GNOME 3.4 ISO Images Available For Download

8:53 PM

GNOME 3.4

If you want to try the latest GNOME 3.4 with all its applications, including Boxes, Documents, Web (Epiphany), Contacts and so on, there is now a GNOME 3.4 live CD available for download.

The ISO image is based on Fedora and comes with basically no modifications from the original GNOME 3.4. You can test the ISO either in a visualization software such as VirtualBox (I've just tried it in the latest VirtualBox 4.1.12 and GNOME Shell works without having to install the guest additions) or by writing in to an USB drive.

Download GNOME 3.4 ISO image

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Fuduntu 2012.2 Released (Fedora-Based Linux Distribution)

5:21 PM

fuduntu 2012.2

Fuduntu is a Linux distribution based on Fedora, optimized for portable computers but it works great on desktops too. It uses the GNOME 2 desktop but it provides rolling updates for non-GNOME2 packages like Firefox, Chromium, Linux Kernel, LibreOffice and so on.

Fuduntu 2012.2 is now available for download. The new release brings Linux Kernel 3.2.13, Chromium 17, Fireox and Thunderbird 11, Pidgin 2.10.2 and LibreOffice 3.5.1.2.

Since Fuduntu is a rolling release Linux distribution (well, sort of), existing Fuduntu users should already have the packages mentioned above, through regular updates.

Besides updated packages, the latest Fuduntu 2012.2 has switched from Empathy to Pidgin as the default IM client because "Pidgin is a much more feature rich IM client"

Starting with this release, there's also improved Wifi support because Fuduntu 2012.2 ships with all available firmwares installed by default.

Also, Fuduntu now uses it's own virtual dedicated server for the repositories and further more, some open source mirror providers have begun replicating its repositories, so the update process should now be faster.


Download Fuduntu 2012.2


via Fuduntu blog; thanks to Fewt for the tip!

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GRUB2 Editor 0.5.5 For KDE Released With BURG Support

12:44 AM

grub2 editor kde

GRUB2 Editor for KDE is a KDE Control Module that lets you configure the GRUB2 bootloader: manage the default boot entry, boot timeout, resolution, menu colors and theme, Linux Kernel arguments, recover GRUB2, remove old entries, create and preview GRUB2 splash images and more.

GRUB2 Editor 0.5.5 has been released today, and it includes two new features:
  • experimental BURG support. For now, it only supports commands shared with GRUB2
  • option to disable Plymouth (see under Advanced > Linux Kernel Arguments drop-down)

The new version also includes various bug fixes, including proper GRUB detection for Fedora and openSUSE, fix encoding issues by supporting UTF-8 and more.

The latest GRUB2 Editor 0.5.5 can be downloaded via kde-apps.org - there are pre-built packages and repositories for Ubuntu, Fedora, Mandriva, openSUSE, Arch and source files.

For GNOME, see GRUB Customizer (supports BURG too).

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Install Cinnamon On Fedora Or openSUSE

11:10 PM

Cinnamon desktop fedora

Cinnamon, the GNOME Shell fork created for Linux Mint by Clement Lefebvre, is available for openSUSE and Fedora.

For Fedora 16, Cinnamon can be installed through a repository created by a Fedora user - add the repository and install Cinnamon, use the commands below:

su -
curl http://repos.fedorapeople.org/repos/leigh123linux/cinnamon/fedora-cinnamon.repo -o /etc/yum.repos.d/fedora-cinnamon.repo
yum install cinnamon

Then log out and select Cinnamon in the GDM login screen:




Cinnamon desktop opensuse

For openSUSE 12.1, you can download Cinnamon from HERE - this will also install the official GNOME Shell extensions, tweaked to work with Cinnamon.

Once installed, you need to use dconf-editor if you want to enable the extensions: navigate to org > cinnamon > enabled extensions and add the extensions you want to enable. Example:
['system-monitor@paradoxxx.zero.gmail.com', 'apps-menu@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org', 'dock@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org', 'drive-menu@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org', 'places-menu@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org', 'windowsNavigator@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org', 'xrandr-indicator@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org']


Please note that I've only tested Cinnamon on Fedora 16.


via ossblog.it, linuxbsdos.com, lizards.opensuse.org (+openSUSE image credits)

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Create A Wallpaper Slideshow With XML Background Creator For GNOME 3

10:48 PM

nautilus script xml background creator


"XML Animated Background Creator" is a Nautilus script to easily generate XML wallpaper slideshows (wallpapers that change automatically) for GNOME 3.

