Linux Tips

Now get the driver for your HP printer from here http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/install_wizard/index.html Select your distro, version, Printer Type & Model. At the bottom of this post you can see how i downloaded and installed my HP PSC 1410 All in One Printer . Recommended Printer Models List: Need a printer to use with Linux? Use this list to see our fully supported recommended printer models. Recommended Printer Models Printer Model Tables By Type: Deskjet/Color Inkjet Deskjet All-in-One Photosmart/Photosmart Pro Officejet/Officejet Pro PSC LaserJet/LaserJet MFP/Mopier Color LaserJet/Color LaserJet MFP Business Inkjet/Business Inkjet Pro Color Edgeline MFP Designjet Other All Printer Models Table All printer models in a single list (WARNING: This is a large table and may load slowly) Unsupported Printer Models Note: HPLIP is an open source solution for most HP printers and all-in-ones. Some printers, however, are unsupported. The reasons for t...

Here is another trick to increase the sound (soft volume) in Ubuntu Linux , this time system-wide. 1. Edit your /etc/asound.conf file. On your terminal type $ sudo gedit /etc/asound.conf 2. Paste the following into the asound.conf file: pcm.!default { type plug slave.pcm "softvol" } pcm.softvol { type softvol slave { pcm "dmix" } control { name "Pre-Amp" card 0 } min_dB -5.0 max_dB 20.0 resolution 6 } 3. Restart PulseAudio: $ pulseaudio -k >/dev/null 2>&1 To make sure pulseaudio is stopped: $ killall pulseaudio And then: $ pulseaudio -D $ pulseaudio ; Finally Restart u r system....... courtesy: http://webupd8.blogspot.com/2009/08/increase-maximum-sound-level-in-ubuntu.html

Ziproxy is forwarding, non-caching, compressing HTTP proxy server. Basically it squeezes images by converting them to lower quality JPEGs or JPEG 2000 and compresses (gzip) HTML and other text-like data. It also provides other features such as: HTML/JS/CSS optimization, preemptive hostname resolution, transparent proxying and more. Ziproxy is an option when dealing with low-bandwidth cases like: * ISPs providing dialup services * ISPs providing mobile internet services * HTTP WAN optimization cases * Low bandwidth (or saturated) point-to-point connections in general Ziproxy may be called a "web accelerator", although it is not the best name, considering the number of snake oil products advertised as such. Ziproxy operates in daemon mode. It also may be invoked by (x)inetd if desired (not recommended for performance reasons). It is HTTP/1.1-aware and compatible with HTTPS. Currently it is known to be usable under the following OSes: Linux (Red Hat, Conectiva, Debia...

You can increase your MPlayer's soft volume to 300% by just typing this simple command at terminal: mplayer -softvol -softvol-max 300 'file_name.avi' and replace file_name.avi with the video file name you want to watch Now use the "0" and "9" keys on your keyboard, to manually change the volume of MPLayer. Please let me know if it did work for you...

You can use keyboard shortcuts and other command line tricks to make entering commands easier and faster. You might already know about the ‘tab’ key which completes partial commands and even file and directory names. Here are some other keyboard shortcuts you can use within terminal: Ctrl-a Move to the start of the line. Ctrl-e Move to the end of the line. Alt-] x Moves the cursor forward to the next occurrence of x. Alt-Ctrl-] x Moves the cursor backwards to the previous occurrence of x. Ctrl-u Delete from the cursor to the beginning of the line. Ctrl-k Delete from the cursor to the end of the line. Ctrl-w Delete from the cursor to the start of the word. Ctrl-y Pastes text from the clipboard. Ctrl-l Clear the screen leaving the current line at the top of the screen. Ctrl-x Ctrl-u Undo the last changes. Ctrl-_ Alt-r Undo all ...

