The team here at Make Tech Easier works hard to provide as much quality information as we can. But we can’t write about everything (though we’re trying!).

So, what are some other sources of the information that you’re looking for? Lets take a look at a few of the better ones out there.

1. FLOSS Manuals

The goal of FLOSS Manuals is to provide quality free documentation for free software. And it does just that. Written by a mix of enthusiasts, members of free/Open Source project teams, and professional writers and developers, each manual is packed with information that both new and experienced users will find helpful.

There are over 80 (and counting) FLOSS Manuals available that cover applications and technologies like Inkscape, WordPress, OpenOffice.org, Audacity, Thunderbird, and the Linux command line.

You can read the manuals online, or download a PDF or ePub version to read on your ebook reader or smartphone. And if you want help out, you’re more than welcome to — FLOSS Manuals is always looking for new contributors.

2. LinuxQuestions.org

A combination of a traditional forum and a tutorial site, LinuxQuestions.org has something to offer Linux users of every level of ability and experience.

The forums cover all the major topics — from hardware and software to networking to specific distributions. There’s also a section with reviews and another with articles submitted by readers.

And that’s the main strength of LinuxQuestions.org. It’s a site that’s by Linux user and for Linux users. While it can be difficult to find information on the site, it is well moderated. You don’t get the nastiness that you find elsewhere.

One more neat feature of the site: if you use an Android-powered smartphone, you can download the LinuxQuestions.org app

3. Command Line Magic and commandlinefu

Looking for quick hits of information about the command line? Or do you want to learn specific commands that will help you better use the command line? Then look no further than Command Line Magic and commandlinefu.

Command Line Magic is a microblogging account – available on Twitter and identi.ca – to which some interesting and potentially useful command line tricks are posted every day. And the beauty of them is that they’re 140 characters or less. Like what? How about quickly creating a file, converting videos to Flash, or synchronizing your system clock with an atomic clock.

commandlinefu is similar to Command Line Magic. It is a Web site of its own, and the commands are explained in a bit more detail. But those commands are useful, whether you’re a hardcore command line geek or a command line newbie. The site also packs a pretty good search engine, and an extensive tag cloud that you can use to quickly find a command.

4. HowtoForge

If you’re looking for tutorials, then look no further than HowtoForge. Most of the tutorials on HowtoForge are aimed at users with at least some technical skill. If you’re looking for information on using Inkscape, you’re out of luck. But if you want to learn how to configure a Web server or set up virtualization software, then this is a site you need to visit.

And like FLOSS Manuals and LinuxQuestions.org, you’re encouraged to contribute to HowtoForge.

There’s a lot of information about using Linux and free/Open Source software out there. Some of it’s good, some of it leaves a lot to be desired. But the sites that this post discusses are a great place to start.

Image credit: Col6085

Once setup, users can connect to the Sparkleshare server and edit/add/create files that are shared with collaborators, who can then do the same. Sparkleshare also has the potential of being used for simple cloud file storage like Dropbox or SpiderOak. The major difference is that Sparkleshare is free and open source, and you can install it on your own server.

Sparkleshare makes use of Git, a free and open source versioning control system. If you have git installed on your server, you can effortlessly keep your files in sync. If you do not have your own server or VPS, you can use Github or Gitorious to at least test the early version of Sparkleshare that is currently available.

Installation

To install Sparkleshare and get started, just follow these steps:

On Ubuntu 10.10 and derivative OSes, add the necessary repository and install.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nuovodna/nuovodna-stuff
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install sparkleshare

If you prefer not to add a third-party repository, you can also download the deb file directly in 32-bit or 64-bit.

To install from source on another distribution or OS, see the Sparkleshare README.

Configuration

If you are going to use Sparkleshare on your own server, you should follow the instructions on this tutorial. To try out Sparkleshare using GitHub, do the following:

1. Get a free GitHub account
2. Click “Dashboard” – “New Repository”
3. Give your project a name and (optional) description and click “Create Repository”
4. Start Sparkleshare on your computer
5. Enter your Name and email address and click “Next”

6. Open a file manager and go to ~/.config/sparkleshare
7. Edit a file called sparkleshare.username.key.pub  (username should be replaced with your username)
8. Copy the entire contents of this file.
9. Back on the GitHub account, go to “Account Settings -> SSH Public Keys -> Add another public key”
10. Give the key a title and paste the contents from your .pub file and click “Add key”
11. Go back to Sparkleshare, select GitHub as your remote folder, and for Folder Name, enter your GitHub username and repository folder name: “username/repository-name”

12. Click “Sync”, and it should sync successfully.

Note: If it says “something went wrong”, check your ssh key again. If you are sure you pasted it correctly, you may need to manually accept the connection. Open a terminal and type:

ssh github.com

It will ask, “Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?”

