So Blizzard release Diablo III in the not too distant future. I forsee much wasted time in my future. Excerpt:

Even though Diablo, Mephisto and Baal were slain in Diablo II, Tristam is again under siege by evil creatures that players will have to eliminate. The game is being designed to focus more on cooperative play instead of soloing through the world.
...
There will be five different classes in Diablo III, with the barbarian class making a comeback, using Cleave, Ground Stomp, Seismic Slam and Whirlwind. A new class will be made, Witch Doctor, who will be able to use ancient tribal magic to help slay enemies. He'll be able to use Mass Confusion, Soul Harvest, Firebomb, LocustSwarm and Horrify while also having abilities similar to the Necromancer from Diablo II, such as summoning pets.

Deckard Cain, a central figure in the first two games, will make a triumphant comeback into Diablo III, though his specific role is unknown.

At least we don't have to kill that frigging blacksmith again. I bought tons of stuff from him in Diablo and how did the little bastard repay me? He turned into a demon monster in D2. I fixed his sorry ass.

Yeah, I know: me and 50 gazillion other people did, too

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I don't actually play Heroes of Might and Magic 5, but some people I know do. And now you're not stuck if you're using a Linux front-end. David Stenberg gives you step-by-step instructions for installing and running the game under Ubuntu 8.04 with Wine. There are links at the bottom to other game installations using Wine which, by the way, had its first stable 1.0 release this past week.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 01:22 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Over at HowToForge, Falko Timme has created the installation steps required to replace Windows with Linux using Kubuntu 8.04. Excerpt:

This tutorial shows how you can set up a Kubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a secure system without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge. Kubuntu 8.04 LTS is derived from Ubuntu 8.04 LTS and uses the KDE desktop instead of the GNOME desktop.

I want to say first that this is not the only way of setting up such a system. There are many ways of achieving this goal but this is the way I take. I do not issue any guarantee that this will work for you!

He goes through the all of the steps necessary to get you going on your replacement for the Worlds Biggest Virus™.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 08:55 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Over at Free Geekery is a post containing ways to get free stuff online. For those of you frugal (cheap) individuals, it's definitely worth checking out. Here are some samples:

23. SourceForge: Open source software is all the rage these days with even non-tech savvy people embracing Linux operating systems like Ubuntu. Download open source programs, the majority of which are free or reasonably priced, to your heart’s content with the Web’s “largest open source software development website.”
...
40. Berklee Shares: If youÂ’ve always wanted to learn to play the guitar or keyboard, or a variety of other instruments, this site could be your chance to do so for free. Just download the lessons and you can start learning on your own and with no out of pocket expense.
...
45. Ear Training Software: For the less musically inclined, understanding pitch and being able to play things by ear is a daunting challenge. These free and open source programs can help build your skills without you having to pay for expensive software or numerous lessons.

Lots more for your reading pleasure.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 12:54 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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A few years ago, I bought a router on sale for around $40: the Linksys WRT54G v6. It worked fine until recently when I built a computer for my kids. The router is in one corner of the house upstairs. The new computer was downstairs in the opposite corner, essentially diagonally across the the 3-D rectangular cube that is my house. Consequently, the wireless signal kept dropping on me, which was quite frustrating to my children and me. So I started looking for ways to make the signal stronger. I stumbled across WW-DRT:

DD-WRT is a third party developed firmware released under the terms of the GPL for many ieee802.11a/b/g/h/n wireless routers based on a Broadcom or Atheros chip reference design.

