- Welcome From The Chief Editor

1. PCLOS-Talk: Our Own Instant Messaging Service

2. Inkscape Tutorial: Taped Note

3. PCLinuxOS Recipe Corner: Bacon Cheeseburger Meat Loaf

4. ms_meme's Nook: La PCLOS

5. Welcome To PCLOS-Cloud

6. 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: Meemaw's Picks

7. 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: Paul's Picks

8. 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: YouCanToo's Picks

9. PCLinuxOS Family Member Spotlight: izto

10. Inkscape Tutorial: Design Your Own Paper

11. Dear Rupert Murdoch: Want To Compete With Netflix? Ditch DRM!

12. PCLinuxOS Puzzled Partitions

13. Testimonial: Report Card On PCLinuxOS

14. Game Zone: Cracking Sands Racing

15. Screenshot Showcase

Welcome From The Chief Editor

It's hard to believe, but another year has passed, and the holiday season is once again upon us. I'm in the United States, and I'm writing this just before Thanksgiving, the annual holiday that usually marks the start of the holiday season (if you discount the fact that retailers are pushing out holiday displays earlier and earlier each and every year).

It's an American "tradition" to recount the things that we are thankful for, in association with Thanksgiving. Also, the closer we come to the Christian holiday of Christmas, many of us who observe that holiday become increasingly overcome with "Christmas Spirit." People typically become a bit more tolerant, a bit more charitable, and quite a bit friendlier.

Ryan The Lion and me on Halloween.

It's a good idea to reflect on our lives from time to time, and to list the things that we are thankful for. In the U.S., the winter holiday season is the time that's traditionally viewed as the most appropriate time to enumerate the things that we are thankful for. So, here are the things that I am thankful for during this holiday season.

I am thankful for my wife and child, both of whom keep me grounded and bring me so many joys in life.

I am thankful for being able to work for a living wage at a job I truly enjoy. I am also thankful for the countless number of lives that I've touched over my career, and the positive impact that I have had on their lives.

I am thankful for Texstar for creating PCLinuxOS, keeping me free from the "usual" trappings that plague other operating systems, such as malware, viruses, crapware, spyware and security vulnerabilities. I can use my computer(s) with peace of mind that everything is going to come tumbling down around me and my data. I'm also thankful that PCLinuxOS is so much more stable.

I am thankful for my relatively good health.

I am thankful for my PCLinuxOS "family." Over the years, I've met some really interesting and awesome people from all around the world, many of whom I consider to be great friends -- even though we've never met, face to face.

I am thankful for my traditional family, even with all the drama baggage that traditional families tend to carry.

I am thankful for my friends and the ways that they enrich my life.

I am thankful for being able to do things that make my life so much more rewarding, fulfilling and enchanting. These include things like bicycle riding, hunting, fishing, woodworking, and photography.

I am thankful for the abilities to write articles for the magazine, and the skills to produce The PCLinuxOS Magazine month after month.

So, until next month, I bid you peace, happiness, prosperity and serenity. Oh -- and Happy Holidays!

PCLOS-Talk: Our Own Instant Messaging Service

by Paul Arnote (parnote)

If you were a Commodore computer user in the mid 1980s, you might remember QuantumLink, the online service for Commodore 64 and 128 users. You might also remember OMS, or Online Messaging Service, more commonly known as People Connection. This was a "Plus" service for QuantumLink users that allowed for real time chats with other users who were online at the same time, albeit at an extra cost.

QuantumLink, as it appeared on a Commodore 64 in 1985. Looks a bit like Windows 8, huh?

Fast forward a few years, and QuantumLink became AOL (America Online). Its user base had been expanded to the still-burgeoning IBM PC market, capitalizing on the meteoric rise of Microsoft Windows. In May 1997, AOL released AIM, or AOL Instant Messenger. This allowed non-subscribers to AOL's service to log in and speak to anyone else who had the AIM software installed on their computer, as well as AOL users.

Within the next year (March, 1998), Yahoo! launched their version, called Yahoo! Messenger. This provided some competition for the instant messaging market that AOL had created. Both services (AOL and Yahoo! instant messaging) are still around, and alive and kicking. AOL has since been purchased by Time Warner, and the term "instant messenger" is a service mark of Time Warner. As such, that led to GAIM (GTK+ AOL Instant Messenger) changing its name to Pidgin.

I remember it all very well. Up until that point, the only way to "chat" with other users located in other parts of the world was either via email (and wait for them to respond), or via IRC, or Internet Relay Chat. While it was/is possible to have a private chat with another IRC user, most conversations occurred in an open "room," kind of like at a cocktail party.

The instant messaging services took off like a firestorm. Now users could have private conversations with other users with ease. "Buddies" lists and "Friends" lists were the new buzzwords.

Now, fast forward to October, 2014. YouCanToo installed an XMPP server, called OpenFire, on his server. With that, PCLOS-Talk, a private instant messaging network just for PCLinuxOS users was born.

Users can connect to PCLOS-Talk using either Pidgin or Kopete. Let's go over how to do just that. We'll focus on setting up Pidgin. The process for setting up Kopete will be slightly different, but similar.

