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Showing posts from October, 2012

[HOW TO] Install AwOken icon theme in Xubuntu

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Updated: 14/05/2013. Version 2.5 released and available via PPA up to Raring (13.04). AwOken is a icon theme for Linux that is very well designed and allows plenty customization. The theme can be further personalized; the package comes with some scripts that help you to easily choose one of the 46 available folder types and more. There are three main variants: AwOken Clear, AwOken Dark and AwOken White. Bellow you'll find instructions to install and customize AwOken. There are two installation processes: manual and using PPA. If you which to get automatic updates, you should choose the PPA method. Install AwOken (PPA) Open a terminal window and run: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alecive/antigone -y && \ sudo apt-get update && \ sudo apt-get install awoken-icon-theme -y Install AwOken (Manual) Open a terminal window and run (please let me now if something goes wrong; I chose to include the download as a command and I'm afraid the

[SOLVED] Modifying keymaps

I had a problem with a keyboard: the period key wasn't working and it was a hardware problem. The period key is important! So what now? Realizing that there were a couple of keys that I almost never used, I thought that remapping one of those keys was a good idea. Remapping can be accomplished using xmodmap command with the following syntax: xmodmap -e "keysym KEYSYMNAME = KEYSYMNAME ..." KEYSYMNAME is something like: period, delete, equal, a, b, c. When in doubt, the xev can be used to find the correct symbol's name. Example In my case, I was trying to remap the Guillemet (« or ») key to the Period key, so that it would be used to produce a period and a colon. On a terminal window I ran this: xmodmap -e "keysym guillemotleft = period colon" The colon will be produced when using the Shift key. One more thing, please take in consideration that I'm using a keyboard with Portuguese layout, so this solution might not make sense to

[SOLVED] AMD Catalyst and Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) problem

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AMD dropped the support for the Radeon HD 4000, HD 3000 and HD 2000 series, leaving the owners of any of these models with broken graphics when they chose to upgrade to Quantal. In order to continue to use proprietary drivers, the AMD Catalyst Legacy driver must be installed. Bellow instructions are provided for installing it from Tomasz Makarewicz PPA. Install Open a terminal window and run: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:makson96/fglrx -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y && sudo apt-get install fglrx-legacy -y Then restart your computer. AMD Catalyst Control Center AMD Catalyst Control Center can be accessed via Applications Menu > Settings Manager or typing the following command: amdcccle . References AMD Catalyst Legacy PPA Ubuntu 12.10 And AMD Catalyst Problem (Solved)

[COMMAND LINE] Display structure of directory hierarchy

Let's say you're working on the terminal and want to display current's directory hierarchy in a tree structure, like this: $ tree.sh .kde/share/apps/krita/ /home/wilson/.kde/share/apps/krita . |-paintoppresets |-templates |---CMYK |---Ink |---WS |-workspaces I found the command below on the web and its author even provided it as a shell script to use it easily. ls -R | grep ":$" | sed -e 's/:$//' -e 's/[^-][^\/]*\//--/g' -e 's/^/ /' -e 's/-/|/' Install system wide Open a terminal window and run: dst="/usr/local/bin/tree.sh" && sudo wget http://goo.gl/z8exN -O $dst && sudo chmod +x $dst Install for current user This will install the script for your user only and assumes you have a bin directory on your home directory and it has been added to $PATH . Open a terminal window and run: dst="$HOME/bin/tree.sh" && wget http://goo.gl/z8exN -O $dst

[HOW TO] Install Awn (Avant Window Navigator) in Xubuntu

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Avant Window Navigator (Awn) is a dock-like bar which sits at the bottom of the screen. It has support for launchers, task lists, and third party applets. Awn running on Xubuntu 12.04 Update 25/10/12: Awn is not available in Quantal (12.10). Install Open a terminal window and run the command below. It'll install Awn and all its applets. sudo apt-get install avant-window-navigator awn-applets-all -y Usage Awn can be accessed via Applications Menu > Accessories > Avant Window Navigator or typing the following command: avant-window-navigator . Awn settings (size, position, autohide, applets, ...) can be customized; right-click on Awn and select Dock Settings . Customizing Awn Settings References Awn in Launchpad

[HOW TO] Read/Write clipboard from command line

xsel is a program that allows X selection manipulation, and it can also be used to manipulate clipboard contents. Read clipboard Open a terminal window and run the command bellow. The -b options tells xsel to operate on the CLIPBOARD selection and the -o is used to write the selection contents to standard output. xsel -b -o Write clipboard Using the -i , xsel reads from the standard input into the selection, so for instance, the output of the echo command can be piped into xsel thus set the clipboard contents. Replace CB_DATA with is a string for clipboard data. echo CB_DATA | xsel -b -i Example (write) echo "Xubuntu Geek" | xsel -b -i References xsel manpage

[HOW TO] Upgrade Xubuntu 12.04 to Xubuntu 12.10

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In this article we'll see how to upgrade Xubuntu 12.04 to Xubuntu 12.10, using both a graphical method and a command line method. But first there's a few thing to bear in mind: Backup your files. Xubuntu 12.04 is LTS (Long Term Supported) so it might be more stable than subsequent releases. The upgrade might take some time, so be patient. If you added PPAs manually they'll be disabled. If they support 12.10 you can add them again later. Upgrade from Update Manager Open "Update Manager" ( Applications Menu > System > Update Manager ). Then proceed as described here . Essentially all you have to do is change the update settings so that you'll be notified when there's a newer version available, reopen "Update Manager" and click the "Upgrade" button next to the message that is saying that a new Xubuntu version is available. Upgrade from terminal Open a terminal window and run the command below. Then

[NEWS] Xubuntu 12.10 is out!

