Saturday, March 29, 2014

ComputerLife : I'm Running Linux and My Browser Just Got Hi-Jacked ! : Welcome To Real Life :(

By Avatar JayR Cela

    With all the talk about Windows XP reaching E.O.L status in about a week or so, and some folks panicking, or updating to Win7 - 8.1 or Linux, don't think your immune to random threats. Some of the biggest threats to your security are well known names in the Industry, FLASH is #1 on my list of things to just not install, Java, meh, on Linux your going to be using IcedTea, so your probably OK, on Window's don't even bother wasting your time ( and don't confuse JAVA with Java Script ) two completely different things.

    I just got bitten by a homepage hijack on the Chromium browser 35.x and on a Linux box. This sort of thing does not happen very often, never the less if your not prepared, shame on me, or shame on you, it doesn't matter. The Crooks are out there, just waiting to take advantage of ya, and make your life miserable. So be prepared, research is your best friend in this case.

    On Window's I have found AVG Free ( but don't allow it to run in the background ! I use AVG as a last resort only, the son of a gun takes about a trillion years to fully scan your computer ) and MalwareBytes along with MS Security Essentials to be a pretty safe bet. On Linux ClamAV, Mac's I have no idea what to suggest, but your gonna need something, regardless of your platform. Currently the Android OS, ( based on Linux ) is just riddled  with Malware apps, so ya gotta have some sort of protection there as well.

Dammm :(

JayR Cela

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

ComputerLife : 10 Easy Steps To Protect Your Windows Computer From Malware etc...: Creating A Limited User Account

By Avatar JayR Cela

     After reading my Anonymous friends comment yesterday, and giving it some thought, it suddenly dawned on me, ( Duh ! ) there are a lot of Windows users who never bother to set up separate Administrator and User Accounts on their hardware, as 'Anon' pointed out Linux is generally more secure because you have no choice in the matter during the initial setup procedure ( A highly questionable practice on MS's part )

    Here is the reason. The initial account setup defaults to an Administrator Privileges Level, or in Linux lingo the ' Root ' account, allowing full control over all aspects of of your Operating System, thus leaving you wide open to malicious attacks via the Web or say perhaps a friend drops by with a thumb drive full of really great stuff they would like to share with you. Unfortunately who knows what the heck kind of dastardly crap may be lurking about that innocent looking thumb drive or CD/DVD.  If you are logged in with the User Account as opposed to the Admin ( Administrator )  account, you will be prompted to enter the Admin password before anything !!! can be installed, including stuff downloaded from Free Ware sites, that routinely attach hidden product offerings during the installation procedure.  And the best part  it's easy and can be fun too.

    First lets find out if you even need to bother

Steps 1 - 2













    Open your Control Panel and go to User Accounts.
.If you find yourself to currently be in this position, it is very easy to fix. Just create a new Limited User Account


Steps 3 - 4














Steps 5 - 6

    Select Manage another account, and then Create a new account.












Steps 7 - 8

    Select Standard user, and type in a name of your choosing,  ( if you are curious you can read the Why is a standard account recommended ? ) Basically all this is explaining is that you will be required to enter the Administrator ( ROOT ) account password before ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING !! can be installed, including back door sneak attack's as well.













Steps 9 - 10







 
 






!!! Before you Log out or off. Create a New ( And Different     From Your Admin's ) Password.!!

    Now log out and back in with the new account, you'll notice right off the bat your previously well laid out Desktop has now reverted back to the Fresh Just Out Of The Box UI Desktop / Bummer :(





 
    Don't panic !!! ( This is The FUN Part I was talking about earlier / LOL ) It's just a simple matter of performing your usual Desktop setup routine to get things back to looking normal again. All your stuff is still installed, so this is a perfect opportunity to redo everything from scratch, just the way you want it :_)













 




    At this point you can do what ever you like with the User Account Control settings. ( nothing more than a nuisance anyways )



 







    So now you will be relatively safe, from getting infested with MalWare -Trojens - RootKits -Virus's etc..
The downside is that you will be required to enter your Administrator Account Password anytime you or someone or something ( a nasty payload hidden in the installer ) wants to infect your computer.

