com.company.product entry valuetype value

defaults is a command-line app for editing plist files, i.e. app preference files. write is a feature of defaults and it’s a command which adds an entry or edits entries of plist files. defaults is a hard application to use, so you could use an app called Secrets, covered on MakeUseOf before, to take advantage of these without learning the command.

Most of the time, you will edit the same plist entry only once. After the preference takes effect, you will never need to enter that command again. However, there are some commands which are really useful and can benefit you if you learn them. Here are 5 useful commands that can be used more than once.

SSH

This can be used to securely remotely login to another device which has remote login enabled. It is commonly used to login to jailbroken iPhones and send files. It is also used to repair computers without a display attached or to make sure they are still working. SSH can also be used to tunnel web traffic.

If you’re on OS X, you must make sure that remote login is turned on in the computer you want to remotely login to. You can do this by going to the Sharing pane in System Preferences, then ticking the “Remote Login” checkbox. Note down the bit in quotes after, “To log in to this computer remotely…”

That’s what you have to type into the terminal to log in to that account on that computer. To login using SSH, simply type:

ssh user@host

Where host is the IP. Then verify that you want to connect and enter the remote computer’s password. From there, you can issue commands from the Terminal remotely.

For Ubuntu, just install OpenSSH, by using:

sudo apt-get install openssh-server

Then check your IP address by clicking nteworking icon on the menu bar, then clicking “Connection Information”. Check your IP address (not the “broadcast” one) and note it down.

To login remotely, type in the same as before.

say [OS X Only]

This is limited to OS X machines. Sorry, Linux users. But for you Mac users, say just makes your Mac speak. You would type in:

say TYPE IN SCRIPT HERE

No quotation marks are needed to enclose the speech or anything. Alternatively, you could first type in

say

, press return, and then everything you type after that is what the Mac will say. This can be use to make your Mac sing as well, if you type this:

say -v Cellos "TYPE IN SCRIPT HERE"

Just add

-v

to change the voice to a voice of your choice. This time, you’ll need the quotation marks.

mv + cp

This command is very useful for moving things. But this is easier to do in the file browser, why the CLI? Well, if you put a dot in front of a file with most UNIX-like systems, like Linux and all POSIX-compliant systems, like OS X it hides the file. With OS X, you cannot just add a dot. It doesn’t allow you to. So use the Terminal to hide your top secret project, because mv is also used to rename files. cp can copy files if you want.

mv ~/Desktop/sourcename.txt ~/Documents/destinationname.txt

With Linux, you must put the two locations in single quotes.

cd

To navigate to a location on your Terminal, just type:

cd location

You can also drag the folder to the Terminal window after typing cd  and then press Enter.

This shortcut works on both OS X and Linux, though it’s a tiny bit easier on OS X. To navigate to your home folder, just type:

cd

ls

Use ls to see the contents of a directory. First you must cd into the  location. Then just type:

ls

This even allows you to see invisible files. Now, can you see how the last three commands link to each other? Now you can find files you hid. If you forget the filenames exactly, this will help you. Now you can restore the hidden files, using the mv command to remove the dot.

Conclusion

What do you think? Have you ever used the command line before? If not, did you find these tools easy to use? What other command line tools can you recommend? Tell us by commenting below!

Ubuntu uses the GNOME desktop environment straight out of the box, which provides a functional and fairly clean desktop with a few sexy effects from Compiz. Kubuntu uses the KDE desktop environment which has now comes with more bells and whistles than ever.

If you’re sitting there on your Ubuntu machine thinking “I fancy giving that a go” then you can. With a couple of commands and a restart, you’ll be using KDE in no time.

KDE Or GNOME?

Besides appearance (well, duh) there’s a few key differences between KDE and GNOME. If you’re using Ubuntu right now you’re running GNOME (and if you’re using Xubuntu, you’re enjoying XFCE).

Take a look around. It’s pretty easy to get it to do what you want, it doesn’t really look that much like Windows and it comes with its own set of tools and toys.

