Nyutech

Easily convert PDF to Word

2010-05-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

A PDF document is often the best format to share documents, booklets, etc., as it lets you share the content in a rich format without any damage to the formatting. But sometimes you need to convert the document in Word format. How can one easily convert any PDF file to Word document for free?

In an earlier post, we talked about free online PDF to Word converters. But they have their own limitations:
1. Online PDF converters cannot handle password-protected files.
2. The output is emailed to you, which might take some time to arrive. So if you are in a hurry, online PDF converters are not recommended.
3. All online PDF converters have a file size limit. If your file exceeds the limit, you are out of luck.
4. It requires you to upload file to the Web, which may be a hindrance if you are stuck with a poor Internet connection.

Converting PDF to Word

AnyBizSoft PDF to Word Converter is a free Windows application for converting PDF files into formatted Word DOC files on a click, provided you have Microsoft Word 2003/2007/2010 installed on your computer. (It's free only for non-commercial use.) After installing the application using the under-7MB Windows installer, you will have to register the product by getting a key code from their website by giving your name and email.

I personally don't like being forced to get registered for using some free product. If I have to, I use any disposable email such as GuerrillaMail instead of my email address. I hope the product company will get rid of this annoyance in future versions.

The application has a simple interface where one can add (or drag-and-drop) multiple PDF files to be converted into Word documents. If only a few pages of any PDF file needs to be converted, the page numbers can be specified.

The tool can even convert your password-protected PDF files into Word. It shows a padlock icon next to protected PDF files. To unlock the file from the PDF to Word Converter's interface itself, click on the lock icon or right-click on the file and choose unlock option. Enter the password in the pop-up dialogue box. If you don't provide the password, the tool skips the protected file and continues processing other files.

The PDF to Word Converter does a good job in retaining the original format, images, graphics and links. However, it's formatting for tables can deviate from the original, given the complexity of the task. It's a fair deal as a free PDF to Word converting application.

The PDF to Word Converter cannot convert scanned PDF files into Word. If you want to convert scanned images and PDFs into text, use free online OCR tools.

How to install fonts in Ubuntu

2010-05-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

If you have been using Ubuntu for some time and you don't hesitate in exploring new avenues, you might have discovered how to install fonts in Ubuntu. If you haven't, here's a simple guide to installing your desired fonts in Ubuntu. (And you will wonder why you didn't find it on your own.)

Use Ubuntu Software Center

It's never been easier to add fonts in Ubuntu, thanks to the Software Center (Applications > Software Center > Fonts) where one can browse through the repository and install the desired fonts.

Download a font and install

If you want to install any specific font, just download it, double-click to open it with Ubuntu Font Viewer and click on Install button. Font Squirrel, DaFont, 1001 Free Fonts and Urban Fonts are some of the places to look for free fonts.

Installing multiple fonts

If you have a huge collection of fonts to install, opening all of them in Font Viewer and then clicking Install button can be tiresome. Instead, select and copy all fonts. Now go to the Home Folder (Places > Home Folder) and press Ctrl+H to show hidden files and folders. If you don't find a folder called .fonts, create one with this name. Paste the fonts in this folder.

All hidden folders in Ubuntu begin with a dot. So when you create a .fonts folder, you are creating a hidden folder that is used for custom fonts of the user whose Home Folder it is. The Home Folder has the same name as the Ubuntu user.

Online OCR tools: convert image to text

2010-05-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

Do you need to use the text in an image of any letter or newspaper or some document? Optical character recognition (OCR) tools can be used to convert the text in some image (JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF or PDF) format into word/text. But not everyone has an OCR application. That's where free online OCR tools come to rescue.

There are plenty of good online tools that will read the text in images and give you the output in word format that you can copy and paste to desired place. This involves simple process of uploading the image on the website and then copy-pasting the resultant text. However, it's recommended to go through the text once because the results are not error-free. Some letters or words can be wrongly identified, changing the meaning of the text.

1. Online OCR: This supports all image formats as well as PDF (only the first page of a multi-page document). The text churned out by the OCR tool removes line breaks (not paragraphs), thus saving you the hassle of removing the unwanted line breaks when using the text in some document.

2. Free OCR: Free Online OCR is another tool for converting image to text. It supports only JPG, GIF, TIFF, BMP and PDF formats. It retains the line breaks in results, which can be a cause for irritation.

3. New OCR: New OCR supports all image formats as well as multi-page PDF documents. If you need to convert any PDF to word text, upload the file and then get page-wise results. It supports multiple languages.

These three online OCR tools should be good enough to meet your most requirements. If you know any better tool, do let me know.

Paint your imagination with MyPaint

2010-05-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

MyPaint is an open source paint application for creating excellent works of art in various operating platforms including Windows, Linux and OSX. It comes with a distraction-free workspace packaged with a wide variety of brushes that allow users to paint their imagination on the limit-less canvas. One can keep working without the need to resize the canvas.

This painting tool can be used with a mouse as well as a pressure-sensitive tablet. So its ideal for both the professional artist as well as those who just want to have some fun.

MyPaint

Scan an email attachment for viruses

2010-05-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

Emails are one of the most popular ways of infecting any computer with nasty viruses. You have received an email with an attachment that you suspect is virulent. How do you check if it's a virus or not without having to download it? That's where VirusTotal comes to rescue.

VirusTotal provides free online virus scan against multiple virus engines, including BitDefender, ClamAV, McAfee and Symantec. Forward the suspected mail to scan@virustotal.com with SCAN as the subject of the email. Or, you can create a new mail, copy the link to the attachment file and send it to scan@virustotal.com with SCAN in the subject line.

VirusTotal will conduct a free virus scan of the suspected file and email you a report. It may take some time for the report to reach depending on workload. The file to be scanned can be up to 20MB.

If you have already downloaded the file, or have a suspect file on your computer, you can also upload the file at ViruTotal website for a free virus scan.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/feverblue/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Online tools to convert PDF to word

2010-05-07T03:50:00.000-07:00

Do you need to copy text from a PDF file that's in image format? There are several free online PDF converters that can convert any PDF to word.

Why do you need to convert PDF to word? Let's look into this real life scenario. You are short of time for filing a report, and suddenly you get a scanned copy of a letter that you need to include in your document. Had it been a PDF created from digital text file, it would have been possible to copy it using the text selection tool, but it's not possible to do so with a PDF or image file created by scanning a physical document. (Most archived books on Google Books are also scanned images.) Using a free PDF to word converter tool, one can save time and effort which otherwise would have been required for typing the text.

How to convert PDF to text?

1. Upload the PDF file on the PDF converter tool website.
2. Give any disposable mail address (you can use GuerrillaMail for creating free disposable email address) if required
2. Copy the processed text and paste it where required.

