Slackware Linux is arguably one of the oldest, surviving versions of Linux; it is my distribution of choice. I am currently running Slackware 12.1 with the shiny 2.6.24.5 smp kernel. Slackware is very robust and secure, it does not use a lot of system overhead to run. This means that Slackware will run very efficiently on high-end machines and also on older hardware. Slackware has a reputation for being very difficult to use, this reputation is partly deserved.
Slackware does not use many graphical interfaces to set-up, configure your computer. You will be required to use a text editor and a root shell prompt to set-up many of the system functions. The installation procedure uses a ncurses based installer, an easy-to-use text based installer. If you are willing to learn, read, and have a lot of fun, then give Slackware Linux a try. If you feel comfortable with navigating on the command-line interface and using a text editor you will love Slackware. Once a Slacker, always a Slacker:-) Read more…
With every update of the iPhone firmware, the hacker community has stepped up and created a way to install third-party apps on the iPhone. This is known as a “Jailbreak.”
The approach taken with the latest version of the iPhone and iPod Touch firmware, 1.1.3, is a little different.
Since the iPhone and iPod touch are running a version of Mac OS X, they have a nice BSD Unix layer underneath. So some hackers (including a 13-year old kid) have figured out a way for the jailbreak operation to take place right on the iPhone itself. No need for a computer. It downloads the firmware from Apple using “curl” then decrypts it and jailbreaks it.
I’ve tried a few different cases for the iPhone, but in the end rejected them because they were bulky and unnecessary. The whole point of the iPhone is that you just slip it into your pocket. If you have to use a big rubber case around it, it becomes bulky and annoying. And I’m not going to be one of those guys who wears a cellphone holster. Dorks.
Besides, the iPhone screen is pretty hardy. It doesn’t seem to scratch, even in a pocket with keys. So the phone itself doesn’t need much protection.
However, Miguel Version 2.0 has figured out that the iPhone is fun to slide around on the floor like a weird crawling hand-rollerskate. So I figure it’s time to get some protection on it. I slapped a screen-protector on (the invisible kind) just in case. And I ordered a Gelaskin. Read more…
