MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [April 21st]” plus 9 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [April 21st]
- Top 5 Amazon Filler Item Finders To Qualify For Free Shipping
- The Wonder & Beauty Of Java Applets [Technology Explained]
- How To Design Your Own Cool Geeky T-Shirt Using Whatever Tools You Have
- Hot Tech Deals [April 21th]
- 5 Sites to Find Local Newspapers Published Around the World
- 7 Good Tips To Faster Typing On The iPad
- Add Dozens of Cool Features to Facebook Account With FFixer
- Ubuntu 10.04 Integrates All Your Inboxes [Linux]
- How To Set Up A Network Domain
| Cool Websites and Tools [April 21st] Posted: 21 Apr 2010 08:31 PM PDT
These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed. NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE! Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 Amazon Filler Item Finders To Qualify For Free Shipping Posted: 21 Apr 2010 06:31 PM PDT
There are, however, a couple of restrictions. To take advantage of SSS, the items that you place in your shopping cart have to be eligible, the shipping speed is 5-9 business days (usually a bit slower than standard), and you must ship to a single address only in the United States. You can read all the fine print here.
Amazon doesn’t really make it easy to look for these Amazon fillers, but fortunately, there’s plenty of websites out there to help. FillerSeek
The simply designed FillerSeek is good place to start looking for some fillers. Just type in the amount you need for free shipping right on the homepage. You can also specify what kind of products you’d like by selecting the categories.
The Amazon filler results are nicely displayed with a product image, name, description, and price. Just click on the link to get to the item’s Amazon page. Filler Item Finder
Once you type in the amount you need on Filler Item Finder, be sure to hit “Filter by categories.” Not only can you choose a category to search, but also specific products within each category.
As for the results, they’re all neatly displayed with an image, the name of the product linking to Amazon, and its price. I did find that some of the prices shown aren’t accurate, so keep an eye out for those. Filler ItemFiller Item takes a dead-simple approach to it. Just type in the amount on the homepage and the site simply lists links to Amazon products that are around that price range and eligible for SSS.
Popular products are displayed on the results page in bold, while very popular items are bolded and have an image. The results may look a bit too simple, but it works. The products shown are almost always in stock and prices are usually spot-on. SuperFiller
Another alternative is SuperFiller. The results here are again pretty much as simple as it gets, featuring the prices and links to the Amazon products that are closet to the price you entered. Don’t like any of them? Displayed below the main results will be different categories with even more listings to choose from.
ClickFillerClickFiller’s homepage features a bunch of cheap Amazon filler products eligible for SSS that you can add up to get to $25. Otherwise, just enter in your price range, any keywords, or select some categories.
One cool feature about the site is that you can sort all the results by most clicked, most discounted, or bestselling on Amazon, a good way to filter out all the less desirable products. How do you go about getting free shipping at Amazon? Have any of these sites helped at all? Let us know in the comments. Image Credit : public.resource.org Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Do share our articles with others! It’s really important to us. Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Wonder & Beauty Of Java Applets [Technology Explained] Posted: 21 Apr 2010 04:31 PM PDT
Sun Microsystems developed the Java programming language and architecture in 1995. Since then, it has become a valuable and integral part of the evolution of the Internet. Paul provided a great list for Java Application examples that should prove very helpful to developers, and Karl provided a useful guide on how to remove older versions of the JRE from your system.
Why You Can Install & Run Java Software AnywhereThe reason Sun’s model worked so well is, in part, because of the fact that it was created to overcome one of the many drawbacks of the early Internet. Few very “useful” applications could run over the Internet because of all of the security concerns in allowing an Internet based application with access to the browsers settings and information – or worse, the computer’s file system and operating system. Early architecture developers realized that for any web software environment to survive, it would need to take those security considerations very seriously. Before we get to security, I’d like to briefly cover the architecture itself and what made the system so effective and powerful for both software developers and Internet users who wanted more useful and functional web applications.