Getting Connected With Pidgin

If you're not familiar with it, Pidgin is open source software that excels at connecting to instant messaging services, even if they use different protocols. With Pidgin, you can connect to PCLOS-Talk, and have real time, private chats with other PCLinuxOS users across the globe. If the other user isn't currently online, your messages to them will be displayed the next time they log in.

My Xfce desktop, with Pidgin logged into PCLOS-Talk. I've also got three conference "rooms" opened.

Mind you, this isn't going to be a full-blown Pidgin "How To" tutorial, even though there is a good amount of "How To" in here. Rather, what we'll focus on here is how to get the most out of PCLOS-Talk.

When you first start off, you'll not have any other users listed in your "Buddies" list. That doesn't make it easy to chat with anyone. So, let's fix that. Under the Accounts menu in Pidgin, hover over your PCLOS-Talk account, and select "Search for users…" from the menu that pops up. Accept the defaults in the next dialog box, and click on OK. You should now get a dialog box like the one shown above. If you know your user's name, you can type it into the search field. Otherwise, just put "*" (an asterisk) in the search field, and make sure that the checkboxes in front of "Username" and "Name" are checked. Now, click OK.

Click on the users in the list (one at a time) you want to add to your Buddies list, and click on the "Add" button. When you've added all the Buddies you want, click on the "Close" button.

What should happen next is that the users you want to add to your Buddies list will be sent notification that you've added them to your Buddies list, and they have the opportunity to authorize you adding them to your Buddies list, or deny it. For what it's worth, it works both ways. If someone you don't know (or you don't really want to chat with) adds you to their Buddies list, you also have the same opportunity to authorize or deny them adding you to their Buddies list.

Meanwhile, the user(s) you added will show up in your Buddies list, looking quite like the image above. There will be the red circle with a line through it and the words "Not Authorized" under the user's name, indicating they have not yet authorized you adding them to your Buddies list. If they are already online, the authorization message should appear almost immediately. Otherwise, the next time they log into PCLOS-Talk, they will have the opportunity to authorize or deny you adding them to your Buddies list.

Once you have some users listed in your Buddies list, you can have private chats. After all, this is where instant messaging shines. Just double clicking on a user's name in your Buddies list will open a window, similar to the one above. You type your half of the conversation in the lower window pane, and the entire conversation appears in the upper window pane.

Now, if you read the caption under the full screen capture of my Xfce desktop above, you'll notice that I made mention of "rooms." Yes, even with instant messaging, you can have chat rooms, conferences, group chats, or whatever else you want to call them.

Under the Tool menu (in Pidgin's main window), select "Rooms List." Accept the default values in the next dialog. Then, you should be presented with a window similar to the one shown above. Click on the "room" you want to join, and select the "Join" button. (Note: the room window may not be immediately visible, as it may be just beneath the Rooms List window. The new chat windows tend to appear centered on the screen, so if you join multiple rooms, they may be stacked one on top of another. They can easily be separated just by moving the windows about on your screen.) When you've finished joining all the rooms you want to join, select the "Close" button.

The "pclosmag room"

The right top pane shows the users currently in the room, while the top left pane shows the conversations that are taking place. The bottom pane is where you type/enter your replies. "Rooms" are great for conversations/meetings where you want the input from more than one user.

But sometimes, you may want to keep your "group chats" private. You may not want just anyone to pop in, because you may be discussing private or sensitive topics. So … can you set up a private room? You sure can!

From Pidgin's main window, select Buddies > Join chat….

A dialog similar to the one above will be displayed. Enter the name of the room you want to join in the "Room" field. If the room doesn't already exist, it will be created.

If you want the room to be private, you will need to select the "Configure Room" button.

Scroll down and remove the checkmark in front of the "List Room in Directory" option to make your "room" private. Also, if you want to require a password to enter the room, scroll down a little more to select that option, and then enter the password users will have to enter to gain entry.

Now that you have your private room setup, you can send an IM to each individual you want to join you there, or you can just select Conversation > Invite… from the menus in your new room's chat window, and send an invite to each user without opening up a separate IM window.

You can also set your overall privacy by selecting Tools > Privacy from Pidgin's main window. You will see a dialog like the one above, and you can set your privacy up so that only people on your Buddies list can contact you, block all users, etc. The default setting is to "Allow all users to contact me."

If you have logging enabled, you can view the previous conversations you've had with users in your Buddies list. The easiest way (not the only way) is to right click on the user's name in your Buddies list, and select "View Log" from the context menu. A dialog similar to the one displayed above will be shown. The various conversations you've had with that user will populate the left window pane, listed in chronological order. The right window pane will display the conversation that is selected in the left window pane.

Summary

This should be more than enough to get you started using PCLOS-Talk. The XMPP server that YouCanToo has installed has a LOT more features, like being able to share files among each other. Plus, you should rest assured that unless there is something in the OpenFire software that enables interception, your conversations on PCLOS-Talk are free from spying by the NSA, GCHQ and other nefarious government organizations looking to spy on your every thought and move.

YouCanToo has, once again, amazed the PCLinuxOS community with not only his abilities to run and manage so many services for PCLinuxOS users, but also with his generosity. Every PCLinuxOS user benefits from YouCanToo's generosity, whether they realize it or not.

Thank you, YouCanToo, for helping to make PCLinuxOS truly unique among Linux distros.

Inkscape Tutorial: Taped Note

by Meemaw

This one is pretty easy. It resembles a note taped to a surface with clear tape.

Open Inkscape and set your document properties. I used a letter sized page, in landscape orientation. It seems to be easier if you change your background from white to something a bit darker so you can see what you're doing. In Document Properties, one of the choices is background color. From the Document Properties window, click on the colored line behind the word Background, and the small window will appear:

I changed mine to a medium grey. It will be easier to see what I'm doing.

Next, draw a rectangle, white fill and no stroke. In the Path menu, click Object to Path while your rectangle is selected. Change to the Paths tool (second from the top at left). On each end of your rectangle add five nodes by double-clicking on the end line five different times. Grab alternating nodes and move them inward to create a "cut tape" effect at each end. Don't worry, it doesn't have to be perfect, and you can add more if you wish.

When you get your "tape" the way you want it, go to Properties and set the opacity down to 30 or 35, or whatever looks good to you. Resize it (depending on how big you made it when you started), then duplicate it and separate the two.

Create a new rectangle for the note itself. I made mine yellow, but you can make it any color you want. You can arrange your tape pieces now, or wait until you are finished.

Not all pieces of paper are wrinkle free, so let's put in a shadow that makes it look like the paper is curling a bit at one side. Using your Bezier tool with the width set about 10, draw a line similar to the one shown below.

Zoom in on your corner and move the line up to the corner of the paper.

Send the line underneath the paper, and set the Blur at 5.

The bigger the shadow you want/need, the longer and less angled you should make your lines.

Now we want to do our note. Click on the Text tool at left, click on the yellow "paper" where you want your note and type. Now click on the Text Formatting tool at the top of your window and format the text. I used a font called !Paul Maul, but you should use whatever you like. Save your work.

From here, you can personalize your project. You can change the background back to white and save just the note and tape or do something different. I angled my note and tape pieces a bit, and then put one of our favorite wallpapers behind it. Remember to make sure your tape pieces have been moved above all other items so they show as being over both the paper and the writing. Save your work and export your project.

PCLinuxOS Recipe Corner: Bacon Cheeseburger Meat Loaf

Bacon Cheeseburger Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf

3 slices bread, torn into small pieces

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1 cup finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

1/4 cup dill pickle relish

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 egg, slightly beaten

Topping

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Directions

- Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 9x5-inch loaf pan with foil; spray foil with cooking spray.

- In large bowl, mix bread and milk. Let stand 5 minutes to absorb milk. Add beef, all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon, the shredded cheese, relish, onion, garlic and egg. Mix until well combined. Shape mixture into 8x4-inch loaf. Place in pan.

- In small bowl, stir together Topping ingredients. Spread on top and sides of loaf. Top with reserved 2 tablespoons crumbled bacon.

- Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center of loaf reads 160ºF. Cool 10 minutes.

- Cut meat loaf into slices to serve. Top with desired burger toppings, such as pickle relish, ketchup and mustard.

ms_meme's Nook: La PCLOS

MP3                            OGG

Welcome To PCLOS-Cloud

by YouCanToo

Google has Google Drive. Microsoft has OneDrive. Dropbox, SpiderOak, Minus, Wuala (before it became a strictly pay service) and lots of other "cloud storage" services have become popular and attractive to users on virtually all platforms. They give users access to their files and "stuff," regardless of where they are, on a wide variety of devices.

Of course, there are security concerns with all cloud storage providers. As with any storage medium that you don't have absolute control over, there will always be security concerns. With some providers, there is the concern that they are a direct conduit to government sponsored spying agencies and groups, like the NSA and GCHQ. As obvious as it might sound, it definitely bears repeating that the solution is to keep sensitive documents and files on local storage medium that you control.

With that in mind, let's introduce you to PCLOS-Cloud, the newest offering of services, just for PCLinuxOS users. Initial plans allow for a generous 5 GiB of storage space for your files and "stuff."

Using PCLOS-Cloud

We first need to install some software from Synaptic Package Manager.

Install the following packages, along with any dependencies required.

1. owncloud-client

Once installed we can proceed to setting up an PCLOS-Cloud account.

Sign Up for a PCLOS-Cloud account at http://pclosusers.com/services-signup.php.

When you receive your PCLOS-Cloud confirmation email, you will then be able to set up your owncloud client.

You will find the owncloud-client program in your PC menu --> Internet --> ownCloud-Client.

Since this article was written the ownCloud Client has been updated to v. 1.7.0. ownCloud-client v 1.7.0 can be found in the menu under More Applications --> Configuration --> ownCloud desktop sync client.

NOTE: On several of my machines, I had to add an entry for the OwnCloud-client as it was not done automatically. If this is the case, for you, and you are running KDE, right click on the PC icon and select Edit Applications. Click on Internet then click on New Item. In the window that opens, enter ownCloud-client and press OK.

In the editor window, in the area labeled Command, enter "owncloud" without the quotes. Now click on Save. Your system will now be updated. You can now close the Menu Editor window. Now you will find the ownCloud-client in your menu --> Internet --> ownCloud-client.

Upon starting your owncloud-client, you will need to create a connection.

Click Next.

Enter the address of the PCLOS-Cloud server:

pcloscloud.pclosusers.com

Uncheck the box "Use Secure Connection"

Enter your username:

Enter your password:

This is the same username and password you used when you signed up for the PCLOS-Cloud account. Then click on the "Next" button at the bottom right corner of the Connection Wizard screen.

