has a browser that may actually be worth keeping. Even though it cannot compare with Firefox or Opera in terms of security, speed, usability, or W3C compliance, it's a lightyear leap over its predecessors (IE5-7). And for the first time, Microsoft lets you not have it.

Yes, you've read it right: for the first time, you can remove Internet Explorer from your Windows installation, permanently.

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updated June 27, 2009

Congratulations! Dedoimedo is three years old! Starting humbly as a vague hobby and a chance to dabble in the language of the web, this site has evolved into an important and popular source of information to computer ethusiasts worldwide. Dedoimedo enjoys 150,000-200,000 monthly visits and has already enlightened a couple of million of people on a variety of subjects, including operating system installation guides, software howtos, security tips and tricks, computer games, and even some light topics like physics and art.

I'd like to thank my readers for their loyalty and wish us all many more fruitful years of fun and cooperation!

updated June 27, 2009

Recognizing the vast need for sharing of information and knowledge, I have decided to update the copyright terms. The general policy remains, but it now includes several exceptions.

Dedoimedo permits charity, educational and non-profit organizations like universities, Wikipedia, etc to use images and videos on Dedoimedo without additional explicit approval from the site owner. However, the use of material still requires that ...

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updated June 26, 2009, category: Software & security

Not that long ago, we've had a long, extensive tutorial on GParted, a powerful and friendly partitioning software that allows you to configure your drives and partitions for installations of multiple operating systems. The tutorial helped us learn the Linux vernacular and we mastered the basic configurations, like creating, resizing, moving, and deleting of partitions, and even some more advanced stuff. In all cases, we worked with individual partitions. We did not dabble in RAID.

In the tutorial, I only briefly mentioned RAID and LVM. In both cases, GParted could display some information on these setups, but it was incapable of creating them. Moreover, being able to create RAID and/or LVM is significantly more difficult than traditional partitions. Extra knowledge and special tools are needed.

I promised separate tutorials on both subjects - and here we are. Today, we will talk about RAID.

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updated June 24, 2009, category: Greatest sites

Several more excellent websites added to the Hall of Fame. Not one, not two, not three, but four, FOUR websites! Today, we have one candidate under Games, another under General and two under Unique. I hope you will like the selection and hopefully frequent these sites often, as they have lots of great stuff to offer. Enjoy!

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updated June 22, 2009, category: Software & security

If you're using virtualization, you know the drill: you open your favorite product and then fire up virtual machines as you see fit. But what about skipping step 1 and just launching virtual machines like any other application? And why not, indeed? VirtualBox is a friendly product and will let you do just that. You can use your guest operating systems like you would use any other program. Let's see how this can be done.

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updated June 20, 2009, category: Software & security

Let's begin this article with a question: what is the operating system known for using the ps command line utility for displaying the list of all processes running, ls for listing files in a directory or the clear command clearing the monitor screen of all output? If you answered: Linux or alike, then your answer is only 50% right.

Recently, Microsoft have come out with a new command line shell and scripting language, aimed at giving serious computers users the ability to achieve similar levels of control and productivity that they enjoy working on UNIX-based operating systems. It seems that Redmond chaps have finally realized that GUI may be nice, but real people work with scripts and text files.

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updated June 19, 2009, category: Life topics

Tom yawned as he scrubbed the common room floor. It was very early in the morning and he was already in the middle of performing the third of the various tasks assigned to him for that day by Lardo, the proprietor of the Stolen Goose inn.

Tom worked for discarded bits of clothing and food leftovers, as befitted a boy who was too old to be nursed at home and too young to do a grown man's work. Most of the tasks he was required to do were cleaning chores that had been done by the serving maids before he'd been hired.

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updated June 19, 2009, category: Life topics

"Leela! To your left!" The warning came too late as a crossbow bolt whizzed right before Leela's eyes, nicking the bridge of her nose. Leela screamed more in horror than in pain, reeling backwards and raising her hands to the cut on her nose. It was a small cut, but her hands came away bloody and shaking. It was such a close call.

Angered, Leela turned to face the rider who had shot her. He was galloping toward her on his winged horse, readying his flame thrower. Weak as she was, she raised her hands to cast a protecting spell. She was exhausted and was hoping against hope that the sacred orb would pulse soon, releasing the flow of power she so desperately needed.

A fireball from Lara made the rider turn aside and pick another priestess for a target.

