How to add ADB to PATH in Ubuntu

Open .bashrc in a text editor.

$ gedit ~/.bashrc 

Enter at the top of the file the following:

#AndroidDev PATH

export PATH=${PATH}:~/path/to/android-sdk/platform-tools

Android Device Chooser not recognizing device

The problem

Developing on Ubuntu Linux, the Android Device Chooser does not recognize the Android device I connect to the computer to run my Android application. The screen I am presented with looks like the following.



Running "adb devices" in command line returns:
List of devices attached
???????????? no permissions

The solution

Log in as root and create this file:
/etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules

Using the following format add the device's vendor to the file:
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0bb4", MODE="0666", GROUP="plugdev"

USB vendor IDs can be found here. The device's vendor, if unknown, can be detected using a tool like udev-discover.

Execute:
chmod a+r /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules
sudo service udev reload

Plug in the device, it should be recognized correctly.

Source

Installing Java 7 in Ubuntu: The easy way.

Thanks to “WebUpd8” team and their ppa:webupd8team/java, installing Oracle Java in Ubuntu is as easy as executing the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/java
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install oracle-java7-installer

To make sure everything ran smoothly execute:

java -version
javac -version

Ubuntu privacy concerns

In addition to the previous post, another interesting article discussing the latest privacy concerns in Ubuntu 12.10 can be found in the following link:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/privacy-ubuntu-1210-amazon-ads-and-data-leaks

Ubuntu Spyware: What to Do?

Posted by Richard Stallman on Dec 07, 2012 01:53 AM @ http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-do

One of the major advantages of free software is that the community protects users from malicious software. Now Ubuntu GNU/Linux has become a counterexample. What should we do?

Proprietary software is associated with malicious treatment of the user: surveillance code, digital handcuffs (DRM or Digital Restrictions Management) to restrict users, and back doors that can do nasty things under remote control. Programs that do any of these things are malware and should be treated as such. Widely used examples include Windows, the iThings, and the Amazon "Kindle" product for virtual book burning, which do all three; Macintosh and the Playstation III which impose DRM; most portable phones, which do spying and have back doors; Adobe Flash Player, which does spying and enforces DRM; and plenty of apps for iThings and Android, which are guilty of one or more of these nasty practices.

Free software gives users a chance to protect themselves from malicious software behaviors. Even better, usually the community protects everyone, and most users don't have to move a muscle. Here's how.

Windows 8: Don't buy the hype

by Zak Rogoff — Published on Oct 25, 2012 11:08 AM @ http://www.fsf.org/windows8

 

Microsoft has shelled out a mind-boggling $1.8 billion to convince the public that it needs Windows 8. Why the record-breaking marketing deluge? Because a slick ad campaign is Microsoft's best shot at hiding what Windows 8 really is; a faulty product that restricts your freedom, invades your privacy, and controls your data.

Here's some of the Windows 8 "features" Microsoft won't tell you about:

• Restricts freedom: Windows 8 is proprietary software. At its core, it is designed to control you as a user. You can't modify Windows 8 or see how it is built, which means Microsoft can use its operating system to exploit users and benefit special interests.
• Invades privacy: Windows 8 includes software that inspects the contents of your hard drive, and Microsoft claims the right to do this without warning. These programs have misleading names like "Windows Genuine Advantage."
• Exposes personal data: Windows 8 has a contacts cache that experts fear may store sensitive personal data and make users vulnerable to identity theft.

Microsoft wants to keep you locked in to Windows so that it can take your money, your personal data, and your user freedom. They don't want you to know that you have a choice of better operating systems; operating systems that respect your freedom. There are tons of free "as in freedom" software operating systems that you can download and install at no cost. And when they're improved, you can choose whether or not you want to upgrade, without a corporation breathing down your neck.
It is time to upgrade your computer, but not to Windows 8.
Pledge to free your computer today!

Mikko Hypponen: Three types of online attack

Cybercrime expert Mikko Hypponen talks us through three types of online attack on our privacy and data -- and only two are considered crimes. "Do we blindly trust any future government? Because any right we give away, we give away for good." (Filmed at TEDxBrussels.)

 

As computer access expands, Mikko Hypponen asks: What's the next killer virus, and will the world be able to cope with it?

Source

Mikko Hypponen: Fighting viruses, defending the net

It's been 25 years since the first PC virus (Brain A) hit the net, and what was once an annoyance has become a sophisticated tool for crime and espionage. Computer security expert Mikko Hyppönen tells us how we can stop these new viruses from threatening the internet as we know it.

As computer access expands, Mikko Hypponen asks: What's the next killer virus, and will the world be able to cope with it?

Source

RAP NEWS 15: Big Brother is WWWatching You (feat. George Orwell)

A few more Python books

Through the Ubuntu app developer resources I discovered the following free (as in Freedom and in beer) Python books.

1. Dive Into Python
2. A Byte of Python
3. Think Python