KDE on the other hand gives you considerably more say in the way your desktop looks, despite at first seeming quite Windows-like. For seasoned Microsoft glassy-eyed veterans, KDE might seem the smarter choice as it’ll provide a more familiar and tailored desktop. If you’re sick of the Windows method, you might find GNOME more refreshing.

KDE also comes with its own set of applications, most of which have unnecessary Ks all over the place, like Konqueror and Amarok. The main downside to installing both environments is the fact that you get both software packages appearing all the time, but if you decide to remove one you can remove the associated software packages too.

Regardless, installing KDE is a great way to experience Linux in a slightly different flavour. If you don’t like it, it’s easy to remove (I’ll go through that bit too).

Adding Repositories

First thing’s first, we’re going to be using the command line so open up your favourite console (if you’re in vanilla Ubuntu you can find Terminal in Applications then Accessories) and type:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports

You’ll be asked for your password, input it (it won’t be displayed) and hit enter. Now you’ll want to open up the Software Sources window in System then Administration. Click on the Updates tab and enable Unsupported updates (lucid-backports).

You can check on the repository you just added in the Other Software tab if you want. Once you’re done close the window.

Installing KDE

Back to the command line, find Terminal and enter:

sudo apt-get update

Once the update has completed you’re going to want to download KDE with the following command:

sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop

You will be notified of the archives that are about to be downloaded, the download size and eventual size on your disk. Type “y” and hit Enter to begin the download. You’ve probably got enough time to make a coffee or go to the bathroom. When you get back, you should see the KDE installer open in the Terminal window.

Next you’ll need to choose a default display manager. As I have had no problems with GDM (and once had to recover Ubuntu via the command line thanks to KDM) I chose the former. This one’s up to you, but GDM just seems to work for me and thus comes with my recommendation.

Once you’ve made your decision, the installer will begin. You’ve probably got enough time to drink that coffee and wait until your Terminal looks like this:

You’ll need to restart your computer at this point, but you might want to disable automatic log-in first otherwise you won’t be able to choose KDE at startup. To do this in GNOME go to System, Administration then Login Screen. Enable Show the login screen for choosing who will log in and close the window.

Once you’ve restarted and reached the login screen click your username, input your password and at the bottom of the screen where it says Session choose KDE before logging in as you normally would.

You should now see KDE spring into action. If at any time you would like to switch back to GNOME, log out and choose GNOME as your Session.

Removing KDE/GNOME

So you’ve tried it and it’s not for you. Not to worry, removing KDE and restoring your pure GNOME desktop is quite possible using a single and incredibly lengthy command.   Since the command is very lengthy, we have put it into a TXT document which you can download here at your convenience.

If you’re really bowled over by KDE then you can remove GNOME completely with a similarly monstrous command, again put into a handy TXT document which you can download here.

To paste into the Terminal you’ll need to hit Ctrl+Shift+V. This command will remove all KDE related packages and double-check your GNOME packages. Next time you boot up, you’ll have a pure GNOME Ubuntu again.

Conclusion

Having both KDE and GNOME at your disposal is useful, especially for newcomers still evaluating the OS. If you’ve got a shared computer then having both environments installed isn’t such a bad idea either. Sooner or later you’ll know which you prefer, I personally prefer GNOME with a nice dock.

Whatever you do with your Ubuntu, don’t forget to tell us about it in the comments. Do you use KDE or GNOME? Or both? Or another desktop environment? Don’t be shy!

But getting started in the realm of the command line can be difficult if you’ve been raised on a steady diet of graphical interfaces. Enter CLIcompanion, a program designed to help make learning the command line a little easier. Recently pointed out by OMG! Ubuntu!, this program aims to simplify learning to use the Ubuntu command line.

Just launch this program instead of the standard command line, and you’ll have an index on-hand to help you get started. Best of all, as you learn new command line tricks (using, let’s say, one of the top 3 sites to help you become a Linux command line master) you can add them to the database.

Sound useful? Let’s get started. The program is currently designed with Ubuntu users in mind, so keep that in mind!

