Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal Pre-Alpha Unity Screenshots And Video

Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal daily build have been available for a while now, finally i got version that i manage to get running.

If you wan't to test 11.04 the bes way is to make Live USB version because for me it fails to run on VirtualBox...

Fix NTFS Configuration Tool In Ubuntu 10.10

NTFS Configuration Tool (ntfs-config) is tool that is used to configure all of your NTFS devices to allow write support via a friendly gui and auto mount them.

Since Ubuntu 10.10 NTFS Configuration Tool won't start.

How To Disable Package From Updating In Ubuntu

Because Gnome-DO update in Ubuntu 10.10 now it is always offering me to update to latest Gnome-DO.
So to make my life easier and not uncheck it always i disabled, "locked" that Gnome-DO version.

You can do this with any package (application) you want.
First you need to get package name for that application, you can do this by going to update manager and package name will be under update name:

Simply Basic II GTK Theme

If you like dark simple themes this one is for you!

Download Ambiance Maverick Dark Version

Ambiance Maverick Dark Version is dark version of Ambiance theme that was included in Ubuntu 10.10 Beta version.

Default App Stack In Ubuntu 11.04

UDS-N has ended and now we know new default application stack in Ubuntu 11.04

Gnome Dictionary will be removed.

OneConf will be included.

OneConf is a mechanism for recording software information in Ubuntu One, and synchronizing with other computers as needed.

OpenOffic.org may be replaced with LibreOffice if LibreOffice is ready.

Rhythmbox may be replaced Banshee, it depends on available space on CD.

Firefox version 4 will be included.

Whats Is Coming To Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal

UDS-N has stared and development of Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal can start.

11.04 will bring some interesting features,

Prey Giveaway Winners

Sorry for the delay in publishing this.


I recetly ran a givaway for Pro Prey accounts. I would like to thank Tomás Pollak from Fork Ltd. for providing helping with this givaway. Many people enterered, but unfourtunetly there can only be five winners. The winners of this givaway (as chosen by Random.org) are:

How To Install Gnome Do With Docky In Ubuntu 10.10

For those who are using Gnome Do with Docky theme now in Ubuntu 10.10 that is not possible :(

This is because in Ubuntu 10.10 Gnome Do have been updated to version 0.8.3.1.
Because Docky have become completely separate project, Docky theme have been removed from Gnome Do.

If you want Gnome Do with Docky you need to install older version of Gnome Do.

Track Your Stolen Computers Using Prey (Plus Giveaway)

Prey is an application that can track your computer should it get stolen or lost. The program is free (with pro accounts available). It is released under the CC-BY-SA licence.

The giveaway info is located at the end of this post.

Once you have installed Prey, you must configure it. To do this run the configuration wizard in Applications + System Tools + Prey Configurator. You must enter the root password to configure Prey. When you open it you will see two tabs. The first is labeled Main Settings. Under this tab you can choose options such as how often a report is sent, enabling a guest account and WiFi auto connect (to connect to open WiFi networks automatically).

Ubuntu 10.10 And ATI Proprietary Drivers

As a ATI card user you may know that proprietary drivers suck.
New version of ATI Proprietary Drivers that support x server 1.9 has been released and it brings some fixes that will make you happy.

Dropbox Givaway Winners

First of, I would like to thank Tyler for posting about this giveaway on  OMG! Ubuntu! I would also like to thank Dropbox sponsoring this giveaway. With over 730 comments and three accounts to be won, you chances of winning were about 243 to 1. Now to announce the winners: the winners of the 10 GB Dropbox accounts are as follows:

How To Replace The MeMenu Username with Actual Name

MeMenu is applet in panel thats allow you to set online status and post updates to Twitter, Facebook...

By default it show username on panel.

SteadyFlow 0.1 Stable Released

In three weeks a download manager inspired by Transmission has been released by Maia Kozheva. The features include:

Dropbox Givaway

I'm sure you heard of Dropbox, the popular cross platform file syncing tool. It is very useful for backing up data as it will keep a copy of you data in the cloud. Another useful feature is the web interface. If you are at school or work you can still access you Dropbox files. If you would like to sign up for Dropbox, visit this link. Both you and I will receive and extra 250 MB thanks to Dropbox's referral program.