There used to be many such applications for GNOME 2, but they can't change the background anymore because they still use GConf, while the background settings are now stored in DConf. And since XML Animated Background Creator is easy to use and install on any Linux distribution, I've upgraded it to work with GNOME 3 (it works with any "shell": Unity, GNOME Shell, fallback session).

To install XML Animated Background Creator, download the Nautilus script, extract it in your home folder and run the following commands in a terminal:
cd ~/XMLBACK
./install.sh

For Fedora, open the install.sh file and replace "gksu" with "beesu" (also, make sure beesu is installed: "sudo yum install beesu").


nautilus script

To create a XML slideshow background, copy all the wallpapers you want to use in your new XML background in a folder, then right click the folder and select Scripts > create xml background

XML Animated Background Creator will then prompt you to select the time between each wallpaper (5 minutes by default), the transition duration (5 seconds by default), and xml file name. At the end, it also asks you if you want to use the newly generated .xml background file as your wallpaper.



Extra tip: in GNOME 3, you can't select a XML slideshow wallpaper through the Appearance dialog. You don't have to do this manually if you're using XML Background Creator since the script asks you if you want to apply a newly created .xml background file, however, if you want to manually set an XML wallpaper in GNOME 3, use the following command:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri 'file:///path/to/background.xml'

Where /path/to/ is the path to your background.xml (or whatever you've called it) file.

Credits for the script: algalord (I've only modified it slightly to get it to work with GNOME 3)

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Google Music Frame Renamed To Nuvola Player, Grooveshark (Free) Support Added To The Latest Development Builds

5:05 PM

Nuvola Google Music Frame grooveshark

Google Music Frame used to be an application that integrates Google Music in Ubuntu, providing sound menu support, notifications, multimedia keys and even last.fm scrobbling.

But the application has evolved and the latest development builds work with Grooveshark too. Because it now supports two music services (more cloud music services might be added in the future), Google Music Frame has been renamed to "Nuvola Player".


Since the Grooveshark integration is very new, it doesn't support all the features that were available for Google Music yet: for instance, you can't use user scripts yet (so no last.fm scrobbling for now) Last.fm scrobbling support is actually built into Grooveshark now (as long as you log in).

But there's something very cool about the Grooveshark support: because the website is embedded into the application, you don't need a Grooveshark paid subscription to use it (you don't even need to create an account if you don't want to)! Also, the Ubuntu Sound Menu / GNOME Shell Mediaplayer integration,  multimedia keys or notifications already work for Grooveshark.


Nuvola gnome shell
(Google Music Frame / Nuvola Player in Ubuntu 11.10 with GNOME Shell Mediaplayer extension)


Grooveshark support should land in Nuvola PLayer 0.4, but if you want to try it in Ubuntu already, you can install the latest Nuvola development build from its (new) unstable PPA - available for Ubuntu Lucid, Maverick, Natty, Oneiric and Precise:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nuvola-player-builders/unstable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nuvolaplayer


To install Nuvola / Google Music Frame in Fedora, see our previous post (note: not tested with the latest dev builds): How To Install Google Music Frame In Fedora.


Switching between Google Music / Grooveshark can be done by clicking the "Switch service" button on top:

Nuvola switch between services

If you encounter bugs, report them @ Launchpad.

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Fedora 16 Verne Released

6:20 AM

Fedora 16 screenshot

Fedora 16 "Verne" has finally been released. As expected, the new version uses GNOME Shell by default as well as a complete GNOME 3.2 application stack: GNOME Sushi, GNOME Contacts and so on.

There are also a lot of changes under the hood: GRUB2 is now used by default, HAL has been removed, ext4 driver mounts ext2 and ext3 partitions, systemd and virtualization improvements, GPT support and many others. Fedora 16 also comes with "Trusted Boot":

Trusted Boot (tboot) is an open source, pre- kernel/Virtual Machine Manager module that uses Intel(R) Trusted Execution Technology (Intel(R) TXT) to perform a measured and verified launch of an OS kernel/VMM. It checks to make sure system files haven't been tampered with before letting the system boot, offering much greater protection against rootkits and other types of malware that try to cover their tracks by editing those files. Trusted Boot can be enabled at install, and will fall back to a normal boot if the hardware doesn't support it.

