Tech Drive-in

US Military Academies using Ubuntu for Training Future Officers in Cyber Warfare

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:09:00 +0000

According to The Washington Post, U.S. service academies are ramping up efforts to groom a new breed of cyberspace warriors to confront increasing threats to the nation's military and civilian computer networks which control almost everything these days. And guess what, they are being trained using Ubuntu OS (possibly in a virtual environment).

Officers being Trained in Cyber Warfare using Ubuntu!
Ubuntu caught in the wild again. There was a recent report in The Washington Post about the grooming of future officers for cyberspace warfare by various Military academies in US. There was this little detail that they didn't cared to mention. In almost all the pictures, you could see that the desktops are running Ubuntu (possibly version 12.04 LTS or above). Here are some more pictures from the original article.

And if you look closely, there are indicators that, those Ubuntu desktops are running on a virtual environment, and the host OS is probably Windows 7. Thanks to our reader Alan again for the tip. [Source: The Washington Post]

EasyShutdown: Lets you Schedule Shutdowns in Ubuntu Effortlessly

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Sun, 05 May 2013 19:46:00 +0000

Shutdown command works just fine, but if you want a GUI to schedule system shutdown in Ubuntu, EasyShutdown is the answer. It was a very basic app made to do just that one thing, scheduling shutdowns in Ubuntu. And it is nicely integrated with Unity launcher as well.

Easy Shutdown: Scheduling Shutdowns in Ubuntu Made Easy

Scheduling Shutdowns in Ubuntu and Linux in general is easy if you're good with Terminal. But what about the others? EasyShutdown comes to the rescue.

EasyShutdown is an app that lets you schedule shutdowns in Ubuntu, plain and simple.

It is well integrated into the Unity launcher with its own quicklist of sorts.

Yeah that's right, there is even a progress bar showing the amount of time remaining before the scheduled system shutdown.

How to Install EasyShutdown in Ubuntu?

Download the EasyShutdown DEB package

And double-click to install it. Simple as that. Let us know whether you find it useful or not. Thanks for reading. [easyshutdown launchpad page]

Ubuntu 13.10 will be called "Saucy Salamander", Release Schedule Announced, Development Commences

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Fri, 03 May 2013 05:02:00 +0000

Ubuntu 13.04 has already been up and running with a number of very cosmetic changes. And we've been covering every detail of the release over the past 6 months. Now it's time for another major Ubuntu release cycle. In typical Canonical fashion, the next Ubuntu (Ubuntu 13.10 ie.) will have a quirky little name - Saucy Salamander.

Ubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander"
We believe that, improvements to mobile UI of Ubuntu Touch will be of primary importance during this release cycle. Ubuntu has a golden chance of converging mobile and desktop interfaces in an acceptable fashion before everyone else. They have all the basics done right - Ubuntu desktop, Ubuntu for mobile phones and Ubuntu for tablets - now they have to build upon it and add features. Products like Ubuntu for Android will further enhance brand Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander Release Schedule

June 20th: Ubuntu 13.10 Alpha 1 (for opt-in flavors only, not available to public)

July 18th: Ubuntu 13.10 Alpha 2 (for opt-in flavors only, not available to public)

August 1st: Ubuntu 13.10 Alpha 3 (for opt-in flavors only, not available to public)

August 22nd: Feature Freeze

August 29th: Beta 1 Freeze

September 5th: Ubuntu 13.10 Beta 1 (for opt-in flavors only, not available to public)

September 19th: UserInterfaceFreeze, Final Beta Freeze

September 26th: Ubuntu 13.10 Final Beta Release

October 10th: Ubuntu 13.10 Release Candidate

October 17th: Final Release

As per the chart, Ubuntu 12.04.3 is supposed to arrive on August 15th. Want a more detailed release schedule? See Ubuntu Wiki. [Image via salamandersinniagara]

Left 4 Dead 2 beta Coming to Linux Next Week!

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:03:00 +0000

Long before the official arrival of Steam for Linux client, we had a report revealing Valve's ambitious plans which also included a Linux port of their popular title Left 4 Dead 2 aka L4D2 (further read: 20 most exciting Linux games for 2012). Rumor-mills can all rest now. Valve has officially announced the arrival of L4D2 beta for Linux. And it's coming next week!

Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2) for Linux is Coming - The Highlights:

The L4D2 Beta build is a separate download from the main game. This is where we are testing new features to the game.

Next week onwards, there will be a new L4D2 client for Linux as well.

The beta itself will also be opening up to all L4D2 owners. It will appear in your library alongside the main L4D2 game starting from next week.

Read the full announcement.

The announcement itself couldn't come on a better date, the same day when Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail was officially released. Linux gaming is on a roll.

Ubuntu GNOME 13.04 with GNOME 3.6 Released

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:53:00 +0000

As far as I am concerned, this is a very important release. Ubuntu GNOME (previously called Ubuntu GNOME Remix) has one of the best implementations of GNOME Shell desktop. And as we've already seen in our earlier Ubuntu GNOME review, if you want the best of Ubuntu and pure GNOME in a single package, there is no better alternative to Ubuntu GNOME Remix. Ubuntu GNOME 13.04 Raring Ringtail has been released alongside vanilla Ubuntu 13.04, albeit with an older version of GNOME.

Ubuntu GNOME 13.04 Released

Keeping in sync with the Ubuntu desktop, Ubuntu GNOME team has decided to go with GNOME 3.6 instead of latest GNOME 3.8.

You can still use GNOME3-PPA to upgrade to GNOME 3.8 (more on that later).

Firefox has replaced Epiphany as the new default web browser. Welcome move in my book. I can't stand anything other than Firefox or Chrome/Chromium these days.

Ubuntu Software Center and Update Manager have replaced GNOME Software.