What happens is that you replace the firmware that came with your router and upgrade it to a Linux control platform. Sounded good to me so I check to see if my device was supported. It was, with some caveats:

In all later references we'll call these models "neutered". Why? Because they've had some crucial functionality removed by their reduced RAM and reduced flash memory.
[edit] Linksys WRT54G Neutered Models

Version 5.0 Serial number begins with: CDFB
Version 5.1 Serial number begins with: CDFC
Version 6.0 Serial number begins wtih: CDFD
[edit] Linksys WRT54GS Neutered Models

Version 5.0 Serial number begins with: CGN7
Version 5.1 Serial number begins with: CGN8
Version 6.0 Serial number begins with: CGN9

For more complete information on hardware revisions, visit Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrt54g#Hardware_revisions

On the neutered models listed above, Linksys reduced the flash memory and the RAM compared to previous versions of these models, thus the term "neutered". DD-WRT Micro is one of the only 3rd party firmwares available for these models. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FLASH ONE OF THESE WITH DD-WRT mini. Having said that, if you have one of these neutered models, you'd still be much better off selling it and getting something else that is a supported device.

Looked like selling it was out of the question, so I said what the heck and proceeded with the specific installation instructions found here.

The instructions are pretty simple and worked well, but I have a couple of comments to make so I'll reprint them here:

If you have a WRT54G Version 5 or 6...

1. Download linux_prep_wrt54g.bin

2. Go into 192.168.1.1, click "Administration". Go to "Firmware Upgrade", and select the linux_prep_wrt54g.bin file. (see here for help) Click Apply and wait a few minutes. After you're screen turns white, power cycle the router.

3. Download linux_upgrade_wrt54g.bin

4. Go back to 192.168.1.1. You are now in Management Mode. Select the linux_upgrade_wrt54g.bin file and upgrade.

5. Again, power cycle the router. When restarted, the Power LED should be flashing.

6. Download tftp.exe

7. Download dd-wrt.v23_micro_generic.bin

8. Open the TFTP client (Enter IP: 192.168.1.245 or 192.168.1.1) and upload "dd-wrt.v23.micro_generic.bin"

9. The router should restart. Wait a moment and than go to 192.168.1.1. If all went well, you should be running DD-WRT Micro.
10. Enjoy your new Linux router and have a Cold Beverage!

Be sure to check out the FAQ as your browser will likely lose its built in IP address. Follow the steps in the FAQ and you'll be fine, with one exception:

I Can't Connect to the Router!
You've simply lost your IP address. You need to manually set these values.
Windows XP:
Control Panel>
Network Connections>
Right Click > Local Area Connection>
Scroll > Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)>
Properties>
Select > Use the following IP Address:>
IP: 192.168.1.99
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.1.1

I recommend using IP 192.168.1.101 instead. I had problems with the "99" at the end; I don't know why. Anyway, some additions to the 10 steps above:

2) ...After you're screen turns white, power cycle the router

What happens using IE [***warning: do not use Firefox to do this upgrade***] is that the upgrade progresses and then the browser moves to a "page not found" sort of page, which is a white page with text. "Power cycling" means unplugging the router and then plugging it back in a few seconds later. CLOSE THE BROWSER, reopen and go to 192.168.1.1 to see the Management Mode screen.

8. Open the TFTP client (Enter IP: 192.168.1.245 or 192.168.1.1) and upload "dd-wrt.v23.micro_generic.bin"

If the micro_generic.bin fails to load on 3 tries, be sure to follow the steps listed in the FAQ to reset the IP address of your router.

9. The router should restart.

The router didn't restart for me and I waited a few minutes for it to happen. Eventually, I power cycled it and reopened IE, typed in 192.168.1.1 and lo and behold I saw the DD-WRT router configuration screen. YAY!

Final steps:

1) You will have to rename your router's SSID as it's been returned to default values.

2) Re-enable your WEP or WPA keys that wireless computers in your household are using so that nothing will have to be changed on their ends.

3) Go to Wireless--> Advanced settings and look for the Xmit power. The factory default is 28 mW. In theory, you can go over 250 mW, but it's like overclocking your PC's CPU: you'll fry it pretty quickly. I boosted the output signal to 70 then 90 mW to get the output I needed for the computer downstairs. My work was done.

For those of you hardcore gamers or downloading demons, you can also set up priorities for actions, software and computers (I'm not certain about the last one) to make your wireless network work how you want it to. As for me, I simply got more and better use out of my crappy little RAM-challenged router, which saves me the money for a new, more powerful one. If my tweak ends up shortening the life a little, so be it. I've gotten 2-3 years out of it already so I'll come out ahead.

