Frequently Asked Questions
From Zeitgeist
What is Zeitgeist?
Zeitgeist is a service which logs the user's activities and events (files opened, websites visits, conversations hold with other people, etc.) and makes relevant information available to other applications. It is able to establish relationships between items based on similarity and usage patterns.
How can I view the activities?
By using the GNOME Activity Journal. This application allows you to "find" your activities.
Does Zeitgeist log all my activities?
You need nearly all dataproviders to be installed to log as much activity as possible.
Is there any security implications with the events logged?
People are sometimes scared that zeitgeist logged information can be dangerous if it gets leaked. If you are scared of malwares stealing your information you need to be a bit more paranoid. The same way zeitgeist events are available, in the same way your firefox and chrome browsing history is very easily accessible. Pidgin even saves your password in plain text in your home directory.
Now remember the two golden rules of security on a Linux installation.
- Don't run as root
- Don't install untrusted applications
If you are running as root and you are attacked by malwares, the damage done is more than running with your normal user account. Under root user the malware can install itself in global location or put itself to run every time you boot your system etc.
If you are running untrusted applications, then you can be at risk. If the application is malicious, they can steal your passwords stored in browser, browsing history, Bookmarks, Pidgin passwords and if they are intelligent they can also steal your zeitgeist events. Don't install applications form PPA(for Ubuntu users) if you don't trust the PPA owner.
Which technologies does Zeitgeist use?
Python, DBus. SQLite
Are there applications for mobiles, to keep track of events for eg. in android?
Work is going on to port it to phones too. We had a prototype for Maemo and android but sadly Maemo's future is not clear after it got merged with Meego which again is a bit confusing. We are working on android. http://zeitgeist-android.com/ Since Android doesn't use the standard Linux stack, some work is needed for making it run on android esp testing the port is very important.
Is it a key logger ?
No its not. It doesnt track each and every key you press. It just logs your activity. Mostly opening and closing of files and some other events. Which events you want to send is configurable.There is confusion sometimes that Zeitgeist is a malware/spyware which tracks your activities. This is not an exact definition of malware/spyware. Malwares record your activity, steal your data without your approval and sneak into the system without system. They have a destructive intention. Contrast this with zeitgeist, it records events so that it can be used for constructive purposes.
Are there facilities for plug-ins, e.g. Facebook to include external activity streams?
yes. This is all about data-providers. I or you can write data-provieders. Which can probably run as a daemon pulling data from all your web applications and logging them in zeitgeist. Which is browsable.
Can we read out data from zeitgeist?
yes. you can, use the API. If you like, you can use the language of your choice: Python, C, Vala, C#, Javascript.
What are the favorite future plans for Zeitgeist?
A lot. Favorite plans are
- Having a good blacklist plug-in (that is what everyone wants)
- Banshee integration
- Geo-location deployment
- The syncing service (which is half implemented)
Is Zeitgeist is a semantic framework, like NEPOMUK?
No its not like NEPOMUK. NEPOMUK is an ontology. NEPOMUK KDE is a repository. NEPOMUK KDE knows about what your files are about. Zeitgeist is a log, it knows how you use your files and how they are contextually related.
