How to install full Chrome OS in Ubuntu.

Yes you read it right.

Chrome OS is built mainly for Chromebooks and is supposed to be a cloud based OS. It revolves around chrome and almost everything is done via chrome apps.

It may not seem to be a great concept in the first encounter, but considering the time people spent on their browser and the power of cloud now, Chrome OS can be sufficient for the general public.

The best part is that Chromebooks are very very cheap. Starting from $100 (approx 6000 INR), they are the bear minimum machines. They are extremely light weight and have quite long battery life.

Coming back to installing it in Ubuntu, just run these commands :

wget https://dl.dropbox.com/u/302704/chromiumos/lightdm-login-chromiumos_1.1_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i lightdm-login-chromiumos_1.1_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get -f install

And that's it. You can run the ChromeOS either in a window using "chromeos" command or as a seperate Desktop Environment by choosing it at login. Do ask if you get any error. I had to work around one too.

All the credits go to Janez Troha. Have fun with ChromeOS!

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Use your PC via smartphone : Microsoft's Remote Desktop Client for Android

Ever wished you could use a computer from your smartphone ?

We know there's a remote connection from computer to computer, but using the same on your phone is just awesome.
Good thing is, its quite straight forward.

• Step 1 : Allow remote access from Windows.
  Just search for "Allow remote connection" in settings. You'll get the system properties window.
  
  
  
  Choose the "Allow remote connection to this computer" radio on the bottom and uncheck the "Allow connections only from computers running...." check box.
• Step 2 : Get the Microsoft Remote Desktop App from the playstore.
  
  
• Step 3 : Find the IP address of your computer. I'm assuming the two devices are on the same network.
  Go to Network and Sharing Center Click on the name of your network in blue, choose details.
  
  
  
  Your IP is marked as the "IPv4 Address".
• Step 4 : Go to the app and enjoy. Here's a demo :
  
  

Do try the app and tell us what you think!

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Windows 8 can't find specific WiFi hotspot

My Windows 8 had a very interesting problem. It could find all the WiFi hot-spots near me, but not mine. The irony! Even more surprisingly, sometimes it was able to search and connect to it only until the router was restarted. Next fortunate connection was unpredictable.

It was the most frustrating, yet mysterious things ever. Until I found the solution.

Basics first. WiFi routers can broadcast signals in a range of frequencies measured in GHz. The whole range of frequencies is divided into a number of channels, each having its own frequency. The actual signals can be of frequencies from the nearby channels too. Thus a router using channel 6 sends signals ranging from, say 4 to 8.

Different countries/regions have their own range of channels and your device may just ask you for your region. This is how android handles this setting.

Both the router and the device have their own channel settings. If there is a mismatch, connection is not possible.

So, I looked up my router and laptop for the channels they were using. I found out that my router was set to use "Auto" as the channel, which means it was chosen randomly at each restart, while my Windows 8 was using channels (1-11). Here's the problem. If fortunately the router chose a channel in this range, my laptop would find it, else no chance.

To fix this I selected channel number 1 instead of  "Auto", and voila! I'm online :D

Here's how to choose a channel in your router settings :

• Connect to your router using a LAN cable or from a device that detects the WiFi.
• Go to the admin page, mostly by writing 192.168.1.1 in your browser's address bar.
• Find the setting for channel. For my Binatone router, its in Interface Setup >> Wireless.
  
  
  
  
  
• Change the setting from "Auto" to preferably 01.
  
  
• You can also try to choose your country or other channels.

Wifi router settings have always been a subject of my curiosity. I'm glad its one down! Do ask if you're still lost. 

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