6 Features That Windows 10 Has Taken From Linux

Microsoft has announced its upcoming operating system Windows 10. The name ‘Windows 10′ has surprised many as people were expecting it to be called Windows 9 .

Windows 10 promises some features which Microsoft users may find exciting. These features might be new to Windows but are they really new? Indeed, there are several features existing in GNU/Linux world for quite some time. In this article we shall seefive six Windows 10 features which might actually be inspired from Linux.

Six Windows 10 features inspired by Linux

Just to clarify, I am not saying that it is unethical that Microsoft has implemented some features in Windows 10, which are existing in desktop Linux. If the features are good and enhances user experience, every OS may try to implement those.

Multiple desktops aka workspaces

One of the most talked about feature in Windows 10 is multiple virtual desktops. In Linux world, these are known as workspaces. You can segregate various running apps in different workspaces. This allows you to switch between the applications in a better way.

While this feature is being introduced in Windows in 2015 with Windows 10, in Linux this, perhaps, dates back to 1998 when KDE 1.0 was released. All the major Linux desktop environment support multiple desktop feature.

Task view aka window spread

Windows 10 boasts of a feature called ‘task view’. Clicking on the task view button brings up an array of running apps.

Window spread feature was introduced with the new age desktop environments. Both Unity and GNOME have this feature. Pressing the super key (Windows key) lays out all the running applications in GNOME 3.

Desktop plus online search

Windows 10 will have improved search. Entering a search term in the field will result in either a file on the local machine, an installed application or application available in Windows Store or from the internet (to be opened in Internet Explorer).

Ubuntu has done the same with Unity Dash and lenses/scopes. When you search for something in Unity Dash, it provides you suggestion in local files, local applications, applications from Ubuntu Software Center, the infamous Amazon search results, along with other results categorized in various ‘lenses’. This includes search results from social networks, Wikipedia and You Tube.

Borderless windows and flat icons

This is very minor tweak but the windows in Windows 10 will be border-less and will have flat icons in Windows Explorer. This results in a cleaner look.

If you remember well, borderless windows were among one of the new features introduced in Ubuntu 14.04.

Convergence of mobile and desktop OS

Microsoft has promised better convergence across mobile and desktop devices with Windows 10.

While there is not a single mobile device out yet, Ubuntu was first to foresee the need of convergence. It will be interesting to see how Ubuntu Unity performs on mobile devices when Miezu will launch the first Ubuntu phone later this year.

 

Windows 10 (finally) has a package manager

Windows 10 will be coming with a package manager of its own. That means you can install applications via command line in Power Shell. An image from HowTo Geek will give you a glimpse of it:

As you can seem using the command Install-Package Firefox, you can install Firefox in Windows. But as a Linux user, you know that package management is an integral part of a Linux OS. It has been in Linux since forever. One more Linux feature that inspired Windows 10.

PiPplware The Ultimate Linux Distro for PI

The PiPplware is a Portuguese Linux distribution for the Raspberry PI based and 100% compatible with Raspbian, the official distribution of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. It's free and open source.

One of the main objectives of PiPplware is to allow the user to make the most of your Raspberry Pi. With PiPplware you can perform almost every possible tasks with the RPI on a single operating system and so take full potential of this little machine. Moreover it is easily scalable and optimizável for various kinds of use.

We also aim to ease of use and does not need great technical knowledge to take advantage of its capabilities.

With PiPplware you can easily turn your TV on a PC, Media Center, Game Console, and more!

Download :

• KODI Media Center, the most complete media center and more features these days, with the possibility of skins installation and addons for access to many additional services, including several Portuguese.

• Work Openbox and Xfce desktop environments

• Server and SSH client, SFTP, Samba, RDP, VNC, Netatalk (AFP), Transmission and more, with the ability to install many more like WEB server, MAIL, CLOUD and VPNs.

