Monthly Archives: March 2010

Remove “Show Passwords” button in firefox

Posted by on March 28, 2010 2 comments

Firefox is undoubtedly the best browser around. The Firefox team releases fixes as soon as a bug is reported. But there is a one security loophole that they have not fixed yet (probably because they dont consider it as a loophole).

There are many occassions when you choose to save the username and password in the browser itself. This can seem like a great time saver, which will prevent you from having to repeatedly type your passwords in to the sites which you visit regularly. After all, if you’ve invested in fast O2 broadband and the latest user software, you will probably be keen to have a smooth and straightforward online experience. However, using this feature is not without its risks. These passwords can easily be viewed by anyone whose use your browser by Tools > Options > Security Tab > Saved Passwords Button > Show Passwords… Voliaaa….There you see your precious passwords, that too in plain text (with no encryption whatsoever).

You can use a simple hack and get the ever-dangerous Show Passowords button removed from Firefox.

Open a text editor and paste the following text into a new file:

button#togglePasswords { display: none !important }

Save this text file as userChrome.css in the folder called chrome in your Firefox profile folder.

The Chrome folder is located:

* Linux users:

~/.mozilla/firefox/xxxxxxxx.default/chrome

*Windows XP / Vista users:

%APPDATA%MozillaFirefoxProfilesxxxxxxxx.defaultchrome

where xxxxxxxx is a random string in both cases.

Restart your browser and you will find that it the Show Passwords button has disappeared.

Search for Ebooks on Google more effectively with Advanced Google Search Operators

Posted by on March 20, 2010 No comments

Many times we have tried searching for pdf/chm books online and using our ordinary search queries, rarely give any results fast. But with a simple geeky search you can find what you want in first page of Google Search Result.

I am just giving the method and you can try and verify it yourself.

In the first case I am using just the Book Name as the search query in google.

In the second method instead of using just the Book Name, use the following query for searching in Google.

intitle:index.of chm|pdf <book name>
Results are incredibly different. Instead of being taken to their Website you can access their website just as you access various directories in your computer and download it at ease.

NB: Never use this method for downloading WAREZ from illegal websites. Hope you would use it right way.

In one of the following posts I will explain about the various Advanced Search Operators which can be used while searching on internet with Google.

View hidden passwords in a webpage using simple javascript code

Posted by on March 18, 2010 3 comments

Here you have a very simple javascript code that enables you to reveal typed-in or saved passwords in a webpage that are hidden under asterix.

This a cool code which unlike other password revealing softwares require no installation and can be typed in directly into the address bar of your web browser.

Copy the entire code as it is

javascript:(
function()
{
var F,f,i;
F = document.forms;
f = F[0];
for (i=0; i<f.length; ++i)
{
if (f[i].type.toLowerCase() == "password")
alert(f[i].value);
}
}
)
();


Checkout the following Screenshot


PS :

1.In line 7, it is F[0] (zero)

2.This will only work if you have not disabled javascript in your browser.

Differences between UNIX and Linux

Posted by on March 17, 2010 9 comments

We are very familiar with Linux and its relation with UNIX. But most us of don’t actually know what are differences between the two.
Linux is called Unix-like and is not a true Unix operating system. Linux is a Unix clone written from scratch by Linus Torvalds.
Unix is popular operating system, developed by AT&T in 1969 whereas Linux was first released in 1991. Note that the time difference between the introduction of the two is a long 22 yrs. It is a myth that Linux is a GUI for the UNIX core. However, GNOME and KDE are GUIs for GNU/Linux. UNIX is the foundation for a number of operating systems, with Linux being the most popular one.

1.DIFFERENT AT THEIR KERNEL LEVELS
UNIX kernel is not freely available. So a geek, named Linus Torvalds, at the age of 21 sat down and wrote a kernel right from scratch borrowing ideas from UNIX. This later came to be known as Linux Kernel which he licensed under the GPL (GNU General Public License). Linux kernel is freely available. Hence Linux is called UNIX-like. He later said in an interview that “This is the best thing I have done in my life”.

2.HARDWARE
Linux runs on many hardware platforms, including Intel x86 computers. On the other hand, UNIX is proprietary-hardware-bonded and this hardware is much more expensive than a typical PC.
Unix requires a more powerful hardware configuration. It will work in large mainframe computers but not in an x86 based personal computer. Linux will work on both a large mainframe computer and an x86 based personal computer.
Putting it in simple words, UNIX will not run in the normal desktops or laptops that most of us use.

3.LICENSE
Unix is a proprietary software and you would need to buy it if you want to use it.
GNU/Linux is licensed under the GPL (GNU General Public License) which is an open source license. This means that the kernel-code is available for anyone to use or change as long as the changes are again licensed under GPL.