A lot more about these, here.


BTRFS is still not the default file system but you can of course select it during the installation.

Fedora 16 comes with Linux Kernel 3.1.0, Xserver 1.11.1, Nautilus 3.2.1, Gedit 3.2.1, Evolution 3.2.1, Empathy 3.2.1.1, GDM 3.2.1, Firefox 7.0.1, Rhythmbox 2.90.1, Shotwell 0.10.1, Deja Dup Backup Tool 19.4, Totem 3.2.1 and Transmission 2.42.


Fedora 16 wallpaper


I've tested Fedora 16 for about 1-2 hours (fresh install) and I can say it feel really stable and robust. But there is something that I don't like: besides the wallpaper (which is amazing by the way!), there's no other Fedora branding so it basically looks like the default GNOME Shell. And I'm not saying GNOME Shell looks bad by default, but a Fedora logo and a (at least) slightly modified default theme would have been nice. Oh, and including GNOME Tweak Tool by default would have been cool too.

Download Fedora 16 | Fedora 16 release announcement

By the way, if you've installed Fedora 16, try Fedora Utils for tweaking it and quickly installing various applications that are not available in the Fedora repositories.

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Post Installation Script "Fedora Utils" Updated For Fedora 16

8:06 PM

Fedora Utils

Fedora Utils is a "post installation" script for Fedora which lets you easily install applications that are not available in the main Fedora repositories and tweak various settings.

Complete Fedora Utils feature list:
  • Add current user to sudoers
  • Enable autologin for current user
  • Set yum to keep cache
  • Install yum tidy-cache plugin
  • Add repositories - RPMFusion, Google, Adobe, Chromium, Skype
  • Enable touchpad clicks
  • Install multimedia codecs
  • Install Adobe Flash
  • Install Java Runtime Environment
  • Install wine with gecko
  • Install Google Talk plugin
  • Add colors and fortune messages to Terminal
  • Set SELinux in permissive mode
  • Install Microsoft fonts
  • Install Jockey driver installer (From Parsidora repo)
  • Install essential software
  • Fixes: Fix font smoothing, Fix rpmdb error, Fix gnome keyring, Fix picasa not starting, Fix anaconda causing revisor not to start, Fix MPlayer driver error, Fix ntfs-config not starting
  • Install Gnome Shell Extensions - GPaste, Media Player, Weather, Alternate Status Menu, Dock Extension, Places Menu, User Theme, Window Navigator, Zeitgeist
  • Install Software - Google Chrome, Picasa, Google Earth, HandBrake, Skype, WinFF, Unico Theme Engine
  • Clean up system
  • Optimize boot by turning off unnecessary services
  • Show system info


Fedora Utils

As Fedora 16 will be available soon (November, 8), Satya has released Fedora Utils 1.7 which comes with Fedora 16 support.

Fedora Utils is now easier to use: based on the feedback in our "Easily Install Extra Applications In Fedora Using Autoplus Or Fedora Utils" post, the script is now available as a RPM package too and you can run it either from the menu or by just double clicking the script and selecting "Run in Terminal".

Also, the software packs installation has been removed because it was confusing as there was no info on what packages each pack installs. Instead of this feature, some packages that aren't available in the repositories can be installed via "Install additional Software".

Other changes include: auto update, system status of installations / tweaks, command line arguments for the script, option to install Media Player extension, fix Weather Extension dependency and other fixes.


Download Fedora Utils (with Fedora 16 support)

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GNOME Shell To Work Without 3D Acceleration In Fedora 17

4:53 PM

Fedora 17 gnome shell software rendering

According to a message on the Fedora mailing list, GNOME Shell should work without 3D acceleration in Fedora 17:

As of tomorrow's rawhide, gnome-session will no longer treat llvmpipe as an unsupported driver. This means gnome-shell will run even on hardware without a native 3D driver, including virt guests.

There are probably bugs! I've done some quick tests on the hardware I have handy and in kvm, and things do appear to work.


That means GNOME Shell will be available for everyone and GNOME Fallback will no longer be required, but this raises a question: will GNOME Fallback still be available (since GNOME Shell will work without 3D acceleration, GNOME Fallback - which exists because until now GNOME Shell didn't run without 3D acceleration -, doesn't have a purpose anymore)?

