Entries Tagged 'Linux' ↓

KDE 4.0 stable is now available for Linux. This new release of KDE 4 includes a whole lot of new improvements like a whole new desktop shell Plasma, better look and feel with Oxygen artwork, hardware acceleration in KWin, a new document file viewer Okular, improved KDE applications and lot more.

Here is how you can install KDE 4 on your existing Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon install.

1. First remove any previous KDE 4 packages you have installed. Fire up a terminal window and type sudo apt-get remove kdelibs5 kde4base-data kde4libs-data
2. Then open up your sources list with /etc/apt/sources.list
3. At the end of the file add deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/kubuntu-members-kde4/ubuntu gutsy main
4. Now run apt-get update
5. Next to install KDE4 type in terminal apt-get install kde4-core
6. You will get a warning that the packages are not authenticated. Hit Y for that warning.
7. Log out and then you will be able to run a full session by selecting “KDE 4″ from your login manager.

Thats it. I am installing KDE 4 now on my Gutsy install.

Will post I have posted some screenshots of KDE 4 when its over.

Source

With the fourth major version, the KDE Community marks the beginning of the KDE 4 era.

Beginning today, KDE 4.0 is available for immediate use by Linux enthusiasts. After half a year of development, KDE 4.0 stable is finally available. KDE 4 is the next generation of the popular K Desktop Environment the alternative to GNOME desktop environment.

New in KDE 4

• A new desktop shell called Plasma. Plasma provides a panel, a menu and other intuitive means to interact with the desktop and applications.
• KWin, KDE’s window manager, now supports advanced compositing features. Hardware accelerated painting takes care of a smoother and more intuitive interaction with windows
• New Oxygen artwork in KDE 4 to provide a consistent look and feel along all applications.
• KDE Applications have been improved. Visual updates through vector-based artwork, changes in the underlying libraries, user interface enhancements, new features, even new applications are now in KDE 4.
• KDE 4 also ships with Dolphin an alternative to Konqueror file manager.
• A new file viewer Okular is included. Okular makes use of the new underlying KDE technologies.

This is just a small list. Lots of more changes are there.

You can find the complete list in KDE 4 announcement available on the KDE blog.

I recently brought a Dell Vostro 1400 laptop and set out to install Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon on it. The installation went out smoothly and Ubuntu booted up. But there were some issues like sound was not working, wired internet was slow etc. After a bit of searching on the internet, I have solved many of these issues. So I thought I would write a single post to sort out all issues on a Dell Vostro 1400 with Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon installed on it. This will help the owners of Dell Vostro laptops sort out the issues they have with Gutsy Gibbon easily.

Issue #1 - Sound comes out alright through headphones but inbuilt laptop speakers do not work

This is the first thing you will notice when you login into Ubuntu. To solve this problem :

1. Go to Terminal.
2. Type sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base
3. Then paste this at the end of the file : options snd-hda-intel model=5stack
4. Save the file and reboot.
5. Play something, now sound will come from the laptop speakers.

Issue #2 - Fans not working in Vostro after you boot into Vostro

Although I hear the fans working, they never work at full speed. Why heat up your laptop because you don’t want to hear noisy fans ? This procedure will let you install Gkrellm along with the I8K plugin which lets you control your laptop’s fan speed.

1. Goto Terminal and then type the following commands.
2. sudo apt-get install i8kutils gkrellm gkrellm-i8k
3. sudo modprobe i8k force=1
4. sudo gedit /etc/modules
5. Add the following line to the end of the file: i8k force=1. Save and exit.
6. Go to System > Preferences > Sessions > Startup Programs
7. Click ADD and put the command: gkrellm
8. Log out and log in. Gkrellm should start up. Go to plugins and enable the I8K plugin.

Issue #3 - Wired and Wireless Internet are slow

After some searching on the internet I have found that this is due to IPv6. Due to IPv6 the DNS names are not resolved properly. So all you need to do is disable IPv6 for Gutsy Gibbon.

1. To disable it, open Terminal.
2. Type command : gksudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/aliases.
3. Find the line alias net-pf-10 ipv6 and change it to #alias net-pf-10 ipv6
4. Add the following lines to the file alias net-pf-10 off and alias net-pf-10 off ipv6
5. Save the file and reboot.
6. Your internet should work properly now.

These are the three major issues that have been solved till now. Still my laptop’s wireless card (Broadcom) is not working. I am yet to make it work. When I find the solution, I will post it here.

Linux is for geeks. That is the worst cliche I have ever heard. In fact I think that Ubuntu Linux is far more easier to work on compared to Windows Vista.

Now that I have ditched Windows Vista in favor of Ubuntu Linux, I though I would write a post on why Ubuntu Linux is better than Windows Vista.

5 reasons why you should be using Ubuntu Linux instead of Windows Vista

1. Rock solid stability and better responsiveness

I don’t remember a day when Windows Vista had not crashed on my laptop. Running a Bit-torrent client (any one) will show a BSOD every time on my system. On the contrary I do not remember a day when Ubuntu had stopped responding or crashed.

2.Third-party software just a click away

No more clicking through endless UAC dialogs and Next screens to install the software. In Ubuntu Linux just go to Synaptic Package Manager, search for the software you want to install and click the small checkbox next to it. Then click on Apply. Your software will automatically be downloaded and  installed.

3. The wow is here

If you though Vista’s animations and effects were good, you must try Compiz fusion. It is bundled by default in Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon. Provided you have a decent grahics card, you just need to turn on the effects in System —> Preferences —> Appearance —> Effects.

4. Tune thy Ubuntu

There is absolutely nothing about Ubuntu Linux that you cannot change. Do not like the theme, the icons etc. , just download a new theme  from Gnome Look and drag-drop it on the Appearances dialog box. Your new theme is installed.

5. No antivirus, anti-spyware, firewall required

Damn Windows Security Center and anti-virus software. If Vista is not slow enough for you, then install some anti-virus. Cut to Ubuntu, no such thing needed.

That’s it. So when are you going to try Ubuntu Linux.

P.S. - Reason #5 is there just because I wanted to round off things.

Came across this new Linux distribution called Linux Mint.  Linux Mint is an Ubuntu-based distribution which provides a complete out-of-the-box experience by including browser plugins, media codecs, support for DVD playback, Java and other components with the default install.

Ubuntu rocks as a Linux distribution but it somewhat falls short of the expectations of users who are switching to Linux from Windows. No multimedia codecs, no DVD support and a orange theme for default. So if you are a Ubuntu fanboy and want a fully multimedia capable Linux distro with a fresh and bright Mint theme then try Linux Mint.

Here are 5 great reasons to swap your Ubuntu distro with Linux Mint :

• You get all multimedia codecs with the default install. You can even play YouTube videos by default. So no hunting around sites and doing apt-get install.
• Get rid of the Ubuntu brown theme. Linux Mint ships with a fresh and bright Mint theme.
• The latest release Linux Mint Daryna is also compatible with the Ubuntu Gutsy repositories. So you can still use you favorite Gutsy softwares.

After using it for the last 10 days, I am impressed with the experience. The tag line for Linux Mint “From future freedom came elegance” aptly fits the distro which builds upon the solid foundation provided bu Ubuntu Linux. Linux Mint has not only added upon the features of Ubuntu Linux but also gone in for an aesthetic makeover something like Flock is for Mozilla Firefox.

So if you want a full-featured Linux distro which is usable right from the beginning try Linux Mint.

Linux Mint Home

Linux Mint Screenshots