The Geek Brewery

By default, the Flash player in the repositories is a 32-bit version of Flash. This version does not work properly on 64-bit installations of Ubuntu 10.04.

Someone made a bash script to automate the process of installing Flash Player 10 to Ubuntu. All you have to do is to type or copy-paste the following in the Terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal):

wget http://conradmiguel.com/install-flash.sh
chmod +x install-flash.sh
./install-flash.sh

It will ask for your password. Just provide your password. Restart Firefox and enjoy your Flash Player 10!

Ubuntu 9.10 alpha and beta release users may have noticed something very wrong with its NetworkManager. On those releases, NetworkManager won’t let the user edit default network settings through the NetworkManager applet even with sufficient privileges. Instead, NetworkManager will just revert the settings. Thus, deeming it impossible to set a static IP address using NetworkManager applet.

This bug has now been fixed on the version of NetworkManager preinstalled in Ubuntu 9.10 release candidate. This means users won’t have to worry about the upcoming Ubuntu 9.10 release.

NetworkManager is not maintained and developed by Ubuntu.

Get your potbellied pig to mate

In some Linux distributions that uses GNOME Desktop Manager such as Ubuntu, an icon of a volume or partition appears on the Desktop whenever you mount them as seen on the screenshot on the left.

Although it was made that way for the easy access of the volume, other people just want to get of rid. At the top of the list are the people who have minimalistic desktops, those who are obsessive-compulsive about their icon arrangements, etc.

Gladly, there’s a very quick hack to do it without the use of any third-party software such as Ubuntu Tweak. To do it, press Alt+F2 to open the Run Application window. Then paste this command:

gconftool -s --type bool /apps/nautilus/desktop/volumes_visible false

That’s it. No restart required! To undo its effect, just negate the false on the command to true.

If you enjoyed this post, you might considering running into my other Linux posts.

Everytime I boot Ubuntu, I have to mount all the partitions I need to get them up and running. But seriously, I find it annoying. Here’s a workaround that worked for me.

Identify the partition you want to automount. Mount that specific partition and open its content using File Browser. Keep in mind it’s mount point, the ones found on the location bar.

Advanced knowledge in using Linux IS NOT A prerequisite.

Open System Monitor (System -> Administration -> System Monitor). Go to the File Systems tab and find the corresponding Device of the mount point. The format would be something like /dev/sd[a-z][1-9].

Now, open terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal). Navigate to /dev/disk/by-id by typing this command:
cd /dev/disk/by-id.

Get the list of files and directories on the path by typing ls. Find your appropriate device. If it’s /dev/sda3, it should end with something like -part3. Copy the file name and paste it somewhere else such as a text-editor. (more…)

Ubuntu 9.04 indeed was the fastest version of Ubuntu I had in my laptop. Before, boot time gradually increased as each version is released. But Jaunty Jackalope broke the trend, it was faster than it’s predecessor Intrepid Ibex.

But the release had a very noticeable annoyance, the Update Manager pops up a couple of times if you don’t have an updated system. It was unlike before when Update Manager only issues a notification on the notification area.

Fortunately, there’s a quick fix for that. Just go to your terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal) or press Alt-F2 and paste this:

That quick fix just fixes the annoyance, no side-effects or whatsoever!

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USERS OF PIRATED MICROSOFT WINDOWS, read this!

I’ve used Microsoft Windows as my primary operating system for around eight long years. But last year, I tried Linux. I was so amazed of my experience that I made the switch. I left Windows which was worth big bucks for a free and open source piece of software and never had any regret.

Here are some of the good reasons why switch to Linux!

• We don’t have any virus in the wild, yet. There could be in the future but to date, there is no Linux virus in the wild. In Windows, despite religiously checking removable devices for viruses and making sure the antivirus is turned on, odds are you’ll still get a virus. And once it’s there, there’s no turning back. Your antivirus may delete the infected or infectious file but the damage it made may remain unreversed. You know how tiring it is to reformat a hard disk over and over again just to maintain a clean system!
• There are Linux counterparts of most Windows programs. But if you really can’t find one, you can use Wine (Windows emulator) to run most of your Windows programs.
• It’s far more stable than Windows. Most web servers run on Linux. It’s because Linux is far more stable than Windows server (aside from the cost factor).
• Free support! Windows gives you a perception of support, but with Linux you get real support. For example, you choose Ubuntu – there’s the very reliable Ubuntu Forums. Once you’ve got a problem, chances are another person have asked that problem too. If not, you may ask it and receive answers in a matter of minutes to days.
• It’s ready for the typical desktop user. For the past decade, Linux had a reputation that it’s a “for-geek-only” OS. It’s not true anymore, promise!
• No need to commit another crime! This is applicable especially for those who use pirated copies of Windows. Since most Linux distributions are free, you don’t have to commit another crime!
• There’s Compiz Desktop Effects. You can apply desktop effects to your machine such as Desktop Cube, 3D Windows, Rain, Fire and other astonishing effects even with normal hardware. Also, they don’t eat that much RAM! Below (and one at the top) are some screenshots I took on my screen. I use Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) on my laptop.