 
JayR Cela :_)

CinnaMateStudio : Forward Ho ! : Some Kool Stuff In The Works : BeoWolf Clustering

By Avatar JayR Cela

    By Avatar JayR Cela

    CinnaMateStudio : Currently, but slowly is coming back to Life. I'm happy to report to be out of my Brain Funk Cloud, and forging full steam ahead again.

    After lots of research, searching for answers, I believe I can pull this off, with  better than my original goals envisioned. Currently I am working on Clustering idle workstations CPU power via a BeoWolf distributed CPU cluster configuration, that hopefully will be integrated into the final complete package.

   I am also in the process of adding complete Remote Desktop Connection Control in a Mix & Match Linux/Win7 dual boot studio network configured environment. Via TightVNC and Windows 7 built in  RDC connection capabilities.

    My plans also include a complete sound effects library of ( Creative Commons - Open Source - GPL - licensed ) audio effects of everything imaginable to get you off to a good start, right out of the box. Hopefully tied into a Libre Office or Apache Office Data Base format, this former being last on my current list to actually complete, simply because if the vast amount of time evolved locating, collecting, categorizing and placing into a Multi-Platform cross DAW-Platform plugin format.

    Other stuff in the works are a dedicated CinnaMateStudio Blog and or Web Site with Wikki, and a thorough rework of the CMS Source Forge account web page.

    I am a 1 person team ( ME ) / LOL :_), and the occasional Brain Fart's I seem to get from days at a time with virtually no sleep are kinda wearing me down, so don't expect anything solid soon. Sabayon Linux is by far one of the most enjoyable Linux distro's I have ever used, however it is very Bleeding Edge, and somewhat difficult to maintain. If I decide to stay with Sabayon, this will most likely be a very limited public offering, that I will only allow availability to truly interested parties. ( in other word's I will require a formal request for download availability ) On the other hand if I decide to revert back to Debian or Mint, there will be no such requirements.

    The reason's being, Sabayon takes a lot more of a Linux background in order to maintain, than either the above mentioned. So it's more and more likely looking like a Debian base, and probably Mint simply because of it's support for both the Cinnamon and Mate Desk-Top UI's

    Game development software is also in the works as included packages.

    I will readily admit, outside of my own personal home studio environment, this project is still Vapor-Ware, but I should be posting some U-Tube video's sometime in April of the systems capabilities.

    As a side note, two former members of my now defunct 1980's Ry-them-Blues-Rock band 'Naughty Pine' have agreed to assist with some various types of help during development.

    I will do my best to keep My CinnamateStudio Google+ Circle as up to date as possible, So please feel free to join that if you wish, I could really use some word's of encouragement, and better yet, some assistance during the development stages.

    Please let me know if you feel an interest, either here on this blog,  in my G+ CinnaMate Studio circle or via my e-mail
 (  JayR.Cela@gmail.com  )

Talk back at ya-all soon / LOL

JayR Cela :_)

Monday, March 24, 2014

ComputerLife : More Reasons To Ditch Windows XP : Should You Choose Linux ? : A Reader Offers Thier Advice

By Avatar JayR Cela

    Last week I did a post on the subject of Linux as a replacement, for the soon to be abandoned ( and very-very aged ) Windows XP. First off lets get something clear, XP is 13 years old, In a consumer and consumption based economy, this is truly unheard of. In the corporate world yeah, some systems are maintained for 20 years or longer, heck I know of a few outfit's still running IBM's OS/2, and that operating system predates Win XP by at least 6 or 7 years ( I really liked OS/2 and was dismayed when it lost the battle for Mainstream Desktop Usage King ages ago )  I originally wrote the post " ComputerLife : Is Linux Truly Virus Free ? : Ditching WinXP " because I know in financially hard times some folk's simply can not afford to purchase a new computer, and if the one they are currently using still function's why bother ? So I'm not going to go there again, however yesterday one of this blog's readers left a post in the comment's section I am happily ( with his/her permission ) going to Re-Post it here today so anyways from me to "Anonymous my phantom writer of the day" Thank you.

Comment From :

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Because Linux is UNIX based and doesn't run in administrator / root supervisor by default doesn't mean it's not prey to viruses. But it is more secure at that level of access than Windows any day, especially XP.