WARNING!!! The actions you take might brick your router. There are numerous methods listed to unbrick them, but it's possible that you might have to run down to the computer store to buy a new one. Just an FYI, so don't blame me if it fails.
My update worked fine, but YMMV.

Good luck and happy routing.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 09:39 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Assuming you've moved onto Linux, you're probably complaining a bit about the dearth of games to play. Oh sure, you've waded into Wine territory to discover the 57 convoluted steps that, if taken properly while holding your breath and rubbing your stomach, will allow you to play a Windows game from within Linux. However, assuming that you'd like to play some native to Linux games, here's a list of 42 such games for your consideration:

To demonstrate the level of sophistication available, we have put together a list of 42 high quality Linux games that all have the virtue of being free to play. To ensure that there is something of interest here for every type of gamer, we have covered a wide variety of computer game genres, including the ever popular First Person Shooters (FPS), Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG), as well as arcade games, board/puzzle games and more.

To be eligible for inclusion in this list each game needed to meet the following requirements:

• Free to play (no download charge, no monthly charge)
  
• Does not require Wine to run. Wine is a compatibility layer for running Windows software.
  
• Not in the early stages of development
  

The only sort of exception we made was to include the game OpenTTD, a personal favorite which we could not see miss the list. OpenTTD needs the MS Windows or DOS version of Transport Tycoon Deluxe. But assuming you already have the game, OpenTTD lets you play it for free natively under Linux.

Our three requirements automatically excluded a whole raft of high quality games that run under Linux. There are a collection of titles where a no-charge client is available for download, but where the game requires a small monthly subscription to play online. Notables examples of games which fall into this category include EVE (a massive multiplayer online game set in a science-fiction based world), Vendetta (a massively multiplayer online role-playing game), and Savage 2 (a fantasy and science-fiction themed game that combines elements of the first-person shooter, real-time strategy, and action role-playing game genres). Subscription based Linux games will be covered in a future article.

Wine has reached a level of maturity that it lets you play a wide range of commercial Windows games. This enables gamers to enjoy classics such as World of Warcraft, the king of the Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (which has over 11 million subscribers), Half-Life 2, Silkroad Online, Planescape, Day of Defeat: Source Steam, Call of Duty 2 etc etc. We'll also cover the world that Wine opens up in a separate article together with commercial native Linux games too.

Anyway, I'll let you check out the list for yourself. If by chance you don't play computer games because they're silly and juvenile, let me state for the record that I pity you. Sure, I didn't know the touch of a woman growing up, but I did figure out to get by the damned Green Dragon in Adventure:

Kill dragon.

With what? You bare hands?

Yes.

Congratulations. You've just killed a fierce green dragon with your bare hands. Amazing, isn't it?

Posted by: Physics Geek at 12:00 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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From Linux Opinion comes this little Point-Counterpoint (Jane, you ignorant slut!):

There are two opposing ways to see Linux, and both are true.

The Negative View:

• Linux has lots of geeky technical issues.
  
• Linux geeks are having fun. They don't care about us.
  
• Freedom is next to Godliness - let chaos reign!
  
• Documentation is boring and only for wimps.
  
• Linux is for the high priests and Windows is for the masses.
  
• Linux has thousands of great projects - and no management.
  
• Linux market share is 1%.
  

The Positive View:

• Linux is a fine operating system with a rich set of capable applications.
  
• All this is completely free and can be modified as you please.
  
• The geek community understands the problems and is rapidly improving.
  
• Ubuntu is the new 600 pound gorilla and is setting standards.
  
• Major PC vendors are starting to offer pre-installed Linux (Dell, WallMart).
  
• Microsoft: quality, security and ethics issues are sending users to Linux (and Mac).
  
• Linux market share has doubled in the last year.
  

I think that the Negative list is missing an item:

• Linux geeks may never know the touch of a woman
  

Then again, that might just be me.

