Say hello to “Explore Ubuntu”!

This blog is being moved to www.exploreubuntu.wordpress.com

Dont worry, the current Thoughts N’ Dreams will not be deleted! However new posts as well as all previous and current posts of this blog can be found in Explore Ubuntu.

So head over to the new Explore Ubuntu and start exploring Ubuntu like never before!

Install WINE

Wine (Microsoft Windows Compatibility layer) is one of the most loved softwares on Ubuntu. What it does is allows you to run Windows files on Ubuntu. Say you want to play a game which doesnt have a Linux counterpart, or say a software whose windows versions are popular, what do you do? Simple, install Wine and play the game exactly as you would on Windows!

So how do you install Wine? Well thankfully its in the Ubuntu repositories.

First up go to Ubuntu Software Center and type “Wine”, you’ll get the following search results:

Next select the Wine beta option (its better to select beta since it has loads of bug fixes compared to the stable version, ironically! ) as shown in the previous pic and install it:

Thats it! Now whenever you come across a .exe file or any Windows supported file, just right click on it and select the option to open the file with Wine. It will then run exactly as it would on Windows.

Extra Tips:

Here’s some really useful info. Wine actually modifies your Firefox tahoma font and unfortunately that will make all your firefox fonts look really really weird! Eg. bold fonts would look like regular fonts etc. There’s a way to undo the damage without affecting Wine at all. What you need to do is go to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager. From there, search “ttf-tahoma-replacement” in the search bar. It will obviously be installed on your system (considering you’ve already installed Wine).

So what you do is basically select the package and mark for complete removal of it (just the “ttf-tahoma-replacement” package, nothing else). Click on “Apply” to remove the pack.

And once you have removed the font pack, your synaptic should look like this once you search for “ttf-tahoma-replacement” again in the search bar (the pack should be deactivated/unselected):

I had to figure this thing out by myself. I havent found any other tutorial which explains this Firefox font problem solution.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed finding it out! Check out for more such cool tutorials here or go through the “Ubuntu” category on this blog.

Install Ubuntu

This the tutorial for the installation perhaps the most user-friendly Linux OS in history, Ubuntu!

To get Ubuntu click here. Download the .iso file, and burn it to a CD/DVD.

One more thing, the installation instructions here are for Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala release), currently the latest version.

Step 1: BIOS Changes – Make sure your first boot device is set to your CD/DVD ROM. Save your settings and exit BIOS.

Step 2: When you boot, this is the first screen you will get:

Step 3: Select your language and then select the “Install Ubuntu” option and press enter.

The images below are in sequence of the screens you will see. You will enter your details as per your preference and click on “Forward” after that.

Select your language and click “Forward” (image below).

Ubuntu will now configure the installation. (Nothing for you do here)

You will have to select your region here (basically where you’re from) and click “Forward”. Image given below:

Select your keyboard layout (best keep it to the default one as shown here if you’re not sure).

If you want to install Ubuntu on your hard drive as the only OS, then click on the first option “Erase and use the entire disk” as shown here. (If you want to set partitions, click on the “Specify Partitions Manually (advanced)”and set your partition size and specification) Its better to select the first option as shown here if you’re not sure.

Enter your name and username, password etc. If you dont want Ubuntu to ask you for passwords everytime you boot, select the “Log in automatically”

Click on Install. And wait… (as some weirdos say “Patience is a virtue” )

The installation progress bar, will stay on your screen for 10-15 mins. Patience is a virtue, remember?

After the installation is over/the bar reaches 100%, you will get this image on your screen. Click on “Restart Now”:

As directed simply remove the CD from the tray and press Enter.

Ubuntu will now restart and you will see the following screens:

And the really cool “Loading” bar (technically called the “Usplash screen”)

And then finally you get the Ubuntu desktop:

Thats it! Congrats on your new Ubuntu!

Install Kubuntu

Many prefer Kubuntu to Ubuntu because of the stunning interface.

This is perhaps the most user-friendly tutorial on how to install Kubuntu afresh on your PC. To get Kubuntu, click here (as with all Cannonical releases, its totally free!) and burn the downloaded .iso file to a CD (you could also burn it to a DVD).

