Computer and Linux

How To Change the Login Screen Wallpaper on Ubuntu 11.10

2012-04-06T18:57:00.001+07:00

The following tutorial will teach Ubuntu 11.10 users how to make their favorite wallpaper appear at the login screen.

As you all know, Unity Greeter is now the default login manager in Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot), and it will still be available in the upcoming Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin), due for release next month, on April 26th.

Unity Greeter uses LightDM to provide a very nice and modern login screen, which has the ability to display the current wallpaper used on users' desktops.

Now, there's a problem with that, as it is limited to only the default Ubuntu wallpaper pack offered by Canonical. Yes, you can add you own wallpapers, but there is now normal way to make them appear on the login screen, as it will display the default Ubuntu wallpaper.

How do we resolve this issue? Well, this is why we've created this short tutorial. To teach you guys how to make that beautiful desktop background you love so much, appear at the login prompt.

Of course, this is only a temporary workaround, until Canonical will develop a tool to make it easy for users to select a wallpaper for the login screen.

Step 1 - Install Simple LightDM Manager
No matter what Ubuntu operating system you are running, open a terminal by hitting the CTRL+ALT+T key combination and paste the following commands, one by one (hitting enter after each one):

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:claudiocn/slm
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y simple-lightdm-manager

Wait for the installation to finish and close the terminal window. Proceed to the next step!

Step 2 - Set a wallpaper for the login screen
Open the newly installed application, called Simple LightDM Manager, from Unity Dash...

... and select the wallpaper you want to set as default, for both your desktop and login screen, by clicking the "Location" button...

Click the "Apply" button. It will ask for your password, so enter it and click OK.

That's it. Yes, it was that simple! Now log out and you'll see that the wallpaper you have on your desktop is also displayed on the login prompt.

source : news.softpedia.com

How to Install Adobe Flash Player 64-bit on Ubuntu 11.04

2011-07-16T09:16:00.000+07:00

The following tutorial will teach you how to install the 64-bit edition of the Adobe Flash Player 11 plugin on the Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system.
Well, I guess you've heard the good news, that Adobe released in July 13th, the first Beta version of Adobe Flash Player with support for 64-bit Linux-based operating systems.

The following guide is here to teach you how to replace the 32-bit version of the flash player with the 64-bit one, on Ubuntu 11.04 AMD64 systems. It will work with other 64-bit Linux distributions and with the Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Opera web browsers.

OK, so let us get down to business, and replace that ugly 32-bit flash player installation from your Ubuntu 11.04 AMD64 edition with the newly released 64-bit version.

What do I need to get started? You will need to have a healthy installation of Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) and follow the steps below carefully.

Step 1 - Installing the Adobe Flash Player 11 64-bit repository

Hit the CTRL+ALT+T key combination on your keyboard and paste the following command in the terminal window:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sevenmachines/flash

Don't close the terminal window yet. Go to the next step!

Step 2 - Install Adobe Flash Player 11 64-bit

With the terminal window opened, paste the following commands, one by one, waiting for the first one to finish before pasting the second one:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install flashplugin64-installer

Hit "Y" when asked and close the terminal window when the installation is over. The 32-bit edition of the currently installed Adobe Flash Player plugin will be automatically uninstalled.

Step 3 - Verify the installation of the 64-bit flash player

You should now restart your Firefox, Opera or Google Chrome web browser. When it's opened go to YouTube or any other website with flash content and watch a video clip...

Adobe Flash Player 11 Beta under Ubuntu 11.04 with Firefox 5

source : news.softpedia.com

Adobe Flash Player 11 Brings 64-bit Support for Linux

2011-07-16T09:11:00.001+07:00

Adobe Labs announced last evening, July 13th, the immediate availability for download of the first Beta release of the upcoming Adobe Flash Player 11 for Linux, Windows and Machintosh platforms, now with native support for 64-bit Linux operating systems.

Our prayers have come to an end, as Adobe has finally released a few hours ago a new Adobe Flash Player 11, which includes native 64-bit support for Linux.

Adobe Flash Player 11 Beta drives innovation for amazing, breathtaking digital experiences with brand-new features, including Stage 3D, HD surround sound, H.264/AVC software encoding and 64-bit support.

Highlights of Adobe Flash Player 11 Beta 1:

· 64-bit support for Linux operating systems and browsers (Mac OS X and Windows are also supported);
· Linux Vector Printing support to print crisp and rich images on Linux;
· Asynchronous Bitmap Decoding;
· HD surround sound support to deliver full High-Definition videos with 7.1 channels surround sound, directly to TVs powered by AIR;
· Stage 3D Accelerated Graphics Rendering;
· G.711 audio compression for telephony (can be used to integrate telephony/voice into business applications using the G.711 codec;
· H.264/AVC Software Encoding for webcams, to locally encode higher quality video using the H.264 codec;
· Socket Progress Events (designed to build advanced file sharing programs, such as FTP clients that send huge amounts of data);
· Cubic Bezier Curves support to create cubic Beziers;
· Native JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) support;
· Garbage Collection Advice;
· Socket Progress Events;
· Secure Random Number Generator;
· TLS Secure Sockets Support;
· JPEG-XR support;
· Enhanced high resolution bitmap support;
· High efficiency SWF compression support.

Adobe Flash Player 11 Beta under Ubuntu 11.04 with Firefox 5

Among the official Linux operating systems supported by the new Adobe Flash Player 11 plug-in we can mention Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5.6 or later, openSUSE 11.3 or later and Ubuntu 10.04 LTS or later.

The following official minimum hardware components are required for Linux users: 2.33 Ghz or faster x86-compatible processor, or Intel Atom 1.6GHz or faster CPU for netbooks, 512MB of RAM, and 128MB of graphics memory. Mozilla Firefox 3.6 and above, and Google Chrome web browsers are also officially supported.

source : news.softpedia.com

Ubuntu 11.10 Release Schedule Changed, Alpha 2 Delayed

2011-07-06T20:40:00.000+07:00

The release schedule for the upcoming Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating system has been modified last week by Canonical. The second Alpha version was supposed to arrive for testing last Thursday, June 30th, but it was rescheduled for July 7th.

For Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot), Canonical decided to change the release schedule again, rescheduling Alpha 2 for July 7th. The rest of the dates remain the same. Here is the new release schedule for Ubuntu 11.10:

June 2nd, 2011 - Alpha 1 release
July 7th, 2011 - Alpha 2 release
August 4th, 2011 - Alpha 3 release
September 1st, 2011 - Beta 1 release
September 22nd, 2011 - Beta 2 release
October 13th, 2011 - Final release of Ubuntu 11.10

As you can see, the one week delay of the second Alpha release will not affect the rest of the development cycle for Ubuntu 11.10. The final release will be available, as supposed, on October 13th, 2011.

See you again this Thursday, June 7th, for an in-depth article of the Ubuntu 11.10 Alpha 2 development release. But, until then, here's what to expect from this version:

· Linux kernel 3.0;
· The desktop is accessible again;
· Mozilla Thunderbird 5.0 as default mail client;
· Mozilla Firefox 5.0 as default web browser;
· Deja Dup backup tool;
· Synaptic Package Manager.

Ubuntu 11.10 Daily Build

Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) will be the 15th release of the Ubuntu operating system.

Ubuntu is a Linux distribution for your desktop or server, with a fast and easy install, regular releases, a tight selection of excellent packages installed by default, every other package you can imagine available from the network, and professional technical support from Canonical Ltd and hundreds of other companies around the world.

Happy Independence Day!

source : news.softpedia.com

What Can You Do If Your Email Account Is Wiped?

