Linux - Page 35 of 38 - Make Tech Easier

Testdrive Let You Test Ubuntu With A Single Click

If you want to test drive a Linux distro, what will you usually do? Download the ISO file, burn it into a CD/USB drive and boot it up in your PC. Alternatively, you can also run the ISO file in virtual machine such as Virtualbox or VMWare. What if you are not a geek and […]

OpenOffice Base - A Simple And Useful Database Management Tool

When most people think OpenOffice, they think of word processing or spreadsheets. What many people do not realize is that OpenOffice also includes Base, a database system roughly equivalent to MS Access. Many businesses and individuals use these systems to allow even non-technical people to enter, store, retrieve and organize their data. Using Base, you […]

Ubuntu 10.10 Comes With Multi-Touch Support

Apple has multi-touch technology. Microsoft's Windows 7 also supports multi-touch. What about Linux, especially Ubuntu, which is touted as the "mainstream Linux"? Well, the news is out. The next version of Ubuntu - Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick will come with uTouch 1.0, the multi-touch and gesture stack for Linux platform. Canonical is pleased to announce the […]

Comparing Three Linux RSS Feed Readers

If you a web user and don't already love RSS/Atom type feeds, you're missing out. Not only can you have all your favorite news sites and blogs pipe into one location for easy browsing, you can even get updates on discounted shopping, or be notified when a new Simpsons episode lands on Hulu. Feeds are […]

[Snippet] How to Sync Rhythmbox With iOS4.0

In Ubuntu Lucid, the Rhythmbox can detect your iPhone/iPod Touch by default and sync it with your computer. However, with the release of iOS 4.0, it breaks the sync and left many Linux users with system incompatibility. Here is a quick and easy way to fix this: Open a terminal and add the repository: sudo […]

How to Easily Create a Custom Lightweight Desktop Environment

Gnome and KDE are great - they give you a beautiful desktop with all the tools and utilities you need. On either system, you'll find a solid window manager, desktop icons, a panel full of applets, the works. That's all well and good for your average desktop PC, but what if you need something lighter, […]

How to Manage Google Calendar From Command Line And Display It On Your Desktop

I don't think I need to do any introduction on Google Calendar. It is one of the most popular web based calendar and if you have a Google account (or a Gmail account), you already have a Google Calendar account. To add events/appointment to your Google Calendar, the most primitive way is to open your […]

How to Create High Quality Drum Beats with Hydrogen

Linux is known for a lot of great things, but you rarely see it listed as a platform of choice for multimedia production. Some of that poor reputation for multimedia has long been deserved, but in recent years the quality of Linux's audio and video applications has been steadily increasing. One of the best loved […]

Preview of KDE 4.5

When KDE 4.0 was released, it was clear that it was not finished and not ready for production. By version 4.2, the completely redesigned and recoded desktop environment was starting to regain the stability and depth that many loved about KDE 3, while also adding new features that make KDE a unique and rewarding desktop […]

How to Sync Your Empathy Logs Across Various Computers [Linux Ubuntu]

Since Empathy became the default IM app in Ubuntu 9.10, it has also replaced Pidgin as my default IM app. Empathy is simple to use and the version in Ubuntu 10.04 come with a nice interface. So even though Pidgin is functionally better, I have no compelling reasons to switch it back. There is one […]

Using Compiz As A Window Management Tool

You've seen the wobbly windows, you've seen the cube, you've seen the raindrops. Compiz is just a bunch of useless eye candy right? Wrong. While the flashy effects get most of the attention, Compiz is a top-notch window manager in its own right. In fact, it's got so many workspace and window management tools that […]

Backup All Your Mobile Data With m:IQ

We talk a lot about backing up on Make Tech Easier, but generally this is with respect to computers. Backing up mobile phones is still in its infancy as mobile internet has just recently started to become more ubiquitous. The two leading smartphone operating systems, Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, both have some backup functions […]

