I noticed just now that Tech Source From Bohol is already 1 year old. Time really flies so fast. I started posting here on July 30, 2007, and I've never stopped since then.

With this, I would like to thank our billions of loyal readers (hehe), and for those who participated and shared their views through comments. I would also like to thank those who have spread the words and lead people to visit this humble blog. I hope I have not only entertained you with my writings but have also helped and improved at least some of you in one way or another.

Thank you once again, and I hope you will join me once more for another year of my life's digital journey.

-jun

Managing e-mail is made easy with the use of e-mail client, also known as e-mail reader. Some e-mail clients can also function as feed reader and can support plug-ins and themes.

Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird is my favorite e-mail and news client. I love it for its speed and simplicity, and for its all important features like:

*Message management - Thunderbird can manage multiple e-mail, newsgroup and RSS accounts and supports multiple identities within accounts;
*Junk filtering - Thunderbird incorporates a Bayesian spam filter, a whitelist based on the included address book, and can also understand classifications by server-based filters such as SpamAssassin.
*Standards support - Thunderbird supports POP and IMAP. It also supports LDAP address completion. The built-in RSS/Atom reader can also be used as a simple news aggregator.
*Security - Thunderbird provides enterprise and government-grade security features such as SSL/TLS connections to IMAP and SMTP servers.
*Extensions
*Themes


Evolution
Evolution combines e-mail, calendar, address book, and task list management functions. It has been an official part of GNOME and its development is sponsored primarily by Novell.

Its user interface and functionality are similar to Microsoft Outlook. It has some distinguishing features: iCalendar support, full-text indexing of all incoming mail, powerful email filters writable in Scheme, and a "Search Folders" feature (i.e., saved searches that look like normal mail folders).

Evolution can be connected to a Microsoft Exchange Server using its web interface and an Evolution add-on formerly called Ximian Connector. Using gnome-pilot, it may be synchronized with Palm Pilot devices, and OpenSync enables it to be synchronized with mobile phones and other PDAs.


KMail
KMail is the e-mail client of the KDE desktop environment. It supports folders, filtering, viewing HTML mail, and international character sets. It can handle IMAP, dIMAP, POP3, and local mailboxes for incoming mail. It can send mail via SMTP or sendmail. KMail allows manual filtering of spam directly on the mail server, a very interesting feature for dial-up users. Emails that exceed some threshold size (standard is 50 kb, but it may be set any value) are not automatically copied to the local computer. With "get, decide later, delete" options, KMail lists them but does not download the whole message, which allows the deletion of spam and over-sized messages without wasting time.


Mutt
Mutt is a text-based e-mail client for Unix-like systems. It was originally written by Michael Elkins in 1995 and released under the GNU General Public License.

Mutt is a pure Mail User Agent (MUA) and cannot send e-mail in isolation. To do this, it needs to communicate with a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) using, for example, the common Unix sendmail interface. More recently, SMTP support has been added. It also relies on external tools for composing and filtering messages. Also in latest Mutt versions you can use smtp_url config vars to send your mail directly from Mutt.

The mutt slogan is "All mail clients suck. This one just sucks less". The authors of mutt claim that while all e-mail clients are flawed, mutt has fewer flaws than any of the competition.


Alpine
Alpine, the replacement of Pine, is a fast, easy to use email client based on the Pine Message System. Alpine boasts that it is suitable for both inexperienced email users and the most demanding of power users. Alpine is developed at the University of Washington, as was Pine before it. Alpine can be learned by exploration and the use of context-sensitive help. The user interface is highly customizable.


Balsa
Balsa is a lightweight e-mail client for GNOME. It has a graphical front end, support for MIME attachments coming and going, directly supports POP3 and IMAP protocols. It has a spell checker and direct support for PGP and GPG for encryption. It has some basic filtering capabilities, and natively supports several e-mail storage protocols. It also has some internationalization support, including Japanese fonts.

Balsa builds on top of these other open source packages: GNOME, libtool, libESMTP, aspell, and gmime. It also can optionally use libgtkhtml for HTML rendering, libkrb5 for GSS, and openldap for LDAP functionality. It can optionally be configured to use gpg-error and gpgme libraries.