Syntax awk options > ' Program ' Input-File1 Input-File2 ... awk -f PROGRAM-FILE options > Input-File1 Input-File2 ... If no Input-File is specified then `awk' applies the Program to "standard input", (piped output of some other command or the terminal. Typed input will continue until end-of-file (typing `Control-d') Basic functions The basic function of awk is to search files for lines (or other units of text) that contain a pattern. When a line matches, awk performs a specific action on that line. The Program statement that tells `awk' what to do; consists of a series of "rules". Each rule specifies one pattern to search for, and one action to perform when that pattern is found. For ease of reading, each line in an `awk' program is normally a separate Program statement , like this: pattern { action } pattern { action } ... e.g. Display lines from my_file containing the string "123" or "ab...

Avant Window Manager, Cairo Dock, and Wbar are dock-like applications for Ubuntu Linux. A dock represents running programs as icons at the bottom of the screen (as is done on the Mac OS X desktop), instead of by toolbar panel segments (as is done in Windows and other Linux window managers). See this brief comparison of dock applications . Avant Window Navigator Avant Window Navigator requires that a desktop composition manager (such as Metacity, Compiz, Xcompmgr, KDE4 (Kubuntu), or xfwm4 (Xubuntu)) be installed and running. Install and upgrade proprietary nVidia or ATI graphics drivers so that the compositing manager functions properly. Install AWN: sudo apt-get install avant-window-navigator awn-manager (Note: If you are using Gnome (Ubuntu) and do not already have a compositing manager installed (such as Compiz), Metacity will be installed as part of the installation.) Enable automatic startup of AWN at bootup: Menu -> System -> Preferences -> Sessions -> Add... ...

Use ImageMagic's convert program to convert between image formats as well as resize an image, blur, crop, despeckle, dither, draw on, flip, join, re-sample, and much more. To install ImageMagick in your ubuntu(or other debian distros) type this at terminal: $ sudo aptitude install imagemagick Convert PDF files (examples) convert from pdf to jpeg $ convert input_file_name.pdf output_file_name.jpeg The above may give you a small image, For a large image use: $ convert -density size input_file_name.pdf output_file_name.jpeg replace size with your desired resolution eg: 200 convert from pdf to tiff $ convert file_name.pdf file_name.tiff Click for more about ImageMagick's convert program

KernelCheck is a graphical user interface program designed to make the kernel-compiling process as easy as the click of a button. A kernel is the base of any operating system – in our case, the Linux operating system. KernelCheck will fetch the latest information from http://www.kernel.org, which hosts the source packages for the Linux kernel, and ask the user which one they would like to compile into a .deb package (with the option of installing the kernel after the compilation). This automated process is a fork of AutoKernel by Robert Wolterman (xtacocorex), Timothy Janssen (mentok), and Kristof Verbeken (PingunZ). KernelCheck is currently licensed under the GNU Public License version 3. Current Features Ability to download, compile and install latest kernel automatically Ability to compare latest kernel information with your current running kernel GUI designed with Glade provides easy accessibility for any user Supported Platforms At the moment, KernelCheck is only supported on ...

Internet Explorer 6 can function under Wine, albeit imperfectly. For most purposes, Firefox can be used (with the User Agent Switcher plugin) to mimic Internet Explorer, but for those instances when it can't, IE6 may be useful. A beta implementation of Internet Explorer 7 is also available from this package. For more info, see IEs 4 Linux . Make sure you have wine and cabextract packages: sudo apt-get install wine cabextract Download IEs 4 Linux and install: wget http://www.tatanka.com.br/ies4linux/downloads/ies4linux-latest.tar.gz tar zxvf ies4linux-latest.tar.gz cd ies4linux-* ./ies4linux --no-gui

Eye Candy Applications refer to the decoration of the graphical user interface. These can be add-on icons, themes, wallpapers, 3-D effects, etc. Gnome Eye-Candy Resources Gnome Look has wallpapers, splash screens, icons, and themes for windows managers (including Metacity and Compiz) and other applications. Metacity Metacity is the default desktop compositing manager in Gnome. It is lightweight, streamlined and does not have many configurable options, but has multiple themes available at Gnome Look. Compiz Fusion Compiz Fusion is available as a separate Windows Manager, to allow advanced desktop effects such as the rotating cube desktop. Many Ubuntu users choose to run Compiz, which is quite fast in Ubuntu. Install: sudo apt-get install compiz compizconfig-settings-manager compiz-fusion-plugins-main compiz-fusion-plugins-extra emerald librsvg2-common To change to Compiz as the Window Manager: Select Compiz Configuration: System -> Preferences -> CompizConfig Settings ...

