UBUNTU

 Top 10 Tips and Tricks for Ubuntu 11.10

Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) is expected to release on 13th of this month, I’ve tried the beta versions. Few months ago, just after the release of Ubuntu 11.04, I published a post on Ubuntu 11.04 Tips ‘n’ Tricks, and it was a big hit – I got a lot of positive feedback. In fact, it was lot useful for a beginner Ubuntu users – specifically those who are coming from the Windows background. Some of the tips explained there are also valid for 11.10 (perhaps for all version of Ubuntu or may be for all Linux based OS) but most of the tricks are obsolete due to some major change like GTK 3 (instead of 2.3).

That’s why I thought to write an updated version of those cool tips ‘n’ tricks, and the expected users are absolute beginners but intermediate and advanced users might benefit from it. If you’ve just installed a fresh version of Ubuntu 11.10 then first go through this post – 10 things to do after installing Ubuntu 11.10, then come back here and apply some tips/tricks  to customize the Ubuntu in your way.
So here is my most favorite collection of Tips and Tweaks, for a beginner Ubuntu 11.10 user. If you have something to say (e.g if you want to add or improve an existing tips or you want to share you experience or have some feedback) then feel free to share with us (using comment box).

Top 10 – Ubuntu 11.10(Oneiric Ocelot) Tips ‘n’ Tricks

The tips and tricks described here, are primarily aimed for Ubuntu 11.10 users but some of the tips may works seamlessly with other Linux distributions (specifically Debian based) such as Linux Mint, Opensuse, Fedora, Debian, or other Ubuntu derivatives such as Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, MythUbuntu, Ubuntu Studio etc. So feel free to experiment but – always keep a backup to encounter any unexpected results.

1. Try GNOME Shell

Ubuntu 11.10 uses Gnome 3 (based on GTK 3) but the default user interface is Unity. Unity has improved a lot, but if you want to try something new or you like Gnome 3 (or you might be hating Unity), then it’s time to enjoy the next generation revolutionary desktop – GNOME 3. Gnome 3.2 is the latest version. It has a lot of new and innovative features.

GNOME 3 has been developed and designed from scratch rather than just adding some new feature in the predecessor version. The whole idea is to make desktop computing more fun and productive (switching between workspaces and windows takes very little time as compared to earlier max/min approach, distraction is also very less). So if you want to use Gnome 3 with Gnome Shell then you just need to install the second one i.e only the gnome shell (The User Interface for Gnome 3) because Gnome 3 is already installed by default (and unity is running on the top of it).
To install Gnome Shell, Open a terminal and Execute - sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

I’ve already covered a post about Installing Gnome Shell in Ubuntu 11.10, so refer that for detailed instructions.

2. Mount hard drive (partitions) automatically at startup

When your computer starts, it won’t mount any other hard drives or its partitions other than the File System (The partition where you’ve installed the Ubuntu). It means the other partitions will not be available by default, so you will have to mount it each time you log in to your computer before you use it.
For example, if you are using Ubuntu in dual boot mode with Windows 7 or any other OS then you may have multiple other partitions (including NTFS, FAT or other EXT4), so in that case if you’ve any desktop links which points to such partitions or any playlists whose contents resides on that drive, then it’s better to mount such partitions when the computer starts so that it will be available for use without any manual mount.
To mount drives/partitions automatically at startup (during system boot) you can use a simple utility – PySDM, a Storage Device Manager. It’s a cool application written using PyGTK and very helpful in customizing mount points for your hard drive(s)/partitions.

How to Install PySDM ?
Open a terminal (press Ctrl+Alt+t) and execute the command - sudo apt-get install pysdm

Then start the application either by searching it in apps menu or press Alt+F2, type pysdm and hit Enter. Now you can customize it the way you want – Select the drive/partition, configure it and click on Apply. To avoid any possible loss from your silly mistake – Just Backup!