If everything went right, you should see the Connection Wizard status screen.

If you see anything but that big green line saying "Successfully connected to ownCloud!", press the "Back" button and check your entries. Otherwise, press the "Finished" button. Your ownCloud sync client is now running.

Enjoy PCLOS-Cloud.

Other Benefits

You can also access your PCLOS-Cloud account from anywhere on the web by going to http://pcloscloud.pclosusers.com and logging into your account.

You can also access PCLOS-Cloud in the Dolphin file manager using the following address: webdav://pcloscloud.pclosusers.com/remote.php/webdav/

Or, you can access PCLOS-Cloud using your Android or iOS device using the mobile application. Download Your App Today!     Google Play     •     Apple App Store     •     Amazon Appstore

PCLOS-Cloud, simple-to-use  •  secure  •  private.

After all, with PCLOS-Cloud, it's your cloud, your data, your way.

2014 Holiday Gift Guide: Meemaw's Picks

by Meemaw

Wow! This year has really gone by quickly! I have barely started even thinking about the holidays, but I know I need to start getting things done. I hope I can find the perfect gift for everyone on my list.

Many of us have friends or relatives that are a bit quirky, and they generally like an unusual gift rather than the standard. Parnote went to ThinkGeek to find his, but my favorite "unusual gift spot" is Bits and Pieces. This site started years ago as a catalog order company, but now, of course, they have a website. It has expanded from mostly jigsaw puzzles to toys and games, lawn art, weather instruments, gift items and much more. I have found a few I think are unusual, and all prices are in USD.

We always pray that nothing ever happens, but if you are stuck in your car, this tool may be just the thing you need. The Emergency Auto Tool ($9.99) has a flashlight, seat belt cutter and a hammer to break a window, just in case of dire circumstances. It also has a magnet so it can be placed on the side of the car to make you more visible while you change that tire. (The catalog has two or three of these in different styles and sizes.)

If you want to know the temperature, but you don't want to mount a regular thermometer to the wall, this might be just the thing. A Hanging Galileo Thermometer ($39.99) is a unique way to find the temperature. The glass spheres inside the tube rise and fall depending on the temperature.

While we are outside (or close, anyway), I know people who like wind chimes or other movable art in the yard. This Rainbow Windspinner ($69.99) could be the perfect addition to a friend's yard. It is 84 inches tall and 16.5 inches in diameter, so it won't be hard to see!

Before we go back inside, let's play! This Crash-Proof Remote Control Helicopter ($59.99) looks fun, especially for someone who's manual dexterity isn't great. It is advertised as crash-proof, so it can be "bashed and smashed" into things without fear of damage. That is close to my skill level at controlling one of these things, anyway!

While we are playing, let's play with something inside! These Electronic Drumsticks ($24.99) will let anyone emulate their favorite drummer. They are 13.75 inches long and light up on the ends with every beat.

I guess I'm obsessed with the time, but I seem to have a clock in every room in my house (but oddly enough, I quit wearing a watch). If you want to give someone a clock and they are in favor of something a little different, this may be it. The Rainbow Umbrella Clock ($9.99) will sit on a table or shelf.

Have you ever wanted to leave a note, but couldn't find any paper? Try this LED Message Board ($9.99). Write your message with the stylus, stand it up with the support, place it where your friend or loved one will find it and turn it on. Your message will glow. Dimensions are 7.75 x 8.75 inches.

I have plenty of them, but coffee mugs make good gifts. This Butterfly Mug ($6.99) changes colors as it gets hot or cools off.

Bits and Pieces has a whole section of mugs! Some change colors and some have a different shape or feature and a few even emit animal noises. Have fun looking!

While it's evident that this is my favorite site for unusual gifts, I do want to visit a few other sites. Not everyone is into the unusual.

Hubby and I like to play cards. Generally there are only two of us playing, since the kids have left home, so we play Pitch and Rummy most of the time. Years ago we found a rummy style game that is really fun. We were playing it with two regular card decks and our friends called it Three-Thirteen. We later found that it had also been marketed by the Set Enterprises Game Company, and their version is called Five Crowns ($12.99). In this game there are five suits, and you play eleven rounds. Each round you are dealt a different number of cards (3 the first round, 4 the next and so on) and a different card is wild (3's the first time, 4's the next and so on up to Kings). You can only play your cards if you can play all of them, and everyone after that has one turn to play as many cards as they can. Your leftover card values are added and the winner is the one with the lowest score.

Everyone can always use a new t-shirt. One of my new shirts this year will be a PCLinuxOS shirt from the PCLinuxOS Store. My favorite color is blue, but it is cold out now, so this black one black one is my chosen shirt ($25.99).

All of us at the PCLinuxOS Magazine hope your holidays are filled with fun and happiness, and that you find exactly the right gift for each of your family and friends.

2014 Holiday Gift Guide: Paul's Picks

by Paul Arnote (parnote)

Traditionally, Linux users are viewed as a "geeky" lot. And I'm OK with that, personally. To me, all that means is that I'm looking for something better than what the uneducated masses settle on. That's why I use PCLinuxOS, instead of Windows or OS X.

