Ubuntu Buzz !

Ubuntu-ID Summit 2012 Live 'tweet' Report

2012-06-03T11:46:00.002+07:00

For those who are can't atteded ubuntu-id summit 2012 which was held now in IST AKPRIND Auditorium, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. You can still monitor the progress of this event trough following live 'tweet' report.

You can follow the conversation or may ask questions through following hashtag #UbuntuIDSummit2012 and mention @ubuntu_id and @UbuntuID.

Install GIMP 2.8 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin

2012-06-02T09:38:00.000+07:00

The GNU Image Manipulation Program is a free and open source picture/photo editor which has generally been regarded as a poor comparison with Adobe Photoshop.

GIMP 2.8 is the result of three years of hard work and collaborative development. This version of GIMP is equipped with a wealth of new features, including some highly requested ones. Keep reading to find out exactly what GIMP 2.8 has to offer you in areas such as the user interface, tools, and plug-ins.

In GIMP 2.8 you can get:

Single-Window Mode
Multi-Column Dock Windows
More Screen Real Estate For Dockable Dialogs
Separated Save And Export activity
On-Canvas Text Editing
Simple Math In Size Entries
Many changes in keyboard shortcuts
And many minor changes

For further information about GIMP 2.8, please click here.

Install GIMP 2.8 on Ubuntu
Ubuntu users can install GIMP 2.8 easily by typing the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp -y

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gimp

If you need more details about GIMP 2.8, please watch this review video:

Enjoy :)

ffDiaporama: Create Movie From Photos and Video Clips Easily

2012-06-01T07:34:00.002+07:00

ffDiaporama is an application for creating video sequences consisting of titles, fixed or animated, images or photos, fixed or animated, movie clips, and music.

These sequences are assembled into a slide show by means of transitions of sequence to produce complete videos.

ffDiaporama features:

Refocusing of images and photos
Cutting of video clips
Notes (addition of text) for images, photos, sequences and animations
Graphical filters on the images and the videos (conversion into black and white, dust removal, equalization of colors, etc.)
Creation of animation by zoom, rotation or Ken Burns Effect on images or photos
Correction of the images and the videos during animations (luminosity, contrast, gamma, colors, etc.)
Transitions between sequences with definition of the transition type, sequence by sequence.
Addition of a background sound (wav, mp3 or ogg) with customizable effects for volume, fade in/out and passage in pause, sequence by sequence.
Generation of usable videos for most current video equipment (DVD player/smartphone, multimedia box, hard drive, etc.) but also publishable on the main video-sharing Websites (YouTube, Dailymotion, etc.)
Video formats from QVGA (320×240) to Full HD (1920×1080) by way of the DVD and HD 720 formats.
Image geometry (aspect ratio) : 4:3, 16:9 or 2.35:1 (cinema)
Possible formats for rendering : avi, mpg, mp4, mkv

Install ffDiaporama on Ubuntu
Use Medibuntu repository (optional):

sudo -E wget --output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/$(lsb_release -cs).list

sudo apt-get --quiet update

sudo apt-get --yes --quiet --allow-unauthenticated install medibuntu-keyring

sudo apt-get --quiet update

Please download ffDiaporama installer here. Once downloaded, run the following command to install ffDiaporama:

sudo dpkg -i ffdiaporama_1.3.2012.0526-0precise_i386.deb

sudo apt-get -f install

Need guide to use ffDiaporama? Please read its wiki page here.

Regards :)

How To Create Windows Bootable USB From Ubuntu

2012-05-31T06:36:00.002+07:00

Creating Ubuntu USB Installer a.ka. Ubuntu bootable USB from Ubuntu itself is easy. But, what if we want to help our friends or even our families who still use Windows to create Windows bootable USB? Can we create it on Ubuntu? Yes, you can, by using WinUSB.

WinUSB is a simple tool that enable you to create your own usb stick windows installer from an iso image or a real DVD.

WinUSB supports Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 installer for any language and any version. This package contains two programs:

WinUSB-gui: a graphical interface which is very easy to use.
winusb: the command line tool.