If you have to convert a multi-page PDF instantly, create separate image files of each page (use full screen option and zoom feature to fit the entire page in the screen) using "Print Screen" key and paste it in an empty PhotoShop, GIMP or Paint file. Save the image as JPEG or PNG or BMP. Use these images with Online OCR or Free OCR to get the text.

Online OCR: It can convert only the first page of any PDF to word, but you will get the result instantly.

Free OCR: Free OCR is an online optical character recognition tool that can extract only the first page of a PDF document, but the results are instant. However, it can be annoying if you don't want the line breaks to be the same as in the original file.

Zamzar: Zamzar is free tool for converting several files into different formats, including PDF to word files. It requires an email id where the link to the converted text will be sent. It might take some time before you get your text.

PDF to Word: It will convert PDF to text in Word document or Rich Text Format (RTF). No other image formats are supported. It requires an email id, where the text document is mailed after the process is over. May take some time.

PDF2Word Online: Convert PDF2Word Online doesn't require you to give any email id. Just upload the PDF file and wait for a link to the text file.

New OCR: New OCR supports several image formats as well as multi-page PDF documents. Upload the PDF file and then get page-wise results. It supports multiple languages.

Faster Web browsing with keyboard shortcuts for Firefox, Chrome

2010-05-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Everyone spends a significant portion of their day (and also night) over the Internet. But most of us rely on buttons and mouse for navigating the Web. Keyboard shortcuts can drastically boost your online experience. These shortcuts are used by both Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Many of these shortcuts will be valid in other Web browsers as well. If you are using a Mac, replace Ctrl key with Cmd (command) key, Enter key with Return.

Web address: One can immediately go to the address or location bar by pressing Ctrl+L or Alt+D or F6.

To automatically complete .com address, press Ctrl+Enter. Eg: for www.google.com, you just need to type google in address bar and then press Ctrl+Enter.

To automatically complete .net address, use Shift+Enter. Eg; for www.google.org, type google and press shift+Enter.

To complete .org address, use Ctrl+Shift+Enter.Eg: for www.google.net, type google and then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter.

If you need to type www.google.com/adsense, type google/adsense and then press Ctrl+Enter. For www.google.net/adsense, type google/adsense and press Shift+Enter. Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter for www.google.org/adsense. (Google Chrome will only be able to expand .com Web addresses.)

Web search: If you need to do a Web search, pressing Ctrl+K or Ctrl+J will take you to the Web search bar. In Google Chrome, prefixing ? with any query will give you Google search results.

Web search in address bar: To search any word or query with your default search engine, type the query in address bar and press Alt+Enter.

Tabbed browsing: Press Ctrl+T for opening a new tab in browser window. To close the current tab, press Ctrl+W. In case you closed a tab accidentally, press Ctrl+Shift+T to restore it.

List of keyboard shortcuts for Firefox

Back: Alt+Left Arrow
Forward: Alt+Right Arrow
Homepage: Alt+Home
Refresh webpage: F5
Completely reload webpage (overriding cache): Ctrl+F5
Stop: Esc
Go to Bottom of Page: End
Go to Top of Page: Home
Zoom In: Ctrl++ (Plus key)
Zoom Out: Ctrl+- (Minus key)
Zoom Reset: Ctrl+0 (Zero)
Search: Ctrl+F
Find Again: F3
Find Previous Shift+F3
Find As You Type Text: /
Web Search: Ctrl+K or Ctrl+J

======

Open Tab: Ctrl+T
Close Tab: Ctrl+W
Undo Close Tab: Ctrl+Shift+T
Move To Next Tab: Ctrl+Tab
New Window: Ctrl+N
Close Window: Ctrl+Shift+W or Alt+F4
Undo Close Window: Ctrl+Shift+N

======

Bookmark Current Page: Ctrl+D
Bookmark All Tabs: Ctrl+Shift+D
Bookmarks: Ctrl+B
History: Ctrl+H
Clear Recent History: Ctrl+Shift+Del

======

Complete .com Address: Ctrl+Enter
Complete .net Address: Shift+Enter
Complete .org Address: Ctrl+Shift+Enter
Delete Selected Autocomplete Entry: Shift+Del
Toggle Full Screen: F11
Select Address Bar: Ctrl+L or Alt+D or F6

Best free CD/DVD burning applications for Windows

2010-05-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Though USB drives have become the most popular storage media, CDs and DVDs still rule when it comes to creating a collection of movies, songs and images. Also, when it comes to operating systems such as Windows and Linux, computers expect a disc for installation. How do you burn a CD or DVD or an ISO file for free? Here's is a list of some of the best free windows applications to burn CDs and DVDs.

ImgBurn

ImgBurn is a light-weight application, primarily meant for quickly and easily creating copies of CDs and DVDs. The application can create images or ISO files from any disc, which can be saved on hard disk or burnt onto CDs and DVDs. This method of creating images and then burning them onto discs is primarily used for creating copies of movie DVDs or bootable discs. ImgBurn is equally efficient in creating video CDs and DVDs, creating music discs, etc. ImgBurn, which comes only as a free software, can also burn HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs.

CD BurnerXP

CDBurnerXP is another free application to burn CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. It is available for free for everyone, including commercial users such as companies. However, it requires .NET Framework to be present on the computer.

BurnAware Free Edition

BurnAware is another CD / DVD burning application with a free version. It has a simple interface and doesn't use lots of resources when burning discs.

DeepBurner Free Edition

DeepBurner Free Edition is another disc burning application that's available as a free version. It's packed with all necessary features with just a few of "pro" features not available in the free version. It is also available as a portable application. Keep it in your USB drive or save it in DropBox, and use it on the go.

InfraRecorder

InfraRecorder is one of the most popular free CD burning software. This application was, however, last updated in August 2009, and is the website doesn't mention about it's compatibility with Windows 7.

Nero 9 Lite

For those who claim to have grown up using Nero, there is a free version available now. Nero 9 Lite can perform simple data burning and copy CDs and DVDs. The free version of Nero can be used only for personal purposes.

How to avoid clicking Adsense ads on your website

2010-05-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

Google Adsense is undoubtedly the most popular and important tool for monetizing websites. A lot of websites solely depend on the Google ad network.

Adsense requires website owners not to click on the ads served on their web pages. Google has a powerful system to track dishonest ad clicks, either manual or by automated bots. Strict adherence to quality of clicks in the ad network is vital for success of Google Adwords (for advertisers) and Adsense and also for the advertisers. Who would want his/her money to be illegally siphoned off their account. (Illegal clicks on Adsense ads do exactly that.)