LibreOffice 4.0 is in replacing Abiword and Gnumeric

Download Ubuntu GNOME 13.04

Download options for Ubuntu GNOME 13.04

A full-fledged review of Ubuntu GNOME is also coming up, stay tuned.

Recommended Read:

What's new in Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail

And like Clockwork, 18th Stable Ubuntu Version just got Released! Raring Ringtail the Prettiest Ubuntu till date?

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:23:00 +0000

While big-league players like Microsoft finds it hard to release even their core products on time, Canonical has just released the 18th stable version of Ubuntu, namely Ubuntu 13.04 aka "Raring Ringtail", right on schedule. When you look back at the history of Ubuntu, you'll be amazed to find out that, they almost never have missed a deadline. Ubuntu 13.04 definitely scores on the performance front and the overall polish has improved as well.

Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" Released

Perhaps the prettiest Ubuntu to date.

A bunch of new icons that looks just perfect, yet another beautiful collection of default wallpapers, a lot of polish and attention to detail coupled with some performance improvements. That's Ubuntu 13.04 for you.

In search of a more detailed walk-through of latest Ubuntu? Take a screenshot tour of Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail.

Download or Upgrade to Ubuntu 13.04

Download options for Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail (32-bit & 64-bit)

How to Upgrade from Ubuntu 12.10 to Ubuntu 13.04

Don't Starve: Refreshing Survival Game in Now Available on Steam for Linux

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:27:00 +0000

After popular titles such as Counter Strike: Condition Zero (CS:CZ) and Shank 2, Don't Starve becomes the latest entrant into the Linux gaming scene. And as always, Steam for Linux facilitated the arrival. Don't Starve is basically an endless wilderness survival game. Game's goal is to survive for the longest time, while avoiding starvation, insanity, and hostile enemies.

Don't Starve for Linux now available through Steam
The game is still in public beta and is available for download through Chrome Web Store and now via Steam. Full version of the game will be available in approximately two weeks time (release date is 23rd April 2013). "Don't Starve is an uncompromising wilderness survival game full of science and magic. The game is about exploration, discovery and challenge, and forces the player to learn to survive in our randomly generated worlds."

Purchase Don't Starve for Linux from Steam

Don't Starve on Chrome Web Store

GNOME 3.8 in a Nutshell [Video]

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:07:00 +0000

GNOME 3.8 looks incredibly slick and balanced. I can't wait to take Ubuntu GNOME Remix for a spin with latest GNOME 3.8 on it. We were in the process of reviewing the brand new GNOME 3.8. And then I saw this animated video on GNOME 3.8. Probably the best (and really quick) "what's new" video on GNOME 3.8 I have seen yet. Take a look.

What's new in GNOME 3.8 [Video Review]

Hope you liked it. We will be reviewing the latest and greatest from GNOME very soon, perhaps in another review of Ubuntu GNOME Remix aka Ubuntu GNOME. Stay tuned.

Upgrade to Firefox 21 in Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" Right Now by Using this PPA

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 22:22:00 +0000

Firefox 20 has all the goodies and it is already available for stable Ubuntu releases such as Ubuntu 12.10 and Ubuntu 12.04. But what about Ubuntu 13.04? Ubuntu "Raring Ringtail" is already on beta and the final release will happen in a few weeks time. And it is yet to receive Firefox 20 update. It will be coming anyways before the final release. But if you are like me and want the latest and greatest of Firefox right now, here's what you need to do.

What's so special about Firefox 20 anyway?
Well, two things actually:

New private window? Yeah that's right, you can now initiate an incognito session aka private session in Firefox by opening up a new window, just like in Chrome or Chromium. I wonder what took them so long. (PS: People who are wondering what that screenshot is all about, its the HUD, Unity's answer to conventional menus, and it's awesome!)

Firefox finally has a download manager that can take on the competition head on. It is well integrated into the browser itself and when clicked, it will show three most recent downloads with an option to show all downloads in a different window. During downloads, the arrow icon changes into a timer bar that estimates the time left in your download. Once your download is finished, the arrow icon turns blue and remains so until you've clicked on it to review your downloads. Very nice and clean approach to a common problem don't you think?

Those goes two of the most common complaints people had about Firefox. Your choice of eco-system alone matters now. I am going to give Firefox another try for sure.

How to Upgrade to Latest Firefox 21 in Ubuntu 13.04?

A quick heads up: Official Firefox 20 update is going to arrive in Ubuntu 13.04 very soon. Follow the instructions only if you want to try latest Firefox right now.

The following PPA will upgrade your Firefox to version 21.

Do the following in Terminal (while in Ubuntu 13.04).

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/firefox-next
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Done. Your Ubuntu 13.04 will now be running Firefox 21 instead of Firefox 19.x.

Recommended Read:

What's new in Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail"?

10 New Features and Changes in Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail [Screenshots Tour]

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 23:24:00 +0000

There were some confusions regarding the release of next Ubuntu version. But overtime, all the apprehensions were laid to rest. Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" will be released as per schedule. User Interface Freeze is already a done deal. Final beta release should also be arrived by now. And the final release will happen on April 25th. In plain language, Ubuntu 13.04 is almost ready. But, what are the important changes and improvements that has already been arrived in latest Ubuntu "Raring Ringtail" release? Let's find out.

Ubuntu 13.04 is vastly more polished than any other previous release. There's no question about that. Look at the new Shutdown menu (and logout menu) for example. They look beautiful and feels tightly integrated at the same time.

Remember Faenza icons theme? The guy behind the project is now working for Canonical and design improvements are already starting to show up in Ubuntu 13.04. Core apps such as Ubuntu Software Center, Software Updater, Files aka Nautilus, and Unity Dash have new updated icons now. And they all look fabulous. The new "spinning" Unity dash icon and Software Updater icon are the real stand outs in my opinion.

