Windows Linux Mac

Have you ever wanted your desktop background to change randomly? For you Linux users out there I have just the program. It is called Wallpaper Tray and as the name suggests, its a little utility that runs in the notification area. This program allows you to have your desktop wallpaper change randomly. You can specify what folder/pictures to use, how often the wallpaper changes, the order in which it changes, as well as a few other options. The best part of this little program is it is available in the default Ubuntu repositories.

To install the Wallpaper Tray, simply type the following command into the terminal:

sudo apt-get install wallpaper-tray

You can also install this program using the Synaptic Package Manager. You should not need to add any additional repositories. If you install it using the Synaptic Package Manager, search for ‘wallpaper-tray.’

To run this program, press Alt+F2 and type ‘wallpaper-tray’. This should bring up a notification telling you that no wallpapers were found. The wallpaper-tray should now be running in the notification area (located near the clock).

In order to configure the Wallpaper Tray, right click on the wallpaper-tray icon and select Configuration. This will bring up a window like the one shown below.

Here you can choose the directory that contains the different wallpapers you would like to use. To do this, click Add and then navigate to the correct directory.

If you click the ‘More Options’ tab located at the top of the window, you can configure how often the wallpaper changes, in what order it changes, and how the wallpaper is displayed.

In order for the wallpaper to change randomly, you must select ‘Timed Wallpaper Change.’

If you want this program to start when you login, be sure to add it to your Sessions. To do this click ‘System‘ then ‘Preferences‘ and then select ‘Sessions.’ Next, click ‘New‘ and give the program a name (wallpaper tray). Then, for the command type ‘wallpaper-tray’. Click ‘OK’ to add this to your sessions. Be sure that the program is enabled. Now, the next time you login, Wallpaper Tray should automatically run and change your desktop wallpaper based on your options.

If you want to select a random wallpaper manually, simply left-click on the wallpaper-tray icon in the notification area.

You can also find more information on the Wallpaper Tray at the Ubuntu Community Docs.

When I tell people I use Ubuntu as my operating system, usually the first thing they ask is, “What is Ubuntu?”. This is often followed by, “Why would you use Ubuntu instead of Windows?” and “Isn’t Linux only for experts?”. Today I want to answer these questions and explain the benefit of using Ubuntu or any other Linux distribution for that matter. This is similar to a recent post Which Operating System Is Right For You.

First off, Ubuntu is a Linux distribution. Think of this as a version or flavor of Linux. However, Ubuntu and Linux are not the same, there is more to Linux than Ubuntu. Linux is the core that Ubuntu runs on. This is the same for all Linux distributions.

Why would I want to switch from Windows to Ubuntu (or Linux in general)?

It’s FREE! - Who doesn’t like free? Why would you want to go out and spend a few hundred dollars to purchase the newest version of Windows when you can download Ubuntu, and nearly all Linux distributions for free? Now, I know for some of you Windows was pre-installed when you bought your new computer. This doesn’t mean you can’t use both Windows and Linux. Some of you are probably worried about using something that is free because that must mean that it isn’t any good. After all, if something were so good, why wouldn’t somebody be making money off of it? Truth be known, there is no “owner” or “CEO” of Linux. This brings me to my next point.

It’s open source- What does it even mean to be open source. This is one of the main reasons Linux is free. Open source means that the “source” code is available for anyone to download and examine. This is the main benefit Linux has over Windows. Microsoft does not allow anyone other than the MS developers to see its code so these developers are the only ones who can fix any errors or threats. If there is something wrong with part of the Linux operating system, there are thousands of people who are able to take a look at the Linux source code and fix it. This relates to problems being fixed faster.

It’s easy to install and setup- Ubuntu, and most Linux distributions, install in the same amount of time as Windows, if not faster. In the old days, the only way to install Linux was by the command line. Nowadays, most distributions come with a graphical installation. In fact, most of the time these are easier to use than the one that comes with Windows. Once installed, chances are you are already up and running. Unlike Windows, with Ubuntu common hardware is supported by default. Therefore, you wont need to waste time trying to find your drivers CD or going to each site and downloading the correct driver for your system.

It’s “faster”- One of my biggest complaints about Windows is that even after your computer boots and you log-in, you still have to wait for all the programs to start in the background. This can take up to couple minutes and becomes a real pain every time you turn on your computer. With Ubuntu you don’t have to worry about startup programs. Seconds after you log in, you are ready to go. The other thing I have noticed about Windows is over time it becomes slower and slower no matter what performance tweaks you perform. It seems like every year or so I have to reinstall Windows in order to restore its “speed.” If you use Linux you wont have to worry about this. Linux is much more efficient which allows it to always run as if it were just installed.