The details about the giveaway are at the end of this post.

Ubuntu 10.10 Default Wallpaper Released

After 1st default wallpaper released last month created negative reaction in community, today new default wallpaper is released.

New 10.10 default wallpaper

The G.E.E.K

G.E.E.K is a fictional story about Kay who gets trapped in his own computer. After getting an SD card implanted in his head, he installs Arch Linux in himself. He boots into that only to find many problems arise.

Think Ubuntu Wallpaper

Awesome Ubuntu wallpaper by Blitz-Bomb.

Whats New In Ubuntu 10.10 Beta

Beta version of upcoming Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat has been released and it bring loot of new stuff.

Let start from under the hood.

10.10 Beta comes with 2.6.35-19 Linux Kernel and 2.31.90 (08/18/2010) Gnome version.

µTorrent Alpha For Linux (Server) Released

First version of µTorrent for Linux has been released.

Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Beta Released

Ubuntu 10.10: Maverick Meerkat Beta has been released.

You can download it from the following links:

Clearlooks Revamp Theme

This is "revamped" version of Gnomes default GTK theme Clearlooks by zentili.

Today is BlogDay 2010

What is BlogDay?

BlogDay was created with the belief that bloggers should have one day dedicated to getting to know other bloggers from other countries and areas of interest. On that day Bloggers will recommend other blogs to their blog visitors. With the goal in mind, on this day every blogger will post a recommendation of 5 new blogs. This way, all blog readers will find themselves leaping around and discovering new, previously unknown blogs.

What will happen on BlogDay?

one long moment on August 31st, bloggers from all over the world will post recommendations of 5 new Blogs, preferably Blogs that are different from their own culture, point of view and attitude. On this day, blog readers will find themselves leaping around and discovering new, unknown Blogs, celebrating the discovery of new people and new bloggers. BlogDay

Narrowing down my 169 subscriptions to my five favorite was a very difficult task. Here are my five favourite blogs in no particular order:

1. The Daily WTF
2. OMG! Ubuntu!
3. WebUpd8
4. Google Operating System
5. HowTo Geek

Ubuntu Dreams Wallpapers Pack

Here is one nice Ubuntu wallpapers pack hotamr.

Is Steam Coming to Linux After All..

Just over a week ago we told you Steam wasn't coming to Linux. It appears that, as a commenter pointed out, Steam likely will be coming to Linux. Valve, the creators of Steam, have posted a job description for a software engineer that can Manage the operation of large clusters of machines running both Windows and Linux in a highly available system and Port Windows-based games to the Linux platform. With this job post it makes it increasingly more likely that Steam will release a Linux client.

[via WebUpd8]

Edit: This job was posted in 2006 or 2007 and I am not sure if this is still relevant. The new jobs page has been redesigned. It does not mention Linux anywhere on it.

Ubuntu Tweak 0.5.6

Ubuntu Tweak is an application that simplifies the installation and updates of apps, the items that run when you log in, the way your desktop looks, some Nautilus settings, and other system settings. We have featured it to do tasks such as Removing Old Kernels and Customizing Login Screens but it can do so much more than those. There are two new features in this version worth taking note off. The first is the reset button. If you have tweaked something and wish to reset it to default click that button. The other feature worth noting it the Desktop Recovery feature. It allows you reset Gnome, GConf and other system settings.

NOTE: I explain in more detail the Applications tab as the is what is liable to be used most often.

Hide Recycle And System Volume Information Folders

If you have dual boot with windows you may notice Recycle And System Volume Information folders on your NTFS partitions, you can delete them but every time you boot to windows they will be created again.


Best way is to hide them.


To hide them open Gedit (or other text editor) and paste this:

RECYCLER

System Volume Information

Ubuntu 10.10 Wallpapers

On every release on Ubuntu pr09studio make awesome wallpapers.

This release they made two awesome wallpapers.

Script to Install, Update, Upgrade and add PPAs

I find myself often adding PPAs to try out many different applications. Doing this is not as simple as it could be. By default this requires several steps.

