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Book review: Practical Packet Analysis: Using Wireshark to Solve Real-World Network Problems by Chris Sanders

Knowing what information is traveling across your network is what keeps you out of trouble. Are there unknown hosts chatting away with each other? Is my machine talking to strangers? You need a packet sniffer to really find the answers to these questions. Wireshark is one of the best tools to do this job and this book is one of the best ways to learn about that tool. Chris Sanders, the author of this handy book, brings you the information cleanly and clearly. His style is to show you—to walk you through exactly what to do. This method works well and the book is quite readable.

How to build squid authentication helpers

Have you ever tried to figure out how to make Squid authenticate users according to your own exotic rules? Users are in a DB? Are you using an ActiveDirectory? Users/passwords are authenticated by a java class? Everything is possible. Here I intend to explain how to make your own custom authentication helpers so you can develop your own routines for your own requirements.

Using VirtualBox to run Ubuntu and any other operating system

GNU/Linux can be scary to a new user. After all, what if you mess up? What if you end up corrupting your hard drive so badly that you need to format it to get rid of GNU/Linux? The solution is to use virtualization technology. A virtual machine creates a virtual hard drive as well as a virtual computer, so you can install and run it from within another operating system. If you want to get rid of the virtualized (also known as the guest) operating system, just delete the virtual hard disk from the real (host) computer’s hard drive.

Introduction

OpenOffice.org and mail merge: how to suppress the Address2 line

Mail merges are a great way to save time, since they pull information from the same fields, over and over again with each new record in your database. There’s only one problem—all records aren’t created equal; they don’t all have, or all need, the same fields. This article solves that perpetual problem with labels. If you’re already familiar with the problem, you can go straight to the solution entitled: Suppressing blank lines with sections step by step.

The problem of blank [Address2] lines

Getting help with free software

So, you’ve made the move to free software. As you’ve no doubt noticed, there are quite a few differences between the proprietary software you’ve been used to and free software: the interfaces are different; it costs a heck of a lot less; and if you’re using one of the community supported distributions there’s no premium rate helpline! These all seem like benefits to me, but what happens when you have a problem?

What’s a GNU/Linux distribution?

By now, almost everyone who has a computer has heard about something called “Linux”. Usually, what they hear goes something like this—“Well, Linux is free, but it’s very difficult to use. Don’t try it unless you’re a computer expert”. There is also generally talk about how “Linux” is incompatible with equipment like digital cameras, printers, and games. In short, “Linux” is generally thought to be a free but experts-only operating system. Fortunately for those of us who aren’t computer experts, almost all of these “facts” about “Linux” are completely wrong.

The simplest way to make databases in OpenOffice.org

Do you need to make a database, but fear it’s too much of a pain or you don’t have the right tools? Don’t worry: it’s easy, free, and useful, too. Use the free OpenOffice.org office suite to get your data in shape for mail merges, queries, or useful analysis of your business data.

What’s the point of making a database?

FSM Newsletter 23rd of April 2007

Mon, 2007-04-23 06:30 -- admin

Hello everybody, and welcome once again to the fortnightly newsletter of Free Software Magazine: keeping you well informed about the realm of free software! Happy reading!

General announcements

Okay. We’ve been promising features with the roll out of our new and improved Drupal 5 website, and this fortnight, we are making good on our promise! And this is just the beginning!

The free Tron Universe—Armagetron

After all these years, I still remember the sounds and primary colours associated with the climatic lightcycle scene in the 1982 Walt Disney film TRON. As the noise-ridden cycles raced to certain destruction, synthetic electronic reverberations could be felt throughout the whole audience and my bones at the cinema. Sure, since my long forgotten childhood there were a couple of well-made arcade games.

FSM Newsletter 26th of March 2007

Mon, 2007-03-26 00:30 -- admin

Hello everybody, and welcome once again to the fortnightly newsletter of Free Software Magazine: keeping you well informed about the realm of free software! Happy reading!

General announcements

It’s been a hard slog, but Free Software Magazine’s new web site is very nearly ready and that makes it all worth while! Tony Mobily is just about to finish porting our custom-made modules to Drupal 5. So once he’s done, you’re all going to start seeing lots of improvements! Thanks Tony!

Latest content

FSM Newsletter 12th of March 2007

Mon, 2007-03-12 12:00 -- admin

Hello readers, and welcome once again to Free Software Magazine’s fortnightly newsletter, keeping you up to date with all things free software! Enjoy!

General announcements

This fortnight we have been focusing on the back end—a major server upgrade, increased usability for magazine staff, administration upgrades. It isn’t something you can all see, but very important none the less in helping to smoothly produce and distribute quality content for the readers. And speaking of quality content...

Latest content

Freeing an old game

Do you remember that old game that you used to play all the time? Do you still play it? It probably isn’t free software. Do you wish it was? Sometimes writing a clone of a game is a lot of work compared to the amount of work it takes to relicense one. Here is a story about how one group of people are going about freeing the game known as “Moria”.

Introduction

FSM Newsletter 26th of February 2007

Mon, 2007-02-26 00:00 -- admin

Hello everybody, and welcome once again to the fortnightly newsletter of Free Software Magazine: keeping you well informed about the realm of free software! Happy reading!

General announcements

Now that the dust has settled from our no-more-PDF statement and we have made our position clear, our main aim this fortnight has been ensuring the printer-friendliness of all of our articles. We appreciate all of the support we have had from our loyal readership, and thanks to all of you who have sent messages of support and donations.

Latest content

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