There are so many Linux distributions out there it’s dizzying. Some are simply respins of various base distributions with a different theme or maybe one or two specific applications thrown in for good measure. Sometimes it’s hard to reason why someone actually created a new distribution because there’s so closely resembles the distribution they used [...]
Microsoft OffVis, Office Visualization Tool
OffVis, the Microsoft Office Visualization Tool, has been designed to visualize the binary file formats doc, xls or ppt. While it has been primarily created for IT professionals and security researchers, it can have its uses for less tech savvy or security interested Office users. The software requires the Microsoft .net Framework 2.0, but has [...]
Firefox 4 To Get Silent Security Updates
A recent discussion in the mozilla.dev.apps.firefox Usenet group revealed that the developers of the popular Firefox web browser are planning to implement silent updating capabilities for minor (that is security and stability updates) updates into the browser. The basic idea is to install security and stability related updates silently in the background, and major updates [...]
Troubled iPhone Chief leaves Apple
The iPhone 4 has not been a phone launch without controversy, namely the Antennagate scandal. Now Mark Papermaster, the executive in charge of engineering at the Cupertino company, has left only weeks later. Apple has refused to comment on his departure by a source told the New York Times that he had been “pushed out over [...]
Use Top Shelf to keep track of what you are working on
As a writer one of the most important things for me is to keep organized. This may seem like a fairly simple task, but when you are doing everything from researching a topic to piecing together a much larger work, having fast access to all of the particular documents you are working on can make [...]
Similar Web For Firefox, Finds Related Websites
The chance is high that you know and visit several websites of a specific niche that you are interested in. If you know Ghacks for instance, you may also know Freeware Genius, Make Use Of, Lifehacker or Download Squad. But sometimes sites slip just past you, and you do not know what you are missing [...]
RIM may yet avert Saudi Blackberry ban
Research in Motion’s Blackberry devices have been causing all sorts of controversy in the middle-east in recent months with countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE threatening to block all data delivery to the devices. The reason for this is that the data is filtered therough RIM’s servers, which are outside of those countries [...]
Automatic Album Cover Tool
Adding album covers to mp3 files can be helpful for identification purposes. Some music applications and mp3 players offer modes to flip through the music collection by album cover for instance, and a mp3 collection with many missing covers reduces the user’s experience. Getting the cover artwork in the files is however not always as [...]
Let Cairo-Dock be your Linux desktop dock
I’ve covered a number of desktop enhancements here on Ghacks. You’ve see my coverage of Avant Window Navigator (see my article “Avant Window Navigator: OS X-like dock on Linux“) as well as Docky (see my article “Docky: Another OS X-like Dock“). Both of those applications are solid additions to the Linux desktop, but both of [...]