tetrasect
Honorary Master
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2009
- Messages
- 22,328
- Reaction score
- 47,739
Hey guys,
I've been using Ubuntu 9.04 for the past few weeks now and I thought I would write down some helpful stuff that I have learned.
This guide should make it unnecessary to have to search the net for answers to some basic but important things that those coming from windows might be unfamiliar with.
Before we start I just want to say that the "Panel" is the Linux equivalent of the "Taskbar" in windows.
So, here we go:
Setting Stuff Up
1. How to Update all your installed Applications and System Files (Highly Recommended)
Click on System>Administration>Update Manager. Click on "Check" and then click on "Install Updates"
2. How to install programs.
The easy way is to click on Applications>Add/Remove, the more advanced way is to click on System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager.
To get access to more software click on System>Administration>Software Sources, and tick all the boxes where it says "Downloadable from the Internet" except "Source Code".
3. How to make Nautilus (Ubuntu's File Manager) behave more like Windows Explorer
On the left panel, in the top left-hand corner, choose "Tree" from the dropdown menu.
4. How to install your graphics card drivers
Click on System>Administration>Hardware Drivers. Select your graphics card and click on "Activate".
5. How to Launch Nautilus with Root privileges in order to change system files
To just do it once off, press alt+F2 and type *gksudo nautilus* (without the stars).
What I did was create a quicklaunch icon on the panel for convenience.
To do this, right-click on the panel and choose "Add to Panel...", choose "Custom Application Launcher" and in the "Command" field type *gksudo nautilus* (without the stars).
6. How to manage which Hard Drives will be mounted on system startup
Click on Applications>Add/Remove and search for "Storage Device Manager". Install it. You can run it from System>Administration>Storage Device Manager.
7. How to make your Ubuntu look nice
Go to gnome-look.org and look through the "GTK" desktop themes. Download the ones you like. Go to System>Preferences>Appearance, click "Install" and select the previously downloaded file.
Look through the "GDM" login screen themes. Download the ones you like. Go to System>Administration>Login Window. Under the "Local" tab click "Add" and select the previously downloaded file.
Tick the ones you want to use and it will pick one at random every time you restart your PC.
8. How to get a Media Player that is like "Windows Media Player Classic"
Click on Applications>Add/Remove and search for "SMPlayer". Install it. Run it (Applications>Sound&Video). Go to the preferences and change the keyboard and mouse shortcuts to your liking.
This is the only player I have come across so far that can be set to use mouse click for pause/play and scroll wheel for volume. To make MPlayer look exactly like MPC as well, go to "preferences>interface" and where it says "GUI", choose "Mpc GUI".
VLC is also available if you prefer it, just install using the normal procedure.
9. How to totally pimp out your desktop with crazy effects and eye candy
Click on Applications>Add/Remove and search for "Compiz". Install "Advanced Desktop Effects Settings (ccsm).
Go to System>Preferences>Appearance and on the "Visual Effects" tab, choose "Extra".
Now run the Compiz Settings Manager(System>Preferences). Tweak to your liking.
Make sure you have "Scale" enabled. Click on the "Scale" button. In the "Bindings" tab there's a picture of a monitor next to the text "Initiate Window Picker".
Click on the corresponding button on the right and when a picture of a screen pops up select either the top-left or the bottom-right hand corner.
Now all you have to do is move your mouse cursor to the selected corner and your open windows will all neatly display themselves on the screen. Makes Alt+Tab look like crap.
To enable the "Cube" effect you need to have 4 desktop surfaces. To do that, right-click on your "workspace switcher" (the picture of 2 little gray squares on your panel) and choose "Preferences".
Set "Columns" to 4.
10. How to get "Widgets", similar to the Vista Sidebar gadgets
Click on Applications>Add/Remove and search for "Screenlets". Install it. Run it (Applications>Accessories). Choose the ones you like.
For an extra level of awesomeness, right-click your chosen screenlets and select "Treat as Widget", then go into your Compiz Settings Manager and make sure "Widget Layer" is enabled.
