GetDeb V2 Beta

For the past three years, GetDeb.net has been the home to newest updates of many of the popular applications available for Ubuntu. In the past, the only real way to obtain any of the software is to go onto their site, download, and install. There was a way to download using apt-get by adding the following line to your sources list:

deb http://ubuntu.org.ua/ getdeb/

If you were luckily enough not to get the classic 404 error message, the downloads were often on the slow side.

GetDeb V2 Beta now offers a fully functional repository that gives users access to the pre-compiled deb packages as soon as they are available on the site. They are very often placed on GetDeb before they are placed within their own official repositories!

Gaining access to their repository is made very easy by downloading and installing their GetDeb Package[Right Click, Save As]. Once downloaded, double click to install. If you prefer to do things via the command line, then run the following command:

wget http://archive.getdeb.net/install_deb/getdeb-repository_0.1-1~getdeb1_all.deb && dpkg -i getdeb-repository_0.1-1~getdeb1_all.deb

If you prefer to add their repository manually, then you will need to add the following line at the bottom of your /etc/apt/sources.list file:

deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu karmic-getdeb apps

Then to add the GPG key:

wget -q -O- http://archive.getdeb.net/getdeb-archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

The Falling Sand Game

Be Warned! This is a very addictive game! I am not normally a fan of any type of computing games, but I found myself playing on this for hours on end.

I'm sure most of you would have heard and played the flash version of this game somewhere on the Internet. There are many different version of it now, each with their own set of elements to play around and experiment with. The original version of this game is now available to download for Linux. You may wonder why you would want to download it, and just play it online. Well The main benefit of downloading this game, is that you get to install and use hundreds of different mods that various people have made for it. Some of the mods include a fireworks pack, volcano add-ons and an acid mod. Some of the more extreme mods give you the ability to make guns, cars, and even life forms!



To download The Falling Sand Game:

wget http://www.piettes.com/fallingsandgame/fsg-4.4

Once downloaded, you must set the correct permissions so that you can execute it:

chmod u+x fgs-4.4

Many people have said that they are unable to get this game to work. Tinivole from the UbuntuForums has found the solution for this:

sudo ln -s /usr/lib/libexpat.so /usr/lib/libexpat.so.0

Ubuntu 9.04 Wallpapers

Spice up your new Ubuntu 9.04 installation with some of these fantastic wallpapers. These are all Alpha release wallpapers that didn't quite manage to make it into the final release. I am sure you will agree with me that many of these really should have made it!

All of the below images, and many more can be found from the Artwork section of the official Ubuntu Wiki

Save A List Of Installed Applications

Firstly I would like to apologize for the lack of updates to this site over the last few weeks. This is down to some personal problems I have been having, and due to Jaunty messing with my display on my MSI Wind. All is back to normal now, and I'm ready to go!

I have recently used this very neat trick within the dpkg packet manager. Have you ever started a fresh install, and forgot which applications you had installed on your old installation? It's a pain. Even when you think you have them all installed, you go to do something, and realize Damn! I forgot to install that.

If you load up a blank terminal, and run the following command:

dpkg --get-selections > apps.txt

This will store a list of every application that is currently installed to a file called apps.txt. If you are wanting to re-install your OS, then make sure that you save this file to a USB stick!

Once you are ready to install all your applications again:

dpkg --set-selections < apps.txt
dselect update
apt-get dselect-upgrade show

Now after a lot of downloading and installing, you will once have all of your applications installed again. It may be an idea before you re-install your OS to back up the /etc/apt/sources.list file, so that you are able to download the applications that you may of got else where.

If you have any questions about this methord, then please leave a comment!

Twittering With Ubuntu

Over the past 6 months, the popularity of Twitter has sky rocketed, with the worlds most biggest celebrities using it - With @Obama being one of the top users with the highest amount of followers.


So what is Twitter? Twitter is known as a 'micro-blogging' website that allows the user to send a short message (know as a 'Tweet') to their friends (known as 'Followers'). The idea is to update what it is you are doing, thinking, working etc. at that moment in time. Your status update can contain a maximum of 140 characters, and once sent, anyone that is following you will receive your update. If one of your followers updates their status, you will then receive their updates. It is a really quick, and simple way of staying in touch with your friends, family and co-workers.