Default Programs

Launch the program and, by default, you’ll see a list of potential commands. Scroll through the list to see some basic things you can do with the command line:

Below this handy interface, of course, you’ll find a built-in command line ready for your input. You can type the commands in yourself, using the list above as a guide. Or if you prefer, you can use the GUI to launch a command. Just right-click the command in question and away you go:

You might be asked for more information, but once you provide it the command will launch. You can then watch what happens in the built-in command line.

The default programs give you a lot to work with, not to mention learn, and will be really useful for you as a beginner. As you learn more however, you might want to add the programs you discover along the way. No problem.

Adding Your Own

Adding custom software is easy, if you think you’re ready. Just click “File” followed by “Add Command“. You’ll see a window like this:

Fill in the necessary information, including the command you’d like to run and a human-readable description of what it does. If your command requires some input, such as in my example, include a human-readable description of what this input is.

Once you create your command it’s ready for your reference, or for you to run. Here’s what it looks like when I launch my custom command:

Now all I need to do is type the names of the packages I want to install and watch the magic happen. Amazing, right?

If this custom stuff doesn’t make sense to you yet, don’t worry: you’ll get it. Just work at figuring out how to use the default commands until you get a handle on how everything works!

Download CliCompanion

Want to get started with CLIcompanion? I thought you might. Head over to CLIcompanion’s LaunchPad page to find an easy-to-install DEB file. Note that the program is designed for use in Ubuntu, and as such does not offer easy Fedora or SUSE packages (yet!)

Do you think this is a good way to learn to use the CLI, or can no GUI do that job? Are you using it yourself to try to learn? Let us know your experiences. Or, if you want, flame me for not offering non-Ubuntu downloads. I like everything.

Yes, the command line – that sexy, monochrome, text-based terminal where hackers do their dirty work in movies ““ and now you can show your friends just how hardcore you are by uploading your photos to Picasa with it.

GoogleCL is an Google command line application written in Python that allows you to make Google Data API calls from the command line, and all jokes aside, can actually be very useful if you’re writing scripts to interact with the aforementioned Google services.  In this guide, I’ll give you a tour of GoogleCL with some examples to get you started.

Getting Started

Note: This guide is going to be very technical. If you are not familiar with working in a command line environment, editing system path variables, or creating batch scripts, you should not proceed.

First, the tough part. GoogleCL can be used in Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems, but there are a few prerequisites before you can get started.  If you have any problems with this guide, make sure to check out GoogleCL’s system requirements page for more information.

Google Command Line for Windows Users

Windows users have to follow a few extra steps to make this work. The following information is based off instructions from public int’s instructions (but hopefully a little easier to follow).

1. Download and install Python ““ I’m using version 2.6.5 in this guide and selected the default settings when I installed it. You’ll need at least Python 2.5 installed, and if you already have Python you can use the python ““V command to see what version you’re using.
2. Add the directory where you installed Python to your Windows PATH.
   • Windows 7/Vista: Right click My Computer, select Properties, and click Advanced system settings. Click Environment Variables, select Path under System Variables and click the Edit button. Separate the new entry by adding a semicolon (;) then type the location to your Python location.  In my case, I added ;C:/Python26 to my Path variable.
     
   • Windows XP: Right click My Computer, select Properties, and click the Advanced tab. Click the Environment Variables button, select Path under System Variables and click the Edit button. Separate the new entry by adding a semicolon (;) then type the location of your Python directory.
3. Download the gdata-python-client library and the GoogleCL application.  Extract the contents of both of these files and note their location. (Note: gdata-python-client is available as a .zip but GoogleCL is only in .tar.gz format ““ 7-zip is a great free application to extract these).  I extracted these files right in my Downloads folder.
4. Open the Windows Command Line tool by clicking Start ““> Run and typing cmd. You can also access this by pressing the WIN key + R and then typing cmd.
5. Navigate (using the cd command) to the folder where you extracted the gdata-python-client and GoogleCL files from Step 3 and issue the following commands (make sure to change the folder names as necessary):

cd gdtata-2.0.10

setup.py install

cd ..

cd googlecl-0.9.7

setup.py install

Finally, you can make a “google” command line script to easily launch GoogleCL. Create a blank text file, enter the following information (making sure to change the bolded part to the location where you saved the GoogelCL files in Step 2), and save the file as google.cmd in the folder where you installed Python (mine being C:/Python26).

