Category: Ubuntu

Living with Linux offline and blogging about it!

Paul

No time to be offline!

Hey Let’s face it, I am more and more wanting to blog. It is however quite hard to do that while traveling or when I have family. So I been curious as to how to do that. As you know I’ve been using Linux more and more. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The only problem sometimes is I didn’t have a internet connection and I know myself, that can be quite hard to write blog post. So I went searching around to see if I can blog offline. I found some great little programs that will do it easily in Linux.

Blogging Offline, Didn’t know you could do that?

If your like me, you probably think you have to be online all the time. I am just glad that I found a program that will do me everything that I wanted to do with blogging and publishing my posts. I hate those times when I do not have access to an internet connection and I have something that I want to write. I didn’t know you could blog offline either, but as I was wanting to delve more and more into Linux, I am steadily making Kubuntu my home away from Windows. I’ve always been fascinated with writing and Linux in general so that is why I am leaning more and more on teaching others about the Operating System.

Some programs that you should check out:

  • Blogilo — This is the one that I am using with WordPress right now and it seems to work really well. I’m really impressed with the software and I think they are making some great strides with offline blogging.
  • blogGtk — Looks good but have not actually tested this one out. I will install it later on but the screen shots don’t look anything like Blogilo and even then It looks somewhat the same. I guess I could live with any blogging software but right now I am loving Blogilo.
  • Gnome blog editor — This one looks to be for Gnome projects but does look promising even though I am using KDE. I don’t know anything more than that, I might also try that one out just for kicks.

As you can see these are just a Few of blogging tools that the Open source community has created to better fasciliate and make blogging just that much easier!

How do I add links?

There are definately several ways to add links. I will give you a few ideas and let you come up with your own way to help you blog offline.

  • Automatic Seo Links plugin — Great little plugin for the simplest of things. The little plugin will allow you to automatically associate any keyword with an URL. So if I were to tell you about Linux, it would automatically link to a website. This is quite handy and have it used it in the past. You should look into it if you have a wordpress blog.
  • Blogilo — Download you most recent blog post and you will already have links available to keep your readers on your site longer and encourage them to stay on your site.
  • Put the links in when your online — This is also something that is very useful because if your like me, you sometimes can’t think of the links but know that if you had internet access you could easily find them. So before you post with Blogilo, just go through the post and put those link in there when your ready.

I hope these help you create even better blog and allow yourself time to be offline. I really am enjoying Linux and how open the community is. Hope to see you soon!!

Keep It Real!

Paul Sylvester

Backing up in Linux is so easy!

Paul

Why Do I need to back up in Linux?

This is something near and dear to my heart because of just how important it is to back up you important data.  I’ve already talked about backup before but I never really thought about back up for Linux until recently.  Let’s face it when you came to Linux, you probably didn’t think you would need to back but you really do.   I learned the hard way on this.   My Story so others can learn from my mistake, I have been working on a big database for to keep track of who comes in and what they usually order but I had a problem today, and thought I had backed up my database before I re-installed the Linux distro.   In reality, I didn’t actually.   I wasn’t happy when I found out that the Database wasn’t their after I had wiped the drive and re-installed.

Are you ready for a Disaster?

I ask that because I know I wasn’t ready and I know most of you are probably the same way.   You probably didn’t even think about backing up in Linux.   I am not really worried about backing up the distro but to back up the important data.   I wanted to share some of them with you and so you can update yours accordingly.   So here are a few good Ubuntu/Kubuntu back programs:

  • KBackup — This is the one that I am using right now but will be looking for a way to do offline back up in the cloud. (apt-get install KBackup)

  • Simple Backup Solutions — Another one that I have found that will be playing with later on this month.  (apt-get install simplebackup)

  • fwbackups — This is one of the more easier backup programs, that can do single and scheduled backups.   This might be the one for me but only time will tell.  (apt-get install fwbackups)

  • Amanda — If your have several different clients who need to have offsite backups this would be one way to do.   Allows you to have mulitple backups to a single server.   This might be good for my clients, will have to look into this one.

  • And more . . . . . .

There are even more out there but these are the ones that interest me and I thought they would interest your also.    I will look online for some cloud storage later on this week.   You should always have more than one backup plan.   I always like the Rule of 3’s when it comes to backup:

  1. In the Home

  2. A pen drive

  3. Off site

It’s time to change

If you haven’t already started a backup plan for your Linux machine, it is always time to change.   You probably have something you want to keep and not lose.   You could have Pictures, documents, and client information that you need later on.   So what are you waiting for?

I’m backing up Now!!

Paul Sylvester

Related articles

With Linux, All you Really need is Google!

Paul5 Replies

Linux can keep you sane!