Despite Adsense's strict warnings at time of applying for the ad network, many website owners (mostly small web publishers) get kicked out of the network due to illegal clicks. Why does it happen? Most small websites get very few visitors and, therefore, just a few ad clicks. Publishers want quick money. "What's going to happen if I click the ads from a different computer? Adsense won't get to know." And the first illegal click from a friend's computer. No objection from Google. And so the website owner feels that clicking an ad from their friend's computer once or twice a day is harmless, only to get an email from Google Adsense team that the publisher's Adsense account has been banned due to illegal clicks.

How to avoid clicking Adsense ads accidentally?

Though it's up to you to be honest and resist the temptation for clicking ads on your website, you can surely avoid risks of clicking ads accidentally using a simple method. (Adsense's tracking system is good at excusing accidental clicks.)

If you are using Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome Web browsers, you can install AdBlock Plus add-on for Firefox and Adblock for Chrome. This will block all ads on websites. So you don't risk any invalid clicks. However, it will also block access to your Adsense account. To solve this issue, use another browser for accessing your Adsense account.

Making Lucid Lynx even more lucid

2010-05-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Shiny purple design and aesthetics, Me Menu for staying connected to Twitter and other social networks, PiTiVi for editing videos, easy-to-use Software Center for installing applications and interesting games such as Sudoku and Gbrainy. Lucid Lynx has made the switch to Ubuntu even more tempting.

What should you do after installing Ubuntu Lucid Lynx to make it even more sexy and a more efficient workhorse?

1. Mount your hard disk partitions automatically

If you have used Ubuntu earlier, you know it can be a trouble if you mount partitions in wrong order. Ubuntu does not assign drive letters to partitions, instead it names them as disk-1, disk-2, etc., in the order they are mounted. so if you mounted your 90GB partition first, it becomes disk-1. Now you import your music from this partition to Rhythmbox music player and listen to music. When you start Ubuntu next time, you start Rhythmbox to listen to music. You get a no disk error. Now instead of mounting the 90GB partition, you mount another partition first. So the 90GB partition is now disk-2. When Rhythmbox tries to locate the music files on disk-1, it won't be there. It's now on disk-2. This problem will arise with applications as well.

To solve this problem, we should automate the process of mounting the partitions. It will also keep the names of partitions consistent, avoids the above errors. Use this tutorial to automate mounting of partitions on Ubuntu.

2. Install Ubuntu Tweak

Ubuntu Tweak is a must-have application. It makes tweaking Ubuntu possible from an easy-to-understand and intuitive interface. You can also install your desired applications from Ubuntu Tweak. Download the latest .deb installation file from Ubuntu Tweak website and run it to install the application.

3. Remove the icon of mounted disks from desktop

By default all disks mounted in Ubuntu system are shown on the desktop. If you want a clean desktop, start Ubuntu Tweak (System Tools > Ubuntu Tweak).
In Ubuntu Tweak, go to Desktop > Desktop Icon Settings, and tweak to your satisfaction.

4. Customize Startup

Again use Ubuntu Tweak to change startup settings (Ubuntu Tweak > Startup). Choose the applications that should be started at Startup. Also customize login settings from Ubuntu Tweak. Scroll down in the Login Settings tab in Ubuntu Tweak and click on unlock button and enter your password. Now you can make your choice.

5. Create shortcuts for application in Ubuntu

Go to Applications in the top panel. Now locate the application for which a shortcut has to be created. I will create a desktop shortcut for GIMP in this example. After locating GIMP Image Editor in the menu, right-click on it. Choose "Add this launcher to desktop". Adding a shortcut to the panel (the bar at the top) is more convenient as one doesn't have to go to the desktop for starting applications. For this, choose "Add this launcher to panel".

6. Installing necessary applications, tools and codecs.

To install an application, go to Ubuntu Software Center or use Ubuntu Tweak interface (it has some additional applications). Search for your application and install. What should one install on Ubuntu? A few suggestion given below:

Ubuntu restricted extras: It will install media codecs required to play various music and media formats such as MP3, MPEG4, etc., along with support for Flash and Java and populat Microsoft fonts. You can alternatively install just Gstreamer codecs for playing media.
VLC Media Player: The Swiss knife for playing media. I haven't come across a music or video format that VLC can't play.
Adobe Flash: Must if you watch a lot of videos on YouTube and other video-sharing sites. It's also required by several websites. (Not required if you installed Ubuntu restricted extra package.)
Chromium web browser (Google Chrome): Though Ubuntu Lucid Lynx ships along with versatile Mozilla Firefox browser, Google Chrome will serve as good alternative browser in case you don't want to use it as your default web browser. Why need for an alternative browser? Sometimes a website wont open on one browser.
GIMP Image Editor: Must for editing images.
Thunderbird email client
Liferea RSS reader
Gnome Do application launcher
Iced Tea Java Plugin or Sun Java Plugin (Not required if you installed Ubuntu restricted extra package.)

Customize Windows PC and install must-have free applications

2010-05-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Buying a computer is just half the work done towards owning a brand-new Windows machine that you can proudly show to your friend. All computers, whether pre-loaded with operating system or not, require some effort to make it truly yours. Let's assume that we have a Windows-loaded computer that we want to customize for optimum performance and value for money. We will install free applications that will suffice the basic computing needs without having to compromise on quality.

1. Get a copy of Windows

If your computer has come with Windows pre-loaded, it should have a windows installation CD along with all necessary drivers for the system. If not, your computer manufacturer must have provided the necessary instructions to create a copy of the operating system that can be used for reinstalling the operating system on the machine. Follow the instructions and burn an installation CD. Use a CD marker pen to label it and keep it safe.

2. Partition your hard disk

It's important for optimum performance and easy reinstallation in future that the operating system is installed on a separate partition on the hard disk. It will give the Windows more room for it's functioning. Also, when you need to reinstall the operating system on the computer, you won't lose any data as it will be located on a separate partition. So if your computer doesn't have Windows installed on a separate partition and your data on another, you should create them.

How to partition the hard disk? If you are going to install Windows on your system, you can partition the disk during the installation process. Create at least two partitions, one for the operating system and the other for your storage. The operating system partition should be at least 20GB for both Windows XP and Windows 7. If you will be running applications in Windows XP mode in Windows 7, keep the partition size 40GB.

3. Partitioning the hard disk without reinstalling Windows

If you don't want to reinstall operating system, both Windows Vista and Windows 7 have built-in functionality in Disk Management to shrink or expand existing partitions on hard drives. But before that you should defragment the disk.

Open the Control Panel and type partition in the search box. You will get the link to the utility: Create and format hard disk partitions.

