DoDebian

Gnome 3: The future!

2012-02-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

Hello guys, please allow me to introduce you some of what gnome 3 team is working on currently, hopefully we could see that in the near future on our own desktops! (Wheezy users)

Debian Wheezy XFCE

2012-02-16T03:17:00.003-08:00

Check out how Debian (testing) XFCE flavor looks like!

Cool isn't it? here's how you install it alongside / separated from your other D.E.
Read more »

Off-Topic: GhostBSD 2.5 Review (1)

2012-02-14T11:53:00.002-08:00

As many Linux users, I too have the desire to explore and try operating systems (OS). This passion has lately brought me to play around with a relatively new user-friendly BSD distro who goes by the name GhostBSD and I decided to share with you my thoughts on it!

Off-Topic: GhostBSD 2.5 Review (2)

2012-02-14T11:53:00.001-08:00

Performance

One of the first things I like to check when I explore other OSs is what can I gain from using them: in GhostBSD 2.5 case the answer is - not much since videos could barely play (stuttering), file transfer speed was at minimum etc... and perhaps it's my hardware lack of compatibility but the bottom line is these where the results I had.

Cairo-dock + gnome 3

2012-02-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

What's up guys? Here I wanted to show you how nice and elegant Cairo-dock can be on Gnome 3, Enjoy...

qBittorrent password reset

2012-02-13T06:08:00.000-08:00

If you're using qBittorrent as your torrent client then you probably already noticed it can be locked with a password chosen by you.
But what happens if you forget the password? or wish to return it to the default?

Set grub Time

2012-02-12T02:59:00.000-08:00

Since I've already started dealing with time issues (see post before), let's see how can we easily reconfigure the grub boot timeout.

Clock issue

2012-02-12T02:16:00.000-08:00

If you are a dual-booter or maybe even a multi-booter you might experience some clock syncing problems between your OSs.

Mac OS X like Linux (1)

2012-02-10T03:15:00.001-08:00

Is Linux like Mac OS X?

Mac OS X like Linux (2)

2012-02-10T03:15:00.000-08:00

Without getting into much details it's suffice to say that Linux behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system.

The core

Read more »

Startup Applications

2012-02-09T02:23:00.000-08:00

Let me ask you a question: when you boot up your Debian does it take long time for it to start? or: are there any applications you frequently start right after your Debian is booting?

The most popular Linux web-server!

2012-02-09T01:20:00.000-08:00

Which is the most popular linux distro used by WEB-SERVERS? (You've guessed it...)

Remove older kernel entries

2012-02-08T02:34:00.000-08:00

If you like to keep things neat and tidy, you might feel that accumulation of older kernel entries is just a little bit bothering you. Don't worry I hvae a quick fix for you.

NTFS read & write permission

2012-02-08T01:34:00.000-08:00

So you have a windows partition on your machine and you like to move some files into it - but you get an error saying something about: 'you don't have permission to do it....'

Upgrade Guide: Edition #2 (start)

2012-02-07T03:17:00.001-08:00

Hello everybody and welcome to the Upgrade Guide: Edition #2.
After a lot of messing around and nearly hundreds of re-upgrades (little bit Exaggerating), I've finally found the perfect, secret formula.

Upgrade Guide: Edition #2 (finish)

2012-02-07T03:17:00.000-08:00

Finish

The upgrading of your system is now finished but not yet completed...

Meet Aptitude

2012-02-06T11:35:00.000-08:00

It's the greatest front-end to the Advanced Packaging Tool you and me like to call APT (apt-get).
More than that - it even has a GUI:

Debian mirror sort

2012-02-06T03:40:00.000-08:00

Here is how you choose the the best, fastest mirror for your Debian:

Back in Action

2012-02-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

Hello guys, I know it's been a while since the last time I posted.
In the time I was gone - I learned a lot of new stuff and I just can't wait to share with you all of it...

So expect a rain of new posts coming soon!

Debian VS. Ubuntu

2012-01-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, today I wanted to do some comparison between 2 of the greatest Linux distros out there.

