How to hack Linux Resources , Customise and deploy it

[aku]

I want to do the same in linux -- wat can be done the best in windows.. ie. customise the resources of almost all the apps with resource hacker... so is it possibe in linux??
Like i can remove the word 'windows' in winxp adn change it into 'doors'... similarly can it be done in linux (please no source code re-compilation).?
Change all the pics used in apps... ( '' '' '' '' '' '' )..
and finally deploy it in a different computer.. with diff. hardware...

Now all dat is a piece of cake in windows.. but how can dat be acived in linux...
REMEMBER.. AS I HAV SAID B4.. NO.. AND I MEAN NO SOURCE CODE RECOMPILDATION!!!

[mediator]

Ofcors, that why its called open source! i.e the source is open for u to modify it! Neways I never ever tried it nor the resource hacker!

[aku]

.... < sigh > ....
i got wat u wanted 2 say... "open source" ... whr we can modify the code as per our requirement and compile it....
but ur missing sumthin.. i wrote.. "NO SOURCE CODE RECOMPILDATION!!!"
__________
WoW... my 300th post

[JGuru]

@akuCRACKER, what @Mediator is telling is this - You can modify the Source code,
ofcourse you must know programming in Linux!!! Anything can be done in Linux,
provided you know Linux very very well!!! To top it all you don't need any Resource
Hacker in Linux. Just knowing & understanding Linux at a deeper level will do.

[hard_rock]

Another thing... Windows is Closed source.. So people love applying different hacks to it.. Like changing START button text etc.. But since Linux is open source all this fun is lost.. Anybody can get the source. So nobody (I think) has bothered to write a Tool to hack different aspects of a COMPILED READY TO USE LINUX.

[aku]

PeoplePeoplePeople.. y r u overlukin the deployment part...

[mediator]

Ofcors man! U can do it without SOURCE CODE RECOMPILATION! Wanna hack grub that way?? Just open the grub.conf file change the default entries, change the name windows xp(hda1) etc to pathetic Xp or whateva! IS that enough for u?? What else do u want??

Like @hard_rock said, the fun is lost! Its fun to hack something u dunno about that is closed source software! But in linux u got much better things to learn! Learn Shell scripting and change the face of whole OS and how it starts, delivers messeges and interacts to u! That wud be much better.

[praka123]

In GNOME startmenu,use add to panel option and make a custom GNOME menu!perhaps alacarte menu editor will help u for that,also for Kde something similar will be available.

[aku]

so.. u ppl r telling that.. "Linux isnt hackable just like that...", untill u r ready to get under the hood, get ur hands dirty...
so if my previously mentioned questions are taken adn the conditions are followed strictly.. then the answer which im genne get is..
[H1]"NO!" ?[/H1]

[mediator]

Awww man! Ever heard of "kernel hacking" ??
the answer which u genne get is..
"Yes!" !, but u ought to be extremely good at it! Linux hacking resources isn't as easy as windows hacking that u open the resource hacker and do whateva u like ! Neways SHELL SCRIPTING is an integeral part. u have to learn it anyways then.

[aku]

man.. wat i said was.. if one is strictly adheres him/herslf wid all the abobe <ie. my> conditions.. then the ans is definitely gonna be a big no! well datz wat i think..

"Linux isnt hackable just like that..."

[eddie]

You need to understand one thing and it is that there is nothing like Resource Hacker available for Linux. Reason? Because you already have the sources available. You can hack it inside out...then why would anyone write a program to hack binaries? That is like reinventing wheel.

You can always hack the sources, compile and make packages in RPM, DEB or TGZ format. These packages can be deployed on any computer you want (same architecture).

As far as changing all the pics used in apps is concerned. It cannot be easier. All the icons of a particular app are usually stored in the /usr/share/<app> directory. Just go to the directory and start replacing the icons. I don't understand what you mean by "just like that"

[JGuru]

@AkuCRACKER, Windows is closed source & proprietary. So you need Resource Hacker
since you don't know how to change the icons, text in Start button etc., On the other
hand, Linux is Open-source. There's nothing hidden like what MS does in Windows.
Once you know & understand Linux, you can very easily customize it as @Eddie said.
You don't need any tool like Resource Hacker for Linux in the first place!!

[mediator]

@aku, see bro hacking is usually fun when its difficult! If u dont wanna learn anything and solely wanna depend on one particular software instead applying ur brains, then linux isnt for u. But if u really wanna improve urself then u shudn't have any conditions in learning to hack linux, hack kernel etc. For outta box i.e hacking networks and securing them, u wont find in any in good book which recommends to use windows for hacking etc! All recommend Linux. So if u really wanna learn, forget about conditions whether its easy or have some software to guide u.

