Get your Tron fix on Ubuntu

Interested in Tron? Ubuntu has loads of Tron based games on offer. Simply search for them in the Ubuntu Software Center and install. Most of these games are really low sized ones, so downloading them wont take much of your time.

The best of the lot is of course, Armagetron Advanced, which is also listed in the featured section of Ubuntu Software Center. Here's a screenshot of the actual game:

The game is around 2.7MB, so you dont have to worry about downloading large files.

The gameplay is decent and is definitely worth a try. Its in the Ubuntu Software Center. Have a go!

A few tricks to maximize screen space

Here are a few short tricks for you to try out. These will help you maximize your screen space on Ubuntu.

Erm...what exactly do i mean? Well, how about you got rid of the bottom panel (if you're using some kind of dock you probably would have deleted it already but in case you havent then give it a try.

What else? You could try playing with the panel properties. Right click on the panel (top or bottom) and go to Properties. Select between Expand, Autohide and Show hide buttons (you can actually get the entire panel disappear, not deleted mind you, with that Show hide buttons option). Check out the following images to see the results:

Play around with these. The effects are breathtakingly cool!

Paid Softwares start to appear on Ubuntu Software Center

Its more of a taste of things to come. Paid softwares have started to appear on Ubuntu Software Center. The only one currently in the Ubuntu Software Center is World of Goo. This is one incredibly popular game and has quite taken the Linux world, which is mostly devoid of path breaking games, by storm.

Description:

The Wikipedia page of World of Goo reads:

World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle game by 2D Boy, an independent game developer consisting of Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, both former Electronic Arts employees, released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and WiiWare. It was nominated for the Seumas McNally grand prize, Design Innovation Award, and Technical Excellence at the Independent Games Festival.

Installation:

The game costs $19.95 on the Ubuntu Software Center. Although this is not a free game, there is a demo of World of Goo which can be found here. The demo is, of course, free. So if want to make sure that you're spending money for the right game, do download the demo and try.

Upon clicking the "Buy" button (which has replaced the "Install" button for this game) on the Ubuntu Software Center, you'll led to your Ubuntu account page where after signing in, the payment gateway will be seen. Thereafter its pretty simple.

FocusWriter

Remember the much loved text editor WriteMonkey? Well if you've grown tired of running it using Wine, here's a Linux version which is more or less similar to WriteMonkey.

Its called FocusWriter and its got the same distraction free screen as WriteMonkey. The same typewriter sounds and the same flawless architecture.

Here's a screenshot:

How to install:

First you need to add the official repository. To do that add the following line to the Software Sources (if you need help adding repositories please check out this page: http://explore-ubuntu.blogspot.com/2010/04/adding-repositories.html)

ppa:gottcode/gcppa

Finally go to the Terminal and type the following:

sudo apt-get install focuswriter

Thats all. It should be available from the Office menu of the Ubuntu menu bar.

Join .vob files

Joining .vob files is as easy as typing a single command. This is how you do it:

Say you have 2 files, file1.vob and file2.vob. To join these two files and create a new file, say file3.vob, you need to type the following in the Terminal:

cat file1.vob file2.vob > file3.vob

And thats pretty much it. Mind you this process can take some time depending upon the size of your files but usually it shouldnt take more than 10 mins for standard DVDs.

Ubuntu alternatives to Windows Softwares

Lucid Lynx 10.04 has attracted a lot of attention. And frankly, a large number of new users are now part of the Ubuntu fraternity. A hearty welcome to all of the new converts.

This particular post is especially for the new users who might struggle to find the Ubuntu counterparts of Windows softwares. The list is only indicative and not in any way all inclusive, since in the open source field, its virtually impossible to keep a tab on development of every single project out of the billions being currently worked on.

1. Media Player - Totem (installed by default) is pretty awesome and plays nearly all formats especially once the Ubuntu Restricted Extras package has been installed (do go through this post: www.explore-ubuntu.blogspot.com/2009/11/install-restricted-extras-for-ubuntu.html to find out more about how to install this essential package). Of course, if you need to play around a bit more, VLC Media Player, available in the Ubuntu Software Center is a safe bet.

2. Music Application - A dedicated music application is always better than an all inclusive media player. Rhythmbox (installed by default) is definitely my favourite. However if you're on the adventurous side, you might want to try out Amarok, Banshee and Kaffeine.

3. Burning Software - Although Brasero installed by default does a pretty good job and is very easy to use, its a fact that it lacks a lot of features (verification of discs being one of them). My personal recommendation would be K3b (available in the Ubuntu Software Center) which works like magic. It might not be that user-friendly but once you get the hang of it, you will find it very difficult to switch to another burning tool. Another application which is quite good is GNOME-Baker (available in the Ubuntu Software Center).

4. Video Converter - For this there are many options, I prefer to use DeVeDe (available in the Ubuntu Software Center). Other options include Avidemux, Handbrake, WinFF (all available in the Ubuntu Software Center). However when it comes to video conversion I would recommend a trial and error approach.

Do give these softwares a try and let me know what you like best.

Ubuntu 10.04 ... afterthoughts

For a change this isnt a tutorial of some sort. This is what I think about Ubuntu 10.04.

So, after a long wait, 10.04 released yesterday. Great news for all Ubuntu users this, because frankly this is the best Ubuntu release as yet. Not only did it trend on twitter, it trended more than Steve Jobs! :P

Anyway, the thing is, this is a giant leap for Linux. Ubuntu has now entered a territory where its become a really user friendly OS, not to mention the fact that, its dispelling a myth about Linux distros, the myth that all Linux distros are about geeks and nerds. Some might find this not a pleasing trend, but frankly, this can only mean bigger and better things. To be honest, I dont see Linux becoming a common man's OS unless it manages to draw the required attention. Making Ubuntu (since its already the most popular Linux distro) reach the forefront is just the first step in achieving that titanic feat.

So what has changed in 10.04? Well for starters its a lot more user-friendly. Its more social networking friendly, with custom applets etc. It supports a greater number of hardware and provides updates and support for a greater number of apps. Its definitely faster, although how-fast would depend on the user. But in short, its definitely faster than 9.10 (the previous release). The interface has changed completely and in my opinion, its gotten really slick! After the 9.10 release, there was a general outcry among users to stablise the next release. That has been done and more!

Before I conclude I would like to mention a few things. There were a few changes made earlier (changing of default search engine from Google to Yahoo! which has been 'undone' now, and the moving buttons to the left fiasco) which made me question Ubuntu's originality. Especially since Ubuntu is increasingly resembling the OSX. I hope my doubts are found to be untrue in the future. Ubuntu should progress and become popular but it should have its own identity as well.

Its the big day

Its indeed the big day. Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx LTS will be released today amidst much fanfare and hype. I am a self confessed Ubuntu fan and like everyone else, I'm very excited about this release. 10.04 marks a paradigm change for Ubuntu as a brand as well as for the user interface of this most popular Linux OS. Although some of the changes havent been welcome, the positives have far overridden them.

Okay, now for some real insight. Frankly speaking 9.10 was very buggy when it came out. And some of the bugs even persist to this day. I hope Ubuntu 10.04 doesnt tread that path and consolidates Ubuntu's name as a stable user friendly OS. A lot has already been said about the release hence it would be boring for you, the reader, to go through all that if I were to repeat those.

Finally, these are instructions about the download:

How to Download:

Go to www.ubuntu.com and download the appropriate file. It will be a .iso file. Then burn it to a CD.

How to Install:

A detailed step by step pictorial (with screenshots) illustration of the entire installation procedure has been provided in the following link:

http://explore-ubuntu.blogspot.com/2010/03/ubuntu-1004-beta1-closer-look.html

getlibs

getlibs is a program which will help you install 32 bit and 64 bit applications on 64 bit OS as well as 32 bit applications on 32 bit OS.

Its practically a lifesaver of a project. Somehow I never managed to install imageshack uploader (Linux version) on my Ubuntu 9.10 64 bit (which works fine on a 32 bit OS). But now, thanks to getlibs, I have managed to install it.

How to install:

To install getlibs download the following file: http://frozenfox.freehostia.com/cappy/getlibs-all.deb

Then simply install it.

How to use:

• Use getlibs to install a 32-bit library using the library name:

Code:

getlibs -l libogg.so.0 libSDL-1.2.so.0

• Use getlibs to install a 32-bit library using the package name:

Code:

getlibs -p libqt4-core libqt4-gui

• Install a 32-bit library file (.deb):

Code:

getlibs -i ~/i386_library_1.deb

• Download and install a 32-bit library file (.deb):

Code:

getlibs -w http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/s/sdl-image1.2/libsdl-image1.2_1.2.5-3_i386.deb

For more information take a look at this thread on Ubuntuforums: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=474790

Tribler file sharing client

Tribler is an application which helps you find, share, download, search for pictures, music, videos and so on. In other words its more like a media player integrated within a torrent client. I have tried it out, and frankly, the search and download function is pretty good. The integrated search is quite exhaustive, eg. take a look at the results Tribler came up with when I searched for "Ubuntu" (pic in the screenshots below).

It has Windows, Mac and Linux versions of its software. Here are a few screenshots of the application:







How to install:


Go to System > Administration > Software Sources. From there go the Other Software tab and then Add the following line:

deb http://ubuntu.tribler.org/ karmic main

(If you need more and simpler information alongwith screenshots about how to add a repository, you should go through the details given here : http://exploreubuntu.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/adding-repositories/)

Now go to the Terminal (Applications > Terminal) and type the following:

sudo apt-get update

Next type the following in the Terminal:

sudo apt-get install tribler

Thats it. Tribler will be available in the Internet menu.






