Here are my top 5 Firefox plugins for 2011:
Note: On the Theme I customize it to use small icons. Just right click on the title bar and click on customize. The check the box that says “Use Small Icons”. I will probably not use the theme in Firefox 4 because it is already compact.
OpenOffice is developed by Sun Microsystems, which has been bought Oracle. Oracle is not known for its support of open source projects. Because of this many of the OpenOffice people have left Sun and have started the Document Foundation. They have forked OpenOffice and renamed it LibreOffice. Linux Mint currently uses OpenOffice as the default office suite. And it is my understanding that it will remain the default in Linux Mint 11. Currently it is not avaiable in the repositories. But below is a link to install it using a PPA.
As you may know, Ubuntu has been my distribution of choice for several years. However Ubuntu will be switching to the Unity desktop at the end of April. But the problem runs deeper. The Gnome desktop is also changing. Gnome 3.0 is being released soon and it is very different.
I should explain that Unity is a shell that runs on top of the Gnome 3.0 desktop. And Gnome also comes with its own shell, which has some similarities to Unity. The Gnome shell eliminates the maximize and minimize controls, and has redesigned the interface. Now you can choose to use the “classic” desktop at the login screen. But it is not the same old Gnome that many of us have grown to love. It will take several revisions before many of the old features are again available. So in all fairness to the Ubuntu developers, it is not entirely their fault that they are changing the default desktop to Unity.
So what is a person to do? Gnome 2.0 will eventually be history. You can stay on the LTS version of Ubuntu till April of 2013. Which was a tempting option. You could also switch to the KDE desktop, which has gotten to be much better. But I am not a KDE guy and have never liked the feel of it. For me the best option out there is Linux Mint. Linux Mint will use the Gnome 3.0 desktop, but it will modify it to look and act pretty much how it does now.
I have been running Linux Mint 10 for a little over a month and love the design and feel of it. There were a few frustrations that I have run into, but all in al the positive outweigh the negatives. It is for this reason that Linux Mint is now my distribution of choice on all my machines.
Links
Linux Mint Home Page
Linux Mint User Guide (PDF)
Download Linux Mint
Linux Mint Forums
Linux Mint Tutorials
Linux Mint Blog
Linux Mint Chat
There are over three hundred Linux distributions that you can choose from. The choices can be overwhelming at best. In this post I want to offer you some guidance to help you choose a distribution that will fit your needs. Use these suggestions are a starting point for your own search. And understand that there is no agreement as to what is the best distribution. We know that Ubuntu is the most popular on the desktop and Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the most popular in enterprise settings. But popularity does not equal best fit.
1. For newbies: Linux Mint or PCLinuxOS
If you are new to Linux, I suggest you use Linux Mint or PCLinux OS. These are the most user friendly distributions.
2. Everyday Linux: Fedora or Ubuntu
If you are looking for a distribution that is going to be around a while and is relatively easy to use, then I suggest Fedora or Ubuntu. Fedora is based by Red Hat and Ubuntu is backed by Canonical. Some would also suggest OpenSUSE, which is based by Novell. I don’t recommend OpenSUSE because I don’t like Novell and their close dealings with Microsoft.
3. Light and fast: Puppy Linux
If you have an older system Puppy Linux is the choice for you. It is an amazing distribution for older machines.
4. Server: CentOS or Debian
CentOS is simply an unbranded and free version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Debian is also an excellent choice, being well known for its stability.
5. Music Production: Ubuntu Studio
This is the most popular music and recording solution out there.
6. Multimedia: Mythbuntu
If you are interested in turning your computer into a multimedia station, this is the distro for you. The learning curve is a little high, but worth it.
7. Power User: Gentoo or Slackware
If you really want to learn Linux, then Gentoo or Slackware is the way to go. Slackware just happens to be the oldest Linux distribution still in active development.
8. Netbooks: EasyPeasy or Jolicloud
If you are think of using Linux on a netbook, EasyPeasy or Jolicloud are both good choices.