Installing WinUSB on Ubuntu
Simply run the following command to install WinUSB:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:colingille/freshlight

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install winusb

Basic usage instruction
Before using WinUSB please prepare either Windows DVD installer or its ISO image and a USB flash drive with at least 4GB capacity. The USB drive will be formatted, so please make a backup before proceeding.
1. Insert Windows DVD installer or prepare Windows ISO image
2. Plug in your USB drive
3. Open WinUSB
4. At the "source" section, please select either from ISO or from CD/DVD drive
5. Select the appropriate USB drive at the "Target device"
6. Click "Install"

Please sit back while WinUSB does its job!

via: MakeTechEasier

Use Default Netbeans Look and Feel on Ubuntu

2012-05-30T09:34:00.002+07:00

The NetBeans IDE is an award-winning integrated development environment available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris. The NetBeans project consists of an open-source IDE and an application platform that enable developers to rapidly create web, enterprise, desktop, and mobile applications using the Java platform, as well as PHP, JavaScript and Ajax, Groovy and Grails, and C/C++.

I'm one of many fans of Netbeans, I often use it to do my college assignment. Unfortunately, Netbeans looks very ugly on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin. Actually, it has big font and uncomfortable menu bar.

So today, I'd like give you a trick on how to use "default" Netbeans (or many Java based applications) look and feel.

For me, the second look and feel is better than the first one.

OK! Please open file "netbeans.conf" located in the "etc" directory of Netbeans installation folder e.g. "/home/username/netbeans-7.1.2/etc" and replace:

netbeans_default_options="-J-client -J-Xss2m -J-Xms32m -J-XX:PermSize=32m -J-Dapple.laf.useScreenMenuBar=true -J-Dapple.awt.graphics.UseQuartz=true -J-Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true -J-Dsun.zip.disableMemoryMapping=true -J-Dswing.aatext=true -J-Dawt.useSystemAAFontSettings=lcd"

With this one:

netbeans_default_options="-J-client -J-Xss2m -J-Xms32m -J-XX:PermSize=32m -J-Dapple.laf.useScreenMenuBar=true -J-Dapple.awt.graphics.UseQuartz=true -J-Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true -J-Dsun.zip.disableMemoryMapping=true --laf Metal -J-Dswing.aatext=true -J-Dawt.useSystemAAFontSettings=lcd"

Done! Save the file and open your Netbeans.

Enjoy :)

Mark Shuttleworth wins IEEE Sanuse Software Award

2012-05-28T03:09:00.000+07:00

At the 4th Software Engineering Colloquium in Cape Town in May 2012, the IEEE Computer Society recognised South African software entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Thawte and Ubuntu, and design and strategy lead at Canonical, for his outstanding contribution to the South African software industry.

Here is a quick reaction from Mark Shuttleworth for winning the prestigious award.

Great going Mark :)

Wine 1.5.4 Has Been Released, Install It on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin via PPA

2012-05-27T10:27:00.000+07:00

Wine Is Not Emulator. It allows you to install and run many Windows software on other operating system. Wine is suitable for Linux users who can't live without any Windows application. Although Wine is still under active development and not every application works yet, however there are already several million people using Wine to run their favorite Windows application.

Wine has gained a new version 1.5.4 which brings a lot of improvements and bug fixes, including better support for Microsoft Office, Adobe Premiere, and many games.

What's new in this release:

A new DirectSound resampler.
A Negotiate authentication provider.
OpenGL support in the DIB engine.
Beginnings of support for .NET mixed assemblies.
Support routines for Internationalized Domain Names.
Various bug fixes.

For further information about this release, please visit this page.

Install Wine 1.5.4 on Ubuntu
Ubuntu users can the latest version of Wine easily by typing the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install wine1.5

If you need help installing application or game via Wine, please take a closer look at Wine Application Database for assistance.

Regards.

Dropbox Index: Easily Share All Files in Public Dropbox Folder

2012-05-23T18:29:00.002+07:00

Dropbox is a famous online storage service which offers 2GB for its free account. Dropbox is simple, easy-to-use and its client is available on Linux. We can easily share our file to friends with just few clicks on file manager. Unfortunately, there is no share public folder option in Dropbox! So today, I'd like to write a post on how to share all files in "public" Dropbox folder easily. Let's get started!

To get it done, we need a simple script created by Wojciech Pietrzok called Dropbox-Index. What this script does is create an index.html file which contains links to all files inside folder and even recursively! Once the index.html file has been created, you can share that file to your friends, so he will be able to download all files in it.