Claws Mail
Claws Mail, (formerly known as Sylpheed-Claws), is a GTK+-based e-mail client and news client for Linux. It started in April 2001 as the development version of Sylpheed, where new features could be tested and debugged, but evolved enough to now be a completely separate program. It forked from Sylpheed in August 2005.

Claws Mail provides the following features:

* Search and filtering
* Security (GPG, SSL, anti-phishing)
* Import/export from standard formats
* External editor
* Templates
* Foldable quotes
* Per-folder preferences
* Face, X-Face support
* Customisable toolbars
* Themes support
* Plugins


Gnus
Gnus is a message reader running under GNU Emacs and XEmacs. It supports reading and composing both news and e-mail.

Some Gnus features:

* simple or advanced mail splitting (automatic sorting of incoming mail to user-defined groups)
* incoming mail can be set to expire instead of just plain deletion
* custom posting styles (eg. From address, .signature etc) for each group
* virtual groups (e.g., directory on the computer can be read as a group)
* an advanced message scoring system
* user-defined hooks for almost any method (in emacs lisp)
* many of the parameters (e.g., expiration, posting style) can be specified individually for all of the groups

A few months ago, I wrote a review of Ubuntu Muslim Edition. --I gave it positive remarks as it is truly deserving to be praised. However, some readers have an issue with the Muslim Edition of Ubuntu and Linux in general that fueled a heated discussion. And since religion is involved, it started a never ending debate.

I'll highlight some of the interesting comments that I have received from that said review, and since I wasn't able to find some time to respond, I'll take this opportunity to answer some of those comments here.

While Shaheed has a good point, I still think that it's important to have a customized distro like Ubuntu ME for the benefit of those who have no Internet connection and want a distro that contains applications that fit their needs. For example, an Edubuntu CD certainly is handy if used for teaching in a poor public school where Internet is still out of reach.

"I really don't get why people get so offended by different versions of Ubuntu that cater to different groups. Why do you think it is horrible if don't just all get along, hold hands, and use the same version? The purpose of Ubuntu Christian Edition was to include specific programs in the installation targeted to a specific population that might have a desire to use it. It makes it much easier to use if it comes packaged and ready to use rather than the user (who may not know much about using Ubuntu) installing it after the fact.

Ubuntu Muslim Edition, I would assume, provides the same convenience to Muslims who happen to use Ubuntu. I am a Christian who has used Ubuntu CE and thinks it is a good thing to have available. I also have no problem whatsoever with the existence of a Muslim Edition and think it is great that someone spent the time to cater it to that specific user base.

People need to grow up and get over their anti-religious bias. If someone wanted to create a white angle saxon protestant version of Ubuntu, how does that affect you? If they wanted to create a gay, transsexual, lesbian, transgendered, and bisexual version, who cares. It does not affect your life one bit.

If someone held a gun to your head and said this is the version you must use, then you would have a problem. Until that happens, get over it and use any version you want."

Finally, here’s a comment made by an anonymous atheist. Note: the comment has been condensed and foul languages are removed.

"Linux (is) an invention by the white demons in the western world.

So why would a Muslim want to use such a thing?

Simple, it is to carry out suicide hacking. They are going to hack into America then detonate a bomb strapped to their chest.
----------------------------------------
And for the record, atheists are smarter. We don't believe a bunch of completely bogus claims written in a 2,000+ year-old book just because somebody said so. I mean come on, a magical beings flying around, a big head magical being named god, his son coming to earth and being born to a virgin [...]

...I really like the part about how God created himself. That part makes me laugh every time. I also like how it took him a week or so to create everything else. Why did it take him so long? According to the bible, he is SOOO powerful that he could plan, create it all in an instant.

I also like the part about how he created Adam and Eve. He preplanned everything and can foresee the future, right? So he preplanned two people to do wrong and cause every single person after them to suffer?

GOD IS SO GREAT!!! hahaha!
And that is just the Christian god. Don't get me started with those other crazy ones."

I usually don't entertain comment like this one, but this time, I’ll make an exception.