More info @ https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/Gnome_shell_software_rendering

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Google Calendar GNOME Shell Integration

4:58 PM

GNOME Shell Google Calendar

GNOME Shell Google Calendar is a tool that integrates Google Calendar into GNOME Shell.

The python script uses GNOME Keyring for storing your password and automatically fetches new Google Calendar events when you click the GNOME Shell calendar on the top panel. For now, you can't configure which calendar is imported (all are used) and there's no configuration GUI (but it's still very easy to use).

You can already do this through Evolution, but using this script, Evolution is not required.



Install GNOME Shell Google Calendar in Ubuntu / Fedora



1. Install the dependencies:

- Ubuntu:
sudo apt-get install git-core python-gtk2 python-dbus python-gdata python-iso8601 python-gnomekeyring


- Fedora:
sudo yum install git-core pygtk2 dbus-python python-gdata python-iso8601 gnome-python2-gnomekeyring

2. Download and run GNOME Shell Google Calendar:
cd
git clone https://github.com/vintitres/gnome-shell-google-calendar.git
cd gnome-shell-google-calendar
./gnome-shell-google-calendar.py

After running it for the first time, you will be prompted to enter your Google Calendar email and password. From now on, the password will be stored in the GNOME Keyring and once logged in, your Google Calendar events should show up in your the GNOME Shell calendar.

3. To get GNOME Shell Calendar to automatically start, open Startup Applications, under "Name" enter "Gnome Shell Calendar" and under command, click "Browse" and select "gnome-shell-google-calendar.py" from the gnome-shell-google-calendar folder in your home directory.

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Dropbox Share Updated For Ubuntu 11.10 [Fedora Installation Instructions Too]

5:37 PM

Dropbox Share is now available for Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot. This is a tool I've created a while back to easily share files or folders using Dropbox and automatically copy their public links to the clipboard.


Dropbox Share comes with a custom Unity launcher as well as two Nautilus scripts (so you don't have to use Unity to run Dropbox Share):

- custom Unity launcher (works with docks too!): just drag and drop some file(s) or folder(s) onto the launcher and a simbolic link is created into your public Dropbox folder (and thus, it doesn't use the double amount of disk space like it would do if you'd copy the files). The public share links are automatically copied to the clipboard so you can easily share it with your friends, etc:

Unity Dropbox Share

- Two Nautilus scripts to share and unshare files - they work just like the Unity launcher, but work in Nautilus and don't require Unity or a dock:

Dropbox Share


Further more, Dropbox Share also adds an emblem to the shared files so you know which files you've shared. And even if you remove a file manually (without using the unshare script) from your public Dropbox folder, the emblems will be correctly updated the next time you share a file thanks to a history of shared files that's built into Dropbox Share.


Also, like I said, Unity Dropbox Share also works with docks such as Avant Window Navigator, Cairo Dock or Docky - just drag the icon to the dock and then drag and drop files to share them using Dropbox. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with DockBarX.


Besides Ubuntu Oneiric support, the latest Dropbox Share 0.5.5 also comes with a new feature: Unity quicklist to re-copy the URL for the last shared file as well as bug fixes.


Here are two old videos demoing Dropbox Share:

- Dropbox Share Nautilus scripts:




- Unity Dropbox Share (Unity launcher):





Install Dropbox Share in Ubuntu


Before proceeding, make sure you've installed Dropbox!


1. Dropbox Share is available in the main WebUpd8 PPA, for Ubuntu 11.10, 11.04, 10.10 and 10.04. Add the PPA and update the software sources using the following commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8
sudo apt-get update

2. 

Now, install Dropbox Share (Nautilus scripts):
sudo apt-get install dropbox-share

To also install Unity Dropbox Share (custom Unity launcher), use the following command:
sudo apt-get install unity-dropbox-share

The Unity Dropbox Share icon isn't automatically added to your Unity launcher so you'll have to add it manually it: open Nautilus and navigate to /opt/unity-dropbox-share/, then drag and drop the icon to the Unity launcher or Cairo Dock, AWN, Docky, etc.

Now you can share files or folders using Dropbox by right clicking in Nautilus and selecting Scripts > Dropbox Share or by drag'n'drop onto the custom launcher.



Install Dropbox Share in Fedora


Please note that the emblems do not work in Fedora 15 due to a bug in Nautilus 3 which doesn't read file emblems from metadata (the bug has been fixed in Nautilus 3.1.92 which is in Oneiric).