[aku]

okay.. now im fully convienced wid u ppl.. and wanna learn linux not for the sake of jus running it and customising it but to really get insisde it and know how things wrk under the hood...
so
pls suggest me some good books...
and wat abt the deployment part?

[mediator]

ABout gettting into depth of a Linux distro, u'll find complete refrence books for all distros. Just google for them. For redhat u have "Red Hat: The Complete Reference", for kernel hackin u have "Unreliable Guide To Hacking The Linux Kernel". There are a lotta of books. I had a list of em, will tell u all if I find that list. Moreover u have various linux forums, and open source community ready to solve ur problems.
Deployment? means installation?? Thats a piece of cake today. U'll find many tutes here itself on how to install Linux and problems regarding it. For learning commands, there's a sticky thread in open source section and a beautiful one created by @SatishS.

So I suggest u first install a Linux distro, read the sticky threads on open source section and maybe the tutes from tutorials too and then fiddle aroound with it as much as u can, without entering as root.

[aku]

^^You r sayin that root can be harmful if not used properly, and i do agree... (Uncle Ben said : "With great powers comes great responsibilities").
But isnt 'sudo' AND 'su' harmful?
BTW. Yestrday whn i ws cleanin my shelf, i got an ol' version of knoppix 4.0.2. There it had a cirectory stating NTFS read-write from ant distro.. but as of yet.. i havent found out ant distro dat supports ntfs read-write.. can u explain this?
One morething... i was goin thru man pages (thru Xman or sumthin similar).. and there r more than a 1000 comands.... god.. ! seems its got a far superior engine than windows.

[mediator]

didn't get u completely! Neways all I meant is root shud be used when installing softwares and running some softwares that can be run only as root. It shudn't be used for nething else. For NTFS there are work arounds!

[JGuru]

@akuCRACKER, Linux has it's root from UNIX, which has plenty of commands for everything.
NTFS support(read/write) is available in Knoppix 5.0.1 DVD. In other distros
you have to install certain packages. Yes, Linux is very superior compared to Windows.
You have plenty of things to learn as far as Linux is concerned!!!

[mehulved]

Well how many commands you get in CLI depends on the no. of softwares installed in your system. Just open a terminal press tab key twice. It will show how many softwares you have executable permission to. A few require X, others run fine from CLI.
On Suse I have executable permission to about 4500 softwares, as root. Most of these will be present in /bin, /usr/bin/, /usr/sbin, /sbin.
Well the best way to demonstrate the danger of root access is

rm -rf /

I read somewhere that someone typed

rm -rf / home/user/foo-bar

instead of

rm -rf /home/user/foo-bar

That removed everything on / directory. Well there are other potential problems too with root access. su is as harmful, since it means logging in as root. sudo, if properly configured can prevent such a thing.

[gary4gar]

how to enable sudo on fc5??
or it can't be done?

[mehulved]

Should should be already there on FC. But I think it's not properly configured. You have to configure it using the following command

visudo

In the highly unlikely case, it isn't there then you can install the package 'sudo' using your package manager.

[eddie]

Originally Posted by tech_your_future

I read somewhere that someone typed

rm -rf / home/user/foo-bar

I have done that myself once
I am relieved that I am not alone in doing that stupidity...hehehe

[aku]

<lol>... btw.. wat books sud i read to know how linux works.. u kno.. under the hood stuff..

[mediator]

^^ First read the stickieees in OPEN SOURCE section!

[gary4gar]

Originally Posted by tech_your_future

Should should be already there on FC. But I think it's not properly configured. You have to configure it using the following command

visudo

In the highly unlikely case, it isn't there then you can install the package 'sudo' using your package manager.

tried it & there is visudo but know how it works. read the manual but it says about sudo & what is its purpose but not about how enable it.

[mehulved]

I guess this should help you http://wiki.linux.net.nz/SudoHowto
__________

Originally Posted by akuCRACKER

<lol>... btw.. wat books sud i read to know how linux works.. u kno.. under the hood stuff..

Understandinfg the System Administration would be a good way IMO. Some guides are available here http://www.tldp.org/guides.html

[aku]

tx mehul

edit:corrected the spelling mistake

[GNUrag]

mehul, i know people who actually did this. (assuming username=mehul )

 $ sudo chown  mehul:mehul  /  home/mehul

bah, who said sudo was safe

[mehulved]

Not safe but safer.
But nothing can beat human sillyness. Ain't it? Try as we might we can't really make anything idiot proof.