In the Disk Management window, right-click on the C: drive partition which we want to reduce, and select “Shrink Volume” from the menu. The Shrink dialogue box will appear and show you the total size of the partition and the amount by which it can be reduced. Enter the value in megabytes by which you want to reduce the partition. For example, if the partition is 160GB, or 160000MB, and you want to reduce its size to 40GB, type 120000 (or 120GB) in the box.

Now right-click on the resulting unpartitoned space and create new partitions as desired.

You can also use Partition Logic or GParted LIVE CD for partitioning the hard disk.

4. Install Windows

Choose a Windows operating system for your machine after checking its configuration. Install Windows 7 if your machine meets the minimum system requirements of 1GHz processor, 2-3GB RAM and DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver. Almost all new systems can run Windows 7. Else, go for the good old Windows XP.

Installing Windows 7 and Vista has become very easy and intuitive, thanks to the graphical interface. Just make sure that you create at least two partitions during installation and install it on the first one.

5. Remove unwanted applications

Computer manufacturers often install unwanted applications on the systems, most of them trial software. Use PC Decrapifier to get rid of all unwanted applications.

6. Antivirus

There are plenty of free and effective antivirus applications. You can choose between Free AVG and Bit Defender Free Edition.

7. Firefox or Google Chrome

Firefox and Google Chrome are better and faster Web browsers than Internet Explorer that ships with Windows. You can use Firefox add-ons or Chrome add-ons to extend their functionality.

If you choose Firefox, you should install Autopager add-on. It automatically loads the Next page in several websites, thus saving you from the pain of clicking the Next link over and over while searching on Google. A must if you search a lot. Echofon add-on will come handy for those who are active on Twitter. Install Web of Trust, or WOT, add-on for safer web browsing.

8. OpenOffice.org office suite

OpenOffice.org is a free and power-packed application for word processing, creating presentations, spreadsheets and drawings. It will allow you to save documents in Microsoft Word, Powerpoint or Excel formats as well as work on documents created in Microsoft Office.

9. VLC Media Player

VLC is the undisputed leader of multimedia players. It can play almost every media file that any user will come across. Never say, this video doesn't play on my computer. It's also open source.

10. GIMP Image Editor

GIMP is the most popular alternative of Adobe Photoshop. Resizing images, adjusting hues, adding effects, do it all with GIMP. There are plenty of free GIMP brushes available on the web for the more digitally inclined. This open source application is a must if you have a camera and/or work on images quite often.

11. Picasa

If you have a digital camera or a phone camera, you should also install Google Picasa for managing as well as editing your photos. Use it to easily fix your photos, tweak the colour or make collages. You can also upload the images to your blog or Picasa web account. It can also read RAW image files and save them as JPEGs.

12. CCleaner

Run CCleaner as often as possible to declutter your computer and improve its performance. It will also remove the remnants of the last application that you uninstalled from your computer's registry. CCleaner also allows you to safely delete your cookies and trash (Recycle Bin) so that it can't be recovered.

13. Recuva

If you accidentally deleted a file (and it's been deleted from the Recycle Bin or Trash as well), use Recuva for recovering it. Run this application as soon as possible to safely recover your images, documents, videos or mp3s that were deleted accidentally. It won't work if you have securely deleted the file using any application such as CCleaner with secure delete function enabled.

14. Pidgin

Pidgin is a chat application that allows you to integrate your various Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, AIM, Facebook and other accounts in one window. Chat with all your friend from just one window. No need to juggle between Web browser and GTalk and Yahoo Messenger.

15. Mozilla Thunderbird

Thunderbird is an excellent email and RSS feed client. It can also be extended like Firefox via Thunderbird add-ons. Mozilla Thunderbird connects to your Gmail account on the fly. Just turn the IMAP function in your Gmail account before adding the account to Thunderbird via IMAP. This way your web mail stays in sync with Thunderbird email client. If you want POP3, that's also possible.

16. 7-Zip

7-Zip is an open source file archiver that can create as well as unzip and extract all types of archives. Zip, .7z, .tar and .iso are just a few of the archive formats supported by 7-Zip.

17. Foxit PDF Reader

Adobe Acrobat is free, but it's huge and consumes a lot of resources of your computer. In comparison, Foxit PDF Reader is light-weight and starts quickly.

18. Revo Uninstaller

Quite often, when you uninstall an application, some files and folders are left on the computer. They also leave some entries on the computer's registry. All these can, over the time, slow your computer. Using Revo Unistaller for uninstalling applications will make sure that all related files and folders are also deleted. It will also remove the application's entries from the computer's registry.

That's it. Flaunt your new Windows PC.

Image:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deerwooduk/ / CC BY 2.0

Comprehensive guide to Ubuntu Lucid Lynx installation

2010-04-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx has been officially released on 29 April 2010. If you are planning to install the latest version of the popular Linux distribution, here's a comprehensive survival guide to Ubuntu Lucid Lynx.

What's Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is an open source Linux operating system offered by Mark shuttleworth's Canonical Ltd. It is one of the most user-friendly and popular Linux distro.

Is Ubuntu for me?

If you think you will have to use codes for working with Ubuntu, you are mistaken. Ubuntu is simple and intuitive for an average Joe and reliable workhorse for expert computer coder. After the launch of software Center in Ubuntu, one doesn't need to use any geeky commands for installing softwares or media codecs. Just open the tool, search for an appropriate application from a vast repository of open source and free programs and install it with a single click. It's as user-friendly as Windows, but far more stable and error-free.

If I use Ubuntu, I won't be able to open Windows files or music!

Ubuntu gives you the freedom to switch seamlessly between Windows or other Operating system and Ubuntu. You can listen to you Windows music collection in Ubuntu, watch videos and also work on Microsoft Word documents sent by your colleagues. One can also install 9dual-boot) Ubuntu and Windows side by side on the same computer and use the a drive partition on both the operating systems. This means you can work on some presentation in Ubuntu, then save it on the disk, and then work on the same file after booting Windows.

What can I do with Ubuntu?

Create and edit on documents, presentations and spreadsheets with OpenOffice.
Browse the Internet with Firefox Web browser.
Use Evolution Mail for easy, intuitive email.
Chat with Empathy by integrating your chat accounts from Yahoo, Gmail, MSN, Jabber and many more.
Access your Facebook and Twitter accounts in Menu Me panel.
Download pictures from phones and cameras and organize them with F-Spot. Use popular tools such as Picasa, Facebook and Flickr instantly. Edit the pictures by installing GIMP.
Watch videos from YouTube or DVDs. Edit your videos with Pitivi.
Install hundreds of games from Software Center and have fun.
Organize your work using the four work space or desktops available.
And a lot more.