Update: Yep, it's just me.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:52 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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So I finally got all of the components for the computer that I'm building for my children. I cheated a little and cannibalized CD-ROM drives and floppy drives (shut up) from some old systems that I'm certain my wife would like to chuck out the window. Anyway, I thought that I'd be clever and pull off the old direct cooling fan as well and simply use that on the new motherboard/CPU combo. Funny thing, though: I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to attach the fan to the new motherboard. I finally gave up and ordered a new one. When it arrived, I discovered why the old fan wouldn't fit. The new fans are freaking ginormous. Two huge levels of radiating fins and a fan that, frankly, I could use as a small ceiling fan, at least in our dog house.

Anyway, I plan to take pictures of my latest PC project and post them here. The first photo will be of the two cooling fans sitting side by side just to give you an idea of how much things have changed in just a couple of years. The rest will be of the entire project, from empty mini-tower to booting the OS.

When will all of this happen? Beats me. Family obligations keep intruding. But my kids are getting antsy and my wife is tired of getting kicked off of her machine. My guess is that it will be sooner, rather than later. Stay tuned.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 08:59 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Next stop: Linuxville

Check out this article at Tech Radar on one guy's move from Windows to Ubuntu. Except:

One of the main problems with Microsoft's Windows OS is that virtually everything on your motherboard, and anything you want to install, requires an appropriate driver. This used to be the case with Linux, but like AppleÂ’s OS X, a large number of drivers are now built into the Linux kernel.

For instance, once you install Windows, you normally need to install all the motherboard drivers. When I installed Ubuntu, this wasnÂ’t necessary.

Even more impressively, Ubuntu detected my wireless USB stick. All it required was the WPA password and it connected straight to the Internet. In Windows, a specific driver is needed.
...
So far IÂ’m impressed. Setting up Ubuntu has been easier than Windows XP or Vista, and IÂ’ve had to install far fewer drivers. Over the next four days, IÂ’ll find out how Ubuntu copes with a range of everyday tasks, from Internet shopping to productivity and playing games.

Stay tuned for future installments in this series.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 03:12 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Useful list compiled here at Linux Planet: The Top 75 Open Source Security Apps. Excerpt:

Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware

1. ClamWin Free Antivirus

This Windows-only app uses the incredibly popular ClamAV engine to detect viruses and spyware. It includes a scanning scheduler, automatic downloads, and a Microsoft Outlook plug-in. However, it does not provide real-time scanning; you'll need to scan your files manually in order to be protected. Operating System: Windows.

2. ClamAV

Numerous commercial and open-source products are based on the Clam Antivirus engine. Designed for protecting e-mail gateways, Clam AV offers automatic updates, a command line scanner, and more. Operating System: Unix, Linux, BSD.
...
Data Removal

14. Eraser

Want to make sure that file you deleted can never be retrieved? Eraser writes over your files with random data so that no one can snoop into your private files. Operating System: Windows and DOS.

15. Darik's Boot and Nuke

Also known as "DBAN," Darik's Boot and Nuke completely eliminates all of the data on a hard drive. It's an ideal way to clean up an old computer before you donate or recycle it. Operating System: OS Independent.

16. Wipe

Wipe erases all traces of deleted files from your hard drive so that they can't be retrieved. It relies heavily on the work of Peter Gutmann, one of the foremost experts in the field. Operating System: Linux.
...
Internet Security Suites

42. Winpooch

Calling itself "an opensource watchdog for Windows," Winpooch incorporates anti-spyware and anti-trojan capabilities with ClamWin Antivirus. It aims to give the user complete control over which programs are running on the system. Operating System: Windows.

43. DemocraKey

The DemocraKey tagline says it all: "It's like a condom for your computer." Install it on a portable drive and plug it in to any computer. DemocraKey scans for viruses and protects your privacy while you surf. Operating System: Windows.

