March 2009
13 posts
Avahi not resolving .local?
Avahi and dot-local addresses on Ubuntu Gutsy had the fix for avahi (mdns) not resolving .local hostnames on CrunchBang Linux. In short:
sudo nano -w /etc/nsswitch.conf -> hosts: files dns mdns4_minimal mdns4 sudo /etc/init.d/avahi-daemon restart
Plays nicely with Macs and other avahi Linux boxen now.
Headless Dropbox coming... in April?
According to Is there way to get dropboxd binary w/o nautilus? at the Dropbox Forums, they are working hard on a Linux CLI-only version of dropboxd, one doesn’t rely on a million-and-one Nautilus dependencies.
Looking forward to it! (Followup on May 1, 2009)
Don't Run as Administrator
I’m tired of the “don’t run as Administrator” dodge. Can we please bury this bit of anti Windows flamebait?
Almost everything of real value on your system is stored in your /home (or /Users) folder, including all the documents and work you’ve produced, your photos, your music, your stored passwords, your bookmarks, and your application preferences. If an attacker...
1 tag
CrunchBang Linux On Dell mini-9 →
On a recommendation, I’m putting CrunchBang Linux on my mini-9. CrunchBang is a stylishly geeky distro, and the instructions linked here worked as far as getting the iso to boot from usb stick on the mini-9, but now the installation is stuck at “Resizing partition… 50%”. Ahh, Linux.
Update: it psyched me out and jumped to 100% at the last minute.
For more juicy tips, see...
“Better command -> x11vnc -shared -forever -rfbauth /home/desired_user/.vnc/passwd -display :0”
That’s how you might share a linux desktop computer’s screen with your netbook, so you can sit back and type on the netbook, without ever leaving your desktop.
Haven’t tried it yet. Ideally x11vnc (or whatever server you used) would be smart enough to provide a virtual...
How to Successfully Compete With Proprietary...
How To Successfully Compete With Open Source Software describes the supposed advatages that proprietary software developers have in the marketplace for consumer applications. These include marketing, graphic design, user interface, and all of the other “high touch” customer relationships that require the employment of specialists, sales people, and support staff. The money to employ...
How to Help Someone Use A Computer
http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html
A classic. As fresh and necessary today (unfortunately) as it was when Phillip Agre wrote it in 1996.
“Most user interfaces are terrible. When people make mistakes it’s usually the fault of the interface. You’ve forgotten how many ways you’ve learned to adapt to bad interfaces.”
Amen.
Recent curl vulnerability
It was discovered that curl did not enforce any restrictions when following URL redirects. If a user or automated system were tricked into opening a URL to an untrusted server an attacker could use redirects to gain access to abitrary files. This update changes curl behavior to prevent following “file” URLs after a redirect.
Nice. I really need to try issuing file:///etc/passwd HTTP...