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updated June 17, 2009, category: Software & security

We have had quite a few articles on multimedia by now. We have learned how to manipulate Flash, Video and Audio in three long tutorials, covering subjects like file format conversion, splitting, joining, fixing bitrate, gain normalization, tagging, extraction of audio files from Flash movies, streaming, encoding, compression, mixing, recording, and more. We also studied Wink, a powerful, elegant presentation software that allows you to create Flash tutorials. Then, we examined another desktop-recording software with similar capabilities to Wink, called recordMyDesktop. We also learned how to rip DVD movies with Handbrake and how to create DVD movies with DeVeDe.

But we did not dabble - yet - in subtitles. Today, we are going to do just that.

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updated June 15, 2009, category: Software & security

Personas is a Firefox extension that add lightweight theming to the browser. It won't improve security or solve financial crises, but it can infuse some color to your browser, bringing a touch of fun into the routine of Web life.

Personas were born with the notion that good themes are hard to find, browsers are no longer just a tool to display webpages, and that there's a growing demand for a more integrated Web experience.

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updated June 13, 2009, category: Software & security

I call them secrets - not because they are actually secret, but because very few users are aware of them. We're talking about options and utilities you won't normally get to use while enjoying VMware virtualization. And yet, they are there, waiting for you to take advantage of them and boost your efficiency.

So let us expose them!

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updated June 12, 2009, category: Models

Petlyakov Pe-2 was a classic, medium-size Soviet dive bomber that is rarely mentioned in the history annals, usually losing to the venerable Il-2 Shturmovik. Still, it was a very capable and durable airplane that was very popular with its crews.

Pe-2 was fast and could withstand a lot of punishment, making it a good choice for a bomber. It was also larger than most platforms, allowing for a longer range and bigger payload. However, this made it a little tricky to fly by female pilots, who often did not have enough strength to get it airborne. Throughout the war, Pe-2 was mainly used as a dive bomber.

The aircraft served well, often being able to evade German interceptors, which meant its crew stayed alive longer and developed better bombing skills than most. More than 10,000 Pe-2s were built, some remaining in service with a number of air forces after the war.

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updated June 10, 2009, category: Software & security

The title definitely sounds delicious. And you must be thinking this is going to be difficult. Not at all. As simple, if not simpler, than doing it in Windows. Yup, Linux has advanced that much in being friendly and usable. Don't believe me? Read on and get convinced.

We have a multi-host network (LAN), with a Lexmark printer connected to a Windows XP machine. We have several Linux machines (including Ubuntu) that need to print to this host. They have no direct connection, but they share the same Wireless router. To make it all all the spicier, the Lexmark printer has no drivers for Linux.

You may think this is going to be a suicide ... ?

In fact, this is going to be a task taking just 3 minutes, no command line at all. We will only use the GUI wizard, click, click, click. And we will use an equivalent HP driver for the Lexmark printer to fool Linux.

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updated June 8, 2009, category: Software & security

Puppy Linux is a 100MB Jack of all trades Linux distribution, mainly used as a light, fast live CD distro. It's one of the more popular small distributions. I've reviewed Puppy twice already, loving it better each time.

One of the things that makes Puppy so unique is the large number of derivates, sub-versions created by enthusiasts, each featuring a slightly different set of programs and themes. These remastered distros are known as Puplets. Deciding which one to try can be hard. Like choosing a favorite toy in a very big store.

Going through the almost endless repository of Puplets, I came across a little doggie called Macpup Foxy. It intrigued me, so I downloaded it and tried it - and very much liked it. So today, we're going to have a short review; nothing major. Call this a Puppy sequel, if you will.

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updated June 6, 2009, category: Software & security

It's been approximately two years since I've written the first article, A (cool) list of Linux tools. The article proved quite popular with my audience, as it allowed Linux users, new converts in particular, a quick taste of some of the more useful programs available for Linux platforms, across a range of categories.

Since, a lot has changed. Two years is a long time. I have decided to write a new article, from scratch, cataloguing an up-to-date collection of must-have programs. To make it even more interesting and useful, I decided to add screenshots wherever I can and link to tutorials explaining the use of these programs.

So, not only will you have a nice list compiled, you will also have a preview of what they look like and detailed instructions how to configure them!

Like the last time, the programs will be sorted by categories. The list won't be too short, but it won't be too long, either. It will contain just enough great stuff to get you started, without being scarse or overwhelming. Considering the fact that almost anything in Linux can be done in fifteen different ways, it is very easy to get lost in the ocean of choices. I will try to maintain a right balance between quality and quantity.

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updated June 6, 2009, category: Software & security

Building a website? Don't know where to start? Let me help you. Creating websites from scratch is a serious business. You need to have an idea. You need to have a design. And you need tools to build the sites with. Then, you need to be familiar with HTML, the language of the web, before you can actually start working.

