56k warning. Linux, features that you may have not known about. - PSP Hacks

dracule · #1 06-20-2008, 09:43 PM

I was thinking the other day that some people havent used linux in well over a year. I was also thinking about how horrible it is they may have not experienced it fully and found all the perks. Then there are some people that may have seen linux but dont know the many many things which it is able to do.

I am using Compiz, and ubuntu 8.04. AWN window navigator. Everything can be installed easily in about 10min of first installing ubuntu.

***A note:
in the videos you may see graphical glitches. You will (probably) never see these glitches ever when you use Compiz. The video capturer puts them in. It is because of my integrated gfx card. In windows i can only screen capture at about 2 frames a second. With linux that is not the case, however it does put in some glitchs. so when you see a glitch disregard it.

Index:

Quote:

Section 1: Ease of Use
Section 2: Window Management
Section 3: AWN
Section 4: Wubi
Section 5: How to install everything which you see

Quote:

Originally Posted by Section 1: Ease of Use

lets start small, with integrated list filtering...

Almost all programs in linux that have a text list can easily be navigated via simply typing on the keyboard. This works for A LOT of applications and can save you TONS of time. I love it because it even works for old applications. It can be a very quick and effective way to sort through what you have.

Installing software
Most everybody knows about this, but software installation is quite honestly the bees-knees in linux. No longer do you have to compile from source or do odd commands. With Synaptic Package manager, it is a very simple process. It is actually incredibly easier than windows.

With the list filtering above it is even simpler. If you know the package (of software) name, simply start typing it and it will filter it out for you.

However, if you dont know the pacakge name, simply search for it.

Your software will quickly be installed and you can be on your way!

Wireless connectivity
Another thing which really simplifies things, is connecting to wireless networks. It takes exactly 2 clicks to connect to a new network in Linux. This may not sound like a big deal, but it does simplify things a lot.

Preview Music media
An extra is if you hold your cursor over a music file, the sound will automatically play. very useful because there is no need to open up a program to sample a song (however freaked me out the first time it happened)

change transparency on the fly

If you hold ALT and use the vertical scroll wheel, you can change the entire window transparency

Move Windows
Hold Alt and click anywhere in a window to move it. Kinda nifty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Section 2: Window Management

The power of compiz is remarkable.

First a little history.
Compiz is linux's compositing window manager. What that means is that before the contents of windows are drawn to the screen, they are buffered on the video card. This allows for a wide array of effects to be performed on the windows. Mac OSX had it first, and Windows has added it in Vista.

This is a short jaunt around its many features...

Video 1

Most people know about the wobbly windows. I for one find it hard to transition back to OSX or Windows after I use linux, becuase with the wobbly windows everything flows naturally and is not "chunky". Also included in there were the classic 3d Desktop cube and the unfolded cube. The unfolded cube is handy when you have several desktops active and you quickly need to locate a window.

Video 2

This is something entirely unique to linux (well most stuff is anyways lol): Window tabbing.
Window tabbing lets you pick any number of windows from any application and group them together. You can then go through what you need (either up at the top, or Super+left or right) and voila, you can hide windows incredibly effectivly this way incase you have something you dont want someone to see. It removes the inactive tabbed window from the window navigator. The glitches during the coverflow window selector do not appear when you normally use it, and is very smooth. Even when i was screen capturing there was no stutters or anything, and they are unique to the recording. In Window's similar feature (Windows key+tab) it is horribly choppy if i have over 3 windows open. However, this is smooth.

Video 3

Now to something a little more interesting. In mac this isnt a problem, but in windows getting to your desktop can be a hassle...
Mapping these actions to your F# keys is a very good idea. (a how-to is further down the page)

The compiz settings manager has TONS of options to help you customize your desktop.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Section 3:AWN

awn is awesome.

It is a dock, but it is pretty cool. The benifits of a dock vs the standard ubuntu bottom bar are minimal. However, it comes down to user preference. It provides large icons so you can find stuff easily, and it looks more atractive (to some).

Through this you can have all your apps "full screen"

and then when you need stuff:

boop. up pops that.

it also has a nice menu of its own...