• All of the software included Raspbian except Mathematica, with the possibility of installing more. Easy access to all the Debian ARM software through the Synaptic package manager.

• And much more ...

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New partnership:Microsoft and Arduino !

It’s a special day for the Makers’ community. Massimo Banzi is in San Francisco attending Build Conference, the biggest developer event of the calendar year for Microsoft and today Microsoft is  announcing a strong partnership with Arduino:Windows 10 is in fact the world’s first Arduino certified operating system!

‘Arduino Certified’  Windows 10 enables makers to easily create smart objects combining hardware-driving capability of Arduino with the software capabilities of Windows.

For example, a security camera can be built by using Arduino to power the motors controls to tilt/turn the camera and using Universal Windows Platform (UWP) to create great UI, to connect the camera to the cloud, to process the image for motion detection and for adding facial/voice recognition.

The makers’ community can now also enjoy Windows Remote Arduinoand Windows Virtual Shields for Arduino technologies – both released as open source libraries.

With Windows Remote Arduino developers can (wirelessly) access the capabilities of  Windows 10 devices as if they were physically attached to an Arduino Shield and leveraging Arduino functions directly from Universal Windows Application.

In this way Microsoft is enabling developers to extend their Universal Windows Platform Application with Arduino commands (that execute on a wirelessly connected Arduino device). Combining the power of Windows 10 devices including features such as Image processing, Speech recognition, Website parsing, Cameras and Advanced Audio pipelines with the power of physical world interactivity through Arduino enables incredible new scenarios to be created. Take a look at this Basic Windows Remote Arduino project to learn how to leverage this technology in any interactive project.

Bitcoin Mining using Raspberry Pi

Want to mine some bitcoins? Want to earn for free? Have a pi not being used?

Then lets mine some bitcoins!

  Step 1: What is BitCoin?

If you don’t know already, Bitcoin is a virtual currency set up in 2009. Bitcoin has grown in reputation over the past few years becoming a very popular as a method to pay for services over the internet. The value has rocketed recently thanks to the huge coverage in the media, for both positive and negative reasons.

There are two ways to get Bitcoin:

-Buying them from an exchange, which is the process of converting local currency to Bitcoin.

-Mining them. Mining is the process of verifying transactions in the blockchain.

As the whole of the Bitcoin system is decentralised, every transaction is publically viewable within what is called the blockchain. This blockchain contains every bitcoin exchanged between users so, as there is no central server, it has to be self governed. This is the job of the miners.

   Step 2: Requirements

In order to mine Bitcoin, you will

A pool account

Bitcoin Wallet

Raspberry Pi

Raspbian image SD card

USB Bitcoin miner

Step 3: Creating an Account

There are two things you need to do:

Download a bitcoin wallet

Create a pool account

Set up paymentSet up workers

Download a Bitcoin Wallet

A wallet is a program that sits on your computer and gives you a wallet address, this is a unique string of numbers and letters that you will use to receive bitcoins. Download the client for your computer from https://bitcoin.org/en/download

After installation, you will have to save a file called wallet.dat, keep this file safe, as this contains your unique wallet address within it, including all bitcoins that you will gain. If you lose this file, you cannot recover any bitcoins it contained.

Create a Pool Account Once you have a wallet address, create a pool account. A pool is a huge collection of other people working towards gaining bitcoins. Due to the complexity of mining a bitcoin, it has become unrealistic to solo mine–the act of processing millions of numbers to solve the block problem. Working as a group, or pool, lets everyone have a chance of earning some Bitcoin. There are many pools around, in this tutorial I’ll be using one called Slush’s pool:https://bitcoin.org/en/download

Set Up Payment

Once you have created a pool account, you'll need to enter your unique wallet address into the Bitcoin payout address.

Create Worker Account

Next step is to create a worker login account. Within your pool account you have the ability to create something called a worker for each of your bitcoin miners, so you're able to monitor them all separately just in case one should fail.

