Google Chrome flaw

This is just a bit of info about Google Chrome which you might find useful in case you are considering switching browsers. Google Chrome apparently has a flaw which prevents it to download large files. And by large files I mean anything bigger than 25MB. Today, to my utter disappointment and dismay, I discovered that I couldnt download a 26MB .bin file (the installation file of Google Earth).

This is indeed a bug and it has been reported in the Chromium development pages. It has been reported by many users and the worst part some of them got stuck while downloading files which ran into GBs!

So if you're planning to download a really large file (or even a small one apparently), at least anything more than 25MB, use Firefox.

Adobe AIR 64 bit Installation Guide

As you know, its very difficult to run Adobe AIR apps on a 64 bit Linux OS. I have tried numerous methods but none were helpful. Finally I came across this page which has a complete guide to the installation of Adobe AIR on a 64 bit Linux OS. Some of the steps described there can be a bit difficult to understand. So, I'm reproducing the steps alongwith my simplified versions. Save the downloaded files under the /home folder.

1. First up, download the Adobe AIR .bin file. Here's the download link: Download (File size is 13 MB)

2. Download and install these 32 bit libraries: Download

3. Download these files next: libnss3 ; libnspr4

The following are reproduced from the reference page:

You now need to open the packages you just downloaded by running file-roller as root so you can extract them to your /usr/lib32 folder. Begin by extracting the files in libnss, using the following command:

$ sudo file-roller ./libnss3-1d_3.12.0~beta3-0ubuntu1_i386.deb

Double-click the data.tar.gz file. If the data.tar.gz file doesn't automatically open in file-roller, you may be asked which application to open it with. If you are prompted to choose the application, enter file-roller in the Application box and click Open.

In file-roller, locate and select the following files in the ./usr/lib folder:
libnss3.so.1d
libnssutil3.so.1d
libsmime3.so.1d
libssl3.so.1d

Click Extract. Click the top left button in this window. The button's icon is an image of a pencil and paper. If you hover your mouse over the button it will display "Type a file name" in a popup tooltip. Once the button has been clicked, a Location box will appear. Type /usr/lib32 in the Location box and click Extract.

Close all file-roller windows.

Extract the files in libnspr, using the following command:

$ sudo file-roller ./libnspr4-0d_4.7.1~beta2-0ubuntu1_i386.deb

Double-click the data.tar.gz file and open with file-roller and then locate and select the following files in the ./usr/lib folder:
libnspr4.so.0d
libplc4.so.0d
libplds4.so.0d

Follow the same instructions as above (in step 7) to extract the files to the /usr/lib32 folder.
Finally, close file-roller and enter the following commands:

$ sudo ln -s /usr/lib32/libnss3.so.1d /usr/lib32/libnss3.so
$ sudo ln -s /usr/lib32/libssl3.so.1d /usr/lib32/libssl3.so
$ sudo ln -s /usr/lib32/libnspr4.so.0d /usr/lib32/libnspr4.so

[A bit of additional info has been added here]

You are now ready to install Adobe AIR Linux. Type the following command:

$ chmod +x AdobeAIRInstaller.bin
$ sudo ./AdobeAIRInstaller.bin

Adobe AIR is now installed on your system.
Just one more step before you start installing and using AIR apps. Enter the following command:

$ sudo cp /usr/lib/libadobecertstore.so /usr/lib32

For Ubuntu 9.04 only (as well as 9.10):

Due to the absence of the lib32nss package, AIR apps are unable to connect to the network. Ubuntu 9.04 64-bit users need the package lib32nss-mdns for DNS resolution in a 32bit application:

$ sudo apt-get install lib32nss-mdns

You're now ready to install and run AIR applications.



[Reference/Source - http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/408/kb408084.html]

Transparency

This is perhaps one of the most important aspects of the 'look' of Ubuntu and its panels. And especially since Windows 7 has taken transparency to a whole new level now! :P What if you could make the GNOME panels and the title bars of the windows transparent?

I'm not exactly sure if there's any comprehensive tutorial on transparency yet. That way, you are in luck!

