This Blog is intended to collect information of my various Intrests,pen my opinion on the information gathered and not intended to educate any one of the information posted,but are most welcome to share there view on them
When a company as large and dominant as Facebook stands up for something, people take notice. When Google, Dropbox, Twitter, Github, and Walmart Labs join in on the stand... things get serious.
That's exactly what's happening with the new TODO Project (Talk Openly, Develop Openly). This consists of a group of power players who are coming together to help improve how open-source projects are managed and organized. Why is this necessary? Because open source turned a major corner when large companies started depending on projects like MySQL, Apache, PHP, and Linux. Once the big players in the enterprise had a need for open source, and they started examining the whole of how open source works, it became clear there was room for improvement:
how open source is developed
how open-source projects are started
how open-source projects are managed
The plan is to step in and help the open-source community to develop best practices that will, in the end, benefit all.
Sure, we can see through the veneer and understand this project has but one overriding goal in mind -- help make the business of business better. In the process, however, this project will go a very long way to help make open source better.
The TODO Project is primarily a forum for companies who are passionate about contributing to open-source software. This is not an open-source developers' group. If you step back a bit, you can see that this is exactly what open source needs at exactly the right moment.
Open source, for a very long time, has struggled to gain any momentum in enterprise business. Over the last few years, that has changed. When the likes of Facebook, Amazon, and Google took it upon themselves to champion the use of open-source tools, all bets were off. Even still, open source struggled to be taken seriously as a whole... especially in the small- to mid-sized arena. With the advent of TODO, open source will not only enjoy a newfound sense of credibility, but it will also benefit from the wisdom handed down by major players in the world of business.
This is something open source very much needs.
Why do I say that when open source is really coming into its own? The open-source tools used in the enterprise have reached a certain level of business acumen. They get it... and they know how to navigate the deeper, swifter waters. The vast majority of open-source projects have not benefited from this relationship -- but the TODO project could change that.
While the TODO Project will probably focus the majority of its might on self-serving needs (such as LAMP), this knowledge will trickle down to the smaller projects. How? TODO will help to organize and manage open-source projects and, by the very nature of open source, that knowledge will be handed down to the smaller pieces of the puzzle. Imagine the likes of LibreOffice, The Gimp, Ubuntu, Mint, Peach OSI, Calibre, Audacity, and more gaining the knowledge and tools handed down by the TODO Project.
It doesn't end there. This new project doesn't aim to only focus on helping open-source projects better their software. TODO has another set of goals:
Make it easier for companies to embrace and employ open-source software
Help kick off new open-source projects
Yes, TODO is very much in its infancy, and it's not perfectly clear how the benefits of the organization will affect the open-source community from top to bottom. What is clear, however, is that open source now has an ally with the power of billions of users behind it... one that clearly intends on improving the whole of open source and driving it forward with serious momentum. If handled properly, with information and tools made available to all open-source projects, this could be that which propels open source into the limelight.
Companies that are looking to help guide and promote open source can join TODO. Remember, this group is in its infancy, so there's a lot of baby steps to get through before the real benefits become clear.
When you think of ad blocking tools, you tend to think in terms of the usual suspects -- web browser ads. But when you're on the Android platform, you have to retrain your thoughts to look elsewhere. In fact, ads can show up within aps (which is very common) and on your home screen (which is also common, but lesser known).
At one point, it was perfectly fine to have in-app ads. After all, those ads helped make the apps free... right? Right. Like everything else, however, the playground has been spoiled. Advertising systems intent on nefarious doings have managed to crop up and spread their special flavor of "bad" through in-app ads and home screen "ad launchers."
Prior to these showing up, the in-app ad was little more than an annoyance, sometimes taking up enough screen real estate to cause the user to pay the price of entry to remove the ad. But now, that annoyance has become a possible danger.
How can you avoid such a disaster? You can load up an ad blocker to help stop these compromised ad networks from gaining purchase of your system. I've found a few such ad blockers that do the job. Let's take a closer look.
