Happy Birthday to... DarkDuck

I am not the most modest person in this world.

That's why I will not hide from you the fact that I turned 37 today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Thanks to all my readers who continue to support me through all the years!

Zorin OS 8 Core Quick Screenshot Tour

Zorin OS is one of the Ubuntu derivatives that aims the fresh Linux converts. It allows you to start using Linux in the interface similar to Windows.

Zorin OS 8 was released on the 27th of January 2014. Let's have a quick screenshot tour on the features of Zorin OS 8 Core.
(Attention! Heavy graphics!)

How to configure keyboard layouts in LXDE (video)

I have recently written an article about configuring multiple keyboard layouts in different Linux desktop environments: LXDE, Openbox, Enlightenment.

That was a text version.

Today I will show you a video about keyboard layouts configuration in LXDE.

I hope you will enjoy!

The link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNP9J6i87Qs

When Jerry met Emma on the Ivory Coast

On Saturday July 27, 2013 a Jerry Marathon was held at the Attecoube community in the northern part of Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast.

The inhabitants of that community didn't ask to be told about that great event. Therefore more than the invited guests crowded the social center of Attecoube to see the principal guests who had created so much conversation.

Some came to touch them, others to take their pictures or to take pictures with them.

But who are the real Jerry and Emma?

Pre-order your personal copy of Mageia 4 DVD

You may be aware that the newest version of Mageia 4 will be released on the 1st of February 2014. I am happy tell you that pre-ordering of disks with this distribution is now open!

You can pre-order your own copy of Mageia 4 right now. It means that a DVD with your favourite OS will be burnt for you as early as possible, and dispatched on the day of release, or soon after. Dispatched to anywhere in the world.

How you can get the DVD? Go to http://buylinuxcds.co.uk site, purchase the Mageia DVD from there, and in the PayPal comments state that you want version 4. That's easy.

To help you even further, here is a mini-shop that 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! T&Cs from Buy Linux CDs site apply.

UK (2.00 GBP): Mageia 4 pre-order (UK) Variation GNOME KDE

USA (5.50 USD):

Mageia 4 pre-order (USA)
Variation GNOME KDE

Other countries (3.50 GBP):

Mageia 4 pre-order (Other countries)
Variation GNOME KDE

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

Great News from BuyLinuxCDs.co.uk

You probably know that BuyLinuxCDs.co.uk is a commercial arm of Linux notes from DarkDuck. This is a site where you can purchase disks with any Linux distribution of your choice, delivered straight to your mailbox anywhere in the world.

I am happy to bring you some happy news from that site. As of today, you can purchase CDs or DVDs with your favourite Linux distributions via http://buylinuxcds.co.uk even cheaper!

It means that disk with a Linux distribution of your choice with delivery to USA now costs only $5.50 instead of previous $6.50.
A disk a Linux distribution with delivery to any other country, except for USA or UK, will cost you only GBP 3.50 instead of GBP 4.50.
The price for UK customers remains the same - GBP 2.00.

The choice of available distributions is astonishingly vast. Check yourself! Even if you don't see the distribution in the list, you can request a disk via the contact form.

Hope you like this little New Year present from BuyLinuxCDs, even though it is a bit late.

I would appreciate if you spread the news to help your friends get the disks they want.

How to configure keyboard layouts in LXDE, Enlightenment, Openbox

I have written recently about multiple keyboard layout settings in different Desktop Environments. The first article was about Unity, KDE and GNOME3. The second part of series was about Xfce, Cinnamon and MATE. I also created video how-tos for this.

Today we will talk about less popular, still existing desktop environments: LXDE, Enlightenment and OpenBox.

Easy Steps to Build Your SMS Gateway in Linux

An SMS Gateway allows you to send and manage your messages from a computer or server (depending on the volume). It's a great option to set a Free SMS system for your business. For example, GMS Gateways like the ones offered by iQsim.com are reliable and flexible, and this means your text messages are sent more efficiently.

Since SMS Gateways are implemented to avoid higher costs and contracts with traditional telecom operators, their legality has been discussed around the world. For instance, a spokesperson from Ofcom, an independent telecom regulator from the UK states:

"An unsolicited marketing message that a subscriber has opted into receiving is one that they haveb not invited but they have indicated that they do not, for the time being, object to receiving it."

That being said, discretion is advised for sms campaigns, since saturating customers with random messages could minimize the reaching effect.

FrontlineSMS is one the most popular servers used in any of the Linux distributions. The software is free and it sends the messages via GSM modems, so the SMS termination rates depend on the standard plan of each provider. Frontline V1 is available for Linux, but the second version is only available in Beta. For more information on other commercial SMS Termination options click here.

Let's go through 3 simple steps to set the software up: