Ubuntu Tips n Tricks: September 2012

Saturday, September 29, 2012

TechSource: Top Business Intelligence Software for Linux

Top Business Intelligence Software for Linux

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 06:10 AM PDT

Business intelligence tools comprise the important software that helps in the strategic planning process of a corporation. Using them, you can gather, store, access, and analyze corporate data. The data collected by corporations are huge and to keep track of them, you need business intelligence software. You can use these tools in customer profiling, customer support, market research, product profitability, market segmentation, statistical analysis, and more.

On Linux too, you'll find a wide variety of such business intelligence software that will help you and your business manage such arduous tasks. If you're looking for the best business intelligence software, you should find this list useful:

SpagoBI

Founded by the SpagoWorld initiative, Spago is a completely open-source business intelligence tool. SpagoBI is one of its kind as it is entirely open-source unlike other tools wherein some proprietary components are involved. SpagoBI is usually a server that lets you work on more than 16 analytical areas and with more than 20 engines. It comes with tools like Geo, QbE, Dossier, KPIs, Interactive Dashboards, Real-time BI and more. Another great thing about SpagoBI is that it requires no initial setup and configuration. Moreover, there's also cloud integration and mobile access.

JasperReports

JasperReports is an open-source reporting tool that is based on Java. This cross-platform application can write to printers, PDF, HTML, Excel, ODT, CSV, or XML files. Originally licensed as copyleft and then moved to LGPL, JasperReports was originally called Panscopic. JasperReports integrates with a variety of applications including DynamicReports, WebReportBuilder, Jaspertags, and others.

BIRT Project

BIRT is an open-source tool that provides reporting and business intelligence capabilities for rich clients and web applications. A project by Eclipse foundation, BIRT is written in Java and works across all platforms. BIRT comes with two main components: a report designer that is based on Eclipse, and a runtime component that you can add to your app server. There is also a charting engine that lets you add charts to your own application. BIRT allows you to add reports like lists of data, charts, crosstabs, letters and documents, and also compound reports.

RapidMiner

RapidMiner is an open-source tool for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. Written in Java, it is basically an artificial intelligence tool that can also be used as business intelligence software.

Pentaho

Founded in 2004, Pentaho is a suite of open-source Business Intelligence tools that provide data integration, OLAP services, reporting, dashboarding, data mining and ETL capabilities. With two editions, community edition and enterprise edition, Pentaho also supports a variety of plugins that extend its capabilities. For consumers, Pentaho offers 4 different plans: open-source, basic, professional, and enterprise that come at various prices.

KNIME

KNIME, the Konstanz Information Miner, is an open source data analytics, reporting and integration platform. Using its modular data-pipelining concept, KNIME integrates various components for machine learning and data mining. Used in pharmaceutical research and in CRM, KNIME serves as an excellent cross-platform business intelligence tool.

Written in Java, KNIME allows users to visually create data flows (or pipelines), selectively execute selected analysis steps, and then inspect the results. KNIME is licensed under GPLv3 and works perfectly across Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

KNIME can also be used by teams with the help of KNIME Team Space suite. This lets you share all your work with your team members. The data analysis files are kept together at one central place so that all team members can work on it collaboratively.

Palo (OLAP database)

Palo is a multidimensional online analytical processing (MOLAP) server and is used as a business intelligence tool for controlling and budgeting. In this open-source software, spreadsheets serve as the user-interface for budgeting. Used for handling complex data models for business management and statistics, Palo gives rapid access to all data as it stores it in memory during runtime. If you use Excel, there's also an open-source Palo plugin for it.

Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

TechSource: How to Backup SMS (Text) Messages on Android

How to Backup SMS (Text) Messages on Android

Posted: 27 Sep 2012 06:02 AM PDT

With the advent of alternative messaging apps like Viber, WhatsApp, and GroupMe, SMS is slowly losing the dominance it once had. Many Android users often use these feature-rich messaging apps instead of the standard SMS app for many reasons. Firstly, SMS only allows you to communicate using text messages. Apps like WhatsApp on the other hand, not only lets you text your friends, it also allows you to easily send images, videos, and music files to them. Furthermore, these applications also have features like group messaging, profiles, and much more. However, one of the main reasons why these apps are fast catching up is that they don't cost as much as SMS. In fact, most of them are absolutely free.

That said, it's not as if traditional SMS is dying completely. Many people still use this medium to communicate with their friends and family. And, letting go of texting is almost impossible for them. For some people, texts are even more important as there are all sorts of important information in there. For example, if someone sends an address of some location, text messages from banks, and much more. Thus, there's very little doubt that backing up SMSes is never a bad idea. On Android too, there are plenty of ways you can do that without paying any money.