Not necessarily. It is possible to build reasonable websites without being a master in HTML, XHTML, CSS, or other related languages. While it definitely helps to be proficient in at least one of these, you can start with nothing more than a handful of enthusiasm.

To this end, people use HTML editors. These are web-building programs that automatically wrap free text in relevant code, sparing writers the need to dabble in technical details and lets them focus on content.

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updated June 5, 2009, category: Software & security

When someone tells you to name a word processor, you'll most likely say Microsoft Word, maybe OpenOffice Write, seldom WordPerfect, but almost never AbiWord. This little tools seems to avoid the spotlight, which is a shame, because it's a beautiful, powerful word processor that you should definitely be using.

Not only can this 25MB word processor do what its bigger, heavier, slower brothers are capable of, it also has many useful features that you will not find in these bigger, heavier and slower programs.

Take a moment or two, lean back and read on why AbiWord should be one of your first choices when it comes to word processing.

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updated June 5, 2009, category: Software & security

Some of you may have heard of Miro before; it used to be known as the Democracy Player. For those who have not heard of Miro, it is a good-looking, versatile, modern multimedia application intended to open the taps of Internet media and stream music and videos onto users' desktops.

Let's take a brief tour of Miro and see what it can do for us.

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updated June 4, 2009, category: Software & security

Being able to suffer a disaster and recover quickly thereafter is the manifest of good planning. Even if we're only talking about desktop use, to say nothing of businesses, the need to preserve years of work, art, passion, family legacy, intellectual property, and any other dear, irreplaceable data is paramount. The difference between a minor fuss of wasting a few minutes recovering after a crisis, whether it is hardware failure, theft or plain mistakes, and days or weeks of grueling pain trying to salvage years of precious digital data lies in careful preparation.

We do this by identifying our needs and risks and adjusting accordingly. Most people keep data on CD/DVDs, some use external hard disks and tapes, while some opt for online backups. Either way, we make sure there's a backup ready once the storm is over.

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updated June 3, 2009, category: Software & security

This is the third (or maybe fourth) article on how to improve, decorate, beautify, and enliven your Linux command line. We've had a tutorial explaining how to change your terminal profile and make it more exciting and appealing. Then we had FPS-style drop-down consoles, allowing you to work quickly and efficiently like a gamer. Now, we have Terminator, another powerful tool aimed at making your terminals look better and help you work faster.

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updated June 1, 2009, category: Software & security

CHM stands for Microsoft Compiled HTML files. This is a proprietary format that is used on Microsoft Windows to bundle multiple HTML (help) files into a single e-book style document, so that users can comfortably browse the content rather than getting lost in tens or even hundreds of separate documents.

The effort is benevolent, but somewhat redundant considering the same can be achieved using PDF, which makes more sense cross-platform. However, Microsoft have never been known for great compliance with cross-platform standards, which leaves Linux users, who might need to take a look at a collection of their CHM files, in a bit of a spot.

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updated May 30, 2009, category: Software & security

Contrary to popular belief, .mht files are not a Microsoft conspiracy. They are a legitimate standard, allowing you to save webpages as a single file rather than as an .html file and a whole directory of images, scripts, and other accompanying files. There's one problem - Firefox can't handle .mht files.

If you try to open them on Linux, even if Firefox is your default web browser, the files will be opened using a text editor or an alternative browser (like Opera), capable of correctly handling the .mht files.

Luckily, the solution to this small, if annoying problems is extremely simple. Let me show you how you can enjoy .mht files on Linux, without abandoning Firefox.

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updated May 29, 2009, category: Software & security

TimeVault is a powerful backup system that will create automated snapshot for every file change on your system. This means you will be able to retain all and any changes of your critical system files, configurations and personal documents, without worrying about manually copying them. The backup and the revision change are all done in the background, as often as 1 minute apart, giving you total control over your system.

Don't like the changes you made to a file in the last 7 minutes 43 seconds? Just revert to a snapshot eight minutes earlier. It's that simple.

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updated May 29, 2009, category: Software & security

If you have followed the Windows security scene recently and read my article on Softpedia and Comodo, you will have realized that Windows security heroes are not as pristine as they would like us to think. It seems that more and more security vendors are bundling their products with third party products that have nothing to do with security and have only one purpose - make the vendors richer, faster. I have nothing against people making money. Developers deserve honest pay for their honest work. They ought to be able to feed their families no less respectably than a carpenter or a plumber or a tugboat pilot.