Enable Gnome 3 Extensions!

2012-01-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

If you tried to install Gnome 3 extensions on your Debian but got a message saying: You do not appear to have an up to date version of GNOME3. You won't be able to install extensions from here. See the ... (see picture below),

Install KDE guide

2012-01-04T10:48:00.001-08:00

Installing KDE on Debian is actually quite simple, all you have to do is open up Synaptic,

25$ Credit-Card Size PC runs Debian

2012-01-03T12:33:00.000-08:00

A revolutionary idea that firstly came up more than 5 years ago, has finally took shape! Don't try too hard to memorize it's name because you are probably going to hear it a lot in the near future...

Brasero: burn audio CD/DVD fix!

2012-01-02T13:38:00.000-08:00

Have you been trying to burn audio CD’s with Brasero CD/DVD burner but always get an error and the disc is being ejected even before the burning process has began?

Read more »

Installing e17 on Wheezy - is Easy

2012-01-02T03:42:00.001-08:00

Do you like to diversify and try new things every once in a while? or are you still looking for the D.E. (desktop environment) that suits you best? after all we all know that Gnome 3 is still a work in progress...

Debian Flavours

2011-12-29T09:54:00.000-08:00

One of the best things I like about Debian is the great variety of choices it offers, whether it's the computer architecture you own or the desktop environment of your likings - Debian simply has it all...

One thing's missing!?

Read more »

A Thumbnail Refreshment

2011-12-23T02:37:00.000-08:00

Is your nautilus sometimes fail to show preview thumbnails of video files, picture files or others? If so, then in most cases (unless the file is corrupted / not fully downloaded) you can easily fix that:

VUZE VS Transmission VS qBittorrent (last)

2011-12-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

Downloading the same file separately with each software got VUZE to the first place with total downloading time of 20 mins (constantly changing speed), second was qBittorrent with 25 mins and last was Transmission - 35 mins.
Next I also tested how they perform all together at the same time, and well here's what I got:

VUZE VS Transmission VS qBittorrent (2)

2011-12-20T05:12:00.000-08:00

The competition

Look & Feel

VUZE, Transmission and qBittorrent all have a quite simple and easy to understand interfaces with a nice right-click menu that should satisfy the average Joe, on the other hand I find that the user space utilization in VUZE and Transmission could be better - for example when inquiring for detailed view on your downloads you'll need to open a separate tab/window for each download whilst there's plenty of room to show the details in a frame below instead.

VUZE VS Transmission VS qBittorrent

2011-12-20T04:15:00.000-08:00

Today I made a comparison between 3 highly prominent Linux BitTorrent clients and the results might surprise you. Well to be honest in-order to fully cover all the aspects of each one of the bittorrent clients I would have to write an article close to 10 pages or more. Taking into account that all most readers want to do is see the results I've decided to focus on few comparable aspects that (IMO) affects us all when choosing a bittorrent client.

The competitors

VUZE (4.3.0.6-5)

Gnome Shell Extensions: Here we come!

2011-12-18T04:07:00.000-08:00

Update: if you came to this page because you can't activate the Gnome 3 extensions then see this post!

Yesterday's Wheezy (testing) update have brought to us some nice visual improvements along with a significant capabilities enhancement. What I'm talking about is the integration of the "Gnome Shell Extensions" site (alpha phase) with our desktop.

Enable/Disable desktop icons in Gnome3

2011-12-16T03:09:00.001-08:00

For those who like their desktop clean and neat (and icon free), here is how to disable your default desktop showing icon behavior in Gnome 3:

Before

Guake top-down terminal

2011-12-16T03:06:00.000-08:00

Have you heard about Guake? A nice shiny top-down terminal that you may invoke with a simple press of a button.

Import an Ubuntu ppa

2011-12-15T05:02:00.001-08:00

In this post I will show you a general way of importing ppa's from Ubuntu.

What's a ppa?