This year, most of my selections for the Annual Holiday Gift Guide will be from one place: ThinkGeek.com. All the most ingenious, original, unique gifts befitting a "geek" can be found there. My remaining choices will come from the official PCLinuxOS Store.

So, what follows are my 10 choices for holiday gift giving.

Class IIIa Green Laser Pointer, $39.99

It's green, not red. As such, it's about 50x brighter than a "traditional" red laser. As such, it can be seen at much greater distances than a red laser. Plus, since everyone else has a red laser, that makes a green laser just that much "cooler." Another nice feature of this item is that unlike most red lasers out there that use small (expensive) button batteries, this laser runs off of two AAA batteries, which are available just about everywhere and anywhere.

Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock Desktop Mug, $7.99

Do you have a Big Bang Theory fan on your gift list? (I was thinking of Meemaw when I added this). Well, here's a perfect gift for them. The diagram on the mug helps solve disputes about what move trumps what move in Rock, Paper, Scissors. And, until the Big Bang Theory came along, most people never heard of Lizard or Spock. In fact, I'm betting that the "inventors" of Rock, Paper, Scissors hadn't, either. A search of the internet reveals an individual by the name of Sam Kass claiming to have invented the expanded version, on his website.

It goes like this ... Rock crushes lizard, Scissors decapitate lizard, Lizard eats paper, Lizard poisons Spock, Paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, Spock bends scissors. The 16 ounce (473 ml) mug is NOT dishwasher or microwave safe, to preserve the printing on the mug.

Star Wars In Your Pocket, $9.99

Who doesn't have a Star Wars fan on their holiday gift list to buy for? I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't. You would also be hard pressed to find a cooler, geekier gift than one of these two key chains ... or both of them!

The black one features six memorable lines from Darth Vader, while the green one features a half dozen memorable lines from Yoda. Now your Star Wars aficionado can carry a little bit of Star Wars in their pocket, whipping it out for use at the most appropriate (or inappropriate) times.

Plus ... with the first of the new movies due out at the end of next year ... I'm just sayin' ...

Star Trek TNG Uniform Tee, $19.99

Lay in a new course, Commander Data! The Trekker on your holiday gift buying list will swoon over this t-shirt, which is styled after the uniforms worn on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Captain Jean luc Picard would be proud. This t-shirt is emblazoned with screen printed pips indicating rank, as well as screen printed sparkly communication badges. Careful wearing the red shirt! You know what happens to the red shirted crew members -- they are expendable.

Pen-Ultimate 5-in-1 Geek Pen & Stylus, $9.99

Want to talk about the ultimate geek pen? A pen that does EVERYTHING? Here it is. It's a pen that writes. It's a white flashlight. It's an ultraviolet flashlight. It's a red laser pointer. It's a capacitive stylus. What more could you possibly want from a pen?

The pen is refillable. When you're done writing on paper, unscrew the lower half of the unit, flip it around, and screw it back in. Now you have a stylus the will work on most tablets and smartphones.

Doctor Who TARDIS Door Cling, $59.99

Having been aired continuously, either as new shows or in syndication, for the past 51 years, the fan base for Doctor Who is ENORMOUS. Chances are high that you have a Doctor Who fan on your holiday gift list.

Any self-respecting Doctor Who fan would be ecstatically happy to get this TARDIS door cling. With it, they can transform any 36" x 80" (91.5 cm x 203 cm) door (closet door, bedroom door, entry door, office door, etc.) into their own TARDIS portal. The PVC door cling can be cut down to fit any odd size door, if necessary. It can also be taken down and reapplied over and over again.

Infinite Dungeon Corridor, $24.99

If you remember the "infinity mirrors" from the 1980s, you'll certainly appreciate this ThinkGeek exclusive reproduction. ThinkGeek has transformed the old classic into an endless, infinite dungeon corridor, complete with flickering torches for that authentic look and feel. It is designed to sit on your desk, or to hang on your wall. This makes a perfect gift for anyone who likes dungeons, corridors, infinity, castles, D&D, and more. The Infinite Dungeon Corridor runs on three AA batteries.

PCLinuxOS Men's Value T-Shirt, $13.99

Show your PCLinuxOS pride, and help spread the word about PCLinuxOS at the same time. Made of midweight 100% cotton fabric, this t-shirt is perfect casual wear for a warm summer day. Better yet, get one for every person on your holiday gift shopping list and REALLY help spread the word about PCLinuxOS. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this item goes to help support PCLinuxOS.

PCLinuxOS Boxer Shorts, $14.99

Keep PCLinuxOS next to your heart with these 100% lightweight cotton boxers. Great to use for underwear or sleepwear. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this item goes to help support PCLinuxOS.

PCLinuxOS Mouse Pad, $12.99

Give your favorite PCLinuxOS user -- or yourself -- the gift of a mouse pad emblazoned with the logo of the best Linux distro around. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this item goes to help support PCLinuxOS.

Summary

Regardless of your religious beliefs or holiday traditions, these are some gift suggestions to help fulfill your holiday gift buying needs.

Happy Holidays, from all of us at The PCLinuxOS Magazine. May you have peace and harmony in your life.

2014 Holiday Gift Guide: YouCanToo's Picks

by YouCanToo

Wow, it's already that time of year once again. A time to reflect on what was, and make way for the New Year to come. A time to share with our family and friends. So without any great fanfare, here are my 10 gift choices for the 2014 holiday season.

