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Reviews Technology

Two Too Useful Software For Windows

Two new software I installed. One is called KeyScrambler Personal. I’m always paranoid about keyloggers – that’s less of a threat in Linux (I still used chkrootkit) – but Windows gives me the screaming heebie-jeebies. So I was quite happy to stumble upon this Firefox add-on which basically scrambles all your keyboard input at the kernel level; so that keyloggers, if any, get a bunch of garbage. Really, it doesn’t gobble up much memory, and an added line of protection – even if not fool-proof – goes a long way ensuring safety of your data.

Workrave software preferences dialog screenshot

The second one happens to be Workrave. I’ve loved GNOME’s lock-screen-after-such-and-such-period-of-time feature ever since it was launched. Basically, what it does is that after a specified period of time, it locks down your PC to allow you to take a rest. I, for instance, set it to make me take a 3 minute break every 30 minutes – both are values which the user himself can tweak according to his wish. It was good to stumble across a Windows version of this too. Actually, I’d heard to Workrave earlier too – but its earlier versions didn’t work since they weren’t able to lock the screen. The latest version works. I still haven’t got the funda behind having a sheep as its icon image. Of course, it also comes with skip / postpone break buttons. This is a software which everyone who uses computers should install – not only does it prevent repetitive stress injury (which can happen eventually), but it also prompts you to rest your eyes. Most people blink less when using a PC, and a dry eye isn’t good news (especially for people like me who wear spectacles). Did someone mention “I hit the skip button very often?”

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Personal Reflections Reviews Technology

Minty Fresh

Screenshot 18/01/08
Creative Commons License photo credit: Aaron Bassett. Not MY desktop.

I hate Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04, so much so that I’m putting up with Vista. Recently, I got my hands on the 8.04.1 maintenance release ISO via the PC Quest subscription I won at Dynamix last year. Apparently, it’s supposed to have fixed a lot of bugs. I installed it, saw that none of the things I was pissed about were fixed, and promptly uninstalled it. Then, I got my hands on Linux Mint release 5 (codenamed ‘Elyssa’; it’s based on Hardy Heron, BTW) ISO through a friend of mine who subscribes to PC World – and installed that. I’ve installed Mint on school computers earlier too, and I liked its overall feel and openSuse GNOME menu rip-off. Agreed, it didn’t solve the accessibility features problem, but it’s more stable than Hardy – which is all I wanted. Plus it comes with much better artwork than Ubuntu’s various-shades-of-shit-colour wallpapers (I really wonder if people who call that shade of brown have gone bonkers). Elegance truly came from Freedom.