2011-06-30T18:34:00.000+07:00

Not so long ago many Gmail users went to check their mail only to find that their entire inbox and all their contact had been completely deleted. This shocking discovery was something done by Google by accident and only affected a very small percentage of its total users but made many people think about what would happen if all their emails were suddenly wiped forever. With approximately 300 billion emails being sent every day around the world, and as you are probably an email user yourself, you can imagine the carnage this could cause.

This article will attempt to offer some solutions as to what you can do if this happens to you.

Check who you are signed in as

If you are using one of the many popular online email providers like Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo mail etc. it is possible that you have signed in as someone else. When you sign in you will notice that you can tick a box which says something like 'remember me' which means that every time this computer comes to this mail homepage it will automatically sign you in under whichever password that was used when that box was ticked. If you check the user name you are signed in you may find that your sudden terror need only last for a couple of seconds before you switch back to your account.

Check your hard drive

If this is not the case you may want to start checking your hard drive. Many email systems, both online and offline provide a system where they back up all your emails in a folder on your hard drive so that you can't lose them. If this is the case you may be able to just bring your emails back to life with a few mouse clicks. Also, if you use a payment service provider and you get a lot of your emails through them when for payment notifications for example, chances are they may have a back-up of a lot of your important emails such as receipts of payments and invoices.

Contact your supplier

If this doesn't work you may want to contact your email supplier. Companies like Google will generally fall over themselves to help you as getting a bad reputation for losing emails is bad for business. Chances are your supplier will have a back-up of your emails on their servers which they will be able to use to restore your emails to how they were before they got deleted.

source : www.articlecity.com by Sam Qam

Advantages Of Buying Original Ink Cartridges

2011-06-30T18:32:00.000+07:00

Since there is a need to cut on costs because of these turbulent financial times, there are a few ways consumers refill ink cartridges. These are through ink refilling kits that are a do-it-yourself projects that consumers can do on their own, through purchasing compatible ink cartridges that are made by third party manufacturers compatible to particular brands like Canon ink or Lexmark ink cartridges and re-manufactured printer cartridges which are recycled cartridges refilled with ink.

Surely, these are far cheaper than buying an original cartridge not because original equipment is overpriced but because they have a few disadvantages to using them. For one they are not manufactured with the same quality control and manufacturing process an original cartridge goes through. Since the quality will not be the same, think of the number of times you will have to print not only wasting ink but paper and time as well. You cannot be assured a hundred percent that the less than original cartridge will actually work once it gets to you. Imagine purchasing ten cartridges off the internet because of a really cheap sale but only five functions when it gets to you. Yes, you can send them back for an exchange but think of the time wasted. Be wary of cartridges sold at an unbelievably low price because these are cartridges that were drilled so they can be filled with ink. Many of these are half-filled or sometimes less, plus the fact that if something goes wrong with your printer because you are not using an originally manufactured ink cartridge, you cannot expect the manufacturers to honour your warranty.

This is one of the gravest things a consumer can do to a brand new printer. If you are really forced to buy these cheaper and less than stellar equipment, then please wait until the warranty is over before using them. You may be saving some money but not enough to actually purchase a brand new printer. In the long run you are not actually saving but spending more. The point is that these cartridges are not made to suit your printer perfectly so there is a big chance that it can in fact damage your equipment. Some studies have shown that forty percent of unoriginal ink cartridges cause problems with the printer.

On the other hand, purchasing originally manufactured ink cartridges might be a tad bit intimidating and overwhelming because of the steep price it comes with but in reality, you are actually saving money for the long haul. Here are a number of reasons why. These cartridges are really manufactured for the sole purpose of using it with the printer so you can expect stellar quality in printing without the hassle of reprinting, durability of your printer means you should encounter less problems if none at all and lastly, if ever something goes wrong with the printer, you can expect full accountability from the manufacturer as well as honouring the warranty. You can expect not to encounter instances of streaking, blurring, bleeding, curling and ugly blotches highlighting that you only need to print once and on one piece of paper. Compute these with the number of pages you can actually print only once versus the number of instances you will have to reprint for unoriginal equipment and you will immediately see how much you have saved. Do the math.

There may be only a few advantages to purchasing originally manufactured ink cartridges but one thing is certain. The cost on a new printer because of a damaged one plus hoards of reams of paper and unoriginal ink cartridges for reprints, printer jams, plus low class quality prints should be enough for you to do a double take on cost alone versus a onetime steep investment on all original equipment. You shell out on a printer once in two to three years, twice for Canon ink cartridges or Lexmark ink cartridges in a year. That is a lot of savings on cost already. Original equipment is manufactured for a purpose and that purpose is because they are built to last and are supposed to compliment the equipment they are really made for. These reasons alone should be enough to dispel the myth that unoriginal equipment are cost efficient.

source :www.articlecity.com by Kathryn Dawson

Mandriva 2011 RC1 Looks Impressive, Screenshot Tour

2011-06-30T18:26:00.001+07:00

Mandriva, through Eugeni Dodonov, announced a few minutes ago, June 29th, the immediate availability for testing of the first Release Candidate version of the upcoming Mandriva 2011 Linux operating system.

Mandriva 2011 RC1 contains a huge number of changes, compared to the previous development release, Mandriva 2011 Beta 3. It has updated applications, such as Mozilla Firefox 5.0, Opera 11.50, Pidgin 2.9.0, as well as a new revamped interface with new artwork.

"The ones following us on cooker and changelog mailing lists have noticed that there was a huge number of changes between Mandriva 2011 beta3 and RC1, and we want to make sure that you will have the most adequate experience with this first release candidate." - said Eugeni Dodonov.

Highlights of Mandriva 2011 RC1:

· Linux kernel 2.6.38.7;
· KDE SC 4.6.4;
· New amazing design;
· New login manager;
· New desktop themes;
· New Plasma widgets;
· New icons;
· New wallpapers;
· New splash screens;
· New launcher;
· New boot screens;
· New Mandriva Control Center;
· Mandriva Sync;
· Mandriva Sphere;
· Mozilla Firefox 5.0;
· Opera 11.50;
· Xorg Server 1.10.2;
· Mesa 7.10.3;
· Pidgin 2.9.0;
· KDEPim 4.6.0;
· iptables 1.4.11.1;
· Chromium web browser 12 and 13;
· Improved booting process;
· Wireshark 1.6.0;
· VLC 1.1.10;
· Shotwell 0.10.1;
· Clementine 0.7.1;
· Samba 3.5.9;
· GCC 4.6.1;
· Octave 3.4.2;
· GIT 1.7.6;
· rsyslog 5.8.2;
· ffmpeg 0.7.1;
· KDevelop 4.2.3;
· Wine 1.3.23;
· Horde Groupware 3.3.11
· SQlite 3.7.7;
· Pulseaudio 0.9.23;
· coreutils 8.12;
· Python 2.7.2;
· Blender 2.58;
· Mozilla Thunderbird 3.1.11;
· Drizzle 2011.06.19;
· systemd 29;
· hugin 2011.0.0;
· WebKit 1.4.1.

For your viewing pleasure, we've prepared a screenshot tour of this first Release Candidate of Mandriva Linux 2011. Enjoy!

Mandriva 2011 Release Schedule:

· February 15th, 2011 - Mandriva 2011 Alpha 1;
· February 28th, 2011 - Mandriva 2011 Alpha 2;
· March 16th, 2011 - Mandriva 2011 Beta 1;
· April 18th, 2011 - Mandriva 2011 Beta 2;
· June 1st, 2011 - Mandriva 2011 Beta 3;
· June 29th, 2011 - Mandriva 2011 RC1;
· July 27th, 2011 - Mandriva 2011 RC2;
· August 29th, 2011 - Mandriva 2011 Final release.