Each worker has its own login name and password. Whilst you are on My Accountclick Register New Worker and give it a name, for example; worker, and a password. Now you're ready to set your Raspberry Pi mining for Bitcoin.

  Step 4: Setting Up the Raspberry Pi

Start with a fresh Raspbian install, if you don’t know who to do this, read the tutorial How to Install NOOBS on a Raspberry Pi With a Mac.

If you plan on running more than one Bitcoin miner at the same time, it is best to use a powered USB hub. Take into account the power rating as mining will need a lot of power, as much as one mp per miner.

With your USB miner attached to your Raspberry Pi, let’s get everything installed.

  Step 5: Installing Required libraries

The miner to be installed comes as source files, which means that the program must be compiled into a binary before it can be run. To make a program, in this case BFGMiner, many dependencies are required.

Dependencies are additional software, or libraries the program needs in order to compile properly, as it has been developed using them to make the software more efficient. Hopefully you will be seeing the Raspbian desktop, so double click on LXTerminaland type in the following:

1) sudo apt-get update

2) sudo apt-get install autoconf autogen libtool uthash-dev libjansson-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev libusb-dev libncurses-dev git-core –y

This process will take a few minutes to complete.

Step 6: Installing BFGMiner

Once all the dependencies have been installed, now it is time to download and install BFGMiner, so type the following into LXTerminal. It’s normal for these to take a few minutes to complete so some patience is needed.

git clone https://github.com/luke-jr/bfgminer.git
cd bfgminer

./autogen.sh

./configure

make

You will be greeted with a screen that looks similar to the following:

  Step 7: Start Mining Bitcoin:

Now you’re ready to start mining. To do this, providing you're using Slush’s pool, you’ll use the following command:

./bfgminer -o stratum.bitcoin.cz:3333 -O username.worker:password -S all

The username section is composed of two parts, the username that you use to login to the pool, and worker which is the worker name you gave when you registered the worker. Finally, the password that was set when you created the worker.

That’s a lot of numbers, so I’ll make some of them a bit clearer.
Current mining speed, typically calculated in megahashes or gigahashes. The number of hashes a second that can be calculated the better. A hash is an algorithm of converting numbers and letters into an undecryptable set of characters. So a miner is used to process millions of numbers in an effort to match the hash to guess the original number. The more hashes that can be processed the faster it is able to solve the problem.

Number of accepted shares. A share on a pool is to show the miner has successfully worked out a given problem, so the more shares you can process the better your reward from the pool.

Detailed information on accepted shares and pool updates. This is a running log of what is currently happening with the miners and basic pool information, such as messages of updates and when new blocks are found.

More information can be found at the BFGminer github site.

  Step 8: Conclusion

Following these steps will leave you with a very energy efficient bitcoin miner, as a Raspberry Pi only uses four watts of power, and a miner is typically 2.5W. Mining used to be done with computers consuming over 700W for the same process so to make a jump in savings helps repay the cost of the hardware we are using.

All there is to do now is to sit back and watch the money slowly build up. Though it is important that you understand that Bitcoin value fluctuates wildly, it is extremely volatile, so invest at your own risk.

You can also put up LCDs. Connect more Pis for getting better speed :D

npm install windows

How to Install Node.js and NPM on Windows

Installation Steps

1. Download the Windows installer from the Nodes.js web site: https://nodejs.org/.
2. Run the installer (the .msi file you downloaded in the previous step.)
3. Follow the prompts in the installer (Accept the license agreement, click the NEXT button a bunch of times and accept the default installation settings).
4. Restart your computer. You won’t be able to run Node.js until you restart your computer.

Test !!!