The AppBrain Ad Detector is one tool you should definitely have, even if only to know what ad networks are present on your system. AppBrain is not actually an ad blocker, but it's something you should have in order to know as much about your Android device as possible. This app helps you to be informed about:
Push notifications that can place spam icons on your home screen and have the ability to access your location
Android ad networks such as Admob, Millennial Media, MobClix, Tapjoy, AdWhirl, and more
Detect libraries like Google Analytics, Flurry Analytics, Google Play in-app billing, and more
Detect apps that have push ads
AppBrain Ad Detector is very easy to use, but how you act on the information is up to you. This app will not remove anything from your device. However, if you hear of an advertising network that turns out to be one of the many dangerous systems, you can open up AppBrain, tap on the Show Concerns button in the main window (Figure A), swipe to the Ad Networks tab, locate the ad network in question, and find out what apps are included in that network. Figure A
AppBrain Ad Detector running on a Verizon-branded LG G3.
The Easy Ads Cleaner app helps you to find the cause of spam ads. With the tap of a single button, you can scan your device for apps containing spam ads. After the scan completes, the listing will display all possible spam ad apps, in the order of their risk. Many apps will show up as mid-risk (Figure B). Most of these are just apps that include ads but aren't part of dangerous ad networks. Should you spot a high-risk app, do not hesitate to uninstall the app. Figure B
Easy Ads Cleaner quickly spots apps with built-in ads.
To uninstall questionable apps, select the app(s), and tap the Uninstall button. High risk ads are those that:
The TrustGo Ad Detector app does a great job of protecting you from potential privacy leaks via the most commonly known ad networks. Tap the Scan button, and the app will analyze every application on the device and report back the behavior of the known ad networks. Possible behaviors range from leaking identity information to downloading files when you click an ad. Once you tap on a behavior, it will list out all the apps that fall into that category (Figure C). You can then tap the X to uninstall that particular app. Figure C
Apps that can possibly leak identity information.
Although you may not be concerned with privacy leaks, you should be. Using TrustGo Ad Detector will go a long way to prevent such leaks from your Android device. Make sure, however, that you go through the apps listed after the scan. If you see anything you don't use or didn't install, uninstall it immediately. You'll also find apps that include multiple ad networks (for example, Slacker Radio uses AdMob, Millennial, and MoPub). If you see anything suspect, do a bit of research and remove if warranted.
Finally, there's no substitute for adding an anti-malware app to your Android device. Install either Malwarebytes or Lookout to help keep your Android smartphone and/or tablet safe.
f you're looking for a better email client on your Android device, Jack Wallen has just the tool for you. Boxer will make mobile email an efficient and simple task.
I've tested a lot of email clients for Android. Each one of them offers features that may or may not pull me from the default Android email tool. Usually, however, I go right back to tried-and-true default.
That is, until I tried Boxer. This full-featured email client offers just enough additional goodness, without a distractingly oblique design shift, to make it a worthy contender to take over as my favorite mobile email client.
Some of Boxer features include:
Quick replies
Swipe to delete
Cloud attachments
Evernote integration
Gmail labels
To-do lists
Email "likes"
Boxer is all about being fast and efficient. Let's install it and take a closer look.
Installation
There are four different versions of Boxer:
Free: Limits you to one account
Boxer Pro: Unlimited accounts, Custom Quick Replies and signatures -- $9.99 (or free if you're willing to text five friends about Boxer)
Boxer for Exchange: Adds support for Exchange -- $9.99
Boxer Pro + Exchange: All of the Pro features plus Exchange support -- $14.00
You'll only find one version in the Google Play Store. The upgrade is an in-app process (more in a bit).
To install Boxer, do the following:
Open the Google Play Store on your device
Search for Boxer
Locate and tap the entry by Boxer
Tap Install
Read the permissions listing
If the permissions listing is acceptable, tap Accept
Allow the installation to finish
Once it's installed, you should find a launcher for the app on your home screen or in your app drawer (or both). Tap that, and you'll be prompted to begin the process of setting up your email account.
Initial account setup
The process of setting up your email account is simple. Enter your email address and tap the GET STARTED button (Figure A).
