Hail to open source

I was reminded to write this short article after I came across an advertisement, Open Source Convention (OSCON) to be held on July 21-25, 2008. Annually, the activity aims to bring open source enthusiasts and professionals together to celebrate the principles of open source computing. OSCON is already in its 10th year anniversary.

But what is open source? Nowadays open source is defined in different perspective. In my point of view, open source is the product of collaborative efforts by individuals in different geographical locations. It aims in providing excellent solution to particular IT issues and challenges. The source code is shared among experts in that particular field, hence it's called open source. Then it is subjected to continuous scrutiny and deliberation. Thereof, the end product made by many minds, are better than made by a single mind.

Well-known examples of open source products are Apache, Firefox and Ubuntu. Apache is the most popular web server topping the list in the cyber space for many years. While Firefox in a matter of time will soon gain the top web browser honor, Ubuntu linux has been recently adjudged by many as the best alternative to MS Windows operating systems. So far, it is the user-friendliest among other Linux distributions. Surprisingly, these open sources are offered FREE of charge.

Open source's popularity is showing a big impact in the business community. There are quite numerous moves by some giant companies involving open source strategies. Many big computer brands continue selling computers and laptops preloaded with Linux, Sun Microsystems' acquired MySQL the most popular open source database, and Google is currently sponsoring the Wine improvement for Photoshop to work under Linux.

Open source is such a rewarding product. As an individual I have benefited a lot from open source without spending a single cent. It is not too late however to express my gratitude to those generous contributors. Thank you and may you have many more birthdays to come.

Brought by:
ModernClick

The Beauty of RTSP

RTSP stands for Real Time Streaming Protocol, a standard for controlling a streaming media server remotely using a client media player, like Realtime Player or VLC Media Player. It uses the standard-based RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) to format packets of multimedia content.

So what's it making sense for? The idea behind is, multimedia can be accessible remotely through client-to-server relationship. Like, a video file can be watched remotely from a streaming server using the format rtsp (rtsp://) similar to http (http://).

Now, consider a scenario where I found implementing RSTP interesting. I have plenty of audio and video files, acquired in good faith. Some are cartoon movies and favorite songs. I want to share the movies for kids to my son who is a Naruto fan, but I work miles away from him.

Instead of sending all the copies right infront of the doorstep, I could just possibly make them available to watch through the internet. Fortunately, all basic things needed are available to make this happen.

A server, Pentium 4 with 256 MB RAM, running Ubuntu 6.06 LTS is ideal enough to run Darwin Streaming Server (popularly known DSS). DSS is free, an open-source version of Quicktime Streaming Server maintained by Apple. Installation is pretty straight forward. The simple steps are as follows:

1. Basic configuration before DSS installation:
# apt-get install libstdc++5
# sudo addgroup --system qtss
# sudo adduser --system --no-create-home --ingroup qtss qtss
2. Download the DSS here.

3. Extract and install DSS.
# cd DarwinStreamingSrvrlinux_Linux (It is always helpful to read Readme)
# sudo ./Install
4. After installation is completed check for ports 554 and 1220 using,
# netstat -angrep 554
# netstat -angrep 1220 (Presence of these ports show that DSS is running.)
5. For additional configuration, make use of its web-based administration. At the internet browser, type http://host-ip-address:1220/.

In addition, hinting the video files may also be necessary before storing them for streaming. This can be done by downloading a simple free sofware called MP4box which can be run at the DOS command environment. A useful guide is found here.

Outsmarting the kids

Nowadays, many kids are already indulged in the computing activities. Many of them are even left home alone stuck infront to their monitors all day.

At first, everyone's health conscious. Exposure to radiation, eyes strain and neck and back aches are just few examples to mention. Hence, some measures and adjustments, like replacing the CRT monitor to LCD to eliminate too much radiation, modifying the working area and provision of protective devices for the eyes are advised to avoid health problems.

But now, health is no longer the lone apprehension. One more is the safety of kids from the information highway, the Internet. What's the risk? A lot of inappropriate materials- such as violent games, pornographics, gambling and others are so visible to their naked eyes. These materials are freely flowing from the Internet Service Provide (ISP) down to the subscribers.

Since, not all ISPs are obliged to regulate these materials, taking the full responsibility are consequently passed down to parents in doing the job instead. Here is an easy tip to accomplish it via the installation of an appropriate free software called Crawler Parental Control.

To gain control of the computer without physical intervention is very important. It reduces the long exposure of kids to games and surfing activities even if they are left alone. Hence, the installation of the Crawler Parental Control is perfect enough to do the task. Among its features are as follows:

Time Control Enable to select and set different time limits and periods for the kids and users to spend on the computer, whether it is for online or offline activities.
Content Control Can control over the content that are accessed by the kids by customizing the content filter. It prevents the kids and users from accessing porn sites as well as unauthorized use of credit cards.
Usage Logging and Email Notifications Be able to monitor online and offline activities of the kids through the usage logs and email notifications. User activity reports are stored on the computer and can be sent automatically to the email address specified during setup.
Application Usage Restrictions Be able to select the appropriate applications that can be used by the kids of users.
System Restrictions Prevent unauthorized users from installing unwanted and potentially harmful software as well from uninstalling applications such as this software to make the purpose ineffective. Stop unauthorized access to your important files and incompetent changes to your system and security settings.
User-friendly Interface It is very intuitive and easy to use. Does no need to be a computer expert to handle it.

Try it, it's plain and simple way to get in control of your smart kids.