Getting rid of Flash cookies for good

It’s easy enough these days in most modern browsers for users to open windows for private browsing. People who use that feature expect that no trace of their research will remain accessible on their computers. But Adobe and its Flash product can really screw things up there, slipping, as it does, under the radar.

Want to see just what might be hiding in your Flash cookies? Visit Adobe here. Are you surprised? If so, what follows is the hardcore Linux way to solve this invasion of your privacy for good.

On Linux at least, if you use a number of browsers with Flash, all of your Flash cookies, regardless of the browser used, are saved in your home folder in a hidden folder:

.macromedia

In case it’s different on your machine, try searching for the Flash cookies at the command line (terminal) with:

find -iname ‘*.sol’

This will show you where those files are. Probably they are in the folder noted above. What follows assumes that they are in the folder noted above (which is where they probably are!).

Before starting, you can backup your macromedia folder with the following commands typed at the command line (terminal):

mkdir ./.macromedia.bak

and then:

cp -a ./.macromedia/* ./.macromedia.bak/

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Now, in the command line (terminal), type:

rm -rf ./.macromedia

This will remove the folder entirely. Now type:

ln -s /dev/null ./.macromedia

This links that folder, whenever it is re-made by any Flash file wanting to deposit a cookie, to /dev/null (a blackhole for data in Linux). Now, you can test to see that your link is working with:

ls -al ./.macromedia

This seeks to see if anything exists in your macromedia (non-)folder. It should return the following to you if it’s working properly:

./.macromedia -> /dev/null

And now you are done! No more Flash cookies! Test it out by going into incognito/secret/private mode in your browser and then going to Adobe’s own site to check if there are any of these cookies on your system.

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But what if you want to return to your previous state of exposure? Simply go to the command line (terminal) and type in:

sudo rm -rf ./.macromedia

and then, exchanging ‘accountname’ for your actual account name,

chown accountname:accountname ./.macromedia

 

 

 

 

Ubuntu Lynx on an Acer Aspire 5536 laptop

The problems I noted in an earlier post with the same laptop on Karmic have mostly been solved (as far as I can tell!).

The only thing I thought I should mention is that we still have the problem with the mousepad scrolling. It can be fixed the same way as in Karmic:

Issue: Trackpad can scroll down but not up!

The following procedure solved the problem for me:

1. Open a terminal (Applications –> Accessories –> Terminal) and type:

sudo modprobe -r psmouse

You will probably need to enter your password here.

2. Then type:

sudo modprobe psmouse proto=imps

3. Then type:

cd /etc/modprobe.d/

4. Then type:

sudo gedit options

5. In the editor, type:

options psmouse proto=imps

6. Save it, and now the change will activate every time your re-start your system.

If anyone has run into other problems and/or solutions, please tell me!

Why doesn’t Ubuntu have a shutdown sound?

I have to admit, I rather like Ubuntu’s rapid drum beats indicating it’s time to enter your login details–and then you get its cool startup music.

But why is there no shutdown music? It would round out things nicely!

Maybe I’ll have a go at making my own shutdown music.

Annoying mouse-click for Karmic login? No.

As someone who has used the old-style Ubuntu login window for some time (the one in which you type your username, hit enter, type your password, and hit enter again), I was initially taken aback by the login window in Karmic.

It did not bother me enough to want to make any changes to my system, but I did not like what I thought was the need to click on my name with the mouse prior to typing in my password. The fact is, however, that you probably don’t need to do this.

My account is the only one that shows up on the screen, and so I can hit the Enter key or the Space bar once it appears, and then it’ll take me to the password-entry box. This means that I don’t need to use the mouse at all to log in.

But what, you might ask, if there are two or more accounts on a computer? I don’t know the answer to that. I’m imagining that you can still do it all through the keyboard by cycling up and down the list with the arrow keys until you reach the username you want, hitting the Enter key or Space bar and entering your password.

