Oct 26
The main features of Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala)
Faster Bootup & Faster Shutdown
Upstart the new speed boot technology is one of the main attraction of ubuntu 9.10. Upstart is used for replacing the old System-V init system that is commonly used on most of the Linux distributions. Upstart will give a lightning fast boot up to ubuntu.
XSplash replaces USplash
XSplash will solve rhe problems of usplash and this is a major step towards the ten-second boot process Ububtu aimed in Ubuntu 10.04, which is expected in April of 2010.
EXT4 File System and GRUB2
Finally ext4 is the default filesystem in Ubuntu 9.10. Ot will increase the speed and performance of Operating System. Supports 1 Exbibyte drive Capacity.
Grub 2 is now used for your boot menu.
New Kernel: 2.6.31
Ubuntu 9.10 uses the latest kernel 2.6.31 with Kernel Mode Settings enabled for Intel graphics cards, it also protects from rootkit attacks.
Gnome 2.8.1
- Features of Gnome 2.8 : New Bluetooth module to help users manage their Bluetooth devices. it supports hundreds of Bluetooth devices, it also supports Internet through mobile phone.
- New Time Tracker applet, which helps you track your time and tasks.
- Another big change is that the replacement of Pidgin Instant Messenger with Empathy.
- The webcam photo and video application Cheese has been improved as well.
Software Center
This is one of the major addition, Software center replaces Add/Remove Software tool and Synaptic package Manager. Now Software installation become professional and user-friendly .
Ubuntu One
Ubuntu One is a simply to sync files and folders on more than one PC. For Using Ubuntu One you will have to sign up for an account. Two type of Accounts are available in Ubuntu One, free account (which gives you 2GB of space) or, for $10.00 USD per month, you can get 50GB of space.
More More……….
- Another new feature in Karmic is the addition of the Gnome-Disk-Utility, also known as Palimpsest Disk Utility .
- Network manager has undergone some nice beautification, now it is more user friendly, WIFI spots and security-key’s has been very much simplified.
- Font Installation now takes just one click .
- Karmic Koala ships with Firefox 3.5.3 as the default browser.
- New Bootscreen, Themes, Wallpapers and Icons
- 6 Step Installation
- New options are also available during install – such as creating an encrypted home partition.
Aug 23
If you are a Network Administrator with little knowledge in Network Protocols and IPtables, don’t worry you can also controll your network traffic with a simple tool named wondershaper.
sudo apt-get install wondershaper
official site : http://lartc.org/wondershaper/
Readme files in /usr/share/doc/wondershaper
$ifconfig this will help you to find the network interface (eth0, eth1 or wifi0 etc..)
Now
$sudo wondershaper eth0 downspeed upspeed
eg: sudo wonderspeed 128 64
To Disable this settings
$sudo wondershaper clear eth0
make these connection settings permanent by editing /etc/network/interfaces file :
$ sudo gedit /etc/network/interfaces and add the following lines
up /sbin/wondershaper eth0 downspeed upspeed
down /sbin/wondershaper clear eth0
Aug 19
Earlier this year I ditched my Nokia N73 for an iPhone. Anyone who knows me, knows I have ‘issues’ with the iPhone. Probably because I was a power user of my Nokia N73. I had the bluetooth keyboard and Mobile Office suite, which meant I could edit and write documents or blog posts on the go – I even wrote chunks of my 100,000 word novel on my N73. I had a great data plan, my google maps and mail, Opera browser and my slovoed French dictionary. Sorted.
Switching to the iPhone has been both amazing and irritating.
On the upside, the apps are brilliant. Wifi connectivity means I can really exploit learning online. And because my iPhone is with me all day every day, I can learn anywhere I want. Add earphones to create a great language learning device.
But the iPhone has a huge handicap in that that Apple haven’t approved a keyboard input device for it. This hugely limits the device’s capture and learning potential. I can use it to learn passively, but can’t take notes in meetings or conferences, or use it to capture the stuff in my head. I don’t understand how Apple can expect the iPhone or iPod Touch to be taken seriously as an educational device without proper text input.
But input handicaps and a few other gripes aside, here are my Top Ten Tools for Mobile Learning:
1 Tweetie – fantastic for short bite-sized learning and gossip when your head’s frazzled at the airport.
2 Safari – it’s a proper mobile browsing experience.
3 Stanza – oh wow – over 25,000 free books for me to snuggle up in bed with!
4 BYKI French for language learnin – great for vocab but limited for grammar.
5 iXpenseit – a budget tracking app, which is helping me keep track of my spending and teaching me where I go wrong – excellent stuff (note that iXpenseit is limited, and I think there are better apps that have more capability for dealing with multiple bank accounts, your mortgage, loans etc)
6 iPod on iPhone – I’ve got over 5 hours of French and Irish language resources and audio books on my iPod – means I can learn on the go. I’ve also been using the lyrics feature for both listening and reading my Irish language learning.
7 Mail – this is one of the loser aspects of the iPhone – I can get my mail, but Apple’s Mail app is nothing like as useful or powerful as Gmail’s mail app for Symbian. I can’t search my archive, it uses up tonnes of data and is slow.
8 Google search – sometimes I want to know how to cook aubergine without leaving the cooker in the kitchen…google search + iPhone = instant knowledge while stirring a pot.
9 Google maps – bigger screen + good data plan = excellent journey planning and exploration. Also, I’m way more confident about wandering around more because I can’t get ‘lost’.
10 Calculator – I think people often take for granted the hard-working apps like the touchscreen calculator app on the iPhone – but it’s a fantastic tool – and is easy to use and access.