Mandriva 2011 RC1 is the first of two Release Candidate versions for the upcoming Mandriva Linux 2011 operating system. In exactly one month we should be able to download and test the second Release Candidate version of Mandriva Linux 2011.

source : news.softpedia.com

Top 10 Ubuntu 11.04 Unity Panel Applets

2011-06-25T20:51:00.000+07:00

The following article will list some of the most important panel applets, also called indicators, for Ubuntu 11.04's Unity interface.

The Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system introduced a different user interface, designed by Canonical, called Unity. The default indicators are nice, but many people complained that they miss their usual applets on the panel.

CPU monitors, system load indicators, bandwidth statistics, weather indicators, RSS news feeds, DropBox handlers, and many more other applets can be quite easily installed on Ubuntu 11.04.

This article will show a list of ten most used Unity indicators (panel applets), with installation instructions and screenshots. At the end of the article we will also list other indicators, less important, and where to find them.

1. Weather Indicator

This is the most easy to install indicator, as it is provided in the default Ubuntu repositories. Just open Synaptic or Ubuntu Software Center, search for weather-indicator and install it. Log out of your current sesssion, log back in and you'll find it on the panel. Set it up and it will work like a charm.

2. CPUFreq

Very good for netbook users, this indicator will help you change your computer's CPU, to cool it down and save battery power. Hit the CTRL+ALT+T key combination and install indicator-cpufreq with the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:artfwo/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install indicator-cpufreq

3. System Load Indicator

This applet will show what your CPU, memory, network and disk drives are doing. Hit the CTRL+ALT+T key combination and install indicator-multiload with the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:indicator-multiload/stable-daily

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install indicator-multiload

4. StackApplet Indicator

This applet monitors your activity on any StackExchange site. To install it just open Ubuntu Software Center, search for stackapplet and install it.

5. Virtualbox Indicator

This applet will let you easily launch your VirtualBox's virtual machines, right from the notification area. Hit the CTRL+ALT+T key combination and install indicator-virtualbox with the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:michael-astrapi/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install indicator-virtualbox

6. Touchpad Indicator

Another applet useful for netbook users, the Touchpad Indicator will let you enable or disable your laptop's touchpad. Hit the CTRL+ALT+T key combination and install touchpad-indicator with the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/atareao

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install touchpad-indicator

7. ClassicMenu Indicator

This applet provides you the classic GNOME-style applications menu. Just download the deb file from here and install it with a double click.

8. Google Reader Indicator

This applet will display all your feeds, from your Google Reader account. Hit the CTRL+ALT+T key combination and install google-reader-indicator with the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/atareao

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install google-reader-indicator

9. Keylock Indicator

This applet will let you easily turn on or off Caps Lock, Num Lock and Scroll Lock straight from the notification area. Hit the CTRL+ALT+T key combination and install indicator-keylock with the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tsbarnes/indicator-keylock

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install indicator-keylock

10. Radio Tray Indicator

This applet is a minimalistic radio player, which runs in your notification area. Hit the CTRL+ALT+T key combination and install radiotray with the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:eugenesan/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install radiotray

If you have knowledge about other interesting indicators for Unity, or you encounter problems with the installation of the above applets, do not hesitate to comment below.

source : news.softpedia.com

Firefox 5 Final for Linux

2011-06-21T18:06:00.000+07:00

Mozilla unleashed the stable version of the highly anticipated Mozilla Firefox 5.0 web browser for Linux, Windows and Macintosh operating systems.

Yes! The final version of Firefox 5 is finally here, and it brings support for CSS animations, which will lead to amazing Web experiences. It also brings Location-Aware Browsing, channel switcher, performance and stability enhancements, and much more.

Mozilla Firefox 5.0 is supported on both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, which means that it will run on any Linux distribution. However, Ubuntu 11.04 users will get a Firefox update on the official channels, very soon.

Mozilla Firefox 4.0 will no longer be updated, it will be replaced by the new Firefox 5.0, which in time will become Firefox 6, Firefox 7, and so on.

Highlights of Mozilla Firefox 5.0:

· Firefox channel switcher;
· Location-Aware Browsing;
· Support for CSS animations;
· Increased discoverability by using the Do-Not-Track header preference;
· Improved canvas;
· Improved JavaScript;
· Improved memory usage;
· Improved networking performance;
· Better spell checking;
· Better desktop environment integration;
· Better standards support for HTML5, MathML, SMIL, canvas, and XHR;
· Improved performance for background tabs;
· Overall performance and stability enhancements.

These are just a few of the nice features that Mozilla Firefox 5.0 will bring on your desktop. If you want to learn more about the new additions, changes from previous versions and other improvements, do not hesitate to visit the official Firefox 5.0 website.

We've tested the new Mozilla Firefox 5.0 web browser on the Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system. Here's how it looks...

source : news.softpedia.com

10 Tips to save power when using computer or laptop

2011-06-21T01:12:00.001+07:00

Most of us have battery powered gadgets such as cell phone, camera, laptop, ipod, etc. How many times have we wondered if there is enough power in those batteries to last through our important presentation or a telephone call from a loved one? Now that most gadgets themselves are improving with increasingly advanced capabilities, the demand for more power keeps increasing. According to the US dept of Energy, about 10% of the electricity consumed in North America is used to power Information Technology Systems!

If we can come up with methods that decrease power consumption, we can save the environment too! In 2006, the City University of New York installed a program on it computers that would automatically turn off the computers if they were idling in the dark. In one year, the savings were substantial, close to $320,000! Many companies have started to turn off their computers when no one is using them and saving hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Planning to go on a vacation? Turn your computer off! Also remember to turn off your monitor, speakers, printer, scanner or any other hardware that does not power down when you turn off the computer. Even if you are not going anywhere, it’s a good idea to use the power management system on your computer. Here are some tips on how to use the options on your computer.

1. Laptop Power Scheme

For laptops, there are many power schemes to decrease power consumption. One is the Portable/Laptop power scheme. To use this setting, go to Start->Control Panel->Performance and Maintenance-> Power Options->Advanced Tab. Use this setting when you don’t want to change the settings throughout the day. This scheme works well in most situations. This setting turns off monitor, hard disks and system goes into standby before it goes into hibernation after 3 hours of idle time.

2. Home/Office Desk Scheme
This scheme also turns off monitor, but does not turn off hard disks or take the system to standby or hibernation state unless its battery powered. So it uses more power than Option #1. Use this scheme when you are at the desk a lot and have to quickly restore your work. This is also the best option when connected to continuous AC power.

3. Presentation Scheme

In this scheme, everything stays On unless it’s powered by a battery. The hard disks are turned off after 5 minutes of idle time, system goes on standby after 15 minutes and into hibernation in two hours. This scheme is useful when giving a presentation or watching a DVD.

4. Always On

Although this scheme suggests that the computer runs all the time, the monitor turns off after 15 or 20 minutes, and hard disks shut down if the computer is battery powered. This setting has limited use when it comes to conserving power. This may be used when the computer needs to respond immediately to requests over a network or a 911 telephone system, etc.

5. Minimal Power Management
In this scheme, for a system that is not on battery power, the only change is that the monitor is turned off after 15 minutes. If the system is running on battery power, monitor turns off after 5 minutes. This scheme may be used if you have a fully charged battery and is using it to view information except for a few idle intervals.

6. Max Battery

This may be used when we are doing tasks that do not need a lot of CPU processing. Also use this when you would like to conserve battery power even though this may sometimes lower the processing speed of the machine. If you use this scheme on AC power, the monitor is turned off after 15 minutes, (hard disks are not turned off), and system goes into standby after 20 minutes and into hibernation state after 45 minutes. On battery power, monitor is turned off after 1 minute, hard disk is turned off after 3 minutes, and system goes into standby mode after 2 minutes and into hibernation state after one hour.

7. Standby Mode

We can also take the computer directly to standby mode. Go to Start-> Control Panel->Performance and Maintenance->Power Options->Properties->Advanced Tab. Under power buttons, click Standby.

