Matt Vapor’s Blog

andLinux is a complete Ubuntu Linux system running seamlessly in Windows 2000 based systems (2000, XP, 2003, Vista; 32-bit versions only). This project was started for Dynamism for the GP2X community, but its userbase far exceeds its original design. andLinux is free and will remain so, but donations are greatly needed.

andLinux uses coLinux as its core which is confusing for many people. coLinux is a port of the Linux kernel to Windows. Although this technology is a bit like running Linux in a virtual machine, coLinux differs itself by being more of a merger of Windows and the Linux kernel and not an emulated PC, making it more efficient. Xming is used as X server and PulseAudio as sound server.

andLinux is not just for development and runs almost all Linux applications without modification.

Screenshot (click to enlarge)

To start Linux applications, you may either use the XFCE Panel:

The XFCE Panel

Or, you may choose to use the andLinux Launcher, which ships with andLinux since Beta 1. It consists of:

• quicklaunch icons (e.g. for the file manager or the terminal)
• a start menu in the system tray (next to the clock) which can be adapted to your own needs
• so-called Explorer shell extensions, i.e. context menu item, with which you can open a folder in the file manager / terminal or open a file with the text editor
• file type associations at your choice (e.g. for KOffice files, .tex / .dvi / .ps / .pdf files)
• andCmd.exe to run linux commands from Windows scripts

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You can download RyanVM’s Windows XP Post-SP2 Update Pack here

This pack is designed to bring a Windows XP CD with SP2 integrated fully up to date with all of the latest hotfixes released by Microsoft since SP2’s release. It accomplishes this task via direct integration, where files on the CD are directly overwritten by the updated files. This method has numerous advantages over other integration techniques:

1. Since the files are being directly overwritten on the CD, there is no period of vulnerability between when the files are copied to the hard drive and the hotfixes are run. This guarantees maximum stability and security.
2. All necessary registry entries needed by Windows Update, QFECheck, and Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer are imported during Windows setup, meaning that the integration is transparent to Windows.
3. Security Catalogs necessary for Windows File Protection to recognize the updated files as digitally signed are installed, once again ensuring maximum transparency to Windows.
4. Since the updated files are being directly overwritten on the CD, this pack has the minimum possible amount of overhead associated with integrating hotfixes in comparison to other methods - both in space used on the CD and in Windows installation time.
5. This pack works regardless of whether or not the Windows installation is unattended.

This blog is brought to you by CLiCK Computer Recycling

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Ryan Paul over at Ars Technica has written a great detailed review of the new Alpha 5 release of Ubuntu Linux 8.04. In it he gives Wubi - a new addition to the Ubuntu Installation - a thorough going over.

One of the most significant new features added in alpha 5 is support for Wubi, a new installation mechanism that makes it easier for Ubuntu and Windows to coexist on the same computer. Wubi provides a complete Ubuntu installer that can be run in Windows from the Ubuntu Live CD. It installs Ubuntu into a folder on the Windows file system and sets up a boot menu so that users can choose between Windows and Ubuntu when the computer starts.

Unlike a regular dual-boot configuration, Wubi doesn’t require users to create a partition on their hard drives for Ubuntu. When Ubuntu is installed with Wubi, it can be uninstalled directly from the Add/Remove Programs utility in Windows.

I tested Wubi on Windows XP with an Ubuntu 8.04 alpha 5 Live CD. The installer is trivially easy to use and works just like a regular Windows installation program. It requests a target drive, the desired size of the drive image, the default username, and the password for the default user. The disk image gets installed in an Ubuntu directory on the root of the target drive. After I finished my tests, I was able to uninstall Wubi without any difficulty.

To read Ryan Paul’s full article visit Wubi Arrives: a look at Ubuntu 8.04 alpha 5

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Yahoo! has published a very comprehensive list of what it considers to be the best Anti virus programs for this year. Making the list a many free anti-virus alternatives, which are great for those on limited incomes or those who just want a free alternative.

