Tips and Tricks About Computers, Web Development, Linux, the Internet and the Like
Operating Systems
Make Screencasts in Ubuntu with gtk-recordmydesktop
May 30th
Yeah, the name sounds cliche but man oh man is this app slick. Compared to some of the others I tried, this one _just_worked_ and had the options I needed, plus more.
sudo apt-get install gtk-recordmydesktop
You can select a specific window or an arbitrary area and it compresses to ogv automatically.
Here’s a quick video I recorded in seconds — http://z.nexuizninjaz.com/videos/nst.ogv
A (darker) brown theme for ubuntuforums.org
May 22nd
Because I use a dark theme for GTK, I’ve been working on a darker theme for the ubuntu forums using Stylish. It’s not complete but certainly usable. If you’d like to try it out, you can install the theme (after you install stylish) by going to the userstyle page.
Inspecting GTK dialogs with Parasite
May 20th
Parasite is a program much like Firebug, except this is for GTK based applications.
By opening a program with parasite enabled, you can literally click elements of the GUI to reveal their properties.
The installation is pretty simple, open a terminal, clone the git repo, compile install and run. I like to make a folder for software I checkout from SVN or Git in my home dir so I don’t get things all messy. You need git to clone, so if you don’t have it installed already:
$ sudo apt-get install git-core
Clone it:
$ mkdir ~/git_software && cd ~/git_software && git clone git://github.com/chipx86/gtkparasite
Compile and install it:
$ ./autogen.sh && make && sudo make install
I run 64bit, so I had to do the following command to get things working:
$ sudo cp /usr/local/lib/gtk-2.0 /usr/lib64/ -r
Try it out (prefix an application name with GTK_MODULES=gtkparasite):
$ GTK_MODULES=gtkparasite gedit
deluge torrent – sort of like uTorrent for Linux
May 12th
When I first switched to Linux, I was running a lot of things in WINE because I was having trouble finding good linux alternatives for a few programs I use every day. Many programs weren’t a problem because they were designed (or redesigned) to be open-source and cross-platform. Those of you who have been following along have seen me recommend some applications as I made the switch but for the record, here’s a quick breakdown.
Cross platform applications that didn’t effect my switch to linux:
Web browsing: Firefox
Email: Thunderbird
(S)FTP: Filezilla
Web browsing: Opera (used for testing)
Applications I used on Windows and their alternatives I’ve found for Linux:
Text Editing: – Notepad++ | Geany
IRC: mIRC | Konversation (tried kvirc for a while but it’s too buggy)
Music: MusikCube | Amarok 1.4 / Exaile
The other programs I use are either minuscule or obvious (e.g. AIM to pidgin).
Today I’d like to share with you another great application that has replaced uTorrent (which I ran in WINE for a while and disliked), Deluge. What I love about deluge is that it is a native application with an interface that looks and behaves much like uTorrent does. Right click open folder in uTorrent in WINE is very face palm because it would try to open it in the stripped down windows explorer type thing :shudder:.
Anyway… I started using deluge at version 0.5 or so and since then it’s had a major code rewrite and feels more solid and (appears it) is now more extendible. Below is a screenshot of how nice it looks.
It even has a web-ui (if you install the package). You need to run this manually with the following command:
deluge -u web
The only thing it’s missing (that it had in earlier versions) is a good RSS plugin. There are some “solutions” like the FlexRSS plugin or Feeder (web ui only; good luck, have fun with installing that) but they are inferior to uTorrent. However, that is not enough to send me away and I highly recommend this as a Linux torrent client.
To install the latest version in Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope, I added the following PPA to my software sources >> https://launchpad.net/~deluge-team/+archive/ppa
Ubuntu System Panel – A ‘start menu’ for the power-user
May 7th
Ubuntu System Panel (USP) is a replacement for the standard three menus (Applications, Places, System) that come with Ubuntu in the top left. USP condenses these three menus into one easily filtered menu system. You can either navigate the list by clicking buttons related to the type of application you’re looking for (e.g. Accessories, Games, System Tools) or just start typing the name of what you want for a live filter search (my preferred method).
There are many extra tweaks, as seen above I’ve “pimped” mine out a bit with the options. The preferences dialog, you can get to by right clicking system and choosing preferences, has a lot to be desired as it’s interface is a bit O.o. If you play around for a while though, you’ll be able to figure it out.
Optionally, I’ve provided my configuration file which you can apply to your USP by selecting “restore” in the bottom right of the preferences dialog.
Read the installation documentation to get started.
Liquid Rescaling images – A truly mind-blowing plugin for GIMP
May 2nd
I’ve been using a lot of GIMP since switching to Linux because while Photoshop inside WINE is fast, it’s buggy and opening up a virtual machine just isn’t worth the time for a small edit. I’ve been getting used to the differences and with the latest release of 2.6.6 (packaged with Ubuntu 9.04, Jaunty Jackalope) it’s really starting to come together.
Looking to get the most power out of this application, I headed over to this messy repository that is the official plugin registry. Doing a quick breeze through to see if anything caught my eye, it quickly did with this page about Liquid Rescaling. The picture was enough to catch my attention but the video below dropped my jaw.
Looking to learn more, I went to the official page to learn more. On the download page, I found out that it’s included in the Ubuntu repsitories:
sudo apt-get install gimp-plugin-registry
After installing, I went to the help >> plugin browser in gimp and found that it was under the ‘layer’ file menu. I gave it a shot and It really is magic!
Panoramic Sunsets are so much nicer, aren’t they? 
Step one, original picture:
Step two, mark the area I’d like preserved:
Step three, magic:
NautilusSvn – Finally an SVN GUI for Linux that doesn’t totally suck
Apr 28th
Now I know that headline may upset some people but from when I originally switched from Windows as my primary desktop, to up until ~a few months ago, I was at a loss for a decent SVN GUI in Linux. The SVN clients in the [Ubuntu] repositories were unstable, quirky or just total garbage.
