Mythbusters - Is Linux hard to use?

Linux suffers a little bit of a perception problem. When most Windows or Mac users picture a Linux desktop they imagine something looking a little like this:

 
Big boring command lines and indecipherable text that only the nerdiest nerd could possibly interpret.

Firefox "Blocked: May Contain a Virus or Spyware" Quick Solution

Firefox download manager keeps blocking downloads that you know are safe, claiming that they might contain a virus or spyware.

There are two quick solutions.

The easiest is simply to...

1. Download the file in a different browser like Chromium or Chrome.
This is the best option if it's just the one file that's causing you problems but if it keeps happening over and over then this really isn't practical.

Also consider the future implications. It only tells you it's blocked the file after its been downloaded. Imagine you're five hours and 99% into downloading a vital 2GB file over a sluggish connection then suddenly that error pops up - you're gunna be mad.


2. Disable safebrowsing.
While this will get rid of the annoying warnings, it will also disable warnings when you're visiting dodgy sites, such as forgeries or phishing sites so it's not a decision to be taken too lightly.

On balance, for a Linux user with a bit of sense, I think it's not at all risky. However, if you're still worried consider downloading a good range of protective add ons such as Bitdefender.

Here's how to disable safebrowsing: 

1. Type "about:config" in the address bar.
2. Click ok to all the Here Be Dragons warnings.
3. Search for and set the following two values to false:

   browser.safebrowsing.enabled

   browser.safebrowsing.malware.enabled

   4. Restart Firefox and download the file.

Flash Won't Work in Firefox - "Flash Player 11.3.300 Required"

So I was messing about on Betfair, hoping to net a tidy profit on some of the World Cup matches (not likely!) when I noticed they'd given me some free spins on their Live Casino service. Not likely to pass up the chance to win some risk-free money, I promptly headed on over there only to find my version of Flash was not up to their high expectations.

After doing a bit of forum browsing, I'd read that Adobe had stop putting out usable updates for Firefox in uBuntu a while back. Thankfully there is a solution. I suspect there is a better way but what is most certainly the quickest and easiest way is to download and install Google Chrome (Note: not Chromium that is installed via the Software centre).

This shouldn't take more than five or ten minutes and when running, Chrome comes with the latest version of Flash installed so every Flash application should run smoothly.

How to Extract/Unrar a File from an Incomplete Rar File

So you've a rar file which is about 99% complete but you can't find the 1% and aren't bothered about missing it - however you can't extract the file. What you need is to extract the archive while keeping the broken file. This can be done with a simple command line prompt:

unrar x -kb (path to file)

The broken file should then appear in your home directory.

An Idiots Guide to Installing Truecrypt Quickly and Easily in uBuntu 12.04+

So Truecrypt isn't available in the software centre any more which is a bit of a pain but it's one of those bits of software you can't really do without.

Not to worry.

1. Open up the terminal and type:

For 32bit systems...

wget http://www.truecrypt.org/download/truecrypt-7.1a-linux-x86.tar.gz

Or for 64bit systems...

http://www.truecrypt.org/download/truecrypt-7.1a-linux-x64.tar.gz

2. Extract it... 

tar -zxvf truecrypt*.gz

3. And install it... 

sudo ./truecrypt-7.1a-setup-x86  

And your done!

Quickly Cut and Trim Any Video File

So you've got this video file that's taking up a lot of space. You've noticed it's 2-3 hours long but really you only need 20-30 minutes of it. This is going to show you how to chop it up.

Open the terminal and enter this command, changing (00:15:00 -t 00:45:23) to whatever length you're looking for and original.mp4 & output.mp4 as appropriate.

ffmpeg -acodec copy -vcodec copy -ss 00:15:00 -t 00:45:23 -i original.mp4 output.mp4

So that command above would take the original.mp4 file and create a smaller output.mp4 file consisting of original.mp4's 15 minute mark to 45 minute 23 mark.

If you prefer a GUI can also do this using AviDemux available from the software centre but from my experience this takes a longgg time (it needs to build the file - or something) whereas in the terminal it takes a matter of seconds.

Change Background of Login Screen in uBuntu 12.10

Annoyed and bored with the same standard login screen? Here's how to turn it into one of your own images.

