June 24, 2012

How to install iTunes 9 in Ubuntu

Most of the linux media players are all trying to emulate the look, feel, and features of Apple's iTunes player. But linux can also run most windows programs under the Wine utility.

There is a way of proven and tested 100% effective so that iTunes can be running on Ubuntu and here the only way to do it.
Below is my iTunes 9 running on Ubuntu 11.10 Gnome Shell Remix. 



OK, now follow these instructions:

Step 1, install the app wine, you can directly install the app wine via terminal
sudo apt-get install wine

Step 2, Configure by typing “winecfg” on terminal Follow these instructions:
  • Choose the Windows XP option in the Applications tab.
  • Select Autodetect in the Drivers tab.
  • Check the ALSA Driver and uncheck the OSS Driver in the Audio tab.
  • Click OK. Your changes will be saved.
Step 3, Download itunes 9
wget http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iTunes9/061-7894.20100219.Kgbhy/iTunesSetup.exe

Step 4, Install itunes 9 using WINE, on terminal type the command :

wine iTunesSetup.exe

Then follow the steps and the process of installing itunes to finish until the completion

Step 5, Once iTunes has been successfully installed, run the program using command:

wine ~/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/iTunes/iTunes.exe
Congratulations, You now have iTunes installed on Ubuntu 11.04 and ready tu use

Source: http://ubuntuportal.com/2011/09/how-to-install-itunes-9-on-ubuntu-11-04-natty-narwhal.html

June 16, 2012

Chromium vs Firefox in Ubuntu Review

I found this interesting. I switch between Chromium and Firefox, but prefer Firefox because if feels faster and is always stable. At times it seems a little biased, but good info. Written by Ayesha .A on June 12, 2012. Posted in Reviews, Software, from Linuxtoday.com, Source from http://www.unixmen.com


According to the independent web analytics firm, StatCounter Chrome has excelled as the world most popular browser  with the highest browser usage share for the month of May 2012. But does that apply to Linux platform too? Is Chrome the best browser for Linux? The post compares the widely popular Mozilla Firefox browser version 4 with relatively new Google’s Chrome version 16, distinctly for Ubuntu!

Mozilla Firefox comes by default on Linux based distributions such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora etc. Naturally Ubuntu users opt for open source softwares. Technically, Opposed to Mozilla Firefox, Google’s Chrome is closed source; that makes Ubuntu users  favour Firefox than Chrome, and that is understandable. Chromium, on the other hand is open source basis of Chrome. But unfortunately it lacks some key features like default PDF plug-in for viewing PDF files in the browser and Flash support. Ubuntu users, primarily supporters of open community also tend to have grudges towards Google, who is alleged to collect and aggregate data of Internet users that is later used by marketing agencies and by  Google itself to increase the efficiency of its own marketing/advertising activities. Of course, many detest the fact of having their data sold for advertisement.
But apart from that, Firefox outshines Chrome on Ubuntu machine for feature, stability and security. Now let’s investigate further, why Firefox remains dominant in the Ubuntu/ Linux sphere.

Customisation

Customisation remains one of the central features when comparing the two browsers. As obvious, open source software users look for freedom, freedom in everything and specially in customisation. Though Firefox has chromised itself delivering a minimal interface thanks to it’s amazing potential of customisation that it can be completely personalised. Chrome on the Other hand does not even provide half of the tools for customisation. Chrome does not offer layout customization options like Firefox. Firefox’s interface is also subject to CSS styling, which allows the user to completely customize each element’s appearance and placement! With firefox you can adjust the interface and adapt to your personal requirements: re-arrange, organize, add or remove buttons or fields to change your browsing experience however you want. Many users  also find the inability to adjust the font size in tabs frustrating in Chrome.  This can be a notable factor when your contender gives limitless options for customisation. Chrome also has poor rendering when it comes to Indic fonts.