For experienced users seeking more information about Tribler:
Official page of Tribler: www.tribler.org
Launchpad page of Tribler: https://launchpad.net/tribler

Install Bisigi themes

The themes of the Bisigi project are generally rated as some of the best Ubuntu themes available. There are quite a few themes from the project available for installation.

To install these themes, you need to add the following repositories.

First up type the following in the Terminal (Accessories > Terminal) :

gpg --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:11371 --recv-key 881574DE && gpg -a --export 881574DE | sudo apt-key add -

Now type the following in the Terminal :

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

In the window which opens, add the following lines:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/bisigi/ppa/ubuntu karmic main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/bisigi/ppa/ubuntu karmic main

Now save the file and type the following in the Terminal:

sudo aptitude update
sudo aptitude install bisigi-themes

Thats it. After the installation process go to the Appearance option (System > Preferences > Appearance) and check out the new themes. The following themes will be installed - AquaDreams, Ubuntu Sunrise, Bamboo-Zen, Step into Freedom, Tropical, Exotic, Balanzan, Wild Shine, Infinity, Showtime, Orange, Ellanna, AirLines.

Lucid Lynx 10.04 beta2 released

Beta 2 of the new Ubuntu Lucid Lynx 10.04 is now available for testing and download. Its a beta release and may contain bugs.

How to download:

Upgrading (if you already have Ubuntu installed)

If you want to upgrade from your current installation to Ubuntu 9.10 beta1, press Alt+F2 and type the following:

update-manager -d

Update Manager will show you the following: New distribution release ‘10.04′ is available. Click Upgrade and follow the on-screen instructions.


Downloading (if you want a fresh install or want to use the beta release as a Live CD) :

Copy paste the link of your choice, based on your location, on your browser to download.

Africa:

* http://ubuntu.saix.net/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (South Africa)

Asia:

* http://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/Linux/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Japan)
* http://ubuntu.qualitynet.net/releases/10.04 (Kuwait)
* http://releases.ubuntu.mnosi.org/10.04 (Mongolia)
* http://mirror.yandex.ru/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Russian Federation)
* http://tw.releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Taiwan)

Europe:

* http://ubuntu.ipacct.com/releases/10.04 (Bulgaria)
* http://ftp.sh.cvut.cz/MIRRORS/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Czech Republic)
* http://ubuntu.trumpetti.atm.tut.fi/releases/10.04 (Finland)
* http://ubuntu.univ-nantes.fr/ubuntu-cd/10.04 (France)
* http://ubuntu.mirror.tudos.de/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Germany)
* http://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Great Britain)
* http://speglar.simnet.is/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Iceland)
* http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Ireland)
* http://nl.releases.ubuntu.com/releases/10.04 (Netherlands)
* http://no.releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Norway)
* http://ftp.wcss.pl/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Poland)
* http://cesium.di.uminho.pt/pub/ubuntu/10.04 (Portugal)
* http://ubuntu.cica.es/releases/10.04 (Spain)
* http://se.releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Sweden)
* http://mirror.switch.ch/ftp/mirror/ubuntu-cdimage/10.04 (Switzerland)

North America:

* http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Canada)
* http://mirrors.ipinfodb.com/ubuntu/releases/10.04 (Canada)
* http://ubuntu-cd.mirror.iweb.ca/10.04 (Canada)
* http://mirrors.gigenet.com/ubuntu/10.04 (United States)
* http://mirrors.login.com/ubuntu-iso/10.04 (United States)
* http://ubuntu.media.mit.edu/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (United States)
* http://ubuntu.mirrors.tds.net/pub/releases/10.04 (United States)
* http://www.gtlib.gatech.edu/pub/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (United States)

Oceania/Australia:

* http://ftp.citylink.co.nz/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (New Zealand)

South America:

* http://ubuntu-cd.innova-red.net/10.04 (Argentina)
* http://ubuntu.c3sl.ufpr.br/releases/10.04 (Brazil)

Rest of the world:

*http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Great Britain)

gPodder - podcast client

Thanks to popey's blog, I checked out gPodder today. Its basically a podcast client, much like Miro.

The interface is user friendly and fairly simple. You should have absolutely no difficulty in figuring out the functions etc. the most interesting bit is that gPodder allows you to sync your feeds to your account which you can create on the mygpodder.org and sync feeds to any other device as well. The list of available podcast streams/feeds is fairly exhaustive. However I would be lying if I said the feeds work perfectly. I couldnt get the Ubuntu UK Podcast feed to work although the same worked perfectly on Miro.

