Your Debian / Ubuntu Linux box security depends upon access to system services (one of many aspects). For example, you may need to provide a web server (Apache service) to serve web pages. However, if you do not need use a service, you should always turn off all unused services to avoid exploits.

I've been using and advocating free software for around six years. When studying and then working as a freelance writer, migrating an office seemed so simple -- draw up a list of comparable programs and, over a reasonable period, move your staff across. But over the past few weeks I've been trying to use Ubuntu Gutsy on my desktop PC in a Windows-based office, and whilst most things work just fine, it's far from the seamless integration I was hoping for.

A friend had an interesting problem for me to solve; he wanted to know how to turn off his laptop’s monitor without shutting down the system or waiting for it to go off. He wanted to leave it working during the night on the desk in his room, without the light from the LCD bothering him while he slept.

This new release of URandR will finally allow you to save your settings without touching your xorg.conf (except for the virtual resolution).

Ubuntu (and its variants Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Fluxbuntu) have made Linux more accessible to the big public, as it has brought both ease of use and eye-candy as well as security and ease of installing programs.
The users of Ubuntu have a big range of software to choose and install, but it's hard to choose what software is the best for your needs.

My Ubuntu used to start really slowly, even more slowly than my former XP. It was not really a problem except on the mornings when I wanted to surf while eating my breakfast. I was finished with it when my laptop was finally ready to be used. So I thought that there has to be a way to make it faster. After a little research I learned that it was not even hard to do. I gave it a try and now this machine starts a lot faster. Whoa! Totally worth it.

It may seem easy for some, but for others, installing MySQL on Ubuntu or Debian Linux is not an easy task. This article explains to you how to install the MySQL Server and Client packages on a Ubuntu/Debian system.

The AptURL Protocol Handler is a program that handles special URLs for installing packages. This means that special links in web pages can install software. Ubuntu 7.10 has AptURL installed by default. Installing applications does not get any easier than this.

The KDE Education Project is developing high-quality software for the K Desktop Environment. Its primary focus is on schoolchildren aged 3 to 18, and the specialized user interface needs of young users. Several programs were also made to aid teachers in planning lessons, and others that are of interest to university students and anyone else with a desire to learn.

Ubuntu-based distribution and live CD focused upon setting up a standalone MythTV system similar to KnoppMyth or Mythdora. It can be used to install a standalone frontend, backend, or combination machines. Mythbuntu uses Xfce as its default desktop and provides a graphical Control Centre to configure the system.

Linux has plenty of powerful encryption software, but what can you use if you just want to secure a couple files quickly? The OpenSSL toolkit works well for this. It comes installed with Ubuntu and can provide stronger encryption than you would ever need.

I wanted to recover data from a failing hard drive, and asked on IRC if any good tools existed for Ubuntu. Someone pointed me towards GNU ddrescue (named gddrescue in Debian and Ubuntu), which is designed for rescuing data from any file or block device.

The latest version of OpenOffice.org is now available using a browser with a single click of a mouse, with no download or installation process ('no install') of the productivity suite required. This new service by Ulteo offers many benefits for users of the productivity suite, and has been well received by early beta users across Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems.

Mozilla promises big security strides in the upcoming release of Firefox 3, including access to a Google's database of malware-laced Web sites and a warning system that will alert users who are about to visit them. IT security professionals who have experimented with the latest beta say tweaks are needed but that the overall changes look promising.

One of the hottest new technologies for servers is virtualization, which allows you to install multiple instances of one or more operating systems on one machine. This is ideal especially for servers with a low average load because, instead of configuring a separate physical box for every single instance of an operating system you need, you just run multiple instances of one or more operating systems on one machine.

Every couple of years, someone compiles a list of programs that GNU/Linux needs to compete on the desktop. For example, in early 2006, Novell conducted a survey of the applications that people most wanted ported to the platform.

I don’t know about you guys, but I often found myself in front of a login screen, almost hitting my head against the screen because i couldn’t remember either the username or the password or both. Sometimes even the website address. I wouldn’t much on it but I guess lots of people went through the same experience, some more often then others. Fortunately for us, the guys with this problem, there’s a solution (isn’t there always?) and it’s called Revelation.

Welcome to the last part of our Linux media player roundup. Today we'll be covering VLC, XMMS, Xfmedia, Xine and one more previously missed media player, the "Listen Media Player". But even though this is our last part, we still hope you enjoy what we have to offer you here and that you've enjoyed the series so far. So, without further delay, let's dive into part 7 and see what each of these players can offer you!

t's good news, bad news situation when it comes to Adobe's new Flash player for Linux:

Publishr is a quite useful GIMP plugin. With Publishr, you can directly upload images to Flickr and Picasaweb from GIMP. The latest version of Publishr is 0.2. You can download it at here.

I’m a big fan of Linux and Open Source. I abandoned Windows back in January, and haven’t looked back since. In fact, the only machine running Windows in this entire house is the acting-HTPC, due to having an ancient graphics adapter that refuses to display through TV-out under Linux. Whenever that gets upgraded, Mythbuntu will be the OS of choice there.

But there’s one area that seems to keep annoying me within the Open Source-community. That particular area is the area of MP3/Media-players. I don’t have very high demands as far as playing movies go, but I do have some fairly specific wishes when it comes to playing my MP3’s.

Ubuntu has caused GNU/Linux based operating systems to have many reviews recently, most concentrating on the more flashy parts such as the infamous rotating cube or wobbly windows provided by compiz fusion, rather than the things that actually make it such a enjoyable operating system to use.

Question: I recently made the switch from Windows to the Linux distro Ubuntu 7.10. Most things are working well but one thing that I can't get working is YouTube in Firefox. Any ideas?

Nemo is the latest effort to provide a new paradigm for file managers. Its approach, at least in its first early development release, is to combine file management with calendar views. Questions remain, however, about whether the concept will scale, and whether it is an improvement on traditional file managers, or simply different.

In the past, I have been particularly hard on KINO and its choice of UI schemes. However, one thing I really appreciate is despite KDENLive 0.4 and 0.5/0.6 crashes and other mindless anomalies, it works.