The above statements makes the idea of software being given out for free a bit problematic. How are developers going to make money, unless they sell their products?

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updated May 28, 2009, category: Computer games

Dear all, we have already had several articles on Linux gaming, including three chapters on First Person Shooters (FPS) covering eight games and two massive compilations containing tens of great titles. For today, I have prepared another interesting collection, with a bit of everything.

For best experience, I recommend you take a look at the other articles first, so you have a complete picture of what to expect from Linux games. You can find the links to older content in the Articles section below.

Now, without further ado, let us begin.

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updated May 27, 2009, category: Software & security

If you're wondering whether Guake and Yakuake are Polynesian happy mushrooms, you're a bit off mark. These are Linux command line terminals, modified to behave like the console in the popular First Person Shooter (FPS) Quake. Hence, the funny names.

However, both Guake and Yakuake are more than just gimmicks. They are useful utilities that can significantly boost your productivity.

Working with the command line, especially on modern desktops, usually requires using the mouse cursor to locate the terminal icon shortcut or find it buried in one of the menus, losing focus and wasting time. Guake and Yakuake, following the Quake-like behavior, are smarter. You can have the terminal without moving your "crosshairs off the target." Just like the gamers can't afford to move their mouse about looking for a menu.

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updated May 25, 2009, category: Software & security

The cornerstones of information security revolve around three concepts: C-I-A - Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. These are the basic principles by which security is done - or undone. When you're browsing the web casually, you don't really care that much whether the website you're currently visiting is what it claims to be. However, if you have to interact with the website and provide confidential information, C-I-A becomes critical.

To make our confidential transactions private, encryption was born. We use SSL/TLS to connect to "secure" websites and conduct business, whether it's buying books on Amazon, managing the stock portfolio (the funny money) on your bank website or checking that last DNA test that was supposed to put you in the clear, so you would not have to pay the alimony ...

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updated May 23, 2009, category: Software & security

If you're even moderately serious about writing documents, LaTeX is the way to do it. Not only will your productivity increase, your documents will look professional and print-ready, with the exceptional quality of Computer Modern fonts that are simply impossible to beat.

Unfortunately, working with LaTeX is not an easy task for most people. One, it requires working without seeing the output, a concept that quite a few people can't really grasp. Two, it requires a mind-set of separating content from style, similar to HTML and CSS, whereas most people are used to working with word processors that focus on exactly the opposite. Three, just like HTML, LaTeX has elements and tags and whatnot and mastering them is practically learning a whole new "text" language.

For this reason, LaTeX frontends were built, GUI programs that help LaTeX users work visually, without getting lost in the maze of command-line text instructions. Best of all, they can see the output of their work.

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updated May 23, 2009, category: Software & security

Being able to run a virtualization product from a USB key sounds like an interesting idea. In general, virtualization products are heavy creatures, which require a solid foothold in the system innards to work well. VirtualBox breaks these rules.

VirtualBox is an exception in being able to run from a USB drive, without being installed on the machine. This offers you incredible flexibility, as well as allows you to avoid cluttering the hard disk - especially if it's not yours. Given the administrative rights, a Windows user (both 32-bit and 64-bit) can enjoy the beauty and VirtualBox on any machine running the relevant operating system. No Linux version as yet.

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updated May 22, 2009, category: Software & security

Would you like to be able to create custom, ready-to-use operating system images that can be used as VMware images, Xen virtual machines or live DVDs or booted from USB sticks? Would you like to be able to convert your physical installation into a deployable image? Would you like to be able to do all of the above in a matter of hours, without dabbling with the command line, just following a simple visual wizard?

If the answers are one big yes, then you're reading the right article.

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updated May 20, 2009, category: Software & security

Linux is well known for its powerful firewall called iptables. However, this firewall must be managed from the command line, using long, boring and even somewhat difficult commands. Thus, it is virtually inaccessible to most users.

In Ubuntu, the situation is even worse, because the firewall is turned off by default and there is no easy way to start it up. Getting the firewall controlled like any other services requires writing a few scripts, hardly an everyday task for an everyday man.

No longer. To make iptables more manageable, Uncomplicated Firewall (ufw) was born. But it was another command line tool. And so gufw was born - ufw with GUI.

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updated May 18, 2009, category: Software & security

Network managers are utilities that allow users to control the network in their operating systems. This includes configuring various network devices, setting up IP addresses, dialing connections to ISPs, and other settings. Every operating system has a network manager. Some are GUI, some are command line, some are friendly, others are not. Whatever their look and feel, they do one thing - allows us to change important network settings without directly accessing different configuration files that define the network.

