Tag Archives: tips

How to uninstall software on Ubuntu

UbuntuInstalling software on Ubuntu is really easy but sometimes we can have problems to uninstall it if we have not used the Package Manager (Synaptic till Ubuntu 9.04 and later through the Software Center) or a .deb package. To fastly uninstall all the software you do not need or you are not fond of, you can type in the Terminal:

sudo dpkg -r your_file

An alternative and powerful way is typing:

sudo apt-get remove your_file

(where your_file it is the name of the software you want to remove)

or, if you want to completely cancel also the configuration files:

sudo apt-get --purge remove your_file

If you want to check what software is installed on you Ubuntu you can use:

dpkg --list

and you will obtain a complete list of software and a very short summary for each package. AddThis mp3 link

Prey: a multiplatform, open source anti-thefth free software for laptops

What about losing your laptop? Obviously the chances to find it and have it back are very few! But there are several software you can install on your laptop to trace the ip and geo-location of te laptop and with a bit of fortune you could find it. Prey is one of these programs you can use and it is particularly interesting because it is open source and free up to three laptops. After the download of the proper version for your OS (Linux, Windows, Mac OS X or Android) you have to run it on your machine and configure it through a very simple interface (on Ubuntu: Applications —> System Tools —> Prey Configurator). Do not forget to select Enable guest account and Wifi autoconnect to improve the possibilities to trace your laptop. You are also asked to provide an email account where you will receive the geo-location reports if your laptop is stolen. When you activate your Prey account do not forget to fill in the Configuration and Modules tabs. Personally we suggest to switch to ON the following commands: Auto update, Notify new reports and all the commands contained in the left column of the Modules tab. At this point, if your laptop is missed, you have to log in your on-line Prey account and, in the Configuration tab, switch the Missing option on YES. Since this moment, Prey software on your laptop is activated and will start sending reports to your email and to your Prey webpage. Last but not least, to better protect your laptop I suggest to hide or cancel the Prey Configurator icon from the OS menu (in Ubuntu: System —> Preferences —> Main Menu —> System Tools and deselect Prey Configurator). AddThis mp3 link

CLI Companion: una ayuda concreta para utilizar la Consola añadiendo una lista automatizada de comandos

Hace unos días he encontrado esta nueva aplicación para Linux, se llama CLI Companion. Aunque Linux ha evolucionado muchísimo y hay que reconocer que ya casi no hace falta hacer uso de la Consola para ejecutar programas y tareas varias, pero también hay veces que gracias al uso de la Consola se puede solucionar pequeños problema que de otra forma seria bastante mas complicado. En esos casos CliCompanion nos hecha una mano añadiendo una lista con diferentes comandos junto a nuestro terminal. La lista de los comando no es infinita, viene con unos cuantos; para cada comando hay una referencia donde se explica la función, también es posible añadir comandos y los parámetros correspondientes. Además CliCompanion tiene un apartado de búsqueda donde es posible encontrar el comando que mas nos interese en cada momento. Desde cuando lo instalé en mi Kubuntu 10.04, tengo que confirmar que es una muy buena aplicación y puede ser instalada con lo repositorios correspondientes y tener futuras actualizaciones o directamente através el paquete .DEB. Os dejo el enlace de la Web: http://okiebuntu.homelinux.com/okwiki/clicompanion AddThis mp3 link

How to add a text/word watermark on OpenOffice Word Processor and Microsoft Word

Just a quick reminder to add a text/word watermark in OpenOffice Word Processor or Microsoft Word:

In OpenOffice Word Processor

a- Create an image using GIMP

– insert a Text field

– choose your favourite font, size, colour (25-30% grey is suggested)

– use the “Rotate Tool” to rotate your text to 45.00 degrees

– save the file in a light graphic format (e.g .gif)

b- Create the watermark

– open OpenOffice Word

– go to Insert —> Picture —> From File and select your graphic file

– click on the image using the mouse’ right button and select Wrap —> In Background

– Done!