The first few sentences alone tell us that the anonymous commenter has a brain the size of an ant. You know, I have high respect for atheists, but only those who have moral values and those who don't look down on people who believe in something that’s beyond understanding.

I don't mean to generalize or intend to show that all Muslims and Christians are on the side of the "Good" and atheists are on the "Evil" side. I believe that any person with or without religion is capable of doing the most evil of evil or the most good of good.

I'm quite intrigued that even though the review on Ubuntu Muslim Edition is already several months old, the discussion is still pretty much alive. I’ve already deleted some of the very offensive comments and only allowed those that are appropriate.

If you have something to add, please share it with us.

1. Nukes Are Not the Best Way to Stop an Asteroid
Nuclear weapons could be used to stop earth-bound asteroids, but in most instances, they are not the best option, said Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart during a public lecture this Wednesday in San Francisco.
More @ Blog.Wired.com

2. No, your code is not so great that it doesn’t need comments
Code-commenting is so basic and so universal that every programmer, regardless of the language that they practise, thinks that they know all there is to know and that their way is the only sensible approach.
More @ New Adventures in Software

3. Proprietary software? Counsel objects
Nathan Zale Dowlen objects to proprietary software, so when he opened his new law office, he outfitted it with Ubuntu Linux and open source software. Cost was the main factor in his decision at first, but he has since come to appreciate the security found in FOSS and the ease of use found with Ubuntu.
More @ Linux.com

More @ HackaDay

5. Apple chief Jobs settles health worries
In a rare discussion of his personal health, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has privately revealed to a journalist exactly what conditions led to his overly thin appearance at the Worldwide Developer Conference this year.
More @ AppleInsider

6. We knew the web was big...
We've known it for a long time: the web is big. The first Google index in 1998 already had 26 million pages, and by 2000 the Google index reached the one billion mark. Over the last eight years, we've seen a lot of big numbers about how much content is really out there.
More @ Googleblog

7. Ex-Googler, Husband Launch Cuil New Search Engine
A former Google employee and her husband launched a new search engine Monday called Cuil (pronounced "cool"), aiming to topple Google by indexing more Web pages than the search giant.
More @ PCWorld.com

More @ Engadget

9. Google Beats Cuil Hands Down In Size And Relevance, But That Isn’t The Whole Story
Search engine Cuil launched earlier this evening, claiming a bigger index size (120 billion web pages) than Google or any other search engine. The pedigree of the founders and execs, which includes three ex senior Googlers, means the service will be compared to Google from day one. And the way they will be compared is index size and, more importantly, relevance/ranking of results.
More @ TechCrunch

10. Vista: Whose ‘reality’ do you believe?
The same day that Forrester Research is touting yet another of a growing number of studies claiming Vista is failing to gain traction in the enterprise, Microsoft is claiming just the opposite.
More @ ZDNetBlog

Now, due to insistent public demand, I decided to just make a partial list of Bohol’s Internet wireless hotspots. This may not be complete, but I will update this post and add some of Bohol's Wi-Fi areas that I most probably will discover real soon. Here it goes:

There you have it. As you can see, it’s really hard to get free Wi-Fi connections in Bohol. --Unless you are evil enough and know how to use some hacking tools. Anyway, to those who have information on other Wi-Fi hotspots in Bohol, feel free to share it with us via comment.

The best way to write or compose something important using a computer is to do it without any distraction. But how is it possible to concentrate if your email notification keeps on popping, your Twitter updates are flashing, and you are always tempted to open your RSS reader? What’s my solution? I use a distraction free writer. -- A full-screen writing environment minus the desktop clutter. No distractions, no buttons, menus, and formatting; Just me and my text.

If you want to experience writing without distractions while in Linux, I can recommend these two full-screen text editors.

1. PyRoom
PyRoom is written in Python + GTK, and it's Free and Open Source software. Its basic features include:

* Full screen multidocument text editor;
* Small set of shortcuts;
* Simple help page for shortcuts;
* Different styles / colorsets available;

I really love using PyRoom not only because it is written in Python, but also because it's light and fast. However, it doesn't have important features like “autosave” at the moment, and it's still a little bit buggy. If you want to try PyRoom, you can get it HERE.


