February 11, 2012
February Desktop
January 25, 2012
Linux equivalents to popular Mac programs
In my most recent article (“Five tips to help ease the migration from Mac to Linux“) I outlined ways to help end-users transfer from the Mac operating system
to the Linux operating system. It was suggested to me that I should
cover applications that could serve as replacements for popular Mac
apps. Your wish is my command.
In this article I will outline a few of the possibilities that can be used to replace the beloved applications often used in Mac. In some cases their may be equivalents that are nearly identical. In some cases, however, there may be equivalents that miss some features, or even offer better features. Either way, after this article, you should feel much more comfortable about migrating from OS X to Linux.
In the previous article I already mentioned using Songbird as a replacement for iTunes. Personally I prefer Songbird to iTunes. The only downfall is that Songbird can not yet communicate to either the iPhone or the iTouch. Yet. There is another tool that is currently in development that will most likely change that. But for now – you can use Songbird as a replacement for iTunes – just don’t expect Songbird to communicate with your iPhone/iTouch.
Garage Band
For those looking to compose music on your Linux machine, a good replacement for Garage Band is Jokosher. Jokosher is a simple, powerful multi-track recording studio. With this outstanding tool you can import music, record instruments, mix down, set tempos, and more. You will not, however, find a large collection of pre-recorded instruments and sounds to add and manipulate. But, if you have a Freesound account, you can import anything from their. Unlike Garage Band, Jokosher is really more a user-friendly multi-track recorder. So don’t expect to just open up the application and start piecing together music without picking up an instrument.
For more information on other audio creating software take a look at Linux-Sound.org. In my humble opinion, if you are looking for mult-media creation, your best bet is to download Ubuntu Studio which will include so man pre-installed applications for media creation/editing.
iWork
This one should be obvious. If you’re looking for an office suite to take care of all your office needs, look no further than OpenOffice. Although OpenOffice may have a different look and feel, you will find it just as easy to use AND it includes more features and applications than iWork.
iCal
If you like Apple’s stand alone calendar (that also integrates with other applications) you can install the stand alone Sunbird calendar. Sunbird was created by Mozilla so it has a very Firefox/Thunderbird feel to it. Sunbird is very close to a feature-for-feature equivalent to iCal.
iPhoto
My wife uses a Mac and she HATES iPhoto. But it is the standard for Mac photo management. For Linux there is the F-spot photo management tool. F-spot not only manages your photo collections, but will work with your digital camera as an import tool. F-spot is actually easier to use than iPhoto and will not have you fighting to try to get a piece of software to do something you KNOW it should do, but won’t.
Final thoughts
It’s not an exhaustive list, but it will help you get by with the main applications one would use on a modern Mac computer. If you have a Mac-based application you are looking for a Linux equivalent, let me know what that is and I will attempt to locate an equivalent for you.
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Source: http://www.ghacks.net/2009/10/15/linux-equivalents-to-popular-mac-apps/
In this article I will outline a few of the possibilities that can be used to replace the beloved applications often used in Mac. In some cases their may be equivalents that are nearly identical. In some cases, however, there may be equivalents that miss some features, or even offer better features. Either way, after this article, you should feel much more comfortable about migrating from OS X to Linux.
In the previous article I already mentioned using Songbird as a replacement for iTunes. Personally I prefer Songbird to iTunes. The only downfall is that Songbird can not yet communicate to either the iPhone or the iTouch. Yet. There is another tool that is currently in development that will most likely change that. But for now – you can use Songbird as a replacement for iTunes – just don’t expect Songbird to communicate with your iPhone/iTouch.
Garage Band
For those looking to compose music on your Linux machine, a good replacement for Garage Band is Jokosher. Jokosher is a simple, powerful multi-track recording studio. With this outstanding tool you can import music, record instruments, mix down, set tempos, and more. You will not, however, find a large collection of pre-recorded instruments and sounds to add and manipulate. But, if you have a Freesound account, you can import anything from their. Unlike Garage Band, Jokosher is really more a user-friendly multi-track recorder. So don’t expect to just open up the application and start piecing together music without picking up an instrument.
