HPVK - DesiGn - tutorials / blog

Nautilus-Elementary 2.30 for ubuntu 10.04

Sat, 08 May 2010 07:29:51 -0800

Nautilus-Elementary 2.30 for ubuntu 10.04

Nautilus-Elementary developer – and by developer I mean super hard working superhero developer –ammonkey has just pushed Nautilus-Elementary 2.30 into the Nautilus-Elementary PPA.

Nautilus-Elementary 2.30 is phenomenal to look at, to use and to just worship from a simplistic and refined design point of view. Many features have been added since the builds for Karmic – including some sexy view switching buttons, support for Nautilus’ split pane and and even more sleek toolbar.

InstallationAdding and installation is simple: -

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:am-monkeyd/nautilus-elementary-ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

HP deskjet f2480 in ubuntu

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:19:47 -0800

HP deskjet f2480 in ubuntu

the hp deskjet f2480 is currently a very popular printer ,after several attempts in get the provided drivers from ubuntu to work i discided to use a drive from another hp series which works perfectly HP deskjet 4200 series drivers

Nautilus GUI improvement

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:10:56 -0800

Nautilus GUI improvements

Not only does it look nicer - it's stable, a more recent build than that in Ubuntu and... well.. it looks nicer! Look!
By merging the toolbars, buttons and breadcrumbs, Elementary Nautilus makes the best use of space. And yes! You can still have your sidebar, too!

Installation
Open a terminal and type the following commands, hitting your return/enter key after each.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:am-monkeyd/nautilus-elementary-ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Then either log out and back in to use the new Nautilus or manually do it by pressing Alt+F2 and typing: -
pkill nautilus
Now we need to launch nautilus, so press Alt+F2 again, this time entering: -
nautilus
To hide/show the "menu bar" as in the screenshot hit Alt+M.
To toggle the sidebar use 'F9'.

Uninstall instructions
If you try it and decide you miss excessive chrome you can install the "old" nautilus in a few clicks.
Remove the above PPA from your sources list (System > Admin > Software Sources > Other Software): -
Then run the following commands: -

sudo apt-get update
sudo aptitude install nautilus

Two things i really miss from previous versions of Ubuntu

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:56:10 -0800

Two things i really miss from previous versions of Ubuntu

Re-enable Workspace Scrolling Using Your Mouse Scroll-wheel !!
Annoyed that in Karmic you can no-longer switch between desktops using your mouse wheel? De-annoy yourself thanks to this easy fix.

Open up CompizConfigSettingsManager
Go to 'Viewport Switcher'
Choose the 'Desktop-based Viewport Switching' tab
Enable 'Move Next'
Set it to 'Button 5'
Enable 'Move Prev'
Set it to 'Button 4'

Do you ever miss Xorg Ctrl Alt

well to complitly enable it is very painful but luckily there is an alternative
it is interesting to know that x can now be killed with "AltGr" - "SysReq" - K (SysReqalso labeled "Print, or "Druck" in Germany)!

Recovering Grub 2 after installing windows

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:23:23 -0800

Recovering Grub 2 after installing windows

Using the Live cd method:

You will need a LIVE cd if you are going to recover an Ubuntu Box.Download Ubuntu Jaunty, Karmic whatever you want.Open the system with Live CD (I assume you are using Ubuntu Live CD).Press Alt+F2 and enter gnome-terminal command.And continue by entering :

$sudo fdisk -l

This will show your partition table.Here is my table to understand it better :

/dev/sda1 29 8369 66999082+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 * 8370 13995 45190845 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 13996 14593 4803435 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 13996 14593 4803403+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Now i will mount Linux (sda1 here), i have no external boot partition as you can see.(IF YOU HAVE external one, do not forget to mount it! )

$sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
$sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
$sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc

The following command is optional (it copies resolv.conf)

$sudo cp /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/etc/resolv.conf

Now chroot into the enviroment we made :

sudo chroot /mnt

After chrooting, you do not need to add sudo before your commands because from now, you will run commands as root.

You may want to edit /etc/default/grub file to fit your system (timeout options etc)

#nano -w /etc/default/grub

Play with the options if you want.(But do not forget to give grub-update command if you saved it ;) )

Now install/recover Grub2 via :

#grub-install /dev/sda

command.However you may get errors with that code like me.If so please use this command :

#grub-install --recheck /dev/sda

Now you can exit the chroot, umount the system and reboot your box :

#exit
$sudo umount /mnt/dev
$sudo umount /mnt/proc
$sudo umount /mnt
$sudo reboot

Windows 7 VS Ubuntu Linux 9.10

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:23:12 -0800

Windows 7 VS Ubuntu Linux 9.10

After using both operating systems for months now i am convinced that both have made a big change to there overall systems and how they plan to move on to the future

Battery Life

Ubuntu - provided the most performance to battery life consumption but did not go that extra mile to slowing down the CPU to use less power.

Windows 7 - provided the most battery life on my laptop at lease 20mins extra but do not expect to have any fancy grathics or intensive applications runing you may just crash the system.

