May 23, 2012 10:07am GMT
The File Thingie web-based file manager features a no-frills yet functional text editor which I use as a simple drafting tool when I'm on the move. However, the editor lacks the word count feature which is essential for my work. While there are several word count extensions for Google Chrome and Chromium (which is currently my browser of choice), none of them seem to be able to handle text selection in the File Thingie's text editor. So I hacked my own shell script that solves the problem:
#!/bin/bash xsel | wc |... more »Set Up A File Syncing Solution in an Instant with ownCloud
May 15, 2012 7:29pm GMT
File syncing services are a dime a dozen nowadays. But why bother with third-party offerings when you can roll out your own full-blown file syncing solution in a matter of minutes?
There are several ways to set up your own instance of ownCloud. If you already have a machine running the Apache web server, you can deploy ownCloud by following installation instructions on the project's website. The easiest way to set up ownCloud from scratch is to install it through a dedicated software repository, and... more »
Protect Sensitive Data on Android with Secret Space EncryptorMay 14, 2012 8:50pm GMT
Storing sensitive data like passwords and confidential information on your Android device unprotected is risky to say the least. Fortunately, the Secret Space Encryptor (SSE) app can take good care of your precious data. Using it, you can securely store passwords, encrypt text messages, and encrypt individual files and entire folders. The app offers several strong encryption algorithms, including 256-bit AES, 256-bit Serpent, and 256-bit Blowfish.
May 10, 2012 7:32pm GMT
Still haven't found a task manager that fits your needs? Perhaps you should take a look at Nitro. It doesn't offer any revolutionary functionality, and the current version doesn't even allow you to sync data across different platforms and devices (although this feature is in the works). But this no-frills task management tool offers all the basic features that can help you to keep tabs on your tasks and to-dos with a minimum of effort. For each task, you can specify priority and deadline, and color codes make it easier to identify the urgency of... more »
KDE Plasma Netbook RevisitedMay 09, 2012 7:32pm GMT
With Unity, Cinnamon, and Gnome 3 getting all the buzz, it's easy to overlook other interesting projects that attempt to rethink the traditional desktop metaphor. Case in point, the KDE Plasma Netbook interface. Despite its moniker, the KDE's alternative interface is not limited to netbooks, although it's designed for devices with small screens. KDE's alternative interface has been around for a while, but I only recently started using it as a primary environment on my trusty ASUS Eee PC 1005HA netbook, and I grew fond of it for a number of reasons.
May 08, 2012 8:10pm GMT
A webapp for storing text fragments and code snippets can come in handy in many situations, and there are several third-party pastebins at your disposal. But if you prefer to host a pastebin on your own server, ZeroBin is right up your alley. For starters, ZeroBin is rather easy to install. Grab the latest version of the application, extract the download archive, move the resulting directory to the document root of your server, and ZeroBin is ready to go.
May 07, 2012 7:40pm GMT
dfc is a nifty little tool that provides a more human-friendly overview of file system space usage using graphs and a dash of color. This utility can be used as a drop-in replacement for the df tool. Although dfc is available only as a source code distribution, compiling the software requires only a single make command. Install then the compiled binary and the accompanying help and man files using the make install command as root, and you are good to go. Run the dfc command in the... more »