@echo off

set googlecl_home=D:\Downloads\googlecl-0.9.7\src

python %googlecl_home%\google %*

Now you can type a command like google docs list in your command line to bring up a prompt for your username.

After you type your username, you’ll be taken to a browser page where you need to grant access for GoogleCL to access your information. You will only need to authenticate each service once.

Finally, go back to the command line and press Enter. You did it! GoogleCL should now be working, so give yourself a high five. If you have problems, refer to public int’s guide or check out PCWorld’s guide for alternate instructions using Cygwin.

Mac and Linux Users:

1. Download and install Python. You’ll need at least Python 2.5 installed, and if you already have Python you can use the python ““V command to see what version you’re using.
2. Download the gdata-python-client library and the GoogleCL application. Extract the contents of both of these files and note their location.
3. In a Terminal window, navigate to the folder where you extracted the files from Step 2 and issue the following commands (make sure to change the folder names as necessary):

cd gdata-2.0.10

sudo python setup.py install

cd ..

cd googlecl-0.9.7

sudo python setup.py install

Using GoogleCL

Now that we’ve gotten through the bad stuff, it’s time to have some fun with GoogleCL!

Creating a Blogger post

Your blog will gain an infinite amount of nerd-cred if you post to it via command line.  Use the following command to post directly to your blogger account:

google blogger post –title “Your Title” “Your content”

Press enter when you’re finished, and you’ll have this:

Using your Google Calendar

To view events on your Google Calendar, use the following command and specify a date range, separated by commas, after –date.  In the example below, I’ll list events for the month of May.

google calendar list –date 2010-05-01,2010-05-31

You can easily add events to Google Calendar with the following command:

google calendar add “Collapse after writing article about GoogleCL today at 11pm”

Create a text document in Google Docs

You can easily create and edit Google Docs from the Google command line with the following command. You’ll have to specify a text editor in this command – Linux users can use Vim (which keeps you in the command line) and Windows users can use Notepad. Save the document when you’re finished and it will be uploaded to Google Docs!

google docs edit –title “Your Title” –editor Notepad

And much more”¦

There are many more functions available in GoogleCL – check out some of Google’s example scripts to learn the basic syntax and start experimenting.  GoogleCL’s functionality will only be increasing as more APIs are available, so keep an eye out for good things to come.

Now that you’ve gotten a crash course in GoogleCL, I hope to see you sharing some creative code in the comments!

Conventional wisdom isn’t always right.

There are a lot of things easier to do with a command line then with a graphical user interface. That’s not to say doing things with a command line is intuitive – no, you will need to learn how to use the tools – but it is easier – that is to say, quick and simple to remember. A powerful, easy-to-use command line is a huge part of what makes Linux so powerful.

Don’t believe me? Check out the list below for things I feel are easier with a Linux command line than with a GUI. I highlighted 7 things easier to do in Ubuntu than Windows; consider this article an extension of that one as we explore the power of the Linux command line.

Quickly Check Memory Usage

Sure, you could find out what program is using up your memory using the Gnome System Monitor by clicking “System,” then “Administration,” then “System Monitor,” then clicking the “Processes” tab, then clicking the “Memory” column. You could, but that process took 17 words to explain.

If you’ve got a command line open all you need to do is type “top” and you’ve got the same list.

Kill Any Program

If a certain program is acting up and causing you trouble you can always kill it from the Linux command line. Just type “killall” followed by the name of the program you’re trying to kill.

For example, if Firefox is acting up (as Firefox will do from time to time) simply type “killall firefox” and it should kill the application completely.

In the rare circumstances that this doesn’t work you can always type “xkill” and then click on the window that won’t close; this will completely close a given window immediately.

Every time I fix a Windows computer I end up wishing I could make use of xkill at least once.