What's the recommended system requirement for Lucid Lynx?

You computer should meet the following requirements (though not necessary) for installing Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx:

1.0 GHz or more processor
256 MB RAM
10GB hard drive space

How to get Ubuntu Lucid Lynx?

Easiest way to get Ubuntu Lucid Lynx is to download it for free.
If you have a slow Internet connection, you can purchase Ubuntu discs.
You can also request for free CDs of Ubuntu from Ubuntu ship It.

I downloaded the stuff. What next?

Ubuntu is offered for download as a disc image or ISO file. ISO files are created by copying a disc in totality, creating an exact duplicated when burned on another disc. If you are using Windows, download and install ImgBurn. Now use it to burn the Ubuntu ISO image on a blank CD. Now, you have got a Ubuntu bootable CD that can be used for installing the Linux on any computer or testing it by running it as a Live CD (the operating system is started from the disc itself, without affecting the existing settings of the computer).

Got Ubuntu CD. Now what?

If you intend to install Ubuntu Lucid Lynx as the sole operating system on your computer, just pop-in the CD in the drive and restart the computer. You will get a screen asking you to "Press any key to boot from CD". Press any key to start the process.

If you don't see the message, your computer's BIOS setting needs to changed so that the computer tries to boot from CD before hard drive. Restart computer and press F2 or what ever is the setup key mentioned in the start-up screen for entering BIOS settings. Navigate between the tabs using arrow keys and make the appropriate change in "Boot device order" or similar setting. Save and exit.

Let your computer boots using Lucid Lynx CD. Don't choose to install right now. Make sure that your Internet connection works with the Ubuntu system. If not, seek help from your service provider to set it up for Ubuntu. An active Internet connection is vital for proper customization of Ubuntu and also for installing other applications.

Installing Ubuntu Lucid Lynx

After you have satisfied your self by exploring Ubuntu, click on the "Install" icon on the desktop. It will start a graphical interface for installing the latest version of Ubuntu. Keep selecting the appropriate options (language, location, etc.) from the lists till you reach "Prepare disk space" section.

Prepare the disk: partitioning the hard drive in Ubuntu

In "Preparing disk space", Ubuntu installer gives you the option to organize your hard disk in more manageable way. It's always better to partition your hard disk into as many manageable partitions required for keeping the operating system on one partition of the hard drive and files and folders on the rest.

If you do not see any option in the partition window, don't panic! It's because you have some of the drives mounted to the Live CD boot. Cancel installation and go to “Places” in the top panel (menu) and then “Computer”. To unmount the disks, right-click on the pyramid icons next to mounted partitions and choose unmount. Start installing afresh.

In "Preparing disk space" segment, you will have three options:

Use the entire disk
Guided partitioning
Manual partitioning

Use the entire disk: As the name suggests, this option will use the entire disk for installing Ubuntu. It will erase any previous data or operating system such as Windows installed on the computer. It's not advisable to use this partition even if you want the entire computer for Ubuntu. Partitioning the hard disk allows you to easily reinstall the operating system or change to another one without disturbing your data.

Guided partitioning: This option helps create partitions of the hard disk by detecting the installed operating system and installs Ubuuntu along side the existing operating system. It allows you to retain the installed operating system along with a fresh Ubuntu install. This option fails if you need to install several operating systems.

Manual partitioning: Everyone should opt for this option as it allows the user to set up the computer in a more organized way and also have as many operating systems as desired (two, three, four, any number).

If you aren't installing Ubuntu on a fresh system, you will see some partitions listed in the partition manager window. Delete existing partitions to start afresh. If you are already had Windows or any other operating system installed on one partition on the computer, and data saved on other, you can save all your data. Just delete the partition that contains Windows, usually the first one is the C drive. If your computer was shipped with a rescue partition with pre-installed operating system, do not tamper with it unless you are too sure that you don't need it in future.

Create a swap partition: We need to create a Linux swap that Ubuntu will use as additional memory. Choose the unpartitioned space from the list and create new partition by entering a partition size of 2048MB (2GB, or 1024MB if you need to save space), set "use as" option to "swap area".

Create the Ubuntu partition: Next we need space for installing Ubuntu Lucid Lynx. Select the unpartitioned space and create a new partition by entering the size of the partition (ideally 10GB or 10000MB or more) and select the "use as" as "Ext3 journaling file system" and "mount point" as "/".

Create the Ubuntu Home partition: If you want to save lots of data in default Ubuntu folders, consider creating a "Home" partition of appropriate size. Set "use as" as "Ext3 journaling system" and "mount point" as "/home". Ubuntu will use this partition as "Home" folder, the default location for saving documents, music, videos and pictures in Ubuntu. Creating a separate "Home" partition also comes handy when reinstalling Ubuntu. You don't have to create any backup of the files as only the main Ubuntu folder is tampered with.

Create storage partitions: Now that we have the partitions ready for use by Ubuntu, we need to create at least one partition from the remaining space for use as our storage drive. Select NTFS or Fat32 format from "use as" list.

Problem creating partition? In case you have trouble partitioning the disk, create them before beginning Ubuntu installation. Booted using the Ubuntu Live CD. Go to System > Administration > Partition Editor. Create the required partitions (a Linux swap, one Ubuntu partition, a Home partition (optional) and storage partitions). Start installing again. When you reach the "Preparing disk space" segment, choose "Manual partitioning" and then just select the Ubuntu partition for installing Lucid Lynx.

Complete the installation process.

Get Ubuntu manual

Getting Started with Ubuntu 10.04 is a beginners guide for the operating system. The manual will come handy in setting the Internet connection and also seeking help from you Internet provider. Apart from this, it will help you get familiar with Ubuntu. Download Ubuntu Manual.

Additional Ubuntu guides

Six must-have applications for Ubuntu Lucid Lynx
Dual-boot Ubuntu and Windows with common storage drives
Make Ubuntu mount partitions and drives automatically at startup

Six must-have applications for Ubuntu Lucid Lynx

2010-04-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx is on its way for a public release. Here's a list of 6 applications that you must have on your Ubuntu system if you are installing the operating system afresh or if you don't have them already. But before that the basic.

How to install an application in Ubuntu?

a) From Ubuntu Software Center: Go to Applications > Ubuntu Software Center and search for the application or tool in the list. Click install. Can't get any easier. If it's not available in the software center, download a .deb package of the application and run. (Deb packages are Ubuntu or Debian Linux equivalent of .exe installation files in Windows.)

b) Using the Terminal and command line: If you want to be geeky, you can use the command line for installation. Go to Applications > Accessories > Terminal.

Type the command: sudo apt-get install application-name.