Linux distros have a broad range of managers. In KDE, the default utility is called KNetworkManager. In Gnome, it is - aptly called - Gnome Network Manager. Some Linux users do not like either of these two. They find them cumbersome and counter-intuitive, especially the Gnome Network Manager.

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updated May 16, 2009, category: Software & security

This article is dedicated to updates, changes and highlights introduced in Ubuntu 9.04 in the official release, compared to the Beta testing version. For the complete review, you are welcome to read the original article. Most of the findings still fully apply. Furthermore, this section also covers additional topics requested by my readers - YOU. The article is dynamic and will be periodically updated.

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updated May 16, 2009, category: Software & security

Do you like these three terms: security, privacy, flexibility. If the answer is yes, then you'll definitely like the idea of portable applications - applications that can be run from an external device, without being installed on the machine. When it comes to portable apps, the most popular suite is the platform - aptly named - PortableApps.

Running PortableApps comes as close to enjoying a live CD experience as possible, without actually booting your machine from CD. You can have virtually a second computer, when it comes to the choice of programs you use if not the actual resources, safely stored on your USB device. Take it with you anywhere you go and have fun.

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updated May 15, 2009, category: Software & security

We have already had three articles on Linux forensics. This is the fourth. In the first three parts, we had an introduction to basic concepts on and some common tools and two detailed reviews of Helix and Protech, Linux distributions specially designed for penetration testing, security auditing, incidence handling, system investigation and analysis, data recovery, and other useful tasks.

Today, we will review another high-end, security-oriented distribution, BackTrack, focusing on the recent beta of version 4.

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updated May 14, 2009, category: Software & security

Let me introduce the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) concept for a few moments:

Amazon EC2 is a web service designed to provide instantly resizable, scalable computing capacity to users around the world. It's a massive virtualization grid, located within the massive Amazon farms, providing CPU cycles and hard disk space to whoever may require them, on the fly. The only thing you have to do is pay, and not that much actually.

To be actually useful, Amazon provides the service with a very affordable price tag, comparable to what you may have to spend on buying and maintaining your own infrastructure. For home users, this may not seem like the most immediate necessity, but small to medium businesses with flexible demands will definitely like the prospect of hardware independent freedom.

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updated May 11, 2009, category: Software & security

PixResizer is a useful utility that should come by handy whenever you decide to resize entire folders of your images. Don't waste time manually opening each file and changing its size. Be fast and efficient and maintain consistency in your work with images by running a bulk resize utility. When it comes to this specific task, PixResizer, a small and humble tool, is one of the better candidates around.

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updated May 9, 2009, category: Software & security

It's almost exciting as Alien vs. Predator, only a little sadder. It's a tale of two Firefox addon developers, Giorgio Maone wielding Noscript and Wladimir Palant brandishing Adblock Plus, crossing swords in a battle of egos and subterfuge, while the poor world of Firefox users worldwide watched in consternation as their favorite browser was unwholesomely violated.

There's been a lot of talk on the subject, but I also felt compelled to seek attention, hence this article. Still, I have waited for the storm to calm down a bit before sharing my bit, now that things are a little clearer.

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updated May 9, 2009, category: Software & security

There's been a bit of a buzz in the world of Windows security in the last few weeks, following the decision by Softpedia.com to remove Comodo software from their listing due to licensing problems. Currently, Softpedia flags Comodo software as adware, because of the inclusion of the Ask toolbar with their software security suite.

Since I have listed Comodo as a recommended firewall software on my Sweet list of Windows programs, I decided to check the allegations and see whether the changes align with my own expectations and demands.

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updated May 8, 2009, category: Software & security

If you want to manage the services in your Linux distribution without manually hacking the scripts in runlevel directories, you may want to use the chkconfig and sysv-rc-conf utilities. chkconfig is used on RedHat-based distros, sysv-rc-conf is for Debian variants.

Follow me for a Linux system administration spin.

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updated May 7, 2009, category: Software & security

Sabayon was probably the first Linux that offered 3D gadgets in the live session out of the box, no special configurations on behalf of the user required. It is also probably the first Linux that demanded more than 10GB of hard disk space as a requirement for the installation. Sabayon is also based on Gentoo, which makes for yet another wonder.

In September 2008, I tried Sabayon for the first time - and liked it very much. It was a revolution. The live session was phenomenal, practically with everything the user could hope for. So good, in fact, that you might ask yourselves what next? How do you up the ante? How do you turn great into greater?

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