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Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope has been released earlier today and a lot of people have actually installed it on their workstations, like me!

Right after installing, I tried updating my repositories (list of packages, correct me if I used the wrong word). I’ve noticed that it stopped updating itself at one point.

You may experience this problem when clicking the Reload button on the Synaptics Package Manager or when shooting the sudo apt-get update command on the terminal.

Here’s a workaround to get it done. Now, all you have to do is to go to System -> Administrative -> Software Sources. On the Ubuntu Software Tab (the default), you will see a download from dropdown box. If you are downloading from the Main Server or your country’s server, try choosing other choices on the Other.

Try reloading the repositories again (or shoot of the sudo apt-get update command. That should work.

Too many people are updating their repositories right now, that’s why Main Server or your country’s local server is not cooperating that well.

If it won’t, then you’ve got to do more Google. Hahaha.

Last month, I decided to have another fresh install of Ubuntu on another partition of my laptop and migrate some of the files and settings on my other Ubuntu installation. I was about to install it but then I remembered that Jaunty Jackalope was a month away. And so, I waited for it!

Finally, after the very long wait, Ubuntu 9.04 will be released tomorrow! For sure, I’ll download myself a downloadable ISO and boot it up on my laptop. I can’t wait to check out the new style for notifications, as seen here.

New features since Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex includes improved boot performance (I need this!!), ext4 support which is rumored to slightly speed up performance on read/write intensive software and many more.

You may download a copy of the operating system once it’s out, or pre-order yourself a FREE (FREE in the sense of free beer) physical CD delivered right on your doorstep!

Yes, it’s an Ubuntu manga! The manga of my current operating system.

The manga was made by Hirosho Seo. The manga was originally in Japanese but it’s already translated in many languages including English. There are also left-to-right editions (unlikie the manga-style right-to-left) for like me who don’t read manga.

You are free to get your copy as it is licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution – NonCommcercial license.

Lately, I have been trying to amaze myself doing some weird stuff on Linux. Gladly, I thought of connecting my mobile phone to my Linux-running laptop for Internet.

I’d like to share it in case anyone might be concerned on how to do so.

Prerequisites

1. A Bluetooth, GPRS and/or 3G (but preferably with 3G) capable mobile phone.
2. A machine with a Bluetooth adapter.
3. Bluez Bluetooth GNOME applet (the Bluetooth icon on your system tray).
   1. If not installed, may be obtained by typing sudo apt-get bluez-gnome.

This works pretty well on my Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron and Linux Mint 5.0 installation.

Here’s how to do it:

1. First of all, enable Bluetooth for the mobile phone and workstation (laptop, desktop, etc). Make sure both devices are discoverable.
2. On your workstation’s terminal (on Ubuntu, go to Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal), type hcitool scan .
3. You should see your mobile phone’s name and address.
4. Now, let’s bind your device to rfcomm. Type sudo rfcomm bind /dev/rfcomm0 <replace_this_with_address_of_device> <replace_with_channel> .
   1. Replace <replace_this_with_address_of_device> with the address you obtained from hcitool scan (the ones on the left of your phone's name).
   2. Try the values 1, 2 or 3 for <replace_with_channel>. In case the whole process doesn’t work, just unbind your device to rfcomm by typing sudo rfcomm unbind rfcomm0 and repeating the whole process again with another value.
5. After doing so, click on the network icon in your system tray (near the clock) and choose manual configuration. Unlock it with your password. Change the settings of point-to-point connection by double-clicking the option.
6. Check “Enable this connection”.
7. Choose GPRS/UMTS as Connection Type. Change access point name to “internet” without the doublequotes. For account data, just enter any username and password.
8. On the second tab named “Modem”, type /dev/rfcomm0 to modem port field.
9. On the third tab, check “Set modem as default route to internet” and “Use the internet service providers’ nameservers”.
10. Hit OK.
11. Now, check the checkbox of point-to-point connection.
12. By this time, you should have an internet connection on your workstation. If it doesn’t work, repeat the process. Note to try other channels (described in the fourth step).

That’s all. Hope it works.