Blow Up Your Phone!   $27.00

Pop your smartphone into this handy projector and unleash the potential of your cramped screen by projecting it onto a wall. The retro-styled projector housing of corrugated cardboard is easy to assemble, includes intuitive icons to aid best projection results, and provides natural sound amplification. A sticky silicone pad inside the back compartment accommodates any phone up to 3 x 5.5 inches and keeps it in place. Slide the back compartment in and out to focus the image. The glass lens magnifies your phone's screen image without the need for an additional power source, but the back compartment has two slots to accommodate your phone charger or speakers so you won't run out of juice halfway through that YouTube cat marathon.

Smartphone Film Scanner   $57.00

Smart phones have made photography easier and more accessible than ever before -- but they've also left generations of photographic memories lingering in boxes and closets. But with this tool, anyone can easily welcome those favorite pictures into the 21st century. A great way to preserve family photos, or as a tool for photographers who prefer working with film.

Geeky Binary Number Wall Clock   $28.95

It's time to show off your favorite art, photos, and text with a custom round wall clock from Zazzle. Featured in two sizes, this wall clock is vibrantly printed with AcryliPrint®HD process to ensure the highest quality display of any content. Order this custom round wall clock for your walls or give to friends and family as a gift for a timeless treasure.

Beer Flavored Potato Chips 9oz.   $5.00

The only reasons I can think of to eat beer-flavored potato chips are that I like beer and I like potato chips. I don't like dipping my potato chips in my beer, because occasionally one absorbs too much liquid and breaks off into the bottom of the glass.

28-Port USB MondoHub   $59.99

ONE USB HUB TO RULE THEM ALL

The 28-Port MondoHub features 24 USB 2.0 ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports to give you ample space to charge your devices. With a high-capacity 4 amp power adapter, you can manage a growing collection of USB-enabled devices like never before.

MondoHub features 4 SuperSpeed 3.0 USB ports and can recharge devices or transfer data at lightning fast speeds.

CuBox-i Mini Computer for XBMC player, Android TV Box and Linux   $79.80

It's a straight up cage fight for the title of World's Mini-est Computer. Now, measuring in at 2" x 2" x 2" -- about the size of an Everlasting Gobstopper -- the design and development firm SolidRun brings us the CuBox, allegedly the smallest desktop in existence and a neat Little Computer That Can. It's kind of cute. I may even go so far as to call the CuBox adorable.

Android Mini MK802 Google TV Box HD IPTV Player, 1GB   $36.90

It outputs the video to TV via HDMI, a short HDMI cable is included, and it requires your TV to have a HDMI input. It has a regular USB port, so you can connect your USB mouse or keyboard here, and you can also connect a 2.4GHz wireless mouse and keyboard dongle

Phantom Keystroker V2   $29.98

Attach this evil prank device to your victim's computer and it makes random mouse movements and types out odd garbage text and phrases

Switches on the side choose between keyboard garbage typing, caps lock-toggle, annoying mouse movements or all three

The adjustment dial sets the duration between annoying "events"

It works on any OS (Caps-Lock toggle does not work on the Mac. May not work on some Linux systems depending on configuration.)

The victim's computer requires a USB port

Bacon Flavored Hot Sauce   $6.00

Guys love hot sauce. Guys love bacon. Put them together and you've got a winner. Here's a treat that's sadly been missing in the past, but they've fixed the glitch and now he can enjoy two of his favorite things at the same time.

RFID Wallet   $16.00

Think you're safe from identity theft with your wallet tucked under your arm or in your back pocket? Better think again.

The truth is from a distance anyone with the right equipment can read and steal whatever content they want from your wallet. These criminals can get your credit card information, find out your name, address, nationality...you name it!

That's right, a bad guy can walk by you with an RFID scanner, scan your credit cards, passport, anything with a bar code type RFID tag -- and do so without you even knowing. Ten minutes later, he could have wiped out your bank account or maxed out your cards.

Have a great holiday season.

PCLinuxOS Family Member Spotlight: izto

as told to Smileeb

How old are you?

47.

Married, single or what?

Divorced.

Children, grandchildren?

One lovely boy, David Oliver (1 year, 7 months).

My two pets, Trina (salt and pepper), and Yina (white), both female.

Retired or working and for how long and at what?

Thankfully, I'm still working. I'm an IBM mainframe console operator for a Fortune 500 company, with 11 years of experience.

My place at work... all running Windows, though.

What is the area you live in like. Weather, Quietness, Scenery?

I am currently living in an urban jungle where it's really hot half the year, and really cold the other half. But I've lived in 6 different states, so the next move may always be around the corner...

Are you handy with your hands and have any hobbies?

I own 1,200 classical music CDs (ripped as FLAC files), and love Beethoven the most. I also listen to some heavy metal bands, and some Allan Parsons's music. I'm also a Science-Fiction fan and build computers for friends, family and myself.

The three computers where PCLinuxOS is installed at home (game station and primary computer, download station, and media center at living room).

What is your education level?

Unfinished college, School of Mathematics and Computer Sciences.

Do you like to travel, go camping?

I love living in different areas of the country ... different scenery, food, people, accents ... I also love it when I go shopping, even when I end up not buying anything.