2. JDarkRoom
Written in Java, JDarkRoom was heavily inspired by DarkRoom, an implementation of WriteRoom (which is a Mac-only application that costs $24.95) for Windows. You can get JDarkRoom for Linux without paying a single dime.

Here are some of its features:
* Auto-save backups - so you never lose your work again;
* You can change your colour preferences, font and font size;
* Remembers the file that you were working on last time;
* Notifies you if you might have forgotten to save your changes;
* Word/line/character count;
* Specify a file on the command-line for JDarkRoom to open it at startup;
* Adjustable margins to fit any screen resolution;
* Text search;
* A command-reminder strip can be displayed at the bottom of the screen;

You can get JDarkRoom HERE.


While Abiword is my main word processor, I always do my first draft on a distraction free writer like PyRoom and JDarkRoom. It keeps me focused and just gets the job done without delay. Not to mention that it's very easy to use and doesn't require you to memorize tons of keyboard shortcuts. --Reminds me of using a typewriter, only it’s effortless.

If you ask my 3 year old son what's his favorite Linux game of all time, he would start hopping and say SuperTux in a loud and superhero-like voice. I can't blame him for being such a SuperTux fanatic because when I was a kid, I was very much addicted to a game which SuperTux was based upon. --SuperTux is inspired by Nintendo's Super Mario Bros., the best selling video game of all time.

SuperTux was originally created by Bill Kendrick and is currently maintained by the SuperTux Development Team. It is released under the GNU General Public License with most data files being dual-licensed under the Creative Commons "CC-by-sa" license. Many of the in-game graphics were created by Ingo Ruhnke, creator of the popular puzzle game called Pingus.

Gameplay:
Playing SuperTux is really like playing Super Mario Bros all over again, so it brings back good memories. The only funny difference is that you are playing Tux, the mascot of the Linux kernel, instead of Mario. Also, if you look closely, the squeezable enemies look different compared to the original Super Mario Bros. SuperTux all in all features 9 enemies and 26 playable levels.



Extra Features:
SuperTux contains some extra features that make the game even more exciting. Aside from the 26 playable levels, SuperTux has tons of bonus and secret levels to keep you busy for weeks. --The bonus levels have names such as Thompson's Domain, Matr1x' Sector, Abednego's Area, and Torfi's Territory.

If you find a certain game level too difficult to accomplish, you can always cheat. Just open a terminal and type:

$ supertux --debug-mode

Then, press the appropriate key that refers to its corresponding cheat:

* end - gain 50 coins
* tab - become bigtux
* delete - become firetux
* l - take away a life
* insert - become invincible (stars)
* tab - become smalltux

Another cool and fun thing about SuperTux is that it will let you edit or even create your own game levels. See screenshot below to see the game editor in action:


Here's a sample edited level:


Conclusion:
SuperTux is a highly addictive game that both young and old can truly enjoy. Kids will love it for its colorful graphics, easy game controls, and super cute penguin. The not-so-old will like SuperTux for its fast-paced action, secret levels, and super cute penguin. So why wait? Fire up that package manager of yours and go get SuperTux now!

If you are Bill Gates or Linus Torvalds, it is totally understandable to have an ego the size of the biggest planet. The two has been known to make comments that will forever keep the geek pride alive. If you want proof, just read the following quotes from Bill Gates and Linus Torvalds, and be the judge of who has a bigger ego between them.

"People everywhere love Windows."

vs.

"We all know Linux is great…it does infinite loops in 5 seconds."
Linus Torvalds

"Windows 2000 already contains features such as the human discipline component, where the PC can send an electric shock through the keyboard if the human does something that does not please Windows."
Bill Gates
vs.
"Microsoft isn't evil, they just make really crappy operating systems."
Linus Torvalds

"There are people who don't like capitalism, and people who don't like PCs. But there's no-one who likes the PC who doesn't like Microsoft."
Bill Gates
vs.
"I'd like to say that I knew this would happen, that it's all part of the plan for world domination. "
Linus Torvalds

"Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one."