If you want to uninstall, replace install with remove: sudo apt-get remove application-name.

Ubuntu restricted extras/Gstreamer plugins

Ubuntu does not ship with in-built support for various media formats such s .mp3, .mp4, flash and Java files. Ubuntu restricted extras will add codec and file to support them and enable you to enjoy your music collection without any hassle.

Gstreamer plugins for adding media support is available in Software Center channel, so it's more convenient to install.

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

VLC Media Player

VLC is undisputedly one of the most versatile multimedia player. It will play almost everything: mp3s, videos, flash, CDs and DVDs.

sudo apt-get install vlc

GIMP Image Editor

If you have a digital camera or a phone camera, you should install GIMP. Earlier, it came pre-loaded with Ubuntu, but now it has been categorized as a geeky application that's used by medium to advanced users. That's why it has been kept out of the default applications. GIMP is a Photoshop alternative that comes handy when you need to process your images or makes some interesting collage.

sudo apt-get install gimp

Gnome Do

Starting a new application can sometimes be a pain. You need to first go to the Applications menu, then to the appropriate segment and search for the entry. Launchy or Gnome Do application launchers will ease the pain.

Gnome Do makes the process of launching new applications a breeze. Just start typing the name of the application and hit enter when you get the desired one in the Gnome Do's eye-candy suggestion window. Or else type the first letter and then use down arrow key to choose from the available options. Gnome Do can also be used for searching your files and folders, chatting with friends or sending a tweets, thanks to plug-ins that come with it.

Gnome Do can be dowloaded from the Ubuntu Software Center. Once installed, you will have to configure it on its first run. Click on the small down arrow to choose Settings from the menu. Check "Start Gnome Do at login", "Hide window on first launch" and "Show notification icon" in the General tab.

In the Keyboard tab, you will see that the hot key for calling and hiding Gnome do is set as <Super> <Space>. What's <Super> key? It's the Window or Command key. If you want to change the shortcut to, say, <Ctrl> <Space>, double click on the shortcut and press the two keys of your choice simultaneously.

In the Plugins tab, choose the ones that you want to activate. In the Appearance tab, you can check "Always show results window". Now your Gnome Do is ready to serve at your slightest hint.

Launchy is another application launcher, but it's lacks some features of Gnome do. The default hot key for calling Launchy is <Ctrl> <Space>. If you want to be able to use Launchy on top of other applications, click on the configuration icon (looks like a gear) and tick the "Always on top" option.

Launchy is not available in Ubuntu software channel and will have to be downloaded from its website. If you are using a computer with Inter processor, download Launchy_xx.xx_i386.deb file. If your's is an AMD computer, download Launchy_xx.xx_AMD64.deb. After downloading, run the installer. You will find Launchy in the Applications > Accessories channel after successful installation.

Google Chrome

Google's new web browser is making its place among users with its speed and its growing list of add-ons. Even if you are more comfortable with the default Firefox Web browser, installing Google Chrome will only do good as an alternative browser. Google Chrome is also not available in the Ubuntu software channel, and will have to be downloaded from its website.

Opera is also a good alternative Web browser, with focus on bells and whistles.

Ubuntu Tweak

Though I have listed Ubuntu Tweak at the end, it's the one which you should install first. Ubuntu Tweak comes handy in easily managing and tweaking the settings of an Ubuntu system. It allows you to install and uninstall applications, choose display settings and manage your desktop settings, among others. It can also be used too install a large number of application (including some of the above listed ones) easily using the graphical interface. It also includes Compiz Settings Manager.

Go to Ubuntu Tweak's download page and use any one of the listed methods for installing the tool. I would suggest you follow the link to download the latest .deb package and run it on your system.

Add spell-checker to any Windows application

2010-04-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

Do you miss spell-check feature in any Windows application? tinySpell is a small, free tool that adds spell-check in any Windows application, even if it was not shipped with a spelling checker.

While one is typing, tinySpell keeps a tab in the background and whenever it detects a misspelled word, it beeps and shows a spelling tip, and the tinySpell icon in the system tray turns from white to yellow. The tool also check the text copied in clipboard.

When a misspelled word is detected, click the tinySpell icon or press the hot-key to get a of suggested words. If the misspelled word is detected in copied text, one can select a correction from the list. The selected word is inserted into the document, or is copied to the clipboard so that you can paste it in your document, or both (depending on your settings).

This small application installs itself in the system tray for easy access, thus not cluttering your desktop. tinySpell is a totally free tool, though there's a paid version as well.

Image: tinySpell

Bite this watermelon and plug it in computer

2010-04-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

In scorching summer, what's better than enjoying cool, watery melons? If you can't enjoy watermelons for real, this melon-shaped China-made USB drive should help pacify your desire. Take a bite of this watermelon and then use it for storing data.

This 8GB pen drive isn't as tempting as it looks, thanks to the exorbitant retail pricing ($36.58 apiece) on the Chinese manufacturer's website. Also, you cannot be sure of its quality. Still, it can be fun to possess in scorching summers.

Via Chinavision

GetSimple: CMS-enabled website without any database

2010-04-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

The Internet has a huge number of websites but still there might be scope for a successful local news website or a site about the local cinema or theatre. If your website idea is stuck due to lack of adequate technical know-how and funds, here's how you can create one with just hosting space on a PHP-enabled Web server. Doing away with the need for a database such as MySQL will help you reduce cost by more than half as a few hundred MB of space (that should be sufficient for a start-up website) is far cheaper than that with a database.

What is a CMS?

Any regularly updated website such as a news site uses a Content Management System, or CMS, for creating and managing content. A CMS makes the process of creating and managing content on a website simple by automating the process. It is a must for any website that wants to add conetent frequently.

There is a huge number of CMSes, both open source and free as well as paid, available on the Web, almost all of them rely on PHP and MySQL database. Some good free CMSes include Joomla, Expression Engine and Text Pattern.

What is PHP and MySQL?

PHP, or Hypertext Preprocessor, is a server side scripting language that is used for processing requests and serving websites. Every Web hosting provider shoould have PHP enabled on your web space by default.

My SQL is a database for storing content, of course. Web hosting providers will charge you extra for a database.

If all CMSes require both PHP and MySQL, how can we have a CMS-enabled website without a MySQL database?

GetSimple CMS

Yeah! GetSimple, a CMS that can be installed on any Unix/Linux-based Web server with Apache and PHP. (Don't worry about the terms. All Linux Web server will have both of them.) It requires just a few minutes to get your CMS ready for your website.