First things first, you'll need Compiz and Ubuntu Tweak to do this. If you have been following my blog, you might have come across the two guided tutorials on the installation of both of them. If, however, you have missed those posts, here's a link to those tutorials (do go through both the posts as you'll need both the softwares installed):

Click here for a complete guide to Compiz installation and setup
and,
Click here for a complete guide to Ubuntu Tweak installation and setup

So, this is how you make your GNOME panel transparent:

Open Compiz (GNOME Menu > Preferences >CompizConfig Settings Manager). This is what you'll see:



Now do you notice that small tab which says "Opacity, Brightness and Saturation"? Click on that tab and it will open with this:



Notice carefully, you can see a "New" button on this window under 'Window specific settings'. This image will help you out:



After you click on "New", type the following exactly as is:

type=dock

and set the Window Value to 70 (change this to suit your needs). This pic will make the scenario clear:



Now coming to the panel window transparency. Open Ubuntu Tweak from GNOME Menu > System Tools > Ubuntu Tweak. Go to the Desktop >Windows option and select the settings as given here (change the values to suit your needs):



Thats it! Say hello to transparency! :)

(For another take on a different type of transparency check out another post on this blog here)

Goodbye GIMP

Image via Wikipedia

Yes, weird as it might sound, Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) might not have GIMP, the awesome image editing software, on its Release CD. For many of us GIMP is the open-source answer to Adobe Photoshop. As expected this has had mixed responses from various Ubuntu users.

Many feel this will help Ubuntu come out of its "nerdy" image and proclaim itself as a more user friendly OS. They feel F-Spot (another image editing software which is also on Ubuntu 9.10, but is very light weight and much easier to use for basic image editing tasks) is more than enough to satisfy the needs of most.

Then there's the other group which feels that GIMP is integral to Ubuntu's success and removing it from the CD edition will do nothing in popularising the OS.

I have mixed feelings about this. GIMP is without a doubt one of my favourite softwares on Ubuntu. And to be frank, if you're into at least into a little bit of blogging or image editing, it is an absolutely essential piece of software. But again, its not that GIMP wont be available to users, its just that one has to download it from the repositories. And on the positive side of it, Ubuntu is indeed going mainstream with the CD now having some of the most user-friendly softwares. (Lets face it, GIMP really isnt for beginners, is it?)

Well everything has its pros and cons. Lets see how things turn out! :)

Wikipedia: GIMP

Official Website of GIMP

Shutter - Screenshot Tool

The default Ubuntu screenshot software isnt really something spectacular. Also, it really doesnt have many options. For example, if you want the screenshot of just a window and not of the entire desktop, you'd be pretty much stuck if you were using the default screenshot app, as you would have to use some image editing software like GIMP to modify the screenshot to suit your needs.

No more... Say hello to Shutter! The perfect screenshot tool. Lets you take screenshots of windows, notifications (and even panels!). Has loads of options and is really useful.

This is how you install it:

Go to Ubuntu Software Center from your GNOME menu and search for 'Shutter', follow the links and install it! Like so:



Alternate method for users who prefer to use the terminal:

Type the following in the terminal:

sudo apt-get install shutter

And after the installation, you'll find Shutter installed in the 'Accessories' section of the GNOME menu.

Screenshots taken by Shutter can be found here.

Thats it! :)

Install WINE

Wine (Microsoft Windows Compatibility layer) is one of the most loved softwares on Ubuntu. What it does is allows you to run Windows files on Ubuntu. Say you want to play a game which doesnt have a Linux counterpart, or say a software whose windows versions are popular, what do you do? Simple, install Wine and play the game exactly as you would on Windows!

So how do you install Wine? Well thankfully its in the Ubuntu repositories.

First up go to Ubuntu Software Center and type "Wine", you'll get the following search results:



Next select the Wine beta option (its better to select beta since it has loads of bug fixes compared to the stable version, ironically! :) ) as shown in the previous pic and install it:



Thats it! Now whenever you come across a .exe file or any Windows supported file, just right click on it and select the option to open the file with Wine. It will then run exactly as it would on Windows.

