A popular method of connecting to Linux Machine is via SSH (Secure Shell). This protocol of exchanging data over secure channel [1]. The beauty of this channel is that it could easily be extended to provide other facilities like SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) or SCP (Secure Copy). One could get hold to a host of small applications from www.ssh.com [2]. Another method to use is VNC (Virtual Network Computing) [3]. Its a desktop sharing method and uses remote frame buffer protocol. The VNC alternative to using Linux over Windows can be used to enjoy Linux while still using Windows distribution. The only constraint is that one has to use an extra machine for Linux but the fact that we don't need to use any monitor, keyboard or mouse with it helps in both ease of use as well as house keeping (tuck away the Linux box under any table in your office and no one will know it exists).  The key to this idea are two simple commands on the two operating systems. Linux Box Step 1: Run ...

Browsing through google results for installing the latest release of Firefox 3.6 and Ubuntu 9.10 seems to be a headache. While it is extremely simple to install. Just go to the www.firefox.com and click install. Go through the motions of downloading and clicking the downloaded archive tar.  Simple is not it !

  ⚠️ Update (2026) This article was originally written several years ago and uses older 32-bit Linux assembly methods. While the concepts are still useful for learning, modern Linux systems now use 64-bit architecture by default, and some commands shown below may no longer work as expected.  ✅ Recommended Modern Approach * Use **64-bit assembly (`elf64`)** * Use **`syscall` instead of `int 0x80`**I * Use registers like `rax`, `rdi`, `rsi`, `rdx` 🔧 Quick Working Example (64-bit) ``` section .data     msg db "Hello, world!", 10     len equ $ - msg section .text     global _start _start:     mov rax, 1     mov rdi, 1     mov rsi, msg     mov rdx, len     syscall     mov rax, 60     xor rdi, rdi     syscall ``` 🛠 Compile & Run ``` nasm -f elf64 hello.asm -o hello.o ld hello.o -o hello ./hello ``` --- 📌 Note The original content below is kept unchanged for reference ...

 Ruby the pinnacle of OOP a language described as more object oriented than Python and more powerful than Perl by its creator Yukihiro Maksumoto. I set out to test it on my Ubuntu 9.10. Given ubuntu's excellent support and repositiories no wonder not only ruby but also ruby on rails was available in the respositories. I just had to shoot out the following commands. Installation $ sudo apt-get install ruby-full build-essentials $ sudo apt-get install rails $ sudo apt-get install vim-ruby $ sudo apt-get install vim-rails The same could be accomplished via the synaptic package manager in a more graphical environment by selecting System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager. Then searching for the packages ruby and rails and selecting both and clicking "Apply". Soon after installation I went ahead and wrote the following program to test the ruby language.  The benefit of installing vim-ruby and vim-rails is that it helps in using vi with syntax highligh...

Realized my Hardy (8.04) on the desktop needs upgrading finally. Even though I had decided not to upgrade it until an LTS (Long Term Support) Ubuntu is released. Upgrading from Hardy (8.04)  to Karmic Koala (9.10) is not directly supported so the logical path is to do the following upgrades. Step 1. Hardy (8.04) to Intrepid Ibex (8.10) Step 2. Intrepid Ibex (8.10) to Jaunty Jackalope (9.04) Step 3. Jaunty Jackalope (9.04) to Karmic Koala (9.10) Each step follows similar pattern. $ sudo do-release-upgrade The same could be done via the graphical user interface (GUI) by selecting System ->Administration -> Software Sources , select Updates Tab and from release upgrade combo select  "Normal Releases". Then select System ->Administration -> Update Manager. This is followed by countless mega bytes of download and hope that net keeps connected all along.

The selection of editor and choice of editors is something Windows users cannot imagine let alone comprehend. Windows comes with at most two text editors and one word processor. Notepad and Wordpad come under the heading of text editors. Wordpad is quite useful in this respect and notepad is very handy. However if one wishes to do any advanced word processing one has to shift to Microsoft Word. No doubt various text editors like TextPad, Emacs for Windows , Vi for windows are available to download. Linux flavors be it FreeBSD, Ubuntu, Solaris, Red Hat,Gentoo or countless others come with host of editors for text editing. What are the features one loves to have in a text editor F-01. EASE of use F-02. EASE of scrolling/ searching text F-03. EASE of editing text F-04 Language syntax highlighting / command menu F-01 EASE of use The best for satisfying F-01 is nano. The reason is that most of the command are very easy to remember moreover the commands mostly needed are continuousl...

Installing FreeBSD on top of XP via VMware Player. The experience is pretty nice until now. Installation steps were pretty simple. 1. Downloaded FreeBSD ISO from the website (http://www.freebsd.org/where.html) 2. Then installed the ISO via VMware Player The first reboot led me to a prompt $ and ability to run various commands. The next step is to install KDE. Started off installing KDE by executing the following command (make install clean) on the command line in the directory (/usr/ports/x11/kde4/). this led to downloading the kde from internet. Then since no proxy was setup therefore an error was encountered. This was solved by setenv http_proxy http://myproxyaddress:8080 . The command line came up easily the only problem was that KDE failed to install and gave the error "undefined reference to vtable projectbuildermakefilegenerator". Trying to figure out what to do with this error. Tried to google, rebuild ports, reload ports and lets see what happens. But overall...

One of the classic debates amongst linux geeks is whether Vi is better than emacs and vice versa. I have used all three and personally I like nano. The reason is not functionality richness or any other performance metric but simply the fact that I had been using PICO (Pine Composer) for a long long time roughly five years. Pico was first developed in University of Washington and came along side the famous email program pine (Program for Internet News and Email). The skills developed while using pine to quickly check email and reply via pico have been instrumental in developing this skill set. I performed my data structures, operating systems and networking lab coding in the same pico editor and this lead to my constant hookup with pico. GNU's clone for pico is nano and this does not let me use vi and /or emacs. Even though vi is supremely more effective and productive than nano but history is on nano's side.

Last Summer I taught Data Structures and found it to be hardest subject to teach. Before teaching data structures I had either come across freshmen or handled mature students of final year or second half of third year. That was the first time I encountered students of second year (of course I teach Discrete Maths to second year students but that's completely new course) and had to teach them a course which strongly relied on concepts built in the previous course. Artificial Intelligence and elective courses mostly have their own pace and agenda therefore not hard to teach. I am going to teach Operating Systems for the second time. Teaching Operating Systems from Tanenbaum's Modern Operating Systems looks like a cake walk for the teacher but a bed of thorns for the students. The question is how to make it further interesting? The alternate is to use Tanenbaum's book Operating Systems Design and Implementation. This would be complimented by MINIX OS developed by Tanenbaum. ...

Recently I got a recommendation to use VMware Player to install linux. Ever since it has grown on me. I have install Ubuntu 9.10, edUbuntu, Ubuntu 7.10 and Gentoo. Especially the way it dynamically uses memory instead of reserving bulk of memory space. If i were to actually partition the hard disk and install all these OS I would have had to give up somewhere between 3GB ~ 30 GB. But now I am only using 11 GB of space. Apart from this benefit another amazing feature is that a separate IP address is available (even when connecting to a DHCP Server). This is not only keeps it clean and simple but also allows interaction with the guest OS via network interface. Another interesting feature is the automatic restoration of the virtual machine state. This feature comes especially handy when dealing with power failures or unintentional closing of the window. The installation steps are pretty much simple. 1. Install VMware Player from the website (http://www.vmware.com/products/player/). ...