Friendly Tech Ninja Linux Howto's, Tech News & Reviews

24Jul/10

Howto: Use Ubuntu One to Sync Tomboy Notes Cross-platform

It was recently brought back to my attention by one of the FTN readers that you could sync your Tomboy notes cross-platform using Ubuntu One without actually having the Ubuntu One client installed, pretty handy seeing as a client does not exist on Windows and Mac. None the less this is the best way to sync your notes along with always having access to them via the web interface.

18Jul/10

Howto: Use Dropbox to Sync Tomboy Notes on Ubuntu 10.04

Ubuntu by default comes with Ubuntu One, which is basically a Dropbox clone with a few cool additions. Ubuntu One has got some great desktop integration syncing which I really like, but unfortunately like most people I don't just work in an Ubuntu environment, so Ubuntu One just doesn't suite my needs. I want something that will sync all my files, Tomboy notes etc... cross-platform. So I've been using a feature in Tomboy that allows local folder syncing, which can take advantage of Dropbox's own syncing abilities. Basically what we're going to do is have Tomboy sync to a local folder which is located in the Dropbox folder.

4Jul/10

Howto: Discover software alternatives that run on Linux

Whenever people think about switching to Linux, they wonder if all the applications they are used to work with will be available on their new system. Although not all software companies release versions of their applications for Linux, often there is a very good alternative available that performs at least as well.

Surf to alternativeto.net and learn what you can use instead of the application you use to have on your older system. Who knows, maybe you'll even find a fresh new approach to the task at hand that will boost your productivity!

Filed under: Applications No Comments
11Jun/10

Howto: Subscribe to TV and Radio shows using Miro on Ubuntu

Some on-line content such as radio or TV shows gets updated with new shows on a regular basis. Miro is a very handy piece of software that allows you to keep track of your favorite shows, and get the latest episode, every time it is released. All you have to do is subscribe to those shows, so the content can be automatically and conveniently downloaded to your hard-drive, ready to be enjoyed whenever you want. This way you get to choose what to watch (or listen to), and when to do so. Pretty much like having your customized TV / Radio Network.

2May/10

Howto: Install Dropbox on Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx

If you're like me and just can't switch over to Ubuntu One because they don't have a cross-platform client quite yet, Dropbox is still the king of easy folder synchronisation.

Step 1
Go to www.dropbox.com/downloading and download the appropriate .deb file.

Note: If you don't have a dropbox account sign-up for one here

Note: If you're not sure which one to download, you'll notice just above the download links they recommend which one you should download.

Step 2
Once downloaded, locate the file and double click it. You'll be presented with a package installer, just follow the on screen prompts.

30Apr/10

Howto: Install Skype on Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx

This is exactly the same process of installing it on the previous version, straignt forward, works great.

Note: Due to a recent update, you can now install Skype via the Ubuntu Software Centre, just do a search for it. You can also install it via the command line with the following: sudo apt-get install skype

Step 1
Go to www.skype.com/download and get the appropriate 8.10+ version for you (32/64-bit).

Step 2
Launch the Skype install .deb file (just double click it) and follow the on screen prompts.

19Mar/10

Ubuntu 10.04 Beta 1 Released

Beta 1 is finally out after being postponed. I'd recommend you download the torrent version for the fastest download experience, check out the download page here.

What changes would you like to see in Beta 2 if it's not already been changed in this release? (I'm sure a lot of people are going to say, "buttons")

26Feb/10

Howto: Fix Spotify sound problems on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala

After installing Spotify on my Ubuntu 9.10 system I found that I was having some sound issues, popping, cracking and sound crashes. I'll walk you through my settings and point you to the Spotify FAQ for the suggested settings (they didn't work for me, but they could for you) So here we go...

26Feb/10

Howto: Install Spotify on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala

I finally got around to trying Spotify, unfortunately they don't have a Linux native application so we'll be running the Windows version under Wine. The install process is very straight forward and most people have had it work straight out of the box however I had some sound problems which you can see here.

1Feb/10

Howto: Install TweetDeck on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala

This is one of the best social networking application I've found out there, not only is it functional and stylish, but it's cross-platform as it's an Adobe Air application and it's really easy to install!

Note: If you don't have Adobe Air installed please follow this guide first and then return to here.

Step 1
Go to tweetdeck.com and click the yellow download button.