Linux stuff

(Modified 2016 Oct 02)

Linux stuff

Outline

• General Unix/Linux stuff

• Hardware/software configuration history

• Distro- or desktop-specific tricks

• Software notes

General Unix/Linux stuff

• basic Unix commands

  • find -- use of the find command

  • tar -- for archiving (and copying)

  • cshrc files for use with tcsh

    • an example .cshrc file

• some shell scripts

  • • mmv -- multiple move

    • DEL -- multiple delete

  • burning CDs, CDRWs, and DVDs using cdrecord

  • display settings -- resolution, external display, dual display

  • system monitors -- various process-display tools

    • conky

    • gkrellm

    • procmeter

  • keyboard mapping -- using xmodmap

  • per-terminal command history

  • networking -- some networking issues switching from a wireless network to a wired network

  • audio problems -- no hardware devices detected in PulseAudio

  • fstab -- disk mounts, may be specific to Ubuntu

  • sudo -- for enabling root priviledges to other users

  • wireless networking -- I had had issues, but they're solved now.

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Hardware/Distro/Desktop configurations I have tried

• 1. current -- Linux Lite 1.0 + XFCE

     • Athlon II X2, 2.9 GHz, 4GB RAM; Dell Studio laptop with i5, 4GB RAM

     • based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

     • will be supported until April 2017 and uses Libreoffice 3, which works with the reference manager Bibus

  2. Xubuntu + XFCE

     • hp Elite w/i7 + 4GB RAM, Hannspree Hannsbook, Lenovo S10-3

     • problems with LibreOffice 4, but better at recognizing my Android phone

     • netbook-specific distros, such as Moblin and EasyPeasy, were bad -- they discourage you from having multiple windows open, and 1024x600 is adequate for that purpose (as opposed to 640x480 tablets)

     • notes on disabling the horizontal scrollbar on the Hannsbook

  3. i5 laptop, 4GB RAM -- Xubuntu + XFCE

     • I stopped experimenting with desktop environments other than XFCE

  4. Athlon II X2, 2.9 GHz, 4GB RAM -- Fedora Core 11 + GNOME, then Ubuntu + GNOME, and later Xubuntu + XFCE

     • Fedora install crapped out during an update, and I resorted to the Ubuntus

  5. Celeron (laptop), 2.0 GHz, 1GB RAM -- Xubuntu + XFCE

     • had wifi issues with Mandriva (in early 2009), but most distros have wifi solved now

  6. P4, 1.8GHz, 512MB RAM -- Zenwalk + XFCE

     • With a little faster hardware, I'd have like to run PCLinuxOS

  7. P3, 850MHz, 256MB RAM -- Zenwalk + XFCE, then AntiX + IceWM

     • Zenwalk ran great, but I tried AntiX when I installed Zenwalk on the P4 above

  8. K6-2, 380MHz, 192MB RAM -- Fedora Core 2 + XFCE

     • used until hard drive died

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Distro- or desktop-specific tricks

• • XFCE -- a light desktop manager

    • place the terminal tabs at the bottom of the window -- for XFCE 4.10

    • fixing hddtemp error -- for XFCE 4.10

    • fixing not autohiding panels -- for XFCE 4.10

    • fixing warnings when using Murrine-based themes -- for XFCE 4.10

    • disabling auto-maximize when dragging to top of screen -- for XFCE 4.10

    • GIMP guide-freezing bug -- in recent versions of XFCE, dragging the guide rulers freezes the menus

    • fixing Thunar's slowness on startup -- for XFCE 4.8

    • fixing corrupted desktop -- for XFCE 4.8

    • enabling suspend -- for XFCE 4.6

    • terminal settings -- for XFCE 4.4, activating the beep -- doesn't fix version 4.6+

    • font selection -- written back for XFCE 4.0

    • desktop themes -- written back for XFCE 4.0

  • Ubuntu/Xubuntu/LinuxLite tricks

    • downgrading to LibreOffice 3.X -- Bibus reference manager does not work with LibreOffice 4.X

    • networking -- when NetworkManager said "Device not managed"

    • disabling auto-maximize when dragging to top of screen -- for XFCE 4.10

    • DEB package management and apt-get and dpkg

    • enabling hibernate and suspend (Xubuntu)

    • activating a trash bin

    • playing DVDs

    • mounting disks by modifying fstab

    • finding CD drive name for use with cdrecord -- in Ubuntu, dev flag is /dev/scd0

  • Zenwalk -- for version 6.2

    • installation trick -- installation kept dying, so had to use the installation's own partitioning tool

    • solving slow shutdown -- due to the Iceweasel browser recaching fonts, and prompted a change of /etc/rc.d/rc.6

    • infinite-reboot problem -- after a kernel upgrade, the bootloader got corrupted

    • can't access wicd because not in netdev group -- after upgrading to version 6.4, I couldn't access wifi as non-root

  • RedHat/Fedora

    • RPMs -- RedHat Package Management

  • Enlightenment 17 -- a lighter desktop manager -- under construction

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Software -- Typically, I install the smallest programs first and stop when I find one that does what I want.

