Reference: TuxRadar

Linux fans, check out TuxRadar. It's a definitive source for everything Linux. Here are some of my favorite posts.

How to fix the most common Linux problems
The pain-free guide to switching distros
How to choose the best Linux distro for you

There's a lot more!

Parental Controls in Ubuntu

If you're like me who shares the Internet connection with a six year old boy, you would want to install Parental Control tools to filter unwanted content.

There are several solutions that will work with Linux including browser-based filtering through Firefox extensions, DNS-based filtering using OpenDNS' free service, or a set of free applications configured to work specifically for web content filtering.

I prefer to install web content filtering tools on my computer because it provides the greatest control and flexibility. In Ubuntu, the following applications can be configured for content filtering:

• DansGuardian - content filtering engine.
• TinyProxy - light-weight HTTP proxy.
• FireHol - firewall application.

Individual installation and configuration of these tools can be quite challenging to an average user like me. Good thing there's a project called WebContentControl, a GUI for Parental Control. This tool pre-packages and pre-configures the applications listed above, and presents the options to the user in an intuitive interface.

Here is the step-by-step installation I performed:

(1) Make sure that the 'universe' repository is enabled. Go to System >> Administration >> Software Sources. In the 'Ubuntu Software' tab, make sure that the second tick box is checked.


(2) In the 'Third-Party Software' tab, click the Add button and add the following repositories:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/zohn-joidberg/ubuntu intrepid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/zohn-joidberg/ubuntu intrepid main


(3) Install WebContentControl. Go to System >> Administration >> Synaptic Package Manager. Click the 'Search' button and look for WebContentControl. Select the package in the right window pane and go to menu Package >> Mark for Installation. Hit the 'Apply' button.


(4) You will notice that the package manager automatically selects and installs related applications. Once installed, you can run WebContentControl in Applications >> System Tools >> Web Content Control.


(5) Test your installation. You should get something similar to the following.


You can check http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=843510 for more information.

Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in Ubuntu

Ubuntu provides a way to configure keyboard shortcuts through the System >> Preferences >> Keyboard Shortcuts menu. This tool however, is limited to pre-defined actions as listed in the Keyboard Shortcuts window.

You cannot use the Keyboard Shortcuts tool to assign shortcut keys to your own applications, custom scripts or even run standard applications with custom parameters.

The following are steps to configure custom keyboard shortcuts:

(1) Open a terminal and run gconf-editor.

gconf-editor

(2) Expand the tree on the left pane and locate /apps/metacity/keybinding_commands.

(3) On the right pane, select an unused name-value pair, or you may opt to create your own. The screenshot shows 'command_1' was used and the custom command is to launch terminal with 120 columns and 36 rows.


(4) Back to the left pane, locate and select /apps/metacity/global_keybindings. This is right above the previous selection.

(5) On the right pane, locate the run_name corresponding to what you configured in #3 above, i.e. 'run_command_1'. The screenshot below indicates the assignment of key Control-Alt-T.


(6) Close gconf-editor and test your custom keyboard shortcut.

Intrepid Ibex Fixed Lenovo Y410 Sound Problems

I recently upgraded to Ubuntu 8.10 also known as Intrepid Ibex. I found out that that this latest version of Ubuntu fixed the sound problems I encountered when I installed Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron to my Lenovo Y410 laptop.

You can download Intrepid Ibex here.

Take Control Of Ubuntu Start-Up

Ever wanted to change the default Operating System at boot time? Does your Ubuntu have a long list of kernel versions over the course of upgrades that can use some trimming? These tasks can be quite challenging when you're using GRUB configuration.

Good thing there's StartUp-Manager, a tool for configuring start-up options in Ubuntu. It provides four configuration tabs for boot options, appearance, security and an advanced tab. Here are some of the things you can do with StartUp-Manager:

• Change timeout settings of boot loader
• Change default Operating System
• Apply colors and themes
• Password-protect the boot loader
• Limit the number of kernels in the boot menu

Follow these easy steps to install StartUp-Manager:

(1) Update packages.

sudo apt-get update

(2) Install StartUp-Manager.

sudo apt-get install startupmanager

(3) You should now have System >> Administration >> StartUp-Manager

Linux Software From Google

Google made available some of its free software for Linux. This includes Picasa and Google Desktop.

GUI and Command Line configuration instructions are available in the Google Linux Software Repositories page. Click here for more information.

Extend Laptop Battery With Ubuntu Using PowerTOP

PowerTOP is a Linux tool to analyze the power consumption of your laptop. It collects and presents a number of information including CPU states, wakeups per second, power usage (in watts) and top causes of wakeups.

Perhaps the most important piece of information is the top causes for wakeups. It lists the most active processes that require CPU and therefore, consumes power. Here is a sample screen shot from my laptop:


It shows the wireless LAN adapter, Bluetooth and Firefox as part of the top 5 causes of wakeups. The bottom-part of the screen includes further explanation, suggestion and the exact command to carry out the recommendation e.g. how to turn off Bluetooth.

Follow these steps to install and run PowerTOP:

(1) Update packages.

sudo apt-get update

(2) Install PowerTOP.

sudo apt-get install powertop

(3) Run PowerTOP using priviledged access.

sudo powertop

Tip: run PowerTOP when you're using battery. If you plan to follow the suggestions e.g. disabling processes, please make sure you know how to re-enable them for future use.

You can find more information here.