A beautiful set of new wallpapers contributed by users. This year's wallpapers is perhaps the best I have ever seen (which is something I used to say about every new Ubuntu wallpaper release cycle). But seriously, wallpaper selection mechanism is maturing really fast and Raring Ringtail's default wallpaper collection looks professional to say the least.

Redesigned Bluetooth menu.

Similarly redesigned Ubuntu One menu. As you can also see, Ubuntu One now has a tray icon on top panel for easy access to various Ubuntu One functionalities.

Unity has this new window switching option via quicklists. And this works with all the applications. So if you have two or more instances of the same app opened up, you can easily switch between them via quicklists (see screenshot above).

Another feature worth mentioning, but one that can't be showed simply using a screenshot. If you have multiple windows opened up (as seen in screenshot above), you can switch between them by simply scrolling over the application's icon in the launcher.

Some new functionalities added to System Settings - Appearance window. You can now enable/disable workspaces as well as add "show desktop" icon to the launcher.

Privacy Settings was introduced during the earlier "Precise Pangolin" release cycle, and now Canonical has decided to include a new legal notice in System Settings - Details window. The notice applies to the Dash's search function. (Unity Dash now says "search your computer and online sources" instead of just "search your computer")

Nautilus is now just "Files". Version at the time of writing was 3.6.3. Many features like "extra-pane" still seems to be missing though. Most annoying thing about the new Files app, in my opinion, is the fact that they replaced "backspace" with "alt+backspace" to navigate back in Nautilus aka Files. It took me some time getting used to it.

Other notable changes:

Performance boost: Though I couldn't see any significant performance improvement in my Intel Atom based netbook, there's a definitive increase in overall slickness with Ubuntu 13.04 running in my laptop (based on Intel Core i3). While this definitely helps, these Compiz and Unity performance improvements tips doesn't hurt either.

Also during this release cycle, it was decided that non-LTS Ubuntu releases will see their support periods halved (9 months instead of 18) from Ubuntu 13.04 onwards.

Oh and here's how you upgrade from Ubuntu 12.10 to Ubuntu 13.04.

Most Highly Anticipated Android Smartphones for 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 05:14:00 +0000

This past year was a fantastic one for the Android community. The year started out strong with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and quickly got better with fantastic offerings from HTC, Motorola and LG. Google also released Jelly Bean with major enhancements to Android's UI and performance. If early reports are to be believed, 2013 will be an even better year.

Highly Awaited Android Smartphones for 2013
Many analysts have already predicted that 2013 is going to be the year when smartphones goes *really* mainstream. And a majority of those new smartphone users will be owing an Android device. Google is primed to release Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie in May, and the average smartphone will pack more power while improving battery life. This year 10-megapixel (MP) cameras will become standard and wireless charging will finally replace USB adapters. Here are the four most highly anticipated Android phones for 2013:

The Next Nexus Phone: LG Nexus 5

Google has partnered with LG once again to design the Nexus 5, which will launch in May. This is the year of the 5-inch display, and the Nexus 5 will feature a True HD screen with a full 1920 x 1080 resolution. Due to LG's close working relationship with Google, the Nexus 5 will likely boast the latest version of Android, Key Lime Pie, so Nexus 5 owners will have a leg up on the competition at launch.

Analysts believe that the Nexus 5 will sport a 13 MP rear-facing camera with an LED flash. With any luck, LG will upgrade the internal storage to a respectable 32 gigabytes (GB). The Nexus 4's maximum 16 GB of internal storage didn't cut it with many Android users.

Consumers can also look forward to low prices on launch day. LG has a long history of pricing their consumer electronics very competitively, and the Nexus 5 will likely cost $300 for the 16-GB model. Users who want 32 GB of internal storage will only have to pay $50 more.

The Mysterious Motorola X Phone from Google

Google has their hands full with their mobile development and this is especially the case with one of their more secretive projects known as the X phone. This will be announced hopefully at the I/O Developer conference in May, with an expected production in the fall.

Motorola will be the manufacturing company and the partnership is expecting this phone to be a major breakthrough into the Samsung and Apple dominated market. Subtle hints from famous evangelist, Guy Kawasaki promotes the idea of a ‘build-your-own-device’. This would be a completely different idea introduced to the market. The idea of the high-end user getting the most powerful processor and regular users to tailor theirs to what best fits them.

Recent analysts are expecting to see a 4.8-inch full HD display on the X phone, encased with Sapphire glass to be much harder than Gorilla glass shields. Processing power is expected around the 2GHz quad-core processing range. Another exciting rumor is a stronger 5+ megapixel front camera with light sensor.

Samsung's New Flagship for 2013: Galaxy S4

Samsung has a big winner with its Galaxy S line of phones. In January the manufacturer passed the 100 million units sold mark, and sales are expected to grow with the recent release of the Galaxy S IV. Consumers looking for raw power will get eight processing cores with the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa SoC. Fortunately, the S IV can switch individual cores off to conserve battery life, and the Exynos 5 Octa can also switch between its Cortex A15 and Cortex A7 cores depending on how much horsepower it needs.

Other specifications are equally impressive. The S IV will double the S III's memory to 2 GB, and the display resolution will increase from 1280 x 720 to 1920 x 1080. Even though Samsung bumped up the display to a full 5 inches, its resolution means that the screen will offer an incredible 440 pixels per inch (PPI) pixel density, which is about 30 percent sharper than the human eye can see.