Bill Gates
vs.
"My name is Linus Torvalds and I am your god."
Linus Torvalds

"Microsoft has had clear competitors in the past. It’s a good thing we have museums to document that. "

Bill Gates
vs.
"Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect."
Linus Torvalds

"Like almost everyone who uses e-mail, I receive a ton of spam every day. Much of it offers to help me get out of debt or get rich quick. It would be funny if it weren't so irritating. "
Bill Gates
vs.
"Most days I wake up thinking I'm the luckiest bastard alive. "
Linus Torvalds

1. Second Life: A Wide World for Med, Science Students
Second Life has all the characteristics that make it a good place to conduct scientific experiments. Users can manipulate factors such as time, size and light, and its visual nature helps students see what they're learning.
More @ LinuxInsider

2. Dark Knight Shift: Why Batman Could Exist--But Not for Long
Batman is the most down-to-earth of all the superheroes. He has no special powers from being born on a distant world or bitten by a radioactive spider.
More @ SciAm.com

3. Ubuntu hits new high in Linux boredom
Linux -- especially Ubuntu -- has become so reliable and simple that for most end users it's simply not worth thinking about, any more than we think about tools like wrenches and screwdrivers. Does this mean desktop GNU/Linux has become so boring that it's not worth noticing?
More @ Linux.com

More @ HackaDay

5. iPhone 3G and 2.0 affected by buggy software, sensors, wireless
While iPhone 3G itself is hard to buy, those who do own the new handset are reporting a number of common problems that range from crash-prone third-party apps to lag, Bluetooth, and GPS.
More @ AppleInsider

6. Hitting 40 languages
One of our goals is to give everyone using Google the information they want, wherever they are, in whatever language they speak, and through whatever device they're using. A huge part of that goal is making our services available in as many languages as possible. And as I’m sure you can imagine, that isn't as easy as simply as translating a few lines of text.
More @ Googleblog

7. Outlook vs. Gmail—The Definitive Comparison
Gmail launched in 2004 and has matured each year, but Microsoft Outlook (with Exchange) is still the most popular tool for accessing email. Comparing the two side by side, is it time to jump ship from either platform? Let's find out.
More @ Lifehacker

More @ Engadget

9. Facebook Redesign To Go Live Tomorrow
Five months later and it looks like Facebook is ready to release its new profile redesign. Facebook had announced it was working on a redesign earlier this year. In May, a glimpse of the redesigned was released to developers in the developers sandbox. Tomorrow evening the redesign will be open to the public.
More @ ReadWriteWeb

10. Sigh…
I read all your beautiful stories. Thank you so much!
More @ BoSanchez

The Moon has always fascinated humans for ages that we finally decided to travel 384,403 kilometers just to reach its desolate surface. On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 became the first manned mission to land on the Moon. In celebration of mankind’s giant leap, I decided to gather 10 most stunning photographs of this marvelous celestial body. Dream on.

Linus Torvalds is on the spotlight this week. First he calls OpenBSD crowd a bunch of masturbating monkeys.

Then, only a few days later, he labeled Digg users wanking walruses.

--only Linus knows.

I know some people are offended by these comments, but Linus Torvalds has been known to make some wacky quotes before. Just read a few of his epic quotes HERE, and you might think that it came from Chris Rock or something.

Do these shocking and sometimes funny comments from the leader and creator of Linux himself do more harm to Linux than good? Share to us your views.

Linux is a powerful and versatile operating system that can be utilized to hack just about any electronic hardware device. To prove it, I have here a list of popular gadgets that are already known to run Linux.

1. Nintendo DS

DSLinux, a port of the Linux operating system, made it possible to install Linux on Nintendo DS. DSLinux runs a modified µClinux kernel. It is currently based on uCLinux 2.6.14 (Linux-2.6.14-hsc0). It only runs in textmode and nano-x which is displayed via a custom framebuffer console driver. Input is done via a keyboard displayed on the touchscreen of the Nintendo DS. DSLinux has no package management facilities. Instead, DSLinux builds are distributed as a single tar archive.