Twitter Clients

Rather then going to Twitter.com every time you want to update your status, or view your friends updates, you can download a Twitter Client. This is a small application that will let you update, view updates, send Direct Messages etc. A few of them have more features then the others, and below are the most popular ones available for Ubuntu.

gTwitter

gTwitter is a simple GTK based application for the GNOME environment. gTwitter is inspired upon the Mac twitter client Twitterrific
At the moment, gTwitter is still in its Beta stages, so there are only the basic features that are available, which include reading both your friends, and the public timeline (with users avatars) and updating your status.
To install gTwitter:

sudo apt-get install gtwitter

You will now be able to run gTwitter from Applications -> Internet -> gTwitter

Twitux

Twitux for the GNOME desktop environment, is very similar in design and looks of gTwitter. When you recive a new tweet, you will be notified by a notification bubble.
To install Twitux:

sudo apt-get install twitux

You will now be able to run gTwitter from Applications -> Internet -> Twitux

Adobe Air Clients

There are many Clients that run using Adobe Air. View the following post for instructions on installing and using Adobe Air on Ubuntu.

Twhirl

Twhirl being one of the more popular clients to run on Adobe Air, has many features that other clients do not have. You have the ability to choose from many different themes, and to change how the application behaves. Twhirl gives you the ability to login not only to Twitter, but to Laconi.ca, FriendFeed and Seesmic. With Direct Messaging, Tweets, favorite tweets, search, archive and many more features, I think this is the best Twitter Client out for Adobe air.

To download Twhirl, you need Adobe Air installed. Once installed: Right Click, Save As the following link: Download Twhirl 0.9

Tweet Deck

Tweet Deck is a unique way of interacting with Twitter. This client will enable you to categorize your tweets into different columns. You could have your Tweets in one column, your replies in another, and your direct messages in a third column. If you are a Twitter-Whore, then this is the client for you! Within TweetDeck, you can customize to which columns you want, and where you want them. Once an update is available (eg, you get a new Direct Message) the columns will automatically update.





After installing Adobe Air, Right Click, Save As the following link: Download Tweet Deck

Spaz

Spaz is a simple to use Twitter client. Included with Spaz are a number of different themes to get the look and feel that you want. This client comes with built in short URL creation (is.gd, bit.ly, snurl.com etc.) - The shorter your URL, the more characters you have to tweet! To find out what the Spaz dev-team are up to, follow them on twitter here: @Spaz

To download, Rick Click, Save As the following link: Download Spaz

Alert Thingy

Alert Thingy brings all of your latest updates from all the most popular social networking sites (Digg, Facebook, Ping.fm & many more).



To download, Right Click, Save As the following link: Download Alert Thingy

FireFox Plugin Clients

Don't want more applications running then you really need? Well there are a few plugins available for FireFox that will allow you to update your status

TwitterFox

TwitterFoxis a plugin for Firefox that adds a small icon on to the status bar, which will notify you when any of your followers posts a new tweet. This client comes with the ability to send and delete, and re-tweet your tweets.

Twitter Bar

Twitter Bar turns your address bar into a Twitter Bar! This is a very simple methord of posting to twitter. Simply write your tweet in the address bar, and click the twitter icon, or end the message with --post

Command Line Clients / Methods

Yes, you can even update your twitter account from the command line! This is great news for if you are running a server, or you just prefer life without the graphical user interface.

cURL

The most popular way of doing this is by using cURL. If you haven't already got cURL installed, then you really should download and install it right away! It can be a very useful and powerful program.

sudo apt-get install curl

Now you are ready to update your Twitter account. Using cURL, you are able to update pretty much everything using Twitter's API. To update your Twitter stats, you can use the following command:

curl --basic --user "USERNAME:PASSWORD" -d status="TWEET MESSAGE" https://twitter.com/statuses/update.xml

I recommend using HTTPS as you are sending your password over the net...

Wget

Using wget to update your status is very similar to that of cURL:

wget --keep-session-cookies --http-user=USERNAME --http-password=PASSWORD --post-data="status=MESSAGE" https://twitter.com:80/statuses/update.xml

TTYtter

Unlike the previous two in this section, TTYtter is a command line based Client, with the functionality to send and relive tweets, direct messages, follow / un-follow a user, and re-tweeting. For more in-depth information and instructions on how to install this client, please visit their website at: http://www.floodgap.com/software/ttytter

I hope that this post has made things a little easier for you when it comes to picking what Twitter Client you want to work with. If you have any questions about the above clients, or you would like to tell me about any other clients that you use, then please use the comment section below.