You firstly need to install Dropbox (obviously)!

1. Install the required dependencies:
sudo yum install libnotify xclip xautomation gvfs libsqlite3x python bzr

2. Download and install Dropbox Share:
cd
bzr branch lp:dropbox-share
sudo cp dropbox-share/bin/* /usr/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/{dropbox-index,openpublicfolder,recopy-url,unity-dropbox-share}
mkdir -p ~/.gnome2/nautilus-scripts
cp dropbox-share/{"Dropbox Share","Dropbox Unshare"} ~/.gnome2/nautilus-scripts/
sudo mkdir -p /opt/unity-dropbox-share
sudo cp dropbox-share/etc/* /opt/unity-dropbox-share
rm -r dropbox-share

If you want to use the Dropbox Share launcher in a dock such as AWN or Docky, open Nautilus and go to /opt/unity-dropbox-share and drag the Unity Dropbox Share icon onto a dock.

Now you can share files/folders using Dropbox by right clicking them in Nautilus and selecting Scripts > Dropbox Share or by drag'n'drop onto the custom launcher.


Report any bugs you may find @ Launchpad.

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How To Install Nuvola Player (Ex Google Music Frame) In Fedora

8:30 PM

Google Music is a service that allows you to upload up to 20,000 songs which you can then listen from any computer and even your phone, for free (it currently only works in the US and requires an invitation which you can request from here).


Google Music Frame was created to make it easier to control Google Music via the Ubuntu Sound Menu or multimedia keys, comes with user scripts support (so you can add last.fm support among others), notifications and more.

Even though Google Music Frame was initially built to only work with the Ubuntu Sound Menu, later on, the Ubuntu Sound Menu dependency was removed and it can now run on non-Ubuntu systems too. Here's a screenshot with Google Music Frame running in Fedora 15 (and with a tweaked Media Player Shell extension that works with Google Music Frame):

Google Music Frame Fedora Gnome Shell

Update: Google Music Frame has been renamed to Nuvola Player and now supports other services too, like Grooveshark, etc.

So here is how to install Nuvola Player in Fedora (tested in Fedora 15) and how to install and tweak the Gnome Shell Media Player extension to work with Nuvola Player:


Install Nuvola Player (previously Google Music Frame) in Fedora


1. Install the required dependencies:

sudo yum install gcc glib2-devel libgee-devel libsoup-devel gtk2-devel webkitgtk-devel python vala libnotify-devel libX11-devel unique-devel bzr

Also, make sure Adobe Flash player is installed and working. For more info, see THIS page.


2. Get the Nuvola Player code via BZR and compile it:
cd
bzr branch lp:google-music-frame
cd google-music-frame
./waf configure
./waf build
sudo ./waf install


At this point, Nuvola Player should be working so you can launch it from the menu.



Optional: Install Media Player GNOME Shell extension



If you haven't installed the Media Player GNOME Shell extension, you can do it (either in Fedora or Ubuntu) using the commands below:

- For GNOME Shell 3.0.x
cd
git clone https://github.com/eonpatapon/gnome-shell-extensions-mediaplayer.git
cd gnome-shell-extensions-mediaplayer
./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr
make
sudo make install

- For GNOME Shell 3.1.x+:

cd
git clone https://github.com/eonpatapon/gnome-shell-extensions-mediaplayer.git
cd gnome-shell-extensions-mediaplayer
git checkout 3.2
./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr
make
sudo make install

And then restart GNOME Shell.


The GNOME Shell Media Player extension only shows up when you open a supported music player so you'll have to run Nuvola Player for it to work.


For Last.fm support, see THIS post.


Nuvola Player installation via le-libriste.fr and Google+

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Fuduntu Becomes A Rolling Release Distribution, Continues With GNOME 2

7:01 PM

Fuduntu

Fuduntu (despite it's name, it has nothing to do with Ubuntu), a Linux distribution based on Fedora, is now officially a rolling release Linux distribution, meaning you won't have to upgrade / do a clean install each time a new Fuduntu version is released to be able to use the latest software versions. As an example, if you've installed Fuduntu 14.1, you should have Kernel 3.0.1, Chromium 12 and Firefox 6 just like those who are just installing Fuduntu 14.10.