I don’t say that lightly because today, I was going to use Linux and all of the sudden I couldn’t get past the Kubuntu splash screen.   It would just hang their not doing anything else.   I didn’t know what was going on, if you have seen the look on my face you would of know I was scratching my head.   The obvious question though is what happened, that I was asking myself.   This isn’t something that I am new at, but it was something I’ve never dealt with because when I was using Linux in the past it was always for leisure and not something that I used regularly.   Now that being said, I have begun to use KDE and Ubuntu more and more.   I find the open source community really intriguing and I am wanting to learn.

Keywords are the key!

When you have a problem with Linux, all you really need to put the right description of the problem into Google,  and you’ll find the answer eventually.  Now I won’t say this hasn’t been a learning experience, because recently I bought a book to better help me to learn more about Kubuntu and Ubuntu called “Beginning Ubuntu Linux“, So I will be reading up on how to handle the operating system more and more and being able in the future to help others with the same problem.   If you haven’t gotten a book, I’d start there like I am.   I will do a review of the book later on when I get done reading it from cover to cover but for right now it will be a handy tool.

Solution to my Problem!

This solution that I will be talking about might not work with you but at least it will point you in the right if doesn’t work.  I first searched several different forums, the Ubuntu Forum and the Kubuntu Forums for the answer using Google I might say.  After much searching I found a topic about updating and Graphics stop working and talking about the xorg not starting.  Which in turns lead me into the other topic Just Updated, Graphics have stopped working and thus lead me it how to fix my problem without having to wait till I could get a Pendrive from my house to fix the problem.  If you are looking for the solution here it is:

Go into Recover Mode

Go into the Terminal — I couldn’t even boot into the GUI safe mode
apt-get remove xorg-driver-fglrx

That wasn’t all I did, I also did

apt-get autoremove

This was just in case I missed something.

I was messing around with fixing the KDE4D bug where it would freeze up everytime I would disconnect from the VPN and so I edited the

sudo nano /usr/share/kde4/services/kded/networkstatus.desktop

I then changed the true to the false

X-KDE-Kded-autoload=false
X-KDE-Kded-load-on-demand=false

I thought that might also be the problem so I changed that back to true.   Any ways, after I did all that, I got my Kubuntu to come back to life.   I don’t know necessary understand what happened but I did fix it.   I did however find a good work around for that bug for the time being.   Just install KNetworkManager and it will automatically remove the plasma-widget-networkmanagement. So Now I don’t have to worry about the system locking up and not being able to do anything.   I do hope they fix the Plasma problem in the coming updates but I will just have to wait see.

Go Linux

Paul Sylvester

Related articles

Adobe PDF Zero Day Warnings : Experts agree

Paul

All the Security experts online are talking about The 2 Zero Day Adobe Vulnerabilities:

[ad#cricket-right-ez]As you can see this seems to be one of those Adobe problems we had in the past with [intlink id=”2963″ type=”post”]Javascript[/intlink].   They seem to be having a major problem with Javascript vulnerability and the old saying is to just to disable Javascript in PDF’S again.   Adobe is calling this a Potential Adobe Reader issue and is suggesting that the users disable Javascript until this is fixed with a security update.

This is mostly affect the corporate world more than the private sector because of the fact corporate world will use PDF by sending them through emails.   I suggest installing another reader and these are all free.

Be advised the vulnerabilities affects Linux, Windows, and Macintosh systems.  This will most likely mean that even Macintoshes could be used to [intlink id=”2173″ type=”post”]create even more botnets[/intlink] and will need to disable there Javascript until this issue is fixed or maybe they would like to find another reader themselves.  This also goes for Linux users but I have not heard of anything in the wild yet.

Don’t forget to install some [intlink id=”2205″ type=”page”]free Anti-virus and Free Firewalls[/intlink] to help protect your system from becoming a botnet.

Undeleting the Recycle Bin in Vista!!

Paul1 Reply

Having been using Windows Vista there are some things you must remember with Vista.  You can easily delete the recycle bin or even the Compuer icon with much thought.  I recently had a problem with that.  My son wanted to play on my computer and hit the delete key and hit enter.  So there I was without a recycle bin.  Thanks to a little figuring out, I’ve come to understand that it is just as easy to put back the icon.  Unlike Ubuntu and other linux distros if you delete the recycle bin, you have to go through some hoops.  I know I have used them in the past.  So let’s start out with what vista says when you try to delete the recycle bin.

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There it says you must go to the personalization menu to fix that.  Ok so I go there and then I would need to click this:

You would have to click on “Change Desktop Icons” and then you are almost home.  Here is where you have some choices.

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You will need to put a check mark in the “Recycle Bin” box and you are set to go off and do other wonderful stuff.  if you are like me and you want to have network icons and computer icons on your desktop well check those off too.  The Computer icon is useful if you need to get to the hard drive.  The network is useful if you want to get out to your local network. I should also mention the control panel, that can be useful from time to time so it is all about what you want to make space be like.  You want to have it neat and spacious then you wouldn’t want to clutter your desktop if you want several programs at your fingertips then yes do what you want.  I’ve recently discovered how useful it is to have a clean desktop.  Don’t know why but I’ve begun to work on keep my screen desktop organized.

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