If you would like to receive updates from JamsUbuntu, then you can follow us on @JamsubuntuBlog
And if you would like to see what I am up to, you can follow my personal account @HomeMadeJam

25 Useful Shortcuts To Make Life Easier

The one thing that I really like with using Ububntu is the amount of shortcut keys that you can use. Shortcut keys can really speed up your tasks, and make like so much more easier for you. I have listed what I find the most useful shortcuts below. I have decided to leave out the ones that I think everyone will know - like the Copy & Paste etc.





Window Management

Some of the below shortcuts may require Compiz to be enabled on your Ubuntu system to work.


Switch Workspaces in Ubuntu (win + E)

1. Win +E - Shows all workspaces in a nifty way and lets you switch between workspaces easily.

2. Alt + Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow - Move to Workspace on Left/Right

3. Alt+Ctrl + Shift + Left/Right Arrow - Move current window to another workspace

4. Alt + Shift + Up Arrow - This initiates a cool looking window switcher interface with which you can switch between windows using Arrow keys while holding Alt + Shift.


Ubuntu Window Switcher (Alt + Shift+ Up Arrow)

5. Alt + F9/F10 - Minimize/ Maximize current window.

6. Alt + F5 - UnMaximizes Current Window.

7. Alt + F7 - This shortcut activates the move window option that lets you move current window using arrow keys. You can even move window to
other workspace.

8. Alt + F8 - Resize current window with arrow keys.

9. Ctrl + Alt + D - Show Desktop/ Restore open windows if show desktop used earlier

10. Alt + Shift + Tab - Switch Windows in Reverse Direction as done using Alt+Tab


Nautilus

11. Shift + Ctrl + N - Create New Folder, Very useful shortcut

12. Alt + Enter - Show properties of a selected file/folder without requiring to right click on it and select Properties.

13. Ctrl + 1/2 - Change folder view to icon/list.

14. Ctrl + W - Closes the current Nautilus Window

15. Ctrl + Shift + W - Closes all open Nautilus Windows

16. Ctrl + T - Open a new tab in Nautilus

17. Alt + Up/Down Arrow - Move to Parent Folder/ Selected folder

18. Alt + Left/Right Arrow - Move Back/forward in Nautilus

19. Alt + Home - Move directly to your Home Folder

20. F9 - Toggle display of Nautilus Side-pane

21. Ctrl + H - Toggle Display of hidden files and folders


Miscellaneous

22. Ctrl + Alt + L - Quick shortcut to Lock Screen if you nipping to the loo

23. Alt + F1 - Open Applications Menu

24. Alt + F2 - Open the Run Application dialog Box

25. Win + Mousewheel - Zoom in / Zoom out Desktop. This shortcut is useful if you are having a wireless keyboard/mouse.

If you know of any other useful Ubuntu shortcuts, feel free to share them with everyone in comments below.

Using wget To Download Entire Websites

Basic wget Commands:
To download a file from the Internet type:

wget http://www.example.com/downloads.zip

If you are downloading a large file, for example an ISO image, this could take some time. If your Internet connection goes down, then what do you do? You will have to start the download again. If you are downloading a 700Mb ISO image on a slow connection, this could be very annoying! To get around this problem, you can use the -c parameter. This will continue the download after any disruptions. eg:

wget -c http://www.example.com/linux.iso

I have came across some websites that do not allow you to download any files using a download manager. To get around this,

wget -U mozilla http://www.example.com/image.jpg

This will pass wget off as being a Mozilla web browser

Downloading Entire Sites:
Wget is also able to download an entire website. But because this can put a heavy load upon the server, wget will obey the robots.txt file.

wget -r -p http://www.example.com

The -p parameter tells wget to include all files, including images. This will mean that all of the HTML files will look how they should do.

So what if you don't want wget to obey by the robots.txt file? You can simply add -e robots=off to the command like this:

wget -r -p -e robots=off http://www.example.com

As many sites will not let you download the entire site, they will check your browsers identity. To get around this, use -U mozilla as I explained above.

wget -r -p -e robots=off -U mozilla http://www.example.com

A lot of the website owners will not like the fact that you are downloading their entire site. If the server sees that you are downloading a large amount of files, it may automatically add you to it's black list. The way around this is to wait a few seconds after every download. The way to do this using wget is by including --wait=X (where X is the amount of seconds.)

you can also use the parameter: --random-wait to let wget chose a random number of seconds to wait. To include this into the command:

wget --random-wait -r -p -e robots=off -U mozilla http://www.example.com

Other Useful wget Parameters:
--limit-rate=20k : Limits the rate at which it downloads files. (20Kb/s)
-b : Continues wget after logging out. Very useful if you are connecting to your home PC via SSH.
-o $HOME/wget_log.txt : Logs the output of the wget command to a text file within your home directory. Useful for if you are using wget in the background, as you can check for any errors that may appear.