Over the past few months, rumors have been swirling that the S IV will finally get eye-tracking technology. The phone is also likely to have Floating Touch Technology, so users can scroll just by hovering their fingers over their screens without actually touching them. Other likely improvements include wireless charging, allowing S IV users to recharge their phones without plugging them in. The Wi-Fi adapter will support the 802.11ac standard, which will boost LAN speeds up to 300 megabits per second (Mbps). Integrated Audience audio-processing chipsets will help to make calls clearer by sorting out voices from background sounds.

For those smartphone users looking to get a Galaxy S IV without paying full price, Samsung will likely release a Galaxy S IV Mini with a smaller display. The S IV Mini will also carry fewer features to cut down on costs.

HTC One: Possible Dark Horse of 2013?

Like the Samsung Galaxy S IV, the HTC sports a 1080p display. While it's slightly smaller at 4.7 inches, the phone will still offer more screen real estate than most other smartphones on the market. However, the HTC One's main selling point is its brand new Ultrapixel camera. While the camera's technical specifications don't sound too impressive at just 4 MP, it's still capable of recording 1080p video at 30 frames per second.

When it comes to picture quality, no other phone comes even close. The extra-large camera pixels pick up more light, so the HTC One camera offers excellent color reproduction. Other phones mess up color saturation in low- or high-lighting conditions, but the HTC One works well in most settings. The camera also uses a new LED flash that doesn't illuminate objects as harshly, so photos snapped in low-lighting conditions will still have excellent contrast.

Aesthetically, the HTC One is beautiful to look at with its metal unibody case, which makes the HTC One far more durable than plastic phones. Unfortunately, these technical upgrades come at a price. Due to manufacturing and supply issues, HTC will only have 800,000 units ready for sale on launch day. Early adopters can apply for a $100 credit, but a scarcity of phones may hurt sales in the long run as Android users turn to the S IV and Nexus 5.

In a comparison test with Samsung Galaxy S4, GSMArena concluded: "There's a lot to like about Sense 5 too. The whole OS has been reworked from the ground up. Not only has every icon been refreshed, but the way you use Android has been rethought. Unlike Samsung, who aim to throw as many software features as possible in their handsets, HTC is looking to set itself apart and win you over with simplicity, character and charm." I think that pretty much sums up what HTC One is all about.

The 2013 Smartphone Scene
This year marks a turning point in the smartphone industry. Quad-core processors will become mainstream, and the first 8-core processors will hit the market. Instead of 1 GB of RAM, most smartphones will come equipped with 2 GB. Wireless speeds, power conservation and other technical upgrades will have small but noticeable impacts on everyday performance.

However, there are some upcoming technologies that aren't quite ready, the most obvious of which is 3D. Some mobile devices like the Nintendo 3DS already support 3D displays that don't require clunky glasses, but the technology still needs further refinement before it becomes a worthwhile addition to smartphones in general.

Larger smartphones and smaller tablets will continue to erode the boundaries between the two markets. Android 5.0 will also be an exciting update to the OS. Tickets to Google's I/O event sold out within minutes of being made available, so the entire world is waiting to see what Google and smartphone makers come out with next.

About the author: This post is written by Brandon Serna. He’s a tech writer working with Complex. Apart from that, he loves to stay current with developments with mobile phones and the latest updates in technology.

Google Drive for Linux Confirmed yet again, Arrival Date is Still a Mystery Though

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 22:15:00 +0000

Google Drive for Linux is a contentious issue. It is now common knowledge that Google is an active user of Linux for its internal purposes. Google has deployed a version of Ubuntu, called Goobuntu (a light skin over standard Ubuntu), in large numbers for its employees. Google is actually an Ubuntu Advantage customer as well. So why this delay in releasing one of its most important products for Linux, when there are versions for Windows and Mac already?

Google Drive for Linux is definitely coming

When you visit Google Drive download page from Ubuntu, you'll see "Not (yet) supported for Linux" message. So a dedicated Linux client is definitely on it way. Moreover, when asked about the status of Drive for Linux recently, Director of Product Management for Google Drive, Scott Johnston, posted the following in his Google+ page:

"Definitely on our list. Sorry we haven't been able to get it to you yet. Not for lack of want! My apologies for Linux taking so long."

Google Drive for Windows and Mac was released almost an year ago. A company like Google, with the kind of resources at their disposal, not able to pull this off? Something is not right. I hope it won't take much longer. Thanks for reading.

[How-to] Upgrade to Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" from Ubuntu 12.10 Right Now!

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:18:00 +0000

Yeah that's right, Ubuntu 12.10 is now upgradable to latest Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" release. And Ubuntu 13.04 is pretty stable for a beta-quality OS, though I still won't/can't recommend it for production machines. I have been using it in my netbook from the early alpha releases and it has come together pretty nicely. It is even a little more snappier already than all the previous releases. More on that later. Right now, here is what you need to do to upgrade Ubuntu 12.10 to Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail".

[How-to] Upgrade to Ubuntu 13.04 from Ubuntu 12.10 in a few easy steps!

Firstly, make sure that your Ubuntu 12.10 system is up-to-date. Check for updates in the Update Manager if any and install them all.

Hit ALT + F2 and run the following command.

update-manager -d

The system will check for updates and will show you the following prompt.

Hit the Upgrade button.

Software Updater will take you through the steps further.

When the upgrade is complete, Ubuntu will automatically restart. And that's about it.

For me, the upgrade went super smooth, even though I cancelled it mid-way twice. Hope the same works for you as well. So far, it seems like a worthy upgrade. I will soon follow-up with a full-fledged review of Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail". So stay tuned.

FSGamer: Simple OpenSource Tool to Create Fullscreen Linux Gaming Experience that Doesn't Suck

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:35:00 +0000

Have trouble with fullscreen gaming on Linux/Ubuntu? Try FSGamer for Linux. FSGamer is an opensource utility that runs games in its own X server, which can improve the speed, reduce annoying interruptions, and make switching between fullscreen games and your desktop easy and reliable. FSGamer version 0.1.1 has just been released and it seems to have squashed a number of annoying bugs and is working fine with Steam games now.