In this mode, the monitor and hard disk are turned off, all open programs and files are stored in RAM. Information stored in RAM is cleared when the computer turns OFF, so remember to save your work and close all applications you don’t need before moving your system to standby mode.
This mode is useful if you are using your computer intermittently during the day. Standby mode allows quick access to open applications and also maximizes the life of your battery. In this mode, the desktop does not change its appearance when you return to it.

8. Hibernation Mode
To go into hibernation mode manually, choose Start->Control Panel->Performance and Maintenance->Power Options Properties->Hibernate Tab->Enable Hibernation. This mode saves all open work into the hard disk and then shuts itself down. This saves a lot of power even though the computer takes a little while longer to return to the original screen. This mode is good when you know that you may not be back for a while. (example - going to lunch).

9. Stop unnecessary Applications

There are several other changes you can make in your environment to save energy and consume less power. Turn off all applications that are not required. Programs such as IM, Skype, Music Online etc have programs running in the background. Reduce the number of services that run on the machine to conserve CPU power. Look for the icons in the task bar which indicate processes that are running to detect a CD or DVD or some other device. Reduce brightness of monitor may save some energy especially if it’s running on battery power. Devices such as a wireless card expends a lot of power even when its not being actively used.

10. Misc. Strategies

There are some more simple things we can do to minimize power wastage:

a. Do not use screen savers that have intensive graphics
b. Use LCD monitors rather than CRT
c. Consider a video card that does not consume a lot of energy
d. Buy the PCs based on low power consumption chips
e. Use an efficient power supply
f. Use ceiling fans and close the blinds in the computer room
g. Install energy efficient windows in the computer room

In the future, computers will have power saving intelligence embedded in the software itself so that they can safeguard the information stored in them without external interference. For example, when the battery is close to 10% of its original strength, the computer will be intelligent enough to shut down all applications safely and store information in temporary files. While a CD or DVD is being created, the computer will be prevented from going into sleep mode. When the display is turned OFF, graphics intensive applications will save CPU cycles until the display is turned back on.

Dual-core chips are expected to consume less power. INTEL, AMD, HP, IBM and similar companies are in the race to create devices with low power consumption. The challenge is to find low power technology for large scale servers and databases as well as home computers while also rising to the demand for higher and higher performance.

source : www.geekswhoknow.com

Introducing Ubuntu IVI Remix and Ubuntu Core

2011-06-20T20:30:00.000+07:00

Canonical announced recently that is joining the GENIVI Alliance and that it will create a GENIVI-compliant Ubuntu IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment) Remix operating system based on the Ubuntu Core sub-set.

Announced by Canonical a couple of days ago, Ubuntu IVI Remix will be an In-Vehicle Infotainment operating system, supporting Intel and ARM processors.

The work on the Ubuntu IVI Remix operating system for cars will start in a few weeks, around July or August, 2011. It will be based on the recently released Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) distribution.

Ubuntu IVI Remix will be introduced with the upcoming Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating system, due for release on October 13th, 2011, and it will be available to car makers in Q1 2012.

On the other hand, Ubuntu Core is a sub-set of Ubuntu technologies especially designed for the next-gen embedded devices where Internet connectivity is the key. With Ubuntu Core, manufacturers will be able to build an amazing experiences to non-PC-based technologies like in-vehicle infotainment systems, set-top boxes and digital devices for the home.

To learn more about Ubuntu Core and how to engage with it, if you are a supplier or OEM, please visit the official Ubuntu Core website.You can also download the Ubuntu Core datasheet, here.

About Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a Linux-based operating system for your desktop or server, with a fast and easy install, regular releases, a tight selection of excellent packages installed by default, every other package you can imagine available from the network, and professional technical support from Canonical Ltd and hundreds of other companies around the world.

About Canonical

Canonical Ltd, a global organization headquartered in Europe, is the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu Linux distribution. Globally recognized as a leading service provider, Canonical is committed to the development, distribution and support of open-source software products and communities.

source : news.softpedia.com

Cloud Computing Comparison

2011-06-20T20:13:00.000+07:00

Cloud computing can be defined as a data service, software and storage service, where the end user is not aware of the physical location and system configuration that delivers the services. Comparison to this concept can be made with electricity power grid where the consumer is mostly ignorant of the component devices that are needed to give this service.

Cloud computing has evolved from virtualization, autonomic utility computing as well as service oriented architecture.

Here are some clouds computing comparison, which have similar characteristics but should not be confused with the following:

1.Autonomic computing-This is can be defined as a self-capable management computer system.

2.Grid computing-This is a form of parallel computing that is distributed and connected to a main super computer. This super and virtual computer is networked to a cluster of loosely interconnected couple of computers working in unison to perform large tasks.

3.Client-server model-This kind of server computing is a general term that refers to any application that is distributed and is able to differentiate between service requesters (clients) and service providers (server).

4.Mainframe computer-These are very powerful computers that are found mostly in large organizations that work with important applications, usually bulky data processing like census, statistics of both consumers and industry, financial transaction and resource planning.

5.Utility computing-This can be defined as packaging of computing resources that involves computation and storage. A good example is the metered service that draws similarities to public utility like electricity.

6.Peer to peer-here the distribution architecture is devoid or doesn’t require central coordination having the participants acting as both the suppliers and consumers of the resources unlike the client server model.

7.Service oriented computing-it models around computing techniques that revolve on software service. Cloud on the other hand relies on services that have a relation with computing.

One of the notable characteristic of cloud computing is that the processing and data is dynamic meaning that it is not found in a static place. The model is totally different from the ones which the processes take place in known specified servers and “not in the cloud” like cloud computing. In other words all the other concepts act as complementary or supplementary to this concept.

The cloud computing comparisons don’t end there. The system software architecture that is involved in delivery of cloud computing involves the following: Multiple cloud components that inter-communicates over interfaces application programming. This is achieved through web services on the 3 tier architecture. The principle follows that of UNIX where multiple programs work concurrently over universal interfaces.

Front end and back end are the two most significant components of cloud computing architecture. The computer user is able to see the front end which is the computer as well as the applications that are used to access cloud on web browser and other interface. The back end, on the other end, of the cloud architecture is the ‘cloud’ that comprises of data storage devices, servers and various computers.

source : www.articlecity.com by: SINGER

Top 5 Facebook Apps For Better Learning

2011-06-20T17:32:00.000+07:00

Learning in this global age has always been very easy. But getting to the source that facilitates you, instead of wasting time is something difficult to identify.

Here are the top five Facebook applications that I consider the best.

We Read

It basically deals with books. The books you read tells about the person you are. If one some-one looks at the type of books other person read. He can easily identify the personality of other person. Books even separate you from average non- reader. Your talking reflects your intellect, if you are a good reader. So go on we-read browse for good reading material, post your reviews, find about the inn topic. You can even list, review and rate books that you have already read. All this help in building a paperless knowledgeable world around you. And after all reading is so much fun. Develop this habit and you will start enjoying.

Quizzes

Quiz making and taking makes your brain sharp. So go for Quizzes application. Here you can develop quizzes according to your interest and take quizzes to test the knowledge you already have. Thus also helps you in identifying your social circle and discover your identity on internet.

Interview

No, it is not about job interview. Interviews are not for jobs only. It is the application which deals with interview of your own self. So you can better identify, who you really are and were you able to become, what you wanted to be. You can also post it on your profile, so that everyone knows who you are. This help in better understanding of the people you are connected to. This will help in making good friends on this virtual network.

Cause

Working for yourself is something you all do. But working for a cause makes you noble. So utilize tgis application for the benefit of the society, you work in. You might be a foundation, company or individual with the spirit to bring change. Here is the platform, where you can talk about in-equality, injustice, discrimination, environmental hazards, education, animal safety, global warming, world as global village and its challenges.

