LuninuxOS 17.04 released

An older linux distro that received a new update is LuninuxOS 17.04. I recall trying this distro a couple years ago and it was themed to look like Mac OS. The current version is based on Ubuntu Gnome 17.04, and includes the Docky launcher, tweaks to Firefox 52.01, LibreOffice 5.3, Rhythmbox music player, and the Gnome Tweak Tool. It appears to be a polished looking distro with smooth themes just like its earlier version. It used about 1.9GB of memory. Below are my screen shots and where you can get it. Enjoy.

















 

 

You can download it here: http://luninuxos.com/

Lunin

3 Ways You Can Use Android as a Desktop Operating System

Android is without a doubt the world’s favorite mobile operating system. But how does it fare on desktop and laptop computers?

You probably know that phones and tablets feature Google’s Android operating system. You might even know about the TV boxes powered by Android. Whenever you use these devices, Android feels smart and intuitive. No instruction manual is required.
Which is why it might come as a surprise to find Android can run on standard computers. But really, this should be no surprise. Touchscreen or otherwise, Android is user-friendly and familiar to so many people.

In mid-2017, developer Jide announced that arguably the most popular Android environment for desktops, Remix OS, was to end. Fortunately, other options are available for installing and running Android on a desktop PC. If you’re looking for the ultimate in Android-based productivity, it might be time to move away from your Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 or your Google Pixel C and consider installing one of these three Android distros on your computer. The Best Android Tablet Yet? Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Review and Giveaway The Best Android Tablet Yet? Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Review and Giveaway Taking aim at the iPad Pro, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is the same weight, height, and price, but comes with a free stylus. It's the best Android tablet yet. Read More

But first… whatever happened to Remix OS?

 

1. (RIP) Remix OS

In July 2017, Chinese developer Jide announced (to much consternation) that Remix OS and the Remix hardware devices — various Mac Mini style computers and set-top boxes — would come to a halt, with immediate effect.
Following inquiries from various enterprise-level businesses, Jide has opted to move development from Remix OS and follow new opportunities.





This is a bit of a shame, as so many Android desktop projects in the past have failed. Jide’s Remix OS appeared to be a rare exception to the rule, but in the end, it was not. While keen observers may have seen the writing was on the wall for Remix OS when they stopped responding to support issues earlier in the year, overall the news has taken the community by surprise.

Although Remix OS can still be downloaded and installed, unless Jide releases the code, it has, sadly, had its day. How to Install Android on Your PC With Remix OS 3.0 How to Install Android on Your PC With Remix OS 3.0 Remix OS 3.0 lets users install Android on almost any hardware. Like Linux, Remix runs great on slow or older hardware, so if you have an old PC, bring it back to life with Remix... Read More

Happily, three Android-based desktop projects continue. But if it’s an Android gaming experience you’re looking for on your PC, grab a copy of Remix OS as soon as you can.

 

2. Android-x86 Project

Probably the most durable Android project for desktop computers, Android-x86 has been around since 2009. It’s a versatile system — I once used it to install Android on a Windows 8 tablet. You might even install it on a laptop. How to Install Android on Your Windows 8 Tablet How to Install Android on Your Windows 8 Tablet Windows 8 tablets are becoming more widely used, but the operating system – at least in its Modern mode – is light on the ground with particular apps. One way around this is to install... Read More

Although Android-x86 was involved in the development of Remix OS, it is generally assumed that the project will continue. After all, without Android-x86, none of the projects listed here would have gotten off the ground. Android-x86 is based on the AOSP (Android Open Source Project), with modifications that make it compatible for running on Intel-based processors and PC architectures. Such modifications include support for hardware acceleration.
The first release candidate for Android 7.1 Nougat was released on June 8, 2017.