4.LINUX – JUST A KERNEL & UNIX – A COMPLETE OS
Linux is just a kernel. All Linux distributions (Fedora,Ubuntu,OpenSUSE etc.) includes GUI system,GNU utilities and various other applications (such as OpenOffice, Firefox) and of course the kernel. It is the distributions that make Linux a complete, usable Operating System.
However, UNIX operating systems are considered as complete operating systems.

5.EASE OF USE
Linux was built with the common user in mind, therefore most Linux distributions provide users with a very capable GUI ( that also eats up a portion of the computer’s processing power). Owing to Linux’s flexibility, the GUI can be removed.

6.SUPPORT FOR FILESYSTEMS
Most commercial version of UNIX supports two, or possibly three, different local filesystem types. Linux, however, supports almost all of the filesystems that are currently available on any operating system.

SIMILARITIES

  • Both Linux and UNIX use same shells (eg. bash and korn).
  • Both are capable of using a command line and a GUI.
  • Linux is used in many applications that need to maintain up-time because Linux, like UNIX, can run for months at a time without rebooting. While the typical method of solving Microsoft problems is to “reboot”, that particular requirement does not seem to be appropriate in a Linux/Unix environment.

Appendix

Having said so much about kernel, let us see briefly what actually a kernel is.
Kernel is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. Its responsibilities include managing the system’s resources. Hence it forms the most vital part of an operating system.
A kernel has facilities to receive requests (eg.commands from user) and grant access to resources such as allocating space for a new file or creating a network connection (which mainly deals with hardware). Kernels use a system call (or syscall) interface to handshake with applications [Applications ==> syscall(INTERFACE) ==> Kernel]. At the user level the device details are not visible. The kernel recognizes what a device is (eg. I/O devices,RAM etc.) and how to communicate with it at the lowest level.
Generally, the boot loader starts executing the kernel in supervisor mode. The kernel then initializes itself and starts the first process. After this, the kernel does not typically execute directly, but only in response to external events (e.g., via system calls used by applications to request services from the kernel).

But no matter  what  OS you end up  using  in creating your websites, most likely, they  will be compatible with most of the hosting methods available

Encode Your Videos Using Your GPU

Posted by on March 16, 2010 No comments

Encoding videos has always been time consuming task. Time consumption has been so long because of the CPU’s inability to use its raw power for image processing, which has always been below par when compared to GPU. Traditionally the encoding was done by the CPU with playback assist from DirectX. But with the introduction of Nvidia’s CUDA and Ati’s Stream  parallel processing power video encoding wont be the lazy bit of task anymore. GPU video encoding not only reduces the load on the CPU but also reduces the time for encoding, since GPU is more powerful than the CPU for image processing. Reducing the CPU load makes it possible to all possible things along with the encoding processes which were unimaginable otherwise.

Even though transcoding Blu-ray movies isn’t exactly at the top of everyone’s list, but one can significantly reduce its size using H.264/x264. x264 is the new DivX and its usefulness extends far beyond just ripping HD movies. Its use isn’t going to increase unless encoding using the codec gets faster. Elemental Technologies has been working on a technology they called RapiHD, which is a GPU-accelerated H.264 video encoder. This is introduced in Nvidia’s CUDA.

Many Software’s are already in market capable of using this raw GPU power.

Some of them are

1)Badaboom: Badaboom is a blazingly fast media converter that formats video files for a variety of devices, including iPod, PSP, Blackberry, and YouTube, by using your system’s graphics processing unit (GPU). In a practice that used to take several hours, Badaboom converts feature-length movies in a matter of minutes while keeping the videos looking crisp and clear. By harnessing the power of NVIDIA CUDA-enabled GPUs, Badaboom offloads the CPU to allow users to continue browsing the Internet or checking email without decreased system performance, making transcoding high-quality video fast, easy, and painless. Have a look at it here.

2)ATI Avivo Video Converter: ATI Avivo Video Converter supports transcoding between H.264, VC-1, WMV9, WMV9 PMC, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX video formats, as well as formats used in iPod and PSP. Earlier versions of this software uses only the CPU for transcoding, but have been locked for exclusive use with the ATI X1000 series of GPUs. Software modifications have made it possible to use version 1.12 of converter on a wider range of graphics adapters. The ATI Avivo Video Converter with GPU transcoding acceleration is now also available for use with HD 4800 and HD 4600 series graphics cards and is included with the Catalyst 8.12 drivers. Support for Vista x64 is available via a separate download starting with Catalyst 9.6. The new software is faster than Badaboom, an encoder that uses NVIDIA’s CUDA to accelerate encoding, but has a higher CPU utilization than Badaboom.Have a look at it here.