It’s easy to update- Are you tired of Windows and all your other programs constantly reminding you that they are out of date? Well with Linux you wont have to worry about that. Since most of your programs are installed through the operating system, it will automatically update those individual programs for you. This way you always have the most up to date version. Another one of my annoyances with Windows is that after I install, uninstall, or update anything, I am always prompted to restart my computer. With Linux you only have to restart your computer if the update is a critical system update. Therefore, you can install and uninstall just about any program without having to stop what you are doing and restart your computer.

It runs on older hardware- Are you tired of having upgrade your system with each new release of Windows. Well with Linux you can say goodbye to not meeting the minimum system requirements. In fact, there distributions that are specifically designed to run on really old hardware, aka pre-Pentium 1 hardware. In other words, no matter what kind of computer you have, there is a Linux distribution for you!

It’s secure- The Windows system you are currently using is susceptible to all kinds of security threats including viruses, spyware, and malware. Now I know if you have a good anti-virus and anti-spyware program you probably don’t have to deal with this on a regular basis. But don’t you hate it when it is time to scan your computer and it takes several hours and causes your computer to be slower than usual? After a while it becomes a hassle to keep your security programs up to date. With Ubuntu, or any Linux distribution, you don’t need to worry yourself with viruses because they are few and far between. If you want to play it safe there are some good programs you can install to make sure your Linux operating system stays virus free. Since Linux is open source, if there is a virus released, thousands of Linux users are working on the problem before you even know. Once a fix is created, everyone using Linux is prompted to update and the flaw is fixed.

It’s customizable - Yeah I know that Windows is “customizable” too, but if you want to be able to completely customize every single aspect of your operating system, you should look into Linux. With distributions such as Ubuntu each user can make the operating system look and feel just the way they want it to. In fact there are a few different versions of Ubuntu to choose from, depending on how you want it to look like. There is Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and a few others which were designed for special needs. Now with programs like beryl and compiz-fusion becoming easier and easier to install and configure, there is no reason why you can’t WOW your Vista friends with cool effects. To get an idea what I’m talking about, check this out.

Free applications - With distributions like Ubuntu you have A LOT of software available to you from the start. The first place I go to when looking for software is the “Synaptic Package Manager.” For those of you new to Ubuntu, it is located under “System” and then under “Administration.” All of the software found here is completely free and installation is literally just a click away. This sure beats having to compile the software from souce. Those of you who have had to do this know what I’m talking about. Of course there are plenty of third party programs that are not available in the Package Manager. Who ever said Linux doesn’t support enough software?

Support - Last but certainly not least is the amount of support that is available for Linux. Distributions such as Gentoo and Ubuntu are very well documented. One of the things I love the most about Ubuntu is the huge community of users. Anytime I can’t figure out how to do something in Ubuntu, the first place I look is the Ubuntu forums. This is where I have gained the majority of my knowledge about Ubuntu.

What if I’m afraid I will mess up my computer while trying Linux?

This is probably one of the coolest things about Linux, it is completely risk free. Before you install Linux, you can run it from a Live-CD. This allows you to book from a disc and test out the operating system without changing your computer one bit. There is also a project called Wubi. This allows you to download and install Ubuntu all while running Windows. Wubi actually installs Ubuntu in a folder in Windows. Wubi guides you in the installation of Ubuntu without altering Windows. This is a great way for someone who wants to try Linux and see how it performs on their machine. Everything runs the same way with the Wubi, the only difference is that it’s installed in a folder in Windows instead of a separate hard drive partition. If you don’t like Ubuntu, all you have to do is uninstall it like you would any other program in Windows.

What makes Ubuntu better than other distributions?

Currently Ubuntu is one of the most popular (if not the most popular) Linux distribution. Of course this is merely a personal preference. I have tried other distributions and have liked each of them. However, to me none of them can compare to Ubuntu. With Ubuntu everything just seems to work like it is supposed to. For me, Ubuntu ranks #1 because of its ease of use, hardware support, program packages and support forums.

What if I don’t like Ubuntu? What are some other distributions I should try?

Here are two online distribution choosers that will help you narrow down the choices based on your preferences.

Linux Distribution Chooser

What Linux Distro Should You Try?

Some of my other personal favorites include:

• Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu but has some extras installed by default)
• PCLinuxOS
• OpenSUSE
• Mandriva

So if after all of my rambling you still aren’t convinced to at least give Linux a try, check out these links for some more information.

7 reasons why you should consider Ubuntu

Have you tried Ubuntu yet?

10 reasons you need to download Ubuntu right now

13 reasons Linux should be on your desktop

As usual, these are just my opinions and I would like to hear from you guys. What is your favorite distribution and why? Even if its Windows, let us know which version and why?