One more thing, the installation instructions here are for Kubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala release), currently the latest version.

Step 1: BIOS Changes – Make sure your first boot device is set to your CD/DVD ROM. Save your settings and exit BIOS.

Step 2: When you boot, this is the first screen you will get:

Step 3: Select your language and then select the “Install Kubuntu” option and press enter.

Step 4: The following images are in sequence. You will have to enter your details as per your preferences.

Select your region:

Select your keyboard layout (best keep it to the default one as shown here if you’re not sure).

If you want to install Kubuntu on your hard drive as the only OS, then click on the first option “Erase and use the entire disk” as shown here. (If you want to set partitions, click on the specify partitions and set your partition size and specification) Its better to select the first option as shown here if you’re not sure.

Enter your name and username, password etc. If you dont want Kubuntu to ask you for passwords everytime you boot, select the “Log in automatically”

Click on Install and get your cup of coffee coz its gonna take quite some time!

The installation bar which you will have to tolerate for around 10-15 mins. Did you get that coffee?

After the installation is over/the bar reaches 100%, you will get this image on your screen. As directed simply remove the CD from the tray and press Enter.

Kubuntu will now reboot and greet you with its amazing interface!

Thats it!

Offline Blog Editor for Ubuntu

This is why I like Ubuntu, there’s an app for almost everything!

Okay, so if you have a blog like I do, and you have limited bandwidth or if you just dont want to use your wordpress editor, there’s a really cool Blog app called BloGTK Weblog Client (there are others such as Lekhonee etc. but none are as good as this one). This app allows you to post your blogs directly from your desktop.

To download it, go to Ubuntu Software Center and search for BloGTK Weblog Client.

Or if you want to use the terminal you can install BloGTK by typing the following command:

sudo apt-get install blogtk

You’ll be asked for your password and the software will be installed.

Now coming to the configuring part. BloGTK is intalled in the Internet tab of your GNOME menu. Start the application. It looks like this:

In the BloGTK application click on the “Edit” menu and then on “Accounts and Settings”. Now you’ll get a window similar to the pic given below:

As you can see you need to set the options as the following:

Server URL: http://www.name of your blog.wordpress.com/xmlrpc.php
(This is of course for WordPress, if you’re using Blogger, your Server Address should be: http://www.blogger.com/api/RPC2)

Blogging System: Movable Type
(If you’re using Blogger, your Blogging System should obviously be “Blogger”!)

Enter your username and password and leave all other settings untouched. Now when you’re done open the “File” menu and click on the “Connect” option.

Thats it. Now write your post and and post it on your blog. Pretty simple eh?

Ubuntu Tweak

Want to use Chromium, Opera and the latest beta softwares on Ubuntu? That can be a problem coz the Ubuntu repositories generally dont have the latest softwares, as new releases are tested by Ubuntu developers before adding them to repos.

Enter Ubuntu Tweak, a nifty and smart software which helps you install nearly all popular softwares not in the Ubuntu Repository.

To install Ubuntu tweak, you need to select your Ubuntu version and type of processor. Download the package thats suitable for you from here.

Save it on your hard drive and double click on the downloaded file. Click on the install option and wait for it to get completed.

Ubuntu Tweak can be found in the System Tools under the GNOME Application menu.
When the program loads, click on the Applications tab (of Ubuntu Tweak) and the on the Third Party Sources. Then click on the “unlock” button to unlock the programs (you might have to enter your password here). The pic elaborates it:

Finally select the software you want from the list and then tick the selection option. You need to click on “Refresh” to activate the software.

The following pic elaborates it (example has been given with Banshee Stable Version):

Thats it. Enjoy!

Install restricted extras for Ubuntu

These packages will add MP3, Quicktime, Windows Media support, and a whole lot of codec support which virtually will result in you being able to play almost anything under the sun!

So, this is how you install the pack (you can use any one):

1. Terminal method

Open the terminal and type the following:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

2. Synaptic method

Open the Synaptic package manager (System >Administration > Synaptic package manager) and search with the following words: “ubuntu-restricted-extras”. Install the package which appears in the search result with the same name. After installation the package should look like the pic below.