Microsoft Windows Has Detected A Threat With My Ubuntu?

What more can I say?


[Click On Image To Enlarge]
Fail.
When browsing the Internet earlier on today, I got an alert box pop up on me. I normally just click the cancel button, but I saw the word Microsoft in it. This made me laugh quite a lot. No matter what you do, you can't seem to get away from Windows can you?!

If you have any more examples of these types of error messages whilst using Linux, please do share them with us!

Top Things To Do After Installing Ubuntu

You have just installed Ubuntu, and you are staring blankly at the human themed desktop... Now what?

1. Enable Multiverse Repositories
The first ting to do on any new install is to enable the Multiverse Repositories. This will then give you access to the 'non free' applications, allowing you to install many more programs.To do this navigate to System -> Administration -> Software Sources
Once the new window has appeared, make sure that there are a tick in all of them boxes



2. Install Some Must Have Applications
Alien : Convert RPM files to DEB's
Cheese : An application that uses your webcam to take pictures and videos
Dia : Diagram editor, capable of creating UML Models
EasyTag : small application to edit the ID3 tags of your MP3 & OGG files
Feh : Simple image viewer. (Can also be used to set an image as your desktop background)
GParted : Partitioner editor for Gnome
Terminator : Open up multiple terminals in one window. Gives you the ability to split the current terminal horizontally or vertically.

To install all of the above, run this command:

sudo apt-get install alien cheese feh dia easytag gparted terminator

3. Install All Needed Codecs
Due to legal reasons, the codecs to play MP3, AVI (and a few other) file formats cannot be included within the default installation. Installing them is an easy process, and after doing so, you will be able to play all of your Music & Video files.

To find out how to install the codecs, please visit the following page on Ubuntu Geek.

4. Install Shiki-Colors Theme
Although I like the default color scheme, I know many people don't. The best theme that I have came across for Ubuntu is the Shiki-Color theme. NOTE: This will only work on Ubuntu using the Gnome environment


[Click Image To Increase Size]

wget http://download88.mediafire.com/ibwhzetwwylg/eyymgtyk0tc/colorizeme-shiki-0.2.tar.gz && tar -zxvf colorizeme-shiki-0.2.tar.gz && sudo ./install

This will download, unpack and install your new themes - giving it the sexy new look that you want!

5. Disable Un-needed Services
Ubuntu has many services that are enabled by default. As I don't use a printer, there is no need for this service to be enabled. Disabling the ones that you do not need will speed up the boot time for Ubuntu. To disable the ones you do not need, navigate to: System -> Administration -> Service Settings Unlock, and un-tick all un-neded services (eg: bluetooth, samba)

6. Install Microsoft Fonts
Having the default microsoft fonts could benefit you in may ways if you are viewing presentations or word documents that were created within windows.

To install these fonts:

sudo apt-get install msttcorefonts

More information on installing Microsoft fonts can be found here: /2008/10/install-microsoft-fonts-in-ubuntu.html

7. Install ubuntu-restricted-extras
This is a must have install for any new Ubuntu install. This package includes:
> Ability to play quick time files
> Flash Plugin for Firefox
> MP3 support
> Java 6 Runtime
> Microsoft Core Fonts
> Un-Rar
& many other codecs for videos and music

To install this package, run the following command:

sudo aptitude install ubuntu-restricted-extras

If you have any other things that you do after installing a fresh copy of Ubuntu that you would like to share, then please leave a comment!

Add/Remove Applications Shows No Applications

It's not often that I use this feature, but this morning when I tried, It would not show any applications.

[Click To Enlarge]
After a little bit of searching online, I found out that many people have had this problem after installing Adobe Air. I am not quite sure on why this is, so if anyone does, please do share with us!

To resolve this problem, re-installing the Add / Remove application will do the trick. To do this, run the following command into the terminal:

sudo apt-get --reinstall install gnome-app-install