The free applications which made the list were:

Alwil Avast! 4.6 Home Edition - Venerable Avast! is still free for personal use, and it’s a relatively unobtrusive and capable virus stomper that will work well for just about anyone. A new feature adds a web proxy to the mix (which filters all traffic running through it for security risks), and it works will all major web browsers. It also recognizes non-virus threats like spyware and adware. The Pro edition ($40) adds a few power-user features that the average user probably won’t miss. Give the free version a try!

Aviva AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic 7 - This has long been a capable and effective antivirus product, especially noteworthy for its fast operation.

Unfortunatly AVG’s free antivirus product did not make the list.

For the full list check out Yahoo!’s article here.

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I stumbled across this distorted love letter that any Linux Geek would love!

You can view the original post here at the Ubuntu forums

Dear Windows, It’s over

---

Dear Windows Professional Service Pack 2:

I didn’t want to tell you this in person, because I thought it might be too complicated, and might take too long. After all, we’ve been together for a long time, almost five years and running now. I know, i know. I know you so well; your control panel, your installation procedures, even when you get mad and go all blue screen on me; what can I say, you kinda grew on me.

But to be honest, things have been going downhill for a long time now. What happened to that lean, fast OS that i first installed? You know, the one that ran Civ 4, Vice City, and even True Crimes without a problem? The one that burned DVD’s, CD’s, the one that shared music with my xbox without a problem? I don’t know. It seems like you’ve let go of yourself, to be honest. You take over 20 minutes to boot up, you run Civ4 slowly, heck, you even freeze up on me now when i try to watch video. What happened windows? Did you get so confortable that you thought I’d just deal with it?

Well, i’ve been cheating. See, back in tenth grade, i messed around a bit with this chick, her name was Red Hat Linux. We met in school in my networking 5 class, and i got to know her pretty well. I was all up in her terminal, if you know what i mean :P. Well, I took her home, and we had a really rough one night stand. I decided she wsn’t for me, and i went back to you, because i knew what i was missing. Well, Red Hat has a south african cousin, and her name’s Ubuntu…she’s kinda hot, too. SHe’s got three cousins, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, and Kubuntu, too, and their all sexy.

Well, I guess this letter is to let you know that it’s over. I’m not going back, either. You can tempt me with your games, and all the software, but it’s alright. I can get to know ubuntu, i can learn to work her terminals. Her freeware. Her internet support. After all, what can i say…she’s sexy, fast, and free. ANd you’re expensive, bloated, and well, always sick with viruses. I’m done.

I know, i know. I freaked out and formatted you off my hard drive, and then i called you begging and pleading to take me back, and we had angry make up sex. But what was i thinking? I remembered all the bad times we had, and i called Ubuntu up and she understood me just fine. Before I knew it, we were hitting it off again. She installed really quickly, and didn’t even need any drivers or anything. Worked beautifully. And did i remind you she’s free?

So Windows Professional Service Pack 2, i’m leaving you for Ubuntu know. It’s over, we had a good run, but all expensive, virus laden, bloated software relationships must come to an end, right? I guess that’s just how it has to be.

Thanks for all the good times though! NOthing like a BSOD when i’m trying to watch a live debate on MSN or CNN, or crashign on me int he middle of civ4.

But i have to go now. It’s time to get down and dirty with ubuntu, and if i ever really miss you again, i’ll just drink it away with some WINE.

Sincerely,

Bruno

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In the last few weeks I have discovered a great little game which I have been pouring a lot of my spare time into… I love it! Its called Super Tux and it is a clone of Super Mario with a flavor of Tux - the Linux mascot.

” SuperTux is a classic 2D jump’n run sidescroller game in a style similar to the original SuperMario games. ”

Its available on most common platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Unix (BSD)

You can download it here

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Last week CLiCK was inundated with calls from clients, we had been using an OEM cd which we had customised it was faulty, even after testing! So we cleared a few days, called clients and we were set to repair many machines using XP’s repair function. All was going well until we tried to update the repaired machines, none of the updates would install. I assumed it was to do with the faulty OEM, however it seems to be more wide spread.
Scott Dunn noted that as of July / August an update seems to break XP’s repair function - you can use the machine after the repair… but don’t expect to be able to install any of the updates. Us at CLiCK had not relised the errors of Microsoft’s ways and done clean install on all the machines which wouldn’t update - but alas there is a very simple fix!