Images were taken from the following places respectively:

http://www.madman2k.net/images/69/ubuntu-liberated.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryl_(window_manager)

http://stemp.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/logocompizfusion.png

http://hughsung.com/images/wubi.jpg

Quicksilver is a productivity tool that will catalog everything on your computer including applications, folders, files, emails, iTunes and much more. As you type, Quicksilver searchs its catalog gives you several actions you can take depending on what the results were. For example, if you search an application you can launch that application or open the folder where that application is stored. What makes Quicksilver so great is that is has plugins for A LOT of programs.

The best part is Quicksilver is adaptive. This means that it will start to recognize what you search for the most and place it at the top of the results. You can even search using keywords or abbreviations. The main thing to remember is Quicksilver is much more than just a search tool. For more information click here. This program is only available for Mac OS X 10.4 and newer.

Once you have downloaded Quicksilver, open the preferences and click Run Setup, if it hasn’t already prompted you to do so. You will see a window like this:

You do not have to read any of the information on the following pages on the setup, however I find it to be very informative. When you are ready to go on, click Continue.

Next, agree to the terms of the license and click Continue.

The next dialog box allows you to enable plugins to use with Quicksilver. These are what add the functionality to the program. Since the size of each plugin is extremely small, I recommend installing all of them in order to maximize the effectiveness of this program. Once you have selected the plugins you wish to install, click Continue.

On the next page you can configure the hot key used to activate Quicksilver. The default hot key is Ctrl+Spacebar but you can change it to whatever you prefer. Also, on this page you can change how often the catalog is updated. The default option is every 10 minutes. This appears to be the best option as updating the catalog does not seem to affect system performance. Once you have selected your options, click Continue.

The next page has some information on how to use Quicksilver. Click Continue to navigate to the last page of the setup. This page has links for support such as forums and how to report bugs, since this program is still in Beta. Click Finish and you should see the Quicksilver command window appear. This is where all the action takes place. All you have to do is start typing and let Quicksilver take it from there.

Quicksilver has a few more options you can configure, such as the appearance and what actions are available for each command input. Many people prefer the look of the “Bezel” command interface. Here is a screenshot of the Bezel command interface showing my favorite website .

If you would like to see Quicksilver in action, check out this youtube video.

Even though Quicksilver is only available for Mac, Linux users should try Gnome Launch Box and Gnome Do which are similar programs. There are also a few Windows alternatives.

CCleaner is a powerful program that will clean all of your unused system files and will also clean your internet history. I use this program every week to remove all the crap from my computer. CCleaner can also be used to fix registry files and remove programs.

Download CCleaner here

Once you have unzipped the folder and installed the file you should see a program that looks something like this:

The analyze button will show you the files that it would delete, and the Run Cleaner button will just delete the files. I usually click the analyze button and then click the Run Cleaner button.

If you click Registry on the left, it will offer you the option of checking for errors in your registry files and it will fix them for you.  Be sure to have CCleaner backup your registry just in case something were to go wrong.  It would look something like this:

The Tools option on the left will allow you to uninstall any program. So if you ever have a problem uninstalling something the usual way then CCleaner can help.

The first thing I would try would be ctrl-alt-backspace - This will restart your Xserver, which is similar to logging out.

If that doesn’t work, holding ctr-alt-delete will restart your computer.

Sometimes, however, even these two commands don’t work. If this happens to you, the following command should be your last resort before actually holding down the power button.

Hold down alt-sysrq (sysrq is sometimes the same as the print screen button) and then type r-e-i-s-u-b (I remember it as ‘busier’ backwards)

This is what that last command actually means:

ALT+SYSRQ+R (should give back control of the keyboard )

ALT+SYSRQ+E (Sends term to all processes but init)

ALT+SYSRQ+I (Sends kill to all processes but init)

ALT+SYSRQ+S (issues a sync)

ALT+SYSRQ+U (file systems are mounted read only, prevents fsck at reboot)

ALT+SYSRQ+B (reboots the system, without the previous steps this would be a hard reset).

Do you own an iPhone and are disappointed a particular application is not included with the software or frustrated by the speed of WebApps? Or maybe you’re considering purchasing an iPhone with your next cell phone upgrade but worried it won’t offer applications or tools such as a Tip calculator. Well those days of frustration and worry will shortly be behind the iPhone community as last Thursday, March 6th, Apple released the iPhone’s Software Development Kit (SDK) to the public. Now you may be wondering, I’m not a hardcore programmer so how does this effect me? For starters, once Apple releases their iPhone 2.0 software update anticipated this upcoming June, all iPhone users will enjoy a unique feature native to every iPhone known as the ‘App Store.’ This nifty feature will allow you to purchase (unless offered for free) and download Apple approved applications for your iPhone instantly just as is currently experienced with the Wi-Fi iTunes store. So now you may be thinking, What if I buy a testy version of an application and a developer comes out with a new and improved version will I have to repurchase the application? The quick answer to that is No! If in the event any application is updated by a developer, the App Store application will notify you and let you know an Application you own has been updated and allow you to choose to update or keep your version all free of charge.