There's a lot more to look at, if you're so inclined.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 03:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Marcel Gagne links to several free to download video games that do not require the latest video card. In fact, I'll posit that you can use an old 1-meg video card and still play these games. So have at it.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 02:31 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Very interesting and useful article entitled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Linux Users. Excerpt:

If there was one habit that one should strictly abide by, it’s probably this one. Most of us come from a Windows background, and we have the notion that more power is better, so we login using our administrator accounts. Well let me tell you my friend, that this is a major reason that Windows is plagued with viruses and insecurities, half the world is currently running ‘root’ accounts!

With great power comes great responsibility, and with ‘root’ powers you should be aware of the consequences of EVERYTHING you’re doing, and even then, mistakes happen. [ed. note: That is the funniest and most horrifying Unix/Linux story ever]I remember my beginnings with SUSE Linux, there were lot of administrative tasks I needed to do but had no idea how to go about them without the GUI, so I so innocently log out and login onto the ‘root‘ GUI. The default wallpaper of the ‘root‘ GUI on SUSE were lit fuse bombs tiled beside each other. Back then, the symbolism totally flew over my head, coming from a Windows background, I wasn’t really doing anything wrong.

But what are the dangers of logging in as root?

1. Well imagine youÂ’re on the trapeze without a safety net, frightening isnÂ’t it? Well thatÂ’s effectively what you are doing when you login as root, you can inadvertently hose your whole system
   
2. You are at the risk of running malware. Any program that is started under root mode will automatically be given root privileges
   
3. If there is a common security hole that hasn’t been patched yet, you could be totally “pwned”
   
4. ItÂ’s common Unix convention, never run anything in root mode unless absolutely necessary. If a non-admin program asks for root access, you should be suspicious
   

Generally, instead of logging onto your root GUI, use any of the following techniques:

• Use “sudo” or “su” , and kill the session when your done
  
• If you donÂ’t know how to do it in the command line, use “gksu” or “kdesu”. For example, press alt+f2 and type “gksu nautilus“. Close the app as soon as you finish
  

Lots more good advice to peruse.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 12:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Via Jonah comes the Worlds Hardest Game. Somehow, I thought that was figuring out what women want. Oh wait, that's fiction, not a game.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 12:37 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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So I hear that Microsoft will sunset XP as of June 30, forcing customers to upgrade the turd parade known as Vista or, possibly, switching to something else.

Let be clear: as much as I've extolled the virtues of Linux on this site, I find that Windows XP is a pretty decent operating system, especially since SP2 came out. And lots of people liked it. So much so, in fact, that people chose to "downgrade" from Vista. Of course, Vista sucking so much had a lot to do with it as well. Microsoft, after years of coding, finally created something that people hated more than Windows ME. And now Microsoft, in its finite wisdom, has decided to flip the bird to its customers. What to do, what to do? Well, the author of this article has some ideas and opinions on the matter. Excerpt:

On June 30, Microsoft will do something quite ordinary -- the company will stop selling a 7-year-old old product.

Microsoft has killed off many versions of Windows in the past. But there's a difference with the retirement of Windows XP: Most users hate its replacement, Windows Vista.

Microsoft has always suffered from a cultural flaw baked into its DNA: The company just doesn't do "simplicity." Microsoft thinks simplicity results from the masking of radical complexity with a user interface that hides, buries or disables options. Windows Vista stands as a monument to this flawed vision.

When the company shipped Vista -- which users hate precisely because of its over-complexity -- Microsoft compounded its error by segmenting out a dozen (or whatever it is) versions of Vista, creating confusion and paralysis.

Now, Microsoft is doing it again with uncertainty and complexity about when and where and which XP will be supported, not supported or semi-supported.
...
In my own case, both my desktop and laptop run Windows XP, and I have an Asus Eee PC that runs Linux. If I choose to buy another system, and XP is unavailable to me at the time of purchase, I'll be forced to choose from one of four alternatives: 1) Linux; 2) Mac OS X; 3) Vista; and 4) an illegal copy of XP. For me, options 3 and 4 aren't even up for consideration. I'll choose either Linux or a Mac. Just for my own peace of mind, I might be tempted to convert my remaining systems to my new choice, and abandoned Windows altogether.