Here are some apps that can help you backup your precious SMS (text) messages using your Android smartphone:

SMS Backup & Restore

SMS Backup & Restore is a free SMS backup tool. Once installed, you can backup all your SMSes to your SD card in XML format and then transfer them to some other device. If you wanted to restore the data on some other device, simply install this app and press the restore button. Furthermore, you can also schedule automatic backups so that you won't have to manually take backups again and again.

DOWNLOAD HERE

SMS Backup +

SMS Backup Plus is a free app that lets you backup your SMSes as well as MMSes to your Gmail inbox. The backups are taken automatically and all the files are sent to your Gmail account in a separate label. What's more, you can also backup call logs with this open-source application. Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars, SMS Backup + is freely available for download from the Play Store.

DOWNLOAD HERE

SMS Backup and Restore (by INFOLIFE LLC)

This is another highly rated app that shares the same name with the aforementioned title. This ad-free app lets you schedule backups to your SD card and then lets you restore them. One great feature of this app is that it also lets you export individual conversations instead of backing up your whole SMS history. The app has been rated 4.5 out of 5 stars in the Google Play Store and can be downloaded for free.

DOWNLOAD HERE

[HowtoForge] Newsletter 09/27/2012

HowtoForge Newsletter 09/27/2012
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*** Version 1.3 of the ISPConfig 3 Manual ***
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The next update of the ISPConfig 3 Manual is available in PDF format (version 1.3 for ISPConfig >= 3.0.4; Date: 10/25/2011).

Version 1.3 for ISPConfig >= 3.0.4 (Date: 10/25/2011)
Author: Falko Timme
333 pages

The manual can be downloaded from these two links:

http://www.ispconfig.org/ispconfig-3/ispconfig-3-manual/
http://www.howtoforge.com/download-the-ispconfig-3-manual

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ISPConfig Monitor App for Android Phones
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With the ISPConfig Monitor App, you can check your server status and find out if all services are running as expected. You can check TCP and UDP ports and ping your servers. In addition to that you can use this app to request details from servers that have ISPConfig installed; these details include everything you know from the Monitor module in the ISPConfig Control Panel (e.g. services, mail and system logs, mail queue, CPU and memory info, disk usage, quota, OS details, RKHunter log, etc.).

Download/Usage
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For download and usage instructions, please visit http://www.ispconfig.org/ispconfig-3/ispconfig-monitor-app-for-android/ .

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We at HowtoForge are proud to announce that our new Facebook page is now available under http://www.facebook.com/howtoforge. As most of you probably have a Facebook account, we want to use this additional channel to post updates and get feedback from you. Therefore we would like you to "Like" our page, share it with your friends, post comments, etc.

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New HOWTOs:
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* Configuring Your LEMP System (Linux, nginx, MySQL, PHP-FPM) For Maximum Performance
* Running A Small Business Server With ClearOS 6.3.0 (Community Edition)
* pfSense - Squid + Squidguard / Traffic Shapping Tutorial
* VBoxHeadless - Running Virtual Machines With VirtualBox 4.2 On A Headless OpenSUSE 12.2 Server
* Serving CGI Scripts With Nginx On Fedora 17
* Installation Of Redmine With SVN On A cPanel/CentOS 5.6 Server

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Configuring Your LEMP System (Linux, nginx, MySQL, PHP-FPM) For Maximum Performance
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If you are using nginx as your webserver, you are looking for a performance boost and better speed. nginx is fast by default, but you can optimize its performance and the performance of all parts (like PHP and MySQL) that work together with nginx. Here is a small, incomprehensive list of tips and tricks to configure your LEMP system (Linux, nginx, MySQL, PHP-FPM) for maximum performance. These tricks work for me, but your mileage may vary. Do not implement them all at once, but one by one and check what effect the modification has on your system's performance.

You can find the document here:
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http://www.howtoforge.com/configuring-your-lemp-system-linux-nginx-mysql-php-fpm-for-maximum-performance

Running A Small Business Server With ClearOS 6.3.0 (Community Edition)
======================================================================

This guide shows how you can install and run a Small Business Server with ClearOS 6.3.0 (Community Edition). With ClearOS, you can run various services (such as a file- and print server, a web proxy and content filter, a mail server, etc.) in your local network and manage them through an easy web interface. ClearOS provides apps for each of these tasks from its marketplace - many of them are free, some of them have to be paid for. ClearOS Community is open-source and free. There's also a professional version available for which you have to pay, but which in return provides better support, better tested apps and updates, etc.

