The Geek’s Guide to Sorting Algorithms: Bubble Sort

Welcome to the first post in our new series, The Geek’s Guide to Sorting Algorithms. In this aptly named series we will be taking a look at a number of sorting algorithms, talk a bit about their performance, and look at an example implementation of the algorithm in Java. We will be starting with the most simple and inefficient of sorting algorithms, but we will quickly work our way up to more advanced, efficient algorithms.

In the first installment of this series we will be taking a look at an algorithm known as bubble sort. This is by far the simplest of the sorting algorithm, but it is extremely inefficient and just won’t cut it for any series data sets.

(I recommend that you watch the video on youtube in HD).

The Geek’s Guide to Java: Introduction to Boolean Data

It has been far too long since our last installment of the Geek’s Guide to Java. Luckily, my classes have wound down for the semester, so I should finally have plenty of time to devote to more content here on *Nix Geeks. If you recall, last time we took our first look at variables. In that tutorial I told you that there are 7 primitive data type in Java. I have a confession to make, this isn’t entirely true. Well, it is true, but there are actually 8 primitive types in java.

The reason I didn’t mention this eight data type in the previous video is because it’s a special one and will be crucial for concepts that we will begin discussing in the next installment of this series. The eight, and final, primitive data type in Java is the boolean data type. If you’re not familiar with what boolean is it may sound a bit scary, but I promise that it’s actually quite simple.

The Geek’s Guide to Java: Introduction to Variables

It’s time again for yet another installment of our series dedicated to teaching you how to be Java programming ninja. Last time we took our first look at Java code and got a general feel for the basic syntax of the language. This time around, we will be taking a look at one of the most basic (yet one of the most important) concepts of any programming language… variables. You will not be writing in program that doesn’t use variables (at least not one that does anything particularly useful). Keeping this in mind, in it very important that you understand what variables are and how to use them before you move on in our Java series. This article is only going to be a very basic introduction to variables, but we will be building on this introduction throughout all of our future tutorials. Read More

Understanding Binary: Binary Representation

In mathematics there is a plethora of different numbering systems available. The most common in day-to-day life is by far the base 10 system, but there are many more. In computer science we are primarily concerned with three numbering systems, base 2 (binary), base 8 (octal), and base 16 (hexadecimal). Today we will be taking a look at binary. By the end of this post you should be able to convert between decimal and binary with ease. You will also understand how to add and subtract binary numbers. In a future post we will also take a look at how to handle multiplication and division of binary numbers.

It is important for any computer science student to understand binary. Why? Because, binary is the basis of how a computer functions. The reason for this is largely due to the fact that digital electronics can exist in one of two states, on or off. We can represent these two states using 0s and 1s.

Ask a Geek: Why Shouldn’t I Use WEP to Secure My Wireless?

These days more and more people are starting to understand just why you need to be concerned about securing their wireless networks. What surprises me, however, is that despite the large push to make people understand this need there has been very little effort put into explaining to people the best way of doing this. Don’t believe me? Go out and survey some non-technical people about the security of their wireless network. You’d be surprised how many will tell you that they are perfectly safe because they’ve enabled WEP encryption. Those of you that know a thing or two about security are probably already face-palming at this statement.

How To Allow Apps From all Sources to Run in Mountain Lion

Apple introduces a whole host of changes when they released OS X Mountain Lion. One of these changes is a security feature that blocks certain apps from running. This helps prevent apps from untrusted sources from running on your Mac. While this is a nice security feature, there is a myriad of apps that are from developers that aren’t recognized as trusted by Apple. When you try to run one of these apps you will get an error.

The Geek’s Guide to Java: A First Look at Java

Welcome to part 2 of the Geek’s Guide to Java, our series aimed at helping you master programming in Java.If you’re new to this series you may want to take some time to catch up. In this edition of our Java series we are going to be taking our first look at a Java program. By the end of this lesson you should be able to read and understand a very basic Java program.

The Dark Side: The Hacker Mindset

Welcome to part two of our Dark Side series. If you’re new to this series you might want to take a moment to catch up! In this edition of the Dark Side we are going to be taking a look at the hacker mindset. Just how do hackers see the world? What motivates them to spend seemingly unhealthy amounts of time behind the keyboard doing what they do? And most importantly, just what kind of people are hackers really? The answer to these questions, that last one especially, may surprise you.

The media has spent a great deal of energy lately painting a grim picture of hackers. In this post we will explore just how accurate this picture is. We will also see the world through the lens that hackers see it through.

How To Enable Automatic Login in Ubuntu Server

Those of us who are familiar with the Ubuntu Linux distribution know that the developers of one of the most popular distros makes doing just about anything you could want to do as easy as is possible. The same cannot necessarily be said for Ubuntu server edition. Now, in all fairness the server release of Ubuntu is aimed at a completely different audience than the desktop version, so this fact isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

One of the things that is a bit less intuitive on the server release of Ubuntu over the desktop version is enabling automatic login. Luckily the process really is quite simple once you know how to do it.

The Dark Side: Introduction to Hacking Series

It’s one of those topics that is considered taboo to talk about openly on the internet. The media has shaped it into a word that sends chills up the spines of the everyday technology consumer. But just what is hacking, how is it done, and how can I protect myself from falling victim? In The Dark Side series we will be investigating all of these questions and more. This certainly isn’t going to be your typical look at hacking that barely even scratches the surface. This is going to be an in-depth investigation of the entire process.

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