If you take a look at my poor attempt at drawing above, you’ll see a rough representation of the Java program flow. Essentially, Java developers write an application. I’m focusing on Java Applets, because this is about Internet apps – local Java applications are a whole different beast with their own unique considerations. Developers create Java Applet code that can get embedded into any web page. Whether you’re running Ubuntu, Mac or Windows, when you launch that applet with your particular browser version, the Applet attempts to run within it’s “sandbox” known as the Java Runtime Environment or Java Machine. I found some cool, simple examples of how Java applets work, created by Joseph Bergin of Pace University in 1996.
As you can see, this simple application accepts user input, and responds to that input by sorting random points in the manner chosen. This application accepts the Java Code and converts it into machine readable code that’s appropriate for that particular operating system so that the mouse, display and other system functions work correctly with that application.
As you can see from his background code, Java is an object oriented language, with classes and objects that are common for all Java developers. This is the beauty of Java development – the platform you’re writing for doesn’t matter, because everyone speaks the same language. Java is now an application runtime platform that is becoming more accepted and “standard” throughout the world, and it is one of the most popular programming languages chosen for online application development. You can install the latest JRE for your operating system anytime. Security Concerns & Why You Should Feel SafeThe entire Java layout was developed with user security in mind. Sun developers wanted to structure the JRE and the language in a way that, while not impossible to hack, would be much more difficult. In recent years we’ve all heard some nightmare accounts of ActiveX viruses and the like, but Java remains at the top of the list for most businesses and corporate environments as one of the safest methods to run web apps within a browser. Most corporations leave Java enabled in their browsers, and most client machines are installed with the latest JRE.
When you run a Java Applet, or just install the JRE, you’ll notice the Java icon show up in your taskbar. When you see this, you know that you have Java installed. To check the version, just right click, open the Control Panel and select “About…”
This runtime environment, or “sandbox” protects your computer from malicious code, simply by the way the functionality was developed and the language was structured. Some of the safety considerations you can count on when you’re allowing Java in your browser, and installing the JRE on your system are as follows.
If you’re not a programmer, then all of the above information should simply reassure you that the Java approach to running web applications is one of the safest available. You can feel fairly confident running the JRE on your system and launching Java applets. One more thing to understand when you run Java Applets is when you’re asked whether you want to provide a “trusted certificate.” Accept these requests carefully, because once you do, the Java Code can run somewhat outside its normal Applet “sandbox.” You can access what certificates you have as trusted by going in the Java Control Panel and clicking on the security tab, and then clicking on “Certificates…”
Unsigned Applets can only make network connections back to their host, display web documents, invoke only public methods (see the security benefit listed above) and they can read system properties. Signed Applets, on the other hand, can access the local filesystem, files, clipboard and printers and they can access other remote servers, and much more. Even so, the fact that the user (you) has to explicitly grant such permission is a nice safeguard. I recognized every app on my list – nothing gets added automatically. Are you a Java developer? What’s your opinion of the functionality and security of Java applets? If you’re just a regular Internet user, and not a developer, do you consider the process of running Java applets easy enough to understand? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras. Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| How To Design Your Own Cool Geeky T-Shirt Using Whatever Tools You Have Posted: 21 Apr 2010 02:31 PM PDT
I’m sure that many of our readers would like to participate but are not feeling confident enough with their “graphic manipulation skill”. Even though being a Photoshop ace would be a real advantage; anybody with a browser, a screen capture tool, and any application with the ability to insert image and edit text, could come up with a cool geeky t-shirt design.
Cooking Up The Idea
The good news is, if you are reading this article right now, chances are your life is already filled with geeky ideas that you can turn into a design. Armed with the idea, you are ready to look for raw materials for your design. I myself started with the idea of a “404 Error Page“. To avoid the trap of being too obvious and ordinary, I added the ingredients with my wish to make fun of the mighty Google. Then I mixed a little bit of Make Use Of spice to the recipe. The Process Of Baking The DesignWe already know that if you write down a wrong sub-address to a valid domain, you’ll get the famous error page message. So what do you think will happen if we do it deliberately to a Google address? We’ll get a great image for our T-Shirt design. I opened my browser and pasted the Make Use Of motto at the end of the Google URL. It went something like this: “http://www.google.com/cool_websites,_software_and_internet_tips“. I hit enter and got the error page.