FSGamer Version 0.1.1 Released
A quick look at the features/benefits:

One can easily switch between the game and your normal desktop using Ctrl+Alt+F7 to get back to your desktop, and Ctrl+Alt+F8 to get to your game.

Game might run even faster, especially if you're on Ubuntu 12.04 with Unity desktop.

If the game crashes the X server for some reason, it won't affect your other applications.

Even games that allow switching back to other applications sometimes mess up when you restore their size, or take a while to minimize, or have various other issues with full screen such as the menu bar appearing over them. A separate X server will always be full screen with no fuss.

Improvements with the current release:

Solved multi-monitor support by adding ability to specify custom xorg.conf.

Works with Steam games now. You can even add Steam client as such.

Dependencies properly listed on DEB package.

How to Install FSGamer in Ubuntu?
Disclaimer: FSGamer is still alpha-quality software and it might crash and cause problems every now and then. You've been warned.

Download FSGamer v0.1.1 DEB package

Either you double-click on it and Ubuntu Software Center will do the rest, OR you could use command-line method (which I prefer more).

sudo dpkg -i /home/USERNAME/Downloads/fsgamer_0.1.1_all.deb

Make sure that your path-to-file is exactly as it is. (Tip: use TAB completion for a perfectly error-free command).

Running above command will give you dependencies error. Do the following then.

sudo apt-get -f install

Done. FSGamer is installed in Ubuntu.

Now, allow FSGamer to start extra X server. Do the following in Terminal.

sudo cp /etc/X11/Xwrapper.config /etc/X11/Xwrapper.config.backup
sudo gedit /etc/X11/Xwrapper.config

Xwrapper.config file will open-up in Gedit. Change the last line from:

allowed_users=console to allowed_users=anybody

Finally, allow audio to work in the new X server.

sudo usermod -a -G audio $USER

Restart the system and you're ready to go!

NOTE: There seems to be no alternative RPM or AUR packages of FSGamer available at the moment. Which means, if you're using flavors of Linux other than the ones based out of Debian, you're out of luck. Make sure you follow this reddit thread for updates.

FSGamer in Ubuntu for a Trouble-free Full Screen Gaming Experience

Run FSGamer from Unity Dash and click on the Add button.

Add the games you want to run on a different X server.

You can even add FSGamer version of the game to the Unity Dash.

Done. Wishing you all a trouble-free Linux gaming experience :)

See FSGamer project page for further reading.

4 Simple Tweaks to Increase Unity Performance

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:18:00 +0000

Unity has serious performance issues. Improvements are slowly starting to trickle in, but even then, the current state of affairs leaves a lot to be desired. Making Unity faster and slicker should be Canonical's top priority in my opinion, and that is why I am still a big proponent of "Project Butter" for Ubuntu. Let's just hope that, Unity's performance will get the deserved attention it needs to compete with the best out there. In the meantime, here are some nice little tweaks to significantly improve performance of Unity in Ubuntu.

Simple Tweaks to Make Unity Faster
Remove Unwanted Lenses: I wonder why I didn't think about this before. I have never found video, music or photo lens useful. I know where exactly my files are and I would simply use Nautilus file browser instead. And I have rarely used gwibber and shopping lens, that too mostly for testing purposes. If you're like me, you might want to remove them for a faster responding Unity dash. Copy-paste the following command into Terminal.

sudo apt-get autoremove unity-lens-music unity-lens-photos unity-lens-gwibber unity-lens-shopping unity-lens-video

Compiz Config Settings Manager: Further tweaks require good old Compiz Config Settings Manager. Though severely limited when compared to its former self, CCSM still has some interesting tweaks up its sleeve. Click Here to Install CCSM or do the following in Terminal.

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

Disable Animations and Fading windows: I am all for eyecandy, but it should not be at the cost of performance and responsiveness of the OS. Disabling Animations and Fading windows from CCSM might make your Ubuntu look less attractive. But as far as I can see, it has a significant positive impact on performance.

Set the Texture Filter to "Fast": Open Compiz Config Settings Manager again and go to the General section. There you will see "OpenGL". Open it and set Texture Filter to "fast". You will start seeing a definitive increase in overall Unity performance almost immediately.

Install Preload: Preload has been mentioned a number of times here. It basically monitor applications you run, and by analyzing this data, predicts what applications you might run, and fetches those binaries and their dependencies into memory for faster startup times. And installing Preload can drastically improve your overall Ubuntu Unity performance. To an extent, the kind of slickness you see in distros like elementary OS Luna is because of Preload. Click Here to install Preload or do the following in Terminal.

sudo apt-get install preload

If you're already satisfied with the way Unity performs and want some cool, snazzy animations and effects to lighten up your OS, this is what you need to read.

[All credits of this post goes to Andrei Lisnic and Reddit]

KDE Plasma Media Center Released, How to Install Plasma Media Center 1.0 in Ubuntu 12.10?

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:22:00 +0000

Plasma Media Center 1.0 just got released. In case you're wondering, Plasma Media Center (PMC) is aimed towards a unified media experience on PCs, Tablets, Netbooks, TVs and any other device that is capable of running KDE software. Built on Plasma and KDE technologies, PMC is expected to become the XBMC of KDE. Plasma Media Center is still in its very early stages of development. But if you want to give it a spin anyway, here's how you do it.

Plasma Media Center by KDE: The Highlights
Plasma Media Center (PMC) can be used to view images, play music or watch videos. Media files can be on the local filesystem or accessed with KDE’s Desktop Search. This stable release of PMC has the following basic set of features:

Browse the local filesystem for media.