A ppa (Personal Package Archive) is basically the same as a Debian repository - once you add it to your sources (see how) you can get updates and install packages from it.

How to do it

For illustrative purposes I've chosen Dockbarx as an example - but it also works on every other ppa.
Searching for 'Dockbarx ppa' on your favorite search engine would probably yield for you the launchpad page of the project.

Gnome3: Remove recent items from search query

2011-12-13T08:05:00.001-08:00

Have you been using gnome 3 lately and got frustrated from the fact that your private stuff are displayed on the search query, or perhaps you didn't even noticed that bottom line of displayed search results have no respect for your privacy.

View PDF files inside the web-browser

2011-12-11T13:12:00.001-08:00

If you wish to view PDF (Portable Document Format) files on your browser and skip the nuisance of downloading the files to your computer everytime you encounter ones, then you can easily do so.

My 3 best solutions are: (pick one)

1. Go to Adobe's site and download their Adobe Reader latest version and install, there's a .deb file download option for Linux so it won't be a problem to install. (Note: there is no support for 64 bit)

2. Go to Synaptic - search and install Mozplugger so you could view PDFs on Mozilla based browsers, (or download and compile from source site).

Tested by me - it is also works on chromium browser.

Upgrade Squeeze 'stable' to Wheezy 'testing' (2)

2011-12-09T14:13:00.001-08:00

Error

You are probably going to encounter an error or two along the way, when you see such sorts of massages like: dependency issues or some gstreamer lib couldn't be installed, relax, don't panic it's usually just means that some packages couldn't be installed (yet) because they are dependent on other packages.

What you should do

Is resolve these error with 1 of 2 options:

Type: apt-get -f upgrade it tells your Terminal to try proceed with the upgrade - but only to install packages that aren't replacing other existing packages.

Upgrade Squeeze 'stable' to Wheezy 'testing' (1)

2011-12-09T11:23:00.001-08:00

Update: There's a better easier way to upgrade, with a significant more success rate - check out the new: Upgrade Guide: Edition #2 (start)

Hello guys, and welcome to the Upgrade Guide - where I'll show you how to (you've guessed it) upgrade your distro, kernel, and more stuff along the way...

Warning! Not for the faint of heart, note that upgrading can break your system.

Before we start

There's a few things I'd like to point out:

No matter what happens always keep these tools open on your desktop:

Terminal
Web-Browser
File Manager

Keep these tools open until the upgrade is finished, the reason is that they will help you deal with any error that may occur (File Manager is optional).

Note that the Wheezy version does not get security updates in a timely manner like Squeeze, as mentioned on Debian "wheezy" Release Information.
This is my suggestion for you: before doing this, try to aquire some basic knowledge about command-line.
Also I recommend doing the upgrade from a fresh Debian install.

Let the Upgrade begin!

Open Termianl as root (type: su, and then your password), type: gedit /etc/apt/sources.list (make a backup of the content) and replace all the "Squeeze" or "stable" words with wheezy, besides where it says "# squeeze-updates", because wheezy is getting updated just by being a testing release anyway.

Install chromium browser latest release

2011-12-06T02:54:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone, In this post I will show you how to install the latest chromium release easily - using an Ubuntu ppa.

How to re/move xorg.conf

2011-12-01T05:14:00.001-08:00

If you tried to install Nvidia driver on your Debian machine, but eventually got totally messed up on the way, this short post just might be your Savior.

Who can use this?

In order to use this method you need to meet two criteria:

1. Have your old driver still installed. (if you didn't delete anything during your Nvidia driver installation - then you're probably O.K.)

2. Either you didn't had an 'xorg.conf' file from the beginning (meaning you've created one during the installation), or you had one but made a backup and just don't sure how can you overwrite the new one.

What to do?

On booting your computer, choose the recovery mode from the grub menu.
Then type your login and pass, and type "su" [and password] to get in as root user. (note: if you only see some underscore line and can't type anything - try pressing Alt-F2).
After you logged as root do one of the following - type: rm /etc/X11/xorg.conf (mind that the x in "X11" is a capital one).