Then I hid everything from view using the “View – Hide” menu to get a cleaner look.
I also enlarged the page view using the “View – Zoom In” menu to get a higher resolution image.
I captured the browser window using a screen capture tool. I used Jing on my Mac, but this tool is also available for Windows. Another alternative that you can use is Screenpresso (Windows), Skitch (Mac) and Shutter (Linux). Just to prove that you can use almost any application – as long as it can handle text and image – to come up with the final design, I dragged and dropped the captured image to TextEdit – basic word processing for Mac (similar to Notepad for Windows – but more full featured). Of course you can use Word, PowerPoint, or a dedicated graphic application like Photoshop and the alternatives like Acorn for Mac. I added some text and inserted a high resolution Make Use Of logo (you can also get the logo in vector format). Then I recaptured the image using a screen capture tool to get the final design. This is what my final design looked like.
The End Is NearWhat are you waiting for? The deadline for the contest is April 30th 2010. Submit your cool and geeky design before the end of this month and see whether you have what it takes to win. But even if the deadline has passed, you can use the method explained here to create other designs for your own use. Just be sure to stay within the line and not break the law by using copyrighted materials. Image credit: Dplanet & Thomas R Stegelmann Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 21 Apr 2010 01:30 PM PDT
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.
Image credit: Modified from Svengraph’s icon set We NEED Your Comments!!! Please do share your thoughts in article comments. Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 Sites to Find Local Newspapers Published Around the World Posted: 21 Apr 2010 12:31 PM PDT
In my father's time, subscribing to a couple of newspapers, if not more, was common, as was having a relaxed debate over the latest news on the front page. Welcome to the 21st century, where reading a newspaper from Page 1 to Page Last is a rarity in itself. Blogs, Twitter, headlines masquerading as RSS feeds, and startup pages have taken over. Will newspapers survive or will they end up as fish wrapper?
With online newspaper websites we can connect to other sources of information that can make us see a news story in a different way. With a click we can see what's happening in some other part of the world. Newspaper reporting is dyed in the wool reporting. As opposed to blogs which can be more personally expressed. Online newspaper websites are great sources for research because of their archival news stocks. These five online newspaper websites are not standalone news sites. They are a jumping point to find local and national newspapers around the world. With any of these websites, you can access news as it is published in newspapers (or their online forms) around the globe. Newspapers.com
Newspapers.com is not a very attractive site. The site's purpose is to connect the reader to US and world newspapers. World newspaper links are arranged by area and can be further selected by country from a dropdown. US newspapers can be selected by state from a dropdown to find local newspapers. Additional search options let you filter your search by categories (business, college, entertainment, specialty etc). You can dropdown to search for weeklies or dailies. Newspapers.com is a simple listing site for newspapers, radio stations, movie showtimes and jobs. It's a place to get to know some links on newspapers that cover specific areas around the globe. Onlinenewspapers.com
Onlinenewspapers.com takes a similar dropdown selection approach to newspapers and magazines around the world. Reading too much of frontpage breaking news is a damper, so what's great is the access to magazines from around the world. You can jump straight to the links of the Top 50 newspapers for the United States, or of the world, or the Top 50 magazines for the world. You can also use the site's feedback form to let them know of any new online newspaper link that can be added to their index. The Paperboy.com
A listing of 6,371 newspapers is too much for even the diehard news junkie. So, it's better if you know your subject of interest. That will help you to narrow down the news source when you select magazines by subject from a dropdown. The website also has a Google Custom search with an advanced search option. Newspapers24.com
Newspapers24 is an even larger index of worldwide newspapers. There are 12,000 from 216+ locations, categorized by region, as an alphabetical list, by circulation, and also newspapers from the top 400 cities of the world. To top all that, you can even browse by language. You can use the geographic links or the neat little map to go to region specific newspapers. Searching by country gives you not only the land's national newspapers but also the local regional ones. Newseum
The Newseum is the online portal of the brick and mortar Newseum, which is a 250,000-square-foot museum of news. The center is about letting visitors have a first-hand understanding of the impact of news on our lives and culture. The online site has sections that follow the activities at Newseum like exhibits, theatrical shows, educational events etc. When it comes to newspapers and news, Newseum also has a section called – Today’s Front Pages. Newseum presents these daily newspaper front pages in their original, unedited form. The display amounts to 743 front pages from 78 countries. Clicking on the thumbnail takes you to the full size view. You can follow the newspaper site's link and go to the official newspaper website. A PDF link downloads the front page in the format. For research reasons, you can click on the View Archived Pages link to check out past newspaper snippets chronicling events of historical significance. Each link brings up the front pages from varied newspapers which have covered the event. Even for a news junkie, so many varied sources could be a horn of plenty and totally impractical for day to day reading. But access to a global perspective on news is a serious research tool. We may live in a connected world, but when it comes to news we consume what our local publications and networks dish out. Why not check out a few links from these sites and see what the world is taking about, and how? Image Credit: ImageChef Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 17,000 fans already!