Click on the "Widget Layer" button. In the "General" tab there's a picture of a monitor next to the text "Toggle Widget Display".
Click on the corresponding button on the right and when a picture of a screen pops up select either the top-left or the bottom-right hand corner.
Now all you have to do is move your mouse cursor to the selected corner and your Screenlets will appear on top of your normal workspace.
11. How to change your Panel Icon and do other cool stuff
Open your terminal (Applications>Accesories>terminal) and enter:
Then go to System>Administration>Software Sources and on the "Third-Party Software" tab, click "Add...".
Enter the following:
then click "Add..." again and enter:
Click on System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager and search for "ubuntu-tweak". Install it. Run it (Applications>System Tools). Tweak stuff.
12. How to rar and unrar files in Ubuntu
Get "Peazip" here. Download the GTK2 DEB installer. Double-click the downloaded .DEB file and choose "Install". Run it (Applications>System Tools).
Fixing Stuff
1. Video flickers when you move the mouse during full screen playback
Go to your "Compiz Settings Manager", click on "General Options" and un-tick the "Undirect Fullscreen Windows" option.
2. Ubuntu lags when un-minimizing windows
Some people with ATI graphics cards might experience a noticeable lag when un-minimizing windows using the panel.
To fix this you need to install the "no backfill" patch for xserver.
Open your terminal (Applications>Accesories>terminal) and enter:
Then go to System>Administration>Software Sources and on the "Third-Party Software" tab, click "Add...".
Enter the following:
then click "Add..." again and enter:
Open the Update Manager and check for updates. Install updates. Restart your PC.
Note: You might have to re-install your graphics card drivers after applying this patch.
If your Ubuntu doesn't start up properly and you get a blank screen, restart your PC and choose "recovery mode". From the next menu choose "Try to auto repair graphic problems".
Re-install your graphics card drivers and reboot again. It should start up fine.
I'll be adding more to this guide in the future. If you find there's something missing, let me know and I will add it.
I've been using Ubuntu 9.04 for the past few weeks now and I thought I would write down some helpful stuff that I have learned.
This guide should make it unnecessary to have to search the net for answers to some basic but important things that those coming from windows might be unfamiliar with.
Before we start I just want to say that the "Panel" is the Linux equivalent of the "Taskbar" in windows.
So, here we go:
Setting Stuff Up
1. How to Update all your installed Applications and System Files (Highly Recommended)
Click on System>Administration>Update Manager. Click on "Check" and then click on "Install Updates"
2. How to install programs.
The easy way is to click on Applications>Add/Remove, the more advanced way is to click on System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager.
To get access to more software click on System>Administration>Software Sources, and tick all the boxes where it says "Downloadable from the Internet" except "Source Code".
3. How to make Nautilus (Ubuntu's File Manager) behave more like Windows Explorer
On the left panel, in the top left-hand corner, choose "Tree" from the dropdown menu.
4. How to install your graphics card drivers
Click on System>Administration>Hardware Drivers. Select your graphics card and click on "Activate".
5. How to Launch Nautilus with Root privileges in order to change system files
To just do it once off, press alt+F2 and type *gksudo nautilus* (without the stars).
What I did was create a quicklaunch icon on the panel for convenience.
To do this, right-click on the panel and choose "Add to Panel...", choose "Custom Application Launcher" and in the "Command" field type *gksudo nautilus* (without the stars).
6. How to manage which Hard Drives will be mounted on system startup
Click on Applications>Add/Remove and search for "Storage Device Manager". Install it. You can run it from System>Administration>Storage Device Manager.
7. How to make your Ubuntu look nice
Go to gnome-look.org and look through the "GTK" desktop themes. Download the ones you like. Go to System>Preferences>Appearance, click "Install" and select the previously downloaded file.
Look through the "GDM" login screen themes. Download the ones you like. Go to System>Administration>Login Window. Under the "Local" tab click "Add" and select the previously downloaded file.
Tick the ones you want to use and it will pick one at random every time you restart your PC.