Create an alias, aliases allow a string to be substituted for a word when it is used as the first word of a simple command. Syntax alias [-p] [ name [= value ] ...] unalias [-a] [ name ... ] Key -p Print the current values -a Remove All aliases If arguments are supplied, an alias is defined for each name whose value is given. If no value is given, `alias' will print the current value of the alias. Without arguments or with the `-p' option, alias prints the list of aliases on the standard output in a form that allows them to be reused as input. name may not be `alias' or `unalias'. unalias may be used to remove each name from the list of defined aliases. Examples Create an alias 'ls' that will actually run 'ls -F' $ alias ls='ls -F' $ ls $ unalias ls $ alias la='ls -lAXh --color=always' #Show all, sort by extension $ alias ls-al='ls -al' #fix typo missing space $ alias l="ls -l" $ alias la=...

While "apt-get" and "aptitude" are fast ways of installing programs/packages, you can also use the Synaptic Package Manager (System -> Administration -> Synaptic Manager), a GUI method for installing programs/packages. Most (but not all) programs/packages available with apt-get install will also be available from the Synaptic Package Manager. This is the preferred method for most desktop users. In this guide, when you see sudo apt-get install package you can simply search for package in Synaptic and install it that way. System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager Search for the name of the program/package. You can also search for a word in its description. Check the box "Mark for Installation" Click the "Apply" button. The selected program(s) will be automatically installed, along with its dependencies. Add/Remove Programs Not all packages available from apt-get, aptitude, and Synaptic Package Manager are available...

Aptitude is a terminal-based package manager that can be used instead of apt-get. Aptitude marks packages that are automatically installed and removes them when no packages depend on them. This makes it easy to remove applications completely. To use Aptitude, replace apt-get with aptitude in the command line. Example: sudo aptitude install packagename sudo aptitude remove packagename sudo aptitude update sudo aptitude upgrade For an ncurses-based graphical user interface, type sudo aptitude For more information, see the aptitude documentation

For this you required to generate your own personal set of private/public pair. ssh-keygen is used to generate that key pair for you. On the user’s home directory, on the localhost, type [local-host]$ ssh-keygen -t dsa This will ask you a passphrase. A passphrase is a sequence of words or other text used to control access to a computer system, program or data. A passphrase is similar to a password in usage, but is generally longer for added security. Once entered the passphrase you will be prompted to enter the same passphrase again for confirmation. The private key was saved in .ssh/id_dsa and the public key .ssh/id_dsa.pub. Now, copy the public key to the remote machine [local-host]$ scp .ssh/id_dsa.pub user@remote:~/.ssh/id_dsa.pub Now, login into the remote machine and go to the .ssh directory on the server side [local-host]$ ssh user@remote [remote-host]$ cd .ssh Now, add the client’s public key to the known public keys on the remote machine. [remote-host]$ cat id_d...

If your build from source is successful, you can make a Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb) for future use: Install package tools: sudo apt-get install checkinstall Rebuild package using "checkinstall": cd /path/to/extracted/package ./configure sudo make sudo checkinstall Keep the resulting ".deb" file for future use. It can later be installed using: sudo dpkg -i packagename .deb Note: These are basic instructions that may not always work. Some packages require additional dependencies and optional parameters to be specified in order to build them successfully. Also see these Ubuntu wiki instructions

Make sure you have all the necessary development tools (i.e. libraries, compilers, headers): sudo apt-get install build-essential sudo apt-get install linux-headers-`uname -r` Note: "uname -r" lists the current kernel you are using Extract the archive that contains the source files: tar xvf sourcefilesarchive .tar.gz Build the package using the package's script (in this case the configure script), compile the package (make), and install the compiled package into your system (make install): cd /path/to/extracted/sourcefiles ./configure sudo make sudo make install Note: typing ./ before a filename in the current folder allows the Linux shell to try and execute the file as an application even if it is not in the path (the set of folders which it searches when you type a command name). If you get a "permission denied" error, the file is not marked as being executable. To fix this: sudo chmod +x filename Example: In the above instructions, configure is th...