My personality

My personality is quite an accurate application for judging your personality. The reason behind its being accurate is this that it is developed by postgraduate researchers specializing in psychology and psychometrics from the University of Cambridge and the University of Nottingham. Here you come to know about the fact that are you shy, out-going, introvert or extravert. Through it you can determine the path of career ideal for you. The areas which need to improve and the greatest strength you have.

source : www.articlecity.com by: Inkatechnology

Essential Maintenance Tips for your Computer

2011-06-19T07:14:00.001+07:00

The computer is one of the most important inventions to have taken place in the 20th century, which has grown over several decades contributing to the growth and changes in human learning and behavior. Today the computer is an essential part of human life without which they cannot do their day-to-day tasks.

This amazing machine has made life easier for most people and contributed to their overall growth. Today almost all household have at least one computer but the most important question that arises here is, if the owner is concerned about the proper maintenance of the machine or not.

Most people either fail or forget to properly maintain their computer from both internal and external threats that can seriously jeopardize the functioning of the machine. However, with just a few important tips you can effectively maintain your computer and can keep its functioning as good as ever.

Here are a few essential maintenance tips to keep your computer stable and in a perfect condition:

1. Perform a disk clean up for maintaining the speed of your computer. Running regular disk clean up can clean your system of unnecessary data. This step can be done manually or by running the disk cleanup utility in Windows.

2. Running a registry cleaning software can relieve your system from obsolete and corrupt entries in the registry file. A clogged registry can severely hamper the performance of your system and can even cause it to crash. So, it is important to clean your Windows registry at regular intervals.

3. By using an Anti-Spyware program you can clean your system from malicious programs that intend to steal your data and cause your system to clog.

4. Viruses are one of the most common and serious threat to computers and using a good updated Anti-virus program will help your computer to rid itself from harmful viruses.

5. Lastly, you need to clear all un-important software installed on your computer as they cause a lot of trouble during the Windows startup process and make the process a rather clumsy one.

By following these simple steps you can effectively shield your computer from all internal and external threats.

source : www.articlecity.com by: Software bazar

Ubuntu 11.10 Will Be Distributed As Hybrid CD/USB Images

2011-06-19T00:14:00.000+07:00

Colin Watson announced recently that starting with June 16th, 2011, all daily builds and final releases of the Ubuntu operating system will be distributed as hybrid CD and USB ISO images.

The "hybrid ISO" feature was present in all major Linux distributions, except Debian and, of course, Ubuntu. It was missing from all Debian-based distributions because it would break Jigdo downloads. Therefore the developers are now using xorriso to generate the CD images.

The hybrid ISO functionality allows users to copy the content of the ISO image directly on a formatted USB stick, without the use of external USB creator tools such as UNetbootin or Ubuntu's Startup Disk Creator.

Hybrid ISO functionality is provided for desktop, alternate and server images, for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures.

Users who want to transfer an Ubuntu ISO image to an USB flash drive can now mount and directly copy the contents of the ISO image using a file manager or the dd command.

However, those who want to create a persistent USB device still need to rely on external utilities, like the Ubuntu USB creator.

"I realise that we're behind a number of other major distributions on this. The delay was because (like Debian) we couldn't simply use isohybrid because that would break jigdo downloads, so we had to switch to xorriso as the CD image generator on these architectures for its new JTE support, and by the time all that landed in Debian I didn't really want to cram it into 11.04." - said Colin Watson.

Among other features that will be present in the upcoming Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) release, we can mention Linux kernel 3.0, GNOME 3, LightDM Login Manager, Unity 2D, and many more.

Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) will be the 15th release of the Ubuntu operating system. See you all on June 30th, for an in-depth article about the Ubuntu 11.10 Alpha 2 development release.

source : news.softpedia.com

Ubuntu 11.10 Will Have a New Login Manager

2011-06-19T00:07:00.000+07:00

As you all probably already know, the upcoming Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating system will have a new default display manager, called LightDM.

LightDM is an operating system's display manager, also known as login manager. Few people know that a display manager is also in charge with the remote logins via XDMCP protocol and manages the X servers.

Why LightDM for Ubuntu 11.10? The answer is simple: because we need a new and themeable login screen that matches the Unity interface.

But first, the development team wants your help. They want you to try and test LightDM as much as possible, and report bugs as you find them. Here's what Robert Ancell said a few days ago on Ubuntu's mailing list:

"As LightDM is scheduled to be the default display manager in Oneiric by Alpha 2 it would be awesome if we can get as many testers as possible, so please be a guinea pig!"

"Expect less features than the current GDM (e.g. user switching not yet implemented). I've been using LightDM exclusively for over a week without any major issues and others have indicated they are also using it without issue."

We've tested LightDM for you! Here's how LightDM looks on Ubuntu 11.04...

As you can see, it looks ugly at the moment. However, until the final version of Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) will be released, the login manager will look something like this...

How to test LightDM? Easy... just follow the instructions below for your Ubuntu operating system.

Testing LightDM on Ubuntu 11.10

Hit the CTRL + ALT + T key combination and paste the following command in the terminal window that appears:

sudo apt-get install lightdm lightdm-theme-gnome

Testing LightDM on Ubuntu 11.04

Hit the CTRL + ALT + T key combination and paste the following command in the terminal window that appears:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:lightdm-team/ppa

...and now paste this command...

sudo apt-get install lightdm lightdm-theme-gnome

Once LightDM is installed, you will be prompted to choose the default login manager, so hit the OK button on the prompt screen and select lightdm from the list.

Make sure you save anything important before running the above commands, as you will be logged out of your current session. Please report bugs here. Happy testing and don't forget to drop a comment below about LightDM!

source : news.softpedia.com

New Nvidia Linux Driver Brings Support for GNOME 3 and KDE SC 4

2011-06-15T11:21:00.000+07:00

On June 14th, Nvidia launched version 275.09.07 of its graphics driver for Linux, Solaris and FreeBSD operating systems, which brings improved support for the GNOME 3 desktop environment and KDE SC 4.6.

The new Nvidia Display Driver 275.09.07 introduces support for new GPUs, such as GeForce GTX 560, GeForce GT 545, GeForce GTX 560M, GeForce 410M, GeForce 320M, GeForce 315M, Quadro 5010M, Quadro 3000M, Quadro 4000M.

Highlights of Nvidia Display Driver 275.09.07:

· Fixed GNOME 3 desktop corruption for VT-switch or resume/suspend cycle;
· Fixed KDE SC 4 freeze and crashes issues when using Xorg Server 1.10 and the desktop effects were enabled;
· Support for the GL_EXT_x11_sync_object extension was added;
· The audio driver is now informed when the display is disabled (for jack unplug events to apps);
· Better KDE SC 4 window resize performance fixes for slow CPUs;
· Unofficial GLX protocol support was added for the GL_NV_framebuffer_multisample_coverage and GL_NV_texture_barrier OpenGL extensions;
· Official GLX protocol support was added for the GL_NV_register_combiners2 OpenGL extensions;
· Fixed a "blank external DVI display" bug for Lenovo ThinkPad W701 laptops;
· Fixed OpenOffice.org menus corruption when the screen is rotated;
· Better memory allocation performance;
· Fixed an nvidia-settings crash when saving the X configuration;
· Added the "BaseMosaic" option to transparently extend X11 screens across available display outputs for each graphics processor unit.

How to install/update the Nvidia video drivers?
In the Unity panel, search for Synaptic Package Manager. Enter your password when asked, wait for the application to load the repositories, and search for:

nvidia-current
Then, double click the entry, click the "Apply" button and follow the on-screen instructions to install or update the video driver.