By being an non-admin user in Gnome or KDE windows systems stops a lot of viruses getting in and installed due to lesser permissions that would infest windows XP easily, mainly because XP accounts by default are set at Administrator level during creation, that may be altered later but it's a big weakness for XP. Linux has some superiority there, and it's free, and the best part. Average users can still execute admin level tasks using the sudo command in a command line or entering the root password during installations / supervision in a GNOME / alternative windows environment so they still have maximum capability if they have that level of authority over a network / computer and it's very secure. 

X, the graphical windows system GNOME and KDE rely on does run at root supervisor level, that is a weakness, dev's are currently looking at Wayland ( http://wayland.freedesktop.org/ ) as an alternative windows system for GNOME. Other dev's are looking at how to tweak X so it's not running at root level. That is the current level of development at the moment.

Web-browsers like Chrome and Firefox should be updated in Linux often, as well as Flash player's and any JAVA installations to reduce the threat from scripting and cookie scammers / phishers.

Linux virus scanners like AVG Free, AVAST and ClamAV / KlamAV can also be installed onto a GNOME or KDE desktop and frequent full scan's are recommended. Linux is still a powerful and more secure alternative to Windows and I hope users of SL consider Linux as a serious option in the present and future.

I completely agree that XP should be ditched after April 8th and a Linux distribution considered as an alternative installation to Microsoft Windows. Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint are good Linux choices I feel at this time, as well as the funky new SteamOS and there are many other Linux distro's just as good, of course. Free office application software & Video's can be watched in VLC, a free download and it can play MP3's too. :)

Plus, the 'closing the sale' part, Second Life client's are natively installable on Linux windows environment's such as GNOME.

Regards, Linux Nerd and Proud.
Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 8:29:00 AM EDT

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

SecondLife : Common Misconception's Between The Official LL Viewer And TPV's

By Avatar JayR Cela

    This may throw a few people off here, but there seem's to be some sort of misunderstanding on my feeling's towards the official LL SL viewer and FireStorm.

    All of the base code is pretty much the same, I have said this before, and I'll say it again ! Oz Linden's job is not an easy one, he has got to juggle all this crazy stuff around and coordinate thing's.

     My feeling's towards the official SL viewers's is that they do not offer what I desire, that does not mean they are somehow deficient in their performance. Quite the contrary, but I really hope the Lab finally get's it's act together and settle's down to one viewer again. It seem's as if the Server Team has actually gotten a good firm grip on things. And these things seem to point to Ebbe Linden, has he finally gotten a firm grip and moving forward ?

JayR Cela :_)

ComputerLife : Is Linux Truly Virus Free ? : Ditching WinXP

By Avatar JayR Cela

     NO !!!

    I know I do a lot of trying to convert folk's on over to the Linux platform, one of the reasons being that it's is less prone to Virus's, Key Loggers, Trojan's and such. There are another of other reasons as well. However let's concentrate on what most people commonly refer to as virus's. It's not all that difficult to write a virus geared towards any operating system, if you know what you are doing.

    Number 1 thing to keep in mind, is the largest percentage of computing desktops in the world are MS Windows based, hence they make the largest target audience for some sort of unwanted payload sneaking in during a seeming harmless download procedure.  Hence, the same reason Mac's are less likely prone to get attacked. It just make's common sense to go after the largest potential payload and return on investment of your time writing malicious code and how much profit it is going to result in.

    The day's of script kiddies distributing malicious code just for bragging right's is long gone. It's big time crime now ! Identity Theft is Rampant, and the threat is growing exponentially every day.

    I run Win7 and Linux in dual boot mode on numerous computers, and have for years. I can tell ya right now trying to maintain a Win_PC environment, and keeping it clean and free of malicious stuff has just gotten to the point I no longer see much sense in it.

    So I'm back to my Windows XP Rantings, If you are still running Windows XP, and for what ever reason do not want to purchase a new Windows based computer. Then guess what ? Your on your own.

    Linux is your safest and cheapest alternative.

    Please, ditch XP and switch.

JayR Cela

Monday, March 17, 2014

Virtual Worlds : FireStorm v4.6.1.x And Various OpenSim Compatible Grids : First Impressions : All Systems Go !

By Avatar JayR Cela

    So far my limited amount of time spent with the newest FS viewer intended mostly for OS and Aurora type grids has been phenomenally satisfying. I still have quite a bit of testing to do, however I will say this much. FireStorm v4.6.x is a top notch high quality and very well polished application.