• sudo add-apt-repository ppa:app/ppa
• sudo apt-get update
• sudo apt-get upgrade
• sudo apt-get install app

To simplify this I have created a bash script that can install apps and add PPA in one simple command. To install an app run sau package. To install multiple apps run sau "package1 package2". To install an app and add a ppa run sau package ppa:app/ppa. To install multiple apps and add a PPA run sau "package1 package2" ppa:app/ppa.

There are some limitations due to my lack of skill. To add a PPA you must install an app. To get around installing another app, install an app is already installed. The other known limitation prevents adding multiple PPAs.

To install it download it here. Move it to /usr/bin/ and mark it as executable.

MusicBrainz Picard Music Tagger

Picard is a simple to use music tagger, with many advanced functions, including automatic tagging, moving and renaming files and many others.

To install Picard open the Ubuntu Software Center. Search for Picard and click install.

Click on any of the screen shots for a larger view.

No Steam for Linux

There have been many rumors about Valve releasing Steam for Linux. In an interview with Valve's Jason Holtman and Doug Lombardi conducted by gamesindustry.biz, Doug states that there don't work on Steam for Linux.

Q: Final question, and one I'm sure you're not super-keen to answer, but I promised one of our tech guys I'd ask it. What truth is there to rumours that you're also working on a Linux version of Steam? 

Doug Lombardi: There's no Linux version that we're working on right now. ...

Valve may be trying to hide the fact that they are working on it, but they may also just not have plans for one.

Update: As beardy_666 has pointed out in the comments, Valve has already confirmed unintentionally released a version of the client:

Those enthusiasts within the Phoronix community even managed to get the unreleased Steam Linux client running up to a partially drawn UI and other modifications, but now that work can stop as Valve is preparing to officially release the Steam Linux client from where they will start to offer Linux native games available for sale. Phoronix

He also mentioned another article where they mention "Valve has also confirmed that it will make Steam available to Linux users in the coming months." but leave no sources.

Ubuntu Root Has a New Author

Hello my name is Jason Cook and I will be co-writing on this blog with Ivan. I live in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. I will be starting my second year of High School in September at Grand River Collegiate Institute. I am the oldest of my four siblings. I have used Ubuntu since version 9.04 and am an editor for the Ubuntu Manual Team.

Ubuntu Manual Update

The Ubuntu Manual Team has just released the second version of the manual and can be downloaded here. Not much has been added to the manual, but over 300 bugs have been fixed and a new diagram for the file system was created by Benjamin Humphrey.

The new file system diagram created by Benjamin Humphrey

The Ubuntu Manual project was started by Benjamin Humphrey. It is self-described as a "comprehensive beginners guide for the Ubuntu operating system." It is released under the CC-BY-SA allowing it to be modified under the conditions that it is properly attributed and licensed.
The manual covers tasks as simple as browsing the internet, instant messaging and listening to music to more complex tasks like installing software and using the command line. It is written to be easy to understand by starting with simple tasks and moving to more complex ones. Many screenshots have been to ensure the user knows what to do. This led to the creation of Quickshot, the application used to gather all the required localized screenshots - about 2,500 of them. The manual also includes a troubleshooting section to fix many common problems. The manual has been translated to two other languages, Greek and Dutch, with others on the way.

The Unity Desktop Environment [Video]

Mark Shuttleworth talks about Unity at Debconf 10.

He talks about current progress on Unity and explains features Unity.

Custimize Login Screen On Ubuntu (GDM2)

Since GDM2 was included in Ubuntu 9.10 changing themes and customization is different.

GDM2 don't support themes, only thing that you can change is background, GTK and icon theme.

To do thins you need a tool called GDM2setup.

Drop Down Terminal For Ubuntu

Drop down terminals are terminal inspired by consoles in games like Quake.

They are very useful if you need to quickly enter terminal and they are easily launched with one key.

Tilda

Most popular drop down terminals are Guake, Tilda and Yakuake.

How To Fix Video Tearing With ATI Proprietary Drivers

If you have ATI card and installed proprietary drivers you  may notice that drivers are so "awesome" that you need to search for fixes all day ;)

One of the problem that you may get is video tearing, even you tried some things to fix it, it is still here.

