Issue #50 / Jan 2005

KNOW-HOW: Software Suspend

Working with Software Suspend

Nearly all motherboards have a power management feature designed to power down the computer and put it into suspend mode. In real life, this feature does not always work. Linux has a software-based workaround for the dysfunctional suspend.

SYSADMIN: Charly's Column

The Sysadmin’s Daily Grind: Surveillance with Motion

Commercial surveillance systems are expensive and typically involve maintenance agreements. I thought there must be a low-budget alternative.

KNOW-HOW: Linux for Layout: Newspaper with Scribus

More professional layout with Scribus

In part two of this three-part series[1],Jason Walsh gets to some details on laying out a newspaper in Scribus.You’ll also learn about managing those tricky CMYK graphics files.

SYSADMIN: PHP for Sysadmins

Using PHP in administration scripts

Most admins tend to use the shell, Perl,or Python if they need a system administration script. But there is no need for web programmers to learn another language just to script a routine task. PHP gives admins the power to program command-line tools and even complete web interfaces.

SYSADMIN: Admin Workshop:L ocks

Insider Tips: Locks

A genuine multitasking system like Linux runs many processes concurrently. Programs must compete for data access. Assigning locks to files ensures exclusive access and prevents the possibility of data.

PROGRAMMING: Rails Framework

Web applications with Ruby and Rails

Most web libraries make 90 percent of the job simple and the rest impossible. Rails,an open source framework programmed in Ruby,is flexible enough to succeed with that remaining 10 percent.

PROGRAMMING: Perl: Building a Jabber Bot

Remote control with a Jabber Bot

To get past a firewall and into a LAN,you need either a secret backdoor or a cooperative agent on the inside. A Jabber client on the LAN contacts a public Jabber server and wait for instructions trickling in as instant messages from its Internet buddies.

LINUXUSER: KTools

Mouse gestures and keyboard shortcuts with KHotKeys

Mouse gestures and keyboard shortcuts

add speed and simplicity to PC

operations. Mouse gestures used to

be the domain of Opera and Mozilla

users,but KHotKeys now brings them

to Konqueror for users of KDE 3.2 or

newer.You can even launch non-KDE

programs with KHotKeys.

LINUXUSER: deskTOPia

Setting up SuxPanel

Even the smallest desktop has room

for a panel. If your choice of a window

manager does not support a suitable

panel alternative,you can always add

a panel like SuxPanel. Suxpanel provides

many useful features for the

desktop,and it even it even supports

plug-ins.

LINUXUSER: Display Managers KDM and GDM

Configuring KDM and GDM

Both KDE and GNOME have display

managers.We’ll look at the features

offered by KDM and GDM,and we’ll

examine how to configure a display

manager for your Linux system.