3)CyberLink MediaShow Espresso: MediaShow Espresso’s support for NVIDIA® CUDA™ and ATI ® Stream™ technology delivers huge gains when transcoding high-definition video content. Delivering up to 10X FASTER performance, MediaShow Espresso leverages the power of the GPU to the maximum and produces faster results. With faster speeds for HD video transcoding, you’ll spend less time converting home videos to H.264, and more time enjoying your movie masterpieces. MediaShow Espresso allows the output of H.264 content for playback on PSP, iPod, iPhone and PS3 and a choice of video profiles for high quality or small file sizes.Have a look at it here.

Search man pages in linux for a particular word / command

Posted by on March 13, 2010 11 comments

Wikipedia defines man pages as “extensive documentation that comes preinstalled with almost all substantial Unix and Unix-like operating systems”. Just as the definition goes sometimes the documentation is so extensive that you are unable to find the data you need.

Actually it’s not a big deal to find a particular word. You would have noticed that the usual Ctrl+F won’t work here.

For finding a particular word just access the man pages by man command.

Then for finding a particular ‘word’ type /word followed by Enter.

Now the first word will be highlighted. For the finding the instances of that word in next pages of the man page press Space and the ‘word’ in the next page will be highlighted. That’s it.

This same method also  can also  be used in vi for searching words.

Here is an example.

3D modelling and animation with Open Source Software Blender

Posted by on March 10, 2010 No comments

If you are really interested in 3D animation do check this out  IllusionMage.com 3d Animation Click Here!

 

Do you think you could have created AVATAR if you don’t had to pay hefty sum for the licenses of Autodesk 3D max or the Adobe Creative Suite they may have used. Then here is Free and Open Source 3D content application for you. Yeah, it’s BLENDER 3D. (I know my earlier promise is a bit exaggeration)

Blender is a 3D content creation suite available free under the GNU General Public License. Blender is simply an incredible 3D modeling and animation program that provides you with everything for your own Pixar Movie. Blender is available for most of the Operating System used today. The interface though seem to be complicated actually provides more room for personalizing your interface compared to other usual commercial softwares. Don’t worry if you are not familar with this application. The Official Website of blender provides excellent tutorials for beginners in every aspects. The comparison of blender with other 3D applications can be found at CGS. Also don’t forget to check out these cool works done using Blender.


Installation of Blender in Ubuntu

In Ubuntu, Blender can be easily installed with the command

sudo apt-get install blender

Check out this short movie made with Blender

Kajimba – snippets from Kajimba on Vimeo.

Will The GPU Replace The CPU Or Will It Be The Other Way Around?

Posted by on March 9, 2010 3 comments

The Significance of GPU has sky rocked to a level that its even required for running an Operating System. Windows Vista made this impact and made GPU more significant, which was otherwise required for only gaming and video editing. Nowadays  every user not only looks at CPU and Memory configuration, the GPU is also considered with equally importance. Even thought  the use of dedicated GPU is limited its fast rising.

Intel’s plans to introduce its new architecture, Sandy Bridge, which has 2 integrated GPU’s and that run at about 1-1.4Ghz may be a challenge for the GPU developers. Even though  these may not seem so dangerous for now. Intel’s plans to improve it much higher grade in the future.

Intel wanted to  integrate all the computation into a single device which was the CPU. GPU was introduced to give some extra bandwidth for image processing. And now with the introduction of Intel’s Nehalam processor and GPGPU, things have have become a bit interesting for whom is to survive this race. GPU has replaced the CPU in many roles which was otherwise performed by the CPU. The power to price ratio of CPU is no where near that of the GPU, even though a GPU is capable of doing computation limited to vectors it may be such that such developments may significantly decrease the role of CPU to a drastic level. CPU will be limited to do just the basic computation purpose and the rest may be done by the GPU. There will be time when we may ask “Whats the specs of your GPU?”, instead of asking for the CPU.

It may seem clear to say that the GPU will rise over CPU, but Intel’s proposed new Larrabee architecture has raised hope for intel to power its graphic power and compete with the GPU vendors in the future. Its not a question of who will survive? But its a question who will dominate?


You may like this too
From Central-Processing on the CPU to Co-Processing on CPU & GPU with Nvidia’s CUDA Architecture.

Technical Procedure To Set Up the Virtual Supercomputer

Posted by on March 9, 2010 2 comments

Hope you have read about the Overview on setting up Virtual Computer Using Boinc.

So now I will explain the technical details behind setting up of a super computer in the academic campus.

There are four main steps involved in this:

  • Setting up a BOINC server.
  • Creating grid of trusted nodes.
  • Setting up volunteer computing segment.
  • Integration and Finalization.