However, that doesn't apply to the GNOME application stack. According to Fewt, the main Fuduntu developer, Fuduntu will stay with GNOME 2 for as long it's possible, instead of using GNOME 3 / GNOME Shell, which is now default in Fedora:

Considering the desktop experience, we don't believe it is in the best interest of our users to change their desktop experience just because we can. Rather than spend valuable time reworking another desktop environment to fit Fuduntu, we will simply stay with GNOME 2 for as long as we can.


It will be interesting to see how the next Linux Mint or Pinguy OS (both very popular among WebUpd8 readers) will look like: will they use GNOME 2, GNOME Shell, Unity or maybe a classic GNOME 3 desktop?



via Fewt

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Compiz-Like Mousewheel Zoom Tool For GNOME Shell

12:36 AM

Mousewheel Zoom is a GNOME Shell tool that enables a Compiz-like ALT + mousewheel zoom.

GNOME Shell has its own magnifier, but the zoom increases / decreases in very large steps; Mousewheel Zoom on the other hand gradually zooms in/out. And it's very easy to setup too.

(By the way, go to System Settings > Keyboard > Universal Access if you want to assign keyboard shortcuts for the built-in GNOME Shell magnifier)


Install GNOME Shell Mousewheel Zoom


Before proceeding, please note that I've tested Mousewheel Zoom and it didn't work in Ubuntu 11.10, but it worked just fine under Fedora 15.

Arch Linux users can install Mousewheel Zoom via AUR.


For Ubuntu (11.04 only for now; hopefully it will work with 11.10 soon) and Fedora 15, install python-xlib and python-dbus as well as GIT:

- Ubuntu:
sudo apt-get install python-xlib python-dbus git-core

- Fedora:
sudo yum install python-xlib dbus-python git


Then (for both Ubuntu and Fedora), run the following commands in a terminal:
cd
git clone https://github.com/tobiasquinn/gnome-shell-mousewheel-zoom.git
sudo mv gnome-shell-mousewheel-zoom/mousewheelzoom.py /usr/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/mousewheelzoom.py
sudo mv gnome-shell-mousewheel-zoom/mousewheelzoom.py.desktop /etc/xdg/autostart/

The last command above will set GNOME Shell Mousewheel Zoom to start automatically on login so don't run the command if you don't want that.

Now let's clean up:
rm -rf gnome-shell-mousewheel-zoom/

You can now either log out and log back in or manually run it using the following command:
mousewheelzoom.py


Now you can use ALT + mouse scrollwheel to zoom in/out in GNOME Shell.


Thanks to rAX for the tip!

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Dual Booting Guide PDF (Windows And Linux)

5:45 PM

Dual Booting

Many users try Linux for the first time in a dual boot setup so WebUpd8 reader Satyajit has created a nice dual booting guide to help them get started.

Guide to Dual Booting (PDF) tries to cover the basics: from a detailed Windows, Ubuntu or Fedora installation guide to various issues users may encounter like what happens if you install Windows after Ubuntu and how to get Ubuntu back by restoring GRUB or adding Linux to the Windows bootloader (using an utility that lets you tweak the Windows bootloader, called EasyBCD), which may seem easier for users coming from Windows.

And to make it complete, the guide also covers removing either Windows or Linux from the dual boot setup.


You, the WebUpd8 readers, probably don't need this guide, but I'm sure you have friends who want to try Linux and will find this dual booting guide useful.


Download Guide to Dual Booting


Thanks to Satyajit for the guide and tip!

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GNOME Shell: Make Applications Start On A Certain Workspace

1:22 AM

GNOME Shell

GNOME Shell Auto Move Windows extension can be used to get some applications to always start on a specific workspace. The extension is not new, but it is a bit difficult to use so I though I'd write a post explaining exactly how to get it working (tested on Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot and Fedora 15).



Install GNOME Shell Auto Move Windows


GNOME Shell Auto Move Windows is an official extension so it's available in the Fedora, Arch Linux (AUR), etc. repositories.

To install it in Fedora, use the command below:
sudo yum install gnome-shell-extension-auto-move-windows


In Ubuntu, install it using the following commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update

- For Ubuntu 11.10:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-auto-move-windows

- For Ubuntu 12.04:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions

The WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA provides all the official GNOME Shell extensions. For more info, see: Official GNOME Shell Extensions Available In The WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA For Ubuntu 11.10



2. Once installed, you need to tweak the extension version so open a terminal and paste the following command:
gksu gedit /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/auto-move-windows@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org/metadata.json

And in this file, change the "shell-version" to your GNOME Shell version (Oneiric currently uses 3.1.90.1 at the time I'm writing this). You can find out the exact GNOME Shell version by running the following command in a terminal:
gnome-shell --version

Then save the file and restart GNOME Shell or log out and log back in.