Downloading and Installing
Simply run the following command to download and install Dropbox Index:

sudo apt-get install python-setuptools

wget http://kosciak-misc.googlecode.com/files/dropbox-index-0.4.3.tar.gz

tar xzfv dropbox-index-0.4.3.tar.gz

cd dropbox-index-0.4.3/

sudo python setup.py install

Basic Usage Instruction
Using Dropox Index is a piece of cake, for example, run the following command:

dropbox-index ~/Dropbox/Public/dropbox-index-0.4.3/

It will create a file named index.html which contains links to all files in the folder.

If you want "index" all files recursively, simply run:

dropbox-index -R ~/Dropbox/Public/dropbox-index-0.4.3/

For further information about Dropbox Index including how to create template file, please click here.

Regards :)

Jupitor Broadcasting's Linux Action Show : Ubuntu 12.04 Review

2012-05-23T01:49:00.002+07:00

It’s review of Ubuntu 12.04 by Jupiter Productions Linux Action show by Bryan Lunduke and Chris Fisher. Does Conical have a winner on its hands? Or is this new release, a STINKY-McSTINKER?! Tune in to find out!

PLUS: How to remotely control any desktop, new of a heavyweight video editor might be headed to Linux in a matter of weeks, we’ve got the details!
And so much more!

All this week on, The Linux Action Show!

About Linux Action Show

The Linux Action Show!, is Jupiter Broadcasting's second show (following CastaBlasta) , and also one of the most successful. The show is hosted by Chris Fisher, and Bryan Lunduke. The show follows the latest news in the free and open source world.

The show is a long format show, and usually begins with Chris presenting a very short "runs Linux" segment, where he showcases a particular, usually important or well known, computer system or infrastructure that runs a Linux based OS. This is followed a General App Pick and Chris' Android App Pick, which are the host's app recommendations to the audience of the show.

Well keeping it short here is the Linux Action Show Ubuntu 12.04 review.

Hope you will enjoy the Video :)

Install Kernel 3.4.0 (Stable) On Ubuntu 12.04/11.10

2012-05-22T22:33:00.000+07:00

A stable version of Linux 3.4 has been released recently.

For new changes and improvements in Kernel 3.4, you can refer to this page. For manual installation, you can go to this page and download the appropriate Debian packages.A stable version of Linux 3.4 has been released recently. Today we will learn how to install this latest release on a system running Ubuntu 12.04/11.10.

To easily install Linux Kernel 3.4.0 on Ubuntu, we will be using Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) repositories.

Installing Kernel 3.4 in Ubutnu 12.04/11.10

Fire up the terminal and run following command to edit the /etc/apt/sources.list file:

$ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Now append the following at the end of the sources.list file.

# Ubuntu Quantal Quetzal Repositories
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu quantal-security main universe restricted multiverse
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu quantal-security main universe restricted multiverse
deb http://it.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ quantal-updates main universe restricted multiverse
deb-src http://it.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ quantal-updates main universe restricted multiverse
deb http://it.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ quantal main universe restricted multiverse
deb-src http://it.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ quantal main universe restricted multiverse

Save the file and close it, then update your repositories with this command:

$ sudo apt-get update

You can now install the Linux Kernel 3.4.0 with the following command:

$ sudo apt-get install linux

For PAE-Kernel, install with this command:

$ sudo apt-get install linux-generic-pae

Warning: Install kernel 3.4 at your own risk! as version 3.4 is not supported for 12.04 LTS release. Before restarting your system, make sure you re-install your system device drivers (graphics card, sound cards, wireless cards, etc.).

After completing the installation, just restart your system .

Best of Luck!

How to Aceess Linux Partition on Windows (Dual Boot)

2012-05-22T12:21:00.002+07:00

Nowadays, many computer users have more than one operating system installed on their computer. Most of them use Windows and Linux at the same machine a.k.a dual boot. As we know, Linux operating system can access Windows partition easily without installing any additional stuff, otherwise Windows operating system can not access Linux partition. Well, if you are one of dual-boot users and want to access Linux partition from Windows, there are many additional applications you can try.

I'll inform you five useful applications which can be used to access Linux partition from Windows.
1. Explore2fs (Read-only Access)
Explore2fs has a easy-to-use GUI, so won't find any difficulties to use it. It can runs under every Windows version. Explore2fs supports Ext2 and Ext3 filesystem.