You can grab your copy over at the android-x86.org website. It is available in 32-bit and 64-bit options, and comes in ISO format, ready to be written to DVD or a USB flash stick for installation. While you’re there, look out for downloads prefixed with CM — these are CyanogenMod-based desktops.
Although dual-boot with Windows is supported (thanks to a UEFI manager), it’s worth trying Android-x86 out in live mode or as a virtual machine (using your preferred VM software). Setup can be slow, and you’ll notice that Android-x86 appears to be intended for touchscreen devices rather than standard desktops. Unlike the other examples here, there is no Start menu equivalent. Having said that, this version of Android works as expected, although you may find the presence of Google disconcerting if you’re looking for a purer, AOSP feel.

 

 

3. Phoenix OS

Intended for desktops and laptops with Intel Atom CPUs, Phoenix OS will nevertheless run on almost any PC built in the past five years. Utilizing the code from Android-x86 and the grub4dos boot management tool, Phoenix OS is particularly well-suited for dual-booting. However, the operating system can be installed on a USB storage device as well.

As with any new operating system for your PC, it’s worth testing Phoenix OS in a VM before installing to the hard drive. Either way, you’ll be presented with a full Android-style desktop, designed for productivity. As with Android-x86, there’s even a Windows-esque Start menu, where the most commonly used apps are listed. It’s even possible to access your Windows storage from within Phoenix OS!
Two versions are available. One is a standard ISO, available in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors and ready to be installed. The other is an executable, again available for both instruction sets, that can be run in Windows, making Phoenix OS an app.
It’s worth pointing out that if you are planning on using Phoenix OS on a desktop computer, it is not suited to Android gaming. For this, consider grabbing a copy of Remix OS while you still can.
A collection of download options for Phoenix OS can be found online at phoenixos.com/download, where you’ll also find a tablet version of Phoenix OS if you’re so inclined.

 

The Future: OpenThos

Still a work in process — so installation may prove time-consuming — OpenThos is capable of running Android and Linux apps in windowed mode. While this isn’t a straight Android operating system, it is based on Android-x86.
Writing to USB and booting live, or using OpenThos in a virtual machine, are among the options (as outlined on GitHub). Fortunately, you can download a disk image of OpenThos from FOSSHUB. The UEFI boot manager provides support for Windows, Linux, and macOS. This should make OpenThos suitable as a dual-boot operating system option.
Using OpenThos is a little different to the other Android desktops. While the same possibilities exist with regard to productivity, an extra dimension is introduced with the option to install Linux apps.

 

Can Android Cut It on the Desktop?

In a world with Google Chrome OS offering a Google-flavored desktop experience with support for Android apps, the question that must surely be asked is: Why install Android on a desktop when you can simply install Chrome OS? How to Run Google Chrome OS From a USB Drive How to Run Google Chrome OS From a USB Drive You don't need to buy a Chromebook to enjoy the features of Google's desktop operating system. In fact, all you need is a working computer and a USB Drive. This is how... Read More

 

Well, look at it this way: although precise figures are unknown, Chrome OS has 0.56 percent of the market based on desktop browser stats. Conversely, Android has 38.9 percent across all platforms, mobile and desktop.
In short, Android has the presence and popularity. It’s just missing that vital pivot in the minds of its users — the realization that, yes, it can be used as a desktop operating system. It has the apps, it has the games, and it has the familiarity.

But what do you think? Is Android good enough as a desktop operating system? Have you used any of these Android desktops? Tell us about it in the comments.

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/use-android-desktop-operating-system/

How to Scan Your Linux Computer for Viruses and Rootkits

Are you worried that your Linux computer may be infected with malware? Have you ever checked? While Linux systems tend to be less susceptible to malware than Windows, they can still be infected. Many times they’re less obviously compromised, too.
There are a handful of excellent open-source tools to help you check if your Linux system has been the victim of malware. While no software is perfect, these three have a solid reputation and can be trusted to find most known threats.

1. ClamAV

ClamAV is a standard anti-virus and will probably be the most familiar to you. There is actually a Windows version of ClamAV too.

