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Category Archives: Ubuntu

May 24, 2011 Hacker Evolution Duality : New Hacking Simulation Game Coming to Linux

Hacker Evolution Duality, new hacking simulation and strategy game developed by Exosyphen studios will be available for Linux and you can pre-order the game now for $19.95.


About the Game
The game features a world populated by other hackers (AI). You will be able to play against them, or join them. Your choices of playing the game, will be virtually unlimited. Each hacker will be controlled by a neural network based Artificial Intelligence.
I tested Alpha build on my system and it is running quite nice though it seems not all game features are included in this build.
Every level in the game have certain objectives to complete within a pre-defined time limit. To complete the objectives, you will have to go through various servers and hack them using various tools like EMP and DOS attacks. However, each server have different strengths determined by firewall power, CPU power and integrity.
Most of the time, you will not be able to hack a server in just one EMP or DOS attack. So you will have to attempt multiple attacks on the server to the point that it gets really weak, ready to be hacked. But each decisions you make costs you time and you cannot use two successive EMP or DOS attacks as there is a certain recharge time before you can use them again.
Also, you cannot just attack a server and go. The server will retaliate as soon as you start a hacking attempt and a timer will start. Once the timer goes off, it will start tracing you and you may have to quickly move away from the server, even if your hacking attempt is not finished. Say if a level have ten servers and in attempt to hack them all you get fully traced before completing your objectives, the level fails. Though the only level in this build is easy and there is really low chance that you will get traced.
So, everything is about choices you make. Though the game looks straight forward, its actually quite addictive. The game animations, music and sound effects are really good. Wish I could test more features, levels and game modes in higher difficulty settings.
Installation Instructions
  • Grab the Alpha build from here
  • Extract the archive, install the dependency libglut3
  • Run 32bit or 64bit executable from the game folder

Source

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May 12, 2011 LightDM‘ will replace the standard ‘GDM’ login experience for Ubuntu 11.10.

With Ubuntu 11.10 requiring a slick, ‘consumer orientated’ login experience that better matches the rest of Ubuntu, the decision to switch to ‘LightDM’ proved the ideal solution.

LightDM is promoted as fast, small, well documented, is easily themable and has ‘great accessibility’. A 3D-based interface will greet those with capable hardware, with a 2D version being used fallback where not supported.

The advantages of using LightDM instead GDM are according to launchpad blueprint:

  • – Faster – the greeter doesn’t require an entire GNOME session to run
  • – More flexible – multiple greeters are supported through a well defined interface. This allows Ubuntu derivatives to use the same display manager (e.g. Kubuntu, Lubuntu etc).
  • – Simpler codebase – similar feature set in ~5,000 lines of code compared to 50,000 in GDM
  • – Supports more usecases – first class support for XDMCP and multihead.

Note: this blueprint is marked with a “low priority” tag on launchpad so it may not end up landing in 11.04.

Source is in Launchpad (bzr clone lp:lightdm) and tarball releases.

If you are using Ubuntu (Lucid or Maverick) you can install it from a PPA:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:robert-ancell/lightdm
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install lightdm lightdm-theme-webkit lightdm-theme-gnome

You can test lightdm by running it in a window:
$ sudo apt-get install xserver-xephyr
Create the file lightdm.conf:
[Greeter]
theme=webkit
$ lightdm --test-mode -c lightdm.conf

[update]

It had not worked for me though, I wonder why.  It might not work for those who have graphic card issues with GNOME 3.

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May 5, 2011 Keeping Ubuntu 11.04 and the looks of 10.10

Lately I upgraded Ubuntu from 10.10 to 11.04. It was great with a nice login background. After logging in, I found the graphics was an issue. Either the driver or the laptop was not supportive. The Laptop config is a 64 BIT, 4 GB RAM, ATI 9488 card.

Finally logged in with Ubuntu Classic, which barely gave me any designer views. Playing around with it quite a bit, I removed the entire desktop gui, landed with the terminal login.

Once you login enter gnome-terminal, then you will be taken to the terminal screen with the file menu. The advantage of this is that you could open up different terminals, the disadvantage is that, you cannot see the previous terminal when a new one is open.

Enter the following lines

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge

sudo ppa-purge ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3

Once this is done sudo reboot, should bring you back to the login window. Selecting the required username does not bring you the list ubuntu/unit2d etc. Those are all gone, when you remove the desktop-gui. This will keep you on the 11.04 update without graphics issue, and the theme of 10.10.

Some of the issues I had after going through the above was, the task bar was missing.

Add it to the startups by

System->Preferences->Startup Applications

Click the Add button and enter gnome-panel in the command line

Enter a name and description, just to keep you updated and reboot/logout and login.

Everything should go fine.

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