Is Your PC Safe Enough?

There was a time when people used to have only two basic facilities in a PC (there were no notebooks then) that is, keyboard and mouse. The monitor looked like a packed up dustbin and had basic "black and green" graphics. Computers hardly had any network connectivity then and were mostly safe.

But today... computer users are like rats on the field -- constantly under surveillance by the government and spied upon by hackers like eagles looking for potential prey. Now what can the rats do to save themselves from being pounced upon? They can hide!

Today I will share some common tips and tricks with you that if you practice you will have the greatest amount of security as you can have without installing the costly so-called "internet security" applications or locking up your PC with useless security crap.

Use plain and simple firewall applications... AVOID THE INTERNET SECURITY SUITES! The so-called "internet security" applications simply slow down not only your system but also your internet. They send so much of your "anonymous" data to their servers that these companies start to know more about you than even your relatives.

Install adblocker addons in your internet browsers. Even Internet Explorer has adblock addon available these days. Google for it and enjoy faster opening websites without obscene images and useless ads appearing on the screen along with your favourite websites.

Please be careful while running application installer wizards because there are some options hidden AMONG the license agreement that if you do not DESELECT will install additional bloatware on your system without your knowledge (or consent).

Just like point 1 above, please always use antivirus/antispyware solutions that are light on resources and DO NOT include any internet security with them.

Try to improve your personal knowledge about what network ports are and how hackers can exploit open ports on your system. Though a good firewall can take care of the ports for you still it is advisable to be aware.

If you happen to use pirated software, always remember to first run anti-virus scan on such software. In case of cracks and keygens (that are generally deleted by antivirus software automatically) you may use "sandboxing" applications so that they cannot access your system locations.

Please be careful while using "Run As Administrator" option on untrusted applications.

Learn to use Google to look for solutions and help and do not panic if you find any infections in the system. Try to have a Windows reinstallation disc and portable virus scanner ready to use on a CD/DVD that you can use in emergency.

And last but most important -- keep a backup of all your important documents on an EXTERNAL MEDIA.

Whew! Finally I listed them all. These are very simple and convenient techniques that don't require any extra work. The key to safety is to always be a bit paranoid and to be aware.

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How to Setup Windows 7 Taskbar in a Better Way

A taskbar is the center of control in Windows 7 from where a user can operate, manipulate and customize Windows 7. But there are several shortcomings in default setup of the taskbar like:

• The icons have more-than-required gaps in between that kill the purpose of pinning lots of items.
• The themes with "better graphics" are stuck with thumbnail previews that appear when mouse pointer is moved on the open taskbar application icons... very distracting!
• Though not a big problem or any issue - it would have been great if there were a feature to just point at any open application's icon on the taskbar and the application opened up.

To do all this and more a very nice application is available called 7+ Taskbar Tweaker. This tiny application with hardly any memory footprint can setup up your taskbar the way YOU want it. It is free to download and has been in use since many years.

7+ Taskbar Tweaker is regularly updated and there is even a beta version also available with some new features on the developer's website. This app can be downloaded HERE.

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Use Multiple Accounts Simultaneously in Firefox

There are millions of Firefox users all over the world and many (if not most) of them would like to be able to use multiple website accounts on a single browser without much hassle. For example, many people have couple of Facebook, Twitter or Gmail accounts and they want to able to open each of them at a click of a button instead of using two or three memory-hogging browsers at the same time.

As always Firefox (and its army of addons) has the right solution. The name of this addon is CookieSwap. It is visible as a small menu on the top right of Firefox window and it allows to select multiple profiles at the same time. It is fully configurable and light. You can even rename the profile names if you want.

Click here to visit the addon homepage. Alternatively, you may directly visit this Firefox addon page.

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How to Install Seamonkey in New Linux Versions

Seamonkey is a popular Internet Browser/Email Client/RSS Handler suite developed by Mozilla (Yes the same people who created Firefox! :) It is a stable trustworthy application that is available on Windows and OS X as well apart from Linux.

There have been many users of it since years back on Linux especially and it was natively available in Ubuntu PPA repository at least for quick install from Software Center. It has many users all over the world including me who were disappointed to find that the software was removed from Ubuntu repository while Ubuntu Server 12.04 was launched and is not available natively on further versions of it.

However, the good news is that it is available from its website here. You may download and extract it in your favourite folder and create links to the seamonkey script (and NOT the seamonkey-bin binary as many have been doing!) and use it once again! :D

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Miniblog 2: How to make Multiline Comments in Perl

Perl programming language supports two kinds of comments. One is the single line comment that everybody knows about. It's made by prefixing a "#" symbol to any line like:

# This is a comment. This will not run

What many don't know is that there is a known way to make multi-line comments too. It can be done by adding a "=pod" before and "=cut" after the commented lines like:

=pod
This line has been commented and won't be interpreted
This line too
   Yes this line too!!
And this one as well is commented between the show pod-cut
Pod-Cut combos are for documentation comments but we can use 
 them for multi-line comments too
Enjoy! :)
=cut

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Why Windows Will ALWAYS Have Viruses..