For more information on other audio creating software take a look at Linux-Sound.org. In my humble opinion, if you are looking for mult-media creation, your best bet is to download Ubuntu Studio which will include so man pre-installed applications for media creation/editing.
iWork
This one should be obvious. If you’re looking for an office suite to take care of all your office needs, look no further than OpenOffice. Although OpenOffice may have a different look and feel, you will find it just as easy to use AND it includes more features and applications than iWork.
iCal
If you like Apple’s stand alone calendar (that also integrates with other applications) you can install the stand alone Sunbird calendar. Sunbird was created by Mozilla so it has a very Firefox/Thunderbird feel to it. Sunbird is very close to a feature-for-feature equivalent to iCal.
iPhoto
My wife uses a Mac and she HATES iPhoto. But it is the standard for Mac photo management. For Linux there is the F-spot photo management tool. F-spot not only manages your photo collections, but will work with your digital camera as an import tool. F-spot is actually easier to use than iPhoto and will not have you fighting to try to get a piece of software to do something you KNOW it should do, but won’t.
Final thoughts
It’s not an exhaustive list, but it will help you get by with the main applications one would use on a modern Mac computer. If you have a Mac-based application you are looking for a Linux equivalent, let me know what that is and I will attempt to locate an equivalent for you.
Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook or Twitter.
Source: http://www.ghacks.net/2009/10/15/linux-equivalents-to-popular-mac-apps/
January 11, 2012
Ubuntu Tablet Announced at CES
Ubuntu Tablet to Compete with Android, iOS
January 11, 2012
An Ubuntu tablet will ‘battle’ against Android and iOS Canonical’s CEO Jane Silber has said.
And although Ubuntu isn’t running on tablets yet she told Techworld‘s Paul Krill that ’announcements in that area‘ are to be made later this year.
But are Ubuntu too late to the game?
Windows 8, with its finger-friendly Metro interface and burgeoning basket of app developers, and Android, with Ice Cream Sandwich and massive consumer awareness, are all poised to take significant marketshare. Can Ubuntu really compete with established titans of the tablet arena? WebOS couldn’t, and Blackberry’s Playbook didn’t exactly find itself flavour of the month, either.
Silber is more upbeat: ”We know we’re late, but we think the battle is not over, and we want to compete.’
And just to keep us all on our toes Silber says that Canonical are already in discussions with several hardware manufacturers – although she can’t give us name just yet.
So with devices to ship on, and the passion, commitment and community/employee talent to turn Ubuntu in a Tablet OS there is only one other factor crucial to Ubuntu Tablet becoming successful…
Further still, to attract quality commercial developers and the big name apps that many consumers look out for Canonical are going to need offer competitive pricing for developers and consumers, and attract more business to the Ubuntu Software Centre than it’s seen of late.
According the developer of Memory Owl, Decembers 10th best selling app, it claimed its place by selling a mere 27 copies.
Related posts:
Source: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/01/ubuntu-tablet-to-compete-with-android-ios/
And although Ubuntu isn’t running on tablets yet she told Techworld‘s Paul Krill that ’announcements in that area‘ are to be made later this year.
Ubuntu tablet
Ubuntu Tablet has been a long-held want for many Ubuntu users. As the owner of a variety of tablets I can attest that despite often being called ‘touch-friendly Unity, along with the rest of the Ubuntu desktop, is not as tablet friendly as one would assume.But are Ubuntu too late to the game?
Windows 8, with its finger-friendly Metro interface and burgeoning basket of app developers, and Android, with Ice Cream Sandwich and massive consumer awareness, are all poised to take significant marketshare. Can Ubuntu really compete with established titans of the tablet arena? WebOS couldn’t, and Blackberry’s Playbook didn’t exactly find itself flavour of the month, either.
Silber is more upbeat: ”We know we’re late, but we think the battle is not over, and we want to compete.’
“…the battle is not over..”‘[I think we can compete] …because of characteristics of Ubuntu as a platform, industry dynamics, and an increased wariness around the walled gardens of Apple and to some extent Google and even Amazon, as they are increasingly in this game as well. There is a demand for a platform that has characteristics that Ubuntu meets. The characteristics in my mind that are important are openness, and by openness I don’t just mean open source code, I mean the governance structure, the ability to collaborate, the ability for there to be multiple devices from multiple vendors.”
And just to keep us all on our toes Silber says that Canonical are already in discussions with several hardware manufacturers – although she can’t give us name just yet.
So with devices to ship on, and the passion, commitment and community/employee talent to turn Ubuntu in a Tablet OS there is only one other factor crucial to Ubuntu Tablet becoming successful…
App Store Dynamics
Ubuntu’s success in the tablet-sphere – however niche it might end up – will hinge on more than just decent hardware and shops willing to sell it. The platform will need to have application developers so enthused by the platform that they are will to develop for it. And that’s no mean feat of itself.Further still, to attract quality commercial developers and the big name apps that many consumers look out for Canonical are going to need offer competitive pricing for developers and consumers, and attract more business to the Ubuntu Software Centre than it’s seen of late.