Figure A
Setting up Boxer on a Verizon-branded LG G3.
Depending on the type of email account you're setting up, you'll be asked for the account credentials. If this is a Gmail account, you'll be prompted for the standard Google authentication (Figure B). You'll also be asked to give Boxer permission to access your Gmail account.
Figure B
Setting up a Gmail account on Boxer.
For any other account, it will prompt you for the password and then ask you to select from the listing of account types (Figure C).
Figure C
Selecting the account type for Boxer.
If you choose an IMAP or POP account, you'll have to enter the usual information (username, password, server address, port, security type, and IMAP path prefix).
Once it's set up, you're ready to rock.
Usage
Using Boxer is similar to using other email clients. You have a unified inbox (you can also select individual inboxes if you prefer) where you can handle all the standard tasks (reply, forward, delete, etc). If, however, you tap the tiny dot in the bottom far left of an email listing (it's selected when the label changes to a grey box with a check mark), you can then tap the dotted square button (top right corner) and act on that email using one of the quick actions (Figure D).
Figure D
Boxer quick actions.
The quick actions feature is the highlight of Boxer. Using this, you can then:
Like the email: Automatically reply to the original sender, indicating that you "liked" the email
To-do: Create a to-do entry for the email (you can add assignees, due dates, etc.)
Quick: Send a quick reply
Label: Label the email
Archive: Archive the email
Delete: Delete the email
Spam: Mark the email as spam
Evernote: Add the email to Evernote (must be installed)
Unread: Mark the email as unread
Star: Star the email
It's those quick actions that really set Boxer apart from all other Android email clients.
You can also customize the left and right swipe actions. You have four different swipes that can be customized:
Right short swipe
Right long swipe
Left short swipe
Left long swipe
When you configure an action, you can choose from any of the available quick actions. For example, you can set up a long right swipe to automatically Like an email or save it to Evernote. To configure the swipe actions, do the following:
Make sure no emails are checked in the inbox
Tap the menu button (three vertical dots in the upper right corner)
Tap Settings
Tap General settings
Tap Swipe actions
Select a swipe action to configure
Select the action to associate with the swipe (Figure E)
Figure E
Associating an action to a swipe.
If you've upgraded to the Pro version, you'll be able to customize the Quick responses. This is, in my opinion, a must have (as the canned Quick responses are limited and you can't create new Quick responses with the free version). To create a new Quick response, do the following:
Go into Boxer settings
Tap the account you want to configure
Tap Quick responses
Tap CREATE NEW (Figure F)
Enter the text for the Quick response
Tap Save
Figure F
Creating a new Quick response.
You can create as many Quick responses as you need. You can also edit one of the canned responses by tapping it, editing the text, and selecting Save.
The addition of the quick actions makes Boxer one of the more efficient Android email clients. And if you upgrade to the Pro version, you'll have even more power at your fingertips.
Boxer is an email client that should find its way onto your Android device. If it does, don't be surprised when it becomes your default client.
The infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) market has exploded in recent years. Google stepped into the fold of IaaS providers, somewhat under the radar. The Google Cloud Platform is a group of cloud computing tools for developers to build and host web applications.
It started with services such as the Google App Engine and quickly evolved to include many other tools and services. While the Google Cloud Platform was initially met with criticism of its lack of support for some key programming languages, it has added new features and support that make it a contender in the space.
Here's what you need to know about the Google Cloud Platform.
1. Pricing
Google recently shifted its pricing model to include sustained-use discounts and per-minute billing. Billings starts with a 10-minute minimum and bills per minute for the following time. Sustained-use discounts begin after a particular instance is used for more than 25% of a month. Users receive a discount for each incremental minute used after they reach the 25% mark. Developers can find more information here.
If you're wondering what it would cost for your organization, try Google's pricing calculator.
2. Cloud Debugger
The Cloud Debugger gives developers the option to assess and debug code in production. Developers can set a watchpoint on a line of code, and any time a server request hits that line of code, they will get all of the variables and parameters of that code. According to Google blog post, there is no overhead to run it and "when a watchpoint is hit very little noticeable performance impact is seen by your users."
