September 21, 2013

Ubuntu Gnome 13.10 Beta 1 Release


I tried the latest Ubuntu Gnome v13.10 Beta 1 Release and was pleasantly surprised how polished it is. Users not crazy about Unity, Cinnamon, or Mate, now have a Gnome Classic desktop without any modifications necessary. This is what traditional Gnome users have been asking for ever since Gnome GTK 2.X  and the developers have been listening. It includes Firefox, LibreOffice, the Ubuntu Software Store, Rhythmbox, Empathy IM, Evolution Mail, Tweak Tool, Shotwell Photo Viewer, Nautilus File Manager, and others. I added Synaptic, Pidgin, Chromium browser, Deluge bittorrent, Screenlets, the Audacious music player. Below are my screen shots and a link where to get it. The official final build is due out on October 17th. This may become my new favorite Ubuntu distro.

Software Updates


  • Most of GNOME 3.8 is now included. See the GNOME release notes for more details.
  • The Plymouth bootloader theme and login screen have been updated with our new logo designed by Alfredo Hernández.
  • The new GNOME Classic session is included. To try it, choose it from the Sessions option on the login screen.
  • Ubuntu Online Accounts is no longer included by default (1040193). If you'd like to install it, install gnome-control-center-signon, evolution-data-server-uoa, and whichever of the account-plugin-* packages you want to use.

Infrastructure


Linux Kernel

The Beta 1 Saucy Salamander snapshot includes the 3.11.0.4 Ubuntu Linux kernel which is based on the the upstream v3.11-rc7 Linux kernel. The 3.11 release contains support for KVM and Xen virtualization on 64-bit ARM (AArch64) hardware. There has also been significant progress on making PCI support not be tied to SoC-specific code but to make PCI host controller drivers for ARM work as loadable kernel modules.







































You can download images and/or torrents for Ubuntu Gnome here:


September 20, 2013

10 Productivity Apps For Linux: 2013 Collection

It is generally assumed that Linux offers no applications; this is an assumption that is totally erroneous. The fact is that Linux does offer some great applications that are related to productivity, but the one thing that you will find really tough is finding the application.
When the reference is made to productivity related to tools here, what we actually mean is those tools that can help with better management of time, better scheduling, keeping of notes, management of tasks and other office related tools. With the way we lead our lives having that extra something offering us the means to manage things in a better manner can make all the difference to our lives. This not only applies to life on a professional level but also enhances the ability to juggle things on a personal level too.


The thing about Linux is that many a newcomer who uses Linux may not even know that there is a huge selection of tools that you can pick from.
To make finding these easier, we give below a list of Productivity Apps For Linux for you to go through. You can always take a cue from here and do some more research for your specific needs:

1. Tomboy

Tomboy for Linux


If your desk looks like it has been hit by a flurry of papers and notes then you need Tomboy. This one allows you to make short notes randomly so that you can simply search when you need the information. Or you can also organize them into categories for later use.

2. Wunderlist

Wunderlist for linux


This one is a clean and neat application that offers a list of things to be done. These tasks will be synchronized on all the servers.

3. Gnome do

Gnome Do for Linux


A fast and efficient method of launching applications on your computer, you will find this fairly useful and easy to use.

4. Hamster time tracker

Hamster time tracker for Linux


If you are the kind that feels that you are not making the best use of your time and seem to let things get away, then this one is for     you. This will show you what work is taking more time so that you can tweak it.

5. Avant Window Navigator

Avant Window Navigator for Linux


Is quite a simple dock that can be used for Linux distributions. While it is not as sought after as Docky, it still is quite effective and has plenty of applets making it great to utilize

6. Cairo

Cairo for Linux


This another choice for Dock and can be very useful.

7. Shutter

Shutter for Linux


In this one there are many alternatives that you can use to take a good screenshot. With each option you will find that are some sub options that let you pick the one you want. So no matter what sort of shot you want on your screen, you will find a great way to do it.

8. Dropbox

Dropbox for Linux


This is the cloud option that lets you access your data no matter where you are in a simple, convenient and safe manner.

9. Quicksynergy

QuickSynergy for Linux


This one is probably one of the simplest ways of sharing the keyboard and mouse that you have for one computer to another one or even several of them.

10. Nitro Tasks

Nitro for Linux


This application is quite recent and has the potential to be improved with more features to make it even more wonderful. It is also quite easy to use offering many functions and has synchronization of the cloud using either Ubuntu one or Dropbox.
These applications just offer you a peek into what you can get and use to make your life more efficient and streamlined. If anything has been missed out, do let us know so that we can add it for you.