How to install GetSimple CMS

Before installing the CMS, you will need to buy a domain name (Web address such as www.mydomain.com) and hosting space. You will also need to point your domain name to your Web space. If you buy both domain name and web space from one provider, you will not have to worry about pointing your domain to your web server. There are plenty of options for buying domain names and web hosting. Choose a reliable local hosting provider or any international host of repute. After you have got your domain and web space ready, follow these steps:

Download GetSimple.
Unzip the content to find a GetSimple_x.xx folder.
Now use an FTP client such as FileZilla to upload the contents of this folder to the root (main or top) folder of your web space (or to a subfolder where you you want to locate the CMS website). (Your web host will provide you with the details and password for FTP access to your website space.)
Make sure that you have read and write permissions for your folders, particularly the folder /data/ which will store and serve the content of your website. Use the tools or ask your web hosting provider to set the folder CHMOD to 775 or a+rw. CHMOD
775 or a+rw allows you to read as well as save files in the folder.
Now use a Web browser to type the URL of your website if you have uploaded the content in the main folder. If you have uploaded the content to a subfolder, type http://mydomain.com/subfolder in the web browser.
An installation screen will appear. Fill it to claim your website.
Change the password after you sign in with the system generated password.
Go to Support > Website Health check to know the status of your CMS website.
Now go to Settings page and set your time zone. Also, tick the "Use Fancy URLs" option to get pretty URLs like http://mydomain.com/my-popular-article instead of something like http://mydomain.com/index.php?get=my-popular-article. If mod_rewrite has not been enabled for your web space, you will have to get that done for using pretty URLs.

How to create content in GetSimple?

For creating new content, go to Pages > Create New Page. You will get an HTML editor for adding content.

The HTML page editor does not have functionality to add images and other media. For this you need to go to Files > Add Files and/or Images. Copy the URL to the image or a thumbnail or the file for use while creating content in pages tab.

Use Page Options at the top of page HTML editor to set the URL/Slug of the post, add tags, add meta descriptions to be used by search engines such as Yahoo! and Goolge, make it a child page of some main page, use a particular template for the page and to add the page to the website navigation bar.

If you want to publish the content later, check the Keep Private option.

How to customize GetSimple website design?

GetSimple has a few themes made available by GetSimple as well as on its support forum by its community. Download the themes, unzip them and upload them to the theme folder in your GetSimple installation on the Web. Now go to the Themes page and activate the desired theme. If you have some understanding of PHP and CSS, you can use the GetSimple Documentation page to learn how to create GetSimple template.

Limitations of GetSimple

GetSimple does not have a dynamic sidebar where you can show latest posts, comments, etc. All of it will have to be inserted manually using plain text and or HTML. Though it lacks sophistication, but that shouldn't be counted as a drawback since it has been created to be that way, simple.

Download GetSimple CMS

How to add Facebook Like button in Blogger or Wordpress

2010-04-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

Facebook has introduced Like button for websites and blogs. People can Like or Recommend the webpage or website or blog to their friend by clicking this button, thereby increasing the reach of your blog or website.

How to add Facebook Like button below every Blogger post?

1. Log in to Blogger. Go to Layout > Edit HTML option of your blog and tick the checkbox that says "Expand Widget Templates".
2. Look for ‹data:post.body/› and post the following code below it:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'><iframe allowTransparency='true' expr:src='"http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=" + data:post.url + "&layout=standard&show_faces=false&width=100&action=like&font=arial&colorscheme=light"' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px; height:40px;'/> </b:if>

3. If you want the Like button to appear below all posts even on homepage, use the following code instead:

4. Save the template.

How to customize the Like button?

1. You can change the button text from "Like" to "Recommend". Look for action=like in the code and replace it with action=recommend.

2. To change the colour scheme of the button, change colorscheme=light to colorscheme=dark or colorscheme=evil.

3. Replace the font=arial parameter with the font of your chhoice:

font=arial
font=lucida+grande
font=segoe+ui
font=tahoma
font=trebuchet+ms
font=verdana

How to add Facebook Like button in Wordpress?

1. Open the Single.php file and look for <?php the_content(); ?>. Paste the following code above or/and below the code, depending on wether you want the Like button to appear above the post or below the post or both.

Customize the button as mentioned above.

If you want a Like button for your blog or website, Facebook has created a tool for it. The tool for generating the Like button code can be found at the bottom of the Like plugin page. Just type your website or blog URL or address in the designated box, make your desired changes and generate the code. Copy the code and paste it on your website or in blog sidebar.

Showing images of those who liked the post: If you want to show images of people who have Liked the post, look for show_faces=false in the code and replace it with show_faces=true.

Make good use of Gmail

2010-04-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a Gmail account, but how many of them put it to good use? Here are a few tips for making most of your 7GB email account.

Create a filter: By creating a filter, you can manage you mails in a better, automated way. For example, if you want all mails from a particular person to be starred and labelled, click the "Create a new filter" link near the search box or in the Filters tab in Settings page. Now type the email address of the person in the "From" box and on the next page, choose a label and star option for the mails.

Hide spam count: Gmail has a powerful spam filter, but even the count of spams received can annoy some people. Why not delete all spams as soon as they come? Click on "Create a new filter" link next to the search box or in the Filters tabs in Settings page. Now in the "Have the words" option, type "in:spam". Choose next and then choose delete. If you just want to hide them, choose the "Mark as unread" option.

Aggregate multiple mail accounts: If you have multiple mail accounts with POP3 feature, you can send and receive mails from all accounts from any Gmail account.

First, activate POP3 download in all the mail accounts. If your other mail accounts are also with Gmail, you can do this by going to the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" page in Settings. Now in the main Gmail account, go to "Accounts and Imports" tab in Settings page and add your other emails by clicking on the "Add POP3 email account" button and following the steps.

You will have to activate all of them by clicking on activation mails received in the respective accounts. Now you can send and receive mails from all your accounts from your primary Gmail account.

Access mails offline: If your Internet connection is not very reliable and you are using the Gmail website, you might be left without access to even your previously received mail. You can solve this problem in two ways: a) use an email client such a Thunderbird; b) activate offline access to mails by enabling the "Offline Mail" option in the Offline tab on the Gmail Settings page.

Use email client for Gmail: Using email client such as Thunderbird to access Gmail is more convenient and reliable if you are using it with IMAP. Unlike POP3 method which just fetches the mails from an account, IMAP is a two-way communication. It synchronizes your local mail client with the webmail. Also, IMAP allows you to access your inbox on the website (complete with its last settings) when you leave your laptop home or if its lost.

To use an email client with Gmail, first activate the IMAP access in your Gmail account. This option is available in the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab in the settings page. Now, add the account in your email client. If you are using Thunderbird, setting up a Gmail account is a breeze, thanks to its pre-configured settings. For other email clients, you can follow the instructions on Gmail help website.

