Minimize Firefox to reclaim RAM

This setting apparently only works in Windows, and it tells Firefox to reduce its memory usage when minimized to the taskbar. This can be helpful for anyone that runs multiple applications concurrently. Here's how you do it:

1) Type about:config into the location bar and press enter
2) Right click any line to bring up a sub-menu
3) Choose "New" > "Boolean"
4) Paste this into the "New boolean value" dialog box that appears: config.trim_on_minimize
5) Click Okay
6) Select True in the "Enter boolean value" dialog box that appears.
7) Restart Firefox

Now open the Task Manager side-by-side with Firefox. Find the Firefox process and note the RAM usage. Finally, mimimize Firefox and watch the RAM consumed by Firefox drop dramatically.

Knoppix on DVD

The first-ever Knoppix release on DVD, Knoppix 4.0, has hit the mirrors. Download all 3.09GB of its Linuxy goodness here.

Ext2 filesystem access in Windows

Ok, dual-booters might be the only consumer of this product, but it saves the time and trouble of a reboot to get to a file stored on a Linux filesystem. Since I'm a purist, and don't dual boot, I have not yet tried this utility. And I'd have to think it allows access to EXT3 volumes as well, since they are nothing more than EXT2 volumes with a journal.

Change a running kernel parameter

Lets say you have disabled a server's response to pings in /etc/sysctl. You can verify this setting with this command:

$ sysctl net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_all
net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_all = 1

The presence of the "1" indicates that this setting is turned ON. To disable it, run the same command with the -w flag and set the boolean value to zero:

$ sysctl -w net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_all=0

Now you should see the value has changed to 0 or "off."

$ sysctl net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_all
net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_all = 0

And the new, *improved* bluescreen in Windows Vista