• • Calculators

    • galculator

    • calcoo -- not very attractive

    • gcalctool -- the default in (X)Ubuntu, but doesn't have a memory function

  • Image display/editing

    • gimp -- GNU Image-Manipulation Program

      • save as JPG -- in GIMP version 2.8, to save as a JPG you by default can only export

      • guide-freezing bug -- in recent versions of XFCE, dragging the guide rulers freezes the menus

      • pandora -- for creating panoramas -- lately, I use it as a backup to hugin

      • wavelet denoising -- part of Ubuntu package gimp-plugin-registry

      • auto white-balance -- batch script for fixing the white balance

    • gphoto2/gtkam -- for reading camera images

    • exiftool -- tool to read and modify EXIF data -- part of package libimage-exiftool-perl

    • Imagemagick -- notes on convert command

      • on Zenwalk install, required installation of FFTW libraries

      • shrink -- batch conversion script

    • hugin -- for creating panoramas

    • geeqie -- successor to apparently-dormant gqview

    • gthumb -- manages albums -- displays animated GIFs, unlike geeqie

    • fotoxx -- not a bad editor, but cropping near the image border had unintuitive behavior

    • pinta -- I didn't see an option to crop using a fixed aspect ratio

    • cheese -- webcam capture

    • gqview -- image-viewer, thumbnails

    • inkscape -- vector graphics

    • didn't like: heliospaint, photofiltre, flphoto, xnview, gimageview, zgv, lats

  • Scientific software

    • SPIDER/SPIRE -- image-processing from the Wadsworth Center

      • 32-bit library problem for SPIRE and JWEB

    • UCSF Chimera

    • EMAN and EMAN2 (installation instructions here)

    • Sculptor -- not as fancy as Chimera, but runs on older hardware and performs flexible-fitting

• Office / Reference managers / Bibliography databases

  • • Establishing initial connection between LibreOffice and Bibus

    • Downgrading to LibreOffice 3.X -- Bibus reference manager does not work with LibreOffice 4.X

• • Text editors

    • vim -- cheat sheet for VI iMproved

    • emacs -- cheat sheet for emacs

    • kate

      • uses KDE libraries

      • full-featured, but bulky

    • sublime -- has find-as-you-type search and can split windows but is closed source

    • jedit -- not as powerful as emacs, but easier to use -- plugins which I installed:

      • BufferTabs

      • BufferList -- adds a side pane which lists open files

    • medit -- has file-selection and browsing panes like kate, but doesn't use KDE

    • mousepad -- with version 0.3, has find-as-you-type

    • geany -- pretty solid all-around

    • nedit

      • can select columns of text using CTRL-click

      • newer versions support tabs

    • gedit -- uses GNOME libraries

  • Movie players/editors

    • • vlc and, as a back up, parole for playback -- earlier, also used totem and mplayer

      • using ffmpeg for editing -- with examples

      • gstreamer -- at one point, needed for decoding some formats

  • Web browsers

    • Firefox, plus the following add-ons

      • Last tab close button

      • ESPN Author blocker -- install the add-on Greasemonkey, restart browser, and click the "Install" button at this link

      • AdBlock Plus

      • Saved Password Editor

    • Opera

      • installation -- old instructions, is in many repositories now

    • flash block

    • blocking the Meebo toolbar

      • shortcuts -- I'm using Opera 9.2 compatible

    • Chrome -- not so configurable, but the automatic language detection is handy

    • lynx

      • a text-only browser

    • links2

      • based on a text-only browser, but can display images too

      • useful for annoying, JavaScript-heavy pages, e.g., Slashdot, etc.

    • Iceweasel -- in Zenwalk 6.2, required a trick to avoid unnecessary slowdown

    • I've tried the following, but don't see a compelling reason to use:

      • Seamonkey

      • Midori

      • Epiphany

• File managers

  • • Thunar -- for XFCE -- added tabs with version 1.6

    • PCman -- added tabs with v1.0, but is relatively simplistic otherwise

    • older file managers: xffm, Xplore, X File Explorer

• • HTML editors

    • bluefish -- full-featured editor

    • erwin -- color-coded HTML editor with preview mode -- no longer available with Ubuntu

    • gnotepad+ -- a text-editor, with buttons for HTML tags -- no longer available with Ubuntu

  • News reader: pan

    • didn't like: glitter, sylpheed

  • Miscellaneous packages

    • jockey -- installs proprietary graphics drivers

    • -- under Software & Updates, there is a tab Additional Drivers which may obviate this

    • flashqard -- a flash-card program, not in Ubuntu repository

    • xournal -- a simple PDF reader that allows annotation

    • unetbootin -- for installing linux from a USB drive

    • arandr -- nice utility to manage displays, including dual screens

    • xscreensaver -- allows selection of subset for random screensavers

    • growisofs

      • for burning DVDs

      • no longer in default Xubuntu install, although xfburn may be adequate

    • unrar -- needed for unpacking some archives

    • wbar -- Mac-like launch bar -- not very practical without autohide feature

    • gnuplot -- plotting utility

      • requires gnuplot-x11 also (pointed out at LordAmit's Blog)

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