Boot-up process

Ubuntu - undoubtedly the most fastest in this devision and is still being improved for the next version

Windows 7 - not as fast as Ubuntu but faster than previous versions of windows

Shutdown process

Ubuntu - almost imedeatly the system can switch off

Windows 7 - Just like vista takes for ever to switch off

Appearance

Ubuntu - moving a long way from the orange and brown the system finally has a very good appearance

Windows 7 - not much has changed in appearance from vista except for the dock and boot animation but that makes all the difference and makes the system feel more stable to use

Drivers
In this diversion both systems seem to support mostly all generic hardware out of the box, but windows has a greater advantage for non generic hardware since hardware manufactures usually produce drivers for windows along side the hardware. so this one goes to windows as a result of technicality .

WIFI
And once again because of the driver problem some wifi cards are not properly supported and dusk ends up with a weak signal in ubuntu ,on the other hand winds is more wifi friendly and you will have more luck getting a signal with windows

Best working environment

In every aspect of the OS Ubuntu is the best environment to working because it provides more proformance and useful applications you need right out of the box and it's just a will put together system

It is finally here what should you expect, ubuntu 9.10

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:07:59 -0800

It is finally here what should you expect, ubuntu 9.10

ubuntu 9.10 has finally arrived to all our update managers and you may be thinking what is the latest and greatest software ubuntu has to offer,in this blog i will give you a short run down of the new feachers and bugs.

Gnome implemented a new version of it Bluetooth manager and now supports

Internet access through your mobile phone. after pairing your mobile phone with gnome Bluetooth, network-manager will include an entry to use your mobile phone for internet.

Ubuntu one is now pre-installed on the O.S,all you have to do is signup for an account and start backing up to the cloud. Ubuntu one allso got a new integrated into the new icon set

Karmic's GDM received some well needed updates that brought with them a newHumanLoginIcon set full of beautiful glowing icons - much more akin to the mock-up than the previous humanity icons used in it's place. This will be the default login screen which will be greeting you ,In my opinion the gdm seems dark and not very welcoming

Ubuntu 9.10 now makes it easier than ever to install your own fonts ,just double click. gone are the day of using the terminal to do the most simple task

Gnome volume control has added the ability for you to control a subwoofer and channel fading.also new is that when changing settings , changes are now instantly applied

You will not be seeing pidgin in thin iteration of Ubuntu instead you will see empathy im client the two are very similar and both connect to the same networks, but empathy has support for voice and video for msn client which makes it muck better to use.

Canonical has unveiled the “Ubuntu Software Store” which is a replacement for Add/Remove, Synaptic, etc starting in Karmic Koala.the new software store is very appealing to the eye and maybe a good addition to getting more people to use ubuntu.

Openoffice now has support for micosoft 2007 document format, so no more telling people to use the old file extendion

The interface for connection to Wireless networks is also undergoing some changes.

The revisions are designed to do two things:

To strip out all the confusing and unnecessary options and terms that greet users when they try to connect to networks.
To make switching, joining and finding networks much more easy.

New Applet Design

The new Network Manager Applet really builds on the success of Ubuntu’s already awesome network managing tool.

it is a boot-screen using ‘XSplash’ – a boot screen that uses the X Server (i.e What powers the GUI). It turned up very late in the Karmic Development timeline – arriving a day before featurefreeze 1!

lots more beautiful wallpapers in the Ubuntu lineup and even the first ever animated group of wallpapers which change at a given time

Ekiga – the VoIP application that nobody uses – will finally be removed from the default installation. Not only did no-one use it (or anyone know of anyone else who used it), it also took up a considerable amount of disk space for what it was.

It will still be available to install from the repositories if you miss having it sat in your menu doing nothing.

Whats new in ubuntu 9.10 (Ubuntu Karmic)

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:25:36 -0800

Whats new in ubuntu 9.10 (Ubuntu Karmic)

Below is a list of features and changes in Ubuntu 9.10 that you may not already know about… Or even be expecting!

Wine integration - Installing and managing Windows/WINE applications in Ubuntu will become significantly easier in Karmic thanks to a new level of integration between the desktop and WINE.

Around 50% of all Ubuntu users currently install Wine, yet Wine does feel very separate to the rest of the desktop - Double-clicking on .exe files is hit and miss, uninstalling Wine applications often doesn’t work and inserting a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM and hoping for autorun.exe to do it’s thing results in a long wait.

As such, Karmic will see “proper” Wine integration throughout the system. This will range from: -

Detecting and handling Wine installations – including prompting you to install WINE if not installed and clicking on a Windows application installer.
Ability to uninstall Wine applications through Add/Remove*
A gnome control panel for wine applications
.exe applications will have a new icon combining their Applications icon and a generic "Windows Program" icon with a Wine logo when viewed in Nautilus.

The Migration Assistant usually found during an Ubuntu installation has been rewritten in Python to allow for greater development and maintainence.

Controversially, it’s also been removed from the actual installer and instead placed under the ‘System’ menu of the Gnome Panel. This works fine for dual-boots, but if a user is totally replacing Windows with Ubuntu they’ll have no option to get migrate their data unless they boot to the desktop in the live CD first.

It will, however, now feature a greater range of sources to import from, including: -

The interface for connection to Wireless networks is also undergoing some changes.