Nvidia 270.41.06 is available for Linux, BSD and Solaris operating systems, for both x86 and x86_64 architectures.

source : news.softpedia.com

Google Releases Chrome 12 Stable for Linux

2011-06-12T09:32:00.000+07:00

The Google Chrome developers at Google proudly announced last evening (June 7th) the stable release and immediate availability for download of the Google Chrome 12 web browser for Linux, Windows, Macintosh and Chrome Frame platforms.

The new Google Chrome 12 web browser includes various interesting new features, such as the highly anticipated hardware accelerated 3D CSS support and a brand-new Safe Browsing mode.

"In addition, we would like to thank David Levin of the Chromium development community, miaubiz, Christian Holler and Martin Barbella for working with us in the development cycle and preventing bugs from ever reaching the stable channel. Various rewards were issued." - was stated in the official blog announcement.

Highlights of Google Chrome 12.0.742.91:

· Hardware accelerated 3D CSS;
· New Safe Browsing mode to protect users against downloading viruses;
· Flash cookies can now be deleted from inside Chrome;
· Apps can be launched by name from the Omnibox;
· Sync was integrated into the new settings pages;
· Support for screen reader was improved;
· Google Gears were removed.

Google Chrome 12 under Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal)

As usual, there are also numerous bugs fixed in the new Google Chrome 12 web browser, which can be viewed on the official blog announcement, here.

Google Chrome 12.0.742.91 is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures with binary packages for the Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system and various other RPM-based distributions.

Google Chrome is a revolutionary web browser that makes surfing the Internet more efficient and ergonomic by placing modules on each new opened tab.

Instead of showing a blank page, Google Chrome offers you eight thumbnails, displaying the most visited websites, a history search bar and even the last ten closed tabs.

Google Chrome is extremely fast, from the moment you open it until it is closed. It’s available for the Ubuntu platform!

source : news.softpedia.com

Ubuntu 11.04 Unity Tips and Tricks

2011-06-08T20:13:00.000+07:00

The following tutorial will teach Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) users how to customize the new interface developed by Canonical for the Ubuntu operating system, Unity.

The new Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system introduced a different user interface, designed by Canonical, called Unity. But the development team did not offered some easy to understand and learn tricks, to make Unity usable by human beings.

With these trips and tricks, users should familiarize with Unity and find it very useful and user friendly. Without any ado, we'll let you now test these nice tricks.

But first, you will need the Compiz Fusion Settings Manager Tool installed in your Ubuntu 11.04 operating system. To install it, click the link below:

Install CompizConfig Settings Manager

Unity Autohide

We bet that few of you knew that Unity can be hidden during your entire session. To do this, press the Windows key and search for compiz. Click the CompizConfig Settings Manager icon and search for the 'Ubuntu Unity Plugin' entry. All you have to do now is to set the "Hide Launcher" option on "Autohide".

Smaller Icons for Unity

We bet you didn't know this either, but the Unity launcher can be smaller. Same as above, press the Windows key and search for compiz. Click the CompizConfig Settings Manager icon and search for the 'Ubuntu Unity Plugin' entry. All you have to do now is to go to the "Experimental" tab and drag the "Launcher icon size" slider to the desired size. We've put ours on 36 px and it looks very nice...

Transparent Unity Panel

If you don't like the solid color of the Unity panel, you can easily make it partial or completely transparent. How? Easy, just press the Windows key and search for compiz. Click the CompizConfig Settings Manager icon and search for the 'Ubuntu Unity Plugin' entry. Now go to the "Experimental" tab and drag the "Panel Opacity" slider to the desired value. This is how we like it...

Unity Panel System Tray Icons for All Apps

We know you want this, so here it is... the good old system tray re-enabled, to show your apps in the systray area. To do this, you need to install the dconf-editor tool, so click the link below.

Install Dconf Editor

Now hit the ALT+F2 key combination and type dconf-editor. Click the Dconf-editor icon. When the "Configuration Editor" window appears go to "desktop -> unity -> panel", click the value line on the systray-whitelist option and replace everything on that line with 'all'. Log out and log back in. See the below screenshot, we now have Pidgin on system tray, yes!

Reordering Unity's launchers

This is an easy one! Just hold the left mouse click on the desired shortcut and drag it outside the Unity launcher. Now place it wherever you want.

You can of course make other small adjustments to the Unity launcher and panel, all from the CompizConfig Settings Manager. For example, you can:

· modify the Unity launcher's icon animation;
· modify the Unity launcher's hide animation;
· modify various Unity launcher key shortcuts.

We do hope that with this article you've learned something useful and that it will make your life much easier with the new Unity interface of the Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system.

If you know other Unity tricks, or get stuck somewhere in the article, don't hesitate to use our commenting system below.

source : news.softpedia.com

Linux Mint 11 Has Been Released

2011-06-01T12:11:00.000+07:00

Clement Lefebvre, father of the Linux Mint project, announced a couple of minutes ago, May 26th, the new and highly anticipated Linux Mint 11 operating system, dubbed Katya.

Linux Mint 11 (Katya) is based on the recently released Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system and is powered by Linux kernel 2.6.38, X.Org 7.6 and GNOME 2.32.

Even if it's based on Ubuntu 11.04, the new Linux Mint 11 distribution comes without the Unity interface. It uses the old and classic one-panel GNOME look.

"The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 11 "Katya". [...] Linux Mint 11 comes with updated software and brings refinements and new features to make your desktop even more comfortable to use." - was stated in the official release announcement.

Highlights of Linux Mint 11:

· Based on Ubuntu 11.04;
· Linux kernel 2.6.38;
· No Unity shell;
· GNOME 2.32.1;
· One-click installer for multimedia codecs and extra apps;
· Lots of improvements to The Software Manager tool;
· Performance improvements to The Update Manager tool;
· Various improvements to The Desktop Settings tool;
· A new set of wallpapers;
· mint-search-addon for Firefox 4, Chrome and Opera web browsers;
· Removed Gwibber;
· gThumb as default photo viewer;
· Banshee as default music player;
· LibreOffice 3.3 office suite;
· Overlay scrollbars;
· Updated Mint-X theme;
· Added 'apt download' command;
· Adobe Flash Player 10.2 plugin;
· Lots of bug fixes.

As usual, Linux Mint 11 (Katya) is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, and it will be distributed as a Live GNOME CD and DVD, OEM edition, and a special CD for USA & Japan. Live KDE, LXDE, Fluxbox and Xfce editions will come soon!

About Linux Mint

Linux Mint is and will always be an elegant, easy-to-use, up-to-date, 100% free and comfortable Linux operating system based on the very popular Ubuntu OS. It offers paid commercial support to companies and individuals. Also, free community support is available from the forums and the IRC channel.

source : news.softpedia.com

Ubuntu 11.10

2011-05-24T06:22:00.001+07:00

The following article will present to Ubuntu fans all over the world, a few interesting features and facts for the next version of Ubuntu OS, the Ubuntu 11.10, dubbed Oneiric Ocelot.

Mark Shuttleworth announced the Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating system on March 7th, 2011. Ubuntu 11.10 will be released on October 13th, 2011.

Ubuntu 11.10 Desktop features:

· Linux kernel 2.6.40;
· GNOME 3;
· GTK 3;
· LightDM as default login manager;
· X.org 1.10;
· Unity improvements and bug fixing;
· Unity usability, accessibility, automated and stress testing;
· Mozilla Thunderbird as the default mail client (Alpha 3);
· Deja Dup might by added for backup tasks;
· Utilities for building localized CD's;
· FeatureFreeze was moved right after Alpha 3;
· Backports package selection was integrated into the UI;
· Improvements to Software Center's Reviews and Ratings functions;
· Improved multiarch;
· Python will be updated to version 2.7 and 3.2;
· New artwork!