Make sure you have Node and NPM installed by running simple commands to see what version of each is installed and to run a simple test program:

• Test Node. To see if Node is installed, open the Windows Command Prompt, Powershell or a similar command line tool, and type node -v. This should print a version number, so you’ll see something like this v0.10.35.
• Test NPM. To see if NPM is installed, type npm -v in Terminal. This should print NPM’s version number so you’ll see something like this 1.4.28
• Create a test file and run it. A simple way to test that node.js works is to create a JavaScript file: name it hello.js, and just add the code console.log('Node is installed!');. To run the code simply open your command line program, navigate to the folder where you save the file and type node hello.js. This will start Node and run the code in the hello.js file. You should see the output Node is installed!.

How to Uninstall Node and NPM

You uninstall Node.js and NPM the same as you would most Windows software:

1. Open the Windows Control Panel
2. Choose the “Programs and Features” option
3. Click the “Uninstall a program” option
4. Select Node.js, and click the Uninstall link.

The 50 Best Free Educational Apps from Google Play

1. Kids Numbers and Math Lite: Educational game maker Intellijoy offers this free game to effectively teach preschoolers numbers, addition, subtraction, and more without sensory overload.
2. AniWorld: We had animal See ‘n Say games as kids. Your kids get this app, which lets them pet, feed, see, and hear 36 different animals through 250 pictures.
3. Kids ABC Letters Lite: Another offering from Intellijoy, Kids ABC teaches forming and identifying letters to children aged 2-7. The downside is parents may have trouble getting their phones back again.
4. Learning Letters for Kids: This straightforward app for teaching kids the alphabet is a breath of fresh air: no permissions are required from the developer to function.
5. Kids & Toddler Puzzle Puzzingo: A BestAppsForKids award winner, Puzzingo is an addictive yet educational game to engage the mind of your toddler with 25 professionally illustrated puzzles.
6. Kids Pedia – Color Magician: Kids Pedia packs in language learning, science, geography, art, math, health, and more, with games designed by professional educators.
7. Kids Piano Lite: Don’t neglect your child’s music education. This app reproduces those little toy xylophones in the bright colors kids love.
8. 123s ABCs Handwriting Fun: Children learn basic handwriting by tracing letters, hearing them spoken, then shaking the screen to erase and repeat.
9. Pepi Bath Lite: It’s never too early to start teaching your toddler hygiene education, and this app is a great tool for that.
10. 0-10 Numbers Baby Flash Cards: Toddlers might as well get used to studying with flashcards. This app uses them to teach them the first 11 numbers.

Elementary and Middle School

11. Brain Café – GeoQuiz: With a beautiful interface and strong database of questions, GeoQuiz is a great program for testing young learners’ knowledge of global geography.
12. Kids Paint Free: Allow your young Picassos to flourish their artistic side with this fan-favorite app.
13. iStoryBooks: Kids ages 2-8 can read their own books on dinosaurs, animals, fruits and vegetables, and more, or let narrator Maya read to them as they follow along.
14. Alchemy – Genetics: Kids strengthen their logic and critical thinking skills playing this game that turns players into gene researchers combining different animals into new species.
15. ASL American Sign Language: The easiest time to learn languages is in childhood. Use this free app from TeachersParadise.com to teach your kids to sign.
16. Sky Map: Google has gone ahead and mapped all of space for your convenience. Just crank up the app, point your camera to the heavens, and enjoy.
17. US History Quiz: Lord knows Americans’ knowledge of our own history is embarrassing. Help your kids be part of the solution by installing this free app.
18. 100 Top World Wonders: Kiddos learn about the biggest, longest, tallest, fastest, and most dangerous things in the world with this free app.
19. Periodic Table: Don’t let the name fool you. This is a periodic table for the 21st century, with interactive elements that can be clicked to see more than 30 facts each, audio clips, and a quiz mode.
20. Classic Simon: Let your kids in on the simple joy that was the Simon Says toy with this app that improves memory. We mean it: let them have a turn.