    I have successfully logged into 3rd Rock, Inworldz, and OSGrid with out so much as a hitch, hiccup or crash.

    Hat's off please, to all of the TPV's that worked together so hard to make this possible.

Thank You

JayR Cela :_)

Saturday, March 15, 2014

RealLife : ComputerLife : Your Elderly Parent's Want To Buy A Computer : What Advice Would You Offer ?

By Avatar JayR Cela

     This post is really intended as more of a question to my readers than anything else. My parent's are 80 and 76 years old, my father being the elder of the two. My dad gave up on the internet and lost interest several years ago. My mom however want's to write her memoirs, or a book of some sort. and envision's publishing it via the web. So she has been asking me my opinion. She definitely wants a laptop, that much I know for sure, and a friend of her's has been using Dragon Naturally Speaking to do something similar.

    I know absolutely ZERO, about laptop computers !! I think Windows-7 is not a good choice for her, I though about the upcoming Ubuntu 14.04, but Windows-8.1 is looking pretty good to me because it's outward usability appearance is straightforward and simplistic and touch screen capabilities. Mac-books I think just about anyone can use OS-X, but they are a bit on the pricey side. Chromebooks are looking better every month as far as bang for your buck is concerned, and I defiantly have recommended already a Laser printer, as opposed to an Inkjet.

     So here is my question to the readers of this blog. For about $600 US the laptop price, can anyone out there offer some suggestions, brand-wise ?

JayR Cela  :_)

Friday, March 14, 2014

Real Life : Every One Must Bow Down To Corporate America : Citizens United Must Be Struck Down !!

By Avatar JayR Cela

     One of my few RL political statements, I don't like making these because of possible repercussions.

     The United States of America's Political System is Completely OUT OF CONTROL !!!!!!!

    Citizen's United / the thinly veiled with a kool name Supreme Court Decision to make it sound good has corrupted our political system right on down to it's rotten core, of pay-off's and treachery, tantamount to treason.

    Personally I like government, with regulations debated and then enacted accordingly.

    For the most part government's exist in order to govern. This is a good thing, our government takes care of things so many people take for granted. With the Right Wing Tea Party advocate's ( and I sincerely believe the majority of them have no idea of what or whom they are supporting ) The United States is going down the tubes.

    If you for even one moment think that Major Corporate Entity's are not pulling the purse strings, then you are truly ignorant !

JayR Cela :(

Thursday, March 13, 2014

FireStorm ~4~ SecondLife 32bit v4.6.1.x : First Impressions : FANTASTIC !

By Avatar JayR Cela

    This is going to be a really brief post, simply because I have not enough time to delve into everything, with screenshot's and video ( hopefully some audio too ) / And I have not tried the 64bit version yet.

    So that crap is out of the way, this as a fantastic upgrade, everything looks pretty much the same as far as setting up User Preferences in the various menu's. The major difference I noticed right off the bat was a jump up in FPS performance. ( not had time to document this yet ) and what really sparked my interest was the overhaul of the Communication Center  ( or the FS version of C.H.U.I. )  So far it looks very well laid out easy to understand and navigate.

    I would really love to get back into doing some comparisons of the various TPV's vs. LL's official releases again, and this sounds like the perfect testing ground. I am a Huge Fire Storm User type of person. So my opinions are always, and obviously skewed towards FS.

    I have not had the chance to try the 64bit version or the Linux versions either, I don't own a MAC :(  so that ain't gonna happen.

     If you have not upgraded to the newest version of The FireStorm Viewer yet. Do It Now !! It was Worth Waiting For !!  http://www.firestormviewer.org/downloads/


JayR Cela :_)

P.S. Please be sure to follow the instructions of performing a  !! CLEAN INSTALLATION !!
http://www.firestormviewer.org/downloads/

have fun :_)
 

CinnaMateStudio : So What's Up With That Project ?

By Avatar JayR Cela

    I've been asking myself this same question, for the past month or so. Currently it is in a holding pattern while I wait for the next LTS Linux kernel releases, expected sometime mid to late April this year.

    I have also been questioning the practically of the project it'self, since there are a lot of great Linux distro's already devoted to the same thing I have been trying to accomplish. UbuntuStudio an off-shoot Buntu Linux distro, and has been around since the 8.04 version of Ubuntu, and a number of other's as well.