Download

2. Ext2 IFS (Installable File System) (Read and Write Access)
Ext2 IFS runs under Microsoft Windows NT4.0/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7 which will give you full access to Ext2 filesystem. The Ext2 partition will have drive letter and you can access it in any applications. Files and folders inside it will appear on "File dialog" of any applications.

Download

3. DiskInternals Linux reader (Read-only Access)
It's almost same with number one above, DiskInternals Linux Reader can only read Ext2 and Ext3 filesystem.

Download

4. Ext2 FSD (File System Driver) (Read and Write Access)
Ext2 FSD (File System Driver) is an open source project which provides driver for Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4 filesystem. This driver can be installed on Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 both 32bit and 64bit.

Download

5. Ext2Read (Read-only Access)
The fifth application you can use to access Linux partition is Ext2Read. It's capable to read file and folder of Linux partition. Currently, it supports Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4 filesystem. You can use this tool to copy file or folder on Linux partition to Windows.

Download

via: AskVG.com

Ubuntu-ID Summit 2012 - Don't Miss It !

2012-05-22T10:48:00.000+07:00

Ubuntu-ID (Ubuntu Indonesia Loco Team) initiated by Ubuntu Jogja Community (sub loco yogyakarta) will hold an Ubuntu-ID Summit 2012 once hold a national seminar by topic "The utilization of open source for the empowerment of SMEs".

This event will be held on June, 3rd 2012 place in IST AKPRIND Auditorium, Yogyakarta, DIY, Indonesia, on this occasion will also hold an Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin release party.

Ubuntu-ID Summit 2012 Poster (click to enlarge)

Speakers :

Vice Chairman of the Community Ubuntu-ID, Hadi Sutedjo st Sabri
AhadPOS developer, Harry Sufehmi, M.Sc.
Developer Finance Guyub, Muhammad Subair, Kom.
Ubuntu Loco Yogyakarta Sub-ID

This event is open for public and will be attended by several delegates of Ubuntu-ID sub loco around indonesia, so don't miss it !.

To monitor the progress of this seminar can you check our twitter account in @ubuntu_id and @UbuntuID.

Ubuntu Precise Pangolin Ambiance Theme for Gnome Shell

2012-05-19T16:18:00.000+07:00

Deviantart user Half-left has designed a great theme for Gnome Shell. His latest theme is based on the look of Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin Ambiance theme and is an absolute eyecandy.

To download the Precise Pangolin Ambiance theme for gnome shell click here.

Please Make sure you have user-theme-extension installed. To download gnome theme extension use the following commands.

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:satyajit-happy/themes

$ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions

Now Load the GNOME Tweak Tool and go to Shell Extensions and click the "Use Theme Extension" switch. Now go to "Theme" and click the Shell Theme box and locate your theme zip. Now you can select the theme in the dropdown box.

Enjoy! :)

Install XFCE 4.10 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin via PPA

2012-05-19T10:56:00.001+07:00

There are many alternative desktop environments we can try, recently, I wrote a post about MATE Desktop Environment. Today, I'd like to write another alternative desktop environment for Ubuntu that's XFCE.

Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment for UNIX-like operating systems. It aims to be fast and low on system resources, while still being visually appealing and user friendly.

The latest version of XFCE is 4.10 which brings a lot of changes and improvements:

Online Documentation: When you click a Help button Xfce will ask you to go to an online wiki page
Collapsed and expanded view of the Application Finder
New panel behavior "Deskbar Mode" introduced
Session plugin has been merged with a rewritten actions plugin
The window buttons plugin no longer expands, which makes the plugin positioning more flexible.
Applications, which are not a part of Xfce, are listed using an italic font
The settings manager with icons grouped by category and a search filter applied
Settings editor with an open channel monitor, while editing a property in-place
MIME types matching a pattern and a menu for selecting a default application
Synaptics touchpad settings in the mouse and touchpad dialog
Desktop with image thumbnails and support for single-click operation
And more!

For details, please refer to XFCE 4.10 tour.

Install XFCE 4.10 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin
Well, if you want to try the latest version of XFCE on Ubuntu Precise, simply run the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xubuntu-dev/xfce-4.10 -y

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

Enjoy :)

Download "The Debian Administrator's Handbook" for Free

2012-05-14T20:40:00.001+07:00

The Debian Administrator's Handbook is a book which covers all the topics that a Linux administrator should master, from the installation and the update of the system, up to the creation of packages and the compilation of the kernel, but also monitoring, backup and migration, without forgetting advanced topics like SELinux setup to secure services, automated installations, or virtualization with Xen, KVM or LXC.