Install ClamAV and ClamTK

ClamAV and its graphical front end are packaged separately. That’s because ClamAV can be run from the command line without the GUI, if you choose. Even still, the graphical interface ClamTK is easier for most people. The following is how to install it.
For Debian and Ubuntu-based distro:

sudo apt install clamav clamtk

You can also find clamav and clamtk in your distro’s package manager if you are not using Ubuntu based distro.
After both programs are installed, you have to update its virus database. Unlike everything else with ClamAV, that has to be done as root or with sudo.
There’s a chance that freshclam is being run as a daemon. To run it manually, stop the daemon with Systemd. Then, you can run it normally.

sudo systemctl stop clamav-freshclam

It’ll take some time, so just let ClamAV take care of things.

Run Your Scan

Before you run your scan, click the “Settings” button and check off “Scan files beginning with a dot,” “Scan files larger than 20 MB,” and “Scan directories recursively.”

Go back to the main menu and click “Scan A Directory.” Select the directory that you want to check. If you want to scan the whole computer, select “Filesystem.” You may need to rerun ClamTK from the command line with sudo in order for that to work.

After the scan completes, ClamTK will present you with any discovered threats and allow you to choose what to do with them. Deleting them is obviously best, but may destabilize the system. This comes down to a judgement call for you.

2. Chkrootkit

The next scan to install is Chkrootkit. It scans for a type of malware specific to Unix-like systems like Linux and Mac – the rootkit. As the name suggests, the aim of rootkits is to gain root access on the target system.
Chkrootkit scans system files for signs of malicious alterations and checks them against a database of known rootkits.
Chkrootkit is available in most distribution repositories. Install it with your package manager.

sudo apt install chkrootkit

Check For Rootkits

This one is very easy to run. Just run the command as root or with sudo.
It’ll run down a list of potential rootkits very quickly. It might pause for a while on some while it scans through files. You should see “nothing found” or “not infected” next to each one.
The program doesn’t give a final report when it finishes, so go back through and manually check that no results turned up.
You can also pipe the program into grep and look for INFECTED, but that won’t catch everything.

Known False Positives

There’s a strange bug with Chkrootkit that reports a false positive for Linux/Ebury – Operation Windigo. This is a long-known bug caused by the introduction of a -G flag into SSH. There are a couple of manual tests you can run to verify that it is a false positive.
First, run the following as root.

find /lib* -type f -name libns2.so

It should turn up nothing. Next, check that the malware isn’t using a Unix socket.

netstat -nap | grep "@/proc/udevd"

If neither command turns up any results, the system is clean.
There also appears to be a fairly new false positive for tcpd on Ubuntu. If it does return a positive result on your system, investigate further, but be aware that the result could be incorrect.
You also may encounter entries for wted. Those can be caused by corruption or logging errors on system crashes. Use last to check to see if the times line up with reboots or crashes. In those cases the results were probably caused by those events and not malicious activity.

3. Rkhunter

Rkhunter is yet another tool for searching out rookits. It’s good to run both Chkrootkit on your system to ensure that nothing slipped through the cracks and to verify false positives.
Again, this one should be in your distribution’s repositories.

sudo apt install rkhunter

Run Your Scan

First, update rkhunter’s database.

Then, run your scan.
The program will stop after every section. You will probably see some warnings. Many arise because of sub-optimal configurations. When the scan finishes, it’ll tell you to take a look at its full activity log at /var/log/rkhunter.log. You can see the reason for every warning there.
It also gives you a complete summary of its scan results.

Closing Thoughts

Hopefully, your system turned up clean. Be careful and verify any results you receive before doing anything drastic.
If something is legitimately wrong, weigh your options. If you have a rootkit, back up your files and format that drive. There’s really no other way.
Keep these programs updated and scan regularly. Security is always evolving and threats come and go. It’s up to you to stay up to date and vigilant.

Source: https://www.maketecheasier.com/scan-linux-for-viruses-and-rootkits/

How to Install and Use Another Desktop Environment on Linux

Each Linux distribution comes with a single default desktop environment chosen from the many different desktop environments available for Linux. But you don’t have to stick with the default.

Switching desktop environments is as simple as installing a software package and selecting your preferred environment on the login screen, known as a display manager. You don’t have to install an entirely different Linux distribution.