Use KDE Desktop Search to get a unified view of all available media.

And like with XBMC, developers can create plugins for it.

For a more detailed overview, see the original announcement here.

How to Install Plasma Media Center 1.0 in Ubuntu 12.10?

Installation of Plasma Media Center is not easy at the moment. There's no DEB or RPM packages available and hence if you want to install it, you have to build it from source.

Warning: You should know what you're doing. Although the installation went without any issues for me, I can't assure the same for everyone. Just be careful.

So here's how you install Plasma Media Center in Ubuntu. At first, you need to install a number of dependecies. For that, simply copy-paste the command into Terminal.

sudo  apt-get install kde-workspace-dev kdelibs5-dev build-essential libdeclarative-multimedia libtag1-dev kffmpegthumbnailer nepomuk-core-dev git cmake

Now starts the build instruction. Carefully execute the steps one by one.

git clone git://anongit.kde.org/plasma-mediacenter
cd plasma-mediacenter
mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=`kde4-config --prefix`
make -j(n+1) [Run this command without () and where n = number of cores]
sudo make install

You might be a little confused about the make -j(n+1) command. Let me break it up for you. If you're using say Intel Core i3 processor, that means you have two cores and your command will be like make -j3. Hope that makes sense for you.

And that's it. Plasma Media Center is ready to roll.

Installation instructions for Plasma Media Center in Fedora can be found here.

Hotline Miami is Coming to Linux

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 02:56:00 +0000

Hotline Miami is a 2D top-down action video game by Dennaton Games, blending top down perspective with stealth, extreme violence and surreal storytelling, along with a soundtrack and visuals influenced by 1980s culture. The game has a Metacritic score of 86/100. Hotline Miami was a Windows only game until recently. It was released for Mac OSX on March 19th 2013 and it seems like a Linux version is also on its way!

Hotline Miami Linux version confirmed.

Source: Reddit

Also Read:

Lightworks for Linux is Coming Too!

Bastion is on Humble Bundle Weekly Sale Now, Promoters Announce their Next Big Title: "Transistor" [Video]

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:13:00 +0000

You never get tired of pay-what-you-want Humble Bundles. This time it's just a weekly sale that will last for 5 more days and the game on demand is none other than Bastion, the immensely popular and multi-platform action-RPG. Bastion is one of the most downloaded games in Ubuntu Software Center. The promoters of Bastion, Supergiant Games, have also announced their next big gaming title; Transistor. And the first ever video preview of "Transistor" looks absolutely fantastic. Check out the video below.

Pay What You Want for Bastion

Humble Bundle Weekly Sale is on, which is basically a charitable pay-what-you-want promotion conducted every week.

This week its Bastion's turn. Pay $1 or more and you can unlock Bastion on Steam.

Pay $25 or more and you get some cool Bastion merchandise as well.

Grab your copy NOW!

Transistor Video Trailer: Supergiant's Next Big Title

Transistor is a science-fiction-themed action RPG expected to be released in early 2014. In Transistor, players assume the role of a young woman who gains control of a powerful weapon after a mysterious group of assailants nearly kills her with it. Now she must fight from street to street against forces that will stop at nothing to recover the weapon. Excited? We're too!

And look at that trailer. The soundtrack is still playing in my head. Barely 2 minutes long video is one of a kind. That's how it's done folks. The Minuum Android Keyboard Project guys should take a good hard look at this. No confirmations on supported platforms though. Hope they release the game for Linux and Android as well.

Ubuntu 13.04 Default Wallpapers Released [Download Link Included]

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:57:00 +0000

We have a winner or should I say winners? During every release cycle, Canonical conducts a wallpaper contest on Flickr through which they select the final set of default wallpapers for Ubuntu. Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail was no different and user submissions crossed 300 mark even though there were strict rules such as one wallpaper per person and similar.

Default Ubuntu 13.04 Wallpapers: My Picks

Click on the respective images to see them in full size.

Download the whole 13 brand new default wallpapers for Ubuntu 13.04.

See original announcement.

Minuum Keyboard Project: Taking Conventional On-Screen Keyboard to the Next Level [Video]

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:24:00 +0000

An interesting project recently popped up in indiegogo.com, one of the many KickStarter-like crow-funding alternatives out there. It's called The Minuum Keyboard Project and the promoters are hopeful of reinventing on-screen keyboards of the kind currently available in smartphones. Minuum Keyboard, when released, will be available for Android only initially.

Minuum Keyboard Features: Quick Walkthrough

Efficient utilization of available space. Bad space utilization makes many of the current crop of on-screen keyboards unusable in landscape mode.

Fast text entry with letter magnification for precise typing.

Smart auto-correction and QWERTY keyboard layout.

Type anywhere - with a keyboard you can move around your touchscreen.

Minuum Keyboard Project: Video Preview

The video itself may not be upto the standards, but the features previewed surely looks interesting. Minuum keyboard project has already raised the intended $10,000 goal through their indiegogo campaign and has reached $27,809 at the time of writing this article.

Open Source Ubuntu Speech Recognition App is Shaping up Nicely, Already Installable in Ubuntu!

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:32:00 +0000

Ubuntu Speech Recognition app is shaping up nicely. During the first video preview of the Ubuntu Speech Recognition software, author did promise open sourcing of the app. He has kept his promise. Ubuntu Speech Recognition is now open source and is licensed under GNU General Public License Version 3 aka GPLV3. See github page for more information. Installation instructions for Ubuntu Speech Recognition app can be found below.

Goto the app's GitHub page and download the ZIP file.

Unzip the file and CD into the directory. See screenshot below for reference.

Now, install the following dependencies. Just copy-paste the command in Terminal.

sudo apt-get install sox python-argparse libsox-fmt-mp3 mutt xvkbd xautomation

Done. Read README.txt file for more information.