But if XP is available, on the other hand, I'll buy it. Microsoft will get the money. I'll continue to invest in Windows applications, and if Microsoft gets Windows 7 right, I'll upgrade to that.

Isn't maintaining XP better for Microsoft than pushing people away from Windows altogether?

The answer to that last question is apparently "no".

Posted by: Physics Geek at 08:11 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Don't like Windows Explorer to root around in your directories and files? Well, now you can use the Firefox browser for that task, as long as you install Firefly. Pretty cool stuff. However, be aware that it's still what I'd consider a beta release.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 12:34 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Well, I missed it two days ago, but you can still celebrate a belated Happy Run Some Old Browsers Day. Excerpt:

In honor of the ten year anniversary of the Mozilla project, home.mcom.com, the Internet Web Site of the Mosaic Communications Corporation, is now back online.
...
Once you've got those old browsers running, you'll find that they're working fine with the mcom.com web sites, but they fail on just about every other web site in the world (for the "Host" header reason I described above).
I have a fix for that!

I wrote a small proxy server that bidirectionally translates the HTTP/1.0 protocol spoken by old web browsers to the HTTP/1.1 protocol spoken on the modern web. Download and run http10proxy.pl. (You may need to install the Net::Server::Fork Perl module first.) Then, go into the preferences on your ancient browser and set "HTTP Proxy" to localhost, port 8228. This will adjust outgoing Host headers as well as incoming Content-Type headers.

I remember downloading, configuring and running Mosaic. Those were the days.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 12:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It's time for VirtualBox.

Look, I've long extolled the virtues of Linux and I've linked to the almost infinite variety of Linux equivalent pieces of software. However, there are some things that simply cannot be easily replaced, such as Quicken, which I've been using for more than a decade. And since Quicken 2008 is completely enabled using even Crossover Office, I'd be forced to boot into Windows at least once a day. Or rather, I would be if it weren't for VirtualBox. Lifehacker has the scoop:

You love working inside your Linux desktop, but at the most inconvenient times you've got to reboot into Windows—whether to open a tricky Office file, try out a Windows application, or even just play a quick game. However, with some free tools and a Windows installation disk, you can have Windows apps running right on your Linux desktop and sharing the same desktop files. It's relatively painless, it takes only a little bit longer than a Windows XP install, and it works just like virtualizing Windows on a Mac with Parallels Coherence—except it's free.
...
If you're curious what the end result might look like, here's a screenshot from my quick installation. I would've loved to have gotten iTunes running, but I didn't have time to wait for all the post-XP-installation patches/upgrades to install to show you.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 07:06 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Technically, the advice here is for installing into an Ubuntu system. However, by making the appropriate libraries available, there's nothing to really prevent you from installing these games into a KDE-based Linux. Excerpt:

3.Lincity

Lincity is a city simulation game. You are required to build and maintain a city. You must feed, house, provide jobs and goods for your residents. You can build a sustainable economy with the help of renewable energy and recycling, or you can go for broke and build rockets to escape from a pollution ridden and resource starved planet, it's up to you.
...
9. LBreakout2

The polished successor to LBreakout offers you a new challenge in more than 50 levels with loads of new bonuses (goldshower, joker, explosive balls, bonus magnet ...), maluses (chaos, darkness, weak balls, malus magnet ...) and special bricks (growing bricks, explosive bricks, regenerative bricks, indestructible bricks, chaotic bricks). And if you're through with all the levels you can create complete new levelsets with the integrated easy-to-use level editor or challenge other humans via LAN or internet iin either deathmatch or normal levelsets. Fun!
...
10. Burgerspace

This is a clone of the classic game "BurgerTime". In it, you play the
part of a chef who must create burgers by stepping repeatedly on the
ingredients until they fall into place. And to make things more
complicated, you also must avoid evil animate food items while performing
this task, with nothing but your trusty pepper shaker to protect you.
...
14. Secret Maryo Chronicles