9. KDE Desktop: OpenSUSE or Kubuntu
For those who like the KDE desktop enviroment OpenSUSE or Kubuntu are probably the best.
So what is the best distribution? It depends on your needs and what you are looking for. Most distributions have a live CD, so you can download the iso and burn it on a CD. Then you can test drive that particular distribution and choose the one that fits your needs.
To Learn More
DistroWatch
Audacity for some reason lacks a main menu (File, Edit, View, Effects, etc.). Using keyboard shortcuts (such as +f) will call the menu up but the actual clickable menubar is completely missing.
Here is a workaround that I found, just run this in a terminal:
export UBUNTU_MENUPROXY=0
audacity
Audacity then starts, but you have to keep the terminal open. You have to open it this way every time, so it’s not a permanent fix.
Linux Mint is a popular distribution of Linux based on Ubuntu. It was first launched in 2006 by Clement Lefebvre, a French-born IT specialist living and working in Ireland.
Clement Lefebvre wrote on the Linux Mint blog on May 3, 2009, “I don’t want any money or help coming from Israel or people who support the action of their current government.” He prefaced that comment with, “If you do not agree I kindly ask you not to use Linux Mint and not to donate money to it.”
It is unforntunate that he decided to use the distribution for his political agenda. Please notice he did not just state his view, he made using Linux Mint contingent on agreeing with his politics. So using Linux Mint means you agree with his anti-Israili stance. The post has now been deleted.
Now Clement Lefebvre is free to believe whatever he wants to believe, but suggesting that agreeing with his political views is required for using Linux Mint is wrong. He seems to have backed down from that connection, but he still is “against a country and its government,” namely Israel.
Links
The Great Linux Mint Political Train Wreck
Support Israel’s Government? Linux Mint Developer Says Go Away
mint and personal views…
Fedora is one of the most popular distributions of Linux. It may gain some users with Ubuntu’s future plans to drop Gnome as the default desktop for Unity. But Fedora is not as user-friendly as Ubuntu.
Fedoraplus, also known as autoten, is a simple program to make life easier and quicker for installing those much-needed extra’s in Fedora, and will always be compatible with the latest two releases of fedora.
Most Ubuntu users like music and videos and Flash. Fedoraplus is the simplest way to obtain all the necessary codecs and some extras.
I also should mention that you should add RPM Fusion to your software sources list. RPM Fusion provides software that the Fedora Project doesn’t want to ship. That software is provided as precompiled RPMs so you can use the RPM Fusion repositories with tools like yum and PackageKit. RPM Fusion’s goal is to simplify end-user experience by grouping as much add-on software as possible in a single location.
Get Fedoraplus
http://www.dnmouse.org/autoten/
Get RPM Fusion
http://rpmfusion.org/
Official Fedora Sites
http://fedoraproject.org/
http://fedoraforum.org/
http://fedorasolved.org/
For More Help
http://www.fedorafaq.org/
http://www.techotopia.com/index.php/Fedora_Linux_Essentials
http://www.squidoo.com/fedoratips
http://freshrpms.net/
http://www.mjmwired.net/resources/mjm-fedora-f14.html
http://rpm.pbone.net/
http://crackednoodle.com/2010/11/fedora-14-tips-and-tricks/
http://digitizor.com/2010/11/03/fedora-14-cheatsheet/
There seems to a growing tide of discontent towards Canonical, the company backing the Ubuntu distribution. More and more it appears that commercial interests are behind its direction. And even these seem to be questionable.
I have not been shy in stating my disapproval towards the direction Ubuntu is currently going. I think that many people are jumping ship and heading to Linux Mint. The fact of the matter is that the end of Ubuntu may be drawing near. I did say may. I am not ready to declare it dead, but I think it is awfully close to dangerous chasm that could signal its end.
Canonical is not community driven, it is driving the community. And at some point the members of community will get wise to this and leave. I did. I used to be a part of the Ubuntu US New Mexico LoCo Team and signed their Code of Conduct. But I left for a number of reasons. I even unsigned the Code of Conduct. Ubuntu has lost one supporter.
