Linux Cookbook

Command line-fu from Foogazi

You only really get better at the command line by using the command line, so it might seem counter-intuitive to write about 10 Linux Commands You Probably Don’t Use. If you don't use the command line, there's a lot more than 10 that you don't use--but if you do use the command line at all, or what to use it more, definitely read that link.

Check out Foogazi for more Linux tips/news/etc. The last week or so seem to have been heavy on the "what's so great about Linux" articles that Linux-lovers always love, but there's plenty of other how-to goodness in there.

Power user tips for Firefox

I do a lot of websurfing, so when I see a headline like this one, Five Firefox Tips You May Not Know About, I'm always skeptical. But in this case, there actually were five tips that I didn't really know about--and at least one that I've started using constantly.

makeuseof.com looks like an interesting resource for web-oriented stuff; the fact that so much of the web these days is open source is just a sideline. Anyway, those Firefox tips came courtesy of Mark O'Neill, and include my current favorite, switching tabs with a keystroke (instead of mousing): just press Ctrl-Tab to switch from one tab to another.

What's your favorite?

Distros, and Tracking New Ones

Linux isn't like Windows in a lot of ways. One big one is that almost every Linux distribution--and actually almost all open source software--gets upgraded, frequently. So the poky little Linux distro you tried and didn't like much a couple of years ago could be the greatest thing going, this year.

One place I like to go to check up on (and search for) the hottest Linux distributions is Distrowatch. Online since 2001, this is the place to go to get the latest on all Linux distributions, and to see what's hot and what's not.

But I stumbled over another good source: Tux Enclave, a WordPress newcomer. I'll be adding this one to my links section (look to the left of the screen), if only so there's a good place to keep track of new releases. Not just distributions, but also news about major open source projects like KDE and Compiz--as well as various other editorial goodies like reviews and how-to's.

Red Hat Magazine

Who better to have a great Linux/open source software oriented web magazine than Red Hat: it's called Red Hat Magazine and it's got some pretty good articles and news items. Not a super-high volume site, the better to keep up with things.

Here are some of the recent articles I found particularly interesting:

• How to touch-up portraits with GIMP should be useful if you're trying to do typical photography stuff but don't have Photoshop.
• Sharing a keyboard and mouse with Synergy is one I'm going to have to study; Synergy is a software-only solution for sharing keyboard/mouse across two or more computers (each with its own monitor, though). That's something I'd like to be able to do, in fact, inasmuch as I've got two systems that I'd like to be able to work with at the same time, but don't like to mess with any more input devices than necessary.
• Here's another GIMP article: GIMP 2.4 preview gives a preview of the latest update to GIMP.
• A guide to GNU Screen introduces GNU Screen. software that lets you run one or more command line interfaces in tabbed windows on your X desktop. This one's nice because while GNU software can be excellent, the documentation can sometimes be less than excellent--and it's a nice introduction to Screen with explanation of just why it's so handy and how you can use it.
• This one's nice for the hobbyist/educator demographic. Arduino is "...an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments." So, if you're interested in that kind of thing, check out this article: Arduino: One board, many projects. It's not so much an article as a collection of links to projects that you can do with an Arduino board.

Firefox Tab Tricks, and More

Whether you're already a Firefox fan, or just curious, check out this article from James Yeang, Top 10 Ways Best Ways to Manage Firefox Tabs. He's got a big pile of articles and lists related to Firefox, among many other interesting bits and pieces at FriedBeef's Tech.

If you're like me, though, maybe you don't want to have to download and add-in all those add-ons, plug-ins, and extensions. In that case, check out this list list of Firefox features that don't require extensions. Because sometimes it just makes sense to stick with the basics.

Backing up Installed Applications

Create backup of installed packages using APTonCD from Only Ubuntu Linux, for, you guessed it, stuff about Ubuntu.

Why bother? Because after you've installed a bunch of applications on your PC, it becomes a hassle to have to re-install those apps on a new PC, or migrate to another PC, or whatever. So, it pays to have them backed up to CD or DVD, so you can just re-install them when you want.

HowtoForge: The Source for Howto Do its

Linux "howto's", brief articles that tell you how to do some particular thing, have been around for almost as long as Linux. Now that Linux is mainstream, bloggers around the world are sharing their knowledge about how to do thing with Linux, and it's good times for the howto universe.

Especially over at HowtoForge, a good site for Linux instructions. Good, but it could be better. First, I assumed that there'd be links to the old-school howto's that have been accreting around Linux for the past decade or so. There isn't. I'd have also liked an easier way to browse the howto's on tap here.

That's not to say anything against HowtoForge: It's organized more like a blog than a traditional howto-repository, and HowtoForge does have the advantage of being more current and topical. It also has a HowtoForge forums section, where you can ask--and answer--questions about how to do things.

How useful are these articles? Well, here's one on Installing LAMP On Ubuntu For Newbies, which might seem an oxymoron: a simple step-by-step "how to" setup a computer to run the powerful Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP (LAMP) server stack. It actually delivers, too, but once you've got everything installed (the easy part, IMHO), you may need some more guidance.

On the other hand, there are articles like Removing A User, that give you the basic steps to doing basic Linux tasks, in this case, step-by-step instructions for removing a user from a Linux box, aimed at the novice Linux system administrator.

Linux Distro Chooser

Not sure which Linux distribution is for you? Here's the polishlinux.org Linux Distro Chooser. Answer ten questions, get five suggestions for Linux distributions that just may meet your needs.

Polishlinux.org is another nice portal/blog site, with articles geared toward new Linux users. An English language version of the Polish JakiLinux.org website, you'll find plenty of good information that goes beyond the simple mechanics of running a Linux installation or starting applications.

Introduction to the Command Line

Have you seen the Free Software Magazine? It's a nice "free online magazine about free software", and a good place to get some how-to advice.

In particular, there a handy pair of articles about the Linux command line: A beginner’s introduction to the GNU/Linux command line, and the latest installment, A beginner’s introduction to the GNU/Linux command line, Part II—Managing processes.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of these articles from Rosalyn Hunter.

Another Ubuntu/Compiz How-to

Compiz may be incredibly cool and wonderful, but it's still not easy-peasy. If you're ready to give it a try anyway, give this article a look: How To: Compiz Fusion on Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) at FOSSwire, another blog about free/open source software.

If that's not working for you, the links I pointed out the other day (Compiz Fusion Hotness, Vista Aero Not-ness) might be better.