    1) Setting up BOINC server:

    We need a server dedicated to manage the virtual super computer. Intel dual Xeon or AMD Opteron will be a nice choice. Internet connection should be reliable and server must have a static IP. At least 2 GB of RAM, and 40 GB of free disk space, UPS power supply, RAID disk configuration, hot-swappable spares, temperature-controlled machine room, etc and do everything  to make it secure. A midrange server computer like dell poweredge will do. Put the entire system behind a firewall. Switch of ports like ftp and telnet that are not in use.

    Software requirements:

    • VMware Player
    • BOINC Server Virtual Machine

    VMware Player is a freeware virtualization software product from VMware, Inc. (vmware.com). The player can run virtual machines, ie, it will create a virtual environment in the system. For example you can virtually run windows in Linux or vice versa provided you have appropriate virtual machines. You can download the BOINC server virtual machine from boinc.berkely.edu. Download and run the BOINC VM(847MB) in VMware player in the server to get started.

    So now that we have a server with BOINC virtual machine running on it, its time to move on to the grid creation part.

    2) Creating grid of trusted nodes

    Although BOINC was originally designed for volunteer computing, it can be configured to work for grid computing.

    The steps in creating a BOINC-based grid are:

    • Modify preferences of workunit (computation to be performed) from th BOINC server to disable redundant processing. Since a grid will contain only trusted nodes, redundancy is not necessary.
    • Create an account with the general preferences enforced for the desktop grid. Clients can be remotely monitored and controlled if necessary.
    • Configure project to disable account creation. New account creation is for the volunteer computing segment and we do not require it here.
    • Create a custom installer that includes the desired configuration files.
    • Deploy the installer in each system in the lab and other trusted computers.

    So now we have setup each the node in grid segment. Note that our Economic virtual campus supercomputing facility combines the benefits of both Desktop grid computing and volunteer computing. We connect the trusted systems (like lab) to the desktop grid part and other non trusted (student laptops and misc PCs) system to the volunteer computing segment. Now we move to setup the volunteer computing segment.

    3) Creating the volunteer computing segment

    As BOINC is specially designed for volunteer computing, much change is not necessary to be made to BOINC client.

    Following similar procedure setup another custom installer with

    • Account creation enabled
    • Redundancy set up to a desired value
    • Other preference parameters setup to suit specific needs.
    • Ask students and faculty to install this custom client.

    4) Integration and Finalization

    Connect systems to form, desktop grid. Let lab systems be ON whenever computing power is desired. Distribute the volunteer client to all non- trusted units in VCSF ( Eg: Student laptops). Let them connect when they power on their systems. The whole network is connected by wired or Wi-Fi LAN.

    THE CLIENT SIDE

    The volunteers who are ready to contribute to the project should be aware of their CPU usage of BOINC.

    First pic is the screen shot of CPU usage of my system before installing BOINC. The average CPU usage of your computer will be less than 20% approximate in windows vista and less than 5% in windows XP. Since this processor idle time is used for processing supercomputing tasks this will rise up.

    Second shows the CPU usage graph after installing BOINC.  You can notice that the CPU usage rise to 100%. I was contributing my CPU to SETI@home project, the search for extra terrestrial intelligence.

    Get ready for Next-Gen Controller free gaming with Project Natal

    Posted by on March 8, 2010 No comments

    Xbox 360 . Controller Free Gaming . Project Natal

    Don’t hesitate to play just because you are not familiar with your controllers. Do you have the real life experience in doing the same? Then that would be more than enough when the new revolutionary gaming technology codenamed Project NATAL is released by Microsoft. So rather than just playing FIFA with your controllers you could just get on to the field and start dribbling with your ball.

    When Tom Cruise aka John Anderton in the Minority Report used a computer by waving his hands in the air, the world never expected the creator behind this film Steven Spielberg has really got to do something with the new Controller Free Gaming. Now when Project Natal has been announced by Microsoft, reports have been confirmed that Steven Spielberg is being a part of it.

    The Next-Gen Controller Gaming Experience to be offered by Microsoft for Xbox 360 video game  platform. With Project Natal *addons* to your Xbox 360, you can just Fire at your enemy or Kick the ball without the need to touch the controllers. So it has got voice recognition, 3D motion capture and face recognition made possible with no hand held conrollers or wires. To be released as Christmas present for the Gamers from Microsoft, it has been one of the most widely awaited products of Microsoft. Steven Spielberg did meant it when he was quoted saying “This is a pivotal moment that will carry with it a wave of change, the ripples of which will reach far beyond video games”.

    Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts are just a few among the Top Game Creators who account for more than 70 percent of third-party software sales has accorded their support for this revolutionary gaming Technology.

    For more updates regarding Project Natal check out http://www.projectnatalgamer.com/