Many people say that Windows has developed a lot since the days of Windows XP and given current security measures it is very difficult for a malware to infect it. But, surprisingly, the truth is the exact opposite. Windows will NEVER be free of Viruses.

Firstly, as this article points out -- if there are no viruses on a so extensively marketed and used OS as Windows then what would happen of the anti-malware giants like Norton and Symantec! Since, Windows is in a partnership with them it sometimes appears true that these very companies might be responsible for creating and releasing certain malware into the wild. This could be a serious accusation but the point is that I am just speculating and not accusing them of anything ;P

Secondly, Windows is a closed source OS developed and sold by a company fanatical for profit even at the cost of others. Whenever there is vulnerability detected in the OS Microsoft needs to patch it up with updates. They are often delayed and, unlike open source kernels like GNU/Linux, cannot be patched by anybody else.

Thirdly, it is suggested by some people that Microsoft appears to be itself putting malware in its OS by instructions from espionage organizations like NSA. While closed-source, yet there are ways to detect any incoming/outgoing packets from Windows using specialized tools. This could be another reason why malware could always be injected into Windows.

Fourthly, it is well-known that Microsoft allows some room for it to be hacked/patched at some points for piracy, etc., purposes. Now the question arises why would itself allow piracy and loose its profits in the market. The reason is the popularity and mass usage of Windows is also because of the amount of piracy it has faced. Windows would never have spread so much if it wasn't pirated worldwide on such a massive scale. One good evidence of this is Apple's Macintosh!

Hence, either you need to stay super-cautious while using Windows or you can move all/part of your jobs to Linux that is virus free by design :) Or else you can allow NSA to watch you change clothes through your computer's webcam ;P The choice is yours!

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Miniblog 1: Make Youtube Faster in Firefox

Some recent changes by Google in Youtube's way to serve the videos has affected both the download speed and loading times of the videos. For example the videos do not keep loading in the background while they are paused. Also, even if you change the quality of the video yourself, Youtube mischieviously (and without any notification/consent of any kind) changes the quality to lowest possible if you have a slower internet connection!

This sort of "trolling" is really very annoying and there are no replies whatsoever on the Google groups site from ANY Google representative on why this happens. Apparently, Google thinks you have a 100 Mbps internet connection and you only play 1080p videos without requiring any break for buffering :D

Considering, this ridiculous situation a Firefox addon developer YePpHa has created a marvelous extension called "Youtube Center" that is available here. This addon provides lots of customizations.

For example to make Youtube load videos in the background while paused do this: (a) Open this addon's preferences (b) Click the "Player" section and uncheck the "DASH Playback" option. There are many other customizations that I am sure you can find out after little tinkering with it :) So have fun!

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Why GNU/Linux is Important for Us?

The computers and their usage is not limited to mere PCs or servers today. They have surpassed every phase of our life. They run aircrafts, banks, offices, internet, satellites, armies, and lots of other things. This unfortunately allows some people to control and manipulate others using these very computers.

So, the question is: Why is Linux important for us? The answer is:

Government Espionage
No other factor could could come to my mind before this one. Government of almost every country that has internet using population is doing relentless espionage on its people to know what they are doing. This definitely hurts one's privacy. Government might say that it is only doing so for the safety of the same people but that's not right is it?

Technology
Yes! Technology IS your right! You have the right to blog, to post stuff on the internet that you feel posting is important, to know about and buy and use gadgets, machines, appliances that you thought were impossible before. You also have the right to eat the fruits of the hard work you contribute to the society that makes it possible for inventors to invent those things for you, for us!

Cyber Security
Today keeping yourself safe on the internet is much more difficult than it was before. A little lack of caution could get your system infected by a virus, trojan or worm that will start stealing your information and send it to its masters thousands of leagues away. This, however, is an issue with Windows OS especially because it's more virus-prone by nature (not my statement - it's a time proven fact). Alternative could be a Mac system. However, we all know that Macs are for filthy rich people who can afford to buy them. The last but best option would be the free and community supported Linux. Linux is safe from viruses because of it's naturally safe architecture.

Freedom
Freedom is your birthright. Let not an OS take it away from you! The freedom to download, install and use free applications of different sorts is a part of it. Also, the freedom to not be compelled by the OS vendor to pay for upgrading to the next version of your OS (~cough~ Windows 7.. ~cough~ Windows 8 early release.. :). Freedom is also to be able to customize your OS to your heart's content to the extent of even modifying its very source code! Linux gives you that power!! :)

Invent!
Linux was created by computer scientists, geeks and hackers and has all the tools inbuilt to make you an inventor. The only thing required is your determination to learn and give Linux a chance. In Windows you might find a bit more useful applications by paying (or by piracy of course). The famous inbuilt "man pages" that is a legacy of Unix is a marvel in the history of documentation and even without an internet connection you can get a fair idea of hundreds and thousands of command line and GUI tools at your disposal in Linux.