Type yes and press Enter. When you go back to Sparkleshare, it should now work.

The Sparkleshare folder icon should stay in your system tray when it is running. Clicking on it will show your available repositories. Anything you edit or save in that folder will be edited and saved on the server, and those changes will be visible for any collaborators.

Currently, there is no actual cloud service (paid or free) for Sparkleshare, and unless you want to pay for a GitHub account, your projects will be publicly visible. If, however, you use your own server, you can setup a private repository and enjoy secure, free, open source file syncing and collaboration.

If you do remember any of that, first of all, welcome to adulthood. Next, I would like to introduce you to FreeMGP (Mega games Pack) Vol 1. It will take you down memory lane, but even if you are too young to remember the games in this pack, playing them might still seem like a fun way to spend a summer afternoon.

Unlike the PC game bundles of old, there is no physical packaging for this game pack. Instead, you must download the 1.82 GB ISO image and burn it to a DVD. The entire pack of games is free (made up of both open source and freeware games), and this Linux version contains less games than the Windows one, only including those that have been tested and work well in Linux. Even with that limitation, it still includes 211 games. Nevertheless, all of the games are Windows games, so FreeMGP requires you to have Wine installed and operational.

Installation and Interface

Once you have the DVD burned, open it in a file browser. There is an autorun file, presumably for Windows, as well as three folders. You have to choose the Installer folder and run GamesInstaller.exe to start the installer program. I had to assume this was the correct way to run the program, as I did not find any Linux-specific instructions.

The Installer itself, however, is attractive and runs perfectly under Wine. It includes a side menu with game categories and a list of each game. To install, you simply click the check box next to any of the games you want and then click “Start”. It really cannot get any easier.

The games install quickly, as would be expected, and do not take you through individual installers. The only anomaly I experienced was that, with my dual-monitor setup, one of the monitors would turn off during installation, as if a game were about to start.

Once the games are installed, they will appear in your Wine menu, providing individual shortcuts for each game.

Gameplay

I did not test all of the games, but all of the ones I did test worked without any real problems. Some of them were even 3D games, and they all ran well. The compilers of the game pack have taken the time to pre-configure the games to work correctly under Linux. For example, if a game did not run correctly in fullscreen mode, they set it to load in a window by default. Like typical older windows games, this presents you with a variety of resolutions and window sizes, something that is unavoidable.

Once you get playing, you will likely forget about anything I just said, mostly because the games are fun, providing you with everything from all-out arcade action to thoughtful role playing. FreeMGP has something for everyone, children included.

I found most of the games required the mouse, keyboard, or some combination thereof, with a few responding to a gamepad. Many of the games are undoubtedly familiar and are still popular, like Glest and Wolfenstein 3D. Some, like Tower of Goo (the predecessor to World of Goo), can have you clicking for hours. Others like Aztec Challenge have an annoying nostalgic familiarity that is quite amusing. Then, there are games like Marble Arena that could probably still stand on their own with challenging and entertaining gameplay.

The Bottom Line

Pros:

• FreeMGP is easy to use and will provide you with a plethora of good games.
• It’s free, portable, and redistributable
• Even though you can probably find most of the games separately, FreeMGP will save you the time
• It has been configured to work with Linux. How cool is that?

Cons:

• Most of the games are pretty dated and may even draw an insult or two from your teenage brother
• They are Windows games that still require Wine, often producing wide variety of full screen resolutions or tiny game windows

Overall, FreeMGP is a mega pack of fun games, some of which you will definitely want to keep installed and may even pass along to your children. It is definitely worth a little of your time, and at zero cost, it is unquestionably worth the price.

I am typically use Google Docs for my word processing and spreadsheets, but do on occasion tinker with OpenOffice. I tend to use OpenOffice if I am on my netbook and not connected to the internet. I can use the word processor to write and not be tempted to go on Twitter or use Stumbleupon to find random sites.

At first, I didn’t realize you could use extensions; once I found that out, I was hooked. One of my favorites was covered in a previous post about OpenOffice extensions. It allows you to import, export and update documents you create in OpenOffice with Google Docs and other cloud office apps.

Below are several more extensions to help you tailor this opensource app to the way you use it.

1. MultiCloud File Manager

If you use an cloud storage provider like Amazon S3 or Mobile Me (among others), this is a must have. Access and save your files offsite incase of a hard drive disaster. Here is a link to their quick walk through video http://goo.gl/SV8h.