Comes in handy, can store away until you need it. This allows for a full screen view of what ever you do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Section 4: Wubi

***Install linux without repartitioning all from windows.

Wubi is a life saver when it comes to converting people to linux. It allows for you to install linux entirely in Windows. You do not have to mess with partitions or anything.

It also keeps your current windows boot loader (no need for Grub).

It is excellent for those wanting to install linux w/ full speeds but dont want to mess around with partitions. And if you ever want to get rid of linux (if you do i will be sad :( ) then all you do is run the uninstall and your bootloader and everything will be back to normal.

Everything is kept in 1 *.hdd file on your current C:/ drive, so it does not modify your drives or partitions in any way.

It is already on the Ubuntu 8.04 CD, but more information can be found here: http://wubi-installer.org/

If you do decide to just download the installer from that website, a step by step guid will guide you through and download an ISO for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Section 5: Installing everything you need

This section only deals with Ubuntu 8.04

Well, if you do not have linux currently on your computer, I highly recomend you check out Wubi. It is A LOT safer than messing with your partitions if you do not know what you are doing.
There really is no need for a tutorial on that, because it is so basic.

Quote:

Apply your Compiz settings (to make things purty)
First make sure you are connected to the internet!

1. go to Sytem->administration->Hardware Drivers
2. Type in your password
3. If your graphics card is listed, click the box to enable it. (you will be prompted with a dialog which you need to accept. It will then download the driver and you will need to restart your computer.)
4. Go to System->Prefrences->Appearance
5. go to the Visual Effects tab
6. select the Extra (if you computer is too slow then go back to normal

that is it!

Quote:

To install AWN.

First, we need to add a repository. A repository is basically a server or a group of servers on which developers put their software for easy downloading.

Make sure you have internet :)

1.) Go to System->Administration->Software Sources
2.) navigate to the "Third Party Software Tab"
3.) Click the add button
3.a) enter

Code:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu hardy main

and click "add source"
3.b) Click the add button again.
3.c) enter

Code:

deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu hardy main

and click "add source"
4.) press the close button, and then select the "reload" option when prompted.
5.) Now to the Terminal! Dont worry, you can just copy and paste :) go to Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal to open it.
6.) Now just copy and paste

Code:

sudo apt-get install awn-manager-trunk awn-extras-applets-trunk

7.) you should have to enter your password, and when it asks if you want to install them just enter "y"

** you can replace 5-7 by going into synaptic (System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager). and installing the packages "awn-manager-trunk" and "awn-extras-applets-trunk"

8.) Add it as a start up program. go to System -> Preferences -> Sessions
8.a.) click the add button and for name put "AWN" and for command put "avant-window-navigator" and click OK

You dont have to do this, but it is recomended.

Delete the bottom gnome panel (right click)

on the top gnome panel. right click and bring up its options dialog. make the opacity 0, and have it autohide (if you want it to)

now you can go into System->Prefrences->AWN manager and add what ever you want :)

Quote:

Configuring
go to synaptic, or terminal and install "compizconfig-settings-manager"

then go to preferences, open up the manager and you have a plethora of options.

To map certain functions to keys. First find the plugin you want (eg "scale") and then open up the preferences for it. Then navigate to the key bindings tab. There you can map any function you want. (the defaults are kind of screwy)

My recommendation is this:
first, have F9 as the button you press to select that window for tabbing.
then have f10 group those windows.

next have f11 as your scale button.

then have ctrl+alt+DOWN link to the expose plugin.

Quote:

to record your desktop (what i used)

there is a really great desktop recorder for linux. it is called simply, recordmydesktop.
a simple, "sudo apt-get install recordmydesktop" in the terminal will install it, or you can install it from synaptic.
however, that is command line application, so to install a GUI for it, simply install "gtk-recordmydesktop" (sudo apt-get install gtk-recordmydesktop)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonus

Here are some more plugins... very cool

The first is the Dodge plugin. this should be already installed.
The next was the stackswitch plugin you have to compile from source (rather painlessly though) to get it.
also if you compile from source you can get this:

a spherical "cube" (you dont need to do anything special for the 3d windows, just enable the plugin.
also

a curved Expo plugin option

Quote:

TO GET ADDITIONAL PLUGINS....