Source: http://whatswithtech.com/productivity-apps-for-linux/

September 8, 2013

Linux Twitter Client ‘Birdie’ Refines Look, Adds New Features

BY JOEY-ELIJAH SNEDDON UNDER APP, NEWS JULY 16, 2013










Since we last took a look at desktop Twitter app Birdie in March the entire client has come on in leaps and bounds.
The elementary-orientated application has been pushing out new releases regularly. The result is a refined UI, native GTK integration, and support for even more popular Twitter features.
Let’s take a closer look.

Conversations

New in Birdie 0.3 is the ability to view public conversations from within the application itself.
Conversations are exchanges between tweets @ replying each other in response to a specific tweet.
When you see the ‘speech bubble’ icon next to a tweet you can click it to view the entire threaded conversation.
This is handy if, like me, you’re a nosey so-and-so looking to get the full LD on juicy Twitter ping-pong.
Threaded Conversations - New to Birdie
Threaded Conversations – New to Birdie
I couldn’t seem to find a way to ‘cancel’ the conversation view once open, something to be aware of when viewing an exchange that’s particularly long.

GTK Support

In previous releases Birdie used the ‘Granite’ widget set to draw various elements of its UI.
While Granite allows for some pretty swish-looking interfaces it doesn’t entirely fit in with Ubuntu’s standard GTK desktop environment.
The good news in this release is that Granite is now optional. This dependency drop results in Birdie blending in better on the desktops of more Linux distributions.

Multi-Account Support

Arguably the most important feature to have been added in the last few months is multi-account support. For power tweeters especially it’s a must.
Adding extra accounts is easy, as is switching between them. Click the drop-down arrow next to your Twitter to find account-related options.
Multi-Account Support in Birdie
Multi-Account Support in Birdie
One thing I will point out is that the compose window doesn’t allow you to switch accounts (a feature some of you may be used to from other applications). Double-check that you are on the right account before firing off a new tweet.

Other Misc Changes

While not exclusive to this release other notable changes to Birdie since our last review include:
  • Option to Delete Tweets
  • Media previews

Features Still Missing

Birdie is in ‘active development’. That’s a short way of saying that features are missing, broken or incomplete.
Whether you use Twitter like a ninja, or simply use it stalk celebrities be aware that Birdie may flap rather than fly.
  • No built in shortener for URLs
  • No username auto-complete
  • No “quote tweet” option
  • No option to ‘fetch’ older tweets
I also encountered a number of bugs in this release, including:
  • Broken messaging menu support
  • Inconsistent Unity badge support
  • Retweets not working

Catching The Bird

Birdie 0.3 is available to install on Ubuntu 12.04, 13.04 and 13.10 but – and it’s an important but – it’s not feature complete.
Birdie is development software. It will crash, it will have bugs, and it will eat your tweets. You install it at your own risk.
To install Birdie you’ll first need to add the following PPA to your Software Sources. The quickest way to do this in Ubuntu is to open a Terminal and enter the following code:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:birdie-team/stable
Next run the following command to update your sources and install the app:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install birdie

Once installation completes you can launch Birdie from the Unity Dash and pin it to the Launcher for quick access.

Source: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/07/birdie-twitter-app-updates-with-conversations

September 6, 2013

Kingsoft Office available for Ubuntu/Linux Mint/and Ubuntu Derivatives (Latest Update)

There is a new office suite available for linux users.  If you cant get used to Libre Office or Open Office, there is a Chinese developed office suite from Kingsoft. Its worth a look, especially if you are just coming over from Windows.


I've downloaded several MS Word documents from Microsofts Templates website (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/) and Libre Office just cannot handle most of them. There are some great designs out there too for free. Certificates, brochures, etc. Even the Excel spreadsheets are nice to use with clean looking invoices, balance sheets, and even a finance portfolio. All of which Libre Office doesnt know what to do with. In comes Kingsoft and using those Microsoft templates becomes a joy to use. There are Writer, Spreadsheet and Presentation programs in the suite.


Below is the Office 2010 User Interface in blue.









Kingsoft Office gives you some variations in User Interface.
Below is the Office 2003 user interface. You can also change the colors.
Below is shown in silver.









I've noticed the Office Suite by Kingsoft is quick to load up and responsive. Even if you dont make this your #1 office suite, its nice to have around for that odd document or spreadsheet that LibreOffice and OO cant open. Since Im not a pro at using office products very much, I cant comment too much on usability, although I do see one glaring omission so far. The lack of a Mail Merge feature, which I think is pretty important for any company.



To install Kingsoft Office Suite, first download the .deb file from the terminal.