With the exception of the microphone, all hardware inside the Nintendo DS, including the wireless is supported by DSLinux. The Nintendo DS firmware can be read from /dev/firmware, but write support is left out for safety reasons.


2. Apple iPod

iPod, everybody’s favorite music player can be installed with Linux. A µClinux-based Linux distribution called iPodLinux is able to run on several iPod models. When the iPodLinux kernel is booted it takes the place of Apple's iPod operating system and automatically loads Podzilla, an alternative GUI and launcher for a number of additional included programs such as a video player, an image viewer, a command line shell, games, emulators for video game consoles, Computer programming demos, and other experimental or occasionally unfinished Computer software.

Here are some of Podzilla’s features:
* An iPod-like user interface
* Video playback with sound
* Support for AAC, MP3 and basic OGG playback (4G & 5G Music Player Daemon is multifunctional, but can be fixed)
* Many games, including TuxChess, Bluecube (Tetris clone), Chopper, StepMania (a Dance Dance Revolution clone) and more
* Recording through audio jack at much higher quality than Apple's firmware
* Ability to play the games Doom and Doom II (and presumably any Doom Total Conversion; Chex Quest for instance)
* Ability to run many emulators, such as iBoy (Nintendo Game Boy Emulator), iNES (Nintendo Entertainment System Emulator), iDarcNES (port of the multiple system emulator DarcNES), iMAME (port of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator), and iGPSP (Game Boy Advance emulator)


If you are interested in installing Linux on your iPod (5th Generation Video iPod), perhaps this will help: 13 Not-So-Easy Steps to Install Linux on iPod

3. Microsoft Xbox

Xbox Linux is a project that ported the Linux computer operating system to the Microsoft Xbox. There is also a newer project for the Xbox 360, Free60. Because the Xbox uses a digital signature system to prevent the public from running unsigned code, one must either use a modchip, or find an alternative system for running unsigned code. Since the Xbox is essentially just a PC, with a custom processor, a hard drive, RAM, and 4 USB ports, it is capable to run several readily available Linux distributions smoothly. "Xebian", an Xbox compatible version of Debian, and Gentoox, a similarly customized version of Gentoo are known to run successfully on Xbox.

An Xbox with Linux can be a full desktop computer with mouse and keyboard, a web/email box connected to a TV, a server, router or a node in a cluster. One can either dual-boot or use Linux only; in the latter case, one can replace both IDE devices. One can also connect the Xbox to a VGA monitor. A converter may be needed to use keyboards/mice in the controller ports, however this is fairly easy to achieve because the Xbox uses the standard USB bus.


4. Nintendo GameCube

Nintendo GameCube Linux is a project to port Linux to the Nintendo GameCube (and now the Wii) in the same manner as Xbox Linux. The GameCube was seen to be a less attractive system to port Linux to since it not only lacked an on-board Ethernet port and internal hard drive, but also an optical drive natively capable of reading DVDs.

Nintendo GameCube Linux also recognizes SD Cards and Multimedia Cards and is able to use them normally, given the appropriate adaptor.


5. Sony PlayStation

Linux for PlayStation 2, a kit released by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2002, allows the PlayStation 2 console to be used as a personal computer. It included a Linux-based operating system, a USB keyboard and mouse, a VGA adapter, a PS2 network adaptor (Ethernet only), and a 40 GB hard disk drive (HDD). The PS2 Linux distribution is based on Kondara MNU/Linux, a Japanese distribution itself based on Red Hat Linux. PS2 Linux is similar to Red Hat Linux 6, and has most of the features one might expect in a Red Hat Linux 6 system.

The Linux Kit turns the PlayStation 2 into a full-fledged computer system, but it does not allow for use of the DVD-ROM drive except to read PS1 and PS2 discs due to piracy concerns by Sony. Noted open source software that compiles on the kit includes Mozilla Suite, X-Chat, and Gaim. Light-weight applications better suited to the PS2's 32MB of RAM include xv, Dillo, Ted, and AbiWord. The default window manager is Window Maker, but it is possible to install and use Fluxbox and FVWM.