Install A Program (Or Several)

When it comes to installing software you simply can’t beat the command line. How to do this varies from system to system, so I’ll just focus on Ubuntu here for the sake of simplicity, but know that the same concepts can be applied for any distro. Check your distro’s documentation for more information.

Ubuntu/Debian types realize the wonders of apt-get. This command line program makes installing programs a snap; for example, installing the SNES emulator ZSNES is as easy as typing “sudo apt-get install zsnes“.

What does all that mean? Well, “sudo” just means you’re typing the command as an administrator. “Apt-get” is the name of the program you can use to install and remove software. The word “install” is telling “apt-get” what to do, and the word “zsnes” is the name of the package  needed to install zsnes.

You can use this same command to install several programs at once. Let’s say you wanted to install Dosbox, ZSNES and mednafen all at once (you retro-gaming addict you.) Type “sudo apt-get install dosbox zsnes mednafen” and you’re good to go.

Update Your Software

When the “Update Your Software” window pops up in Ubuntu I hardly ever use it. Instead, I open up a command line and type “sudo apt-get upgrade” and install everything that way. I find this is a great deal easier than clicking the “Update” button on the window, waiting for the prompt, typing your password and then dealing with the windows popping up and bugging me.

Instead, I type “sudo apt-get upgrade” and have all my updates install in a single window. This leaves me alone and allows me to get back to my work.

Add A PPA [Ubuntu]

Personal Package Archives (PPAs) are a great way for Ubuntu users to keep a particular piece of software on the bleeding edge; read more about them here. Since the release of Ubuntu 9.10 adding a PPA is as simple as typing a single command.

For example. let’s say you wanted the bleeding-edge version of Gwibber (the social networking program that allows Ubuntu to unite all your inboxes). To add the PPA that makes this possible you need only type “sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gwibber-daily/ppa“.

This simple command can be used for any PPA; you’ll find the particular command on a given PPA’s home page.

Conclusion

There you have it: just a few things that are easier to do from the command line than they are from a GUI. This is of course a little subjective, but I think if you learn to do these things from the command line you’ll never really want to go back to the GUI way of doing them.

There are more such things, of course, and I’m counting on you smart Linux types to point them out in the comments below. I’m also expecting ignorant comments about how the existence of the  command line is proof that Linux is inferior to Windows (preferably in all-caps).

There’s only one problem. Although they are essentially compatible with all applications, as a ‘feature’, these media keys automatically launch and start playing songs from iTunes. Even when you’re using them in another application.

And there’s absolutely no easy way to turn it off. Most call it a bug, but Apple calls it a feature, and they don’t seem to be planning to release a fix for this iTunes problem anytime soon. Over the past few years, people have come up with all sorts of tricks to be able to use these keys properly. We’ll be discussing a number of them below – ranging from quick fixes to total workarounds.

Solution One: Delete iTunes

WHAT? We told you we’d be seeing some pretty easy work-arounds. Well, this is about as quick as it gets. If you delete iTunes, you won’t be bothered by it launching in the future. Of course, this solution is only applicable for people who don’t use iTunes at all. If you ever want to reinstall iTunes, you can download iTunes from the Apple website for free.

HOW? Go to your applications folder by opening Finder and selecting Go -> Applications. Find the iTunes application and drag it to the trash can. Finally, select Finder -> Empty Trash… This will completely erase iTunes from your computer.

+ Quick and easy
+ Complete solution – no further hassle
- You can’t use iTunes at all

Solution Two: Keep iTunes Or QuickTime Idle In The Background

WHAT? There are two other situations where iTunes doesn’t steal your focus. In the first scenario, iTunes is already open. In the second, QuickTime Player is. Basically, this solution will allow you to use the media function keys without interruption, but can be CPU intensive. For that reason, the QuickTime technique is preferred.

HOW? Open QuickTime, but no video. The application will run in the background and prevent iTunes from picking up the media key signals.

Alternatively, you can also use iTunes, but be sure to open the iTunes store before hiding or minimizing the application. That way, no songs will start playing spontaneously.