Now, run ./setup while in the ubuntu-speech-recognition-master directory, in Terminal. see screenshot below for reference.

Done. Now, you have to set up the launch key for Ubuntu Speech Recognition.

Setting up Hotkey in Ubuntu

Open 'Keyboard' application.

Select 'Shortcuts' tab Hit the '+' button seen towards the bottom.

Give it a name and in the Command field, enter the absolute path of 'hotkey' file (located in the original directory). Apply.

Click on the 'Disabled' text and enter a new accelerator aka shortcut key combination. Mine was Alt + H, you can choose one that meets your use-case.

Press the hotkey before AND after you speak.

Not everything that was showed in the first preview video of Ubuntu Speech Recognition works at the moment. Plugins support is still at its nascent stage. I was able to execute basic commands such as "open home", "open documents" etc. Once the app gets updated and has a concrete plugins support, we'll let you know. Stay tuned.

9 Highest Grossing Smartphone Apps of All Time

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:20:00 +0000

Third-party smartphone apps have been there from the early Symbian days. But the revolution really took off with the arrival of iOS and Android. Android and iOS with their centralized app store concept managed to attract tons of users as well as developers. Apps can be clubbed into 3 different categories basically; free (ad-supported), paid, and freemium (where users have to do in-game purchases to level-up and such). There are plenty of apps that command top dollar and help to make their creators very wealthy.

Angry Birds - $106.3 Million (2011 Total Rovio Corporate Revenue)

You may be familiar with this one, all too familiar. There’s even an Angry Birds inspired theme park in Finland. This app started as a sideproject in December 2009. Originating from a list of ideas that designers were considering for possible apps. The concept of round and colorful bird characters stood out enough that it was the one that the programmers decided to go with. Results were staggering to say the least.

There are several versions of the game available and each Angry Birds game app sells for 99 cents apiece. Within a year of its introduction, the game had generated well over $7 million in revenue and that figure continues to climb. In 2011, the company that produces the game, Rovio, claimed $106.3 million in total revenue, with a large portion of that being attributed to Angry Birds alone. So much for being one of the most downloaded games ever.

Draw Something - $250,000 per day

Draw Something is one of those game apps that has millions of users but remains an underground sensation. It is similar to the board game Pictionary where one player draws an object and the other has to guess what the object is. The game ties into Facebook and allows people to set up games with friends on Facebook and also play the game on Facebook as well. The company that created the game is called OMGPOP, and that company was purchased by another developer call Zynga for $180 million. The estimated revenue for Draw Something is $250,000 per day.

Fruit Ninja - $400,000 Per Month in Ad Revenue

If you watch the newest Geico commercial with the talking pig, you may have been introduced to a game app called Fruit Ninja. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a game created or owned by Geico. The game started as a way to call attention to the challenges that Native Americans and farmers in the United States are experiencing. It was released as a free trial version and a full app that people could buy. Since its release, the free version has been downloaded 14 million times and it has sold six million full versions. It is estimated that Fruit Ninja brings it approximately $400,000 per month in advertising revenue alone.

Pandora - $101.3 Million (Second Quarter 2013 Revenue)

People love to listen to the radio when they are at work or driving in their car. For years, the idea of subscription radio had been a difficult sell to the general public. The only subscription radio service to survive was Sirius, and even that company is still experiencing financial difficulties. But the Pandora radio app takes things to an entirely new level.

Users can create their own custom stations or listen to stations based on their favorite kinds of music. There is a free version of Pandora with limited play lists and commercials, and there is a free version that does not have commercials and offers access to over 700,000 songs. The last count of paying Pandora subscribers, at various subscription rates, was just over 50 million. The company reported that, for the second quarter of its 2013 fiscal year, it generated $101.3 million in revenue.

Grand Theft Auto - $27 Million (Q3 2012 App Revenue)

It seemed like a natural progression when Take-Two Games, the creators of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, announced that it was going to release apps of its games for use on a variety of mobile computing platforms. For the third quarter of 2012, Take-Two estimates that the entire Grand Theft Auto franchise generated a little over $250 million in revenue. The mobile apps made up around 11 percent of that revenue, which would mean around $27 million in mobile app revenues for a three-month period.

Doodle Jump - $5 Million (Net Returns after Apple Store fees)

One of the most popular types of app games is the jumping game. The concept of these kinds of games is extremely simple. There is a main character that continues to jump up to new levels in the game, but the character also experiences several challenges along the way. This basic concept has spawned a whole genre of games with hundreds of game titles. One of the most successful jumping game apps is a game called Doodle Jump. Developer Igor Pusenjack says that his company enjoys creating games with hand-drawn graphics, and that is how Doodle Jump came about. The app has been downloaded over seven million times at a cost of 99 cents per download. After paying Apple the necessary fees for marketing the game, Pusenjack and his company have pocketed over $5 million.

Bejeweled - $102 Million (2011 Annual Revenue of Developer PopCap)

Bejeweled is a game app that has remained one of the most popular apps on the market. It continues to be the highest selling app offered by its developer PopCap. The game has had over 50 million paid downloads since its introduction in 2000. In 2012, video game giant EA Games announced that it was buying PopCap for approximately $1.3 billion. It is estimated that PopCap generated $120 million in revenue in 2011 alone.

Flight Control - $19 million (Since 2009 release)

You would expect a game called Flight Control to be a mobile flight simulator. But it is actually a game where you have to use your finger to help planes safely land at a virtual airport. It starts out easy with just a few planes, but the pace picks up as the player shows an aptitude for the game. The game was created because developer Robert Murray always enjoyed drawing games on smartphones, but he wanted to add in the angle of being a airport flight controller at the same time. Since it was released, this little game app has had approximately 3.8 million paying downloads since 2009 at $4.99 per download. That makes an approximate total revenue of $19 million.