Daniusoft Video Converter Ultimate

How I wish that there is only one unified video format in the whole world and all the media players support that particular format. In reality, this is not the case. With so many mobile devices out there each supporting different audio/video format, it can be a great hassle finding out which format is suitable […]

Snippet: Make Windows Live Messenger Minimize to Status Bar

If you are using Windows 7 and the Windows Live Essential software, you will notice that your Windows Live Messenger (and Mail) does not minimize to the status bar. Instead it will show a highlighted icon on the task bar, which I find it rather annoying and disruptive. Here's a quick way to take it […]

Snippet: Recover the Icons For the Ubuntu System Menu

I give you a minute and you tell me what is missing from the Ubuntu menu bar. Time up! Still can't find the fault? If you have been a detailed person, you will notice that the all the icons are missing from the System menu. Look for the screenshot below for illustration. This is not […]

Build Your Own Ubuntu-based Distro With Novo Builder

There are many reasons why people want to create their own linux distro. It could be that they are not satisfied with all the existing distros out there and wanted to build one that can fulfill their needs, or they just want to try out something new and show off their “geekiness”. Whatever the reasons, […]

How to Automate Your Podcast Downloads with gPodder

If you're a fan of podcasts, you've probably at some point become fed up with manually finding and downloading your favorites. This can be a real pain for people who count on fresh daily podcasts to make it through the work day, so multiple solutions have been attempted to make this process simpler. One such […]

How to Sync Your iPhone Contacts to Ubuntu One

Note: As of June 1, 2011, Ubuntu One contacts sync for mobile (including iOS) will no longer be active. For more information, please refer to this post. When Ubuntu One first launched, we all thought that it is just another file storage service, just like Dropbox, with the limitation that it is only available for […]

Using Zoho Web Service as an Alternative to Open Office in Ubuntu

When it comes to alternative to Microsoft Office, most people will think of Open Office. But if you are just doing simple word processing or spreadsheet calculation, Open Office can also be an overkill, especially if you are using a netbook. Personally, I have a netbook running Ubuntu Lucid with Open Office pre-installed. Whenever I […]

Snippet: How to Make Google Chrome As The Default Browser in Ubuntu

Even though Google Chrome is faster and lesser prone to crash, it is still NOT the default browser in Ubuntu. At least until Ubuntu Lucid, Firefox still reign in Linux arena. Now, if you have installed Google Chrome and intend to use it as the default browser, won't it be great if you can set […]

The Beginner Guide to Use GoogleCL

At some point, the people at Google, who brought you the Linux-based Android platform and the Summer of Code, decided that they still were not geeky enough. To resolve that gut feeling, they have released GoogleCL, a command line utility for popular Google services. Now, even the most hardcore command line Linux purists have no […]

Comparing Linux Photo Managers...Which Is The Best For Your Everyday Use?

When you work with large amounts of photos, it can get tiresome to have to manually manage the file and directory structures. To help resolve this, many people use photo managers such as Picasa, DigiKam, and iPhoto. There are several options for Linux, so we've decided to check out each of the major photo management […]

A Review Of MeeGo v1.0: Is It Good Enough For Your Netbook?

MeeGo is a new Linux-based mobile operating system designed through the collaboration of Intel and Nokia developers. The name MeeGo is meant to convey a merging of Nokia's Maemo and Intel's Moblin. While Maemo was primarily geared toward handheld devices, such as the Nokia N800, N810, and N900 and Moblin was primarily geared toward netbooks, MeeGo […]

Cortina: Yet Another Gnome Wallpaper Changer

Few years back, I always lamented that there are few and little wallpaper changer apps for Ubuntu desktop. Fast forward to today, this is no longer the case. It seems that there is another new kid in the block: Cortina. Cortina is a simple wallpaper changer for the Gnome desktop. It does not come with […]

How to Install Sopcast in Ubuntu (and Watch World Cup in Your Computer)

As the 2010 World Cup getting closer and closer, soccer fanatics who are not able to catch it on the TV has started to hit the Web to look for alternative sources to support their favorite teams. Needless to say, P2P is one of the most popular resources. However, to be able to watch P2P […]