The file on the companies website is painfully slow and took well over 4 hours to download. The file size is approx 150mb, but the connection speed from USA to China is like a turtle crawl.


wget -c wdl.cache.ijinshan.com/wps/download/Linux/unstable/wps-office_8.1.0.3724~b1p2_i386.deb



As a service to all of our visitors, I uploaded the file to my server. It only takes a minute or two to download with a 15Mbps connection. Here is our link...

wget -c www.iloveubuntu.com/files/wps-office_8.1.0.3724~b1p2_i386.deb

We'll update the link above whenever there is a new version. After you download the DEB file from either site, run this command in the terminal:

sudo dpkg -i wps-office_8.1.0.3724~b1p2_i386.deb

This will install the software, although since it was developed in China, Chinese is the default language. To fix this and put it into English go ahead and run the following code in a terminal window:

cd /opt/kingsoft/wps-office/office6/2052

and this one too...

sudo rm qt.qm wps.qm wpp.qm et.qm

Thats all there is to it and hope it "suites" your needs!


Source: http://www.iheartubuntu.com/2013/03/kingsoft-office-suite.html

=====================


Install Kingsoft Office in Ubuntu 13.04 Raring/13.10 Saucy/12.10 Quantal/12.04 Precise/Linux Mint 15/14/13 and previous Ubuntu/Mint versions

Kingsoft Office is an office suite developed by Zhuhai based Chinese software developer Kingsoft. Components include: Kingsoft Writer, Kingsoft Presentation and Kingsoft Spreadsheet. Kingsoft Office personal version is completely free. With the Kingsoft Office suite, you can view, edit, and send Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and other data on Linux. This offers most of the features and functionality like Microsoft Office.





kingsoft linux


The Kingsoft Office main interface includes a row of icons similar to what you'd find in your basic word processor or spreadsheet editor. It handles all the latest Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file formats as well as text and PDF files. You can create files as well, it could get a bit tedious trying to produce anything too long or complicated. Kingsoft Office works best for making a few changes to an existing file. In our tests, we encountered no problems working with the files we threw its way, and it was a simple process to add or edit text or make other modifications.





Kingsoft Writer
kingsoft office


Kingsoft Spreadsheet
kingsoft office


Kingsoft Presentation
kingsoft office


What's in this release:


  • Added: Check Spelling for non-English language.
  • Fixed: Cannot use native Open and Save dialog boxes in KDE.
  • Fixed: Printer settings do not take effect in Kingsoft Office.
  • Fixed: Cannot open PDF file directly after exporting to PDF.
  • Fixed: Cannot launch multi-instances of the same component in same user with different X desktops.
  • Fixed: Missing File button on the Insert tab.
  • Fixed: Incorrect formula result when insert a formula to the table in Kingsoft Writer.
  • Added: Supported PivotTable function in Kingsoft Spreatsheets.
  • Changed: Unified the templates dir to ~/.kingsoft/templates
  • Fixed: The program crashed when change some options in options dialog without open a document.
  • Fixed: The program crashed when pass a relative file path to program by command line.
  • Fixed: Cannot to match fonts in different locales.
  • Fixed: The width of WordArt control adapted to the dialog size.
  • Fixed: Cannot storage settings about font and style to normal template in Kingsoft Writer.
  • Fixed: Missing option "Auto convert straight quote to curly quote" in Kingsoft Writer.
  • Fixed: Cannot hide Grid and Guides in Kingsoft Presentation.

To install Kingsoft Office in Ubuntu/Linux Mint open Terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+T) and copy the following commands in the Terminal:
>> For 32bit






>> For 64bit







Community site. That's it


Source: wps
The U.S. English site is here: http://wps-community.org/
You might also like:

Source: http://www.noobslab.com/2013/05/microsoft-office-alternative-kingsoft.html

September 5, 2013

WPS Office – KingSoft Office - A Faithful Microsoft Office Clone for Linux- 2 articles

When is Microsoft Office not Microsoft Office? When it’s actually a faithfully-crafted imitation, of course!
WPS Office, built by Chinese development group Kingsoft, claims to be the leading free office suite in China. And with such a familiar looking interface that’s not a difficult notion to swallow.
Three applications make up the suite:
  • Writer – Word processing application
  • Presentation – Slideshow presentation maker
  • Spreadsheets – Spreadsheet application







Each of the apps are incredibly familiar in look to their Microsoft counterparts.
Compared to other free offerings like LibreOffice, Google Docs, and Lotus Symphony, WPS has a distinct advantage: a lower learning curve for those already versed, trained, or used to the Windows apps.
Trivial sounding, sure. But for many the notion of having relearn what they already know fosters reluctance. WPS, with its marriage of free and familiar, has a good punt at solving this.

Features

The Qt suite apes the interface of Microsoft’s ‘Ribbon’ interface, and whilst I can’t tell you whether it’s 100% accurate in its replication (I haven’t used Microsoft Office long enough to tell), it’s certainly authentic looking.
For non-Ribbon fans WPS Office comes with the option of enabling the old, menu-based Office look


"Classic Look" Enabled in WPS Office


“Classic Look” Enabled in WPS Office.
WPS Office also adds a few handy features of its own, including an online pool of document templates and the ability to edit multiple documents in tabs.
Biggest drawbacks: the release is beta; it sucks at opening .ODT files. Oh, and the entire interface is in Chinese by default (though reader Mohammed Sayanvala has a fix for the latter on his blog).