You can find the document here:
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http://www.howtoforge.com/running-a-small-business-server-with-clearos-6.3.0-community-edition

pfSense - Squid + Squidguard / Traffic Shapping Tutorial
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In this tutorial I will show you how to setup pfSense 2.0.1 up as a Internet Gateway with Squid Proxy / Squidguard Filtering. I will also show you have to configure some extra features of pfSense like and traffic shapping with squid. This type of configuration would be useful for people who want to set up wireless hot spots or Internet cafe's etc.

You can find the document here:
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http://www.howtoforge.com/pfsense-squid-squidguard-traffic-shaping-tutorial

VBoxHeadless - Running Virtual Machines With VirtualBox 4.2 On A Headless OpenSUSE 12.2 Server
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This guide explains how you can run virtual machines with VirtualBox 4.2 on a headless OpenSUSE 12.2 server. Normally you use the VirtualBox GUI to manage your virtual machines, but a server does not have a desktop environment. Fortunately, VirtualBox comes with a tool called VBoxHeadless that allows you to connect to the virtual machines over a remote desktop connection, so there's no need for the VirtualBox GUI.

You can find the document here:
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http://www.howtoforge.com/vboxheadless-running-virtual-machines-with-virtualbox-4.2-on-a-headless-opensuse-12.2-server

Serving CGI Scripts With Nginx On Fedora 17
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This tutorial shows how you can serve CGI scripts (Perl scripts) with nginx on Fedora 17. While nginx itself does not serve CGI, there are several ways to work around this. I will outline two solutions: the first is to proxy requests for CGI scripts to Thttpd, a small web server that has CGI support, while the second solution uses a CGI wrapper to serve CGI scripts.

You can find the document here:
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http://www.howtoforge.com/serving-cgi-scripts-with-nginx-on-fedora-17

Installation Of Redmine With SVN On A cPanel/CentOS 5.6 Server
==============================================================

This tutorial explains how to install Redmine with SVN on a cPanel/CentOS 5.6 server. Redmine is a flexible project management web application. Written using the Ruby on Rails framework, it is cross-platform and cross-database.

You can find the document here:
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http://www.howtoforge.com/installation-of-redmine-with-svn-on-a-cpanel-centos-5.6-server

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For a monthly fee of 5 EUR or 25 EUR for half a year, you can become a HowtoForge supporter and help us cover our costs (servers, bandwidth, etc.) and support ISPConfig development. In return, you receive the following benefits:

1. Download the ISPConfig 3 Manual (from http://www.howtoforge.com/download-the-ispconfig-3-manual).
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If you have the free VMware Server or Player installed, you can import our VMware images and start playing around with the results of our tutorials immediately. It's a great way to track down problems with your own setup or simply to save time. ;-)

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

TechSource: Useful Ubuntu One Tips and Tricks

Useful Ubuntu One Tips and Tricks

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 07:15 PM PDT

Apart from their flagship operating system, Ubuntu One is one of the best products from the UK-based Canonical Ltd. A cloud service designed for end users, this free tool has been one of the main selling points for the open-source operating system. Ubuntu One is offered across most of the popular OS platforms except Mac OS X and has been regarded as an upcoming competitor to the ever-popular Dropbox.

Ubuntu One allows its users to upload all their files to the cloud. If you download any music from the Ubuntu One Music Store, it will automatically get stored to your cloud-based account. Users start with 5GB of storage space that can be further increased by purchasing paid plans. The data that is uploaded to the server is stored on Amazon S3 servers, thus ensuring a high amount of reliability and availability. Furthermore, one of the best things about this service is that it integrates very tightly with the operating system, which also is one of its biggest selling points.

Thus, there is very little doubt how useful Ubuntu One is; however, many users still fail to see some of the amazing features that it offers. If you're one of them, don't worry, as we are going to list some great tricks that will make Ubuntu One much more than a file syncing utility for you.

Share Files With Friends on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks using Ubuntu One's publishing feature:

First, go to https://one.ubuntu.com and open your files. Choose the file you want to share with your friends. If you don't see it there, make sure you have added the folder to which the file belongs to your Personal Folders. Then once you spot the file, look to the right. There, you'll see a down arrow with 'More' written on it. Click on it, and the menu will expand to give you two options: Publish file and Download file. Click on 'Publish File' and you'll get a shortlink that you can share easily with your friends.