Xubuntu 12.10, codenamed Quantal Quetzal, has been released! Xubuntu 12.10 will be supported for 18 months. Download Xubuntu 12.10 here! New features Xfce 4.10 Completely rewritten offline documentation In the application menu, all settings-related launchers are now grouped under the Settings Manager Updated artwork, including new wallpaper, documentation looks and updates to LightDM, Greybird and Ubiquity slideshow New versions of Catfish and Parole Notable bug fixes No more window traces or “black on black” in installer Known issues The messaging indicator is not available for 12.10 Duplicated partitions might be shown at Thunar sidebar and the desktop References Xubuntu 12.10 is out!

[HOW TO] Install Opera in Xubuntu

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Opera is a web browser that runs on several operating systems including Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows and FreeBSD. There's also versions that run on mobile devices. Opera running on Xubuntu 12.04 Opera's features include: Tab stacking: Dragging one tab over another allows you to create groups of tabs. Now, you can keep dozens of webpages open, organized and under control. Mouse gestures: Perform common browser actions with a quick flick of your mouse. Hold down the right mouse button on a webpage to show a visual guide that indicates how to perform available gestures. Extensions: Extend Opera’s functionality by visiting the extensions catalog . Download videos, automatically translate languages and much more. Extensions can also show handy information in your Speed Dial. Opera Turbo: Boost your browsing speed on crowded Wi-Fi hotspots, tethered mobile phones or dial-up connections. One click turns it on. Speed Dial: Preview your favorite site

[HOW TO] Install latest Skype in Xubuntu

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Skype is a service and application that allows users to communicate with peers by voice, video, and instant messaging over the Internet. Skype also has features such as file transfer and videoconferencing. Skype 4.0 running on Xubuntu 12.04 Phone calls may be placed to recipients on the traditional telephone networks. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free of charge, while calls to landline telephones and mobile phones are charged via a debit-based user account system. Bellow are provided instructions for installing Skype on any Ubuntu based distribution, from version 12.10 all the way back to 9.10. Install Open a terminal window and run: sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ $(lsb_release -sc) partner" && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install skype -y Usage Skype can be accessed via Applications Menu > Internet > Skype or typing the following command: skype . Uninstall

[HOW TO] Read documents aloud with Gespeaker

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Gespeaker is a GTK+ frontend for eSpeak and Mbrola. It allows to play atext in several languages providing settings for voice, pitch, volume, speed and word gap. There's also the possibility of recording the text played to a WAV file. Gespeaker running on Xubuntu 12.04 Even though Gespeaker latest version (0.8.1-1 at the time of this writing) is dated from June 2010, the version in Ubuntu repositories is still 0.7.3, so in this article we'll install the latest version the project's repository. Install Gespeaker Open a terminal window and run: wget http://goo.gl/kWDhe -O gespeaker.deb | sudo dpkg -i gespeaker.deb | rm gespeaker.deb Install Mbrola Gespeaker can use Mbrola to play text with a more realistic speech. The installation of Mbrola support is accomplished in two steps: First we need to install the mbrola package running this on a terminal window: sudo apt-get install mbrola -y Then the package for a particular language must

[HOW TO] Assign keyboard shortcut to bring up MintMenu

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If you have Mint Menu installed and tried to assign a keyboard shortcut to bring it up, you might have noticed that when you hit the shortcut nothing happens. In this article we'll learn how to fix that. MintMenu running on Xubuntu Install Open a terminal window and run: sudo apt-get install python-keybinder && sudo sed -i 's/from deskbar.core.keybinder import tomboy_keybinder_bind as bind_key/from keybinder import bind as bind_key/' /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu/mintMenu.py && killall mintmenu After running this, you'll see a dialog informing that the applet crashed. Just hit the reload button. After reloading you can try hitting the keyboard shortcut to summon the menu. The keyboard shortcut can be changed in the menu preferences's 'Main button' tab (right-click on the menu button and select 'Preferences' from the pop-up menu). For instance, you can assign the Super key (Windows key) by t

Tab-Completion and Syntax coloring for irb (Ruby Interpreter)

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Wirble is a Ruby Gem that provides Tab-Completion and syntax coloring for the Ruby interpreter, irb . In this article we'll see how to install it and configure it. irb with Tab-Completion and Syntax coloring Install Open a terminal window and run: sudo gem install wirble && echo -n "require 'rubygems'\nrequire 'wirble'\nWirble.init\nWirble.colorize" >> ~/.irbrc Usage Now that Wirble is installed and irbrc is properly configured, (re)open irb and then you can start using the "TAB" key to auto-complete while typing a Ruby instruction. Only the results will be colorized, not the instructions typed. References Wirble: Tab-Completion and Syntax Coloring for irb | Ruby Inside

[HOW TO] Customize Xfce Desktop Notifications

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Desktop notification are little pop-up windows used to inform the user about an event or display some form of information without getting in the user's way. In Xfce there's a daemon called xfce4-notified which implements the Freedesktop desktop notifications implementation and it's possible to customize its settings. Lets learn how. Xfce Destkop Notification Customize notifications Open a terminal window and run: xfce4-notifyd-config Xfce Notifications Configuration The notifications properties dialog is so simple that it doesn't require much explanation. The theme, the position on screen, the time before disappearing and the opacity can be customized. Notification themes The notification theme can be changed, however, it's not easy to find new themes. They usually come bundled in GTK themes. Some GTK themes provide a xfce4-notifyd theme, just check the presence of the directory xfce-notify-4.0 inside the GTK them