The best Linux distro of 2011!

2011-11-30T03:05:00.001-08:00

On a review made by TuxRadar ("a website devoted to supporting the free software community") not long ago, Debian won the first place in a competition which earned it the title:

"The best Linux distro of 2011!"

OpenShot: export project in HD format

2011-11-27T10:25:00.001-08:00

In the last post I did, I showed you how to overcome OpenShot problem not able to preview ogv files, actually the same way can also be applied to fix another OpenShot problem - exporting a project in HD format.

Edit .ogv files with OpenShot

2011-11-27T02:11:00.001-08:00

.ogv is a file extension that represents video files, it is a free, open container format maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation, that most Linux players can easily play.

The problem

When you try editing such file in one of Debian's most popular video editors - OpenShot, you may encounter a malfunction that prevents you from doing so, e.g. OpenShot shows you a gray/white screen in the video preview, which render the whole editing process not possible.

Open Source file and archive manager: PeaZip

2011-11-26T04:22:00.001-08:00

PeaZip is an 'out of the box' file and archive manager who can do stuff that other Linux archive manager can't!
For example it can extract/join files which ends with this sort of suffix: .001, .002, .003 ... / part01, part02, ...
It can create and convert multiple archives at once, createself-extracting archives, split/join files and more.
PeaZip is also aligned with The Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG): it is "Free as infreedom"

Looks & Feel

How to install Compiz / Nvidia

2011-11-25T09:43:00.001-08:00

If you have an Nvidia graphics card hardware and want to install Compiz but not sure how, then read on and find out the most simple way of doing so.

Attention! this method had only been tried on several machines and there's no guarantee it will work on yours too.

Step #1: Go to System>Administration>Software sources>[type your password] -> and make sure that (contrib) and (non-free) software sources are ticked. (if not- then tick! and: apt-get update via terminal as root - i.e: type su then enter and type your password.)

Step #2: Go to terminal and copy-paste the following (as root) in-order to install the Nvidia driver and compiz-fusion:

apt-get install nvidia-glx nvidia-xconfig nvidia-kernel-dkms nvidia-settings compiz compizconfig-settings-manager compiz-fusion-plugins-main compiz-gnome compiz-gtk fusion-icon compiz-fusion-plugins-extra compiz-fusion-plugins-unsupported

Now restart your computer!
To check if it worked type: lsmod | grep -i nvidia
you should get this sort of output:
nvidia 10670090 42
i2c_core 15819 2 nvidia,i2c_i801

Step #3: Now this is where people usually get stuck in, so follow this part carefully, type in terminal (as root):
nvidia-xconfig

thisshould bring you to an xorg.conf file edit - if that file was existing on your computer before {-it's recommended to make a backup of this file now}. by default in "Squeeze" this file does not exist. If this is your case then you'll see a massage about such file been created, so now type:
gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf in-order to edit the file. (note that the - X in X11 is a capital one).

Step #4: Copy-paste the following to the right places:
before the "Device" section:

Section "Extensions"
        Option "Composite" "enable"
EndSection

Inside "Device" Section , add the following lines:

        Option "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
        Option "TripleBuffer" "true"
        Option "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps" "true"
        Option "RenderAccel" "true"

In "Screen" Section , add the following:

        Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "true"
        Option "AddARGBVisuals" "true"

After you're done, save the file close the terminal and restart your X-Server by reboot.

[If everything was done correctly you will now boot into your Nvidia driver session, if for any reason something went wrong just remove the xorg.conf file (if you didn't had 1 in the first place) or overwrite it with your backup file. see how to do it]

Step #5: Go to System>preferences>CompizConfig Settings Manager and tick:Window decoration , Resize Window , Move Window.

Then go to Applications>System Tools>Compiz Fusion Icon and right click on the icon appearing in your notification area to make sure these attributes are marked: (if not - then mark!)

a. Select Window Manager: Compiz

b. Compiz Options: none selected

c. Select Window Decorator: GTK Window Decorator

Now select Reload Window Manager and see it in action!