High school and College

21. WordPrep Flashcards GRE / CAT: If the GRE is in your near future or you simply want to expand your vocabulary, WordPrep Flashcards is one of your best free options in Google Play.
22. Gamma Ray Calculator: Forget the slide rule. When you find yourself in need in physics class, whip out your smartphone and fire up this free app.
23. Speed Anatomy Quiz: Flashcards will forever pale in comparison once you’ve tested your knowledge of the human body by poking away at it with this app.
24. Formulas Lite: All the major formulas you need for math, chemistry, and physics are right here for free download.
25. Learn Spanish with busuu.com!: The free app from the popular language learning site is an excellent resource for building a solid foundation in a number of languages, Spanish included.
26. LHSee: There has been big news in the search for the “God Particle” lately. Don’t miss a thing thanks to this app that refers to work with Large Hadron Colliders.
27. Virtual SAT Tutor – Writing: Tutoring company Ivy Standard created this app for improving yourwriting skills for the SAT through in-depth tips and questions modeled after the real thing.
28. Fooducate – Healthy Food Diet: Take charge of your food education with this app that lets you scan product barcodes and see nutrition info and ideas for healthier alternatives.
29. Mathway: With this app you don’t even need a data connection to access thousands of answers to pre-algebra, pre-cal can calculus, trig, and statistics.
30. Learn Guitar Chords: Learn to shred while your guitar is home in its case with this app, which teaches you the most commonly used chords. Master three cords and you’re qualified to play in Nickelback.
31. IELTS Writing Model Answers: International students will love the practice and instruction they get from this writing app.

Class Help and Study Aids

32. Andie Graph: Want to save $90? Thought so. Do yourself a favor and download this app that’s an emulator for TI-82, -83, -85, and -86 calculators. You’re welcome.
33. Aldiko Book Reader: Never be caught in class without your reading materials again, thanks to this customizable and user-friendly e-reader.
34. Studyblue Flashcards: The wide range of features like card search, offline mode, reminders, and progress save make this flashcard app one of our faves in Google Play.
35. MyScript Calculator: This is a really cool app that lets you write out math equations in your own handwriting and get answers in real time. It’s intuitive and natural and even lets you scratch out mistakes.
36. Speed Reading Trainer: Use this app to tweak your reading ability to cut down your reading times while maintaining comprehension.
37. Blackboard Mobile Learn: It doesn’t work for all carriers, but if yours is covered you’ve got mobile access to all your assignments, grades , and other info for classes using the site.
38. Study Checker: This app automatically keeps track of your study and break times and lets you view your stats over a day, week, or month.
39. Edmodo: Stay connected and share information with your classmates and teachers wherever you are with Edmodo, “the Facebook of education.”
40. School Timetable Deluxe: It’s not often a “deluxe” model comes free, but it does here with this highly rated app for organizing homework assignments, exams, and grades all into one place.
41. Dictionary – Merriam-Webster: It’s ad-supported but you can search by voice, find synonyms and antonyms, read a Word of the Day, and more, all while offline.
42. SparkNotes: Since we know you’d never read crib notes in place of an assigned book, we’re happy to recommend this app to supplement your reading.

Educational Organizations

43. NASA App: If you’ve got a little astronaut on your hands, this app connects you with incredible images and videos, mission info, and more courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
44. TED: All the ideas worth spreading come to your Android phone so you can broaden your horizons and have your mind stretched anywhere you have a signal.
45. Common Core: The kids won’t care, but parents and teachers will appreciate being able to see all the common core standards for every grade from K-12.
46. Khan Academy Player: This unofficial app is a successful complement to the hugely popular, free educational video site that lets you watch that physics lesson or math tutorial offline.
47. PhysOrg.com Science News Lite: Stay informed on all things STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) with this app form the PHYSorg.com website.
48. National Geographic: Throw out all those old copies of the magazine and install this (unofficial) app for exploring the world with the help of this storied institution.
49. Whitehouse.gov: Here’s your unofficial window into the home of the highest office in the land and everything that goes on there.
50. Open University News: Find articles, videos, and tweets that keep you up-to-speed on all the open education goings-on from OU.