Desktop Environment Basics

Desktop environments include basically everything you see after you log into your user account on your Linux distribution’s sign-in screen. The desktop itself, desktop background, panels, menus, file manager, settings windows, and many other applications and utilities all come from a desktop environment. Even each window’s titlebar is provided by an application known as a window manager that comes with the desktop environment.

Different desktop environments have different strengths and weaknesses. Ubuntu’s default Unity desktop environment is designed to provide a single interface that will work well on computers, tablets, smartphones and TVs, while Linux Mint‘s Cinnamon desktop environment is designed to provide a more traditional Linux desktop experience. The LXDE desktop environment included with Lubuntu is designed to be fast and use little resources.

How to Install Another Desktop Environment

To install a different desktop environment, you’ll just need to open your Linux distribution’s package manager and install the appropriate package. This will be similar on al distributions, but we’ll use Ubuntu 14.04 and Linux Mint 17 as examples here.

For example, let’s say you wanted to install another desktop environment on Ubuntu. You’d open the Ubuntu Software Center, search for the name of the desktop environment’s package, select it, and click the Install button. To install Xfce, you’d search for xfce4. To install the full, customized Xubuntu desktop system, you’d search for xubuntu-desktop instead.

Search for another desktop environment’s name to install it. For example, you might type lxde or lubuntu-desktop for LXDE/Lubuntu or kde-full or kubuntu-desktop for KDE/Kubuntu. Some desktop environments may not be provided in your Linux distribution’s repositories. The Cinnamon and MATE desktop environments included with Linux Mint aren’t available in Ubuntu’s repositories, so you’d have to use a PPA to install them on Ubuntu.

The process is basically the same on Linux Mint, but you’d search for the package in the Software Manager application instead.

Here’s how you’d install XFCE from the terminal on Ubuntu or Linux Mint:

sudo apt-get install xfce4

The above command would give you the standard XFCE desktop environment. However, you might want Xubuntu’s customized XFCE desktop environment instead:

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

Enter your password after running the command. The package manager will want to install all the packages that make up the desktop environment — type y to confirm.

If you use another Linux distribution, head to your package manager and look for a desktop environments category or just search for the name of the desktop environment. You can also perform a quick web search to find out how to install the desktop environment on your Linux distribution. If it’s available in your Linux distribution’s software repositories, you should just need a single command.

How to Switch Between Desktop Environments

Log out of your Linux desktop after installing another desktop environment.

When you see the login screen, click the Session menu and select your preferred desktop environment. You can adjust this option each time you log in to choose your preferred desktop environment.

On Ubuntu’s default login screen — known as a display manager — this menu can be accessed by clicking an icon next to your user name. The icon only appears if multiple desktop environments are available. On other display managers, you may need to click a “Session” menu or a similar icon. You’ll find the option somewhere on the screen.

You’ll see a list of the desktop environments you have installed. Click one to select it and set it as your user account’s default desktop environment.

Sign in and you’ll see the desktop environment you chose. All desktop environments have access to your home folder and files, so they can share data. They’re basically just different programs with their own individual settings.

Different desktop environments can interfere with each other. Fore example, Ubuntu 14.04 sets a default GTK theme that doesn’t work well with the XFCE desktop environment we installed as an example. XFCE’s panels look ugly and many icons are missing by default. To fix this, we clicked Applications Menu > Settings > Settings Manager > Appearance and select the Xfce-4.0 style and Tango icons.

This is the sort of problem you might run into when using multiple desktop environments — issues with a desktop environment looking ugly can generally be fixed by changing the theme. A Linux distribution’s alternate desktop environments generally aren’t quite as polished as its default desktop environment.

To switch desktop environments again, sign out and choose a different one on the login screen.

How to Uninstall a Desktop Environment

To remove the desktop environment, search for the same package you installed earlier and uninstall it. On Ubuntu, you can do this from the Ubuntu Software Center or with the sudo apt-get remove packagename command.

To uninstall other applications the desktop environment pulled in, you’ll probably want to visit the terminal and run the following command on Ubuntu or other Debian-based Linux distributions:

sudo apt-get autoremove

The autoremove bit of the command instructs apt-get to automatically remove packages that were installed as dependencies for the desktop environment, so it will remove the additional packages the desktop environment pulled onto your system.