1. Open the Terminal

2. Type sudo -i and enter your password.

3. Type xhost +SI:localuser:lightdm

4. Type sudo su lightdm -s /bin/bash

5. Type gsettings set com.canonical.unity-greeter draw-user-backgrounds 'false'

6. Type (replacing imagelocation.jpg with the location of your chosen image) gsettings set com.canonical.unity-greeter background '/imagelocation.jpg'

7. Type gsettings set com.canonical.unity-greeter draw-grid 'false' to remove the dotted lines uBuntu that appear.

Restart uBuntu and you should be good to go!

How to Adjust Launcher Icon Size

You can adjust the size of the icons on your uBuntu 12.10 launcher.

1. Click the Control Gear in the top right hand corner.

2. Select "System Settings"

3. Then "Appearance" under "Personal".

4. In the Look tab it should display your desktop background.
At the bottom drag there should be a slider "Launcher Icon Size" which will allow you to change the icon size.

Disable Unnecessary Startup Applications

A simple one, more of a reminder than an instructional.

1. Open Startup Applications from the Unity dashboard.

2. Select the applications you no longer want to run and select Remove.

3. You can also use Boot Up Manager to disable unnecessary services and applications by putting

sudo apt-get install bum

into the terminal.

Solution To A Text-Based Script That Won't Run

So you've downloaded (or created) a script in the form of a text file but you can't seem to run it. Here's a possible solution.

In the folder containing the script:

1. Edit - Preferences
2. Go to the tab Behaviour and check Run executable files when they are opened.

Now go back and try to run your script and it should work.

One Simple, Easy Fix for Smoother HD Videos in VLC

I'm been having problems playing HD videos in VLC player recently, the main ones being tearing lines and flickering.

But I've found a simple fix.

1. Go to Tools then Preferences

2. Change "Show Settings" in the bottom left corner from "Simple" to "All"

3. Open "Input/Codecs" and go to "Video codecs" then x264

4. Enable "Skip loop filter"

And hopefully your HD videos will start playing smoothly.

How To Sync an IPhone in Ubuntu

I've recently switched back to using uBuntu after a long period of Windows Vista. So far I still love it, even the sidebar which I wasn't too keen on to begin with has grown on me. The only real problem I've had has been syncing my beloved iPhone. It was a bit of a struggle but I eventually solved it. If your struggling with it as well hopefully this post will save you the same struggle.

Ways that won't work #1: Media players on uBuntu (Banshee, Rhythmbox...) I saw a few articles sayin you can finally update your iPhone in 12.10 with these players but I haven't managed it. Yes, it connects and yes they recognise the device as containing music. You can play the music from the device, I was even been able to delete some tracks but for some reason you can't sync it. You should probably give this a go anyway. It takes about five minutes and if it works then aren't you lucky. You've made me slightly jealous.

 Ways that won't work #2: iTunes with playonlinux
playonlinux is a program that allows you to run various Windows programs on uBuntu, among which is iTunes. So far so good but the problem is iTunes isn't going to recognise your device. As far as I know there's no way to work around that.  

Here's How I Did It...

So far I've only found one method that works but it's not painless. The good news: you can finally update your iPhone. The bad news: you'll need a Windows OS install CD, a memory stick and a sizeable chunk of free disk space. If you don't have these then sorry, the rest of my post isn't going to be of any use to you.

1. Install VirtualBox from uBuntu software centre. VirtualBox is basically allows you to run Windows within uBuntu. Imagine having a computer running Windows within uBuntu. This is actually a pretty handy application if you need to run Windows programs on a regular basis. Install whichever operating system you want to use with the boot disks.

2. Install the VirtualBox extension from their website. You'll need the extension so that VirtualBox will recognise external devices. This should only take a couple of minutes.

3. Find somewhere to put your music. You can't access your files in uBuntu through VirtualBox which means you have to find a means to transfer them. I've been using a memory stick. The device only connects to one OS at a time so don't load Windows while you're still transferring your files to your memory stick or it'll mess up.

4. Install iTunes, add your music and update. Go online, find and install iTunes (or install it from a device, whatever is easiest for you), transfer your library and now finally you can sync your iPhone. I hope that helps you and if you've read this laughing to yourself because you know a far better way then please do tell me.