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DesktopNova Is A Wallpaper Rotation Application For Ubuntu Linux

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DesktopNova is an Ubuntu wallpaper rotator which switches the desktop background after a set time interval. This is quite similar to the Windows 7 style wallpaper rotation feature. DesktopNova is similar to the previously reviewed Desktop Drapes, however, it has more options and primarily relies on a daemon to rotate the wallpapers. Wallpapers can be specified either by selecting a folder or individual images. Read More

Purge PPAs And Clean Ubuntu Cache, Kernels And Config Data [Tip]

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It can be quite a nuisance to remove out dated packages, cache, purge PPAs and cleanse the kernel in Ubuntu. While there are a few individual applications like YPPA Manager which allow purging outdated PPAs, one seldom finds an application which gives an integrated interface for performing multiple important tasks in Ubuntu (such as the aforementioned). Recently while exploring the Ubuntu Tweak, I came across it’s package cleaning utility and thought it might be a good idea to share this utility with our readers. The Package Cleaner in Ubuntu Tweak allows purging PPAs, and cleaning the cache, config, and kernels within and easy GUI interface. Read More

CLI Companion Is A GUI Based Terminal For Beginners

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Ubuntu newbies always find the Terminal to be the most puzzling part of the operating system. It can be quite hard to remember even basic commands and to understand the concept of adding PPAs for downloading application packages. Although, there are many Terminal alternatives like Guake, but they do not provide help for new users and merely add some tabs and interfaces changes which only add convenience for the Pro users. CLI Companion is a GUI alternative for the Ubuntu Terminal which displays Terminal commands in a list and allows running them in one click. Previously performed commands are also stored in a searchable list and tab support adds the utility of performing multiple Terminal tasks conveniently. Read More

Synapse Is An Alternative To Gnome Do With Zeitgeist Integration

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Synapse is an application and file launcher which can be used as a viable alternative to Gnome Do and Kupfer. Synpase automatically detects applications, documents, videos, images, etc which can be launched by typing the initials of the file name. In other words it is what the name suggests, i.e. a “Synapse” (scientific term) which permits a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell (like the operating system and the file being searched acting as the neuron and cell). Synpase can be handy for users who may not prefer Gnome Do or would like to get a larger image display with category refinement option for a searched item. It is also quite useful due to the various plugins which it uses, and due to Zeitgeist integration. Read More

Guake Is A Tabbed Terminal Emulator With Hotkey Support

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Guake is a drop-down Terminal for Linux operating systems, with multi-tab and hotkey support. It has repositories available for Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and ArchLinux. The initial display is a transparent background, however, you can add colors of your choice to change the look of the text and Terminal background. Guake is not just an elegant Terminal emulator, but it also adds the convenience of using hotkeys and tabs to help perform numerous Terminal tasks. Read More

Resolve Firefox Flash Issues In Ubuntu Linux With FlashAid

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Flash issues have been quite frequent on Ubuntu systems. The problem has been often associated with installation of faulty plugins and difficulty in identifying the right flash version for an operating system. Flash-Aid is a Firefox extension for Ubuntu and Debian Linux users which helps remove conflicting Firefox Flash plugins and allows installing appropriate Flash versions. Flash-Aid has the ability to detect required settings automatically, such as, your system architecture, OS version, plugins to be removed and helps select the best plugin to be installed on your system. It also provides Flash update alerts, that detects new beta versions from Adobe Labs. It’s advanced mode allows installing Flash from Google Chrome browser or from a local file. You can also use Flash-Aid to apply some tweaks to improve performance and for fixing common issues. Read More

Screenlets 0.14 Released With App Indicator (Widgets) Support

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Remember Screenlets, the application which provides a large range of widgets for the Ubuntu desktop. It is the same app which we used earlier to show you how to get stylish wallpaper clocks. Screenlets Version 0.14 has just been released with app-indicator support and many bug fixes for Ubuntu 11.04. This is nearly the second update in two years which means that the project is moving forward with more exciting “Screenlets” for Ubuntu users. In this post we will tell you how to get the latest version and app-indicators (Widgets) for Screenlets. Read More

Accelerate Apt-Get Downloads In Ubuntu With Apt Fast

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Installing and updating packages using apt-get commands in Ubuntu can be quite frustrating when a large package is being downloaded. But thanks to Matt Parnell, this problem has now been resolved. Apt Fast is a shell script which accelerates the speed of apt-get downloads. It requires the Axel application which enhances the speed of  HTTP/FTP downloads by using multiple sources for one file. After installation, it replaces apt-get and allows speeding up downloads by replacing apt-get with apt-fast commands. Read More

Angry IP Scanner – Scan And Identify Active Hosts On A Network

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Angry IP Scanner is an open source and cross platform application, which enables scanning for functional hosts on a network. It allows scanning for a specific range of IPs to determine which IP addresses may be available for being assigned to other systems. You can also select a hostname to obtain more in-depth information about a specific device, such as the device’s name, ping response time, assigned IP address and ports. Angry IP Scanner has perhaps been made for angry network administrators who find it hard to determine free IP addressed on large networks, which may be assigned to computers or devices on networks running Windows, Mac and Linux machines. Read More