+ If you'd like to start compiz every-time you boot Debian, then go to:
System>preferences>Startup Applications>click Add>Name: Compiz, Command: compiz --replace>Add

Enjoy your new effects!

How to get the latest Thunderbird/Icedove release

2011-11-20T10:56:00.001-08:00

To get the latest release of Thunderbird in Debian, all you have to do is add these lines:

deb http://backports.debian.org/debian-backports squeeze-backports main
deb http://mozilla.debian.net/ squeeze-backports icedove-release

Into your software sources. Basically you can do it via 1 of 2 ways:

1. Gnome top panel>System>Administration>Software sources>[type your password]>click on the Third-party software tab>click Add...>copy paste each line in turn and click on Add source>close.

2. Add the above entries in /etc/apt/sources.list or in a new file at /etc/apt/sources.list.d/

Now you'll be prompted to reload, don't worry if you see APT complaining about the signature not being checked it is expected, as the archive key is signed by two keys, but only one being in the Debian keyring at a given moment: 54FD2A58 is an old key that is going to be deprecated and replaced with A6AA8C72. You can thus also expect the last signature validation to differ depending on the Debian keyring version you use.
You may want to check the trust path from your key to the one that signed the archive key. Or you can choose to trust the Debian keyring.

Go to your root terminal / write su in regular terminal [password] and then copy paste this:

apt-get install -t squeeze-backports icedove

And you're done!

How to get the latest Firefox/Iceweasel release

2011-11-20T10:46:00.001-08:00

To get the latest release of Firefox in Debian, all you have to do is add these lines:

deb http://backports.debian.org/debian-backports squeeze-backports main
deb http://mozilla.debian.net/ squeeze-backports iceweasel-release

apt-get install -t squeeze-backports iceweasel

That is all!

install Debian alongside Windows guide (last)

2011-11-19T12:01:00.001-08:00

Finally! we're just about to finish, all that's left is some minor (some even say - superficial) tweaking and you can enjoy your new toy!

Step #6: Would you like to scan another disk? NO! Would you like to use a network mirror? YES! unless you've downloaded the DVD, you'll want to use the tools provided by the mirror- such as software center, update manager and so on... choose a mirror preferably of your own country (in most cases). Then type in proxy information if needed (if you don't know whether you need it or not - then you probably don't so just press enter).

Step #7: If you'd like to influence on which packages should Debian launch in their future distribution then click yes. In the next screen, if you use a laptop then tick (you've guessed it) the Laptop square, otherwise press continue. This is the part where your choice of mirror is noticeable, (so I hope you chose a good one).

Step #8: "Install the grub boot loader to the master record?" What is grub? Grub is what loads before the OS and let you choose which OS to load. So again unless you know what you're doing you should click yes.

And that's it you will now see this screen telling you that the installation is complete and that you should remove the installation media in order to boot into the new system. Click continue, the CD-Rom should eject the disk by itself. (if not - manually remove it).

Here is a preview of A fresh Debian OS, Have fun!!!

Return to former parts: part 1, part 2.

install Debian alongside Windows guide (2)

2011-11-19T10:41:00.001-08:00

O.K. where were we? oh yes we've just reached the most crucial part of the installation which I shall explain in great detail. So let's get it on!

Step #5: This is where most users having difficulties to handle the installation and where most mistakes are made so read carefully: In this step you'll need to partition your disk meaning - for example: if you have a 500GB hard-disk some of its space will be used by Windows (which is already installed) and the rest of the space will be used by Debian. This is where the 'free/unallocated space' we created in the first step comes in to play, in most cases you'll see an option that says 'Guided - install alongside another OS / Windows', if this is your case then all you got to do is double click on it and continue to the next step (#6). However if you don't see this option then choose 'Manual' (see picture below).

Step #5.1: Now where it says 'SCSI3 (0,0,0)...' (picture below) you'll see your own hard disk and the partitions that are on it, to make sure you choose the right partition check that the size of the partition match the size you've freed up earlier and also that it says 'free/unallocated space' next to it. Once you're sure - double click it.