Mind you, there are legal restrictions for these packages. (Go through this link for more on Ubuntu Licensing : Licensing)

Getting Compiz to work on Ubuntu

The following has been tested on Ubuntu 9.10

Lets face it without compiz, ubuntu aint no fun!

If configured properly, compiz can work wonders for you, and basically make ubuntu a more enjoyable experience graphically.

How to install compiz:

This is very simple. Click on the GNOME menu and go to “Ubuntu Software Center”. The type the words “Compiz” in the search bar and install the “Advanced Desktop Effects Settings” package.

Next follow the instructions and install the compiz package. After the installation, preferably restart your computer.

When you’ve rebooted, this is how you configure Compiz:

Go to System > Preferences >Compiz config settings manager

A window will open up with loads of options and these are the ones you need to select:

Desktop Cube, Rotate Cube, 3D Windows, Cube reflection and deformation, Animations add on, Wobbly windows

Your compiz selections should look like this:

Also, make sure you go to General Options and increase you horizontal virtual desktop size to 4. Like so:

Now to add the “Burn” effect while closing windows, do the following:
Open the Compiz settings manager and click on the Animations tab. Now select the “Close Animation” tab and select “Burn” from the options. Usually “Zoom” is selected by default.

Thats about it! Now if you want to rotate the cube, just press the Ctrl and Alt keys together from your keyboard and move your mouse with the left click button (simultaneously). Enjoy!

All Ubuntu related blog posts can be found here.

Install Kubuntu alongwith Ubuntu

Here’s a bit of a suggestion for those who have Ubuntu installed and want to try out KDE and dont want to format their hard drives or run it from the Live CD.

First up go to Synaptic. How do you do that? System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager

In the synaptic package manager search bar, type “kubuntu-desktop” and the following search results will be produced:

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So, click on the first result, i.e. kubuntu-desktop and mark it for installation. Once you mark it, it’ll show you the names of dependent packages which need to be installed but click on the option “Mark”:

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After that its pretty much simple. Restart your Ubuntu (recommended) or simply log out.

In the next login screen you’ll see the following at the bottom:
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Click on the menu where its written “GNOME” and from the drop down menu select “KDE”. Next log in with your username and password just as you would with Ubuntu. (By the way, this step requires that you disable auto login. To do that, go to System>Administration>Login Screen and then click “unlock”. Enter your keyring password and select the first option “Show the screen for choosing who will log in”) Mind you can always log in to your default Ubuntu by selecting GNOME from the login screen and then logging in with your username and password.

Thats it, you’ll be taken to the really cool looking Kubuntu KDE interface!

However if you dont like the Kubuntu installation and want to remove it, here’s a really cool trick.
Just open your terminal and copy paste the following (yeah, thats the command, no kidding!) :