Burn CD, DVD and Blu-ray In Ubuntu Easily With Silicon Empire

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Silicon Empire is a complete suite to burn, copy, backup and manage your optical discs. It can burn CD, DVD and Blu-Ray discs, and can mount disc images from ISO, NRG, BIN, MDF and IMG formats. The main features include, burning, copying, and erasing discs, along with a built-in image viewer and music player. You will find options to copy, burn , erase, and mount discs and disc images on the main interface. All options are separated in convenient tabs for easy management and identification of each available feature. Read More

How To Dual Boot Ubuntu 11.04 With Windows 7

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Many Windows users who use Linux based operating systems for practice rely on VMware or VirtualBox for creating virtual machines. However, the problem with virtual machines is that many applications do not run due to compatibility issues. A better alternative can be to dual boot Linux operating system like Ubuntu with Windows. In this post we will tell you how to dual boot Ubuntu 11.04 with Windows 7. Read More

How To Change Logon Screen In Ubuntu 11.04

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Tweaking with an operating system can be a lot of fun and therefore, multiple tools are frequently designed to apply interesting changes to an OS. We have previously covered many ways by which you can change Windows 7 logon screen such as with the use of Logon Screen Changer. In this post we will tell you how to change the Ubuntu logon screen in two easy steps. Read More

How To Remove A Unity Lens In Ubuntu Linux

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Unity lens are an interesting way of enhancing the functionality of the Unity Launcher. For example, we reviewed the Unity Place File Search Lens which enables quick search of files and folders. Similarly, the Gwibber Lens enables checking for Gwibber updates from the Dash. While it can be fun to add lens to the Unity, what happens when you add too many lens which clutter up the launcher? In this post we will look at how to uninstall a lens from the Unity Launcher. Read More

Find PPA With Application Name Using Y PPA Manager

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Personal Package Archives (PPA) allow users to easily download and install software in Ubuntu Linux. Unfortunately, it can be a bit difficult for novices to understand this process which involves accessing software sources for adding an APT line of the repository. Y PPA Manager is a tool which simplifies this process. It allows adding, deleting and purging PPAs easily. You can also search and install PPA from Launchpad repositories by entering the name of an application. Read More

Gwibber Unity Lens Allows Sorting Gwibber Updates From the Dash

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Gwibber is a micro blogging client for the GNOME desktop for keeping tab on your Facebook and Twitter accounts within a single interface and getting on-screen bubble messages for account updates. It is the default micro blogging client for Ubuntu and is widely used by Linux users. One thing that Unity has brought other than frequent Launcher updates from multiple software are new Lens. There have been a number of separate third-party lens released for Unity such as Unity Place File Search. The Gwibber Unity Lens is another Unity Launcher lens which enables sorting messages, replies, posts, images, videos, links and private messages within Unity launcher. Read More

Empty Trash From System Tray In Ubuntu With Trash Indicator

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For some reason the Ubuntu Trash icon is always located in the least interactive area of the desktop. You might have often forgotten to clear your Trash due to the fact that the Unity Launcher icon is quite dull in appearance and more or less integrates with the launcher’s black background which makes it less noticeable. Even if you are using the Classic Ubuntu desktop, one barely notices the dull grey trash can located at the bottom right corner of the desktop. So, if you often forget to empty the Trash bin as it is barely noticeable, try open source Trash Indicator. It places the Trash icon in a more interactive part of your desktop, i.e. the system tray from where you are more likely to remember emptying the Trash bin. Adding the Trash icon to the system tray can also be helpful for non Unity users who use alternative launchers like Cairo Dock,  as they would not like to clutter their dock up with a Trash icon. Read More

‘Back In Time’ Ubuntu Backup Tool Is Now Available For Natty

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Back In Time is a backup tool for both Gnome and KDE based Linux operating systems. Recently, its package was updated on Launchpad for the Natty version of this app. Back In Time can be easily used to take snapshots of your system files and folders,which can be restored later. For example, you can backup your Home directory and restore it in case of a system issues to revert the changes. Although Deja Dup Backup will probably be the default backup app for Oneric, nonetheless, Back In time can be used as a viable alternative by Ubuntu users. Read More

Sync Files To Github, Gnome Project And LAN Server With Sparkleshare

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Many developers use web based hosting services like GitHub to share codes for their software and to interact with other developers to get feedbacks on developed modules. Such websites allow developers to upload their source codes and software packages to provide them with a convenient code distribution and sharing platform. Sparkleshare is a tool for synchronizing project files with Github, Gitorious, Gnome Project or with a personal server. This open source tool currently has versions for Linux and Mac, however, apps for Windows, Android and iPhone are expected soon. Sparkleshare can be quite handy for developers who might wish to instantly sync their files with their accounts on the aforementioned websites. Read More