+ Quick and Easy
- CPU intensive
- Needs to be done continuously, and again after each startup

Solution Three: Disallow iTunes To Start By Media Keys

WHAT? There are basically two things we’re going to do. First, we’ll rename an essential file in the iTunes application package. That way, iTunes can’t start – not even when the media function keys try to. Second, we’re making an alternative executable that will launch the altered iTunes file.

HOW? Time to get our hands dirty. Open the Terminal application from Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal. Type the code below, or use copy-paste. Press enter after each line. You’ll be asked for your computer password after the second command.

cd /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS
sudo mv iTunes iTunesX
sudo chmod uog+x iTunes

Close the terminal and open AppleScript Editor, also via Applications -> Utilities. Copy-paste the code below.

tell application “Finder”

open document file “iTunesX” of folder “MacOS” of folder “Contents” of application file “iTunes.app” of folder “Applications” of startup disk

end tell

Select File -> Save As… and change the File Format to Application. Call it iTunesX and save it to your applications folder.

This executable will still be able to launch iTunes for you, and best of all, you can drag it to your dock. Alas, launching iTunes this way will also open a terminal window for the duration of the session.

+ Complete solution – no further hassle
- Relatively complicated
- Starts terminal window with iTunes

Do you have any other suggestions on how to deal with this problem? Let us know in the comments section below!

They may think it’s too difficult or too much to remember. But once a user becomes accustomed to using the command line interface, it soon becomes the preferred method in many tasks. Not only is it much quicker to accomplish just about any given task at the command line, it opens a whole new world of possibilities. It allows the user to begin to understand how an operating system is structured and functions. It gives the user very powerful tools to do the things graphical interfaces will never be able to reproduce. And best of all, it’s just fun.

There are several shells, the interface between the user and the system, with their own set of built-in functions and commands. The most popular is probably Bash, which is an improved clone of the Unix Borne Shell. Not only does Bash include lots of handy built-in commands, but a user can execute (or fork) a multitude of other application executables from within it.

There is a short list of commands that one can learn to get started. With this short list, you can begin to build your toolbox and with the help of a few good reference sites, become a command line master yourself. Not only will this enable you to feel comfortable running just about any Linux distribution available, but every programmer working today began with that first command.

But how might one go about trying to use the dreaded command line? Once open, the user stares at the prompt wondering what to do first. They know folks work from the command line all day every day, but what do you do? Fortunately, you’re not on your own. There are a plethora of sites with all the information you’ll need to take you from beginner to advanced user or anywhere in between.

LinuxCommand

One of the best places to get started is LinuxCommand. This site gently introduces the first time user what a shell is and how to use it. Then, if desired, it will instruct the user on how to write their first shell scripts.

The homepage of this site is very relaxing. It merely shows an image of a terminal and reassures the user “Don’t worry, we’ll show you what to do.” Its Table of Contents addresses usage in an task oriented manner. Instead of listing the command and explaining what it does, it lists an operation one might want to perform.

For example, the first thing any user might want to learn is navigation. With a reference to the graphical hierarchy, it begins the user with the first babysteps of moving around their system with the command line.

Then one is taken on a tour of the Linux filesystem hierarchy and shown how to manipulate files such as renaming, moving, or deleting, and permissions. Once you learn this beginning information, you are already on your way to fixing a Linux system on which the Graphical User Interface is broken.

Next the site gets more involved walking the user through writing shell scripts, first easy then more and more complicated. If you finish this latter section, you are already almost a master.

O’Reilly’s Linux Command Directory

O’Reilly’s Linux Command Directory is a wonderful quick reference chart-like guide. This page lists not only the built-in commands, but also many little utilities commonly included in all Linux distributions. This is great for the beginner or even more advanced users as the listed commands are links to full information as to what the command is and how to use it.

While this information may be available right on your system as Main pages, it comes in handy for those who forgot the command or perhaps doesn’t know which to use. For example, you’d like the current system date and time, so you visit this page and see the command

time

. This must be it, so you click on it and find out that

time

is actually used to measure the elasped time of a given process. So, you know that isn’t it. Then you scroll down and spot

date

. Ah yes, that’s the one. What was that command to quickly check to see if a certain word or phrase is in a file? Oh yes, you remember now that you see the command

grep

listed.