Ubuntu 11.10 Server features:

· Orchestra enhancements;
· OpenStack will be used for Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud;
· MySQL 5.5;
· Percona Server;
· MariaDB;
· Jenkins;
· Ensemble (PPA);
· Cloudera Hadoop;
· Automated testing of server installs.

Kubuntu 11.10 features:

· KDE Software Compilation 4.7.2;
· Qt 4.8;
· Default apps: Plasma, Rekonq, Muon Software Center, KMix, Touchégg and Quassel;
· Qt accessibility;
· Improvements to general accessibility;
· Kubuntu Mobile improvements;
· Kubuntu Tablet improvements.

Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) release schedule:

· June 2nd, 2011 - Ubuntu 11.10 Alpha 1 release
· June 30th, 2011 - Ubuntu 11.10 Alpha 2 release
· August 4th, 2011 - Ubuntu 11.10 Alpha 3 release
· September 1st, 2011 - Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 release
· September 22nd, 2011 - Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 2 release
· October 13th, 2011 - Final release of Ubuntu 11.10

Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) will be the 15th release of the Ubuntu operating system. See you all on June 2nd, for an in-depth article about the Ubuntu 11.10 Alpha 1 development release.

source : news.softpedia.com

Ubuntu 11.04 Unity Keyboard Shortcuts and Tricks

2011-05-21T10:21:00.001+07:00

The new Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system introduced a different user interface, designed by Canonical, called Unity. With it, the Ubuntu development team also released some keyboard shortcuts for easy usage.

With this article we want to inform our readers who use Ubuntu 11.04 with Unity about some very useful and helpful mouse tricks and keyboard shortcuts.

With these tricks and shortcuts, users should familiarize with Unity and find it very useful and user friendly.

Without any further introduction, we will let you now test the following mouse tricks on your brand new Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system. Remember, you must use Unity!

Unity Mouse Tricks:
· If you want to maximize a window - drag the window to the upper screen edge
· If you want to restore a window to it's original position - outside of the menu duble-click the panel
· If you want to maximize a window in height - middle-click on the maximize button
· If you want to maximize a window in width - right-click on the maximize button
· If you want to place a window on the left side - drag the window to the left screen edge
· If you want to place a window on the right side - drag the window to the right screen edge

And now, some very useful keyboard shortcuts that will make your life much easier when using the Unity interface.

Unity Keyboard Shortcuts:
· Windows key - shows the Unity launcher
· Windows key + [number] - activates or opens the corresponding applications in the Unity launcher
· Windows key + Shift + [number] - opens the corresponding applications in the Unity launcher if it's already running
· Windows key + T - opens the Trash
· ALT + F1 - puts focus on the Unity launcher and you can use the arrow keys to navigate
· ALT + F2 - opens the run a command dialog
· CTRL + ALT + T - opens a terminal window
· Windows key + A - opens the Applications widget
· Windows key + F - opens the Files & Folders widget

Window Management Keyboard Shortcuts:
· Windows key + D - maximizes or restores all windows
· CTRL + ALT + Numpad key 1 - places a window in the lower left corner
· CTRL + ALT + Numpad key 2 - places a window in the lower half corner
· CTRL + ALT + Numpad key 3 - places a window in the lower right corner
· CTRL + ALT + Numpad key 4 - places a window in the left half of the screen
· CTRL + ALT + Numpad key 5 - centers or maximizes a window
· CTRL + ALT + Numpad key 6 - places a window in the right half of the screen
· CTRL + ALT + Numpad key 7 - places a window in the upper left corner
· CTRL + ALT + Numpad key 8 - places a window in the upper half corner
· CTRL + ALT + Numpad key 9 - places a window in the upper right corner
· CTRL + ALT + Numpad key 0 - maximizes a window

Workspace Management Keyboard Shortcuts:
· Windows key + W - shows all desktops and windows (Expo Mode)
· CTRL + ALT + Up Arrow - navigate to the workspace above
· CTRL + ALT + Right Arrow - navigate to the workspace on the right
· CTRL + ALT + Left Arrow - navigate to the workspace on the left
· CTRL + ALT + Down Arrow - navigate to the workspace below
· CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + Up Arrow - move a window to the workspace above
· CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + Right Arrow - move a window to the workspace on the right
· CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + Left Arrow - move a window to the workspace on the left
· CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + Down Arrow - move a window to the workspace below

We do hope that with this article you've learned something useful and that it will make your life much easier with the new Unity interface of the Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system.

source : news.softpedia.com

How to Use Classic GNOME Session on Ubuntu 11.04

2011-05-14T09:10:00.000+07:00

The following tutorial will teach our readers, and all Ubuntu users out there, how to switch their Ubuntu 11.04 desktops to the classic GNOME session, used in previous Ubuntu releases.

Don't like Unity? You want to use your old classic GNOME desktop in Ubuntu 11.04? Look no further, we have the tutorial for you. It's easier than you might think!

Many of our readers have requested this, so here it is guys... an easy, step-by-step with screenshots tutorial about how to dump Unity and switch back to the old and classic Ubuntu interface, using GNOME's two panel session.

The following tutorial is also for those of you who don't like the new Unity shell introduced by Canonical in the recently released Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system.

OK, so without any further ado, we will show you what exactly you have to do to switch back to the classic GNOME desktop in Ubuntu 11.04. It is required, of course, to have a fully functional installation of the Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system.

Switch to Ubuntu Classic Interface a.k.a. Dump Unity

There are two cases:

1. If you enabled automatic login on the installation wizard, you will have to log out of your current Unity session by using the shutdown button (see screenshot below), choosing the "Log Out" option. After that, at the login screen, all you have to do is to click on your user name and choose the "Ubuntu Classic" option from the Sessions drop down box (see screenshot below):

Step 1

Step 2

2. If you don't have automatic logic enabled, all you have to is to click on your user name, at the login screen, and choose the "Ubuntu Classic" option from the Sessions drop down box (see screenshot below):

Switching to the classic Ubuntu interface

Make sure the "Ubuntu classic" entry is selected correctly and type in your password to log back in. Voila! You have enabled the old and classic GNOME theme that was available in previous Ubuntu releases.

Classic Ubuntu interface

Reverting to Unity

If you want to switch back to Unity, you will have to log out your classic GNOME session and choose the "Ubuntu" entry on the Sessions drop-down box, at the login screen (see screenshot below). Type in your password to log back into the Unity session.

Switching back to Unity

Ubuntu 11.04 with Unity

Enjoy using Ubuntu 11.04!

source : news.softpedia.com

Parted Magic 6.0 Gets a New Booting System

2011-05-14T08:56:00.000+07:00

Parted Magic 6.0 has been released. The latest update gets a new major version number, due to some underlying, structural changes, and comes with a number of updated, as well as downgraded, packages.

Several changes have been implemented which should make booting significantly more reliable. Many booting issues should be fixed now, though, since this is a new system, others may have creeped in.

"If you have experienced booting issues with Parted Magic, this is the version you have been waiting for. The way the kernel is handled has been completely redone. This is the reason for the new major version number," Patrick Verner announced.

"The kernel modules, udev, and firmware have been moved to the initramfs. The nice graphical boot menu that we have been using for years has been removed in favor of a very basic one. Many laptops and notebooks could not start the complex menu. A large number of major and minor bugs have been fixed as well," he explained.

Parted Magic gets updated about once a month. This time around, it took about two months, the last update is from February, no doubt because of the deeper architectural changes.

It was probably worth it though, while fancy boot menu may be gone, the distro is more solid in this regard, a worthwhile trade-off.

Highlights of Parted Magic 6.0:

· Linux kernel 2.6.38.2;
· Cryptsetup 1.2.0;
· LVM2 2.02.84;
· Nwipe 0.03 - downgraded;
· Util-linux 2.19;
· Udev 165;
· Btrfs-progs 20110327;
· Glibc 2.13
· JFSutils 1.1.15;
· Usbutils 002;
· XFSprogs 3.1.4;
· Squashfs 4.2;
· SimpleBurn 1.6.0.2 - downgraded;
· BusyBox 1.18.4;
· Memtest86 4.20;
· NTFS-3G ntfsprogs 2011.4.12.