This is because ATI Proprietary Drivers.

If you have drivers version 11.4 + (on Ubuntu 11.04+ default),
Go to ATI Catalyst Control Center > Display Options > Tear Free
There check "Enable Tear Free Desktop to reduce tearing"

and you're done.

For older drivers, open terminal and typing.

Light Themes Updates In Ubuntu 10.10

Today on Canonical design blog Otto Greenslade announced new better looking version on Ubuntu Light Theme.

For now only Ambiance theme got update.

Whats New Ubuntu 10.10 Alpha 3

Alpha 3 of the upcoming Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat has been released, and it bring new features in Ubuntu Software Center and the Sound Menu.

But let's first start from the bottom.

Alpha 3 comes with Gnome 2.30.2 (build date 6/22/2010) and Linux Kernel 2.6.35.14
The new kernel will make Elantech touchpad owners happy because it now works "out of the box"

Software Center now comes with 2 new categories, "Featured" and "Whats New".

"Featured" will show featured apps and "What's New" will show new apps in the Software Center.

Sound Menu has been updated and it now hs working control buttons and scrubber, also playlist support has been added but it still doesn't work.

Also Rhythmbox now has a "share" button wich will tweet the current playing song and a link to the Ubuntu One Music store.

Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Alpha 3 Released

Ubuntu 10.10: Maverick Meerkat Alpha 3 has been released.

You can download it from the following links:

Paw Ubuntu and OS X Like Plymouth Theme

This is perfect theme for those who like to Ubuntu look like OS X.

Also i made one with Ubuntu logo for those who don't like OS X but like concept of OS X boot.

• Paw-Ubuntu

MIB Plymouth Theme For Xubuntu

After releasing MIB theme for Ubuntu and Kubuntu, UbuntuRoot reader Triss made MIB theme mode for Xubutnu.

Sound Menu Updates In Maverick Meerkat

As we getting closer to final release of Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat new Sound Menu is getting hes looks.

It is still Alpha 2+ but already Sound Menu looks bore like in mock-ups.

You can now start Rhythmbox from Sound Menu  and control buttons have been added.

sound menu

MIB Plymouth Theme For Ubuntu And Kubuntu

I found MIB-Ossigeno plymouth theme (Mandriva 2010.1 based themes) and it look very nice, so i decided to change images and make it look nice with Ubuntu and Kubuntu.

• MIB-Ubutnu

Whats New Ubuntu 10.10 Alpha 2

Alpha 2 is here and it's bring lots of "under hood" and some visual changes.

• So to start from the hood:

Alpha 2 comes with Linux Kernel 2.6.35-6-generic its a jump from 2.6.34-x in Alpha 1.
Gnome version is 2.30.2 (build date 6/22/10

Ubuntu 10.10 now comes with X Server 1.8, all drivers (open source) have been rebuilt, nVidia proprietary works with X Server 1.8 but ATI (10.6) drivers still don't have support X Server 1.8.

BTRFS file system is now available for testing, if you want to test it be careful because, you may lost all you data.
Also you need to separate boot partition (ext4 or 3) for boot because you cannot boot from BTRFS.

Good side of BTRFS is that it is faster and it also supports snapshots, sub-volumes and compression.

Aptitude have been removed.

Unclutter have been added, it is used to hide mouse cursor when you are using keyboard or mouse is inactive. It is still buggy, if its annoys you can remove it.

Bug with Compiz when it doesn't change mouse cursor when Compiz is on has been fixed.

• Now for above hood:

Sound Menu have been changed, you can now control music player from it.

Read more about Sound Menu in Ubuntu 10.10 here.

Ubuntu Software Center had some UI changes and new features.

You can read all about Ubuntu Software Center in Ubuntu 10.10 here.

Update manager got one small update, now after kernel update when it require restart system it don't pop-out message but now that message in integrated in main window.

Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Alpha 2 Released

Ubuntu 10.10: Maverick Meerkat Alpha 2 has been released.