Secret Maryo Chronicles is an Open Source two-dimensional platform game with a style designed similar to classic sidescroller games. Secret Maryo Chronicles is a clone of the Classic "Mario bros" game . It features number of levels and stages , attractive sound and graphics and in game editor . Though not exactly small (the entire installation of Secret Maryo Chronicles was 58 megabytes download on my system ), still game is fun filled 2d side scroller with impressive graphics and sound hence i have included it in this list .
...
23 Playing classic DOS games with DOSBOX

DOSBOX allows you to run your old dos programs under Linux , DOSBOX provides a full featured dos environment inside your ubuntu box . DOSBOX allows running of DOS programs in Linux and Windows.
...
Some of the popular DOS games can be obtained at the following internet address : -

Bio Menace (This game and all it's three series were released as Freeware and can be downloaded from ) ,Commander Keen , Wolfeinstein 3D , Duke Nukem , Hocus Pocus , Crystal Caves and other can be downloaded at the following address some of the games are shareware and some freeware but trust me even shareware games would give you hours if not days of entertainment : - http://www.3drealms.com/downloads.html

Alley Cat ( This game released in 1984 is one of my all time favorite i have spent a lot of time playing this on my 386 computer ) this can be downloaded from the following : - http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/game/91

Dangerous Dave ( Well this game released in 1988 is a very simple game which is quite popular here in India even today in school labs you could find people playing this game !!!!!) :- http://www.abandonia.com/games/Dangerous%20Dave.zip

Mario Brother VGA ( Well this is also a nice game it even has a boss mode to fool your boss that you are working and to top it all it is only few kilobytes in size !!) :- http://www.abandonia.com/games/880/MarioBrothersVGA

Get more old dos games here at : http://www.abandonia.com
http://dosgamesarchive.com

No reference to Colossal Cave (aka Adventure), but I'll go ahead and point you in that general direction by saying XYZZY and PLUGH.

Hint: When you say "KILL GREEN DRAGON" and the computer replies, "WITH WHAT? YOU BARE HANDS?", say "YES". Don't try this on the bear, though. Remember: it's your bare hands against his bear hands.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 08:16 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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However, if it IS broken (your PC, that is), you might want to have a SystemRescueCD Live CD nearby, even if you don't use Linux as your OS of choice. While there are some black bag recovery discs out there ::cough-coughminiPEcough-cough::, SystemRescueCD has the benefit of being completely Open Source, which means you won't ever violate the law while using it. Anyway, excerpt:

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of using SystemRescueCd, the Linux kernel 2.6.24.2-based distribution can be booted from either a CD-ROM or a USB stick. Once it's running, and I've yet to meet a busted PC that still had a working CPU and memory it couldn't run on, you have your choice of the lightweight WindowsMaker GUI or a shell command-line interface.

The distribution comes with a variety of system tools, such as the low-level disk partition programs GParted and sfdisk and disk repair tools like TestDisk and Partimage. For higher levels of repair, it comes with such programs as Midnight Commander, an excellent file manager based on the design of the old MS-DOS Norton Commander and CD/DVD writing tools such as dvd+rwtools.
[ed. note: I used to love Norton Commander back in my old DOS days]
...
The new SystemRescueCd also has better support for fried graphic systems. It now includes Xvesa. This is a generic X Window server that can deliver a graphics interface without needing to know anything about the graphics hardware. You won't get a great display, but any graphic display is better than none.

Very cool. While I'm quite comfortable with a command line interface, I know that many people are not. That's one of the -very few- advantages of getting old. One of the more notable advantages is not being, you know, dead, so I'm not complaining.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 10:57 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Pcpag.com has compiled a pretty good list of 157 pieces of free software for you, some of which you don't even have to download to use. Excerpt:

We did the math: If you bought popular apps instead of trying their gratis counter-parts, at the manufacturers' list prices you'd be out $5,183 and change! Why spend money when you can get what you need for nothing? Sometimes, you do get what you don't pay for.

I use, have used, or at least tried over 90% of these tools. Am I a geek or what?

Posted by: Physics Geek at 10:44 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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