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| 7 Good Tips To Faster Typing On The iPad Posted: 21 Apr 2010 11:31 AM PDT
Despite what we think of the software keyboard, it is what it is. And just as with typing on the iPhone and iPod touch, there are some tricks that newbies not familiar with Apple's portable devices can learn to make typing possible on the iPad. Right Way to Position iPad?First off, the better and faster your typing skills are on a traditional external keyboard, the easier time you'll probably have with the iPad software keyboard. Personally, I don't think you should try to type on the iPad the same way you type on an iPhone or iPod touch. Trying to hold up your iPad and type with your thumbs just makes for a wobbly experience. Here's a video that depicts that : Based on my experience, I think most people tend to type on the iPad, in landscape position, with 2-4 fingers, as is done in this video. The keyboard is almost as large as an external keyboard, but it lacks the tactile keys on a regular keyboard. You have to keep your fingers hovered above the keys on the iPad keyboard, and sometimes they slip and hit the wrong keys. You might also find yourself looking at the keys more than the screen as you type. But using the following tips, you will want to try to keep your eyes on the screen as much as possible. Suggestions & CorrectionsThe most useful feature of the software keyboard for Apple's mobile devices is that as you type, the devices will suggest possible words you're trying to type. Depending on the word, the suggestion might pop up after you type the first three or four letters. Short words like "I", "you", and "an" won't get the suggested spelling. If you've never really typed on a software keyboard, launch the Notebook application of the iPad and position the device in landscape mode to bring up the larger version of the keyboard. Start typing a sentence, including multi-syllable words. You will begin to see suggested words appear as you type. When the word is suggested, simply hit the space bar to accept it. If you don't want the word, tap the little x next to the word and it will disappear.
When you type a misspelled word or a typo (and believe me, you'll type quite a few), the iPad will suggest a correction, and again you simply tap the spacebar to accept the word. Most Used WordsThe typing completion feature works really well for word contractions like "can't," "it's", "they're", etc. You don't have to type the apostrophe for these kind of words. Just type “theyre” and the apostrophe will automatically be typed for you when you hit the space bar.
The same goes for many proper nouns like “iTunes”, "iPad," or “Twitter.” If it doesn’t suggest the correct spelling, including the capitalization, simply make the correction yourself and the next time you type the word, the correct spelling should come up as a suggestion. So if you watch the screen as you type, you'll be able to take better advantage of the suggestion and correction feature. Turn Auto-Correction Off If you rather not be bother with the auto-correction feature, simply launch Settings, choose General>Keyboard, then turn Auto-Correction off. It's on by default. Editing – Cut, Copy &PasteAnother feature you'll want to know about with the iPad is the ability to select words and delete, copy and paste them.
