[NEWS] Xubuntu 13.10 released

Xubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander has been released!

The main changes are:

• A new version of xfce4-settings has been uploaded, bringing amongst other things a new dialog to set up your displays
• A tool for changing your theme colors easily, gtk-theme-config, has been added to the default installation
• New wallpaper
• New releases of our Gtk themes (with Gtk3.10 support) as well as the LightDM greeter, fixing many visual bugs
• Updated documentation

Xubuntu 13.10 can be downloaded here. If you rather upgrade Xubuntu 13.04 to 13.10 see this article (even though it's written for upgrading 12.10 to 13.04, the process is exactly the same).

References

Xubuntu.org

[NEWS] Xubuntu Saucy Salamander Beta 1 released

Xubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander is now in its beta stages.

The development team is seeking people to test and identify bugs. To report a bug use the automatic crash reporting or run the application ubuntu-bug it that fails.

Here's some of the highlights from this release:

• New version of xfce4-settings with a new dialog to set up your monitors
• Improved themes with Gtk3.8 support and bugfixes
• A new tool to change your theme colors, gtk-theme-config (not installed by default, yet)
• Updated version of Gnumeric

The Beta 1 image can be downloaded here.

The final released is due October 17, 2013.

References

Xubuntu Saucy Salamander Beta 1

[HOW TO] Install additional dictionaries for LibreOffice in Xubuntu

When LibreOffice is installed it comes with the English dictionary pre-installed (on a English installation). If you need a dictionary for a language other than English, follow this article.

Install

First we need to find the right package name. Open a terminal window and run:

apt-cache search myspell

This will list several myspell packages and in front of the name of the package a description will tell which language the package is for. Annotate the myspell package name.

Now use sudo apt-get install MYSPELL_PACKAGE to install the package (replace MYSPELL_PACKAGE with the name determined before). Example for European Portuguese:

sudo apt-get install myspell-pt-pt

[HOW TO] Install Viber in Xubuntu (64 bits)

Viber is a cross-platform application (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Windows, Mac, Symbian, Nokia and Bada devices), that allows users to send text messages and make calls to other Viber users, all for free. Viber delivers its services over 3G or Wi-Fi networks and offers voice call with better quality than carrier networks.

Unfortunately it is still not available for 32 bit systems. In this article we'll learn how to install Viber in 64 bit systems.

Install (64 bits)

Open a terminal window and run:

wget -O viber64.deb http://goo.gl/zQWg4R && sudo dpkg -i viber64.deb && rm viber64.deb

Usage

Viber can be accessed via Applications Menu > Internet > viber or typing the following command: /opt/viber/Viber.

When run for the first time, Viber will ask for your phone number and after you input it, Viber will send a confirmation code to your mobile phone. Use that code to finalize configuration.

References

Viber available for Linux, Install in Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint/other Ubuntu derivatives (Currently for 64bit)

[NEWS] Transmission 2.81 released

Transmission 2.81 has been released. This is a bug-fix released. Here's some of the fixes:

• Fix 2.80 bug that showed the incorrect status for some peers
• Better handling of announce errors returned by some trackers
• Fixed minor memory leaks
• .desktop file improved
• Slightly better compression of png files for the Web Client

Install

Open a terminal window and run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:transmissionbt/ppa -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install transmission -y

References

Transmission 2.81 Changes

[TIP] DockBarX Xfce Panel Plugin

DockBarX is a dock application and is also available as a Xfce Plugin. This allows to have a simple plugin for task management and application launching. The plugin provides other functionality such as progress bars and control Skype, Pidgin, Rhythmbox and Clementine.

Install

Open a terminal window and run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8 -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends xfce4-dockbarx-plugin -y

Add DockBarX to Xfce's Panel

Adding DockBarX plugin to the panel is like adding a launcher (see this), but you add a DockBarX item instead. Once you add the plugin you can edit its preferences and start pining applications to create launchers!

References

DockBarX Available as a Xfce Panel Plugin | Web Upd8

[HOW TO] Create Samba User

If the Samba share you're trying to access doesn't allow guest users, you must have an Samba account. This article will show how to create a new Samba user account using the command line.

Create Samba User

Open a terminal window and run the command bellow. Replace USER with a name for your new Samba user. You'll be prompted for the password to get root privileges, then you'll be asked for a password for your new Samba user.

sudo smbpasswd -a USER