Download WPS Office Beta for Ubuntu

The latest version of WPS Office, a beta, can be downloaded for Ubuntu 32bit by hitting the button below:
Once the suite has fully downloaded double-click on the .Deb file to install through the Ubuntu Software Center.
After installation completes you’ll be able to launch each of the three applications through the Unity Dash.
On first run you’ll be prompted to sign up to.. Well, I don’t know because my Chinese is non-existent. Suffice to say, you can slap any old rubbish into the required fields and it’ll disappear.


I Ain't Telling You Nothing...


How to install WPS Office for Linux in Ubuntu/Linux Mint/Elemenatry

Download the .deb file from http://community.wps.cn/download/ [Alternate versions are also available for other Linux distros]
Install the package either through Software Centre or whatever deb package manager you use.
Open Kingsoft Writer. You will be prompted with a form asking for your name and some stuff. The form is in Chinese. Fill in anything. After filling out the form, the app will open in full Chinese. To change the app to English, close the app and then run the following code in a terminal window:
cd /opt/kingsoft/wps-office/office6/2052

sudo rm qt.qm wps.qm wpp.qm et.qm
Open any Kingsoft app again and it should display in English.
Enjoy!




Source: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/03/wps-office-for-linux-looks-like-microsoft-office-but-isnt

WPS Office: A Microsoft Office Clone For Linux

wpsoffice-splash-screenwpsoffice-splash-screenDo you love the Ribbon UI in Microsoft Office so much that you will try all means necessary to install MS Office in your Linux machine? If this is the case, WPS Office is the one for you.


Be it an online or a desktop app, there are plenty of office suites around that you can use as the Microsoft Office alternative. The difference between WPS Office and the rest of the office suites is the striking resemblance it has to Microsoft Office. Yes, it comes with the Ribbon UI, and even the shade and color are similar. In fact, I would call it a Microsoft Office clone rather than an alternative.


wpsoffice-writerwpsoffice-writer


wpsoffice-spreadsheetwpsoffice-spreadsheet


wpsoffice-presentationwpsoffice-presentation


One advantages of WPS Office are that it doesn’t come with a hefty price tag (the basic version is free), and it has a Linux version. The disadvantages? It is in Chinese (but don’t worry; we have a fix for that).


If you access WPS Office’s English website, you can only download the Windows and Android versions. For the Linux version, you will have to go to its Chinese website to download the installer file. Currently it is only available in 32 bit, so make sure you have installed the 32-bit libaries (iab3-libs2) in your 64-bit machine. There is also a repackaged version for UbuntuKylin available for download. For those who don’t understand Chinese, you can go to the download page and download the package (rpm, deb or tar.gz) for your machine.

Changing the menu interface to English

After you have downloaded and installed this Microsoft Office clone, open a terminal and type:


cd /opt/kingsoft/wps-office/office6/2052
sudo rm qt.qm wps.qm wpp.qm et.qm

Now, restart WPS-Office. You will notice that all of the menu is now in English.

Features of WPS Office

Dual UI view

The default menu layout is the Ribbon UI, but if you prefer the old classic layout, you can change it with the “File -> Switch UI” button.


wpsoffice-interface-stylewpsoffice-interface-style

Built-in tabbed interface

When you open multiple documents, they are opened in a tabbed interface so that you can switch between them easily.

Is WPS Office a good replacement for Microsoft Office

WPS Office suit comes with Writer, Spreadsheet and Presentations. If you are in need of a note-taking app like OneNote or email client like Outlook, then WPS is not for you.
WPS Office allows for you to open and view the XML-based file format (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx), but it doesn’t support saving to these formats. So if you have a .docx document, you can open, view and edit in WPS Writer, but you have to save it in .doc format. In addition, WPS Office doesn’t support Open Document format (.odf, .odt). If you are fine working only with the .doc, .xls and .ppt format, then WPS will be great for you.


I have not done a deep testing to test the full functionality of WPS Office and whether is it compatible with the advanced features of Microsoft Office, but simple editing seems to be working fine, almost the same way as it was done in MS Office. According to the comparison sheet, this Microsoft Office clone does support features like Equation and Symbol, illustrations, Comment & Track Changes, Mail Merge etc.


wpsoffice-comparison-chartwpsoffice-comparison-chart


As you can see, the usefulness of WPS Office really depends on what you need to do with your Office suite. If you can’t do without the Ribbon UI, can work with the old MS Office format and can stand a few Chinese characters in the app, then WPS office is a great option for you.

Source: http://tech.simplyeasily.com/wps-office-a-microsoft-office-clone-for-linux/