Step #5.2: Double click on 'Use as:' and choose swap area, then double click on resize the partition and choose size in between 2 - 4 GB, no need for more than that unless you know what you're doing. Then click 'Done setting up the partition'.

Step #5.3: Select the remaining free space and again double click on 'Use as:' this time choose Ext4, then mount point: slash(/) and 'Done setting up the partition' as before (see picture below).

Step #5.4: After your done with that click on 'Finish partitioning and write changes to disk', you'll now be prompted again whether to write the chanegs to the disk or not (note: this will be your last chance to regret). If you've done everything according to the guide the you may click on yes and continue!

Continue to the next & last part of installing Debian, or return to the former.

install Debian alongside Windows guide

2011-11-19T08:57:00.001-08:00

For those of you who've been wondering how can you install Debian and still keep Windows on your machine at the same time - this is your guide!

Step #1: Go to Debian site and download the latest version via one of the offered methods, my recommendation is through BitTorrent. Then go to - Start Orb>Control Panel>System and Security>(under Administrative Tools) press on - Create and format hard disk partitions>choose a partition with some spare space (more than 5GB at the least)>right click on it and press on shrink volume>enter the amount of space you'd like to dedicate for the Debian OS and follow the instructions.

After you're done leave the space 'unallocated/free space'.

Step #2: Burn the downloaded image to a CD/DVD/USB according to what you've chose to download (note that in order to install from USB you need to make sure your BIOS can boot from it and that you created a bootable USB drive) insert/plug it and then restart your computer.

Step #3: Your computer will now boot straight from the disk/USB and let the installation begin! (if this does not happen it probably means that you need to configure your BIOS to boot from the medium you chose i.e CD-rom or flash drive) Now choose Graphical install.

Next select your language, location and time settings.

Now you'll be prompted for a network hostname, if you are setting up a home network then you can just click next or make up something.

Step #4: Set your root password, this is important since Debian is such a secure system some operations will require your permission by entering a password. If you're planing on just using Debian for ordinary day to day stuff then I suggests you make it easy, short password.

Next set your user account, i.e enter a user name

Continue to the next part of installing Debian.

intro!

2011-11-19T02:40:00.001-08:00

Debian 6.0.3 "Squeeze" with GNOME

What is

Debian is a community driven Project being created by association of individuals who have made common cause - to create a free operating system. This operating system is called Debian GNU/Linux, or simply Debian for short. Debian focuses on stability and security and is known for relatively strict adherence to the Unix and free software philosophies. "Of course, the thing that people want is application software: programsto help them get what they want to do done, from editing documents torunning a business to playing games to writing more software. Debian comeswith over 29000 packages (precompiledsoftware that is bundled up in a nice format for easy installation on yourmachine) — all of it free."

How can it all be

Free! as in free speech, meaning you are free to use, redistribute, modify and so on... (if you like do dig deeper for what it means check out "DFSG").
The answer to "why would people spend hours of their own time to writesoftware, carefully package it, and then give it all away?" is diverse just as the people who contribute to project - "Some people like to help others.Many write programs to learn more about computers.More and more people are looking for ways to avoid the inflated price ofsoftware.A growing crowd contribute as a thank you for all the great free software they'vereceived from others.Many in academia create free software to help get the results oftheir research into wider use.Businesses help maintain free software so they can have a say in how it develops --there's no quicker way to get a new feature than to implement it yourself!Of course, a lot of us just find it great fun."

Who uses

Debian is being used by a wide range of organizations, large and small, as well asmany thousands of individuals, and its suitable for the needs of almost every one who uses computers.

Moreover Debian can be used on a variety of hardware, from NAS devices to phones, laptops, desktops and servers.

If you'd like to try Debian hop into the official site and just download or order an image that suits you! (you can select between USB to cd image / live - meaning you can try it without installing to your computer, or not live / DVD or small size...)