8. How to get a Media Player that is like "Windows Media Player Classic"
Click on Applications>Add/Remove and search for "SMPlayer". Install it. Run it (Applications>Sound&Video). Go to the preferences and change the keyboard and mouse shortcuts to your liking.
This is the only player I have come across so far that can be set to use mouse click for pause/play and scroll wheel for volume. To make MPlayer look exactly like MPC as well, go to "preferences>interface" and where it says "GUI", choose "Mpc GUI".
VLC is also available if you prefer it, just install using the normal procedure.
9. How to totally pimp out your desktop with crazy effects and eye candy
Click on Applications>Add/Remove and search for "Compiz". Install "Advanced Desktop Effects Settings (ccsm).
Go to System>Preferences>Appearance and on the "Visual Effects" tab, choose "Extra".
Now run the Compiz Settings Manager(System>Preferences). Tweak to your liking.
Make sure you have "Scale" enabled. Click on the "Scale" button. In the "Bindings" tab there's a picture of a monitor next to the text "Initiate Window Picker".
Click on the corresponding button on the right and when a picture of a screen pops up select either the top-left or the bottom-right hand corner.
Now all you have to do is move your mouse cursor to the selected corner and your open windows will all neatly display themselves on the screen. Makes Alt+Tab look like crap.
To enable the "Cube" effect you need to have 4 desktop surfaces. To do that, right-click on your "workspace switcher" (the picture of 2 little gray squares on your panel) and choose "Preferences".
Set "Columns" to 4.
10. How to get "Widgets", similar to the Vista Sidebar gadgets
Click on Applications>Add/Remove and search for "Screenlets". Install it. Run it (Applications>Accessories). Choose the ones you like.
For an extra level of awesomeness, right-click your chosen screenlets and select "Treat as Widget", then go into your Compiz Settings Manager and make sure "Widget Layer" is enabled.
Click on the "Widget Layer" button. In the "General" tab there's a picture of a monitor next to the text "Toggle Widget Display".
Click on the corresponding button on the right and when a picture of a screen pops up select either the top-left or the bottom-right hand corner.
Now all you have to do is move your mouse cursor to the selected corner and your Screenlets will appear on top of your normal workspace.
11. How to change your Panel Icon and do other cool stuff
Open your terminal (Applications>Accesories>terminal) and enter:
Code:
sudo apt-key adv --recv-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com FE85409EEAB40ECCB65740816AF0E1940624A220Enter the following:
Code:
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/tualatrix/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
Code:
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/tualatrix/ppa/ubuntu jaunty mainClick on System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager and search for "ubuntu-tweak". Install it. Run it (Applications>System Tools). Tweak stuff.
12. How to rar and unrar files in Ubuntu
Get "Peazip" here. Download the GTK2 DEB installer. Double-click the downloaded .DEB file and choose "Install". Run it (Applications>System Tools).
Fixing Stuff
1. Video flickers when you move the mouse during full screen playback
Go to your "Compiz Settings Manager", click on "General Options" and un-tick the "Undirect Fullscreen Windows" option.
2. Ubuntu lags when un-minimizing windows
Some people with ATI graphics cards might experience a noticeable lag when un-minimizing windows using the panel.
To fix this you need to install the "no backfill" patch for xserver.
Open your terminal (Applications>Accesories>terminal) and enter:
Code:
sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys AF1CDFA9Enter the following:
Code:
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntu-x-swat/xserver-no-backfill/ubuntu jaunty main
Code:
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntu-x-swat/xserver-no-backfill/ubuntu jaunty mainOpen the Update Manager and check for updates. Install updates. Restart your PC.
Note: You might have to re-install your graphics card drivers after applying this patch.
If your Ubuntu doesn't start up properly and you get a blank screen, restart your PC and choose "recovery mode". From the next menu choose "Try to auto repair graphic problems".
Re-install your graphics card drivers and reboot again. It should start up fine.
I'll be adding more to this guide in the future. If you find there's something missing, let me know and I will add it.
Last edited:
