Startup Manager

Startup Manager is a must install for any ubuntu/linux newbie .It can be used to customize the boot loader menu .For the users who setup a dual boot system,the default OS, display resolution and color depth can be selected .Under the appearance tab display colors can be customized. Getting those snazzy upsplash themes to work with ubuntu becomes very easy using the Startup Manager .Upsplash themes (.so extension), downloaded from various sites can be installed using the manage upsplash themes ... button. If you are not happy with the number of entries in the boot menu, then under the Advanced tab limit the number of kernels to one. Uncheck boot option for memtest86+ and recovery mode if you don't use these options. Don't try to edit the options under the security tab,if anything goes wrong ,it might make your system inaccessible. Problem:The boot loader themes option under the Appearance tab never seems to work (check the background image option).

If you have a solution, kindly put it in the comments box (anonymous comments enabled) for others to see. Caution: Be very careful in using this application .Just think before editing anything and don't be in a hurry. Install via the synaptic package manager.

Brilliant Water Effects In Ubuntu

Take a shower right now with your ubuntu desktop.Getting these water effects as shown in the screenshot is very easy. This is enabled using the CompizConfig Settings Manager. If you donot have this application installed, go to the Synaptic Package Manager (System>>Administration) and search for "compiz" .The universe repository must be enabled. Make sure to reload before marking the CompizConfig-Settings-Manager for installation.
After installation go to the Preferences section and click on Advanced Desktop Effects Settings.
Now search for "water" in the search box.Click on water effect.Mark the enable water effect box and as indicated press +F9.
There are a large number of effects that can be applied through this application but it all comes down to the amount of primary memory (RAM) you have.
Tip: Donot use these effects while multitasking or working on an important job.The system may start running slowly and you may lose your work.

assoGiate-File Types Editor

assoGiate is full featured FILE TYPES EDITOR. On opening this editor , a large database of different file formats is displyed. There is a pane displaying different categories on the left side of the window.
Clicking on a particular category displays the files associated with that category. To edit the properties of a particular filetype,just double click on the file format or right click and then edit.
Under the general tab you can edit the description and the default icon.Under other tabs you can add other file names related to that particular typeand even add xml elements.
There are options to import and export file types (xml) under the Database menu.The option of finding a particular file types is also present.
Why Should you Install it : This application can come in handy in case some filetypes are not correctly identified. Sometimes this can happen if you install JAVA to run the applications which require JAVA installed in the system.This can be used to display correct icons with various filetypes(like the JAVA icon) or even according to you wish.
INSTALLATION : Go to the SYNAPTIC PACKAGE MANAGER and search for assogiate (section editors universe),Make sure that the universe repository ( in the settings menu) is enabled and up to date (otherwise reload).Mark assoGiate for installation.
MENU: Applications>>System Tools>>File Types Editor.

Developer Information:Copyright © 2007 Kevin Daughtridge
http://www.kdau.com/projects/assogiate/

Asunder

Although Audio CD Extractor is present in every Ubuntu installation by default and does a very good job in ripping audio cds to ogg , wav formats but the option of ripping in the MP3 format is not
present. Even after installing the LAME pack you may not find the option of ripping in the MP3 format.For those of you who encounter this problem and wish to rip cds in MP3 format, ASUNDER
is a great application. It save tracks from an Audio CD in WAV ,MP3,OGG and FLAC format.Just install it and you are sure to have MP3 ripping in your Ubuntu box.There are options to control the bitrates and even creating M3U playlists.It is possible to edit the filename formats.If the system is online it looks for the CD DATABASE to tag the music files which can be edited by the user also.
Download Asunder now.

All Tray

ALL TRAY is a great piece of software for the people who multitask a lot and keep a lot of windows opened at the same time.It provides a great docking facility by removing the clutter of the opened windows and provides a better way of organising the opened windows. To dock a window simply click on the ALL TRAY icon in the accessories section of the application menu.Then click the generated +
(plus) sign on the window to be docked.Now the window would be docked in the system tray or the notification area of the GNOME Desktop Environment.To open a particular window , just click on its icon in the notification area.
Installation: Installation of ALL TRAY is very simple. Go to the Synaptic Package Manager and search for "alltray" (universe section) and mark it for installation.
Tip:If at any instant after clicking on the alltray icon the application hangs and the generated text body refuses to go, the go to the system monitor in the administration section of the system menu and kill the alltary process but please keep in mind that this would close the window as well and you may lose your work.ALL TRAY is a wonderful tool for any user. If you use it then pl,ease share your opinion in the comments box.

Alarm Clock

Most of us use an alarm clock.There is nothing special about it.
But what about an alarm clock for the Gnome desktop.
Alarm Clock is the personal alarm clock for GNOME desktop environment.
It supports sound fading, passive and normal dialogs, full screen dialogs,
scheduling options command line running and few standard actions.
This is a highly customisable Alarm Clockwith loads of options.The interface is very simple .To create an alarm ,simply click on the ADD button.Now, you will be provided with an option of creating an alarm from scratch or a simple counter.
Now what about the Alarm sound.Once an alarm is created , simply highlight and right click on the
alarm and select properties. Here you can provide name to your alarm ,set alarm time.
Just click on the Notification tab to select the sound file. Apart from WAV sounds , MP3 files can also be selected.Once you are awake simply click on the STOP button.
There is an option to create notifications for birthdays and customised templates.
Once activated this alarm clock rests in the system tray.
Just give it a try and share your opinion.
Developer : (c) 2008 Tomasz Sałaciński
Download Alarm Clock 0.9.10 now.

GAMMAPage

Have you ever felt the need of editing the GAMMA settings of your monitor ?Do you observe a slight patch of colour after rotating or changing the position of your monitor?If yes,
then GAMMApage is the answer to your problems.It is a gamma setting utility written in python.
The interface is fairly simple and colors can be synchronized .There is also an option to run GAMMApage on startup.There is a reset option to restore the original settings ,incase you fail to
setup Gamma settings.
Sliders can be adjusted until you get an even looking grey on the image at the left.
Developer Information:
(c)2005-2006 By Paul Sherman
psherma1@rochester.rr.com
www.pcbypaul.com
Download GAMMAPage.