(Tar/GZip) archives end in ".tar.gz" and (Tar/Bzip2) archives end in ".tar.bz2". Bzip2 is the newer, more efficient compression method. These files can generally be automatically extracted by merely clicking on them from your file manager (Nautilus), since file associations with the appropriate archival utilities are set by default in Ubuntu. These instructions are for those who wish to use the command line Terminal. To extract: tar xvf packagename .tar.gz Note: tar is an application which can extract files from an archive, decompressing if necessary. -x means extract. -v means verbose (list what it is extracting). -f specifies the file to use. Decompressing ".gz" files gunzip file .gz Decompressing ".bz2" files bunzip2 file .bz2 Note: You can also decompress a package first by using the command gunzip (for .gz) or bunzip2 (for .bz2), leaving the .tar file. You would then use tar to extract it. To create a .gz archive: tar cvfz pac...

Debian (.deb) packages are the packages that are used in Ubuntu. You can install any .deb package in your system. .deb files can generally be installed from your file manager (Nautilus) merely by clicking on them, since file associations with the default installer is already set in Ubuntu. These instructions are for those who wish to install packages from the command-line terminal (Terminal). Install a downloaded Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb): sudo dpkg -i packagename .deb Remove a Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb): sudo dpkg -r packagename Reconfigure/Repair an installed Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb): sudo dpkg-reconfigure packagename *Example: sudo dpkg-reconfigure mpd

Network communications go through "channels" called ports. You can restrict which ports are available ("open") for network communications, creating a barricade to unwanted network intrusion. Firewalls do this job for you. But I guarantee that if you install one before you know how to use it that one or more networking programs on your system will stop working. Read every bit of documentation about a firewall before installing it -- you won't regret the time invested. All of these packages modify iptables , which is the set of rules that controls network access in and out of your computer. (You can modify iptables manually from the command line, as well, but if you are that much of an expert, you probably don't need this guide.) Firestarter Firestarter is an intuitive firewall manager used to set the iptables values which provide firewall capabilities in Linux (including Ubuntu). It has a very easy-to-use GUI. sudo apt-get install firestarter Guarddog G...

Download the gpg keys for the repositories and automatically add them to your repository keyring: Example: To obtain and add the Medibuntu repository key: wget --quiet http://packages.medibuntu.org/medibuntu-key.gpg -O - | sudo apt-key add - Example: To obtain and add the Google repository key: wget --quiet http://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub -O - | sudo apt-key add - Note: wget - retrieves a file from a network location. --quiet = no output. -O = Output downloaded item to terminal. The | (pipe symbol) is used to capture the output from the previous command (in our case the screen) and use it as an input for the piped command (i.e. apt-key, which adds it to the keyring). Alternatively (and perhaps more easily), you can use apt-key directly: sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys KEY where KEY is the missing key code printed in apt-get output, e.g. EF4186FE247510BE. Note: Key servers often use port 11371. Make sure your firewall al...

Do this at your own risk. Modify the default Ubuntu sources.list only if you understand what you're doing. Mixing repositories can break your system. For more information see the Ubuntu Command-line Repository guide . Create a backup of your current list of sources. sudo cp -p /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list_backup Note: sudo - runs the command with root privileges. cp = copy. -p = prompt to overwrite if a file already exists. Edit the list of sources: sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list or using a graphical editor: gksudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list Note: To use your local mirror you can add " xx. " before archive.ubuntu.com , where xx = your country code. Example: deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jaunty main restricted universe multiverse indicates a repository for Great Britain (gb). Here is a sample sources.list. At the end have been added repositories for Medibuntu and Google: #deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 8.10 _Jaunty Jackalope_ - Release...

