New cool list of Linux must-have programs Update: A new, up-to-date collection is available. Please take a look! It's been approximately two years since I've written the first article, A (cool) list of Linux tools. Since, a lot has changed. Changes from the last time Like the last time, the programs will be sorted by categories. Games I will not be listing games here. Users' recommendations Likewise, there's a users' recommendation sub-section, so you can send me your suggestions and ideas. Table of Contents: Backup software File backup software Unison Unison is a simple, lightweight backup program. TimeVault TimeVault is a snapshot software, which, when activated will create copies of all files and folders that change, retained a detailed archive of all revisions. Imaging software CloneZilla CloneZilla is a fast, light imaging software that runs from a CD. Mondo & Mindi Mondo is a text-driven system backup & restore utility. PartImage PartImage is another powerful imaging software. Remastersys remaster-on-the-fly Browsers Firefox IEs4Linux
Linux-drivers.org - Linux Hardware Compatibility Lists & Linux Drivers Infinity- A stunning theme for conky | Ubuntu, LinuxMint & Fedora Conky is a free, light-weight system monitor for X, that displays any information on your desktop. There are many nice themes available for Conky that can display clock, CPU usage, RAM usage, swap, disk, net and more, Infinity is one of these themes built using lua and provide a great look to your desktop. In this post I will show you how to install Infinity Conky theme in Ubuntu (tested in Ubuntu 12.10 ‘Quantal Quetzal’, Ubuntu 13.04 ‘Raring Ringtail’), LinuxMint and Fedora. Installation instructions of Infinity Theme for Conky: 1- Install Conky - For Ubuntu and LinuxMint: sudo apt-get install conky-all - Fedora: yum install conky 2- Download and extract the Infinity tar file, remember that you need to install rar and unrar to be able to extract the file, run this command to install some useful extraction tools: sudo apt-get install unace unrar zip unzip p7zip-full p7zip-rar sharutils rar uudeview mpack lha arj cabextract file-roller $chmod a+x ~/.conky/startconky.sh $sh ~/.conky/startconky.sh
HowToMD5SUM When one has downloaded an ISO file for installing or trying Ubuntu, it is recommended to test that the file is correct and safe to use. The MD5 calculation gives a checksum (called a hash value), which must equal the MD5 value of a correct ISO. The program md5sum is designed to verify data integrity using the MD5 (Message-Digest algorithm 5) 128-bit cryptographic hash. MD5 hashes used properly can confirm both file integrity and authenticity. In terms of integrity, an MD5 hash comparison detects changes in files that would cause errors. In terms of security, cryptographic hashes such as MD5 allow for authentication of data obtained from insecure mirrors. While security flaws in the MD5 algorithm have been uncovered, MD5 hashes are still useful when you trust the organization that produces them. The official page containing MD5 hashes for Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu Xubuntu and Lubuntu is UbuntuHashes. Check the iso file Manual method md5sum ubuntu-11.10-dvd-i386.iso Semi-automatic method
Download Dropbox When your download is complete, run the Dropbox installer Install the appropriate package if you want to use Dropbox on your Linux Desktop.If your distribution is not listed then choose "Compile from Source". Note: These packages install an open-source helper application. The version of this application does not change as frequently as the main Dropbox application. These packages will always install the latest version of Dropbox for Linux. Dropbox Headless Install via command line The Dropbox daemon works fine on all 32-bit and 64-bit Linux servers. 32-bit: cd ~ && wget -O - " 64-bit: cd ~ && wget -O - " Next, run the Dropbox daemon from the newly created .dropbox-dist folder. ~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd If you're running Dropbox on your server for the first time, you'll be asked to copy and paste a link in a working browser to create a new account or add your server to an existing account.