3. Advanced GNOME 3 Settings – using Gnome Tweak Tool

Gnome Tweak Tool is a simple application that will allow you to change/customize Gnome 3 desktop in an advanced way. If Gnome Tweak Tool has lot of options such as Shell, Themes, Fonts, Desktop, Icons, etc to tweak the appearance and look. So it’s a must have Apps for Enthusiastic Ubuntu users.


To install Gnome Tweak Tool, open the terminal and execute - sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool

4. Sync Tomboy Notes using Ubuntu One Cloud

Tomboy Notes is a simple note taking application – with a lot of features. If you have been using Evernote on Windows or Mac OS X, then you will be disappointed to know that – it’s not available for Linux based OS such as Ubuntu. Tomboy is a great application – it doesn’t have all those features but it’s a good alternative to evernote or other note taking programs. The most exciting feature of evernote is Sync – it automatically synchronized your notes with the main copy (stored in the remote server/cloud), which can be accessed from any where -computer(Windows/Mac), iPad, iPhone or Android. Tomboy has all these features by default – you just need to configure it. The default functionality can be easily extended, using plugins(add-ins).

To enable sync feature in Tomboy Notes you can use Ubuntu One (it provides 5 GB free storage for everyone). Ubuntu One and tomboy both are installed by default in Ubuntu 11.10. So -

To start synchronizing your Tomboy Notes, first configure Ubuntu One for backup, Then Open Tomboy Notes and go to Edit -> Preferences and select Synchronization tab. From the list of various sync option -select Ubuntu One!

5. Configure Boot Options – GRUB, using StartUp Manager

Startup Manager is a simple application that will allow you to customize GRUB and splash screen, in GUI mode. There are various options such as display size of GRUB menu(in pixels), default operating system to boot, timeout(in seconds) etc. To install startup manager, open a terminal and execute the command - sudo apt-get install startupmanager

6. Customize the appearance of LightDM Login Screen

The default background at LightDM login prompt isn’t cool, Right? Probably yes! Using a simple application or tweak you can’t only change the background image but also the logo. It’s Fun!
I’ve already discussed a lot about changing background screen in Ubuntu 11.10.

7. Backup Your important Files using DejaDup

DejaDup is a simple, easy to use and fast backup program. In Ubuntu 11.10, DejaDup has been included in default programs installed with standard distribution package. So you got dejadup installed by default on your system but you need to configure it before it will start any backup job. DejaDup is a very powerful backup tool – it has lot of options to backup, e.g you can backup your data anywhere you want – local file system or remote location (on a standard server or Cloud such as Amazon S3).

If you want more detailed explanation then refer the post – how to backup Ubuntu 11.10, where I’ve explained about different backup options, in detail.

8. Install Cool themes and icons

The default theme and icons is cool but you may want to try something else. That’s very easy because a lot of free Gnome 3 themes and icons are available free to use. If you aren’t sure about which themes or icons to try then refer these posts – best Gnome 3 themes or Top 10 Gnome Shell Themes (if you are using Gnome shell), where I’ve sorted few best and good looking themes for Unity and Gnome Shell interface.

How to install themes/icons in Ubuntu 11.10 ?

step 0 - Open nautilus with root power. To do that, open a terminal and execute the command - gksu nautilus
 step 1 - To install GTK 3 themes you just need to copy the theme package to the usr/share/themes directory.
 step 2 - To install gnome shell themes – First, copy the gnome-shell directory from the theme_package to usr/share/gnome-shell. Second, rename the existing theme directory to default-theme (for backup purpose). Third, rename the gnome-shell(the one you’ve copied) directory to theme. Finally press ALT+F2, type r and your new shell theme will be reloaded (or you can just logout from the current session, and on next login, you will be enjoying something new!).
step 3 - To install icons – copy the icon package to usr/share/icons

step 4 - Finally You can select the theme or icon you want to use, through the help of Gnome Tweak Tool.