Type a sentence in the Notebook app. Now double-tap on a word, causing it to be highlighted and selected. A pop-up menu will appear for cutting or copying the selected word. Another option will be for pasting a copied selection, and finally there may be an option for replacing the word with what the iPad thinks is the word you're trying to type. If you triple tap fairly quickly on a word, the entire line of words will be highlighted and selected.
When one or more words are highlighted, you'll notice that you can drag one or both of the blue pins to increase the selection. Capitals & PeriodsWhen you type and arrive at the end of a sentence, you can double-tap the space bar and it will type a period for you. When you start to type the next sentence, the first letter of the word will automatically be capitalized. Voice-Over & International SettingsTwo other features for typing on the iPad include the voice-over settings and the international keyboard. Launch Settings>VoiceOver>Switch On. This will give you options for audio hints and audio reading of selected text. By default, the feature will also speak characters and words as you type. You have options for it to speak only characters, words, or nothing. The iPad manual has lots more instructions on using this feature. If you want to type in another language beside the default one, select Settings>General>Language, and choose the language you want to use. Practice, Practice, PracticeI can pretty much assure you that typing on the software keyboard of the iPad is not something you're going to defend when you debate the iPad haters. Not even Steve Jobs gave the keyboard an "isn't it cool" rating. But the convenience of having a built-in keyboard makes the iPad even more portable and less like a notebook or laptop. It's useful for typing short emails, URLs, tweets, and forum comments. The more you use it, the easier it will become to type on it. There's at least one application, TapTyping, in the App store that provides tutorials for typing on the iPad. It cost $5.99. You might want to give the free online solution, TypingWeb, a try as well. You can also use an official Apple external keyboard or a third-party Bluetooth keyboard with the iPad for extended pieces of writing. Personally, I'm okay with the built-in keyboard, though hopefully there may be some better options in the near future. In the meantime, let us know about your experiences with the keyboard. Do you feel comfortable typing on it? Share any tips and tricks which help you type better on the device. Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Add Dozens of Cool Features to Facebook Account With FFixer Posted: 21 Apr 2010 10:31 AM PDT
FFixer adds great features such as the ability to view the full versions of thumbnails by hovering your mouse over the image, better photo albums, and keyboard shortcuts (just like Gmail). Follow me through this guide to see how it all works!
Getting StartedInstallation for FFixer is different depending on the browser you're using, so make sure to follow the correct procedure below. Mozilla FirefoxStep one: FFixer is a Javascript application and requires the Greasemonkey add-on to operate. Head over to the Greasemonkey add-on page and click the bright green Add to Firefox button as shown below.
After installing Greasemonkey, you will need to restart Firefox by closing all browser windows and re-opening the browser. Alternatively, you can click Restart Firefox in the add-on installation window (all of your open windows will be saved and re-opened).
Step two: Go to the FFixer Userscripts page and click the green Install button as shown below.
You will then receive an installation prompt where you will need to click Install again.
After the script installs, you'll notice a brief message in your toolbar next to the little monkey icon. FFixer is now installed and will be active on Facebook!
Google ChromeNote: Although FFixer wasn't natively written for Chrome, I ported it over and it seems to work great. Please note that some unexpected behavior may occur when using the Chrome version. Installing FFixer in Chrome is very easy. Just head to the FFixer Chrome Extension page and click the blue Install button.
You will need to confirm the installation by clicking the Install button in the dialog box.
After the script is installed, you'll notice a brief message in the top right corner of the browser window. FFixer is now installed and will be active on Facebook!
Features of FacebookQuickly View Full-sized ImagesThis, by far, is my feature and the one I use the most in FFixer. To view any full-sized version of an image, just hover your mouse over the image. This works for profile pictures, photo album thumbnails, and even images from external sites.
Better Photo AlbumsYou can view photo albums with all full-sized images by clicking the Show Big Pictures link at the top of any photo album. (This feature can be enabled by default in the Facebook Account menu –> Configure FFixer –> Pictures tab –> Automatically show bigger album pictures when the page opens…)
If you're dealing with a multi-page album, you can click the All button near the album navigation to view the entire album in a single page. (This feature can be enabled by default in the Facebook Account menu –> Configure FFixer –> Pictures tab –> Automatically load thumbnails for all images in an album on a single page…).