The Choices..
In Linux, given its openness and freedom, there are hundreds of thousands of varieties available for the interface, applications, tools, widgets, login screens, mouse pointers, etc. etc. There is a great factor of choice in the "flavours" of Linux as well -- there are so many like Ubuntu, Fedora, Gentoo, Slackware, etc. All of these have the same "kernel" but their appearances and functionalities have been customised for different purposes/preferences. The choice is always yours.

The only legacy of FREE Unix
Linux is not a "derivative" of Unix like BSD but was inspired from it. BSD and other related "pure" Unix derivatives are free but the community and development circle is horribly fascistic! On the other hand GNU/Linux is more open and friendly towards criticisms and innovations and does not suppress any possible shortcomings it might have. They are simply patched especially because the source code is open to all and there are thousands of contributors and maintainers of it all around the world. Moreover, the different sub-communities of Linux (using different flavours like Debian, Ubuntu and Slackware) are not hostile to each other and cooperate to better each other. The Unix (I mean the FREE one) could be found in the real sense today in Linux only.

Check the ports!!
Network ports in a computer are basically points of communication between the system and the network it connects to. They are like portals through which the computer imports/exports data with respect to the external network/s it connects to. These ports, if open, can lead to hackers gaining access to your system and do bad things to your computer without you even knowing about it.. scared?? :D Don't be! because if you have Linux you can monitor each of the opened ports and nothing goes in or out without you seeing it. You can even block ports using simple apps like "gufw", Firestarter, etc. In Windows the inbuilt firewall sucks. The external ones are not free and also come bundled with so-called "internet security suites" having anti-virus solutions that eat up your system resources!

The Hacker Nation
Now, the last reason --- if you are a hacker you must use either Linux or Mac. Since Windows is closed source you never know what Microsoft has done with the OS or what info being sent to NSA or whatever espionage organizations! Also, in Windows you need to download hacking tools from the internet and need to open up connection limits and lots of trouble to port scan, etc. In Linux most tools are already available and others just a command away in the repositories. Only in the very basic or server-oriented Linux versions today you need to build from source code. No true hacker would say he does not like Linux because he/she knows that Linux was made for hackers/geeks. To point out -- Mac is Unix derived and so is much alike Linux -- but only very expensive and for the filthy rich :D

Okay.. I feel tired. But the above reasons are definitely what is already visible. Nothing to prove in them, you can already see the benefits before your eyes.

Please support GNU/Linux and help it grow! It is YOUR operating system so please make applications for it, endorse it, if possible even write code for its drivers and last but not the least -- fund Linux development with not mere money but your love and contributions.

Till then bye! :)

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Best Windows Applications Series: Media Players

Windows has a plethora of applications for playing music and videos. Each of them have some or the other unique abilities. Here I list some of them:

Windows Media Player

Undoubtedly one of the oldest and "faithful" media players anyody has known since PCs became household items is our beloved Windows Media Player. It comes bundled with every modern version of Windows and can play audio and video alike. Definitely not a player I'd go crazy about but it was worthy enough to be mentioned.

Winamp

The most popular and versatile of all media players available on Windows, Winamp stands out as a very unique one. With support for applying multiple amazing skins on the interface and being able to play podcats, etc., online music Winamp is also lightweight and comes free (the basic version ofcourse.. but the advanced proprietary version is an overkill of features anyway -- not required if you just want to play simple music).

KMPlayer

Not good not bad -- this player has a loyal fan following for valid reasons. The design and functionality is very easy and smooth. The dark background offers a fine interface for disturbanceless video viewing. Though, definitely not great for playing music like other media players like Winamp -- KMPlayer is a smooth free alternative software that is rather small in size.

VLC Media Player

No media player list will be complete without mentioning this super-popular software. Available in both Windows and Linux this is the default software many Linux distros will provide. However, since we are speaking about Windows here, it is very easy to download and install this player. Again like the last player not very ideal for playing only music but yes very suited to play high quality videos. One of the most awesome features of VLC Media Player is to display subtitles from SRT files.

Media Player Classic - Home Cinema

The name might sound a bit "generic" but functionally this wonder of a media player can play numerous codecs. Similar to VLC Media Player in many ways, MPC is great for playing high quality videos.

iTunes

The iTunes is - as the name suggests - is a media player for playing audio/video from iTunes. Apart from that definitely it could also play media files. The interface of iTunes 11 the latest one has been designed from the scratch and provides numerous new functionalities.

Foobar2000

A very lightwight audio player that is extremely light on system resources. A machine with 256 MB memory and multiple simultaneous applications can also easily run this amazing player easily. However, all this comes at a price. The sound quality is rather mediocre and the interface looks like Windows 95! :D Jokes apart but it comes very handy when you are running a system bogged with applications but still want to play some music. Definitely Winamp and Windows Media Player are not going to be helpful in such situation.

This is a very limited list though and there are many players such as GOM Player, etc. But these players are known to be the most popular. Please suggest any more players in the comments box and I will include them in this list!

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