Hacking the Linux Desktop, Part 2  In Part 1 of this two-part excerpt from Linux Desktop Hacks, we offered hacks on controlling desktop access. In this second installment, learn how to view Microsoft Word documents in a terminal and how to create an internet phone.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
Problems in OpenSSH, Sudo, and Java  Noel Davis looks at problems in OpenSSH, Sudo, Sun Java, Blackdown Java, tcpdump, cpio, JBOSS, Adobe Reader and Acrobat, gedit, Gaim, and Trac.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
Problems in the Kernel, OS X, and WordPress  Noel Davis looks at problems in the Linux kernel, Mac OS X, bzip2, WordPress, WebSphere, Peercast, PHPMailer, Binutils, Popper Webmail, Dzip, and FreeBSD's gzip.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
Problems in the Linux kernel, LISTSERV, and gdb  Noel Davis looks at problems in the Linux kernel, LISTSERV, gdb, FreeRADIUS, shtool, mailutils, Qpopper, davfs2, libmagick6, picasm, cheetah, and ppxp.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Rendering Everything as Text  Ah, the days of plain-text everything are long gone, what with media files (hooray!) and encumbered binary blobs (boo!). Is the solution to give up your comfortable, efficient, and effective text-based tools? No way. Philip Hollenback proposes that you can render any data format to meaningful text for mail reading, indexing, and more. Here's how.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
Mozilla and Firefox Flaws  Noel Davis looks at problems in gzip, Mozilla and Firefox, OpenOffice.org, the FreeBSD kernel, Ethereal, TCPDump, libTIFF, Smail, Apache2's htdigest, and SCO UnixWare's chroot.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Hacking the Linux Desktop  Modifying stuff to suit individual desire is the credo of hackers everywhere. These two excerpts from Linux Desktop Hacks let you modify Linux to suit your desires: The first hack uses Virtual Network Computer (VNC) to access Windows and Mac OS X from your Linux desktop. The second shows how to lock down KDE with Kiosk mode, allowing you to control exactly what users can and can't change.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

MusE: MIDI Sequencing for Linux  Think Linux lacks for good multimedia creation and editing applications? Think again. Another application making ears perk up is MusE, a MIDI and audio sequencer intended to be a complete multitrack virtual studio. Howard Wen looks at the current and future development of the project.   [O'Reilly Network]

Security Alerts
CVS Trouble  Noel Davis looks at problems in CVS, PostgreSQL, Squid, Gaim, Debian's lsh, Xine-lib, Caroline, Convert-UUlib, Rootkit Hunter, snmppd, Kommander, kimgio, RealPlayer, Helix Player, xli, and Debian's samba.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Simplify Network Programming with libCURL  The curl command-line utility is a fantastic way to download data from all kinds of repositories via HTTP, FTP, LDAP, and more. It's not just a utility, though. The back-end library libCURL allows you to make your programs URL aware, publishing and retrieving data over HTTP and FTP. Ethan McCallum demonstrates how easy it is to use.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Trust and Zeal in Open Source Advocacy  Advocacy is critical to the spread of open source and free software. Good advocates build trust in their audiences, explaining how, and if, F/OSS can help them solve their problems. Jono Bacon explains how to build trust and avoid overzealous advocacy.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
PHP, cpio, and rsnapshot Trouble  Noel Davis looks at problems in PHP, cpio, rsnapshot, Gld, Axel, Domino, BrightStor ARCserve Backup, xv, Pine, GnomeVFS, libcdaudio, FreeBSD's ifconf, libexif, and monkeyd.   [O'Reilly Network]

Professional Sound Editing with Audacity  Think Linux lacks for good multimedia creation and editing applications? Think again. In the world of sound editing, Audacity is powerful and easy to use, and it's free software. Howard Wen explores the design, features, and future of Audacity.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Userspace Filesystem Encryption with EncFS  Laptops and removable storage devices are convenient both for users and for thieves. While you can't always protect the device from wandering away, you can protect the data. EncFS, a user-level encrypted filesystem in a file, makes this possible. KIVILCIM Hindistan explains how.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
Linux Kernel Vulnerabilities  In Noel Davis' latest column, he looks at problems in the Linux kernel, Telnet, sharutils, Ethereal, Midnight Commander, mpg321, OpenMosixView, cdrecord, ImageMagick, and grip.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Adventures in Migrating to New Linux Distributions  Linux doesn't stand still, whether it's the kernel or GNU/Linux distributions. If you're a developer or a hobbyist who likes to stay up to date, you can't stand still, either. Upgrading isn't always easy, though. Kevin Farnham recently switched distributions several times; here are some hard-earned lessons from the process.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