About Parted Magic

Parted Magic is a business-card operating system based on Slackware Linux, with programs that allow you to partition hard disks with ease.

Programs like Partition Image, TestDisk, fdisk, sfdisk, dd, ddrescue, and a good documentation will help you in your partitioning tasks. Parted Magic is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

source : news.softpedia.com

Analyzing Various Computer Problems

2011-05-10T17:48:00.000+07:00

We're often faced problems facing the problem which is common in the computer. Therefore this time I want to share with friends all about the various problems that commonly occur on the computer. And I also want to give a solution, do not let friends all confused what to do if problems arise. Okay, we go directly to the discussion

Damage to the computer in the outline can be divided into two, namely:
1. Factor Hardware
2. Factor Software

Add. 1. Damage Factors Hardware could be due to:
1. Installation hardware is not correct as cabling, jumpers, slots, bolts or screws, etc..
2. Damage to the hardware components, such as Processor, Motherboard, Memory, VGA card, hard drive, etc..

Add. 2. Damage to Factor Software can be caused by:
1. Damage to the System Operation
2. Damage to the Application Program
3. Damage to the Driver
Description more about how to detect damage to the PC and how to overcome them, are described below:

HOW TO DETECT DAMAGE / PROBLEMS IN COMPUTER

1. At the time of pressing the power button, there is no sign of power / electricity Stroom emerging, such as lighting control / power led is not lit, power supply fan does not live

Possible damage
1. Electricity is not working
2. Power supply broken
3. Chasing power cable not or incorrectly installed on the motherboard.
4. CMOS Jumper motherboard incorrectly installed (in a position clear)
5. The motherboard is damaged (dead)

How to cope with
1. Check the power supply if installed properly.
2. Check the power supply must be replaced if damaged
3. Check the power cable to the motherboard is properly installed
4. Check the CMOS jumper if it is installed correctly.
5. Check / Check the motherboard is functioning properly or not
6. When you have ascertained the cause, the damaged components must be repaired or replaced

2. At the time of pressing the power button, LED lamp is lit, but no any display screen monitors

Possible damage
1. Power supply is not functioning optimally
2. Processor, memory, or motherboard is not working
3. VGA monitor or not functioning
4. Installation of power cable and data cable not correctly

How to cope with
1. Check whether the power supply is functioning optimally.
2. Check the processor, memory, or motherboard is functioning well
3. Check the monitor / VGA is good befungsi
4. Unplug all power cables and data cables from his position, then turn on the computer caba

3. At the time of pressing the power button, the display that looks monitored only the BIOS program, there is a message "No System Disk / Invalid System Disk

Possible damage
1. There is a floppy disk inserted in drive A
2. Hard drive can not function
3. No OS
4. Damage to the OS

How to cope with
1. Check whether there is a floppy disk inserted in ploppy, if there are issued and then enter.
2. Check whether the cable power / data hard drives have been installed properly
3. Check whether there is damage to the hard drive detection by the BIOS hard drive, scandisk on starupdisk program
4. When you have ascertained the cause, the damaged components must be repaired or replaced including reinstall the OS.

4. OS can not louding with the normal view

Possible damage
1. Drivers can not function
2. Damage to the OS

How to cope with
1. Run OS with Safe Mode and then run the display utility programs, such as norton utilities
2. If you can not in this way do reinstall the OS

5. Display screen is not normal (not as usual)

Possible damage
1. Setting the display on the control panel is not true
2. Damage to the VGA or the driver
3. Damage to the OS
4. Damage to the monitor

How to cope with
1. Check the display settings on the control panel if it is correct
2. Check the VGA and the driver is functioning properly or not.
3. Check the monitor if there is damage or not
4. Run norton utilities for diagnosing OS.
5. When you have ascertained the cause, the damaged components must be repaired or replaced, including the reinstall.

6. PCs often Hang

Possible damage
1. Processor temperature is too hot.
2. PC infected with a virus
3. Damage to the OS
4. One component is not compatible with your PC
5. Damage to the memory
6. Damage to the hard drive

How to cope with
1. Check the temperature of the processor if the cooling fan instead of heat.
2. Try running the program Norton, Antivirus
3. Try out one of the suspected PC components.
4. Check whether the memory is functioning properly.
5. ScanDisk checks your hard drive with bad sectors if any.
6. When you have ascertained the cause, the damaged components must be repaired or replaced.

7. Computers are used frequently during sudden death

Possible damage
1. Cuk into electrical power or loose stavol
2. Power supply is not functioning well
3. PC temperature is too hot, especially processor

How to cope with
1. Check the electric choke is good or stavol
2. Please check the power supply is functioning properly.
3. Repair / replace the colling pan / fan cooling
4. When you have ascertained the cause, the damaged components must be repaired or replaced.

8. When turned on there ... ... ... beep beep (long) with no display on screen

Possible damage
1. Memory does not work

How to cope with
1. repair or move the pair of memory on the memory slot on the motherboard.
2. If you can not either (1), memory must be replaced and then turn it back on PC

9. When turned on there is the sound of the beep ... beep ... beep ... beep (repeatedly) with no display on screen

Possible damage
1. VGA card is not working

How to cope with
1. Try to unplug and plug it in again with a good VGA card on a VGA slot on the motherboard.
2. If you can not either (1), replace the VGA card.

10. Cd Rom / CDRW / Dvd Rom / Floppy disk does not work

Possible damage
1. Cd Rom / CDRW / Dvd Rom / Floppy dis is not installed properly.
2. Drivers Cd Rom / CDRW / DVD Rom not installed correctly
3. CD or diskette that is used damaged
4. The operating system can not work optimally
5. PC infected with a virus
6. Cd Rom / CDRW / Dvd Rom / Floppy disk damage

How to cope with
1. Check back with precise cause damage to components as in column (3) the possibility of damages.
2. Run anti-virus program (virus scan)
3. When you have ascertained the cause foktor do the replacement or repair action on the part of the problem.

11. Performance PC experience ganggguan (PC is not working as usual)

Possible damage
1. PC infected with a virus
2. Operating system does not function optimally

How to cope with
1. Run anti-virus program (virus scan), Norton Utilities
2. Perform repair setting / OS configuration.

12. The printer can not print the data well.

Possible damage
1. The printer cable is not installed properly
2. The printer driver is not installed properly or disetting
3. Paper is not installed properly or the paper is too thick
4. There are things that stuck in the printer.
5. Printah print incorrectly
6. OS is not functioning properly
7. PC infected with a virus
8. Damage to the printer

How to cope with
1. Thorough well one by one such factor in column (2), and if found the problem, do the repair or replacement of components and then try to do the print again.

13. Scanner can not scan

Possible damage
1. Scanner cable is not properly installed
2. Scanner driver is not installed properly or disetting
3. Printah scan is not true
4. OS is not functioning properly
5. PC infected with a virus
6. Damage to the scanner

How to cope with
1. Thorough well one by one such factor in column (2), and if found the problem is to do repairs or replacement of components and then try to do the scan again.

14. Keyboard, Mouse is not working properly

Possible damage
1. Cables Keyboard / Mouse not installed correctly
2. Drivers Keyboard / Mouse not installed correctly or gives a chance
3. OS is not functioning properly
4. PC infected with a virus
5. Damage to the keyboard / mouse

How to cope with
1. Thorough well one by one such factor in column (2), and if found the problem, do the repair or replacement of components and then try running again.
2. In the mouse need to periodically clean dirt in the mouse.

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