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sudo apt-get remove akonadi-server akregator amarok amarok-common amarok-utils apport-kde apturl-kde ark cdrdao dolphin dragonplayer exiv2 foomatic-db-gutenprint gdebi-kde gnupg-agent gtk2-engines-qtcurve gwenview hpijs-ppds ibus-qt4 ijsgutenprint imagemagick install-package jockey-kde k3b k3b-data kaddressbook kamera kate kcm-gtk kde-icons-oxygen kde-style-qtcurve kde-window-manager kde-zeroconf kdebase-bin kdebase-data kdebase-plasma kdebase-runtime kdebase-runtime-bin-kde4 kdebase-runtime-data kdebase-runtime-data-common kdebase-workspace-bin kdebase-workspace-data kdebase-workspace-kgreet-plugins kdebase-workspace-libs4+5 kdebluetooth kdegraphics-strigi-plugins kdelibs-bin kdelibs5 kdelibs5-data kdemultimedia-kio-plugins kdepasswd kdepim-groupware kdepim-kresources kdepim-runtime kdepim-runtime-data kdepim-runtime-libs4 kdepim-strigi-plugins kdepim-wizards kdepimlibs-data kdepimlibs5 kdesudo kdm kfind khelpcenter4 kipi-plugins klipper kmag kmail kmix kmousetool knotes konq-plugins konq-plugins-l10n konqueror konqueror-nsplugins konqueror-plugin-searchbar konqueror-plugins konsole kontact kopete korganizer kpackagekit kppp krdc krfb ksnapshot ksysguard ksysguardd ksystemlog ktimetracker ktorrent ktorrent-data kubuntu-artwork-usplash kubuntu-default-settings kubuntu-desktop kubuntu-docs kubuntu-firefox-installer kubuntu-konqueror-shortcuts kvkbd kwalletmanager kwin-style-qtcurve language-selector-qt libakonadiprivate1 libao2 libaudio2 libboost-program-options1.38.0 libclucene0ldbl libepub0 libexiv2-5 libfftw3-3 libflac++6 libindicate-qt0 libjpeg-progs libk3b6 libkabcommon4 libkcddb4 libkdcraw7 libkdecorations4 libkdepim4 libkexiv2-7 libkipi6 libkleo4 libknotificationitem1 libkonq5 libkonq5-templates libkonqsidebarplugin4 libkontactinterfaces4 libkopete4 libkorundum4-ruby1.8 libkpgp4 libksane0 libksieve4 libkwineffects1 liblancelot0 liblastfm0 liblzma0 libmimelib4 libmodplug0c2 libmpcdec3 libmsn0.1 libokularcore1 libotr2 libpackagekit-glib11 libpackagekit-qt11 libplasma3 libpolkit-dbus2 libpolkit-grant2 libpolkit-qt0 libpolkit2 libpoppler-qt4-3 libqca2 libqca2-plugin-ossl libqimageblitz4 libqscintilla2-5 libqt4-assistant libqt4-dbus libqt4-designer libqt4-help libqt4-network libqt4-opengl libqt4-phonon libqt4-qt3support libqt4-ruby1.8 libqt4-script libqt4-scripttools libqt4-sql libqt4-sql-mysql libqt4-sql-sqlite libqt4-svg libqt4-test libqt4-webkit libqt4-xml libqt4-xmlpatterns libqtcore4 libqtgui4 libqtscript4-core libqtscript4-gui libqtscript4-network libqtscript4-sql libqtscript4-uitools libqtscript4-xml libruby1.8 libscim8c2a libsmokekde4-2 libsmokeqt4-2 libsoprano4 libstreamanalyzer0 libstreams0 libstrigiqtdbusclient0 libtag-extras1 libtidy-0.99-0 libvncserver0 libxcb-shape0 libxcb-shm0 libxcb-xv0 libxine1 libxine1-bin libxine1-console libxine1-misc-plugins libxine1-x libzip1 mysql-server-core-5.1 okular okular-extra-backends openoffice.org-kde openoffice.org-style-oxygen oxygen-cursor-theme packagekit packagekit-backend-apt phonon-backend-xine pinentry-gtk2 pinentry-qt4 plasma-dataengines-addons plasma-dataengines-workspace plasma-scriptengine-python plasma-widget-facebook plasma-widget-folderview plasma-widget-googlecalendar plasma-widget-indicatordisplay plasma-widget-kimpanel plasma-widget-kubuntu-qa-feedback plasma-widget-lancelot plasma-widget-networkmanagement plasma-widget-quickaccess plasma-widgets-addons plasma-widgets-workspace policykit printer-applet python-kde4 python-packagekit python-qt4 python-qt4-dbus python-sip4 quassel quassel-data ruby ruby1.8 software-properties-kde soprano-daemon speedcrunch system-config-printer-kde systemsettings ttf-arphic-uming ttf-dejavu ttf-dejavu-extra update-manager-kde update-notifier-kde usb-creator-kde userconfig && sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

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(Reference: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/puregnome)

And hit enter. Enter your administrator/sudo password and all the KDE dependent apps will be uninstalled and you will be returned to your native Ubuntu installation. Hope this helps.

Oh yeah, it didnt cost me a cent!

Still have doubts about how Ubuntu looks?