There are two types of network monitors: those that monitor your own system's network settings and those that monitor network traffic. The latter includes security tools that can also be used as hackers tools. While we don't espouse the latter, it is worthwhile to know about these tools so you are aware of security risks to your network. A list of available tools is at Top Ubuntu Security Tools . Netstat Netstat is the Linux command-line tool to monitor network status and functions. There are many usage parameters. See the manual for help. netstat Etherape (Network monitoring) EtherApe is a graphical utility that allows you to see (in real-time) where connections are being made on your network, or between your network (or computer) and the Internet. If you are experiencing unexpected network activity on your computer or LAN and wish to see where the activity is occurring, this is an easy tool to use. Both "local" user and "root user" installations are...

A disk device can be subdivided into one or more partitions. The GParted application enables you to change the partition organization on a disk device while preserving the contents of the partitions. With GParted you can accomplish the following tasks: Create a partition table on a disk device. Enable and disable partition flags such as boot and hidden. Perform actions with partitions such as: create or delete resize or move check label copy and paste Gparted is a GTK (Gnome)-based partition manager that can also be used with KDE. This utility works best as a LiveCD. Download the Gparted .ISO image here . Burn the .ISO image to CD. Use the GParted LiveCD as your partition manager. You can also install the package: To Install gparted on your system sudo apt-get install gparted

Maybe you want the user to enter a password in order to boot the Recovery Mode or your secondary OS. You have to set that password in the /boot/grub/menu.lst - for higher security you should crypt your password with md5. You have two ways to do that. The first one might-not work for all. 1. You can use the utility 'grub-md5-crypt' to generate the md5. So type at terminal: $ grub-md5-crypt enter your desired password twice and copy the generated crypt-hash into the menu.lst, for example: title Ubuntu (Kernel 2.6.12-9-386) - Recovery Mode password --md5 $1$HSX1$JYNyfBY0pVizk5kyMQOqn/ root (hd0,2) kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-9-386 root=/dev/hda3 ro single initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.12-9-386 boot Now reboot and try to start the protected boot-option, enter your password. 2. Reboot your machine and enter the grub-menu. Now press "c" key on your keyboard to enter the command line of grub. Now type: md5crypt Enter your desired 'password' and write d...

Some of you may be annoyed with the beep sound in terminal. If you want to get rid of that just follow these steps: Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal Terminal Edit Menu -> Current Profile... General Tab -> General -> Terminal bell (Un-Checked)

In Firefox, when you press 'Backspace' the default action performed is 'Page up'. You can change this to 'Previous page', just follow this for that: In the adress bar in Firefox type: about:config Search for 'browser.backspace_action' in the list Change the value from 1 to 0 by doubleclicking on the number Restart Firefox

Drupal (Web content publishing) Drupal is the leading open-source website creation and content collaboration tools. A modular approach to website building, from simple out-of-the-box websites to complex sites is possible with a short learning curve. Get more info on how to get started . Drupal requires an installation of a LAMP server stack; if you have not already installed LAMP, it will be installed along with Drupal 6. Drupal is available as a package from Synaptic, or from the command-line terminal: sudo apt-get install drupal6 Joomla (Web content publishing) Joomla is a powerful open source website creation and content management tool that allows website creation for use in every arena from the simple to complex corporate environments. Info for beginners is a good place to start. Scribus (Desktop publishing) Scribus is an open-source package that provides professional-appearing desktop publishing. sudo apt-get install scribus Plone (Content Management System) Plone ...