KDE Power Management 101

While there are exceptions, power management is primarily the concern of laptop, netbook, and tablet users, and as the world becomes increasingly reliant on these mobile devices, getting good battery life and conserving energy are top priorities. KDE's power management is controlled by an application called PowerDevil. There are three ways to access and manage […]

How to Easily Fix Window and Linux Boot Problems with the Super Grub Disk

Just about anyone who's attempted dual booting or another non-standard boot setup has, at some point, made their own system unbootable. If the words "GRUB Error 2" or "No Valid System Disk Found" make you break into a cold sweat, then fear no more. Now you can include the Super Grub Disk in your geek […]

Peppermint OS - A New Take on the Web-Centric Desktop

There are a LOT of Linux distros out there, so when it comes to distro reviews, we here at MakeTechEasier usually only go in for the ones offering something unique. Nearly all operating systems these days seem to be transitioning toward a faster and more web-centric experience. Some have embraced it more than others, and […]

How to Remove Repositories In Ubuntu

In all our previous articles, we taught you how to add repositories to your system so that you can install third party software. What about the other way round? There are times when you uninstall an application and have no more use for its repository. It is a good idea to remove the repository from […]

How to Easily Customize NotifyOSD in Ubuntu Lucid

The NotifyOSD was introduced since Ubuntu Jaunty. It acts like the Growl in Mac and present an (supposedly) unobstructive notification to the user. Some people like it, but plenty of others found it disruptive. For those who hate it, one of the major complaint is that there is no (easy) way to configure the settings, […]

How to Manage Your Online Identity with Specto

Every once in a while, a piece of software comes along that really makes you stop and think "That's so simple, why haven't we been doing it this way all along?" One such program is Specto, an extraordinarily simple yet amazingly useful desktop utility. As many of you have likely noticed, most modern operating systems […]

How to Run Multiple Dropbox Accounts in Mac and Linux

Previously, we have done a tutorial on setting up multiple Dropbox accounts in Windows 7. There is no reason for us to leave out Mac and Linux as well. So here is it, the tutorial to run multiple Dropbox accounts in Mac and Linux. Note: The below tutorial assumes that you have already installed (and […]

How to Manage Removable Devices in KDE

As with most tasks in Linux, there are multiple ways to handle removable devices, but for removable media in particular, KDE's primary tool is the Plasma Device Notifier Widget. It is activated by default on the KDE panel in all 4.x versions of the desktop environment. From it, you can manage all sorts of removable […]

GDM2 Setup: Reclaim Control of Your Login In Ubuntu Lucid

Ubuntu has come a long way since Warty Warthog, generally making improvements with each release. Sometimes, however, when a feature is replaced, the new version might not have all the tools surrounding it that the original had. Such is the case with GDM2, the login manager in newer Ubuntu releases. Many users find the current […]

How to Change Your Login And Boot Screen In Ubuntu Lucid

The latest version of Ubuntu (10.04 Lucid) comes with a plymouth theme that allows more cool and animated screen to be displayed during boot up. While this is a great improvement, it also means that all the previous method of setting your own boot screen and login screen is no longer valid. For those who […]

6 Useful Widgets For Amarok Music Player

Linux has no shortage of music players, and even KDE has at least two: JuK and Amarok. The one you decide to use is truly a matter of preference, and it would be pointless for me to attempt to convince you to choose Amarok. It is, however, my music player of choice. I mostly use […]

Ubuntu Unity: New Desktop Environment For Your Ubuntu Netbook

Are you loving your current Ubuntu Netbook Edition (UNE) user interface? Well, that's going to change in the next iteration of UNE, also known as 10.10 Maverick Meerkat. Ubuntu founder has recently unveiled a new lightweight desktop environment called Unity. This new desktop environment is designed to consume lesser resources and make lesser use of […]