3. Cloud Trace
Cloud Trace lets you quickly figure out what is causing a performance bottleneck and fix it. The base value add is that it shows you how much time your product is spending processing certain requests. Users can also get a report that compares performances across releases.
4. Cloud Save
The Cloud Save API was announced at the 2014 Google I/O developers conference by Greg DeMichillie, the director of product management on the Google Cloud Platform. Cloud Save is a feature that lets you "save and retrieve per user information." It also allows cloud-stored data to be synchronized across devices.
5. Hosting
The Cloud Platform offers two hosting options: the App Engine, which is their Platform-as-a-Service and Compute Engine as an Infrastructure-as-a-Service. In the standard App Engine hosting environment, Google manages all of the components outside of your application code.
The Cloud Platform also offers managed VM environments that blend the auto-management of App Engine, with the flexibility of Compute Engine VMs.The managed VM environment also gives users the ability to add third-party frameworks and libraries to their applications.
6. Andromeda
Google Cloud Platform networking tools and services are all based on Andromeda, Google's network virtualization stack. Having access to the full stack allows Google to create end-to-end solutions without compromising functionality based on available insertion points or existing software.
According to a Google blog post, "Andromeda is a Software Defined Networking (SDN)-based substrate for our network virtualization efforts. It is the orchestration point for provisioning, configuring, and managing virtual networks and in-network packet processing."
7. Containers
Containers are especially useful in a PaaS situation because they assist in speeding deployment and scaling apps. For those looking for container management in regards to virtualization on the Cloud Platform, Google offers its open source container scheduler known as Kubernetes. Think of it as a Container-as-a-Service solution, providing management for Docker containers.
8. Big Data
The Google Cloud Platform offers a full big data solution, but there are two unique tools for big data processing and analysis on Google Cloud Platform. First, BigQuery allows users to run SQL-like queries on terabytes of data. Plus, you can load your data in bulk directly from your Google Cloud Storage.
The second tool is Google Cloud Dataflow. Also announced at I/O, Google Cloud Dataflow allows you to create, monitor, and glean insights from a data processing pipeline. It evolved from Google's MapReduce.
9. Maintenance
Google does routine testing and regularly send patches, but it also sets all virtual machines to live migrate away from maintenance as it is being performed.
"Compute Engine automatically migrates your running instance. The migration process will impact guest performance to some degree but your instance remains online throughout the migration process. The exact guest performance impact and duration depend on many factors, but it is expected most applications and workloads will not notice," the Googledeveloper website said.
VMs can also be set to shut down cleanly and reopen away from the maintenance event.
10. Load balancing
In June, Google announced the Cloud Platform HTTP Load Balancing to balance the traffic of multiple compute instances across different geographic regions.
"It uses network proximity and backend capacity information to optimize the path between your users and your instances, and improves latency by connecting users to the closest Cloud Platform location. If your instances in one region are under heavy load or become unreachable, HTTP load balancing intelligently directs new requests to your available instances in a nearby region," a Google blog post said.
A database containing about 4.93 million usernames and passwords of Google accounts was posted on a Russian Bitcoin security forum.
The user posting the data claimed that about 60% of the logins in the leak were active could be accessed successfully using the leaked credentials.
Google in a statement to the media has, however, denied that the company's systems were compromised.
A database containing about 4.93 million usernames and passwords of Google accounts was posted on a Russian Bitcoin security forum.
If you are concerned about whether your Google account/Gmail ID is part of the leaked cache, you can usethis toolto verify. This search tool also gives an option to privacy-concerned users to partially mask their email IDs.
This incident follows close on the heels of reports that 4.6 million Mail.ru accounts and over 1.25 million Yandex email IDs were compromised.
Now call any phone number in the world from your Hangouts app. Download and install the Hangouts Dialer to activate phone calling functionality in the Hangouts app. After installation, you can access all phone calling features directly from Hangouts or use Hangouts Dialer for a shortcut to the dialer screen in Hangouts.