    So here is my decision so far, although I absolutely  love Sabayon Linux as my platform of choice, I seriously doubt that few folks beside's die hard Linux Tin Foil Hatter's would be able to maintain it properly without running into a lot of oddball issues.

     My origin's in Linux date back to the early RedHat 5-6-7-8 days, that's when I made the switch to Ubuntu 8.04 on up until the last LTS 12.04 version, witch I absolutely hated because of the switch to the UNITY User Interface, so on an old SecondLife friends ( Christen of The Christen Viewer fame ) suggestion I give Mint Linux a try, that worked out really well for almost 2 years, after a lot of frustration dealing with the former's last 2 releases, I decided to make the switch to the Gentoo based Sabayon, which is fantastic. Realistically however, I have to admit if I ever hope to get a supportable and easily sustainable platform, it's just not gonna happen with this distro (at least not without a lot of extra help) So I may just switch back to old standby's Debian or Ubuntu or Mint.

    I have a number of other project's in the proverbial fire right now, more than enough to keep me busy until April or May.

    In closing, I have decided not to cancel the project, just shelve it for a bit, while I start my search for some help from fellow, like minded Linux folks. The project is not dead, just on temporary hold.

JayR Cela :_)

       

Trion Gaming : Creators Of Rift : Just About Ready To Launch A New Free Gaming Platform : "GLYPH"

By Avatar Jay R Cela

    I have recently been exploring the world of game development, unfortunately my CinnaMateStudio is currently waiting for the next Ubuntu 14.04 / Mint 17 / Debian 7.x / Sabayon, LTS releases, so I'm off on a side track for now / LOL :)

    If you are unfamiliar with Trion, the creators of a MMO named RIFT, and it is one phenomenal game indeed. The easiest comparison would be W.O.W. In itself it is FTP, with a crap load of power up's available ( of course for a RL $ price - or - just plain slash your way onward and upwards  ) but the game is so good, the company is doing very well, and making a lot of cash. They want to increase that revenue stream by offing a new SDK for game Devs. Altough it has just been announced, it should be available very soon.

http://venturebeat.com/2014/03/11/trion-unveils-its-glyph-digital-games-platform-for-discovering-hardcore-digital-pc-games-exclusive/
 
     With the amount of power and battery life soon to be available to all platforms, wither it be a Tower, Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, or Smartphone, the ability to create some very incredible, ( and profitable ) games for the independent developer is going to be a  potentially huge marketplace, an especially the Laptop and phone segment's.

     MicroSoft is going big time with their Kodu Game Lab, and VisualStudio Express 2013 could potentially be used for game development. Unity3D has already proven it'self time and time again as a very popular Gaming SDK environment. Valve has Game Maker Studio, and perhaps a new one in the works as well.

    The best part about all of these is that they are free for the basic, get you up and running experience. And that's perfect if you are just learning modern game design, not to complicated and great tutorial's are available as well.

http://www.kodugamelab.com/     ##    http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=10056

http://unity3d.com/    ##    http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40787

JayR Cela :_)

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

SecondLife : Open Sim : New FireStorm Viewer 4.6.1.x Just Released 1 Hour Ago

By Avatar JayR Cela

    If you are a FireStorm User, you should be glad to know the newest release was just announced about an hour or so ago.

http://www.firestormviewer.org/

JayR Cela :_)


Computer Life / Intel & Nvidia Making Dramatic Advances In Power Consumption Requirement's !

By Avatar JayR Cela

    If your reading this blog, you are probably a Software, Hardware, Operating Systems person. In other words, you like following tech trends. Intel has just introduced the new X99 chip-set, consumes quite a bit less power than previously with about 38  to 60 watts at idle, ( don't quote me on that one ) Nvidia has also just announced a new GTX750m with about the same power requirement's. These are really mindbogglingly numbers, depending upon how many computers you are running at the same time. Myself I usually have at least 2 sometimes 4 standalone CPU's and up to 8 screens running at any given time.

    If you are into Audio, or Video production these rapidly occurring advancement's are welcome news indeed. My power requirements are minuscule compared to a an actual production house ( I work out of my home  ) so I'm not about to run out and purchase new equipment, but if I had a hundred computers running at once, it does not take a mathematical genius to figure out the savings potential in the long run after the initial investment, retire your old equipment, write it off on your taxes if possible, and either sell or donate it to a charity organization  of your choosing.