What caused you to try Linux and join this forum?

I needed a stable OS, and a safe filesystem to store my data. The Linux ecosystem gave me both. I've been a community member, under different names, for 9 years. I really, really love the rolling release philosophy of PCLinuxOS. Also, Texstar and the others in the development team have no rush to embrace new technologies until they are proven necessary, and are stable. That won't get them headlines, but gives them faithful users.

PCLinuxOS Family Member Spotlight is an exclusive, monthly column by smileeb, featuring PCLinuxOS forum members. This column will allow "the rest of us" to get to know our forum family members better, and will give those featured an opportunity to share their PCLinuxOS story with the rest of the world.

If you would like to be featured in PCLinuxOS Family Member Spotlight, please send a private message to smileeb in the PCLinuxOS forum expressing your interest.

Inkscape Tutorial: Design Your Own Paper

by Khadis

At the very beginning stage of learning graphic design, I learned to design a piece of writing paper from a "how-to" book for kids. It was fun, although the book was really intended for elementary students or kids of that age. And now, I will show you about what I learned. Then you can practice it both for yourself and your kids (if any) or the kids around you.

- Open up your Inkscape and create a rectangle width= 21 cm height= 29.7 cm (A4 size) or any size that you like.

- Use the Gradient Tool and drag it from the top to the bottom of your rectangle. Click on the top handle (the box shape) and click on the yellow color on your color pallet. Add one or two more nodes by double-clicking the gradient line to create a yellow-to-green gradient.

- Click on that new node(s), and choose 'green' as the color. You can move the new node(s) to create a better, smoother gradient.

- Create another rectangle and fill it with 'white' color. I used width = 16.5 cm and height = 24 cm. Place it in the middle of previous rectangle using Align and Distribute.

- Create some circles, fill them with 'white' color, without stroke, and place them on top of the white rectangle. See the picture below. In the picture, I still have black strokes. It's only to describe that I created the circles. Of course, later, they can be easily removed.

- If you wish, you may group or unify those circles with the rectangle using Path > Union. Don't forget to remove the stroke if you still have it.

- Create some lines and arrange them like in the picture below. You may color them too. I used 1.50 px as the line width.

- Finally, you can put text or images to decorate your design. I used some PNG images that were taken randomly from Google.

- This design can be used as a photo frame too. You can also set the gradient as much as you like. If you plan to teach basic Inkscape to your child or children around you, this simple tutorial will fit your needs.

Dear Rupert Murdoch: Want To Compete With Netflix? Ditch DRM!

by Jeremy Gillula

At a technology conference this past Wednesday (late October), Rupert Murdoch, chair of 21st Century Fox, argued that major media companies should develop their own video streaming service that could compete with Netflix and Amazon. His comments likely stemmed from worries that Netflix and Amazon are starting to gain more and more leverage over the traditional content providers. Given that other streaming services are having a tough time competing (Verizon's foray into video streaming, Redbox Instant, is shutting down), those worries are well-founded.

Media companies don't have a great track record of competing head-to-head against specialized technology firms at the best of times, and in this case they would be starting from far behind. Fortunately, there's one move media companies could make that would set apart any new video streaming service they develop: they could ditch the DRM.

It's a pretty radical notion for traditional content providers, but it makes a lot of practical sense. The official reason for locking media up with DRM is to prevent it from being copied, on the theory that distributing content that can be copied will mean fewer sales of that content. But as we saw with the music industry, that argument doesn't hold much water. Even though all of the major digital music stores have ditched DRM, digital music sales continue to grow. And this justification makes even less sense for locking down streaming video with DRM. After all, while people listen to the same songs over and over again, that's less true for TV shows and movies. After you watch an episode of a TV show, you often don't watch it again: you move on to the next one. This means that even though someone might be able to download and re-watch a TV show they watched this week, they'll still continue to pay a convenient subscription to be able to watch next week's TV shows.

Another reason for using DRM is to prevent competition. We've seen e-books that can only be read by certain e-readers, printers that only accept ink cartridges from the same brand, and even garage door openers that only work with remotes from the same manufacturer. But in all of these cases the manufacturer is selling two or more different products. They want to make sure that once a customer buys one of their products (an e-reader, a printer, or a garage door opener) they'll also be the only source for a customer who wants to buy matching accessories (e-books, ink cartridges, remotes). But this reasoning doesn't make sense for media companies who want to sell streaming video, because they only have one product: the content. In fact, by ditching DRM media companies can guarantee that as many people as possible will be able to sign up for their service.

After all, DRM introduces unnecessary engineering complications. A streaming service without DRM is much easier to develop apps for, can be more easily integrated into smart TV products, and can otherwise foster all kinds of add-on innovation. For example, offering video DRM-free would make it easy for volunteer communities to add subtitles, especially in languages for which it wouldn't be cost-effective to pay for professionals. If you spoke a foreign language, which streaming video service would you choose: the locked-down one you can't understand? Or the DRM-free one which has subtitles? (Plus it reduces the chances of DRM introducing unnecessary security risks into customers' devices.) All of these opportunities means more potential subscribers, and that translates into more revenue, not less.