Homepage & Feed CustomizationFacebook includes a lot of information on the homepage, and FFixer allows you to decide exactly what appears on your screen. To customize the homepage, open the Facebook Account menu, select Configure FFixer, and click the Home Page tab. In this menu, you can enable or disable anything that appears on the homepage.
If you want to filter certain stories from the News Feed, click the Feeds tab and enable or disable any items you like.
BookmarksThis newly-added feature of FFixer allows you to bookmark any Facebook Profile or Page for quick viewing in the future. This feature can also be disabled in the FFixer settings under the Menus/Chat tab.
Keyboard ShortcutsIf you've ever used keyboard shortcuts in Gmail, you know how quickly you can move while using them (and how addictive they can be!). For example, you can jump directly to your inbox by typing I (these are case sensitive), or go directly to your profile by typing P. For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, open the Facebook Fixer settings and select the Keyboard Shortcuts tab.
Video DownloadsFFixer gives you the ability to download any video uploaded to Facebook. When viewing a video, simply click the Download Video link near the bottom of the page.
DOZENS Of Other FeaturesFFixer includes more features than I could ever include in this article. Spend some time in the FFixer settings menu to see what it's capable of, and check out a couple more great features like automatic Calendar integration for birthdays, screen names converted into a clickable link in profiles, and enhanced chat settings. Let us know what you think in the comments, and be sure to check out the rest of our articles about Facebook! Image credit: mfinleydesigns Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 17,000 fans already!
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| Ubuntu 10.04 Integrates All Your Inboxes [Linux] Posted: 21 Apr 2010 09:31 AM PDT
As though this isn’t overwhelming enough, I needed to monitor the ice hockey pool I moderate (go Wings!), so I logged into Facebook to check that. I found and responded to a couple of messages. I then checked Twitter, Google Voice and (just for good measure) my previous MakeUseOf articles for comments. Finally, I’d noticed I’d left my IM program on (which does Facebook Chat, AIM, MSN and Google Talk) so I had several messages to follow-up with there.
This is the cardinal problem for modern computer users: too many inboxes. The new version of Ubuntu, which I’ll be looking at in more depth later this week, looks to help alleviate this problem by bringing notifications from all these different sources under one roof. The effort is the result of numerous changes the Ubuntu team has made in the past couple of years, changes that bring to Ubuntu something no other operating system has by default: one universal notification inbox for your email, social networks and instant messages. This is exciting to me, and not only because I’ve been looking for a way to unite my various inboxes for a long time. No, this is also exciting to me because it’s Ubuntu innovating in a huge way; a way in which Windows and OSX haven’t. Best of all, this type of Ubuntu email setup is really easy. Let’s take a look at the process! Getting StartedWhen you first install Ubuntu you can click your notification applet – a little envelope in the system tray – and you’ll see none of your inboxes are set up to be checked yet:
You’ll also see that getting started is as simple as clicking the “Set up” button for your chat, email and broadcast (social network) services. If you click the button to set up your chat, you’ll be presented with the following window:
All you need to do is enter the username and password for all your chat services, and you’re done your Ubuntu email setup. Setting up your social networks is just as easy; setting up your email, unfortunately, requires all the usual hassle of setting up a POP3/IMAP email setup, but it’s relatively painless if you’ve ever set up an email client before. If you don’t like to use a desktop client for your email there are third party programs for integrating web-based email; more on that in future articles. Using The Indicator AppletOnce all your services are set up you’re ready to go. You can click any service to launch it; you’ll know it’s running if you see an arrow to its left. If you get a new email, or receive a chat message, you’ll see a slick notification on the screen. When you click the envelope, you’ll see the subject lines from any new emails and also the name of any contact trying to talk to you on IM.