Sync Tomboy Notes:

If you use Tomboy Notes, it can be integrated easily with Ubuntu One so that all your notes are backed up safely to the cloud. Also, every time you'll format your computer and install a fresh copy of Tomboy, you can easily access all your notes by simply entering your Ubuntu One details.

To get started, open Tomboy. Then, go to preferences and click on the Synchronization tab. Enable synchronization and then connect your Ubuntu One account to Tomboy. Once you're done, all your notes will automatically get synced to the cloud.

Automatically Upload Photos:

The Ubuntu One mobile app comes with a great feature that lets you upload your photos to the cloud automatically. This means that every time you take a new pic, it gets uploaded to the cloud instantly. To enable this feature, simply install the Ubuntu One application from the Google Play Store. During setup, you'll be asked if you want to upload your photos to the cloud.

Increasing your storage space with referrals:

If the 5GB offering isn't enough for you, you can increase it by making your friends switch to Ubuntu One. If you refer your friends and family to Ubuntu One, you and them both get 500MB extra space. Sign up to Ubuntu One using this link and you'll get an extra 500 MB. Like that, you can get up to 20GB of storage space.

Limit Ubuntu One's download and upload speeds to ensure your connection is fast as always:

If you use Ubuntu One on a daily basis and are always uploading large amount of files to the cloud, the download and upload can affect your Internet browsing speed sometimes. To avoid this, simply put a cap on the speed at which Ubuntu One downloads or uploads the files.

To do that, open Ubuntu One application, and then click on 'Settings'. There you'll see options wherein you can change the bandwidth settings. It's not a good idea to put a cap on the bandwidth if you want your files uploaded instantly.

Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.

Monday, September 24, 2012

TechSource: 6 of the Best Clipboard Managers For Android

6 of the Best Clipboard Managers For Android

Posted: 23 Sep 2012 11:05 PM PDT

Though most Android users don't spend a lot of time copying and pasting text around, having a clipboard manager comes in really handy for some. This is more applicable to users who work a lot of text on their Android device, mostly email junkies and even programmers. A clipboard manager is used to enhance the cut, copy, and paste functionality of the operating system by adding features like handling formatted text, saving copied data for long-term storage and more. Furthermore, a clipboard manager is good for copying multiple URLs from one window to another.

So, if you're looking for some good clipboard managers for Android, here's a list of some of the best ones:

Clipboard Contents

Clipboard Contents is another lightweight clipboard manager for Android. The app can read contents from the clipboard history so that they can be copied into the clipboard again. Then you can edit, delete, and even share the links. Furthermore, while sharing links you can also shorten them provided URLy is installed. The app automatically detects any links in the contents and provides relevant options so that you'll be able to open or share them directly from the device.

One of the best features of this app is that it integrates with the Google search bar making it easier for you to find stuff in your clipboard history. Also, it supports Google's cloud backup and restore so that even if you format your device, you can easily access your clipboard history.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Clipper Plus

Clipper Plus is by far the best clipboard manager app for Android. Loaded with dozens of amazing features, this app basically puts a normal clipboard on steroids. The app is stable, reliable, and works exactly as expected. Clipper sits quietly in your notification bar so that whenever you want to access it, you can simply swipe down across the screen and sees your copied text. You can clip unlimited amount of items and save them in lists. Also, you can search through them, append time and date, and more. Though Clipper Plus is a paid app, there's also a free version of the app available in the Google Play Store.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Copy Paste It

Copy Paste It is another clipboard app with some unique features in its repertoire. The app can copy text to clipboard using either on-board or network OCR recognition. You can start copying by shaking the phone, by long-pressing the search button, or by pressing the overlay button. The most important feature of this app is that it allows users to copy text from any screen. That is why the app might require root access on some devices. Though Copy Paste It is not free, it has received good ratings in the Play Store.

DOWNLOAD HERE

aNdClip Free

aNdClip is a free clipboard manager that comes with data encryption and other features. The app can manage frequently used email addresses or set phrases making it easier to copy and paste data between different applications. Other features include folder management, pasting data on contacts, data encryption (AES), and more. There is also a paid version of aNdClip that features colors and also comes with some special features.

DOWNLOAD HERE

MagicWords

MagicWords is a useful clipboard application for your Android device. Besides saving your selected text, this free app can also translate text, search Google, and more. The UI of the app is pretty simple and doesn't provide as many features as the other apps on this list. Moreover, the app can be a bit difficult to get used to, especially for new users.

DOWNLOAD HERE

ClipNote Lite

ClipNote is another clipboard manager that automatically saves anything that you select in the form of notes. Though it doesn't include many advanced features, it does, however, serve as a good clipboard manager for your device.