The Moron Test - $ 2 million (Net returns after Apple Store fees)

This is an aptitude game designed by brothers Berkeley and Steven Malagon. The game play is simple, which is the plot of the game. The brothers never expected the game to take off the way it did, but it has been responsible for over two million paid downloads to this point. The brothers do not reveal the inspiration for their game, but they do mention the jobs they were working while developing the game as being a source of inspiration. It is estimated that the net revenue for Moron Test sales in 2010 was approximately $2 million.

Reasons for Success

Unique concepts

Costs kept low (Part of Angry Birds success is due to the fact that it only costs $.99.)

Marketed like crazy! (Get a YouTube channel and promote or make use of the Vine app.)

Simplicity is key! (You aren’t making a game for a console, it’s for a mobile device, keep it easy to learn, but hard enough to want to be addictive.)

Selling apps for smartphones and other mobile computing devices can be a lucrative business if you have the right idea. It’s a hot market to be apart of, but how does one break through to the top? Well, it’s like anything, a little bit of luck and a good idea goes a long way. As mobile technology continues to develop, so will its apps. Someone somewhere is developing a new app that will be the next big thing. Angry Birds won’t be on top forever; don’t you want to be around for the next wave of gaming apps? It can take time to develop and have it take off, but the success can be rewarding when your idea finally takes flight.

Article contributed by Joseph Stark Jr. A freelance writer and blogger by day, focusing on technology and web design niches. By night he is a tech junkie, gym member, and avid comic book enthusiast. When he’s not out in his garage modifying his computer, he’s playing around on his Android cell phone. Friend him on Facebook and say hey.

Looks like Lightworks for Linux Beta is Almost here!

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 03:19:00 +0000

Video editing software are not a rarity in Linux. OpenShot and Kdenlive are two good examples. But when it comes to professional grade video editing software, Linux lacks good alternatives. But according to redshark news, that is all going to end now. Lightworks for Linux is not a distant dream anymore. It seems like the first beta release of Lightworks for Linux is almost here. Here's a live video demo of Lightworks running on Ubuntu.

First Official Full-Length Video Demo of Lightworks for Linux

As we have noted earlier, Linux is going through a golden phase in its lifetime. Many of its derivatives are hugely popular among users and all of a sudden major software vendors are starting to show interest in the platform as well. Steam for Linux is a perfect example. And a lot of it has to do with the popularity of Ubuntu. Bug #1 may not be fixed soon, but we're surely on our way. Excited about Lightworks for Linux release? Share your thoughts.

[Image and video via redsharknews.com]

2013 r/Linux Survey Puts Ubuntu on Top Again, Arch Linux is a Close No.2; KDE 4.x and Unity Becomes Most Loved and Most Hated Desktops Respectively

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 07:36:00 +0000

Wait is finally over. The results of second r/Linux survey is out. With nearly twice as much people participating, this year's results are even more significant. But if you look closely, the end results are not much different from the 2012 r/Linux survey. Ubuntu reigns on top still while the community-driven Arch Linux grabs the second spot. KDE 4.x becomes the most loved Linux graphical environment. Here's a quick drill down of r/Linux 2013 survey results.

Ubuntu and Arch Linux remain the favorites of /r/Linux for another year. Linux Mint has climbed the ranks from position 5 last year with 7% of responses to position 3 this year with 11% of responses. Rest of the lineup pretty much remains the same.

Linux Distros Primarily used on Server Computers

Debian barely eeks out a win over Ubuntu as the most popular server distro among /r/Linux users. Compared to last year's 4% margin, Debian managed to achieve just 1% margin this time around, signalling a definitive trend. Can Ubuntu become the most popular server distro of choice by this time next year? We'll see.

Favorite Linux Graphical Environment

Excluding the "other" category, KDE 4.x reign on top. Last year's winner, GNOME 2.x, has been dropped to 6th place. KDE 4.x was third last year. XFCE fared better than Unity. Cinnamon gained a lot of users too, grabbing the 5th spot.

Most Hated Linux Graphical Environment

For the second year in a row Unity wins "Most Hated Environment" of /r/Linux, followed by GNOME 3, KDE 4, and then KDE 3. Many considered this as an unnecessary question and as you can see, there's a large number of users who don't hate any.

In my personal opinion, Unity can't be considered the worst anymore. It has its problems like any other and I still believe in a "Project Butter" for Ubuntu. But the worst-out-there tag is a bit far fetched in my opinion.

[Further reading: 2013 /r/Linux Distro Survey Results]

Ubuntu GNOME Remix now an Official Ubuntu Derivative, Renamed to Ubuntu GNOME

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:04:00 +0000

If you want the best of GNOME Shell and Ubuntu, there is no competition, Ubuntu GNOME Remix it is. We concluded our earlier review of Ubuntu GNOME Remix with the "best distro for Netbooks" title. It seems like a lot of people do agree with us. Ubuntu GNOME Remix has been renamed to just "Ubuntu GNOME" and is now an official Ubuntu spin, joining the likes of Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, UbuntuStudio, Mythbuntu and Edubuntu.

Ubuntu GNOME Remix is now an Official Ubuntu Flavor!

"We are pleased to announce that Ubuntu GNOME is now an official Ubuntu flavour. We recently applied to the Tech Board to become an official Ubuntu flavour and the Tech Board approved our request at their most recent meeting", devs announced in a recent blog post.

The first release of Ubuntu GNOME Remix aka Ubuntu GNOME was based of Ubuntu 12.10 and it was pretty popular among the aficionados. The second major release of Ubuntu GNOME will be based out of Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" and it will be released with GNOME 3.6, since Ubuntu held back on GNOME this cycle.