If you like to have ready-to-go access to remote machines (or a home server, perhaps) from your Linux desktop, you might have noticed that you can’t always get what you want. Many home and office routers kill “idle” connections after a certain length of time, forcing you to log in again. The FOSSwire blog points out a one-line addition to the end of the client’s SSH configuration file (found at /etc/ssh/sshd_config in many systems) to fix this: ServerAliveInterval 180
That should send a little ping out every three minutes to ensure the connection is kept alive. This tip should work on most any OpenSSH server that allows access to its sshd_config file, but, as FOSSwire points out, it means any connections you leave open are just that—open to any nefarious passer-by, so use session-closing caution when needed. Keep Your SSH Connection Open [FOSSwire]
The Tombuntu blog does the yeoman’s work for Linux users eager to try out the third beta release of Firefox 3. Using one terminal command, early adopters can get their hands on it and run it in a relatively safe way, although a backup of your profile is definitely recommended. To place a Firefox 3 folder in your home directory, run the command after the jump:
Tired of seeing just an “Empty file” option when you right-click to create a new document on your Linux desktop? In GNOME-based systems, the key to expanding your options lies in the “Templates” directory inside your home folder, according to the Tombuntu blog. Simply open a program you want to have available for right-click creation, save a blank file with the name you want to see in the menu (like “Text file” or “New GIMP image,” for instance), and save it in the Templates folder. In my case, I ended up with a bunch of working templates but generic file icons, so I went in and manually changed them to reflect their opening programs. It’s just another step in making your Linux desktop a familiar one, but it’s also a decent time saver. Add Your Document Templates to GNOME [Tombuntu]
Want to rearrange the window-top buttons in your GNOME-based Linux system? The FOSSwire blog shows how to put your titlebar in any order you please, using the ever-helpful gconf-editor tool. Launch the editor, browse through the folder trees to Apps->Metacity->General, then find “button_layout” in the right-hand pane. Double-clicking on the “Value” field lets you rearrange (or remove) the four known buttons on either side of the windows (separated by a colon), so you can get Mac-style left-focused buttons, a minimalist menu-only look, or anything else you’d like. If you mess up too badly, you can right-click the button_layout item and “Unset” to restore its default values. Hit the link below for more guidance on using gconf-editor and tweaking the window settings. Customize your Titlebar [FOSSwire]
Linux.com has a great roundup of ways to use mouse gestures in nearly every corner of a Linux desktop. Newcomers who just want to try out a few shortcuts are walked through the previously mentioned Mouse Gestures Firefox extension and desktop corner activator Brightside, but those looking for universal gesture recognition can go further with the Gestikk and wayV packages. Both require a bit of terminal hacking to install and get running, but neither one will mess up your system if you decide to go back to the ol’ trusty keyboard. Using mouse gestures across Linux [Linux.com]
Most guides and tutorials for Ubuntu newcomers can help you get commercial DVDs playing on your system, but only through a series of terminal commands that install new repositories or through the use of Automatix or other automated tools that can sometimes mess up your system’s dependencies. How-to site Tech-Recipes.com has been on a bit of a Linux streak lately and ferrets out a two-command, no-repository solution for installing DVD playback. Enter these in your terminal: sudo apt-get install totem-xine libxine1-ffmpeg libdvdread3sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.sh
That, from a quick test, should be it. It must be mentioned here that the DVD decrypting tool you’re installing is not licensed and definitely not supported by Ubuntu, so it’s up to you whether it’s kosher to install or not.
Ubuntu: Enable DVD Playback [Tech-Recipes]Working with the command line can save time, but most of us non-programmers know only a few key commands to use. Using the apropos command, however, anyone can search for commands and programs that relate to whatever keyword you search for. If, for instance, you knew you had a video encoder handy but didn’t quite know how to get at it, type in apropos mpeg and you’ll get a list of commands and programs that have the words “mpeg” in their man, or manual, files. Great tip for beginners and terminal hackers alike, and apropos is installed on a wide number of Linux distros and other terminals. For more beginner help, check out Unix resources for newbies.
Use apropos to find the command you’re looking for [FOSSwire]The Tombuntu blog offers a tip that more than one reader was asking after in last week’s screenshot tour of KDE 4, the latest desktop manager release for Linux—how to get rid of the Windows-style bottom taskbar. I pulled it off somewhat by accident, but the actual tweak requires removing one section from a configuration file. You can still get all the taskbar’s functionality embedded onto your desktop, including app launchers, desktop and program switchers, a clock, and even a battery monitor. Those seeking a 100% complete, stable system, however, are still advised to hold off until KDE 4 goes through a few more revisions.
How to Remove KDE 4.0′s Panel [Tombuntu]Linux.com has a great roundup of cross-platform applications and GIMP plug-ins that can help make your not-so-great digital pictures into keepers. Among them is a free Java-based tool called Unshake, which does exactly what you’d think, but with a high degree of customisation—you show it the blurriest parts of your photos, and it gets to work making them crisper. Other suggestions include using third-party GIMP plug-ins like Refocus and Iterative Refocus. For those great photo moments that just don’t come out that great, these tools can be a memory-saver. Photo by psd.
Unshaking and refocusing your photos [Linux.com]The Ubuntu Unleashed blog has a handy suggestion on how to add a helpful perma-delete tool to your right-click menu in Nautilus using the Nautilus-Actions plug-in. You just install the “wipe” package, which securely deletes a file multiple times to prevent later data-recovery efforts, and fill in a few text boxes to add it to your standard options in GNOME. After all, you don’t just keep porn sensitive files on your Windows partition, do you? If so, check out DeleteOnClick for Windows and Permanent Eraser for OS X systems, which perform similar secure deletions.