● Make phone calls from the Hangouts app (and all calls to other Hangouts users are free!). ● Connect with your Google Voice number to make VOIP calls in the Hangouts app from your Google Voice number.
Notes: Mobile carrier and ISP charges may apply. Calls to Hangouts users are free, but other calls might come with a charge. View our calling rates athttp://www.google.com/hangouts/rates>google.com/hangouts/rates.
FAI is a non-interactive system to install, customize and manage Linux systems and software configurations on computers as well as virtual machines and chroot environments, from small networks to large-scale infrastructures like clusters and cloud environments.
It's a tool for unattended mass deployment of Linux. You can take one or more virgin PC's, turn on the power, and after a few minutes, the systems are installed, and completely configured to your exact needs, without any interaction necessary.
What is FAI? Main Features
A tool for automated unattended installation. Lazy system administrators like it.
Remote network installation of different Linux flavors
Easy-to-use centralized management system for your Linux deployment.
It's fast. It only takes a few minutes for a complete installation.
Scalable. FAI users manage their computer infrastructures starting from a few computers up to several thousands of machines.
Different hardware and different configuration requirements are easy to establish using FAI. You do not need to repeat information that is shared among several machines.
Using the FAI class concept, you can group a bunch of similar machines.
Installation targets: desktops, servers, notebooks, Beowulf cluster, rendering or web server farm, Linux laboratory or classroom.
Linux rollout, mass installation and automated server provisioning are additional topics of FAI.
FAI is lightweight. No special daemons are running, no database setup is needed. It's architecture independent, since it consists only of shell, Perl and Cfengine scripts.
Easy creation of customized unattended ISO
Besides initial installations, it is used for daily maintenance, and can set up chroot environments.
Compared to tools like kickstart or cobbler for Red Hat, autoyast for SUSE or Jumpstart for SUN Solaris, FAI is much more flexible. You can tune every small part of your configuration to your local needs using hooks.
FAI Installation Steps
Network boot via PXE
Receive configuration data via HTTP, NFS, svn or git
Run scripts to determine FAI classes and variables
Partition local hard disks and create RAID, LVM configuration and the file systems
Install and configure software packages
Customize OS and software to your local needs
Reboot freshly installed machine
All this can also be done via an unattended CD installation
Encdroid is a file manager application for Android devices to keep your files encrypted on Dropbox, Google Drive or the local storage of the device. It is compatible with EncFS so volumes created with Encdroid can be accessed on Windows/MacOS/Linux desktop and laptops and vice versa.
Supported operations include creating new volumes, importing existing files into volumes, opening files inside volumes by launching the chosen viewer application, creating directories, cut/copy/paste files and directories from one location to another within a volume, renaming files and directories, exporting files and directories from a volume onto the local device etc.
Explanation of permissions:
* Storage: Used for viewing and exporting files to the SD card. * Network: Needed to access Dropbox and Google Drive. * Prevent sleeping: Some encryption operations can run for a long time and take even longer if the device is sleeping so Encdroid temporarily prevents the device from going to sleep. * Manage accounts / Use accounts: These are needed to link against a Google account and access Google Drive.
Since Encdroid is open source, it is possible for anyone to audit the source code by visiting the GitHub repository or even build their own copy of the application for increased peace of mind. See https://github.com/mrpdaemon/encdroid for the source code and contribution information.
This application includes cryptographic software. The country in which you currently reside may have restrictions on the import, possession, use, and/or re-export to another country, of encryption software. BEFORE using any encryption software, please check your country's laws, regulations and policies concerning the import, possession, or use, and re-export of encryption software, to see if this is permitted. See <http://www.wassenaar.org/> for more information.
The U.S. Government Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), has classified this software as Export Commodity Control Number (ECCN) 5D002.C.1, which includes information security software using or performing cryptographic functions with asymmetric algorithms. The form and manner of this application makes it eligible for export under the License Exception ENC Technology Software Unrestricted (TSU) exception (see the BIS Export Administration Regulations, Section 740.13) for both object code and source code.