The Bacula Philosophy  Bacula is a mature client-server backup solution that runs on several platforms and flexibly meets many needs. It's also a good model for open source development. Nathan Valentine recently interviewed lead developer Kern Sibbald on the design, implementation, and future plans of the product.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
KDE Trouble  Noel Davis looks at problems in KDE, MySQL, Perl, Ximian Evolution, GnuPG, OpenSLP, Ringtone Tools, LuxMan, and Ethereal.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Inside GnomeMeeting  As bandwidth and processor power increase, so do the compelling reasons to consider voice and video over IP. Damien Sandras' polished GnomeMeeting application is a good example. Howard Wen recently interviewed Sandras about the project's successes, goals, and plans.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Sowing the Seeds of Open Source Advocacy  Advocacy is critical to the spread of open source and free software. Good advocacy can help spread freedom and software quality, while bad advocacy can reinforce unpleasant stereotypes. Good advocacy requires far more than just being right, though. Jono Bacon explores how to approach the message and the audience.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
Problems in GProFTPD  Noel Davis looks at problems in GProFTPD, bsmtpd, Uim, phpMyAdmin, Vim, Cyrus IMAPd, the Kodak Color Management System on Solaris, Arkeia Network Backup, curl, and PuTTY.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Inside the Multiple Emulator Super System  Building an emulator for a classic machine is tricky. Now consider building over 150 of them. That's what the MESS team has done since 1988. Chances are, MESS supports your favorite classic computer or video game console. Howard Wen profiles the project.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
Trouble in the Kernel, VMware, and PostgreSQL  Noel Davis looks at problems in the Linux kernel, VMware, PostgreSQL, Squid, MySQL, mailman, Apple OSX HFS+, movemail with GNU Emacs or XEmancs, KStars, typespeed, awstats, and synaesthesia.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Pre-Patched Kickstart Installs  Continual development and improvement of software is wonderful, unless you want to keep multiple machines up to date. Fortunately, the solution to installing multiple identical machines can solve this problem too. Ethan McCallum demonstrates how to create your own yum repository for upgrades and new installations.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
Perl Trouble  Noel Davis looks at problems in Perl, PostgreSQL, ncpfs, Squid, cpio, UW IMAP, ChBg, FireHOL, Clam AntiVirus, and f2c.   [O'Reilly Network]

Feather Linux for Firewalls  Bootable LiveCDs have made the lives of Linux dabblers easier. They're also suitable for making your life more pleasant while on the go. KIVILCIM Hindistan shows how to use Feather Linux to share a firewalled internet connection in a few easy steps.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

HA-OSCAR: Five Steps to a High-Availability Linux Cluster  Clustering, the current thinking in computing, addresses the availability and scaled performance in cost-effective equipment. There are several open source clustering stacks, but HA-OSCAR is one of the few to address high availability with many built-in characteristics that allow continuous service availability. In this tutorial targeted for system administrators, engineers, researchers, and even students interested in leaning about building HA clusters, Ibrahim Haddad provides a step-by-step guide on how to install and build a highly available Linux cluster with HA-OSCAR.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Freevo: Freedom For Your TV  PVRs may be the next big thing in home entertainment, but relying on a closed box leaves you few options for customization. The Freevo project is building a platform for developing television-aware applications, whether recording, timeshifting, or general-purpose mayhem. Howard Wen explains the Freevo project and interviews its developers.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Security Alerts
Linux and Darwin Kernel Trouble  Noel Davis looks at problems in the Linux kernel, the Darwin/Mac OS X kernel, iSync, Ethereal, enscript, hylafax, rssh, Xine-lib, mpg123, and Konversation.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Network Installation of Windows Printers from Samba  The combination of Samba and CUPS makes network printing on a mixed Linux/Windows LAN easier than ever. You can share Linux printers with Windows clients, and Windows printers with Linux clients. A Linux/Samba/CUPS printer server is reliable and reasonably simple to set up and maintain. Carla Schroder, author of Linux Cookbook, shows you how.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

Use Your Digital Camera with Linux  With the holidays over, it's time to pause, reflect, and clean up a bit. Why not download the photos from your digital camera? Don't worry, it's easy under Linux. Robert Bernier demonstrates the killer combination of gphoto2, ImageMagick, and digiKam.   [LinuxDevCenter.com]

This directory of Linux commands is from Linux in a Nutshell, 4th Edition.

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