By clicking it you’ll find all sorts of ways it can be manipulated to output just what you need. A favorite activity is just reading through the list for unfamiliar or forgotten commands and learning what they do. This is just a particularly handy site to bookmark.

The Linux Cookbook

The Linux Cookbook fits in somewhere between LinuxCommand’s Learning the Shell and Writing Shell Scripts. It takes the user from logging in to as deep as they want to go.

However, its best resource is its intermediate instruction. After learning a few commands one might want to know how to edit a file and the cookbook features introductions to common text editors.  It also tells a user things such as how to change their password, listing directories in color, and how to understand help files and documentation.

Later, it instructs on how to configure the X Windows System, how to start X, and all other aspects of using X.  Then it even goes further into using the graphical interface and includes things like audio, printing,  networking, and communications.  It basically gives the user a full overview of using Linux.

This site is the online version of a hard copy book sold in many stores and featured on Amazon. Once you complete this book and the LinuxCommand.org instruction, you’ll be a Linux Kung Fu Master.

Do you have any favourite websites for mastering the Linux command line?   If so, let us know about them in the comments.

Image Credit : Slashcrisis

1. Get lightning fast and clever at the command line

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:

Also don’t forget to check out 4 websites where you can learn cool command line tricks

2. Launch Ubuntu Linux Applications with keyboard

There are two ways you can achieve this:

• Use applications like Launchy or Gnome-Do that make it easier to launch applications by typing a few characters of the application’s name.
• Or you can summon gconf editor (Alt+F2 then type gconf-editor and hit enter), and navigate to apps > metacity > global_keybindings, double click on any of the run_command_N and type in the keyboard shortcut you want to assign to an application then make a mental note of the number N. Then go to apps > metacity > keybinding_commands and double click on command_N (N being the number you used above) and type in the command you want to run. As an example if you wanted to run Firefox you would type in firefox.

Also check out these Ubuntu keyboard shortcuts you might not know about.

3. Start from wherever you left off

You can make Ubuntu remember the applications you had open when you last logged out, so that when you log back in again you’ll find all those applications running and you can resume right from where you left off.

To achieve this go to System > Preferences > Startup Applications, then go to the options tab and check "Automatically remember running applications when logging out"

4. Create a Separate Ubuntu Linux Home Partition

New versions of Ubuntu arrive every 6 months. Although you can upgrade to the latest version via the update manager, sometimes the upgrade doesn’t work as expected so some users like to do a fresh clean install.

The disadvantage with that of course is that you lose data you had in your home directory. To overcome this you can create a separate Home partition when you are installing Ubuntu, size it according to your requirements and then when you decide to install Ubuntu the next time, simply specify this partition as the Home partition (by choosing /home as the mount point).

All your files and data on the Home partition will be preserved even after a fresh install.

5. Update and Install Ubuntu Linux Software Without Internet Connection

There are lots of way to do this, the easiest of all is to use APTonCD. APTonCD allows you to create CDs and DVD’s containing all the packages you want, which you can then use to install software on computers without an internet connection.

Note that APTonCD requires you to have an internet connection (or downloaded packages) to create the installed media. However once the media is ready you don’t need an internet connection for any of the machines you want to install the software on. Insert the appropriate CD/DVD and use apt-get as you would normally.

6. Install new fonts, Microsoft fonts and improve font rendering

Ubuntu doesn’t offer many choices when it comes to the fonts. However you can easily install new fonts including those from Microsoft like Arial, Verdana, impact and many more. You can use different sites to find the kind of font you are looking for.

7. Use PPAs, Install latest versions of software

There are a lot of steps that a software has to go through before it becomes part of Ubuntu or becomes available through the Ubuntu repositories. While all those steps lend additional stability, it generally means that you don’t get the latest versions of all the software as soon as they are released.