According the developer of Memory Owl, Decembers 10th best selling app, it claimed its place by selling a mere 27 copies.
Related posts:
January 7, 2012
How to run Xubuntu on Ubuntu 11.10
How-to: Run Xfce on Ubuntu 11.10 Final
Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment which is designed to be responsive and consume fewer system resources than say, Gnome with Unity, or KDE. It’s also a useful substitute for Unity now that Gnome panel has been removed in 11.10. I am now running it on the regular Ubuntu 11.10 Unity release; that’s not Xubuntu, but the regular 11.10 with the usual Ubuntu applications stack, with Xfce4 on top. I now have the choice of Unity or Xfce. Guess which I’m using for my everyday environment?
Xfce 4.8 is the current stable version, available since Jan 2011. You can install it either from the Ubuntu Software Center, the command line (apt-get install xfce4) or Synaptic Package Manager and it works not only for Ubuntu but also for other Linux distros such as Linux Mint and Fedora.
Downloading and installing the Xfce4 meta-package from the official Ubuntu repository, which you can do through Software Centre, Synaptic or the Aptitude command line with a simple search on Xfce4, takes a few minutes. You might also want to pull in the ‘extras’ packages,
- xfce4-goodies containing more artwork and a stack of utilities
- xfprint4 which is the printer GUI for xcfe
Choosing the Xfce Session
From the Light DM login screen, select Xfce as your session using the dropdown list triggered by the cog icon.
Configuring Xfce
If you haven’t already run the application to install Restricted Drivers, do so in order to pull in the best version of graphics drivers you can find. Then adjust the display settings through Settings, Display. Get the right resolution, but if in doubt over refresh frequencies, don’t mess with them.
Appearance
There are controls for setting just about everything in the Xfce desktop, although not all in the one place. Going to Settings, Appearance, you can work through the tabs of controls. Style sets window border styles, Icons selects icons. Under fonts, you will definitely need Enable anti-aliasing checked.
Next, play around with the Hinting and Sub-pixel order option as you get different results depending on your lcd panel.
Slightly confusing is that if you go Settings, Window Manager, the first tab has another Style selector which changes the desktop theme. You can also change the Window Controls (Button) order.
From
then on, you can play around with the Xfce panel. Right clicking brings
up the Panel Context menu, from which you can add, delete and configure
panels including adding launchers and menus to get the working desktop
you want. RCAdvertisement
http://everythingexpress.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/how-to-run-xfce-on-ubuntu-11-10-final/
January 1, 2012
January Desktop
Inspired by the look of Xubuntu 11.10 during my testing, I used a similar theme for my current Ubuntu 11.10 Gnome Shell Remix. The theme is Elements GS-Classic and the wallpaper is Ubuntu grey swirl from the Ubuntu-art.org. One of the great things about Linux is the ability to customize it any way you like. Installed the Docky application launcher, removed the bottom panel, and added the workspaces indicator to the top panel inspired by Xubuntu. With the coming Winter snow season, the desktop is not that far from the colors of the season.
.
.
.
And an alternate grey background and glass theme for the Docky laucher
To install the gnome 3.x theme:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install elements-gs-theme
Source: http://www.webupd8.org/2011/10/4-beautiful-gnome-32-compatible-gtk.html
.
.
.
And an alternate grey background and glass theme for the Docky laucher
To install the gnome 3.x theme:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install elements-gs-theme
Source: http://www.webupd8.org/2011/10/4-beautiful-gnome-32-compatible-gtk.html
December 31, 2011
Best Linux Downloads for 2011 by Lifehacker
Lifehacker Pack for Linux: Our List of the Best Linux Downloads
Linux may not be the most popular OS around, but that doesn't mean it
we're going to sit here and ignore it. Here are our favorite downloads
for everyone's favorite open source operating system.
Just like our Windows pack, the awesome team at Ninite has graciously put all these apps into a one-click installer for you. Just check off the apps you want, and it'll spit out a unified, one-click installer package for all of them.
Download the 2011 Lifehacker Pack Here
Note that, unlike Windows and Mac OS X, Linux comes in many flavors and with a number of different desktop environments. Since most of you are using the GNOME-based Ubuntu, that's what this pack is designed for.