3. Now make sure the extension is enabled in GNOME Tweak Tool (for some reason, in my tests all extensions are disabled by default in GNOME Tweak Tool under Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot). If you haven't installed GNOME Tweak Tool yet, do it using the command below:
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool


Using GNOME Shell Auto Move Windows extension to make applications start on a certain workspace


To get some applications to start on specific workspaces in GNOME Shell, use the command below in a terminal:
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.auto-move-windows application-list "['APPLICATION.desktop:WORKSPACE-NUMBER','ANOTHER-APPLICATION.desktop:WORKSPACE-NUMBER']"

Where:
  • "APPLICATION.desktop" is the .desktop filename for an application which can be found in /usr/share/applications/. For example, the Firefox .desktop file under Fedora 15 is called "mozilla-firefox.desktop" while in Ubuntu it's called "firefox.desktop", etc. You can find out the exact names by going to /usr/share/applications or by running the following command in a terminal: "ls /usr/share/applications | grep APPLICATION"
  • "WORKSPACE-NUMBER" is the number of the workspace where you want that application to open

Here's a working example (.desktop filenames for Ubuntu 11.10; they may be different in Fedora 15, etc.):
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.auto-move-windows application-list "['firefox.desktop:2','banshee.desktop:3','thunderbird.desktop:4']"

The above command will set Firefox to open on workspace 2, Banshee on workspace 3 and Thunderbird on workspace 4.


Dconf editor gnome shell auto move windows

You can also edit this list by using "dconf-editor" (to use it under Fedora, install "dconf-editor" and under Ubuntu, "dconf-tools") - you'll find it under org > gnome > shell > extensions > auto-move-windows.

Many thanks to bdeferme for the info!

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Wally Wallpaper Changer 2.4.2 Released With GNOME Shell Support

9:56 PM

Wally wallpaper changer Gnome Shell

Wally is a cross-platform wallpaper changer which uses multiple sources for getting the images: local folders, Flickr, Google, Yahoo!, Panoramio, DeviantArt, Vladstudio, Photobucket, Buzznet, Picasa, and Smugmug images.

Features:
  • change wallpaper manually / automatically (on a given interval)
  • rotate images according to EXIF information
  • set wallpaper position (centered, tiled, etc.)
  • you can set downloaded photos to be at least 1/4, 3/4 or larger than the desktop size
  • stores downloaded images on the disk so you can use them later on
  • more

Wally 2.4.2 was released a few days ago, finally getting GNOME3/GNOME Shell support. Also, the Bing module was removed because apparently Microsoft didn't accept Wally's way of using Bing.


To get Wally to work on Ubuntu, you need to whitelist its icon so it's displayed in the notification area - see THIS article for a complete how-to. But please note that in my test, Wally didn't work in Ubuntu 11.10 with Unity, even though it worked under the same Ubuntu version but using GNOME Shell (as well as Unity under Ubuntu 11.04).



Wally wallpaper changer works on Linux (KDE3, KDE4, Gnome, GnomeShell, XFCE4, Fluxbox and more), Windows and Mac OSX.

Download Wally (.deb, .dmg, .exe and source files; there are no .rpm files available for the latest Wally 2.4.2 yet)


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Restore DELETE Key For Moving Files To Trash In Ubuntu 11.10 / Fedora 15 [Quick Tip]

7:48 PM

In GNOME 3 (be it Fedora 15, Ubuntu 11.10 with Unity or GNOME Shell, etc.), you can't move files or folders to trash by pressing the DELETE key anymore and you must use CTRL + DELETE instead. But you can restore the Gnome 2 behavior - just follow the steps below.

