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.
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!
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.
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...
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.
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.
Howto: Use Symbolic Links to Sync Folders with Dropbox on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
I've been using Dropbox to sync files over multiple OS's for a while now, but I've always found it annoying that I couldn't sync folder I specified rather than just the one Dropbox folder. While my solution isn't quite what I want, I does a pretty good job of it nonetheless, this is done by using symbolic links.
Basically a symbolic link will allow a folder to be in two places at once. In my case I'd like to make a symbolic link of my /Documents folder and place it in my /Dropbox folder so it will be synced to my other machines.
Step 1
Open a Terminal and simply run the following command:
Howto: Compile Dropbox from Source on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
It's very straight forward to do and doesn't really take much time at all. If you're on another Debian based distro it should work fine.
Step 1
Download the source files from here www.getdropbox.com/downloading and unzip it (right click and "Extract Here").
Note: If you don't have a dropbox account sign-up for one here
Step 2
We now need to install the dependencies in order to build our install files from source.
Open up your Terminal and type:
Howto: Fix Gnome Do Home Folder Bug on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
If you've had a problem opening the Home Folder with Gnome Do, basically if I add the Home Folder icon to my docky or even find it doing a search, it simple wont open. Well I did some poking around and found a fix.
Step 1
Open up your Terminal under Application->Accessories menu and run the following command:
gksudo nautilus /usr/share/applications
This will basically open up your file manager as root so you can edit the Home Folder executable.
Quick Tip: Getting your mic working with alsamixer
After installing Skype flawlessly if time around I was messing around with some sound settings and managed to muck something up and stopped my microphone from working. It was either me or an update, but more than likely it was me. After using alsamixer to fix my previous gripe with the pc speaker beeping and not finding a way to fix my problem in the Sound Preferences application found under System -> Preferences I turned back to alsamixer.
When I opened up alsamixer pressed tab until I was viewing [All] I saw that there were two options both called analog and I figure well everything else seems to be on why no see what they do, anyway, I ended up pressing up once to change them both to Digital and that seemed to fix my problem instantly!