Month: February 2014

Link: Grep command in linux – Get a grip on it

Linux was created by software enthusiasts who wanted to make it available to all for free. The source code was also kept open so that anyone can contribute to it. A Linux loving community was formed which worked on it relentlessly to make it a strong and robust operating system. These people have added commands that made Linux very powerful and popular.

Grep is one such command in Linux which as a user you will find very helpful. Let us see how grep can be used to make your work easier. We assume you have a basic knowledge of Linux. If not, we recommend you first go through this simple Linux crash course.

Full article here:
Grep command in linux – Get a grip on it (udemy.com)

Link: Linux/Unix: pstree Command Examples: See A Tree Of Processes

I am a new Linux user. How do I display the process on the Linux based server or desktop/laptop in easy to read tree format using bash shell prompt?

Linux and Unix are multitasking operating systems i.e. a system that can run multiple tasks (process) during the same period of time. A process is nothing but a running program (command) on Linux or Unix-like systems.

The pstree command shows running processes as a tree.

Full article here:
Linux/Unix: pstree Command Examples: See A Tree Of Processes (nixCraft)

Link: 2 Ways to Stop Websites from Hijacking Your Webcam and Microphone in Chrome

For anyone concerned about their privacy online, a significant security risk concerning your computer’s webcam and microphone has been recently discovered in the Chrome web browser. The risk – a default setting that will give a website open access to your computer’s microphone and webcam if you give it access just once.

This of course can open up the floodgates to all sorts of unsavory activity by unsavory individuals; namely websites taking advantage of this setting by turning on your microphone and webcam with you having no idea, even sometimes installing a hidden widget that activates these media devices if a certain word is said. Fortunately, it’s easy to turn this setting off.

In this post we’ll show you how to stop websites from hijacking your webcam and microphone in the Chrome web browser.

Full article here:
2 Ways to Stop Websites from Hijacking Your Webcam and Microphone in Chrome (TechNorms)

Link: How to set up a media center with Raspberry Pi

One of the most popular and useful projects with Raspberry Pi (RPi) board is turning RPi into a media center box. All you need to do is to download a media center image for RPi, and write it to your SD card. There are plenty of media center distributions for Raspberry Pi, such as OpenELEC, RaspBMC, GeeXboX, RaspyFi, etc.

In this article, I will discuss how to set up a media center on Raspberry Pi using two of the most popular media center images: OpenELEC and RaspBMC. Both images use XBMC as built-in media player software.

Full article here:
How to set up a media center with Raspberry Pi (Xmodulo)

Note: If you have any desire at all to be able to get to the internals of Linux, even for something as simple as installing additional software such as Midnight Commander, we suggest using RaspBMC, NOT OpenELEC.

Link: How to Set up a Raspberry Pi as a Wireless Access Point

The Raspberry Pi can connect to a Wi-Fi network using a USB dongle but using that same dongle you can also turn your Raspberry Pi into a wireless access point. Once set up correctly, this will allow other wireless devices to connect to your Pi and optionally you can route any traffic out through the Ethernet port and on to the internet (via the router from your ISP).

However, before looking at the steps needed to get this working, a word of warning. The configuration needed can be a little complex and if things don’t work as they should then troubleshooting the problem can be difficult. Also for this to work correctly, you need a WiFi USB dongle that can work as an access point. The best place to find information about your particular dongle and the Raspberry Pi is on the embedded Linux Raspberry Pi Wi-Fi adapters page.

Full article here:
How to Set up a Raspberry Pi as a Wireless Access Point (Make Tech Easier)

Link: 50 Open Source Replacements for Really Expensive Software

The “Great Recession” has businesses and consumers alike looking for ways to cut costs. That includes looking for cheaper alternatives to expensive software.

In most cases, open source applications offer much lower prices, even if you need to purchase paid support. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of open source alternatives to software that tends to cost a lot.

Full article here:
50 Open Source Replacements for Really Expensive Software (Datamation)

Link: How to automount NTFS partitions in Ubuntu on startup to unleash full potential of Unity search

Under normal circumstances, the unmounted status of NTFS drives/partitions does not make much of a difference to the end user. A simple double-click will mount and open the drives. But with the advent of Unity and Dash search, the matter has acquired a new dimension now. Recently used files (and apps) are featured prominently and without the automounting of all drives and partitions, this feature is good as useless.

Full article here:
How to automount NTFS partitions in Ubuntu on startup to unleash full potential of Unity search (Tech Drive-in)

Link: Linux Terminal: Poor Man’s Spotify (actually works with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X)

While I was looking some video related to Linux I’ve found this video of gotbletu an user that I follow on Youtube, related to a small player to listen music directly from the terminal: pms AKA Poor Man’s Spotify.

I like lightweight clients, and so I’ve gave it a try, these are the results.

Note that this is a Python script, and therefore should run on any platform that has Python 2.7 or 3 installed.

Full article here:
Linux Terminal: Poor Man’s Spotify (Linuxaria)

Xvidtune: a Linux command line interface to print or switch the video mode and/or interactively adjust existing video modes

From the Ubuntu manuals page for xvidtune – video mode tuner for Xorg:

Xvidtune is a client interface to the X server video mode extension (XFree86-VidModeExtension).

When given one of the non-toolkit options, xvidtune provides a command line interface to either print or switch the video mode.

Without any options (or with only toolkit options) it presents the user with various buttons and sliders that can be used to interactively adjust existing video modes. It will also print the settings in a format suitable for inclusion in an xorg.conf file.

Normally the Xorg X servers only allow changes to be made with the XFree86-VidModeExtension from clients connected via a local connection type.

Note: The original mode settings can be restored by pressing the ‘R’ key, and this can be used to restore a stable screen in situations where the screen becomes unreadable.

Emphasis added. We had not heard of Xvidtune before, and it seems like it could be a handy tool to have in certain situations. See the manual page for your Linux distribution, or the Ubuntu manuals page for xvidtune for additional information. However, Tecmint warns:

Note: The Incorrect use of this program can do permanent damage to your monitor and/or Video card. If you don’t know what you are doing, don’t change anything and exit immediately.

Source: 8 Useful X-window (Gui Based) Linux Commands – Part I (Tecmint)