Speed, Startup time and stability

Firefox yet again outshines Chrome on Ubuntu machine in startup time. Mozilla has significantly worked on making the browser swift and snappy in its newer releases and it shows evidently. Firefox however lags behind with a very less margin when it comes to page loading time. Chrome is slightly fast than Firefox owing to its minimal code base.
Firefox was alleged for intensive memory usage, but new releases make memory usage efficient down to 50%. When released, Chrome was intended to be a light weight browser but with the course of time it is becoming notorious for memory hogging. This is because Chrome launches a new process for every web page which makes it heavy on system resources.
stability is where, Firefox clearly unseats chrome. As much as Chrome is stable on Windows platform, it is weak and unstable on Linux platform. Very often does chrome become unstable and crashes. Though owing to its intelligent tab management one or two tabs crash without affecting the whole browser. But having several tabs down for unknown reasons can also be a pain in neck. Plug-ins also happen to cash very often in Chrome.Chrome mishandles SSL certificate causing annoyance very frequently.

Compatibility

Firefox wins when it comes to compatibility with Java, Flash, WebGL. Because Firefox renders Flash better, YouTube is much more enjoyable on Firefox. However, Chrome renders HTML 5 and JavaScript better than Firefox ( after all its being funded by the Silicon Valley giant not by a handful of volunteers)  Both Firefox and Chrome are at par when it comes to compatibility with DOM and CSS. In contrast to Chrome for Windows, chrome for Ubuntu significantly falls short.

Features

Firefox wins here with a great margin. When it comes to features Firefox is feature packed ! With features such as Pin as App Tabs, One button Menu, no track, addons, Personas, App Tabs to create mini bookmarks, group opened tabs etc.. Chrome has some nice feature set but it is far far behind Firefox.

Security & Privacy

Chrome and Firefox both employ anti-malware tools for secure browsing. both Firefox and Chrome give security warnings when you visit a risky website and instigate your antivirus to run and scan the file downloaded. besides this Firefox is aided with plenty of add ons to further improve security, such as NoScript. Firefox has the best pop-up blocker. Firefox also has one of the most efficient  anti-phishing feature. Last but no the leastt Firefox has a safe mode to recover from unexpected shut downs. Chrome too, restores your last session recovering from unexpected failures but not very often on Ubuntu like on Windows.
Talking about privacy, Google Chrome has obvious concerns of data tracking and selling. Firefox in contrast, ensures that the data you leave while browsing using the Firefox is kept private. It states on its home page: ” When you browse, you leave a trail of data that potentially contains all sorts of personal information. We believe this info belongs to you and you alone (and least of all to overzealous advertisers), and have built in features to ensure that’s the case.”

Synchronisation

For Ubuntu platform, Firefox still leads when it comes to Synchronisation. Chrome is catching up but the system is still buggy and doesn’t work at all at times.
For synchronisation  with mobile devices, Firefox still takes the lead. Firefox on desktop seamlessly Synchronises with your mobile Firefox, bookmarks, tabs open on your desktop Firefox  etc. chrome on the other hand is only available on mobile devices running ICS- not to forget that ICS is only available on handful of Android devices. This limits the scope of Chrome on mobile devices. When synchronisation is possible, it is far lagging as compared to that with Firefox.

Development

The addon system accompanying the Google Chrome has some serious concerns with “actual” developers. Mozilla integrates addon system directly with the browser ( this has some disadvantages though). This gives more liberty for developers when developing extensions .
Developers often complaint that the extension system for Chrome is much more  restrictive in the capabilities in contrast to that of Firefox as chrome owing to limitation of Chrome API exposed to extensions.  For example While development, you might come across a situation where you need to turn JavaScript off for website testing, or empty browser cache. To do this on chrome you have to go to setting of the browser.  While on Firefox you can simply do this with web developer extension, which is as simple as turning on and of a button. By far, Chrome is way way behind Firefox for development.
When it comes to Ubuntu, Firefox certainly wins. Even when we evaluate both the browsers irrespective of the OS we find Firefox has an edge over Chrome  as being aided with more features. What browser do you prefer on your Ubuntu machine? Chrome or Firefox?


June 13, 2012

Liferea Feed Reader - Simple & Elegant Newsreader

Liferea: A Feed Reader That Prefers a Simple Life


In a world in which mobile is getting bigger every day, desktop news aggregators might appear to be a vestige of a bygone time. But for those who still prefer to get news on the big screen, Liferea is a great way to go. Its installation process is simple, as is its feature set.
Linux Feed Reader, aka "Liferea," is part of a highly specialized category of apps. It is an aggregator for online news feeds, weblogs and podcasts. As such, it provides a tool for pulling into one spot an eclectic collection of your newsfeed content so you do not have to go to each separate source.