In Microsoft Word

– Go to Format

– Select Background and choose Printed watermark

– Click on Text Watermark

– Type “Your Text Here”

– Select Diagonal and then click OK

AddThis mp3 link

Gmail Tips!

This week, in our Freeware Page, we posted a brief review about Gmail Tips, a terrific pdf printable guide with tons of useful information to better manage your gmail account. You can decide to read online the document at www.gmail.com/tips or download the printable pdf version. As for martial arts the tips you receive are related to your skills and are progressively more difficult. At the “white belt” level, I am sure, you will find some feature you have been using for years but when you become a “black belt” or a “Gmail master” you are able to deeply enjoy all the Gmail’s most useful “secret” features. For example you learn how to remotely sign out your Gmail account when you forget it open at the office or in an internet cafe’. Moreover, properly using the Gmail  filters, you will able to send automatic responses reducing the  time wasted in routine replies. We are sure that everyone will find other useful tips depending on what he/she is looking for. Useful! AddThis mp3 link

Something to know before the release of Firefox 3.5: how to disable the geo-locating feature.

This week in our Freeware Page we we have written a quick post about disabling geo-locating feature in the upcoming Firefox 3.5. I have always been an enthusiastic supporter of Firefox because I think it is so flexible that I can find any add-on I need for any purpose. I am also sure that the new Firefox 3.5 will be the perfect tool for my everyday navigation but there is something I am a little bit annoyed. In fact, the Firefox 3.5 will contain a default feature (which can be triggered remotely by a website you are visiting) declaring your geo-location everytime you connect to a site. This feature (previously known as project Geode by Mozilla Labs) could be useful for people involved in social networking but it is a potential wasting time feature for all the others. In fact, you have to declare if you want to automatically display your geo-location each time a website triggers this feature. For this reason, if you are not a social network addict, my personal advice is to disable this geo-locating feature as soon as you install (or update to) Firefox 3.5… (it continues in the Freeware Page). AddThis mp3 link

How to test Moblin 2.0 beta – an experimental Linux OS, optimized for Netbook and Mobile Internet Devices (MID).

Today, in our Linux Page (in Spanish) we posted a brief tutorial about the beta version of Moblin: a new Linux OS, -by the Linux Foundation and supported by Intel to increase the diffusion of its Atom processor- which has been developed especially for MID and Netbooks. Moblin, in its Beta version looks stable and full of features (Wimax included) and it is in constant development. At the moment we suggest to test it on a USB key. For this, after dowloading the .img file we can us imageWriter (Applications – Accessories – ImageWriter). If you need to install ImageWriter, please use Synaptics (System – Administration – Synaptics Package Manager) and in the search file type usb-imagewriter and install this program using the right button on your mouse. In our opinion, Moblin 2.0 beta, is realy well developed, all the menus are intuitive and easy to use and the graphics is more than sufficient. At the moment Moblin guys are testing this new version on Acer Aspire One, Asus eeePC 901, 1000H, Dell Mini 9, MSI Wind, Lenovo S10, Samsung NC10, HP Mini 1010 and 1120NR and we hope they could extend the Netbooks models in the near future. Recommended! AddThis mp3 link

How to solve a boring Firefox crash when you upgrade it on Linux

Firefox 3.0

Firefox is the most flexible browser you can install and use on your computer. It is always upgraded, easily customizable and full of add-ons you can choose to satisfy all your needs but sometimes, after an upgrade it crashes and does not run. Today, in our Linux Page (in Spanish) we have added a brief post about solving this problem. First of all, start Firefox in its Safe Mode (open Terminal and then type: firefox -safe-mode or if you prefer Alt+F2 and then type as described before). Immediately you will see a menu window with five different options. Click on the button which allows you to “Disable all the add-ons” and you will able to launch Firefox. This happens because some add-ons are not compatible with the new version of Firefox. To completely solve the matter you have to separately enable each add-ons and restart the browser after having added any single add-ons. In this way, you will be able to understand which is the “guilty add-ons”. Useful! AddThis mp3 link