Backup your music CDs with Asunder CD Ripper

Asunder CD ripper is one of best, if not the best, CD ripper available on Ubuntu. Its very easy to use and the preferences menu is fairly simple.

You can change the settings from the Preferences menu. You can rip to OGG, FLAC, WAV as well as a host of other formats.




Ripping thereafter is as simple as clicking on "Rip".




You can download it from the Ubuntu Software Center by searching for "Asunder".

First Person Shooter Games

It is often said that Ubuntu doesnt have proper first person shooter games. Tell you what, thats not quite the truth. Mentioned below is a list of the best FPS games on Ubuntu. These games are the ones which are included in the Ubuntu Software Center. (Therefore, it goes without saying that there are in all probability many more FPS games out there for Linux) Screenshots have been included below.

1. Open Arena - It is perhaps the most popular among all free, open source FPS games.

2.  Alien Arena - Another popular game based on the source code of Quake II and III. This is a graphics intensive game and requires pretty hi end graphics card for a smooth performance.

3. Nexuiz - This is a multiplayer (online) FPS game which can be played in single player mode as well. The game boasts of realistic gaming.

4. Sauerbraten - This is an extremely fast FPS game with exquisite graphics. Package includes a map editor.

5. Assault Cube - Without a doubt the most "fun" game of the lot. Exhaustive multiplayer support lends an amazing depth to the gameplay. The file size of the game is also small, around 50MB which should leave you with no excuse whatsoever for not giving it a try. A small warning though, there are literally gaming freaks playing this game, so if you're starting out with FPS, this isnt the game for you.

6. Warsow - Last, but not the least. Warsow. This is seriously one of the more "beautiful" FPS games out there. Strangely beautiful graphics with amazing gameplay makes this a must play.

This was of course a small list. Other significant games include Adanaxis (a space based FPS. Does a game get cooler that that?), Tremulous, Enemy Lines, etc.

Every single game mentioned here is available in the Ubuntu Software Center. Simply search for it and install.

(Suggestion: Search for "Tilda" in the Ubuntu Software Center. You will be pleasantly surprised. Hint: Its a terminal emulator with FPS theme)

Install Firefox 4 on Ubuntu

Firefox 4 is finally here guys! And yeah it literally romped home with the more downloads award, Internet Explorer 9 was boasting of few weeks back. With around 6 million downloads on the day of release, this is one big leap forward for the Firefox brand.

Unfortunately as you know, Ubuntu approves Firefox after quite some time adding its own bells and jingles. However the Firefox 4 without the Ubuntu add-ons works just as well. I would highly recommend going for it. From personal experience, I havent faced any issue with the release as yet.

Screenshot:

How to Install:


Go to the Terminal (Accessories > Terminal) and type in the following:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/firefox-stable

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install firefox-4.0

If you're having trouble using the Terminal, you can use the following method:

Go to Ubuntu Software Center, go to Edit and select Software Sources. In the Other Software tab add the following line:

ppa:mozillateam/firefox-stable

Then add it and then search for Firefox in the Ubuntu software center to install (no need to search and install if you already have any version Firefox already installed)

Thats about it!

(If you're having trouble with adding repositories please check out this earlier post: http://explore-ubuntu.blogspot.com/2010/04/adding-repositories.html)

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!