Liferea
Liferea


The Liferea project puts its focus on simple installation and simple usage. This app achieves these two goals handily. If you do not have specialized needs that go beyond merely reading a list of aggregated news items, then Liferea's simplicity will suit your purposes handily.
But more demanding fans of Internet news delivery may find Liferea's lack of advanced features a deal-breaker. Even if you do not mind the feature dearth, you might find Liferea's penchant for fussy performance a turn off.
Chances are that Liferea will run just fine on your Linux-powered computer. But based on a continuing stream of user feedback on numerous forums, this app has a track record for crashing or otherwise bogging down under the strain of tracking high volumes of news feeds.
I have used Liferea on numerous desktop and laptop Linux boxes running Ubuntu and Linux Mint configurations with good results. Followup reports by disheartened users indicate that the various tweaks mentioned in support forums solve a majority of the performance issues. To its credit, the developer's website Learn how 3D interactive characters fundamentally change the way users interact with a site. openly encourages user trouble reports so the issues can be remedied.

Aging Usefulness

Software such as Liferea is a vestige from the pre-mobile device era. If you only rely on traditional computing hardware to access Internet-based news, then apps like Liferea are a godsend.
But if you also feed your appetite for online news using smartphones and tablets, more sophisticated types of aggregator apps make the process much more streamlined and handy. If you use both types of access devices, however, you will continuously trip over duplications. Few, if any, solutions exist yet to synchronize news feeds on multiple devices.
Some of the aggregator options available besides Liferea include Akregator, Blam and RSSOwl. You can try to integrate your list of news feed sources using the Feedly extension for Firefox and Chrome. This add-on shows all of your news feeds in a more appealing page format.

Getting It

One of my growing irritations with the package management systems that Linxu distros use is the delay in making the latest releases available. The delay with Liferea seems to be a bigger gap than usual on both Ubuntu and Mint systems.
For example, the version both of these distros have in their repositories is 1.6.6. But the developer in late March released stable version 1.8.3 with significant feature improvements.
So to enjoy maximum benefit from Liferea, bypass the one-click installation from your distro's software center and go directly to the developer's download source here. There you will find easy-to-execute directions for entering get and install commands into a terminal window.

Getting Started

Once you have Liferea installed, run it by clicking the program's name from the Internet software group on the menu. If you are using Ubuntu's Unity interface or the standard GNOME 3.x desktop, Liferea will be automatically added to the icon lists for Applications. You can add it to the Favorites bar as well.
I found Liferea as easy to use as the touch-and-read news feed apps on my Android mobile devices. The app opens to the main program window. The default settings start feed updates immediately.
The user interface is very streamlined -- so much so, that it does not look like the typical display containing traditional drop-down menus and icon row or tool bars.
Instead, the menu items are specific to adding new feed subscriptions and navigating from the current displayed news item to the next one in the main viewing window. The left column of the app window lists the current feed subscriptions.

Using It

The Liferea interface is literally click and read. Just click the news feed source in the left column. The individual articles from that feed display in the right pane.
At the bottom of the source list is a metafolder of all unread items. This makes it easy to quickly scan through all the unread articles rather than scrolling through specific individual sources.
It is easy to add new feeds. All you do is click on the "Add Subscription" button. Then enter either the full website URL or the RSS feed address. Liferea does all the heavy lifting. In a second or two, the newly added news feed source appears in the list as its contents is updated.
Out of the box, so to speak, Liferea gets the job done. For instance, the Subscriptions menu provides a list of quick actions. These include import/export news feeds and creating new folders.

Handy Features

Other menu categories make it simple to change viewing options, change the read/unread status, and set preferences. I particularly like the ability to integrate some key sources into the news feed mix. You do this through the Subscriptions/New Source menu. This accomplishes two things.
One is the integration of blogrolls or Planets into your feed list. Liferea automatically adds/removes feeds according to the changes of the source OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) document. Other supported formats are: RSS/RDF, CDF, Atom and OCS.
The other is the ability to integrate the feed list of your Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Reader account. This is a very easy way to synchronize your feed list and reading lists from Google Reader.