If this all seems rather obvious, it wasn’t something that occurred to me prior to last week.

£77.99 ‘Microsoft Tax’ refund from Amazon UK

As someone who does not use Windows, it’s good to see some companies out there (Dell and System 76, for instance) that provide computers pre-installed with Linux. Ordering one of these computers means that it’s easy to avoid having to pay the so-called ‘Microsoft Tax’ that is added to the cost of the vast majority of computers sold.

It is probably called a ‘tax’ because it means that, effectively by default (because almost no one complains), Microsoft gets a cut from just about every PC sold.

But I read on The Open Sourcerer that it was possible to get a refund for Windows on machines purchased from Amazon UK. The trick is, don’t accept the Microsoft Windows licence the first time you turn on the computer. Then, contact the seller for a refund, explaining that you did not and cannot accept the licence, and that the licence instructs you to contact the seller for a refund.

The example from the Open Sourcerer is of someone receiving a refund from Amazon UK for Windows XP. However, as I discovered, this works for Windows Vista as well (and I suspect for Windows 7 too).

Here’s how it worked for me:

1. Why didn’t I just buy a system with Linux pre-installed so that I could avoid the ‘Microsoft Tax’?

The fact is, while it is great that companies out there are more and more often offering Linux as an alternative OS, the greatest variety of hardware configurations out there is to be found in PCs that (initially) come with Windows. So, if you want to have the greatest choice when it comes to hardware specs, you are forced to consider PCs burdened (again, initially) with the ‘Microsoft Tax’.

2. Why did I think I could buy the system I wanted and be sure to receive a refund for the ‘Microsoft Tax’?

I knew this would work because I trusted I’d receive the same treatment from Amazon UK as the Open Sourcerer did.

3. Which PC did I buy from Amazon UK?

I bought an Acer Aspire 5536 laptop with Windows Vista pre-installed. This is the system I wanted. Its cost, with Windows Vista, was £388.79. I wanted the ‘Microsoft Tax’ refunded.

4. What did I do then?

After the laptop arrived, I turned it on and was confronted with the licence from Microsoft. I photographed the relevant bits (the same bits photographed by the Open Sourcerer), did not accept the licence (ie, turned off the machine at that point), and installed Ubuntu Karmic (re-formatting the entire hard drive in the process).

I contacted Amazon UK. Initially, unlike in the case reported by the Open Sourcerer, they did not understand the situation. I persisted. I told them about the Open Sourcerer’s website, giving them the link noted above. They said they had to contact their Product Team.

The long and short of it is this: they told me to give them 3-5 days to sort it out; after about ten days (it was the Christmas holidays), I emailed them a reminder; they called me back personally to say that they were still working on it and would get back to me on the following day; two days later, I received an email saying they had confirmed with their Product Team that I should receive £77.99 as a refund for the ‘Microsoft Tax’ (for Windows Vista Premium Home). That’s 20% of the total cost of the laptop.

5. What do I recommend?

Ideally, all companies out there would offer a choice of operating systems on the systems they sell, and thus save people who don’t want Microsoft having to pay the dreaded ‘Microsoft Tax’. However, I am quite happy to promote Amazon UK here (I don’t know what the American version of Amazon is like with regard to this problem).

In future, I’ll know I can get the computer I want from Amazon UK and not have to worry about Microsoft effectively stealing my money by pre-installing software I don’t want and allowing me think I have no other option but to accept their licence.

6. Again, what’s it worth?

Here are the maths:

1 Acer Aspire 5536 from Amazon UK: £388.79
‘Microsoft Tax’ refunded: £77.99
———————————————–
Total cost: £310.80 <— a saving of 20%

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IMPORTANT NOTE:  Amazon UK were quite helpful in sorting this refund for me. I suspect this was because I purchased the computer from them (and not from one of the companies that sell through them). If I’d bought the computer from another company–but through Amazon UK, then I may have had to talk to that other company directly.