9. Screencast Recording with Gnome Shell

Recording Screencast in Gnome Shell

screencast recording feature is built-in feature in Gnome shell interface. So if you want to record a screencast in Gnome shell, then you don’t need to install any application. You can start recording screencast just by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift+r (press again to stop/start). When the screen recording will begin, you will notice a red dot at bottom-right corner of the screen. Finally the file will be saved in home directory of the user with the file name like this – shell_today_date.webm.

10. Cool shortcuts for productivity

Keyboard shortcuts are very useful for speeding up your productivity to some extent. Since Ubuntu is an open source OS, there is no limit on how much you can customize. If you have been using shortcuts for a while, then first thing you would want is to change the default(if it doesn’t matches with yours) keyboard shortcuts.

To set your custom keyboard shortcuts go to System Settings -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts and define your own shortcuts.
Bash Aliases are also cool if you play a lot with Terminal. For example, if you are a ruby on rails developer, and install a lot of gems using the command gem install gem_name, then you can save a lot of typing by defining an alias for that. I’ll make it more clear with an example.

Creating alias commands for Terminal

step 1 Open terminal and type -- gedit .bashrc

step 2 Now, insert these lines at the bottom and save the file.

# My custom commands aliases
alias gi='gem install'
alias s5='sudo shutdown -h 8:00'

step 3 Next, reload the bash profile to propagate the changes, using the command -

source ~/.bashrc

step 4 That’s All..now you can see the command(defined in right side) in action – just by typing its alias name.

How to Setup Mobile Broadband in Linux Mint 12 / Ubuntu 11.10 -- 

Slow Mobile broadband connection is not something a typical Linux user wants but in some case when no other options (cable broadband or 3G) are available it’s really useful. The average speed depends on your location, provider, signal strength and so many things; in india, it’s around 50-150 kbps (Now you may guess, why I’ve published very few articles in past three weeks, yeah! You’re right!). So in past three weeks, I tried a couple of mobile broadbands – first MTS Data Card, then Micromax modem with Airtel (better than MTS data card).

Anyway, this post is written for those who wants to set up such mobile broadband connection with Linux Mint 12 or similar Linux distributions such as Ubuntu 11.10. Most of the providers such as MTS, Micromax etc comes with an auto installer program for Windows (as you insert the modem in USB port, it gets recognized and the set up process begins.. and will complete in very simple steps) but unfortunately they do not provide such application for Linux based distributions such as Linux Mint 12 or Ubuntu 11.10 or Fedora etc.

Setting Up MTS Data Card In Linux Mint / Ubuntu

step 1 : Open Network Connections (search in Applications Menu) and click on Mobile Broadband tab then on Add button.
step2 : Then complete the setup process in few simple sub steps -

First, Choose the mobile broadband device -
Then, Choose Provider Country -

Next, Select your network provider (e.g Airtel, MTS etc for India)

Now, you may get additional option such as Choose your billing plan (if your plan wasn’t listed in previous steps) otherwise your will be directly jumped to final step – to confirm and Apply the settings.

That’s All! If you’re having some problem then you can manually edit the connection parameters such as Authentication Protocols (e.g CHAP), Username, Password etc.


Finally, on a successfully setup, the network icon will appear in top panel (near right corner) like this -



That’s All. If you’re using some other Mobile broadband provider then select that while following the installation instructions. Process is same – not only across different network providers but also across Linux distributions similar to Linux Mint e.g Ubuntu, Fedora, Kubuntu, etc.

 

How to Install Marlin in Ubuntu 11.10

 Marlin is a new File Browser/Manager application developed by Elementary Project. It is a lightweight, simple and easy to use File Manager program. Right now, Nautilus is the default file manager in Gnome based distributions such as Ubuntu while Thunar for XFCE based distributions, but after the continuous improvement in Marlin File Browser – you may see it as the default File Browser program in many GNU/Linux distributions.