The revisions are designed to do two things:

To strip out all the confusing and unnecessary options and terms that greet users when they try to connect to networks.
To make switching, joining and finding networks much more easy.

New Applet Design

The new Network Manager Applet really builds on the success of Ubuntu’s already awesome network managing tool.

Below is a in-progress mock up of the direction it’s taking.In this re-jigged version, the currently connected network is placed at the top of the available networks list. This a simple, but logical, improvement over the previous listing ordered by name.The “radio” buttons on each network have been removed and replaced with just one ‘connector’ looking icon for the currently connected network.

Several other improvements are planned, but yet to be implemented, such as new icons for secure networks and signal strength.

Karmic will see Social Networks play an important part in shaping it’s core.

We should make the desktop more social, making it easier for users to not only use their computer but participate in something much larger, be it ubuntu or any other community they have an interest in.

Karmic has even been dubbed with an unofficial slogan: “Social right from the start.”
Gwibber integration is planned for Karmic – from having social data in the Gnome “About Me” user profile, using Notification bubbles and the newly expanded ‘messaging’ menu. (Above)

Computer-Janitor will be undergoing a complete UI overhaul for Karmic. The aim is for a “..clearer, more usable user interface”.

I’ve made a quick mock-up based on the specifications from the information on the wikipage.

UbuntuOne – Canonical’s cloud storage service – will be included in Karmic, but any current beta users will find much deeper integration than currently available in Jaunty.

UbuntuOne in Karmic will be able to use/sync/share the following data between computers: -

Files and folders
Screensharing
Evolution Contacts
Firefox Bookmarks
Notes

WUBI (Windows UBuntu Installer) will gain a ‘migration’ tool of it’s own that will allow existing WUBI installs to be transferred to their own dedicated partition – thus benefiting from faster performance.
When an Ubuntu CD is inserted in an existing WUBI install, it will detect it and ask the user if they wish to migrate their existing set-up or install a-fresh. Various options during the normal install process will be removed (such as presenting options to wipe/format entire disk) and (finally!!) fstab will be re-written from scratch during the migration.

(Anyone who has tried to migrate a WUBI install to it’s own partition may well have been greeted with fstab errors aplenty after reboot, resulting in the need for a fresh install.)

Empathy was all set to replace Pidgin as the default messaging in Client… until it implemented Voice and Video chat.

As of now, Empathy is still shipping in place of Pidgin, however a feature freeze exception is being mooted to continue to debate the merits of both clients.

Whilst the boot-screen in the video below is certainly NOT the new Karmic boot screen, it is a boot-screen using ‘XSplash’ – a boot screen that uses the X Server (i.e What powers the GUI). It turned up very late in the Karmic Development timeline – arriving a day before featurefreeze 1!

It seems very likely at that XSpash will be the boot-screen “manager” for Ubuntu Karmic.

Automount ntfs drives in ubuntu

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:08:11 -0800

Automount ntfs drives in ubuntu

Auto-mounting NTFS / Windows Partitions in Ubuntu is actually really easy. It’s great, for example, if you have a partition you share between Windows and Linux with files on.

Set NTFS/Windows Partitions To Auto-Mount1. Go to Applications > Add/Remove

2. Search for 'NTFS Configuration Tool'

3. Install it.

Once installed make sure any drive you wish to Auto-mount is unmounted. Do this either my restarting Ubuntu and not mounting the drives, or by ejecting them via nautilus’ side-pane or the terminal.

1. Launch the 'NTFS Configuration Tool' from System > Administration > NTFS Configuration Tool.

2. In the NTFS Config. window, check the box next to the drive(s) you wish to automount.

3. Click Apply.
A new window will appear, however only check 'Enable Support For Internal Device.' This is all i have and i can both read and write to my partitions fine.

New Version Of Skype Released For Linux

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:08:48 -0800

New Version Of Skype Released for linux

Skype 2.1 Beta was released for Linux yesterday brining with it a host of new and improved features – including PulseAudio support!

The last version of Skype for Linux was released over a year ago, and the last major update was two years ago. As such the new version takes advantage of the developments within Linux since then – and the demand for feature parity with other platforms versions.

New Features include: -

High Quality Video
Better quality audio thanks to Skype’s ‘SILK’ codec
PulseAudio support
Chat enhancements, including new emoticons (!)
SMS Messaging support
Ability to organise contacts into groups.
Interface improvements – including tooltips, visible video/mobile icons, chat pictures, labels/tags, etc
Netbook friendly

Improvements-

Enlarged tray icon, also showing number of missed events
Updated ALSA device detection, nicer to USB headsets
Answer button is enabled in the call window if call popup is disabled
Clickable links in mood message
Calling phone numbers of a contact can be done using context menu

known issues-

Accepting screen sharing from Mac/Windows clients might cause Skype to crash
Some Webcam’s might not work in Skype (but there is a quick fix)
Making calls with PulseAudio 0.9.10 works, however with reduced quality. Skype recommend updating to 0.9.15 or higher.
Logging in and out with a different user name may cause Skype to crash.

Download @ http://www.skype.com/download/skype/linux/