Here are some topics covered by this book:

Chapter 1 focuses on a non-technical presentation of the Debian project and describes its goals and organization. These aspects are important because they define a general framework that others chapters will complete with more concrete information.
Chapters 2 and 3 provide a broad outline of the case study. At this point, novice readers can take the time to read appendix B, where they'll find a short remedial course explaining a number of basic computing notions, as well as concepts inherent to any Unix system. To get on with our real subject matter, we will quite naturally start with the installation process (chapter 4); chapters 5 and 6 will unveil basic tools that any Debian administrator will use, such as those of the APT family, which is largely responsible for the distribution's excellent reputation. These chapters are in no way reserved to professionals, since everyone is their own administrator at home.
Chapter 7 will be an important parenthesis; it describes workflows to efficiently use documentation and to quickly gain an understanding of problems in order to solve them. The next chapters will be a more detailed tour of the system, starting with basic infrastructure and services (chapters 8 to 10) and going progressively up the stack to reach the user applications in chapter 13. Chapter 12 deals with more advanced subjects that will most directly concern administrators of large sets of computers (including servers), while chapter 14 is a brief introduction to the wider subject of computer security and gives a few keys to avoid most problems.
Chapter 15 is for administrators who want to go further and create their own Debian packages.

The book is available both in paperback which costs $48.86 on lulu.com and electronic version (e-book). The electronic version has three document format: PDF, EPUB, and Mobipocket and you can download it for FREE here.

Enjoy :)

New Designs Mock-ups for Gnome 3 future releases

2012-05-14T18:59:00.000+07:00

Gnome 3 developer Allan day blogged about some interesting new design concepts for both gnome shell and applications for the future Gnome 3 releases.

Here is a Preview of what gnome developers are proposing for the design changes and improvements in the future releases.

Lock Screen

Lock screen will display the time and updates about notifications (the notifications part will also be configurable).

Following video mockup below demonstrates what should happen once the machine has gone idle. The screen blanks, is woken up to display the lock screen, then the lock screen is removed and login occurs.

Notifications and the Message Tray

Under the updated designs, pop-up notifications will avoid the mouse pointer and linger around until we are sure they have been noticed. The expanded notifications will also queue up so you can always see when new messages arrive.

Message tray indicators will be larger, about 48x48px size.

Improved Printer Settings

Here is a mockup for new print dialog that allows quick print preview and simple options.

Initial Setup

Initial setup is a specification for what the user should see the first time they boot into GNOME 3. This should only include a few essential steps:

Get onto the network
Creating a user account
Set the correct timezone / location
Set up online accounts

Improved Software Updates

Software update experience will be made more seamless and intuitive sans much technical details.

Clocks

Clocks is planned to be a new core app, which will provide handy tools for viewing the time in different parts of the world, alarms, setting timers and a stopwatch.

Notes

A nice simple app to view, create, and edit notes. Notes will be tightly integrated into Gnome 3 UI.

To Do

New To Do app will be optional and not a core part of Gnome 3 stack. However, it will be designed as per Gnome 3 guidelines.

Content Selection

Gnome 3 will bring the benefits of the new content applications (e.g. Documents) to selection operations. Choosing an item to attach to an email will work in exactly the same way as it does in one of the new content apps. This will closely tie the content applications in with the rest of the system.

Application Menus

In Gnome 3.4, new application menus were enabled for some applications and these menus will be now implemented for more Gnome application to improve consistency.

Activities overview search

Ensuring that applications are able to effectively integrate with GNOME 3 is also a big focus for ongoing design work. Integrated application search is one area where this has been happening.

Some of these changes may land in upcoming Gnome 3.6 release.

Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin Featured in Times of India Daily

2012-05-14T01:40:00.000+07:00

The most user-friendly of all the distros out there, Ubuntu is the easiest way to get into Linux.

The latest release of Ubuntu, Precise Pangolin got a special feature in the Sunday Edition of Times of India daily. The Article was written by Prakash Advani Regional Manager - Asia Pacific Canonical.

Here is the the transcript of the Ubuntu Featured Article in Sunday Times, Times of India, May 13, 2012

Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin
The most user-friendly of all the distros out there, Ubuntu is the easiest way to get into Linux. The look is similar to Mac and Windows, but differentiates just enough to offer a new feel.