You should probably sign out of the desktop environment before doing this. You’ll see error messages as the desktop environment’s files vanish while it’s running.

Other Linux distributions may automatically remove the desktop environment’s associated programs when you uninstall it from their package managers, or you may have to run a command like sudo apt-get autoremove to clean up.

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If you love a particular desktop environment, you may want to seek out a Linux distribution — or at least a different installation media for your Ubuntu or another Linux distribution of your choice — that uses it as its default desktop. For example, XFCE lovers will want to install Xubuntu instead of Ubuntu in the future, while people who prefer the Cinnamon desktop may want to install the Cinnamon version of Linux Mint.

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/193129/how-to-install-and-use-another-desktop-environment-on-linux/

Firefox 55 Released with Big Performance Improvements

Mozilla Firefox 55 is now available to download.

The update ‘brings innovative functionality, improvements to core browser performance, and more proof that we’re committed to making Firefox better than ever,’ say Mozilla.

Among the new features is initial support for WebVR. Not only is this apparently ‘a thing’, but Firefox is the very first browser to add support for it. Newsletter
begging modal sign ups will soon be able to literally smack us in the face.

That’s not the only significant improvement to come baked in this release. A number of other improvements help pave the way for November’s dramatic arrival of Firefox 57.

Better, Faster, Stronger, Firefoxier

First up, if you read about the Mozilla dev who tested Firefox start-up time with 1691 open tabs — those benefits (smaller is faster in the graph below) are here, in this release, ready for you to abuse.

The improvements are part of a project called Quantum Flow and makes tabs browser start-up times over 30x faster than what they were in Firefox 51.

Precisely how pronounced those changes feel on your system will, naturally, vary. But readers who’ve toyed with the various Firefox beta and nightly builds over the past few weeks are adamant they can feel a difference. Once you’ve spent some time with this update do pop back and share your thoughts too.

Other Changes in Firefox 55

Not all of those who install Firefox 55 will get access to the new Firefox Screenshots feature. (It was called Page Shot during testing).

Mozilla is rolling out access to this snip-tastic feature as part of an A/B test.

Precisely how pronounced those changes feel on your system will, naturally, vary. But readers who’ve toyed with the various Firefox beta and nightly builds over the past few weeks are adamant they can feel a difference. Once you’ve spent some time with this update do pop back and share your thoughts too.

If you don’t see the icon don’t panic, as you can opt-in via Test Pilot. If you do see the new screenshot/scissors icon you are part of the cool club and can clip any part of any webpage you visit and quickly share it with others. Images are hosted on Mozilla servers for 14 days — so don’t clip anything you wouldn’t want your aunty to see!

You can now move the Firefox sidebar to the right. This optional pane that can display your History, Bookmarks, or Synced Tabs. It’s now easier to switch between these options too thanks to a new button menu.

As you type in the Firefox address bar you’ll now be offered some search suggestions (which the arrow above denotes).

These suggestions aren’t super intrusive (and are something Chrome users should be familiar with) but if you want to turn search suggestions off in Firefox 55 you can. Just head to Preferences > Search and uncheck the “provide search suggestions” and “show search suggestions in location bar results” options.

You’ll find a new Performance section listed under Preferences > General. From here you choose whether to ‘Use recommended performance settings’ (default) or dive in and manually enable/disable hardware acceleration(platform dependant, mind) and/or set a multi-process content limit.

Firefox 55 is available to download for Windows, macOS and Linux from the Mozilla website right now. If you’re an Ubuntu user running a supported release (14.04 LTS, 16.04 LTS, and 17.04) you will get this update automatically though the Software Updater at some point in the coming days.

But be aware that some of the performance improvements won’t be enable in the repo version by default because the Ubuntu Modifications add-on that Ubuntu pre-installs with the browser is not compatible with Mozilla Firefox’s multi-process mode.

Source: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2017/08/firefox-55-released-whats-new

You can download Firefox for linux directly here:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/