Follow these steps to open files as root user via right click gedit $HOME/.gnome2/nautilus-scripts/Open\ as\ root Insert the following lines into the new file for uri in $NAUTILUS_SCRIPT_SELECTED_URIS; do gksudo "gnome-open $uri" & done Save the edited file Places -> Home -> View -> Show Hidden Files -> .gnome2 -> nautilus-scripts -> Right click on Open as root -> Properties -> Permissions -> Execute Right click on file -> Scripts -> Open as root

CrossOver Linux allows you to install many popular Windows productivity applications, plugins and games in Linux, without needing a Microsoft Operating System license. CrossOver includes an easy to use, single click interface, which makes installing a Windows application simple and fast. Once installed, your application integrate seamlessly with your Gnome or KDE environment. Just click and run your application, exactly as you would in Windows, but with the full freedom of Linux. CrossOver Linux lets you use many Windows plugins directly from your Linux browser. Plugins work on any x86 based Linux distribution and will integrate with most browsers including Firefox 1.x, Netscape 6.x, Konqueror, Mozilla, and Opera. CrossOver also integrates with Gnome and KDE to let you transparently open any Word, Excel or PowerPoint file. But even better, you can open these attachment types directly from any mail client. Just have a look at my ubuntu

Just use the default GNU tools tar, split and cat. There is absolutely no need for any fancy gui tools or software that you have to run in Wine! Just type the following in a console window: tar cvzf - filename.iso | split -d -b 700m - filename.iso.tar.gz . This wil produce the following files: filename.iso.tar.gz.1 filename.iso.tar.gz.2 filename.iso.tar.gz.3 ... Burn to CD with your favorite burner, one file per disk. Then later if you want to restore the iso, first copy all the parts in one directory, and then type cat filename.iso.tar.gz.* | tar xvzf - That will give you back your original ISO. I needed this a few days ago for a >10G backup that I wanted to put on a FAT32 external drive (maximum file size: 2G). Worked like a charm! If you are concerned with space, replace the 'z' option in tar with 'j', and replace 'gz' in the filenames with 'bz2'. Bz2 compression is usually a bit better than gz compression, but it's slower. And if you really wa...

This tutorial will show how to compile and install the latest VLC from source in Debian Lenny in several steps. The current version at the time of writing is VLC 1.0.1, so the tutorial should work successfully for it. 1. Install the development packages As root, type the following two commands: $ apt-get install build-essential $ apt-get install libassa3.5-5-dev libv4l-ruby1.8 debhelper dh-buildinfo gettext quilt nasm yasm libxul-dev liba52-0.7.4-dev libaa1-dev libasound2-dev libcaca-dev libcdio-dev libdca-dev libdvbpsi4-dev libaudiofile-dev libavahi-client-dev libavcodec-dev libdvdnav-dev libdvdread-dev libesd0-dev libfaad-dev libflac-dev libfreetype6-dev libfribidi-dev libggi2-dev libgl1-mesa-dev libglib2.0-0 libgnutls-dev libhal-dev libid3tag0-dev libidl0 libimlib2-dev libjack-dev liblircclient-dev liblivemedia-dev liblua5.1-0-dev libmad0-dev libmatroska-dev libmodplug-dev libmpcdec-dev libmpeg2-4-dev libncursesw5-dev libnotify-dev libogg-dev libpng12-dev libpostproc-dev libpulse-...

Most Linux distributions have 64-bit versions for x86_64 processors, such as the AMD Athlon II or the Intel Xeon. Since these distributions maintain their own package repositories, they usually provide binary packages for all of their supported applications. If you are completely content with your out-of-box Linux installation, you may never need to run a 32-bit program. Some commercial Linux software, particularly games, only provide 32-bit versions. In these rare cases, you will need to configure your 64-bit machine to run 32-bit software. Install the 32-bit libraries Because x86_64 processors are designed over x86 technology, they are still able to support 32-bit programs without any hardware emulation, like what you would need to run x86 programs in a PowerPC or Sparc environment. In Linux, all you need to do is install the necessary software libraries to run the 32-bit software. Fortunately, many Linux distributions package these libraries for you. In Ubuntu, for example, the pack...