The first I tried was Rapid SVN, rated high in the ‘add/remove’ programs dialog. I found this very unstable. Next I tried eSvn which I also found unstable and quirky. Then unto KDE svn which seemed quite stable and solid actually… but unfortunately I use GNOME and this application is (obviously) for KDE, so naturally(?), there were some bugs. In particular the title bars and some other variables were not passing values properly, they would show up as literal %t or what have you. This was a deal breaker for me. Smart SVN came recommended and I agree, it has potential but it seemed to be too much for my simple needs and hell, if I’m going to run a Java application, I might as well switch my IDE to Eclipse and use the plugin for that (which is actually a good interface to SVN).
However, I love my current IDE, Geany and I don’t use SVN strictly for code projects. Some of the Ninjaz and I collaborate in mapping using SVN.
For a while I used svn in the terminal, which is really as minimal as you can get and to a degree, I really enjoy it. It also makes for good practice when I need to do things concerning SVN on a server. However, this is 2009 and I (usually) feel more efficient with a GUI.
In windows, my favorite SVN client was Tortoise SVN, the de facto standard in SVN for windows. After tireless research I finally came across the application I was dreaming for, Nautilus SVN, which is attempting to clone Tortoise SVN for Linux. Written in Python, it integrates itself nicely into Nautilus’ right click (context) menu. When I first started using it, the application was pretty barebones but with the latest release, it has come a long way. Bringing in nice emblems and icons to signify status and accompany menu options, it’s really starting to feel like a solid application.
Nautilus SVN in action
At version 0.12 beta, it’s obviously got some minor bugs but nothing that stands out… too hard. There is currently an issue with the status checks responsible for the folder emblems that can cause nautilus to temporarily freeze while retrieving information from large repositories but the problem is being addressed, though they’ve hit a few snags along the way.
I talked with one of the developers, Bruce from the Netherlands on their IRC channel, #nautilussvn on irc.freenode.org and feel confident in direction of the project. Bruce is a really nice and informative guy which makes the project all the more interesting to me.
I wish the team the best in the future and I’ll definitely be sticking with this for a while, I suggest other GNOME users check it out as well.
Nexuiz 2.5 is released!
Apr 3rd
Quoting the change log:
Almost a year of hard work, 3000 single changes, new developers and players, a few tourneys and lots of matches have passed since the last release.
Today the Alientrap team is proud to bring you a new and improved Nexuiz! Still trying to achieve this fine balance between fun and a challenge, you will notice lots of small additions that will make playing even more fun.
Some larger changes like the new guns and particle effects will make you want to dive into the great and friendly Nexuiz community, while the large additions including the race game mode, some new maps and improved netcode will take away lots of hours of your free time.
Do you dare to take a look and see for yourself what a totally free and open source game can be?
New features include:
- Completely redone HUD and user adjustable scoreboard
- Totally rewritten Client/Server communication to cut the bandwidth usage in half
- New gamemode “Race”. Try to get from start to end of a level as fast as possible. Available as free-for-all and team variant. Further allows to play with or without a qualification period.
- Added several new weapons (on-hand Grappling Hook, Port-O-Launch, T.A.G. Seeker, Heavy Laser Assault Cannon, Rifle)
- Map editor NetRadiant included
- Improved all effects for eye candy and tweakability
- All maps recompiled with external lightmaps which allow for much crisper shadows
- Added maps desertfactory (DM, TDM, MinstaGib), racetrack (Race) and made aggressor support Key Hunt
- New player sounds, announcer sounds/voices, textures, crosshairs, weapon models, effects and menu skins
- Added support for video capture to OggTheora
- Integrated the Havoc mod into the menu! Havoc servers use quite different physics and weapons, give it a try!
- Fixed a crash with ATI drivers on shutdown or vid_restart
- Fixed several problems with lagging gameplay/crashes/wrong display of effects
- Improved bots (teamworking, bunnyhopping, swimming, better way finding, support for ladders, less CPU usage, faster map loading)
- Better visual display of carried items (Strength, Shield, flags and keys)
- Better parental guidance support with cl_gentle and cl_nogibs
- Lots of tourney-related features (timeout/in, spectator-slots, allready, warmup mode, lockteams, unlockteams, movetoteam_red/blue/…, nospectators, records, cointoss)
- Added some effects customization options like cl_casings, cl_weaponpriority
- Many more map entities allowing for more dynamic maps
- Restructured and improved menu: demos menu and multiple campaigns are back, also added an advanced menu containing ALL settings of the game
For a more complete list of changes see: https://sourceforge.net/project/shownotes.php?release_id=672474&group_id=81584
As usual, you can download the newest release from our download page.
If you are providing a mirror of the release, please notify us so we can add it to the official mirror list. For any comments, suggestions or questions, please refer to our forum or the FAQ.
Because of many major changes there is NO PATCH available.
To make sure nothing breaks, you should use a new directory to unzip Nexuiz 2.5!
If you use 2.5 and see a server with no gametype it’s an 2.4.2 server, don’t play on those. 
Alientrap is also currently looking for new coders, modelers, mappers and people experienced with creating sound effects. If you feel like helping improve Nexuiz or Zymotic please contact the team via forum or IRC.
You can Download Nexuiz Here. To run Nexuiz, extract the files anywhere on your computer and run the executable. Try GLX first and if you experience problems, you hardware maybe better suited for the SDL version. The main difference between the two is the software libraries they are compiled for.
If you’d like to spread the word, it’s a good idea to share the Nexuiz 2.5 release on your facebook account. You can digg it here: http://digg.com/pc_games/Nexuiz_2_5_is_released
