Firewall on Ubuntu

// I am currently using Ubuntu Hardy Heron on my machine and by default no firewall is set up by Ubuntu.  Luckily, it is really simple to set up and manage a firewall on Ubuntu. I have done some research,  I’ve found that technically speaking Ubuntu does include a firewall :- you could configure everything manually using iptables. However this is a tedious and complicated task. I prefer to have a GUI interface to easily configure the firewall.

After going through some discussion forums for about half an hour trying the best and easiest firewall,  I’ve got the choice between Firestarter and Lokkit, which are both easy to use, and requires very little understanding of firewalls to set up. The only problem with these two packages is that they provide few options, and it’s not a good choice if you want to set up a complex firewall. Anyway, I will go for Firestarter which has simple a GUI for Ubuntu iptables, not the firewall itself(as I said above) and of course it provides the necessary protection for my machine.

To install Firestarter:

Step 1. Open the terminal Applications > Accessories > Terminal and then type in
sudo apt-get install firestarter

enter your password. This will install Firestarter firewall on your machine, after installation , exit the terminal.

Step 2. Go to System > Administration > Firestarter

Step 3. The first time you open the application, Firestarter will walk you through a basic configuration wizard. Just enter the setting as shown in the pictures shown below:

Step 4. Click Save and you’re done! The installation is over.

The blue icon below will appear in the system tray after installation and when an intrusion is detected, it will turn red.

The menu where you can monitor programs which are currently using your internet connection.

Congratulations, You got a nice firewall GUI. You can now easily configure your firewall settings with Firestarter. Hope this helps. And for those who want to try the firewall Lokkit, you can start from here.

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Compiz Fusion on Ubuntu

// What is Compiz Fusion ? Compiz Fusion is a mixture of Beryl composite window manager and Compiz Extras. Compiz Fusion aims to provide an easy and fun-to-use windowed environment, allowing use of the graphics hardware to render each individual window and the entire screen, to provide some impressive effects, speed and usefulness.

By activating compiz fusion on Ubuntu, you will get effects like on windows vista, no i would say that the compiz fusion effects is thousand times better than vista. In this tutorial, i will explain how to activate this nice feature on Hardy Heron(Ubuntu 8.04).

1. Go to System > Preferences > Appearance, select the Visual Effects tab and then select Extra.

Note: In case you don’t have the necessary graphic driver on your system, Ubuntu will prompt you to install it, click Enable Driver, type in your password (if it prompt you for it) and Ubuntu will download and install it for you automatically. After you closed the window it will ask you to restart the computer go ahead and restart the computer.

2. There are two ways to install Compiz Fusion either by Terminal or with the Synaptic Package Manager.

Terminal Method:

3.1) Open the Terminal and type the following commands:

sudo aptitude install

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

OR Synaptic Package Manager Method:

3.1) Open the Synaptic Package Manager(System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager)

3.2) Use the search option and search for “compizconfig” (without the quotation marks)

3.3) In the results, select the package compizconfig-settings-manager. Then, click on it and select Mark for Installation.

3.4) Accept the dependencies by clicking Mark.

3.5) Then search for “emerald” for installation. Repeat the steps 3.2 to 3.4. When you finished, click on Apply

3.6) Ubuntu downloading the package

3.7) Finishing installation

4. This will add an entry to your System > Preferences menu listed as “Advanced Desktop Effects Settings”.

5. Go to System > Preferences > Advanced Desktop Effects Settings, the following box will pop up. From here you can play with the effects.

6. Effects Shortcut

SUPER+SHIFT+DRAG LEFT MOUSE = Draw fire
SUPER+SHIFT+C = Clear fire
CTRL+ALT+LEFT ARROW = Rotate cube
CTRL+ALT+DOWN ARROW = Flat desktop
SHIFT+ALT+UP = Initiate window picker
CTRL+ALT+DOWN = Unfold cube
ALT+TAB = Window switch
SUPER+TAB = Flip switcher or ring switcher, depending on which is enabled.
ALT+F7 = Initiate ‘move windows’
SHIFT+F9 = Water effect
SHIFT+F10 = Slow animations
CTRL+ALT+D = Show desktop

7. Some Desktop Effects

There are many more nice effects that you must try by yourself. This is a good and great boost for Ubuntu users. If you know others shortcuts, please share with us.

Intro to Linux

// Blogging starts on 26 May 2008 at 2:19 am (GMT+4). Hmm, this is my first post and i will start with a brief introduction of my favorite operating system which is Linux.

Linux is an operating system that was initially created as a hobby by a young student, Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki in Finland. The kernel, at the heart of all Linux systems, is developed and released under the GNU General Public License and its source code is freely available to everyone. It is this kernel that forms the base around which a Linux operating system is developed.

Apart from the fact that it’s freely distributed, Linux’s functionality, adaptability and robustness, has made it the main alternative for proprietary Unix and Microsoft operating systems. IBM, Hewlett-Packard and other giants of the computing world have embraced Linux and support its ongoing development. Well into its second decade of existence, Linux has been adopted worldwide primarily as a server platform. Its use as a home and office desktop operating system is also on the rise.

Linux has an official mascot, Tux, the Linux penguin, which was selected by Linus Torvalds to represent the image he associates with the operating system. Tux was created by Larry Ewing and Larry has generously given it to the community to be freely used to promote Linux. Many people are not sure of the pronunciation of the word Linux. Although many variations of the word exist, often due to native language factors, it is normally pronounced with a short ” i ” and with the first syllable stressed, as in LIH-nucks.