WARNING these are in developement. I have not had any problems running thems, but installing them can be troublesome if you do not follow the directions carefully.

FIRST make sure you REMOVE all previous compiz-fusion versions..

Code:

sudo apt-get remove compiz compizconfig-backend-gconf compizconfig-backend-kconfig libdecoration0 compizconfig-settings-manager python-compizconfig emerald

that should do the trick. now restart your computer.

simply then copy and paste these lines 1 at a time.

Code:

wget http://www.xs4all.nl/~mgj1/downloads...-newest.tar.gz
tar xzf compiz-git-newest.tar.gz
cd compiz-git
./compiz-git install

when you are done, just restart your computer or X server and run "fusion-icon"
you will need to add this command to "sessions" under preferences so it will boot each time.

and voila, BUT enable these plugins:

Code:

move window
resize window
decorations

it is important as those dont come defaultly enabled.

These can be tricky to install, so just be careful as you may have to do some fandangling (although if you follow the instructions you should be safe)

If you want anything more in the install how-to just ask :)
This really doesnt do linux justice of its awesome power. But i hope that i sparked an interest in some people.

Blade_punk · #2 12-03-2008, 05:41 AM

Thanks for the guide, really helpful. One quick question, how can I go about editing the bootloader Wubi installs? I want Ubuntu as the first option so it doesn't boot into Vista If I forget to change the selection when the computer boots

dracule · #3 12-03-2008, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blade_punk

Thanks for the guide, really helpful. One quick question, how can I go about editing the bootloader Wubi installs? I want Ubuntu as the first option so it doesn't boot into Vista If I forget to change the selection when the computer boots

you need to use BCDEdit (included in Vista)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../cc709667.aspx

careful though.

Blade_punk · #4 12-04-2008, 07:21 AM

What are the risks?

dracule · #5 12-04-2008, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blade_punk

What are the risks?

messed up bootloader, but the risks are pretty low as long as you read some tutorials

Quote:

*40% downloading Ubuntu
I read through the whole thread and it seems quite interesting.
So just a question, is there any advantages in installing Ubuntu in a separate partition instead of Wubi? Cuz I already have a second partition that has some programs and shit, won't bother backing up everything if there isn't any difference.

Also dracule, you need to fix your thread(the youtube tags) they appear as white boxes probably cuz of the new method of embedding youtube videos in vB

eh, it is more stable, but if you have a separate partition made up, you might as well install on it.

I really cant fix the youtube vids w/o changing the whole thing. this new forum system limits you to 8 pictures.

mahfood1990 · #6 12-04-2008, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dracule

eh, it is more stable, but if you have a separate partition made up, you might as well install on it.

You mean more stable if it's in a separate partition, right? The way you wrote the sentence is a bit confusing.
Speaking of partitions, what file system Ubuntu accepts, does it accept NTFS or FAT32 or is there something else?
Also would I be able to see the Windows partition on Ubuntu and vice-versa?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dracule

I really cant fix the youtube vids w/o changing the whole thing. this new forum system limits you to 8 pictures.

Well, then at least change them into normal links, now I don't even know what the vids are supposed to show.

dracule · #7 12-04-2008, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahfood1990

You mean more stable if it's in a separate partition, right? The way you wrote the sentence is a bit confusing.
Speaking of partitions, what file system Ubuntu accepts, does it accept NTFS or FAT32 or is there something else?
Also would I be able to see the Windows partition on Ubuntu and vice-versa?

Well, then at least change them into normal links, now I don't even know what the vids are supposed to show.

you can read and write to NTFS (windows) partitions from linux, however linux will install ext3 partition by default which windows cannot see, but you can install a ext3 driver for windows.

Yeah, i need to redo the guide since it wont let me save my post after i edit it because i have too many pictures.

mahfood1990 · #8 12-04-2008, 09:19 AM

*40% downloading Ubuntu
I read through the whole thread and it seems quite interesting.
So just a question, is there any advantages in installing Ubuntu in a separate partition instead of Wubi? Cuz I already have a second partition that has some programs and shit, won't bother backing up everything if there isn't any difference.