If you like to stay on the cutting edge, you can search for Personal Package Archives for your favorite software on Launchpad and add those to your installation’s software sources. I briefly touched on PPAs and how to use them here. If that seems like too much work, you can also download the latest deb packages and install them by double clicking (you won’t get automatic updates for the software if you install it this way).

Remember you might get into an occasional trouble or two with the latest versions, but mostly it wouldn’t be catastrophic. You can always hop over to the Ubuntu Forums to get quick help.

8. Be the root

The root account is disabled by default on Ubuntu installations, mainly to prevent you from doing something you didn’t intend to do. However if you "promise to be careful" you can enable root account as follows:

1. Type sudo passwd root and provide a root password.
2. Then head on over to System > Administration > Login Window, go to the Security tab and check "Enable local system administrator login"

You should now be able to login as root from the Login prompt. As an alternative you can use "sudo su" to provide your password and get root prompt.

9. Run Windows applications and games

Who wouldn’t like to play Counter Strike on Ubuntu (unless of course you are completely not into it) or perhaps even run Photoshop? Well it is very much possible and here is how to do it.

10. Shorten boot time with profiling

Ubuntu Linux devs have done a great job with the boot time, Jaunty is fast and Karmic is slotted to be even faster. There is however a bit more you can do by profiling your boot. Profiling lets Ubuntu make a list of all the files that are accessed during bootup, it then sorts the files according to how they are stored on your hard disk. So the next time the system is booted, the files would be read faster.

To profile boot you need to follow these steps

• At the grub menu highlight the kernel you boot most often.
• Press e for edit.
• Choose the line starting with kernel and press e again. Now add the word profile to the end of this line. Hit Enter and then press b to boot

Note that while profiling, the system will boot slower this one time, the next time however you should see an improvement. Also keep in mind that all this is machine-dependent and also depends on the arrangement of files on your hard disk, so the difference you see might not be huge, or even nil in some cases.

11. Try out different Ubuntu Linux Desktop Environments and Desktop Managers

If you are looking for something different than the default Gnome interface, you should check out alternative desktop managers that you can use. If it is a complete Desktop Environment you are looking for, KDE4 has come a long way and is now impressively usable and fun. You can do a "sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop" to get KDE.

12. Create a media center or a media server

It would be great if you could easily browse and manage your huge collection of music, videos and pictures. Mesmerized by Windows Media Center’s slick interface? Wait till you see what all cool options you have to turn your Ubuntu system into a media center. You can even access your media collection on your phone, PSP or a different computer if you set up a media server on your Ubuntu machine.

13. Share Firefox profile data with Windows

Many people use Windows and Linux on the same machine. If you are one of them, there would have been times you couldn’t find that bookmark you created or password you stored when you were using Firefox from within Windows. Check out how you can share Firefox profile data across operating systems without syncing it over the web (works best if you have the same version of Firefox in both OS’s). For different computers you can of course use Weave.

14. Customize Nautilus to your liking

Nautilus is the default file manager on Ubuntu. While you may be content with what it does, there is lots more you can make it do. You can use extensions to improve functionality and even add custom functionality to Nautilus

15. Compile your own Kernel

If you can’t find something to keep you busy for the weekend and you have your customization hat on, how about building a kernel to specifically meet your requirements? This is frankly more of a learning experience. Some might say that it enables you to use just the features and drivers you require, but if everything is working fine with the kernel supplied and you don’t have any interest in the Linux kernel, skip ahead this one is not for you.

If however you require some of the experimental features of the kernel, or need it to be compiled in some other special way we say you check out this guide within Ubuntu Documentation.

16. Change Usplash Screen and create a custom splash screen for GRUB

So you didn’t count the last one? Here is another one then. A Usplash screen is Ubuntu text and a logo with a progress bar that you see when you boot up Ubuntu.

If you would like to change that to something more interesting follow these steps. What better way to show your Linux fu than customizing the very first screen that appears? You can create a custom splash screen using one of your photos, GIMP and a little tweaking. Here is the how-to.

Know some more tips or great hacks for Ubuntu Linux users? Sure you do, go ahead let us know about them in the comments.