Below, we've got explanations of what each program in the pack does, and why we chose it. Want to skip to a specific category? Use these links:
The Lifehacker Pack is a yearly snapshot of our favorite, must-have applications for each of our favorite platforms. If you're curious to see how things have changed this year, here's last year's Lifehacker Pack for Linux.
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Of course, we know the choice of music player is a deeply personal one, so if Banshee isn't your thing, we recommend checking out Rhythmbox, Amarok, and Exaile as alternatives.
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Just like our Windows pack, the awesome team at Ninite has graciously put all these apps into a one-click installer for you. Just check off the apps you want, and it'll spit out a unified, one-click installer package for all of them.
Download the 2011 Lifehacker Pack Here
Note that, unlike Windows and Mac OS X, Linux comes in many flavors and with a number of different desktop environments. Since most of you are using the GNOME-based Ubuntu, that's what this pack is designed for.
Below, we've got explanations of what each program in the pack does, and why we chose it. Want to skip to a specific category? Use these links:
The Lifehacker Pack is a yearly snapshot of our favorite, must-have applications for each of our favorite platforms. If you're curious to see how things have changed this year, here's last year's Lifehacker Pack for Linux.
Productivity
GNOME Do
Inspired by Mac favorite Quicksilver, GNOME Do is the application launcher to get on Linux. Not only can you launch apps with just a few taps of your keyboard, but its large plugin library lets you add even more functionality, like sending emails, IMs, playing music, searching the web, and more.Download Page
LibreOffice
After OpenOffice became a less-than-open-source project, the community broke off and bore LibreOffice, the now-premiere open source office suite on Linux. It's got all the functionality you need for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. It may not be quite as ubiquitous or feature-filled as Microsoft's offerings, but it'll get the job done more often than not.Download Page
gedit
Text editor gedit comes with a ton of different Linux distributions, and it's easy to see why. It's lightweight, super customizable, and works for pretty much any text-based needs you could have—whether it's making a few notes or writing some serious code. Plus, it's got plugins that let you add word completion, file browsing, and tons more to give it an even bigger boost of power. The bottom line: if you ever need to edit text in Linux (and believe me, you will), you'll want to have gedit close by.Download Page
AutoKey
If you ever feel like some of your typing is just busywork, AutoKey will save you a lot of keypresses by filling in large passages, addresses, or even code by hitting just a few letters. Not only can you fill in text, but if you know a little Python, you can write out more complex scripts to manipulate that text pretty much any way you want, saving you hours of typing every week.Download Page
Internet/Communication
Chromium
Chromium is the open source project behind Google Chrome, the favored browser of power users everywhere. Fast browsing, awesome extensions, and preference-syncing tools make this the browser to beat on any platform, so while most Linux distributions still ship with Firefox, we recommend you make it your second-in-command and put Chromium your browser of choice.Download Page
Thunderbird
While your first instincts may be to go with web-based mail, or with the GNOME-integrated Evolution, we just can't get over Thunderbird. It's got most of the features you love about Gmail, like archiving and conversations, and a huge add-on library that lets you tweak it to your liking. If you prefer your email in webapps, that's totally cool—but we recommend keeping an IMAP client like Thunderbird around for offline access and in case of emergency.Download Page
Pidgin
It may not be shipping with Ubuntu by default anymore, but we still recommend Pidgin as your go-to IM client. It's been around for years, and had more than enough time to build up a huge library of features, supported chat protocols, and plug-ins to let you customize it right down to the last pixel. We may take another look at the pre-packaged Empathy one day, but for now, Pidgin's still got our hearts.Download Page
Skype
Video chat apps abound these days, but chances are everyone you know has Skype. It doesn't get quite as much love on the Linux platform, and it rarely gets updated, but if you plan on video chatting with your friends and family, it's inevitable that you'll end up using Skype. It's okay if it isn't your favorite, but we recommend tucking it away in the corner for those occasions when you actually need it.Download Page
Deluge
Deluge has slowly risen to become the best BitTorrent clients available on Linux. Modeling itself after µTorrent on Windows, it's super lightweight while packing a big punch in the features department. It's got loads of plugins, so you can get pretty much any feature you desire added on, including watch folders, IP blocklists, bandwidth scheduling, a web UI, and much, much more. If you're downloading torrents, deluge deserves a permanent spot in your applications menu.Download Page
Music, Photos and Video
Flash Player