The latest version is Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin, released in April. It comes with the Unity interface to give a new look to the Linux desktop, making the best use of space even on small screens. The Unity Launcher on the left, where program shortcuts sit, is similar to the Windows 7 Superbar or the Mac OSX Dock.

The big new feature has been the Unity Hub, which brings powerful file search and filters called lenses. For example, when you apply the Music Lens, you can search through all your music using song name, music or album, without ever opening any app. Similarly, there are lenses for documents, videos and more continue to be developed.

Ubuntu 12.04 is a Long Term Support (LTS) release, which means it will come with free updates and patches for the next five years – easy enough for home users, and at the same time, robust for the enterprise.

Download the operating system from www .ubuntu .com and try it for yourself. Neat and easy instructions for the installation are available on the site. And for a sneak peek at the latest Ubuntu before installing it, try it out online at www .ubuntu .com /tour.

Good to see Ubuntu getting attention by Indian Media :)

ProZilla and Apt-proz Now Can be Installed on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin via PPA

2012-05-12T20:41:00.000+07:00

Prozilla is a ncurses based download accelerator which support parallel download, pause and resume both HTTP and FTP protocol. It has FTP search feature too which can search faster FTP server for the file you're downloading. Because it based on ncurses, ProZilla is fast, easy-to-use, and lighweight download accelerator you should give it a try.

What is apt-proz? Apt-proz is a simple bash script which can increase apt-get download speed by many times. The idea is based on apt-fast by Matt Parnell. While apt-fast uses axel or aria2c to increase its download speed, apt-proz uses ProZilla engine instead.

Install ProZilla and Apt-proz on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin
Ubuntu users (Oneiric and Precise) can install ProZilla and Apt-proz easily by running the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tahutek-team/prozilla

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install prozilla apt-proz

How to use them?
I have written a post which describes simple guide on using ProZilla, please click here to read it. Using apt-proz is a piece of cake because its similarity with apt-get command. Run "apt-proz install package-name" to install package, "sudo apt-get upgrade" and "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" to perform an upgrade.

Enjoy :)

Install MATE Desktop Environment on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin

2012-05-10T21:31:00.002+07:00

MATE desktop environment is a fork of GNOME2 which brings an intuitive and attractive desktop environment to Linux users using traditional metaphors. The newest version, MATE 1.2 has been released. This release is more stable than ever and it includes support for many more applications, applets, and backends.

Below are the main changes and improvements in MATE 1.2:

Numerous bug fixes
All conflicts with GNOME were fixed
All configuration files were moved to ~/.config/mate
An undo/redo feature was added in Caja
Libmate’s mate-open command is now faster to open applications.
Mate settings daemon now supports the PulseAudio and GStreamer backends
New applications: mozo (alacarte fork), python-caja, caja-gksu, caja-image-converter
Artwork:

Mate themes were renamed to avoid conflicts with GNOME
A new MATE wallpaper was added
MATE now features its own icon

Install MATE 1.2 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin
Although, MATE was introduced by Linux Mint, Ubuntu users can install it on their distributions including the newest version Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin. Please run the following commands to install MATE 1.2 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin:

sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://packages.mate-desktop.org/repo/ubuntu precise main"

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install mate-archive-keyring

sudo apt-get update

# this install base packages

sudo apt-get install mate-core

# this install more packages

sudo apt-get install mate-desktop-environment

For other distributions, please refer to MATE Desktop installation instructions.
Logout then select "MATE" Desktop Environment when logging in. Enjoy :)

via: Mate-desktop.org

Install "Old" Graphical Users and Groups Management Tool on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin

2012-05-07T08:31:00.000+07:00

The "old" GNOME Users and Groups Management Tool has been removed since Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot. The such tool allows us to manage users, groups and their privileges in easy way. I don't know why Canonical removes it from Ubuntu.

Advanced groups management:

Advanced user privileges management:

So, if you want to get this tool back on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin, simply run the following command to install:

sudo apt-get install gnome-system-tools

Once installed, you can run it from the Unity Dash by searching "users and groups" in the search bar.

Done! Now you have the "old" and advances users and groups management on your Ubuntu Precise box. Enjoy :)

Ubuntu Accomplishments: Get Rewards for Ubuntu community contributions

2012-05-06T23:18:00.000+07:00

Jono Bacon, Ubuntu Community Manager, announced the release of Ubuntu Accomplishments application that would award users for accomplishing activities that would potentially forward the Ubuntu movement.