Apparently the error is caused by some files are deregistered during the repair, these are essential for Windows Update, so to get all updates just follow Scott’s steps:

Manually registering files solves the problem

If you find that Windows Update refuses to install most patches, you can register its missing DLLs yourself. This can be accomplished by manually entering seven commands (shown in Step 2, below) at a command prompt. If you need to run the fix on multiple machines, it’s easiest to use a batch file, as Steps 1 through 5 explain:

Step 1. Open Notepad (or any text editor).

Step 2. Copy and paste the following command lines into the Notepad window (the /s switch runs the commands silently, freeing you from having to press Enter after each line):

regsvr32 /s wuapi.dll
regsvr32 /s wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32 /s wuaueng.dll
regsvr32 /s wucltui.dll
regsvr32 /s wups2.dll
regsvr32 /s wups.dll
regsvr32 /s wuweb.dll

Step 3. Save the file to your desktop, using a .bat or .cmd extension.

Step 4. Double-click the icon of the .bat or .cmd file.

Step 5. A command window will open, run the commands, and then close.

The next time you visit the Windows Update site, you should not have any problem installing the latest patches.

This blog is brought to you by CLiCK Computer Recycling

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Have you ever wanted to have a DVD converter which ran on Windows, Linux and Mac? The answer is here

HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 converter, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows.

Supported sources:

• Any DVD-like source: VIDEO_TS folder, DVD image or real DVD (encrypted or unencrypted, but protection methods other than CSS are not supported and must be handled externally with third-party software)
• PAL or NTSC
• AC-3, LPCM or MPEG audio tracks

Outputs:

• File format: MP4, AVI or OGM
• Video: MPEG-4 or H.264 (1 or 2 passes or constant quantizer encoding)
• Audio: AAC, MP3, Vorbis or AC-3 pass-through (supports encoding of several audio tracks)

Misc features:

• Chapter selection
• Basic subtitle support (burned into the picture)
• Integrated bitrate calculator
• Picture deinterlacing, cropping and scaling
• Grayscale encoding

Credits

HandBrake uses a lot of (L)GPL librairies from the Linux world:

• liba52 (AC3 decoding)
• libavcodec (picture cropping, scaling and deinterlacing, MPEG-4 encoding)
• libdvdcss (CSS decryption)
• libdvdread (DVD navigation)
• libfaac (AAC encoding)
• libmp3lame (MP3 encoding)
• libmp4v2 (MP4 muxing)
• libmpeg2 (MPEG-2 decoding)
• libogg (OGM muxing)
• libsamplerate (audio resampling)
• libvorbis (Vorbis encoding)
• libx264 (H264 encoding)
• libxvidcore (MPEG-4 encoding)

Visit the HandBrake Download Page to Download

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Thanks to Phil at the Australian WebWorker I came a cross an interesting post calling for beta testers. The project called Whisher is hoping to set up a free global WiFi system using users existing WiFi hardware.

Whisher are asking for the beta testers to be:

• be knowledgeable in WiFi technologies and networking, we’re not asking for gurus, but we need people who know what an SSID is
• have at least one laptop computer with WiFi, be it a PC with Windows or a Mac. A desktop with a USB or PCI WiFi adapter is also good.
• have at least one WiFi access point or router, and be knowledgeable in its configuration and management.
• be willing to test a software application and report frequently and consistently using an online bug tracking platform (don’t worry, it’s dead easy to use!).

If you are interested in signing up to try this then feel free to visit their blog post calling for beta testers.

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HTTrack is a free (GPL, libre/free software) and easy-to-use offline browser utility.

It allows you to download a World Wide Web site from the Internet to a local directory, building recursively all directories, getting HTML, images, and other files from the server to your computer. HTTrack arranges the original site’s relative link-structure. Simply open a page of the “mirrored” website in your browser, and you can browse the site from link to link, as if you were viewing it online. HTTrack can also update an existing mirrored site, and resume interrupted downloads. HTTrack is fully configurable, and has an integrated help system.

WinHTTrack is the Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP release of HTTrack, and WebHTTrack the Linux/Unix/BSD release. See the download page.

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