Play H265/HEVC videos with VLC on Ubuntu

VLC is a multimedia player so versatile that it can virtually open any multimedia file available … but, as you may guess, that “virtually” actually imply that there IS a limit.

For example if you try to play a video encoded in HEVC (also known as H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2) with VLC on Ubuntu, you will get the following error:

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Restore Ubuntu and derivatives to the default settings

Ubuntu, and to some degree its derivatives, is the most popular Linux distribution available for personal computers and laptops and due to its simplicity of use it is often chosen by the new users who decide to migrate from Microsoft Windows and Apple OSX to the Penguin’s world.

Like with any other new tech toy, a Linux novice may be tempted to experiment with the new system by keep installing and uninstalling software and sometime even configure new repositories to the package manager if a particular program isn’t available on the default ones. While generally Linux can better stand the test of time than Windows, this continuous experimentation can still lead the system to sluggishness and software misbehavior.

On the Windows’s world it is a common procedure to fix this kind of problem with a disk format and a clean install, but on Linux it is possible to restore Ubuntu, and derivatives, to the default settings without such drastic measure.

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Protect your privacy while using Google Chrome

Nowadays we spend a lot of time on the Internet and we are so used to rely on it for many daily task that we often don’t realize how frequently we transmit sensitive information (private corporate URLS, home banking credentials, credit card number for e-commerce purchases, etc.) around the net. If those information were only sent to the target site (the bank web site, the e-commerce site, etc.), it wouldn’t be a problem since the communication is usually encrypted, but we often forget that before sending those information we have to write them on our browser interface and due to some, otherwise useful but that in this case nasty, features (like using on-line dictionaries for spell-checking), the browser may inadvertently share them with third party services. This guide will show you how to protect your privacy while using Google Chrome.

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