You can download it from the following links:

Sound Menu Changes In Ubuntu 10.10

In Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Sound Menu will have lots of changes.

In sound menu will be implemented sound and music controls for music players.
This will allow you to control sound menu, also it will show current playing song and album cover.

Sound menu should look like this when all is done:

How To Switch To Text Location Bar In Nautilus

Since Ubuntu 10.04 in Nautilus breadcrumbs are default and button to switch to text is removed, but some users prefer to use and text location bar.

To temporarily switch to text location bar you can use CTRL + L keyboard shortcut and use ESC key to go back to breadcrumbs.

For those who want to use text location bar as default,

VirtualBox And Ubuntu 10.10 - Guest Additions

For those who are using/testing Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat in a VirtualBox,

Changes In Ubuntu Software Center In 10.10 Maverick Meerkat

From Ubuntu 9.10 Ubuntu Software Center is developing really fast.

In Ubuntu 10.10 it brings some new features and visual improvements.










One new feature in History.

This allows you to track packages that you have installed or removed.

Ubuntu Software Center History

Aptitude Removed From Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat

Aptitude has been finally removed from Ubuntu after few attempts on old releases.

Whats New In Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Alpha 1

Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Alpha 1 has been released, because it is still Alpha it don't brings many new features.

Basically it's it is same as 10.04.

Main difference between 10.04 and 10.10 Alpha 1 is Kernel version,

Ubuntu 10.10 Alpha 1 comes with Linux Kernel version 2.6.34-5 generic.
Gnome is still version 2.30 build date 3/31/2010

Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Alpha 1 Released

Ubuntu 10.10: Maverick Meerkat Alpha 1 has been released.

You can download it from the following links:

Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Daily Builds Available

For all that are interested in testing upcoming Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat can do that by downloading Daily Build release that is available from cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily/current/

After you install it you can just update it daily and you will have latest version installed.

Happy testing!

This is pre-alpha of Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat so it is not recommended to install it to mail system. Only test system or virtual machine (virtual box).

How To Fix Video Tearing With Compiz

Video tearing is still problems to some users even Sync To VBlank is enabled.

Video tearing for some users only happens when video is on fullscreen.

To fix this you need to install compizconfig-settings-manager

How To Create Simple Plymouth Theme

This tutorial will show you have to create simple plymouth theme for Ubuntu 10.04 or other Linux distribution that uses plymouth.

Just one note, this theme in wallpaper only. There is no animations.




Open terminal and type:

sudo mkdir /lib/plymouth/themes/simple

Find a wallpaper that you wan't to use. Make sure that wallpaper is PNG (.png) and name of wallpaper is wallpaper.png

How To Install Hamachi On Ubuntu

This guide will show how to install and configure Hamachi for Ubuntu.

How To Upgrade Ubuntu 10.04 To Ubuntu 10.10

Cant wait for june 3rd for Alpha 1?

If you want to test Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat you can do this today and there are two ways to update to Ubuntu 10.10 from Ubuntu 10.04.

Mark Shuttleworth Keynote At UDS-M 2010

Mark Shuttleworth delivers his keynote speech at the Ubuntu Developer Summit for the Maverick Meerkat 10.10 release of Ubuntu.

How To Fix Webcam Problem In Skype

You have a webcam that don't work in Skype (for example image is flipped) but it works fine other apps like Cheese?

This is problem to a lot of people, i have two webcams and both are not working good with Skype.

How To Install Fonts On Ubuntu 10.04

You remember times when you would have to search for hidden folders, open it as root and at the end restart PC just to install one theme?

Don't worry in Ubuntu 10.04 is much easier.

AirLines Theme Wallpapers

AirLines is Gnome theme from Bisigi Project

Theme come with 2 wallpaper (which changes during the day).
This was the main reason why i downloaded theme.

First i searched for wallpapers, but i found only one.

Here are wallpapers so if you wan't just wallpapers you don't need to install whole theme.

aillines day

How to Fix Maximize Delay/Lag With Compiz And ATI Driver On Ubuntu 10.04 and 9.10

If you have Ati video card and you are using proprietary drivers than you may notice delay/lag when you are maximizing applications or any window.

This can become very annoying.