Also dracule, you need to fix your thread(the youtube tags) they appear as white boxes probably cuz of the new method of embedding youtube videos in vB

Blade_punk · #9 12-22-2008, 06:27 AM

Ubuntu seemed great when I first started using it but now I'm even thinking about going back to Windows.
When using Firefox (well I've only noticed it in Firefox) and I right click on a link sometimes the menu won't come up and it will randomly choose a selection from it. Hard to explain. I right click 'Computer Central' to open it up in a new tab but the right-click menu doesn't come up and the link will be opened in a new window.
Rhythmbox randomly crashes.
Code::Blocks randomly crashes and it has a habit of doing it when I've typed up quite a large function and haven't saved.
aMSN and Code::Blocks sometimes wont let me type but I can click the buttons in the window and open menus.
When connecting my PSP it randomly shows up as read only.
Everything is slower than Vista once I open Firefox, Code::Blocks and Rhythmbox.

There are quite a few other annoyances too but they're the main ones. Any good code editors that don't crash? I can use Notepad++ (which is the best editor I've ever used and has never caused me grief) in WINE but its annoying to use it through that. Anyway to fix the right click problems? Anyway to speed up the system?

PS · #10 07-15-2009, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blade_punk

Ubuntu seemed great when I first started using it but now I'm even thinking about going back to Windows.
When using Firefox (well I've only noticed it in Firefox) and I right click on a link sometimes the menu won't come up and it will randomly choose a selection from it. Hard to explain. I right click 'Computer Central' to open it up in a new tab but the right-click menu doesn't come up and the link will be opened in a new window.
Rhythmbox randomly crashes.
Code::Blocks randomly crashes and it has a habit of doing it when I've typed up quite a large function and haven't saved.
aMSN and Code::Blocks sometimes wont let me type but I can click the buttons in the window and open menus.
When connecting my PSP it randomly shows up as read only.
Everything is slower than Vista once I open Firefox, Code::Blocks and Rhythmbox.

There are quite a few other annoyances too but they're the main ones. Any good code editors that don't crash? I can use Notepad++ (which is the best editor I've ever used and has never caused me grief) in WINE but its annoying to use it through that. Anyway to fix the right click problems? Anyway to speed up the system?

To address your Firefox problem, this may be dumb, but have you tried reinstalling? If that doesn't work, try deleting the .firefox directory in your home directory (make sure to back it up, as this will delete your settings). Also, check all packages related with Firefox and make sure they're working fine. As for aMSN, why don't you try pidgin? It's one of the most popular IM clients for both Windows and Linux, and it supports MSN chat.

And as for your PSP problem, it sounds like a permissions issue. If you REALLY can't find any fix for the "read only" thing, either access it as root:

Code:

$sudo nautilus

or just modify your files through your terminal as root using the sudo command, and if you don't want to do that, you can change the permissions for PSP with

Code:

$sudo chmod -R 777 /directory/of/your/psp

And why use Notepad++ through WINE? There are so many text editors made for Linux that are used for coding. For example:
- Gedit
- Mousepad
- nano (through terminal)
- vi (through terminal)

The first two are GUI based and support word wrapping, line numbering, and even automatically recognize commands in coding and color code commands.

And lastly, for your speed issue, are you using a window manager such as compiz? This uses up more resources than a smaller window manager such as Fluxbox, Openbox. Speed comes at the expense of less eye candy (though you can still make the *box window managers look as awesome as a compiz desktop). Also, make sure to uninstall unnecessary packages.

If none of this fixes your speed concerns, make sure you are updated to the latest Ubuntu. Maybe a reinstall is in order? If you're that desperate, why not try a more lightweight distro such as Arch, or if ease of use is your concern, try Vector or Crunchbang (which is based off of Ubuntu, but uses the Openbox WM), or Fluxbuntu which I've never tried (based of of Ubuntu but with the Fluxbox WM).

Hope this helps.

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