Flash is especially annoying on Linux, but sadly, it's still necessary for browsing a good portion of the web. Whether you're watching videos, listening to music, or—heck—just online shopping, chances are you'll need Flash installed to get anywhere on the net. Keep it at bay with FlashBlock for Chrome and FlashBlock for Firefox so it only opens when you actually need it.Download Page
VLC
The default player in your distribution is usually pretty great, but we know that a lot of you guys love VLC. It's lightweight, it plays any format you could ever want, and has loads of advanced features in its preferences to make your video-watching experience as good as possible. It's still one of the first things we install on any distribution, and we know it is for you too.Download Page
Handbrake
Watching video on the go? Ripping some high-def Blu-Ray discs? If you ever need to convert video, Handbrake is the way to do it. Rip or convert video to one of a bunch of different presets, or tweak the quality to your liking with all its advanced settings. It's an essential tool for any video watcher's arsenal.Download Page
The GIMP
The GIMP isn't included in Ubuntu anymore, and while you can make very basic edits with with the built-in F-Spot photo manager, anything beyond a simple crop or resize will require an actual editing program. The GIMP may seem complicated, but if you're doing more than just organizing a few photos, you'll want to have it around, and if you're doing any kind of advanced editing, it's a must-have. We recommend grabbing the GIMP and putting it back in place as your default photo editor.Download Page
Banshee
This is one of Ubuntu's recent changes we actually agree with: Banshee is now the default music player, and it should be your go-to as well. Besides the standard music management, CD ripping, and iPod syncing, it's got a ton of advanced features that make it the player to beat on Linux. It's integrated with the Amazon MP3 store, Miro for podcast support, and it has a good plug-in library for extra customization. Above all, though, it's got a great, easy-to-use, polished interface.Of course, we know the choice of music player is a deeply personal one, so if Banshee isn't your thing, we recommend checking out Rhythmbox, Amarok, and Exaile as alternatives.
Download Page
Restricted Extras
If you didn't download them when you installed Ubuntu, this is a package you're going to want. There are a few computing necessities—like MP3 support, DVD support, and more that are copyrighted and thus aren't always bundled by default with Linux. So, unless you're very gung-ho about open source and you're purposely avoiding these formats, you'll need the Restricted Extras package.
Utilities
Dropbox
If you have multiple computers, Dropbox is an absolutely essential tool. It syncs files between your machines, backs them up to the cloud, and does all sorts of other neat things. Grab your free 2GB to start, then rack up your storage for free to make it even more versatile.Download Page
Conky
Conky is an awesome system monitor for your desktop, displaying things like CPU and memory stats to RSS feeds, email, weather, packages that need updating, and tons more. You can customize every inch of it to fit in with the rest of your desktop, and keep track of everything while staying productive.Download Page
Wine
It's a sad fact of life, but despite your best efforts you'll probably have to run the odd Windows program from time to time. Wine makes this possible, letting you run Windows programs in your regular window manager, as if they were Linux apps. It won't suck up a ton of resources like a virtual machine, but not all programs are compatible with Wine, so it can sometimes be a crapshoot. Still, when it works, it's a godsend.Download Page
VirtualBox
When a Windows program isn't compatible with Wine, VirtualBox is next in the line of solutions. VirtualBox brings a full Windows environment to your desktop, which can be a bit slower, but it will run any Windows program out there. If you have the hard drive space and RAM to spare, it's a good idea to keep that Windows environment around for when you need it.Download Page
Guake
Linux has certainly come a long way in the user-friendliness department, but you'll be hard-pressed to use Linux as your daily driver without ever needing the command line. Guake brings the Terminal to a quick-access drop-down window, accessible with a hotkey. Plus, like everything else in Linux, it's fully customizable so you can tweak it to fit your workflow.Download Page
p7zip
P7zip is basically the Linux version of our favorite Windows compression tool 7-Zip. With it, you can compress and decompress tons of different archive formats, like ZIP, 7Z, RAR, and more, no terminal necessary. Just right-click on them and decompress them with one click.Download Page
Optional (for Beginners)
Ubuntu Tweak
If you're running Ubuntu, Ubuntu Tweak is a great little program that simplifies some of the basic Linux processes that can be intimidating to first-time users. It may not upgrade well with your system, but it's a good install for beginners: it'll help you install third-party apps, configure your system without the Terminal, clear up disk space, and more.Download Page
Source: http://lifehacker.com/5827968/lifehacker-pack-for-linux-our-list-of-the-best-linux-downloads
Xubuntu 11.10
Below is the included gmusic-browser with the Rhythmbox view.
You can download Xubuntu from here: http://www.xubuntu.org/
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