Backup your mails: How to create a backup of your Gmail account? Enable IMAP for your Gmail account that you want to backup and set up an account for this address on Thunderbird or other email client on your computer. (Follow above instructions.) If you use the email client for checking mail, your web interface will serve as the backup. In case you use the web interface, just remember to run the email client regularly so that it can download your mails and settings.

Dot or not: Gmail does not recognize dots in your email address or user name. So when you tell someone that your email address is my.name@gmail.com, you don't need to stress on the dot. Even if someone sends an email at myname@gmail.com or m.y.n.a.m.e@gmail.com, you will get it in your inbox. Similarly, you can log into your account even after omitting or adding dots.

Zim: a desktop wiki, journal and to-do list

2010-04-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

Journals, wikis and to-do lists are great way of keeping track and enhancing productivity. What if you could have an application that serves all the three purposes?

Zim is a free desktop wiki application that can serve as a wiki, to-do list as well as your personal journal. It's also a distraction-free tool for writing your next novel or mathematics project. It can handle complex mathematical equations. It can also be used to create simple websites.

Zim has auto-formatting and auto-save options, thus allowing you to focus on writing.

It is an ideal option for both Windows and Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, OpenSuse and many more) users who want to have a personal wiki without having to install and maintain a local server on the computer. It's also available for Mac OS X.

If you want Zim to close in system tray, there is Tray-Icon Plug-in. It also has a few more plug-ins that increase its functionality.

Ubuntu users can install Zim from the Ubuntu Software Center.

Download Zim

Doteasy: get free Web hosting with domains

2010-04-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

Looking for a Web host? Doteasy is a free Web hosting provider that offers 100MB storage space and 1 GB data transfer free with every .com, .net or .org domain registered with it. With every domain registration with Doteasy, one gets a $0 free Web hosting that offers 10 emails with POP3 access, Web analytics tool, FTP accounts, domain parking, custom DNS panel and 10 sub-domains.

The Doteasy $0 Web hosting also provides a free Website creator that allows you to get your Website or blog ready within a few minutes. All Doteasy members also get the benefits of several applications and tools including hosted blogs, forums, Web image gallery, Web forms, mailing lists, online poll and email forms.

If you are interested in starting a video or music website, the Doteasy free Web hosting's music and video streaming feature will come handy.

How do you get this feature-rich free Web hosting?
Get your desired .com, .net or .org domains registered under a promotional campaign for just $7.95 each using coupon code: 1003BPM. Start enjoying the benefits of $0 free web hosting with Doteasy. As your website grows, switch to even more exciting paid Web hosting offered by Doteasy.

[SPONSORED POST/ADVERTISEMENT]

India tops in requesting content deletion, info from Google

2010-04-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

Google has introduced a government requests app that lists the number of requests it received from governments for information about user profiles and removal of websites, blogs, etc., from its contents.

The tool right now shows the number of government requests for removal of content or information about users received during July 2009-December 2009.

Indian ranks third with 142 requests in the content removal category and stands fourth with 1,061 requests in the data requests category.

Google says: "For Brazil and India, government requests for content removal are high relative to other countries in part because of the popularity of our social networking website, Orkut. The majority of the Brazilian and Indian requests for removal of content from Orkut relate to alleged impersonation or defamation."

Google introduces virtual keyboard on its search pages

2010-04-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

Google has started showing a virtual keyboard on search pages in non-Latin languages that require special characters such as Hindi, Arabic and Russian. The virtual keyboard has been introduced to allow users type exact search words independent of the keyboard layout of the computer in use.

To access the on-screen keyboard, click the keyboard icon next to Google search box.

You can Google's virtual keyboard functionality in action on Google India (Hindi), Google Greece, Google Finland, Google Sweden, Google Iceland, Google Poland, Google Russia, Google Ukraine, Google South Arabia, Google Thailand, Google Mongolia and others.

In June 2009, Google had introduced the virtual keyboard API that developers could use on their multilingual web sites. You can also see the API in action on Google Code Playground site.

[Google OS]

Google design makeover

2010-04-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I wrote a post about the Google's new design. I happened to see the design while accidentally landing on Google India website in my office. It was a bright design with bigger and more stylish buttons and textbox. In my enthusiasm, I wrote a long post detailing the changes and also assuming some old features as new ones. As soon as I realized my error, I took back the post with an apology on Twitter.

After watching the Google India site closely for a few days, I can say with certainty that Google is serving the new design to some, while showing the old design to the rest. When I visit Google India from ny home, I get to see the old design.

How does the new design look? Have a look at it yourself.

Click on the image for a larger version.

Google has also made some changes to its design. The logo has become a lot more brighter and has shed its dropshadow. The search box has also been increased in size along with the buttons. The basic layout, however, has been left unaltered.On search result pages, the sidebar has icons with the options of searching all of Google (that's the Web), images, blog, books, etc.

Here are some more screenshots of the new design partly introduced by Google. Click on the images for a larger view.

Google search introduces images from webpages in search results.

Google offers page previews in search results.

Google real-time Twitter updates.

Google image search.

Monitor your network with NetWorx

2010-04-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

NetWorx is a free Windows application for monitoring Internet usage and network activities. It can be used to troubleshoot network problems along with keeping track of data downloads and uploads on all networks or specific networks, say your DSL line. This network monitoring tool also serves as your own data mesuring tool to see that you don't exceed the data limit or the Internet service provider does not charge you incorrectly.

What can you do with NetWorx:

Monitor speed of your Internet connection
Monitor Internet bandwidth/data download and upload
Detect suspicious network activity
Perform network tests such as ping and trace route

A portable version of NetWorx is also available for those who don't have the rights to install a program or just want to avoid installation.

NetWorx

Shirts for staying connected with Facebook

2010-04-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

Can't stop updating Facebook? Here comes Ping, a wired garment that allows you to stay connected to Facebook wirelessly. This concept hoodie allows you to update your status or poke your friend by using zip, buttons, lifting the hood or moving your arms.

Designed by Jennifer Darmour, the wired garment has sensors for interpreting and delivering data. For example, lifting the hood will send one ping to Facebook and lowering it another. The pings can then be interpreted by a Facebook application customized by you and the message is delivered to the designated group of friends or person. If someone posts on your wall or comments on a post, the garment gently taps on your shoulder. These taps can also be customized based on friend and message, allowing it to become a kind of coded message.

The e-garment is just a concept prototype right now that uses a variety of sensors including flexible sensing and conductive threads that can be used and washed like regular fabric. You can see more images and details of the project on Ping e-textile website.

Via: All Facebook