Some Ubuntu resources for beginners | Tech and life I’ve already done a post on Some Linux Resources for Beginners so I thought I’d round up some great resources specifically for those starting out with Ubuntu. I haven’t included many blogs here where posts are put up regularly, only if they’ve mentioned a good Ubuntu resource in a blog post. Mostly these are just Ubuntu reference/resource sites with tutorials, guides, how-tos, forums, etc. General Ubuntu resources Going Ubuntu: Getting Started Ubuntu Guide Ubuntu Documentation Ubuntu Linux Resources Hardware Support UbuntuHCL: Ubuntu Hardware Compatibility List Gnome-Look: Eye Candy for your GNOME desktop Ubuntu Brainstorm: submit your ideas for inclusion in future Ubuntu versions Ubuntu FAQ Guide Ubuntu Installation Guide: One of the most comprehensive guides on installing Ubuntu I’ve seen Ubuntu: search resources Ubuntu Search Engine Ubuntu Search UbuntuWire Search Ubuntu cheatsheets and shortcuts Ubuntu Linux Cheatsheet Useful Shortcut Keys in Ubuntu Ubuntu ebooks Ubuntu Linux Bible Ubuntu forums Ubun2
Make Linux faster and lighter With just a few tweaks, your Linux box can be lighter, sprightlier and quicker than ever before. Read on for the best ways to speed up your boot sequence, optimise KDE and Gnome, and get better performance from your favourite apps. We've also got some top tips from our favourite free software gurus... Gone are the days when you could make a cup of tea and drink it in the time it takes your computer's operating system to boot (with one notable exception). Sadly, this is not always the case. With just a few tweaks and some experimentation, your Linux system can realise your machine's untapped potential. The great strength of everyone's favourite free OS is that it can be customised from the ground up, so Linux is the ideal tool to tailor to your needs. Make Linux boot faster Any productive machine needs to be up and running as soon as possible, and a sluggish boot can hinder your efforts – which is why boot times were the first thing we thought about improving. Remove the timeout timeout=3
Glossary Ubuntu and other Linux distributions often use a number of terms that are unfamiliar to Windows or Mac users. This glossary is a concise guide to this terminology for new Ubuntu users. If you quote external content, please add a suitable reference. 3D - Having three dimensions; height, width and depth. add-on - Software that can be added into an installed application. background - A wallpaper image or color for the desktop. backtrace - A backtrace shows a listing of which program functions are still active. ext3 (or "third extended filesystem") - A popular file system used in many Linux distributions, including Ubuntu.
Linux System Administration Basics This document presents a collection of common issues and useful tips for Linux system administration. Whether you're new to system administration or have been maintaining systems for some time, we hope these tips are helpful regardless of your background or choice in Linux distributions. These tips cover some of the basic steps and issues encountered during the beginning of system configuration. We provide a general getting started guide for your convenience if you're new to Linode and basic Linux system administration. Additionally, you may find some of our other core Linux guides useful. Set the Hostname Please follow our instructions for setting your hostname. hostname hostname -f The first command should show your short hostname, and the second should show your fully qualified domain name (FQDN). Set the Timezone When setting the timezone of your server, it may be best to set it to the timezone of the bulk of your users. By default, Linode base installs are set to Eastern Standard Time.
My Effort at Writing Help for Unity I told the kind folks in #ubuntu-doc that I'd give it go, writing up some documentation for Unity. Here's a first draft of my best effort. I'm hopeful that the real pros at this can mine this material for making nice official documentation. I'm hoping that thay can cut and paste from here into their docs, or at least can edit the content to something they like, but maybe get going a little faster since there is something to change, rather than having to start fresh. I don't believe myself to be a particularly good writer, but, here without further a do ... The Unity environment has four areas that, combined, allow full operation of Ubuntu.These areas are:The Application Area. If the icon for the desired application is on the launcher, you can simply click on the icon, and it will launch the application. After launching an application, The Launcher, my "autohide" by sliding off the screen to the left. The Launcher can also be used via the keyboard, without the mouse. Workspaces
The best Linux distro of 2012! As promised in this week's Open Ballot (and thanks for your fantastic contributions), here's our own distro contest from issue 162 of Linux Format magazine. Our annual distro competition is as close to a tradition as we get here at LXF Towers. We do it because we love distributions – we love their variety and the way that so much changes over the course of a year. But if we restricted our comparisons to the same old dominant stalwarts, our yearly parade of victors would look more like political oscillation than a reflection of Linux distribution development. We didn’t want to restrict ourselves to the same old trials and tests, we wanted to promote distributions that might not have had the attention they deserve, while at the same time considering the obvious benefits of using a popular distribution. Old hands vs newcomers Round One Ubuntu 12.04 vs Mint 13 Ubuntu wasn’t the first distro aimed at the desktop user, but it has been the most successful. Spit and polish My Mate MATE Mr Tumble
12 Things I did After Installing New Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal released, reviewed. Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal beta is already here and in a few days time, the final release will happen. We have already reviewed the latest Ubuntu 11.04 and we think it is ready for prime time, well, almost. We did encounter some amount of instability in the new Ubuntu Unity mostly because of Compiz, but overall we believe Ubuntu 11.04 is going to be a release to look forward for. Leaving all that aside for now, let's just concentrate on things you could do after installing Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal. Things to do After Installing Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal Many things about this post will be similar to our previous write up on things you need to do after installing Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat. Installing Restricted Extras and Updating Repositories During Ubuntu InstallationYou can now install restricted codecs package(which include Adobe Flash, MP3 codecs and such) during installation of Ubuntu OS itself. Update Repositories Done. Done.