As we've been saying all along, interoperability and ease-of-use are the key factors that determine how someone will choose to access content. Lack of DRM makes it easier for customers to access content when they want, where they want, using the device they want. If the major media companies want to take back control over their work from companies like Amazon and Netflix, they would be wise to release their content directly to customers--without DRM.

Reprinted from Electronic Frontier Foundation, under Creative Commons Attribution license. The original article appears here.

PCLinuxOS Puzzled Partitions

Download Puzzle Solutions Here

Download Puzzle Solutions Here

PCLinuxOS Crossword Puzzle:

December 2014 Holidays

Download Puzzle Solutions Here

Holiday Word Find

Download Puzzle Solutions Here

Testimonial: Report Card On PCLinuxOS

by elana

How about A+?

PCLinuxOS puts Microsoft and Apple to shame.

I've only been using this OS for about eight months. It is the first Linux distribution that I have tried, and will probably be the only one that I would ever need.

PCLinuxOS works for you with minimum effort ... as opposed to spending endless, agonizing hours and large sums of money (on additional software like AV, cleaners, defragmentation, etc., etc.) trying to get a dysfunctional platform to marginally perform. Not to mention that the use of which allows for the collective of world government spy agencies, equipment manufacturers, ISP's, telephone and satellite providers, software giants, and general hackers to know more about your personal affairs than you do. I intend to fight back.

Dell built my old single core machine in 2002. I lost it last week to a dead power supply and it went to a shop for repair. When I got it back, PCLinuxOS was working just fine but the bench tech installed some diagnostic software on the Windows XP side of the drive that ate up too much space. Needless to say, Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel could not uninstall it and neither could Microsoft using Microsoft Fix-it. I spent three days running anti-virus, cleaning, and utility maintenance software while I diligently hacked files and the registry. It is working properly now, but the point is that it was a time-consuming pain in the butt.

I am now ready to lose Windows XP, except that I still need it to scan and fax (CUPS is not cutting it) for an Epson All-In-One printer (Workforce 545). This will be my next Linux project. (It’s) probably some driver that isn't included in the repository.

Anyway, Windows 10 is just another programming array of Microsoft spyware. Probably the best of the lot, and Microsoft is running scared. People like me helped to build that Silicon Valley Empire and we can rip-it down as well. I refuse to buy a machine that runs a proprietary OS. PERIOD. Let Dell and HP chew on that for a while. I doubt that they'll go down with the Microsoft and Apple ship. That is probably why Bill Gates is pushing vaccinations and World Health Organization (WHO) objectives now. He is praying to the God of Money, and serving his royal elite central-banking masters. Surely they must expect resistance.

Many, many thanks to you people in the PCLinuxOS forum for helping those of us without the technical knowledge to provide that assistance with PCLinuxOS. It is an exceptional work of open-source software, programming art, and a lifeline to humanity.

Three thumbs up and a big smile. Many thanks for PCLinuxOS!

Game Zone: Cracking Sands Racing

by daiashi

About The Game

In a world ravaged by global warfare, small pockets of survivors scratch out a meagre existence, living off the remains of a shattered civilization. Society has been reduced to a tribal state, where rank and social standing is based on one thing and one thing only: death races!

Cracking Sands is an action-packed racer featuring a band of merry lunatics driving small vehicles fitted with big guns. Your trigger finger will be tested just as much as your straight racing skills. Like the saying goes: if you can't go around something (or someone), you go through them instead. Mix and match pieces to create your own custom character and kart, then equip it with all the machine guns, missiles, mines and exotic implements of doom it can carry. Buy new parts to tweak your character and kart even further.

System requirements

Fully updated PCLinuxOS. This is a good size download, weighing in at 533 MB.

Hardware

None really, since it was a mobile port. I run it on high with a Toshiba Chromebook having 2 GB of DDR3 RAM and a 1.4 Intel dual core with no problems.

About The Company

Polarbit is an independent developer and publisher of video games and game development technology.

Founded in 2005, Polarbit has developed or published more than 30 titles for smartphones, Mac/PC and consoles. Notable titles include Raging Thunder 2, the Reckless Racing series, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 and MLB World Series 2010.

A total of more than 80 million downloads of Polarbit developed and published titles stand as testament to their experience, dedication and uncompromising attitude towards quality. Although you can create an online profile, there doesn't appear to be a multiplayer version as of yet. There is a decent campaign level to enjoy.

I chose to do the review on this game to give everyone something to play that wasn't quite so graphics intensive. I have constantly had to upgrade in the past years and spend tons of money to play the latest and greatest games out there, only to be behind before I even added the hardware to the shopping cart. It's nice to see these great games coming to Chrome so anyone can enjoy them. From what I have read, Google is planning to port most of the Android apps and games to Chrome through their Web Store. I hope you enjoy this game. It's not much, but I believe it is showing possibly a shift or at least a welcome addition to how we play PC games.

Some Gameplay Screenshots

Getting It To Run

Install Chrome browser from the PCLinuxOS repositories, then search on the webstore for Cracking Sands Racing.

Hopefully they will add multiplayer capability in the near future.

Screenshot Showcase

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Posted by francesco_bat, November 18, 2014, running KDE

Posted by Meemaw, November 1, 2014, running Xfce

Posted by MERTZ, November 22, 2014, running KDE

Posted by Taco.22, November 4, 2014, running Openbox

Posted by weirdwolf, November 23, 2014, running LXDE