    You can read more about the new X99 and GTX750m here.

http://www.guru3d.com/news_story/intel_haswell_e_has_8_coresx99_chipsetddr4_memory.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-gtx-750-ti,26053.html

JayR Cela :_)


Sunday, March 9, 2014

SecondLife : The C.H.U.I Interface Is A Total Disaster

By Avatar JayR Cela

    This thing is the biggest piece of crap ever introduced into SecondLife.

Someone in LL or 3rd party does not have a clue as to what they are doing.

JayR Cela :(

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

SecondLife Rumors : AMD / ATI To Bundle SecondLife : UNTRUE !!!!!

By Avatar JayR Cela

     Wow, this one just shot by and almost passed right on.

    There is no truth to the rumor that AMD / ATI is bundling SL with either their new top of the line or re-branded former top of the line video card offering's.

    LOL / I wonder how that crazy rumor got started / LOL / maybe I started it : Tongue In Cheek :_)

JayR Cela :_)

SecondLife : The C.H.U.I. Interface : A Cruel Joke

By Avatar JayR Cela,

   I sat behind the scenes observing while this monstrosity was being developed internally within the SnowStorm Project, eventually it was spun off to -->> some SS volunteers. I can tell ya right now the entire thing was, and is a resulting complete disaster.

    The original goal of the project was to simplify communication channels. Unfortunately it degraded into a slobbering mess of incomprehensible little arrows and silly click on this thingy and see what happens with this piece of odd crap, that never should have been released.

    I sit back here after 8 years, and one theme seems to repeat it's-self, over and over again. The resident's tell LL what they want, LL listens to them-and one thing goes right in one ear and out the other and they do what ever they want too, no matter how dumb it is.

    Lets take for instance. The inexcusable reliance on the UDP internet protocol, crap myself and a ton of other folks were kicking LL in the butt 8 years ago to switch to HTTP, but Noooo !!! It was to hard, now after almost a decade, they still cant get it right, and the lack of understanding of proper load balancing on the server side is inexcusable, tack onto that a crap load of incompatible RC Viewers. Hell no one use's UDP !!!, and the lab still is making excuses for using UDP ! For crying out loud, its a technology that is so ancient, any one with a brain in their head abandoned it decades ago. But LL is still struggling along forcing the inefficient UDP protocol and struggling to implement HTTP, it is completely pathetic.

    Sorry there Server folks at LL, You don't have a grip on things !! At all !! Ya cant Beta Test 6 differnt viewers, and then complain that the User Experience is out of whack, when ya really don't even have a clue to understanding the HTTP protocol and how to properly implement it.

    This place is seriously screwed up.

  I don't attend meetings anymore, or could give a rat's ass about the JIRA being opened up again ( never should of been closed in the first place ) The reason I don't attend or participate is because no-one in the upper LL project leads seem to care, hell they never did, except for a few, they no longer work here. So screw it.

   And as far a C.H.U.I goes, please give me a shovel and a nice secluded place deep in the woods so I can bury it.

Computer  - Human - Un-Comprehensible - Interface. /  May you hopefully one day R.I.P.

JayR Cela :(

Monday, March 3, 2014

SecondLife & Virtual World People Running Windows XP : Impending Attack Of The Bot's Loom's : Please Do Something Now !!

By Avatar Jay R Cela

     Ok this is not getting funny now, if yo are running a computer with Windows XP, it is not just about you, and or your personal security.

    You need to Up-Grade or Migrate to  another O.S. / It's plain and simple, just do it !!

    If you do not take the necessary steps now, you are in effect going to unwittingly contribute to a possible onslaught of - BOT~or~ Worse  Attacks on possibly millions of people !! Thus turning your computer into a compromised slave machine every-time you turn it on !! "This is serious stuff"

    I am not joking around here !!!! You Need To Ditch WinXP  before the mid April 2014 cut off date.  I don't really remember, right off of the top of my head / LOL :_)

    But how about this ? Ubuntu 14.04 should be ready right about the same time, damn near practically the same day, and Mint Linux just released their Rolling Debian RC with Mate or Cinnamon recently. These have both got to be the the most easygoing and thoroughly enjoyable Operating Installations I have ever had the pleasure of running across.

    Ya need to either change or un-plug :(

JayR Cela :_)