How to configure keyboard layouts in Unity, GNOME 3, KDE

It is not a secret that I am Russian living in the UK. Even if I was not leaving in the UK, being Russian means I need to type in Russian using Cyrillic alphabet. Also, I need to type in Latin (English) for blogging and other technical needs.

I have written quite a lot of reviews of different operating systems. While doing this, I always had a strategy in mind. The strategy covers a list of questions for the review, including ability to configure different keyboard layouts and a hotkey switch for them.

Now I plan to release a series of how-to articles covering configuration of multi-layout keyboards in Linux. It is obviously a task for the desktop environment in use for the particular Linux distribution. Let's starts with the obvious leaders in the Linux world.

In the future, we will also speak about Xfce, Cinnamon and MATE and also LXDE, Enlightenment, Openbox.

Another level taken: 900 subscribers

It was not that long, only in early July 2013 when the number of subscribers of Linux notes from DarkDuck blog reached the 700 mark.

Today I am happy to tell you that number of subscribers is more than 900! Another mark was passed in just 3 months time!

I think this is a great achievement for all of us, who like to use and popularize Linux.

Thank you to all my subscribers!

And don't forget, Facebook and Twitter accounts of Linux notes from DarkDuck are also active!

Is it time to betray?

I need to apologise before you start reading this post. It is neither about Linux, nor about Linux-run application. It is about software I use on my work laptop, which unfortunately has to be Windows-based. Although, the article relates to FOSS-world too.

And… It is very fuddy-duddy.

Patrick d'Emmabuntüs: Emmabuntüs is more than a Linux distribution

DarkDuck loves to interview different people in the Linux community. Especially if they are real developers of distributions, or take part in the development teams. Examples are Artyom Zorin, Anne Nicolas,  Eugeni Dodonov , Porteus Team, Robert Milasan and so on.

Today I am happy to introduce you a member of another team: Patrick from Emmabuntüs team.

How-to make hard-to-crack passwords you can easily remember

by Emery Fletcher

For better or worse – and more often worse – passwords are required to do a lot of things on the Internet and even in your home. For example, you need password for your Linux account or at least for root in your Linux installation.

At the same time, cracking passwords has never been easier. It's not just for experienced hackers any more: now even the general public can buy a ready-made cracking utility, or even download one free. There are even forums that give detailed instructions so you can learn how to use it. Some people have earned a lot of Bitcoins by sharing unused GPU/CPU cycles on their computers to crack passwords on a commercial basis.

One thing you can't do is create an unbreakable password. In principle, despite all the salting and hashing and encrypting you or a website enforces, any collection of symbols you use as the sole key for protecting your digital asset (computer, website, whatever) can eventually be discovered by a determined cracker with good resources and lots of time. The best you can do is make the cracker need huge resources and nearly-endless time – in short, make it so tough it just isn't worth the cracker's time.

(Pre-) order your own copy of Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu or Lubuntu 13.10

It's this time of year again...

With the coming release of next long-term support version of Ubuntu 13.10 just a month away, many of you already looking for downloading of your own ISO image of the system.
But many of you are not so lucky, and will need to wait longer, because you can not or do not want to create their own CDs with operating system images.
Here we are to help!
You can pre-order your own copy of Ubuntu 13.10 (or Xubuntu, or Lubuntu, or Kubuntu) right now. It means that a DVD with your favourite OS will be burnt to you as early as possible, and dispatched on the 17th of October, or soon after. Dispatched to anywhere in the world.
How you can get the DVD? Go to http://buylinuxcds.co.uk site, purchase the Ubuntu DVD from there, and in the PayPal comments state that you want version 13.10. If you want K-, L- or Xubuntu, state it also in the same comment. That's easy.

To help you even further, here is a mini-shop which you can use straight away. It supports PayPal checkout, similar to Buy Linux CDs site. And you even don't need a PayPal account to pay - you can do this with your credit a debit card!

UK (2.00 GBP): Ubuntu 13.10 pre-order (UK) Variation Ubuntu Kubuntu Xubuntu Lubuntu

USA (6.50 USD):

Ubuntu 13.10 pre-order (USA)
Variation Ubuntu Kubuntu Xubuntu Lubuntu

Other countries (4.50 GBP):

Ubuntu 13.10 pre-order (Other countries)
Variation Ubuntu Kubuntu Xubuntu Lubuntu

And yet another alternative: you can purchase the same disks via eBay.

I love GNOME 3 because...

James Knight

Yes, I really love GNOME 3!

It's pretty! Seriously, I'm clearly weird as the rest of the internet seems to hate it. But I like the font, I like the total lack of clutter with no dock/launcher.

The social media plugin is pretty handy so I don't have to keep Facebook open all the time. 

About the only thing that I've still to get used to after a month on Fedora 19 is the clock being in the top-middle of the screen, rather than the top-right which I'm used to in Ubuntu. 

Then again, I like Unity, so... I'm weird!

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This article by James Knight won the prize in the Desktop Environment articles contest which Linux notes from DarkDuck ran together with BuyLinuxCDs.co.uk site.