If you are a non-Windows user and want the same treatment, I’d go to Amazon UK. However, keep in mind that, technically, any company selling you a computer with Windows pre-installed on it is obliged to provide you with a refund if you don’t accept the Microsoft licence.

A bit about Shift Linux (RIP)

I don’t know what the final purpose of this blog will be, but I want it to serve mostly to promote Free and Open Source Software.

Back a couple of years ago, I helped out on Shift Linux, a now-defunct distro supported by Neowin.

One of the things I wrote to promote Shift Linux was the ‘Shift Basics‘, an introduction of sorts to Shift and, more importantly now, Linux in general. I wrote it with an audience of mainly Windows users in mind. I include the link here in case it is of use to anyone, although I am sure most experienced Linux users will find it more than a bit basic!

Ubuntu Karmic on an Acer Aspire 5536 laptop

I recently bought an Acer Aspire 5536 laptop. I then installed Ubuntu Karmic (64-bit) on it, and most things worked out-of-the-box. However, I have so far discovered three problems, and I found the solutions that worked for me on the Internet. I’ve put them up here with a bit more detail for people new to the terminal.

Issue #1: The ‘weak’ wifi connection.

After a standard install of Ubuntu Karmic (64-bit), the wifi is recognised and works, but it receives the signal less well than it should and it occasionally cuts out, leading to the need to re-boot to get it working again. This is annoying. It seems that this is down to the new drivers in Karmic (and other recent distros).

The following procedure solved the problem for me:

1. Go to a terminal (Applications –> Accessories –> Terminal) and enter:
sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ath_pci.conf

You’ll have to enter your password here.

2. Comment out (put a # in front of) the line:
blacklist ath_pci

So that now it looks like:
# blacklist ath_pci

3. Save the file.

4. Then, in a terminal (Applications –> Accessories –> Terminal), type:
echo ath9k | sudo tee -a /etc/modules

5. Then, in a terminal (Applications –> Accessories –> Terminal), type:
sudo apt-get install linux-backports-modules-karmic linux-backports-modules-wireless-karmic-generic

6. Then re-boot and it should work!

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Issue #2: Trackpad can scroll down but not up!

The following procedure solved the problem for me:

1. Open a terminal (Applications –> Accessories –> Terminal) and type:

sudo modprobe -r psmouse

You will probably need to enter your password here.

2. Then type:

sudo modprobe psmouse proto=imps

3. Then type:

cd /etc/modprobe.d/

4. Then type:

sudo gedit options

5. In the editor, type:

options psmouse proto=imps

6. Save it, and now the change will activate every time your re-start your system.

—

Issue #3: The built-in microphone won’t pick up sound! (Note: this microphone shows up as ‘Microphone 2’ in the ‘Sound Input’ of System –> Preferences –> Sound.)

The following procedure solved the problem for me:

1. Open a terminal (Applications –> Accessories –> Terminal).

2. Type:
gksudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf

3. Copy the following and enter it into the bottom of the editor file that opens:

# Code to get the microphone working
options snd slots=snd-hda-intel
# u1Nb.Z0J4Co96n9E (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel
options snd-hda-intel model=auto

4. Re-boot and go to ‘Microphone 2’ in the ‘Sound Input’ of System –> Preferences –> Sound in order to check that it’s working. It should work!

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Those are the only problems I’ve run into with this laptop, and I am thankful to the people out there in forums and blogs who figured out how to solve them. There are lots of other ‘solutions’ out there, but these worked for me. I thought I’d just put it all together here.

(In future I shall give proper credit to my sources, but I did not expect to write this and have forgot the three different sources for the information here! Apologies to the original authors.)

Hello world!

Welcome to James7’s blog! It’s mostly about Linux and Free and Open Source Software here, but it could be that other things appear every once in a while. It’s likely there will be a heavy (initial) bias toward Ubuntu and Gnome, but this should change after a bit!