Important note:for Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot with Unity (either 2D or the regular Unity), you must install GNOME Shell and follow the steps below while being logged in to GNOME Shell or run Nautilus using the command below (thanks to FERNmann for the tip!):

killall nautilus && UBUNTU_MENUPROXY=0 nautilus


Firstly, here is a video I've recorded to make it easier to understand how this works:




And here are the step by step instructions:

1. To be able to replace the new CTRL + DELETE keyboard shortcut for moving files to trash in Nautilus with DELETE, run the following command in a terminal (this will enable changing accels):
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface can-change-accels true

2. Now select a file or folder in Nautilus, then hover the "Move to trash" menu item in Nautilus (under "Edit") and press the DELETE key twice:

Nautilus ctrl + delete key


Nautilus Delete key

The keyboard shortcut should change from "Ctrl + Delete" to "Delete".

3. Restore the original settings so you don't change an accel by accident, using the command below (this will disable changing accels):
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface can-change-accels false

At this point, the "delete" key should be used for moving the files to trash, just like in Gnome 2.

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Faience: New GNOME 3 Icon Theme By Tiheum

11:16 PM

Faience icon theme

Tiheum, who is best known for the Faenza icon theme and Equinox GTK themes has started working on a new icon theme for GNOME 3 / GNOME Shell called "Faience". The theme is work in progress (this is the first public release) and it currently depends on the original Faenza for many icons, but it looks really promising and it already comes with 3 folder color variations.

Faience azur icon theme
(Faience Azur)

Faience Ocre
(Faience Ocre)

Faience icon theme is especially designed for GNOME Shell so it's not recommended to use it with Unity / GNOME 2.


Tiheum is also working on a GNOME Shell and GTK2/3 theme which will complete the "Faience" pack. The GTK2/3 theme is not yet available but you can already use the Faience GNOME Shell theme:

Faience GNOME Shell theme
(Faience GNOME Shell theme and the original Faience folder icons)


Installation



Faience icon theme


To use Faience, you must firstly install the Faenza icon theme. If you run Ubuntu, you can install it from its official PPA using the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tiheum/equinox

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install faenza-icon-theme

Alternatively, download Faenza icon theme from DeviantArt, extract the downloaded archive and copy it to the ~/.icons folder.

Faience is not yet available in the above PPA so to install it, download the archive and copy all the 3 folders (Faience, Faience-Azur and Faience-Ocre) to the ~/.icons directory (if this folder doesn't exist, create it), then use GNOME Tweak Tool to apply the icon theme:

Gnome Tweak Tool


Faience GNOME Shell theme


To use the Faeience GNOME Shell theme, download it from HERE, extract it to the ~/.themes folder and use GNOME Tweak Tool to apply it. If for whatever reason you don't want to use GNOME Tweak Tool (like... you can't install the user-theme extension which is required by this feature), just remove all the files under /usr/share/gnome-shell/theme and copy the Faience GNOME Shell theme files to this folder.


Download: Faience icon theme | Faience GNOME Shell theme


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Drakfire Dream Suite: New GTK2/GTK3/GNOME Shell Theme Pack

5:30 PM

A new GTK2/GTK3/GNOME Shell theme pack has been released: Drakfire Dream Suite. Having a theme that supports both GTK2 and GTK3 applications is pretty important because not all applications support GTK3 yet. So for instance if you run Ubuntu 11.10 or Fedora 15, you still have applications like Rhythmbox, GIMP, Shotwell and lots more that use GTK2.

Drakfire Dream Suite not only has everything you need to completely theme your GNOME 3 desktop, but it also comes with two variations: dark and light (only for the GTK themes; there's only one GNOME Shell theme):

Drakfire Dream Suite Light

Drakfire Dream Suite Black

The theme uses Unico and Adwaita engines for GTK3 and Murrine engine for GTK2 so make sure you have all these GTK engines installed before trying to use the theme(s).


Install Drakfire Dream Suite


To install Drakfire Dream Suite, download it, extract the archive and copy "drakfire dream" and "drakfire dream black" to the ~/.themes folder (this is a hidden folder in your home directory so press CTRL + H to see it; if the folder doesn't exist, create it). For Ubuntu 11.10, that's all you need to do.


To install it in Fedora, make sure Murrine GTK2 engine is installed. Then, install Unico GTK3 engine - because of some bugs, I recommend you download revision 69 via BZR using the command below:
bzr co -r 69 lp:unico

And then compile it.

There are some Unico Fedora 15 rpm files available at GNOME-Look, but it's not a good idea to download pre-compiled packages from untrusted sources so use it at your own risk!

For Arch Linux, there's an AUR package available @ https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=51286.

Once everything is set up, use GNOME Tweak Tool to apply the theme.


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