Advanced Tool

Liferea does a good job with the basic tools. But it lags behind other aggregators when it comes to advanced features.
One of the few advanced features is script manager in the Tools menu. This lets you add custom scripts that run whenever a certain action occurs.
Scripting as a customization option is something that typical users will not need. But if you want to push Liferea to the limit, the script manager will let you do it.

One More Thing

Be sure to go through the seven setup panels in Tools/Preferences. The default settings will work just fine. But a variety of choices lets you fine-tune how you work with Liferea.
The preferences options include the choice of viewing browser. The default is the GNOME Browser, which by all standards is weak. But it works.
If you use the Google Chrome browser, though, you are out of luck. It is not included. Your choices are limited to Firefox, Opera, Epiphany, Konqueror, and the X-Browser.

Bottom Line

Liferea will find and present all of your designated news postings. You will not get bogged down in complicated feature choices. For typical news gathering and reading needs, you will not need anything more.

Jack M. Germain has been writing about computer technology since the early days of the Apple II and the PC. He still has his original IBM PC-Jr and a few other legacy DOS and Windows boxes. He left shareware programs behind for the open source world of the Linux desktop. He runs several versions of Windows and Linux OSes and often cannot decide whether to grab his tablet, netbook or Android smartphone instead of using his desktop or laptop gear.

Source: http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/75360.html

June 2, 2012

Lesser Known Linux Music Players


Ever wondered what other music players are there inLinux world that can replace your default one? Believe me, you are pampered with choices. While the popular ones receive many coverage, there are several lesser known music players that are equally powerful. Here I have compiled a list of lesser known (and good) audio players available for Linux operating systems along with their salient features.


1. Clementine

This one is my favorite (not for the reason that I like to eat Clementine) and this is why it is first in the list. Inspired by Amarok, it is a good looking and yet a feature-rich music player. Available for Windows, Linux and Mac, it seamlessly integrates with Ubuntu. Its main features include good iPod (and other portable music device) support, dynamic playlists, lyrics and artist information, album art discovery. It has a strong support for Internet Radio including big names like Last.fm, Spotify, Grooveshark, Jamendo, Magnatune among numerous others.


Clementine Music Player


 

 

 

2. Nightingale

Remember Songbird, the loved music player which ditched Linux 2 years back? Well, the legacy of Songbird has been continued by a fork of it: Nightingale. It carries forward the awesomeness of Songbird. Features include great support for synchronization, song and artist info, easy playlists and definitely good looks.Shoutcast Radio and Last.fm comes integrated with it. Last.fm album art can be used to fetch album arts. The list of extension and add-ons is growing with continuous community support.


Nightingale Music Player

3. Audacious

For all those Winamp MP3 player lovers, here is Winamp for Linux – Audacious. A light weight music players which has uncanny similarities to the famed Winamp audio player (reason being that it is descendant of legacy Linux player XMMSwhich itself was modeled after Winamp). Unlike other players like Clementine or Banshee which focus more on managing the music library, Audacious focus more on music. Motto is simple, drag and drop the files to create a playlist, sit back and enjoy the music. No fancy stuff, Last.fm is the only luxury it has got. Oh yes! it has great customization options as it supports Winamp skins.


Audacious Music Player

4. DeaDBeef

DeaDBeef is a simple, light on CPU yet feature rich audio player for Linux. Unlike its name, it is definitely not dead but very much alive. It plays (almost) all major and minor type of music formats with album art display capability. Last.fm is supported along with several other plugins at disposal. Recently it has arrived on Android so people using both Linux and Android can enjoy the homogeneity on different platform.


Deadbeef Music Player

5. Quod Libet

Good things come in small package. Quod Libet is one such small package. It tries to answer “Boy, I wish I could grep my music“. Yes, it has a really strong search features. Written in Python and based on GTK+, it provide you with all the basic features of an audio player apart from the fact that it can handle a large library. Features also include Internet radio and podcast. To an extent it resembles Rythmbox but only less complex.

Quod-Libet Music Player

All these music players can be downloaded form their respective official websites, links are provided in headings. I would like to know your views on this list and your favorite music player. What do you say?
Image credit: Abstract music background by BigStockPhoto and Wikimedia


Abhishek is a Software Engineer by profession and a Tech-Blogger by passion. He takes a keen interest in day-to-day computer life and wishes to share his experience with others to make their computer experience better and easier. He is the owner of increasingly popular tech blog Computer And You.