Install Marlin File Browser in Ubuntu 11.10 (or Linux Mint 12 or similar distro)

Since, the project is under active development – so it is (not recommended if you want stable/consistent experience) not available under repository – just add the PPA, update the package repository cache and install it. Just Open a terminal and execute the commands-

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:marlin-devs/marlin-daily
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install marlin

That’s Al, now you can find it in Application Menu or just right click on a File and select open with Marlin. Here are few other cool snapshots -
Changing File Permission is so quick and Easy -


Preferences -

Mac OS X theme for Ubuntu 11.10

  Macbuntu was my most favorite theme in Ubuntu 10.04/10.10 but the project (hosted at sourceforge.net doesn’t seemed to be active because there has been no release after 10.10, may be because of some major changes in the desktop environment of Ubuntu (started with 11.04 and now it’s completely different – Gnome 3 based distribution). If there will be any macbuntu or similar transformation pack available for Ubuntu 11.10 or Gnome 3 desktop, then I’ll update this post accordingly.
Mac OS X or other products of Apple has one thing in common – Great Design! I do like the look/interface of Mac OS X – it’s pretty damn cool. (although I don’t want to get trapped in App Store) so I was looking for a mac like theme for Ubuntu 11.10 (aka – Oneiric Ocelot). This post is about a GTK 3 theme inspired by the look of Mac OS X.

Adwaita Cupertino Theme

It’s a Mac OS X like theme for Ubuntu 11.10 users (you may try in Linux Mint 12, it should work). The theme is based on Adwaita, and the theme is designed by the user trastes.

Download Adwaita Cupertino Theme

Installing Mac OS X theme in Ubuntu 11.10

After Downloading the theme package, you must download some dependent packages/themes/icons.

Then open a terminal and execute the command to open nautilus in root mode -

 gksu nautilus

Then extract the theme file (archive) and copy all the themes directory to usr/share/themes and for icons – usr/share/icons. Then open Gnome Tweak Tool (if you haven’t installed it then first install it from Ubuntu Software Center or hit
  
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool  

   at terminal) and change the themes, icons etc to get the Mac OS X type Look.

 

how to create a sudo user in Ubuntu

If you’ve installed Ubuntu 11.10 (or older version such as 11.04 or any other similar linux distributions such as Linux Mint 12) – then during installing process, you created a super user by default, but sometimes you need to create another user with root power i.e you want to create a sudo user, right? Yeah! because it’s not a good idea to use (or enable, because it’s disabled by default) root account for administrative tasks.
Creating another user or simply the user management in Ubuntu is not a complex task – as you can easily create/delete/update users from a clean, simple and easy to use graphical interface (Go to Top Right -> Click on Your Name -> Then click on your Icon). That’s it. No, there is another way to do that – from terminal – using some funky terminal commands.

The above snapshot, explains the process of creating a new user account in Ubuntu 11.10 (running Gnome 3 with Gnome Shell Interface, wondering what theme? it’s Zukito; Isn’t it cool ). Everything seems to be self explanatory. So lets move on to terminal approach which is more funky, powerful and preferred among linux users.

Create a User

To create a user in Ubuntu, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+t) and execute the command (replace user_name with the username of your choice etc coolgeek).

sudo adduser user_name

(Then you will be prompted to Enter the details for the new user such as password, Name, Room Number, Phone Number etc, just enter the details correctly and hit ‘y’)

Granting sudo power to the User

Now, you’ve created the user, you can add the user to sudo group (which is created by default in Ubuntu, you could also use admin group) using the following command -

sudo adduser user_name sudo

OR

sudo adduser user_name admin

In the case if sudo group doesn’t exist or you want to create your own group then use the following commands -

Creating a Group (User Group)

First create a group using the command (Replace group_name with the group you want to create e.g geeky)-

sudo addgroup group_name

Then add that group to sudoers file, to do that first open the file using the command -

sudo visudo

and  add the following line to the bottom of the file (then save the file and exit).