Extra Tips:

Here's some really useful info. Wine actually modifies your Firefox tahoma font and unfortunately that will make all your firefox fonts look really really weird! Eg. bold fonts would look like regular fonts etc. There's a way to undo the damage without affecting Wine at all. What you need to do is go to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager. From there, search "ttf-tahoma-replacement" in the search bar. It will obviously be installed on your system (considering you've already installed Wine).

So what you do is basically select the package and mark for complete removal of it (just the "ttf-tahoma-replacement" package, nothing else). Click on "Apply" to remove the pack.



And once you have removed the font pack, your synaptic should look like this once you search for "ttf-tahoma-replacement" again in the search bar (the pack should be deactivated/unselected):



I had to figure this thing out by myself. I havent found any other tutorial which explains this Firefox font problem solution.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed finding it out!

Install Ubuntu

This the tutorial for the installation perhaps the most user-friendly Linux OS in history, Ubuntu!

To get Ubuntu click here. Download the .iso file, and burn it to a CD/DVD.

One more thing, the installation instructions here are for Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala release), currently the latest version.

Step 1: BIOS Changes - Make sure your first boot device is set to your CD/DVD ROM. Save your settings and exit BIOS.

Step 2: When you boot, this is the first screen you will get:



Step 3: Select your language and then select the "Install Ubuntu" option and press enter.



The images below are in sequence of the screens you will see. You will enter your details as per your preference and click on "Forward" after that.



Select your language and click "Forward" (image below).




Ubuntu will now configure the installation. (Nothing for you do here)



You will have to select your region here (basically where you're from) and click "Forward". Image given below:



Select your keyboard layout (best keep it to the default one as shown here if you're not sure).



If you want to install Ubuntu on your hard drive as the only OS, then click on the first option "Erase and use the entire disk" as shown here. (If you want to set partitions, click on the "Specify Partitions Manually (advanced)"and set your partition size and specification) Its better to select the first option as shown here if you're not sure.



Enter your name and username, password etc. If you dont want Ubuntu to ask you for passwords everytime you boot, select the "Log in automatically"



Click on Install. And wait... (as some weirdos say "Patience is a virtue" :P)



The installation progress bar, will stay on your screen for 10-15 mins. Patience is a virtue, remember? :)



After the installation is over/the bar reaches 100%, you will get this image on your screen. Click on "Restart Now":



As directed simply remove the CD from the tray and press Enter.



Ubuntu will now restart and you will see the following screens:



And the really cool "Loading" bar (technically called the "Usplash screen")



And then finally you get the Ubuntu desktop:



Thats it! Congrats on your new Ubuntu! :)

Install Kubuntu

Many prefer Kubuntu to Ubuntu because of the stunning interface.

This is perhaps the most user-friendly tutorial on how to install Kubuntu afresh on your PC. To get Kubuntu, click here (as with all Cannonical releases, its totally free!) and burn the downloaded .iso file to a CD (you could also burn it to a DVD).

One more thing, the installation instructions here are for Kubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala release), currently the latest version.

Step 1: BIOS Changes - Make sure your first boot device is set to your CD/DVD ROM. Save your settings and exit BIOS.

Step 2: When you boot, this is the first screen you will get:



Step 3: Select your language and then select the "Install Kubuntu" option and press enter.



Step 4: The following images are in sequence. You will have to enter your details as per your preferences.





Select your region:



Select your keyboard layout (best keep it to the default one as shown here if you're not sure).



If you want to install Kubuntu on your hard drive as the only OS, then click on the first option "Erase and use the entire disk" as shown here. (If you want to set partitions, click on the specify partitions and set your partition size and specification) Its better to select the first option as shown here if you're not sure.



Enter your name and username, password etc. If you dont want Kubuntu to ask you for passwords everytime you boot, select the "Log in automatically"



Click on Install and get your cup of coffee coz its gonna take quite some time! :)



The installation bar which you will have to tolerate for around 10-15 mins. Did you get that coffee?



After the installation is over/the bar reaches 100%, you will get this image on your screen. As directed simply remove the CD from the tray and press Enter.



Kubuntu will now reboot and greet you with its amazing interface!



Thats it!