Accomplishments range from the basic tasks of registering with Launchpad, signing the Ubuntu code of conduct to more prestigious triumphs like becoming a community council member or an Ubuntu core developer.

A lot of work has gone into this project. The Ubuntu community is alive and well and continues the momentum of innovation other Linux distributions rarely see. The first release of this application showcases some of the intended features and expected to have lot of other features in future releases . The application is worth installing and "checking" off items you have accomplished and it will give you goals to work for as well.

Installing Accomplishments

You can only install this on the new recently released version of Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin. You can install this application through PPA

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-accomplishments/releases

$ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get install accomplishments-daemon accomplishments-viewer ubuntu-community-accomplishments

If you already have a Launchpad account, click that trophy and type in your Launchpad email. This clever app will extrapolate your data from your account and award you trophies accordingly.

Install Gloobus Preview on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin

2012-05-06T19:51:00.000+07:00

Good news for all Gloobus Preview users, this cool application has been updated and fixed so it woks on Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin. The latest BZR version also supports GTK3, password-protected document, WebM video, and many fixes for viewing TTF and PDF files.

Install Gloobus Preview on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin
Well, Ubuntu Precise users can install it by simply running the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gloobus-dev/gloobus-preview

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gloobus-preview gloobus-sushi

If you want to enable to open LibreOffice or OpenOffice documents with Gloobus Preview, install this additional package:

sudo apt-get install unoconv

via: Gloobus.net

How To Hide Unity Launcher "Forever"

2012-05-05T07:32:00.002+07:00

In my opinion, the Ubuntu 12.04 LTS unity is much better than ever. It's fast, stable, and easy-to-use. But I still don't like the Unity launcher which waste my screen space. How do I remove it? Actually, we can remove Unity launcher without removing the whole Unity desktop, but we still can hide it and remains hidden even we put mouse pointer on the left side of screen.

How to:
Simply open "System Settings" and choose "Appearance".

Open "Behavior" tab, under "Auto-hide the Launcher" set to "ON" and give the minimal value to "Reveal sensitivity".

That's all, the Unity Launcher will remain hidden even you put the mouse pointer on left side of the screen.
Enjoy :)

Bring Unity 'Dodge Windows' Behavior Back on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin

2012-04-30T20:14:00.002+07:00

If you used Unity on Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot, you might know what Unity Dodge Windows behavior is. When there is no window opened, the Unity launcher will remain appear on screen, but when there is a window overlap it, it will disappeared, magic!

Unfortunately, Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Presice Pangolin misses such feature. When you activate the auto hide option, the Unity launcher will remain hidden until you hover your pointer on it. But, don't worry, you can bring it back with a patched Unity created by Jonathan French (ojno). This patch also brings an ability to be able to click a program's icon on the Launcher and minimize/unminimize that window, just like many dock applications do!

Installation instruction
To install this patched Unity, simply run the following command:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:ikarosdev/unity-revamped

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

If you want to revert back to the official Unity release, please run the following command:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge

sudo ppa-purge ppa:ikarosdev/unity-revamped

Don't forget to logout and login back to see the changes :)
via: Ubuntu Forums

Upgrade To Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin With or Without Internet Connection

2012-04-28T07:49:00.000+07:00

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin released few days ago. If you are using Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Lucid Lynx or Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot, you can upgrade to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin without installing from scratch. There are two methods we can use, upgrading via Internet or upgrading via alternate Ubuntu CD (without Internet connection).

1. Upgrading with Internet connection
Ubuntu users who have high speed Internet access can upgrade to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin easily by typing the following command on Linux Terminal:

update-manager -d

The Update Manager window will appear and inform that New Ubuntu release '12.04 LTS' is available. All you need to do is just click the "Upgrade" button.

2. Upgrading without Internet connection
Well, if you have slow Internet connection, you might want to try upgrading to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin using alternate install CD. The alternate install CD allows you to perform certain specialist installations of Ubuntu. It provides for the following situations:

setting up automated deployments
upgrading from older installations without network access
LVM and/or RAID partitioning
installs on systems with less than about 384MiB of RAM (although note that low-memory systems may not be able to run a full desktop environment reasonably).

Download Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin alternate installer CD

There is an install script inside the alternate installer CD, just execute it to perform the upgrade.

Regards :)