Note that you won’t see every status update from your social network friends here – that would get overwhelming really quickly – but you will see the number of updates that occurred since you last checked your social client. The Programs This UsesBy default, the indicator applet accesses three main programs to show you this information: Evolution mail, Empathy instant messenger and Gwibber social client. That last program, Gwibber, is included by default in Ubuntu for the first time in 10.04, the version of Ubuntu coming at the end of the month. It integrates all your social networks into one feed, and looks like this:
If these three programs aren’t your favorite, don’t worry: integration with a number of other programs, including Pidgin and Thunderbird, are on the way. This little applet hopes to be everyone’s go-to inbox, and I think it does a good job at that. List of “Inboxes” Supported By DefaultInstant Messaging: Facebook Chat Social Networks: Flickr Email: Any POP3/IMAP-enabled account ConclusionI’ve been looking for a way to combine all my inboxes in one place for a long time; little did I know my favorite operating system would make this dream feature of mine a default. Previously I didn’t really see the point of the indicator applet, but with the addition of access to one’s social networks I see a bright future for this handy little tool. If you’re really interested in the next version of Ubuntu, and you’re brave enough to try something still in beta, check it out here. If you’d rather wait, the full version comes out on April 29th, and you can always read more about Ubuntu tomorrow when my next post goes up. What do you think? Is this a killer feature for Ubuntu, or more bloat you’ll never use? Will you yourself use the indicator applet now that it supports social networks, or will you continue to remove it as part of your Ubuntu setup routine? Studies have found no causal link between commenting and cancer, so you might as well post something! Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| How To Set Up A Network Domain Posted: 21 Apr 2010 08:31 AM PDT
Active Directory is centralized network management at it's best. There are lots of reasons to set up a network domain and they include security, ease of administration and the ability to automate a lot of features that are cumbersome to roll out manually. Think about being able to manage all your user and computer accounts from one console. You can set “rules” for specific groups of users and say who can and cannot do what on YOUR network!
When you start up your Windows 2003 Server you will see this screen:
To begin we will need to click the green arrow pointing to the right that says add or remove a role. This will start the wizard. Make sure you have all your network cables connected and your server online. I would set your IP address to be static at this point if you have not already. To do so obtain a static IP address from your network administrator or choose one yourself if you are on your own network. To do this right click on network neighborhood and choose properties.
Next highlight Internet Protocol TCP/IP and hit the properties button to configure your IP address.
You will want to have the use the following IP address button checked as well as the use the following DNS server addresses button. Fill in the appropriate information and let’s move on. Click OK. That will take us back to our add a server role wizard. It will detect your settings as seen below:
Once it completes you will see the following screen:
If this is your first time setting up a domain run with the first option. This will install DNS and DHCP for you automatically. DNS stands for Domain Name Service and allows for your computers to talk to each other as well as connect to the Internet. DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol and this allows computers to automatically have their IP addresses configured for them from your server. These services are very important for your network. After you hit next we will see the screen that allows us to name our domain:
Choose your name carefully as it is almost impossible to change it later. You can use the extension .local instead of .com or .net to separate your domain from an Internet address. In this case we have AskTheAdmin.com which is a internet address and and active directory domain. If you are just testing you can use whatever you want to. The next screen asks you for your netbios names. You can leave these as the default. This is how older machines will see your computer and domain name. Now we will get into how you want to handle name resolution. When you set up your clients to use your new internal DNS server you have an option of what to do with requests for Internet names like www.makeuseof.com. If you choose to forward queries to another server you can use your ISP's DNS server to allow websites to be resolved. If you choose no your DNS server will not return web addresses and you might be unable to browse the Internet.
Click next and continue on. You will be asked to insert your Windows 2003 Server media and then you will see this screen telling you that you are complete.
You can now restart your server and begin setting up your users using the new shortcut on your start menu called Active Directory Users and computers like so:
That will take you to this console:
You can set up group policy or “rules” for each of your OU's (organizational units) and that is a fancy name for the folders on the left. You can right click on any folder and choose properties –> group policy –> open to configure it. We will get further into what you can do with your domain and group policy in future posts. Let me know if you run into problems or need help with other aspects of Active Directory and group policy. Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 17,000 fans already!
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