2. CropOOo

If you use Draw or Impress, you know cropping isn’t always the easiest thing to do. This extension helps cure that dilemma.

3. Compose Special Characters

When using Writer and Calc, you can type a few characters and use a keyboard shortcut to transform normal characters to special characters. This can save you having to look them up or remember the what the unicode value is.

If you already have those values memorized, you can use them with this extension as well.

4. Professional Template Pack II – English

This is a great pack of templates to get you going. It offers event posters, business cards, letters, invoices, projest planning and business correspondences. It is a great starting point to get your document headed in the right direction.

5. History Manager

This extension is not essential, but offers a the convenience of seeing more of your recently used documents. Super handy of you are working on lots of projects simultaneously.

6. Screenwright(R) screenplay formatting template

If you have aspirations of being a screen writer, you will want every advantage you can get. By adding this extension that formats your film script to industry standards, you can concentrate on your work.

7. OpenCards

One way to remember something is through repetition. Using flashcards is a common practice to help memorize things. OpenCards makes it easy to create flashcards as well as rank how you did.

8. Sun PDF Import Extension

Import and modify PDF documents for free, enough said.

9. Web2.0 OpenOffice.org collaboration & document management extension

Collaborating on documents can be a huge time saver. Giving multiple people access to edit a single file not only saves you from having a ton of emails, it also makes it easier to keep track of the most recent version of the document. The community license allows up to 5 users to use this service for free. If you have more collaborators, you will need one of the paid versions.

More info can be found at o3spaces.com

Leave a comment with your “must have” OpenOffice extensions.

While that statement may or may not be true, it is definitely a rival to photoshop when it comes to complexity. And I’m not the only one who thinks that the GIMP is complex. Apparently the Ubuntu development team also thinks the same way and have removed GIMP from their default distribution. It is still available in the online repository but the Ubuntu 10.04 CD will not ship with GIMP on it. The point is that with all that power comes complexity and GIMP is definitely not a tool for casual users.

So, what are your options if you’re casual user who just wants to edit a few images here and there and isn’t really interested in all the power that GIMP offers but would rather have a light weight but functional editor.

Enter Pinta !

If you’ve used Paint.NET for Windows that we’ve talked about earlier, you’d be right at home in Pinta too.

Pinta is a GTK based image editor modeled after Paint.NET but because it has been created using the GTK# library, it is available for all the three major platforms, Windows, OS X and Linux.

If you’re using Linux, you most likely already have GTK installed, if not, install it before you download Pinta. For platforms that require you to install GTK, the download page provides a link for you to download the GTK# library easily.

Installation is quick and simple and the first time you launch Pinta and if you’re used to waiting for GIMP or Photoshop to load, you’ll be pleasantly surprised because Pinta opens up in a snap.

I don’t know about you but I took an instant liking to the neat and clean interface of Pinta that sports all the regular tools and features that we’ve come to expect of image editors in general.

Pinta provides for unlimited levels on undo/redo, has support for multiple layers and comes with all the regular drawing tools such as a paintbrush, pencil, eraser and a selection tool.

If you, like me, are a fan of the filters that come bundled with the Gimp, you might be a little disappointed, though. Pinta does come bundled with some filters but the number pales in comparison to what you get with The GIMP.

The current version of Pinta as of this writing is version 0.2 but I definitely felt that it was much more stable than what the version number would imply. The only thing I’d want the developers to work on is the speed of various operations and adding some more Effects to the base install.

Pinta, in my opinion, can definitely fill the gap that exists between Photo organizing software such as F-Spot and Picasa and full blown graphics editors such as The Gimp. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Easy Set up

The ease of setup really surprised me. All you need to do is click the [+] in the bottom left corner of the bookmark window and a window opens (see below). In that window you only need two pieces of information, your server address and username. (You will be asked for your password when you connect for the first time.) If you have more than one destination you are uploading files to, you will want to change the nickname of the new bookmark, but it isn’t necessary; the default nickname is the server address. Additional information is needed if your going to use SFTP (recommended over FTP). The port number is the most important. If it does not connect using port 22 (the default SFTP setting), you may need to ask your web host. Some web hosts use different protocols, here is a list of options you can choose from:

• FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
• FTP/TLS (FTP secured over SSL/TLS)
• SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer)
• WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning)
• Amazon S3
• Rackspace Cloud Files

Browser-like Ease of Use

Part of what I like about Cyberduck is the similarities to a web browser. What makes it more more like a browser than a Finder window is the bookmarking feature. If you have multiple sites or even multiple folders on the same site which you need to send files to, no problem. Each destination can have a bookmark just like you would have in Safari or Firefox. Simply click on the bookmark and the connection to that destination is opened.

