linux tip
Prevent GNOME Do from Popping Up at Logon
10:35PM Kevin Purdy | The Digi.Wander.Lust blog posts a handy tip for users of Linux application launcher GNOME Do who find its default pop-up at logon a bit annoying. If you’re rocking an Ubuntu system, head to the “Sessions” item in your “Preferences” menu, select GNOME Do and hit edit, then add —quiet (use two dashes, as shown in the pic) to the “Command” field (or edit whatever auto-launcher brings up GNOME Do in other distributions). It’s a nice way to save a click and ensure a clean logon screen. QuickTip: How to hide Gnome Do during logon [Digi.Wander.Lust] More »
Create a Local Website Mirror with Wget
12:00AM Kevin Purdy | Most relatively new Linux users might have used the wget command a few times while installing packages or grabbing specific files, but the little command word can be a pretty powerful tool. The FOSSwire open source blog points out how you can use wget to mirror a website, either one page at a time or with all the internal links available for offline browsing. As noted, however, grabbing large, multi-page sites can be a serious drain on bandwith (both yours and the site’s), so adding a delay option is both considerate and wise. Hit the link for details on using wget for offline website access. Create a mirror of a website with Wget [FOSSwire] More »
Load Desktop Backgrounds Immediately in Linux
12:36AM Kevin Purdy | When logging into Ubuntu or most any GNOME-based Linux system, users see a blank one-colour screen until the actual desktop is loaded—which can make you feel like something’s broken, or at least make your boot experience less fluid. One intrepid Ubuntu hacker, however, shows how to banish the blank screen and have GNOME display your chosen background image or colour right away. The tutorial requires installing an “xloadimage” package in Ubuntu, but the open-source package is available in many distributions. HOWTO: (GDM) Show the user wallpaper/background colour, while logging in [Ubuntu Forums] More »
Watch YouTube Clips Inside GNOME’s Built-In Movie Player
4:00AM Kevin Purdy | The Tombuntu blog points out something many GNOME-based Linux users may not have known—the newest version of Totem (available in the Hardy Heron beta), the default multimedia player, can search and play YouTube videos directly through the video sharing site’s API. Simply head to Edit->Plugins->Configure plugins, then check the “YouTube” plugin. Want some of the higher-res goodies web viewers are getting? Go ahead and grab a H264 plugin and activate it the same way. From my experience, search runs a little slower, but I haven’t seen the occasional syncing/freezing problems once in Totem that I often spot at the Flash-based player. More »Get Productive in Linux
1:22AM Kevin Purdy | The Anywired blog posts a good guide to using Ubuntu (and most any Linux distribution) productively, through both built-in but under-appreciated features and free software. We’ve covered a few of the suggestions before, including Compiz Fusion tools, a super-charged Gedit, and app launcher GNOME-Do, but Anywired points out the newest features and offers a few GTD-minded suggestions along the way. As is often noted, however, some tips are Ubuntu-specific, but most can be implemented in any Linux distro. Have your own must-have apps for cranking widgets, open-source style? Let’s hear it in the comments. Full-throttle Productivity and Web-Work With Ubuntu [via LH Australia] More »
Get a Simple Visual Effects Menu in Hardy Heron
1:50AM Kevin Purdy | If you’re already rocking the Hardy Heron/8.04 beta of the upcoming Ubuntu Linux release, or you plan to upgrade next month, the Tombuntu blog points out a small change in how to access customised window and desktop effects from the “Preferences->Appearance” menu. To get a simple options interface, you simply install the “Simple Compiz Config Settings Manager” (sudo apt-get install simple-ccsm from the command line). Those who like their hundreds of visual preferences laid out for them can still install the compizconfig-settings-manager to get an “Advanced Desktop Effects Settings” menu installed. Custom Compiz Effects in Ubuntu 8.04 [Tombuntu] More »
Install Plug-ins for Gnome-Do
3:05AM Kevin Purdy | Linux/Gnome application launcher Gnome-Do is turning into one mighty powerful app/data organiser, due in no small part to the wealth of plug-ins cobbled together by an eager fan base. To extend Gnome-Do’s powers to music management, Gmail, system functions, and other tasks, Ubuntu Tutorials has put together a simple guide to installing plug-ins for the launcher, a trick that’s not readily apparent for first-time users. There’s also links to some of the neater plug-ins available, such as those found at the Ubuntu wiki. Found yourself using and digging Gnome-Do’s functions? Have your own must-use plug-in? Share the alt-space wisdom in the comments. How To Install Gnome-Do Plugins [Ubuntu Tutorials] More »Convert Red Hat/Fedora Packages for Ubuntu/Debian Installation
2:00AM Kevin Purdy | Many, if not most, of the newest and updated Linux applications out there are crafting Ubuntu/Debian-ready .deb packages that require just a double-click to install, but many apps are still available only in the .rpm files used by Red Hat and Fedora-based distributions. The Ubuntu Unleashed blog has a quick and simple tutorial on installing the Alien conversion tool and using it to convert packages to .deb format. Once you’ve got Alien installed, the command is simply: sudo alien -k name-of-rpm-file.rpm Note that this won’t work for programs that are designed to utilise specific Red Hat/Fedora functions, but will save you a good deal of digging for alternate files. Howto: Convert Redhat and Fedora .rpm files to .deb files in Ubuntu [Ubuntu Unleashed] More »
Learn the Basics of Installing From Source in Linux
2:45AM Kevin Purdy | Few things can be as frustrating to non-expert Linux users as seeing the phrase “… or compile from source packages” on the download page of that killer app to try out (and we know that’s often the case for you patient non-Ubuntu users out there). If you’re looking for a nuts-and-bolts guide to installing software from those strange-looking Whatever.tar.gz files, Tuxfiles.org has a pretty good one. While the link takes you through the unpacking, compiling, installing, and cleaning up, there’s a basic command line method for almost any package (replacing “package” with the appropriate downloaded file name): More »