Here's a screenshot of gPodder:



I am pretty impressed with this piece of software. But if there's a choice between Miro and gPodder, I would obviously choose the former.

How to install gPodder :

Its available in the Ubuntu repos and you can install it from the Ubuntu Software Center.

Alternatively you can add the repository for gPodder by typing the following in the Terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:thp/gpodder

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gpodder

To launch gPodder go to Sound and Video > gPodder Podcast Client.

Ubuntu Tweak 0.5.2 released

The latest version of Ubuntu Tweak, 0.5.2 has been released. It doesnt include any new features but apparently fixes a lot of bugs. There's a new highlight support for the new items in Application Center and Source Center.



After synching one may find new apps marked as unread/new. You can download Ubuntu Tweak from the official site.




Also take a look at a previous post on Ubuntu Tweak:
www.exploreubuntu.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/ubuntu-tweak/

Ubuntu becomes stunningly beautiful

Our dear old Ubuntu is undergoing a landmark metamorphosis. The new style of Ubuntu is driven by the theme "Light", which will come into effect from 10.04 onwards.

So how does this new and rejuvenated Ubuntu look? Here's a sample.

The New Ubuntu Logos:





The New Ubuntu Community Logos:







New GtkThemes :






Boot Splash :




Finally, Ubuntu comes out of the 'brown'! Personally, I really like this new concept of a fresh 'light' Ubuntu. Ubuntu has made giant strides in making Linux popular for the masses and having an attractive new look and feel to it can only work wonders for its popularity.

This is what was said in the official wiki:

We've developed a comprehensive set of visual guidelines and treatments that reflect that style, and are updating key assets like the logo accordingly. The new theme takes effect in 10.04 LTS and will define our look and feel for several years. The new Ubuntu mantra is 'Light'.

We're drawn to Light because it denotes both warmth and clarity, and intrigued by the idea that "light" is a good value in software. Good software is "light" in the sense that it uses your resources efficiently, runs quickly, and can easily be reshaped as needed. Ubuntu represents a break with the bloatware of proprietary operating systems and an opportunity to delight to those who use computers for work and play. More and more of our communications are powered by light, and in future, our processing power will depend on our ability to work with light, too.

True indeed. Hats off to the designers of these new logos for a job well done.

Explore Ubuntu is now on twitter

Just wanted to let you know that Explore Ubuntu is now on Twitter as well.

Twitter.com/ExploreUbuntu

It will have all the updates whenever a new post is made here. Also, as an added bonus, it will have links to anything interesting on the web about Ubuntu (something which is not exactly possible to do here on this blog).

If you have any suggestions, constructive criticism, tips and tricks you would like to share, kindly let me know. The best way of doing that is to leave a comment.

Ubuntu Pocket Guide And Reference

Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference is a book written by Keir Thomas. Its available for free download on this page: www.ubuntupocketguide.com
(Alternatively you can also buy the book from Amazon.com)

Its written in a very lucid way, clarifies everything a beginner needs to know about Unix, GNU and Ubuntu, and there's absolutely no technical jargon which is beyond the grasp of a beginner. And best of all, its a fun read! Although it is primarily aimed at beginners, I would highly recommend it to everyone using Ubuntu. There's something for everyone in this book. And the best part is the author has (and let me put it this way, out of pure goodwill) decided to release the book as a free downloadable one.

The size of the download is around 2MB, so it really wont take long to download. I am currently going through the book and I love it! Hence I would highly recommend it to everyone using Ubuntu (or any other version of Linux for that matter), beginner or not.

Plethora of Ubuntu games and softwares

If you're tired of the default Ubuntu packages/softwares/games etc. (well they're pretty extensive though, it should probably take you months to try out each and every software in the repos), here's a really cool way to install external apps without worring about tar.gz or extracting files etc.

For Ubuntu apps:

Its called GetDeb. It has loads of really good and useful softwares, and the best part is its just a one click install. But before you can download these, you need to install a small package (dont worry, it is small, just a few hundred KBs). The instructions for installation is here. The rest is self explanatory. Browse through the extensive list of softwares here and just click on 'Install' for the program you like. And bingo, it will be installed. No fuss, nothing.

For Ubuntu games:

The site is called PlayDeb, its a sister site of GetDeb but this one's dedicated to games. So before you start installing go through the installation instructions (basically install a package, this one's again in KBs) here. Then just browse through the huge list of games here and click on 'Install' for the game you like.

Enjoy!

Linux Mint

So there's this new kid on the block, its called Linux Mint. It uses the same software repositories as Ubuntu but is apparently far more community driven than it. So you might see ideas transforming into actual results within a substantially short span of time.

As with all Linux distros its free for download, however you can also buy the DVD/CD. The download link for Linux Mint is here.

I will post a more detailed review of it soon. Stay tuned!

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]