Drag and Drop

To keep on pace with the simplicity Apple users are accustomed to, Cyberduck allows drag and drop functionality. Many other applications offer this in the most basic sense; these guys took it a step further by adding some Mac-like features. One of these features is spring loaded folders. I know when I am moving things from folder to folder, I really love this feature. Another super cool feature is being able to upload files without opening a connection to a server. Drag the files onto a bookmark for the destination of server you’d like the file to be uploaded to.

In the picture below, you can see there is not an option to disconnect. A connection will open for the length of the upload then disconnect again.

Synchronize

Files on the server can be synchronized with the those on your computer. You will be prompted to select the location on your computer to synchronize the files with. Cyberduck will only sync files that have changed. Whether or not they have changed is determined by the size of the files and the last time the files were modified. You will be asked to authorize actions, including what to do if there is are missing files.

Dashboard Widget

The widget is a great option for quickly uploading files to one folder. This is a great option for uploading pictures or files to a specific location on more than on occasion. When you configure the widget, you can select a path to a specific folder. This setting only affects the widget, not the main application.

Archive and Unarchive (SFTP only)

A handy feature is being able to archive and unarchive files and folders remotely on the server side after its uploaded. Being able to transfer smaller files, means faster upload times. Your remote systems must have the archiving tools tar or zip installed on their end for this to work, if they don’t it won’t be possible.

Other Integration

Cyberduck integrates really really well with many native and 3rd party apps. Spotlight, Mobile Me, Bonjour, external text editors, Applscripts, Growl and Keychain are a few. If you have a Mac and need a super simple way to upload and access your files in any of the protocols listed, Cyberduck delivers. Its like the FTP uploader Apple forgot.

How does Cyberduck compare to other uploaders you have used?

If you’re like me, you cheat a little. You probably use your e-mail address as a username whenever you can (or recycle the same username), re-use the same password depending on the sensitivity of whatever you’re logging into, and save certain passwords on the sites you visit frequently. Let’s not kid ourselves- we know in the back of our minds that this isn’t the best way to do it, but everybody does it anyways. But is there a better way? Can we keep our really sensitive information safe with the same kind of convenience given by saved passwords, recycled usernames, and re-used passwords?

Well in a word, “no,” but we can come close. Password management applications offer a compromise between convenience and security by storing an encrypted database of your usernames and passwords behind one master password.

Enter KeePassX, a cross-platform password manager based on the old Windows Keepass Password Safe. While not as polished as the commercial alternatives like 1Password, KeePassX is no less functional and comes without the rather hefty $39.95 price tag.

The main window of KeyPassX is simple and intuitive- 3 different panes containing the list of password groups, the list of passwords within the active group, and a sort of “card” showing the basic information for each password entry. I’m partial to the 3-column layout of Apple’s Address Book and the various Apple Mail plugins that do the same thing, but that’s a minor issue. Passwords and usernames are blocked out with asterisks, which you can view by opening the entry.

Creating a new entry brings up a window in which you enter a Title, Username, URL, password, and a comment. You can get to the highly customizable password generator from here; which allows you to select the type of characters to include, the length, and various options for character selection. As you can see from the screen shot, nobody is ever going to guess “~pE2%*dp=*K=?W7$J1,Kmo@;|“. You can set a password to expire after a certain amount of time, as well as choose an icon for each entry.

Worried about security?

KeePassX’s databases are stored locally and protected by 256-bit AES or Twofish encryption. Even 128-bit encryption like that used by 1Password would take millions of years to crack via brute-force, so you’ve really got nothing to worry about on that front.

Other nice features of KeePassX are cross-platform database formats and my personal favorite- the ability to use a key file to unlock the database. So if you wanted you could only unlock your database by inserting a USB stick containing the key file.

There are some issues I have with KeePassX.  First of all it’s still in beta (version 0.4.0 as of this writing). While I have not experienced any crashes after a couple days of use, stability is something I consider of paramount importance for a program that handles such sensitive information. While the main screen has a “New Entry” button, a “New Group” button would be nice also. Safari or FireFox integration would be nice, but since it’s open source maybe someone much smarter than I am will create a plugin.  The Settings are a little sparse- for example, it would be nice to be able to make the username visible in the Entry list. Lastly, the program could be a little more robust by offering different categories of entries such as Credit Card numbers and software license information, both of which have fields not necessarily applicable to logins and passwords.

Minor quibbles aside, KeePassX is a promising alternative to storing a text file in an encrypted disk image or shelling out $40 for commercial software. I am very impressed with the program so far, and plan to use it extensively.

Do you know of any other password managers?  Leave a note in the comments.