How to Easily Create Abstract Wallpaper In Gimp

Just about everyone loves a good looking abstract desktop background, but not everyone agrees on exactly what defines "good looking". There are dozens of websites that specialize in these types of images, but you have to sift through hundreds, sometimes thousands, to find one you really like. Sometimes, after all the searching, the one you […]

Exaile - The First Linux Media Player I Don't Hate

Anyone who knows me will have heard me rant about the poor state of music software, particularly for Linux. There seem to be two types of music players out there: the tiny ones that don't get in your way but often lack important playlist features or format support, and the monstrous software beasts that drag […]

Qjoypad: Keyboard to Gamepad Mapping for Linux

Gaming on Linux can be a wonderful, irritating, or anything in between. Sometimes you get things exactly the way you want them, and other times, you have to improvise. Ideally, every game would support the devices you want to use with it, but there are a few instances where games do not yet support joysticks […]

Ubuntu Lucid 10.04 Launches Today + Free Ubuntu Guide Download

Don't tell me you are not waiting for the launch of Ubuntu Lucid. The good news is, Ubuntu Lucid launches TODAY. If you have not grabbed a copy, go to Ubuntu.com now and download the ISO. Alternatively, for those who are upgrading from Karmic, head to your Update Manager (System -> Administration -> Update Manager) […]

How to Use KDE's Clipboard and Klipper App

The clipboard is one of the oldest and most important features of desktop computing. With it, you can temporarily store pictures, images, and even file information in the system's memory, and then copy or move that information to a new destination. KDE has an advanced clipboard system, largely due to a small program called Klipper, […]

How to Unlock Gnome Panel For Customization in Ubuntu Netbook Edition (UNE)

Even though Ubuntu Lucid has not been officially released, I believe some of you have already upgraded your system to the beta or release candidate version. Now, if you have upgraded your Ubuntu Netbook Edition to the latest version (10.04), you will notice one thing: the top Gnome panel is locked and you can't perform […]

What to Install After Installing Ubuntu Lucid?

As Ubuntu Lucid is preparing for its grand launch on 29th April 2010, I am sure you should have already known what to expect in this release. The next usual question is: "what should I install after installing Lucid?" We have done plenty of "what to install after installing Ubuntu" articles previously, but this time […]

9 More OpenOffice Extensions

Moving all of your apps and information in the cloud has been adopted by a great number of people. However, there are also a large number who still prefer having a desktop application. Pretty much everyone like free. I am typically use Google Docs for my word processing and spreadsheets, but do on occasion tinker […]

How to Install Google Go in Ubuntu

What do you get when you mix Python and C? According to Google, it's Go - a new programming language developed in-house and later open sourced. Go was created by a small team inside Google, including the well known Ken Thompson, co-inventor of Unix and major influence on C. It was created out of a […]

3 KDE Add-ons Worth Trying

One of the remarkable features of KDE 4 is the extensibility. Developers or even regular users can contribute to the rich collection of artwork, software, widgets, and visual improvements. Ever so often, I look around for rather random add-ons that make my desktop experience more pleasant or occasionally even serve a meaningful purpose. They range […]

How to Create Screencasts in Linux

MakeTechEasier.com is exploring the possibility of creating screencasts for our users, so that we can quickly visualize some of the tutorials that might make more sense in a video format. In researching this, we found an awful lot of software for desktop recording. These programs can differ widely in features like video quality, performance, and […]

Beginner's Guide to Grep

There is a classic bit of computer wisdom that states "If you've got a problem, and decide to solve it with regular expressions, now you've got two problems." This of course stems from the perception that regular expressions are a complicated mix of magic characters and Voodoo. Regular expressions can allow you to achieve elegant […]

How to Install QtCurve in KDE

In a previous MTE article, you learned how to create a unified desktop using the KDE 4 Oxygen themes for KDE, GTK, and Firefox. Oxygen is clean, simple, and visually pleasing, but some people want a little more flexibility. QtCurve is a theming system that gives you the configuring power to have varieties of themes, […]