And I am not the only one who has noticed the trend. Ubuntu may be in trouble. It is too early to tell. But I think it is time to separate the Ubuntu community project from the commercial interests of Canonical. It may be the only way to save the Ubuntu ship from sinking in the sea of dissatisfaction.
Read the Latest
Has Ubuntu Linux Lost Its Luster?
Ubuntu: Where Did the Love Go
The latest Ubuntu Unity: Good or bad?
Ubuntu has been my distribution of choice for the last few years. I have been part of the community and even did tutorials on how to use it. But my frustration with Canonical, the company that sponsors Ubuntu, has grown with each new release.
Recent Bad Choices
Canonical has had a history of ignoring its user base. Take the replacement of Pidgin with Empathy. I did not like Empathy. Then they decided to move the maximize – minimize – close controls from the right side of the window panel to the left. Now in the next release 11.04, code-named Natty Narwhall, they are dumping Rhythmbox for Banshee.
Dumping the Gnome Desktop
All these changes I could tolerate and fix. But the dumping of Gnome as the default desktop for the Unity desktop environment in the next release is unacceptable. I gave their Unity Desktop a try, and I hated it. I could have gone to Kubuntu which runs the KDE desktop, but I like Gnome. I even seriously thought of saying goodbye to Ubuntu. I even tried Fedora 14, Linux Mint 10, and Debian 6.0. Each of which gave me different problems, the worst being Debian. I actually managed to crash my Debian system by trying to install driver’s for my video card.
My final solution was to go back to Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. Their long-term support (LTS) releases are supported for three years on the desktop. That means that that version is good till April of 2013. By this time either another distro will become good enough to switch to or Ubuntu will have developed to the point where an Ubuntu alternative is available.
Restore Gnome with a Few Clicks
I recently read in Linux Format that Unity is a shell that runs on top of Gnome 3.0. And according to Marco Fioretti the full-blown traditional Gnome interface “will still be available and you’ll be able to restore it with a few clicks.”[Linux Format, 64] But the point is that Gnome will no longer be the default desktop. And since most people just download and use the default desktop, that is what people will get. That is why I can only recommend the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS for most desktop users.
It appears that Ubuntu will continue to lose desktop users as they focus on touch compatibility. They should have kept Unity on the netbook edition and not moved it to the main distribution. This is a mistake that will cost them more than one long time follower. They have also done a poor job at communicating the changes, which has made more than one user upset. It appears that they are too focused on touch, netbooks, and mobile devices and are leaving the desktop user behind.
Ok, so I have all my files on a back up external hard drive. I got a new hard drive for my computer and I want to transfer all my files to my new system. But after transferring them it tells me I don’t have permission to access them. What do you do?
Unfortunately the only way to change file permissions in mass is through the terminal.There is no GUI (Graphical User Interface) that will work.
To change group ownership for all files in a directory type the following in the terminal, replacing “jay” with your user ID. It is case-sensitive. Please be careful, you are using sudo which is powerful. This is valid as of February 2011.
sudo chown :jay -R /home/jay/Documents/
sudo chown :jay -R /home/jay/Music/
sudo chown :jay -R /home/jay/Pictures/
sudo chown :jay -R /home/jay/Videos/
sudo chown :jay -R /home/jay/Downloads/
To change group ownership for all files in an external USB device.
sudo chown :jay -R /media/USBdrive/
To change file ownership for all files in a directory type the following in the terminal, replacing “jay” with your user ID. Notice the only difference is the absence of “:”
sudo chown jay -R /home/jay/Documents/
sudo chown jay -R /home/jay/Music/
sudo chown jay -R /home/jay/Pictures/
sudo chown jay -R /home/jay/Videos/
sudo chown jay -R /home/jay/Downloads/
To change file ownership for all files in an external USB device.
sudo chown jay -R /media/USBdrive/
The “sudo” gives you root access, the “chown” changes ownership. The “-R” means to apply to all files in the directory, and the rest is the location of the directory to be modified. You can’t apply it to “/home/jay/” because there are some files that need to be protected.
