[HOW TO] Use Xfce4 Terminal as a Quake-like console

Since version 0.6, Xfce4 Terminal provides a option to use it as a drop-down console, just like Guake and Tilda.

Install

Xfce4 Terminal 0.6.x is installed when Xfce is upgraded to 4.12. So if you're running Xubuntu 12.10, all you need is add the Xfce 4.12 PPA. Xubuntu 12.04 users have to add Xfce 4.10 first and only then add the Xfce 4.12 PPA. But do not worry, installation is as simple as navigating to this page and coping and pasting the command written on the Install section on a terminal window. The command will add Xfce 4.10 PPA if you're running Xubuntu 12.04 and will upgrade Xfce and its related programs (Xfce4 Terminal, Thunar, etc).

Usage

Xfce4 Terminal drop-down feature is available as a command line option: xfce4-terminal --drop-down.

You can assign a keyboard shortcut for summoning the terminal (Settings Manager > Keyboard > Application Keyboard Shortcuts). The command bellow will add F4 as the key to summon the terminal; you can edit it to use any other key.

xfconf-query -c xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts -p /commands/custom/F4 -n -t string -s "xfce4-terminal --drop-down"

Once running, the terminal can also be summoned using the icon on the panel. Right-clicking this icon gives access the drop-down preferences where settings can be adjusted:

References

How To Use Xfce4 Terminal 0.6.x As A Drop-Down Console (Guake-style) | Web Upd8

Listing hardware information with I-Nex in Xubuntu

Updated: 10 June 2015

I-Nex is a hardware information gatherer with graphical interface. It displays detailed hardware information and some software information about the Operating System, Kernel and packages.

I-Nex is quick gathering the information. The interface is well organized and easy to understand. I-Nex also provides the possibility of generating a detailed report and create a screenshot directly from the application.

I-Nex running on Xubuntu

Install

I-Nex requires a up-to-date Gambas 3 (used for the graphical interface), so we need to add the Gambas 3 PPA. To install them both, open a terminal window and run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gambas-team/gambas3 -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:i-nex-development-team/stable -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install i-nex -y

Usage

I-Nex can be accessed via Applications Menu > System > I-Nex or typing the following command: i-nex.

Uninstall

If you wish to remove I-Next, open a terminal window and run:

sudo apt-get remove i-nex -y && sudo add-apt-repository -r ppa:gambas-team/gambas3 -y && sudo add-apt-repository -r ppa:i-nex-development-team/stable -y && sudo apt-get autoremove -y && sudo apt-get update

References

I-Nex: Tool To List Hardware Information In Linux, Similar To CPU-Z | Web Upd8

[SOLVED] Can't set download location in deluge

Symptom

Since Xubuntu 12.10, the download location can't be set when adding a new torrent to Deluge. It ignores the selected location and defaults to the home directory.

Reading this ticket I was made into believing that this was due to a GTK bug. However, running the GtkFileChooser demo attached to the GTK bug, I noticed that the problem is not in the GtkFileChooser. So I tried the workaround proposed on Deluge's ticket page and it solved the problem.

Fix

Open a terminal window and run:

cd && wget http://goo.gl/XEQRb -O fix.sh && chmod +x fix.sh && ./fix.sh && rm fix.sh 

References

Bug 684128
Ticket #2169

[SOLVED] No sound after pausing VLC

Updated: 08/09/13

Symptom

There's no sound coming out of the speakers after pausing and resuming in VLC.

Fix

There are two alternative ways of solving this problem.

Fix #1

Open a terminal window and run:

sudo apt-get install vlc-plugin-pulse -y

Fix #2

• Open VLC preferences.
• Select "Show All Settings".
• Open Audio > Output Modules > ALSA
• Select your audio output device. You may have to try different values. Hit save, close and reopen VLC to test if the current value is the right one.

References

VLC - No sound after a pause is resumed

[SOLVED] Fontconfig warning

Symptom

When running a application from the terminal the following warning is displayed:

Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 9: reading configurations from ~/.fonts.conf is deprecated.

Fix

Open a terminal window and run:

mkdir -p $HOME/.config/fontconfig
mv $HOME/.fonts.conf $HOME/.config/fontconfig/fonts.conf

References

Fontconfig warning

[NEWS] Firefox 19 has native PDF support

Fifefox 19 Beta has been released and now PDF files can be viewed in the web-browser using a native viewer written in Javascript. Actually, this is a experimental feature that has been available and could be toggled on, but it's enabled by default in Firefox 19.

Install Firefox 19 Beta

Open a terminal window and run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/firefox-next -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install firefox

References

Firefox 19 Beta Brings JavaScript-Based PDF Viewer

[HOW TO] Open 7-Zip files in Xubuntu

To be able to open/extract 7-Zip files (7z extension) in Xubuntu we need the p7zip-full package. Check bellow for instructions on how to install it.

Install

Open a terminal window and run:

sudo apt-get install p7zip-full -y