So what exactly will the iPhone SDK provide software developers? To begin with, the SDK will come with an immense API just as does Apple’s current SDK for Mac applications on Mac OS X. So those used to developing software for Mac using the programs Xcode, Interface Builder, and Instruments will feel right at home using the same tools for the iPhone. However, Apple has now provided developers with a very useful tool known as the iPhone Simulator. This amazing tool will allow a developer to run an application through their Mac with a virtual iPhone on their screen. And just to make things better if a developer owns or has iPhone’s as a resource they will be able to test their applications on a docked iPhone to test usability and ensure its a quality application which may then be distributed through the Apple App Store. But now you may be wondering just how you will be able to know how well an application you have programmed is working on your iPhone. Well Apple too has covered this within its Instruments application. As an application runs you can watch and record real time aspects of the iPhone’s CPU usage or FPS. Now say you notice your application runs perfectly smooth but you see that during a particular part of your game or transition in your application your FPS drops dramatically from the average. The tools Apple has provided allow you to see at that instant all of the calls and actions that were performed in its Stack so you can go back through your code with Xcode and optimize your application to make it perform as well as possible.

So now, with the upcoming release of iPhone’s 2.0 software upgrade iPhone users will no longer deal with the hassles of connecting to a WebApp which must deal with questionable Internet connections dependent upon your location and will be able to use native running applications with great interfaces that look and feel like Apple created applications. These applications will run with great speed and perform much better due to the fact that they will not deal with the Internet, unless of course it is the application’s central feature.

The iPhone’s application potential is limitless now with third party applications to hit the market this coming summer. Developers will have the freedom to produce whatever they wish to distribute to the masses while it coincides with Apple’s terms and does not convey unethical or inhumane messages and or beliefs. But this release of the SDK is not the only thing to take notice of with the release of iPhone’s 2.0 software upgrade. The new software will feature Microsoft’s active sync capabilities with Microsoft Exchange. Now if you are a large corporation that uses iPhones as a tool for your employees you will be able to have company contacts and calendar events pushed to your employees directly from an Exchange server. Instant updates of contacts, events or email from the server greatly enhances the capabilities of corporate and enterprise communications and allows for heightened efficiency. But what if your new employee is a little bit on the forgetful and unresponsible side and leaves his/her new iPhone at a bar one night. All that important information about your company is out for public eyes to see. Is there not a way to secure your companies information so others don’t have access? Amazingly Apple has taken this into account with this through its 2.0 software upgrade and has implemented a Remote Wipe feature which will allow corporations to remotely delete everything from the memory of a lost or misplaced iPhone. And the great thing about this feature is the iPhone will be completely unresponsive during the remote wipe so someone will not be able to stop its remote wipe.

The iPhone 2.0 software upgrade is highly anticipated with many of its new features such as the Microsoft Exchange capabilities for corporations or the App Store. So if you haven’t gone out to get your iPhone because you’re worried it won’t have the applications for you, I’m sure within the next few months there will be plenty of applications for you to choose from through Apple’s App Store that will resolve any issues you come across. In fact, you don’t have to distribute applications you create, so if you want to create applications for your iPhone yourself, the SDK will allow you to do just that and if that’s the case, the API which the SDK provides will offer you all the tools necessary to create some amazing applications for you new iPhone!

If you want to learn more about the future release of iPhone’s 2.0 software upgrade visit Apple and check out the presentation which highlights and demonstrates live the new capabilities of the Exchange upgrade and new SDK features.

*All images taken from www.apple.com and www.mobiletown.com

>> Become a Developer

>> Join the Enterprise Beta Program

Do you enjoy playing games like Microsoft’s Flight Simulator, but hate having to pay for it? Or maybe you are a Linux or Mac user and aren’t able to play MS Flight Simulator on your system. If so, you should give FlightGear flight simulator a try. FlightGear is a multi-platform, open-source (FREE!!! ), flight simulator game.

FlightGear allows you to fly everything from gliders, to business jets, to commercial airliners, to even helicopters. The graphics may not be the best out there, but FlightGear makes up for with its large selection of aircrafts. You can change the time and season with just a click of the mouse.

Within FlightGear, the player can choose many of the different airports located around the world. The developers at FlightGear have focused on making this game very sophisticated and allowing the player to experience many real-life situations, such as mid-air refueling, sky diving, rescue operations and much more. FlightGear even allows you to play with others via their multi-player sever.

This game is definitely worth downloading and trying for yourself. I had a little trouble getting used to the shortcuts at first but after that the game was very enjoyable. Let me know what you think of the game.

Download FlightGear for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

More screenshots are available here.

For a complete list of Aircrafts click here