%group_name  ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

Although creating groups isn’t necessary but it makes user management (with different privileges) much easier. Anyway, if you just want to grant root permission
to any user then add this line to the sudoers file -

user_name  ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

 

Batch png Optimizer for Ubuntu/Linux

 PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is one of the most popular image format used over the web - most of the graphics designers uses png format for designing logo of a website or in computer artwork (because PNG is more suitable for computer generated images). Optimizing image is a good practice in modern web development/work because it will allow the pages to load much faster due to reduced image size. Google also recommends all web masters to use optimized images for faster loading of pages and you may already know that SPEED is one of the most important thing to consider while designing a website or a web application.
Now, you understand the importance of optimize image – but there should be a balance between the quality and the size of an image. Loss-less compression is what most people prefer while compressing/optimizing an image. On Linux based operating systems such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, OpenSuse, PCLinuxOS etc you can also use GIMP with save for web plugin to optimize png images (it also supports other popular image formats such as JPG, GIF etc).
GIMP (with image optimizer plugin) is good when you have few image but what you will do if you want to optimize hundreds of png files because because it doesn’t support batch optimization. That’s where the OptiPNG comes in, a great tool to optimize PNG image.

 

OptiPNG : Advanced PNG optimizer

OptiPNG is a an open source and cross-platform image compression/optimization tool. It supports batch processing i.e you can optimize bulk of png files in one simple command. It is very powerful application, as it provides you a lot of options such as compression level (1-7) where 1 is minimum and 7 is the maximum compression level. Page Speed (by Google Inc) – one of the most popular website optimization plugin/tool, uses OptiPNG for optimizing png files.

How to install OptiPNG

Ubuntu (11.10/12.04/12.10.. or Linux Mint, it should work with any Debian based distributions) users can install it by executing one simple command from terminal (Ctrl+Alt+t) -

sudo apt-get install optipng

Other user can download it from the official website. Primarily it’s a command line tool but front end for various platforms are also available, pretty useful if you don’t want to get your hands dirty with Terminal.

Optimizing Images using OptiPNG

To optimize image you can just give the file name as argument or specify compression level and other options. Just type optipng at terminal to see the help and options available for this tool.
 For single image---

 optipng file_name.png

it will optimize the image and overrite the existing one, with default speed and compression level.
For Higher Compression (obviously the speed will decrease)

optipng -o7 file_name.png

Optimizing all png images of a directory (at higher compression level 7)

cd path_to_image_directory
optipng -07 *.png

  

How to setup Google Public DNS on Ubuntu (11.10/12.04)

DNS i.e Domain Name System is a Naming System responsible for translating the human friendly domain names to I.P address. In most of the cases, by default – you would be using your ISP’s DNS server which may be slow or some geographical restrictions might be there. In such cases, it’s often recommended to use DNS service provided by third party such as OpenDNS (refer to article about setting up OpenDNS in Ubuntu, basically the process are same – only the I.P address of the servers are different) or the Google Public DNS, did I forget to mention that both DNS service are Free! (in general). it supports IPv4 as well as IPv6.

So, if you are not sure where to use ISP DNS server or Google Public DNS then you must know about some additional benefits of using Google Public DNS -

• Faster DNS Lookup
• Improved Security (Protection from phishing sites/domans)
• No redirection (additionally, you can also access the sites blocked from ISP DNS Provider)

Change your Internet Settings to use Google Public DNS

Although the tutorial is primarily targeted for Ubuntu users but it should also work well on similar GNU/Linux distributions such as Debian, Linux Mint, OpenSuse etc. Just follow the simple steps and enjoy faster web surfing with Google Public DNS.

#1. Go to Network -> Edit Network Connections

#2. Select your Network connection, you want to setup with Google Public DNS and click Edit. Then go to IPv4 Settings tab and select “Automatic (DHCP) addresses only ” in the Method section.

#3. Now, specify the IP address in DNS Servers field and click on SAVE. Then restart your Router to start using Google Public DNS servers.

8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4

Recommended Reading(s) and Reference(s)

• Google Public DNS – Go to official page, to know more about Google Public DNS service
• Domain Name System – Wikipedia Page explaining DNS