featured linux download
Flyback Updates with Better Interface, Easier Scheduling
6:45AM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Flyback, the previously mentioned Linux backup utility that aims to mimic Mac OS X Leopard’s Time Machine for set-and-forget usability, has a cutting-edge 0.5 version available in its Subversion repository that adds a good number of great things. Choosing what to back up, which external drive or server to place it on, and when exactly to do it, is a lot easier to grasp for those not schooled in rsync. The Ubuntu Unleashed blog has detailed instructions on getting the cutting-edge SVN version installed on your Debian, Ubuntu, or Red Hat-based system. Flyback [Google Code via Ubuntu Unleashed] More »
IPlist Protects Torrent Traffic in Linux
6:50AM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Free IP-filtering application IPlist protects your BitTorrent downloads from third-party snoopers and blockers by controlling which IP addresses can and cannot connect to your system. The default blacklist installed with IPlist is a pretty good start to protecting your torrent privacy, and an “Update” button adds the latest known addresses with bad juju behind them, but the app also lets you add ranges, specific addresses, and other kinds of traffic to allow and block. Simply fire up IPlist before running your BitTorrent client, and the app will do its work. IPlist is a free download for Linux systems; hit the link below for prerequisites and installation help with Debian/Ubuntu and Fedora systems. IPlist More »
BasKet Organises Your Multimedia Notes and Tasks
7:00AM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Free multimedia note organizer BasKet takes a page from Microsoft’s OneNote, along with a good portion of Getting Things Done-style organisation, to offer an all-in-one spot to drop your thoughts and next actions. You can quickly paste in text and images, sure, but you can also set up launchers to open files with particular programs, grab a section of your screen to paste up, and grab text from files. BasKet also runs as a desktop widget, and offers a pre-built GTD package for help in getting yourself oriented. BasKet is a free download for Linux systems, and requires a number of KDE libraries to run. Thanks, Mark! BasKet Note Pads More »
Cairo-Dock Adds Slick, Custom App-Launching to Linux
1:10AM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: We’re big fans of application dock and launcher Avant Window Navigator around here, but free utility Cairo-Dock makes a strong showing as well, not least for its highly-configurable and slick appearance, as well as a good range of plug-ins and third-party applets. Changing Cairo-Dock’s appearance with transparencies, two-bar-splitting, and other tweaks is a bit easier than with AWN, and, while not offered in as many official repositories, it’s easily installed on Ubuntu and Debian-based systems, and not too hard to compile for other distributions as well. Cairo-Dock is a free download for Linux systems only. Hit the via link for help on an Ubuntu installation and configuration. Cairo-Dock [via Tombuntu] More »btnx Customises a Multi-Button Mouse for Linux
1:00AM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Any Linux user clutching a mouse with more than the standard two buttons and a scroll wheel doesn’t have it easy trying to match the same kind of configuration options given by the manufacturer’s setup software, which is almost always Windows or Mac-only. The Flow of Consciousness blog walks through installing btnx, a program that can assign nearly any mouse click to a huge variety of actions. Got a Logitech with left and right buttons? Feel free to set them to switch workspaces or even rotate a four-sided desktop cube. The tutorial requires a fair bit of command line work, as the package isn’t available in most respositories, but the Ubuntu-related instructions can be adapted to most any distribution. btnx is a free download for Linux systems only. HOWTO Install btnx for better mouse control in Ubuntu Hardy [The Flow of Consciousness via Ubuntu Unleased] More »
Mount Flickr as a Drive with Flickrfs
4:30AM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Flickrfs makes uploading to, downloading from, and organizing a Flickr account just like handling files in a mounted file system. After installing and setting up the link to your account, you can see all your photos separated into tag folders, edit and back up the pics and their metadata, and crop and resize photos on the fly, all reflected in realtime in your online account. The tool works mostly through your native file browser and the command line, but the program’s author has created a visual desktop Flickr organizer that links into his app. Flickrfs is a free download for Linux systems only; Step-by-step instructions on setting up the dependencies and the program itself available at the project’s home page. Photo by myrtti. More »RarCrack Opens Protected Archives Without Passwords
12:04AM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Open and extract files from ZIP, RAR and 7Zip archives you’ve forgotten the password to, or never found at the download location, with RarCrack, a free Linux command line utility. Using a brute-force algorithm, RarCrack simply gets to work determining the password for compressed archives, which, in the case of most downloaded RAR files, isn’t all that tough. You can point RarCrack in the direction of any special characters you know were used in creating the password, but the standard use—rarcrack yourfile.zip—works just fine in most cases. RarCrack is a free download for Linux systems only; Source files are available at the home page, and Ubuntu Unleashed explains how to quickly compile them. RarCrack [via Ubuntu Unleashed] More »
PulseAudio Volume Control Handles Individual App Levels
11:22PM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Control the volume of individual Linux applications and other sound-producing items with PulseAudio Volume Control, a free download for Linux systems. That in itself is a pretty handy feature, given how often many of us watch and listen to streaming, Flash-based media, but PulseAudio’s volume control applet remembers your settings when you log in, lets you kill sound support to particular apps, and control microphone and other input volumes in a similar manner .The Volume Control applet requires use of the PulseAudio sound driver, enabled by default in Ubuntu 8.04 (now in beta) but installable in nearly any Linux distro. PulseAudio Volume Control is a free download, available in source packages and in some repositories; hit the via link for the Ubuntu installation line. PulseAudio Volume Control [via Tombuntu] More »
Install Google Gadgets and Web Widgets in Linux
11:30PM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Previously-posted Linux widget engine Screenlets can convert and run Google Gadgets and other web-based widgets on the desktop in its latest version, adding thousands of mini-apps to its menu. You’ll need to add Screenlets’ Launchpad repository to your sources and install the latest version, which the Screenlets home page (and the Tombuntu blog) helpfully walks you through. Once you’re up and running with Screenlets, simply hit “Install,” choose “Web Widget,” and you’ll get a link to each supported database’s catalogue page, as well as basic instructions on installing. With more than 45,000 to choose from in Google’s database alone, there’s likely a great and useful widget waiting to find your Linux desktop. Screenlets [via Tombuntu] More »
