Getting Back To The Ubuntu Menu.

Not getting used to the new Ubuntu Launcher ? Welcome! to the club .
The new launcher may hold shortcuts to your favorite programs , files and folders , but it is also a security concern. The 'Files and Folders' launcher includes your recently viewed files but there's no 'Clear recent Documents' option. The launcher may add some glamor to your system but it obviously includes a processing overhead.

Getting back to the classic Ubuntu menu is easier than you would probably think. Just choose 'ubuntu classic ( no effects )' as your session the next time you reach the log in window. ( Now,how do I capture a screen shot before logging in ? Let me know if you know a way out).



But this would obviously work if your system asks for a password at startup and you do not get to log in automatically.You won't have to do this every time you log in. Just whenever you feel like making a switch.

To set a default session , go to 'System' -> 'Administration' -> 'Login Screen' and select the session you want.

Florence Virtual Keyboard

Woke up in the morning just to find out that the navigation keys of your keyboard are not working ? Things can't get worse than this. No social networking ? no Google or other downloads ? Probably your keyboard had its fare share of coffee yesterday.
Well, your world should not really stop. It may get 'virtual' though.


Get the 'Florence Virtual Keyboard' from the 'Ubuntu Software Center'. Install it even if your keyboard is working fine. It might come in handy someday.




With a pretty smooth and intuitive interface, 'Florence' provides a great typing and navigational experience. Use your mouse to click on the keys and type on the currently active window. It comes loaded with a number of features which let you configure the looks and extend your keyboard. The key with the 'tools' logo lets you configure this keyboard. You can add additional keys , change the colors and opacity of the keyboard.

Florence provides very interesting 'Behaviour' patterns. Check out the 'Timer' and 'Ramble' patterns. Though it may take time getting used to these patterns.
But there are certain things even 'Florence' can't sort out for you. What if you have to switch to the Windows OS at the Grub startup. You can use the 'End' and 'Home' keys to find your way out of this predicament. Hope these two work , at least.

A Facebook Friend Is A Friend Indeed!

...well that's what Mark Zukerberg wants us to believe, and with more than 500 million users taking on the social networking bandwagon, that seems to be the case. But is it about networking , socialising or socialising for networking ? I know I sometimes talk ( or write ) nonsense.
Back to Ubuntu.
There's a very interesting application in the 'Ubuntu Software Center' that builds a graph out of your social network.Its called 'Facebook Friends Graph'. Installation is pretty straight-forward. Just search for the package 'fbfriendsgraph' and install it.
It works its way by creating an undirectional graph connecting nodes representing your friends. A mutual relationship between your friends is what forms an edge of this graph. Enough of discrete structures now . A pretty simple algorithm , though.
The graph creation is a pretty resource intensive process. Well, that's what the application warns you about before creating the graph. So , if you are a very 'friendly' guy, be ready to wait for that portable network graphics image to load. Did you know what the acronym 'png' stood for ?

I need to develop my J2EE application in Ubuntu

First things first : this is not for those not so geeky and nerdy wannabes who just can't move away from the comfort of using a Mac or a Windows system. Not to say that Ubuntu or Linux is not a comfort zone; but you surely need an anchor to take you to the shore.

Now , if you've really worked on a project in J2EE, then you surely would have used an IDE ( hats off to you, if you've used notepad to work on a J2EE project ). NetBeans ? Well its not really a coffee making machine but an IDE ( God help you if you've never heard of it ).

Let's get serious now. Can we use NetBeans to develop a web application on the Ubuntu platform ? Yes , we can! ( what...who Obama ? , we are discussing Ubuntu here ) . NetBeans for Ubuntu in available in the 'Synaptic Package Manager' . You don't need a screenshot for this , do you ? The next thing you require is the Java Development Kit ( jdk ) .Just search for 'jdk' and install 'sun-java6-jdk'.

Now you need to have that web-server that you would use to deploy your application.Download Java EE 6 SDK Update 2 from the link provided at the bootom. Again an issue here ? How do you install a file with '.sh' extension. Well, its not rocket science. Just right click on th file and under the 'Permissions' tab , 'Allow executing file as program'. Now just double click on the file and 'Run' . Keep track of the GlassFish installation directory.

To start working on a project, launch 'NetBeans' . Use 'File' -> 'New Project'. Ready for a surprise! No 'Java Web' to choose from as an option. Well, things are again very simple. Just click on the 'Tools' -> 'Plugins'. Under the 'Available Plugins' tab, search for 'Java web' and mark it for installation. Don't worry about dependencies. Like the 'Synaptic' let 'NetBeans' take care of it.

Now there are two more steps you need to perform to start working. You need to add a server. Go to 'Tools' -> 'Servers' and 'Add Server' . Choose 'Glassfish Server 3' . Provide the directory of the server ( I asked you to keep track of it ). Once the server is set , click on the 'Java' tab and provide the path to the 'Java Executable'. Well , I again come into the picture . This path is '/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun/bin/java'. You'll have to move one level up from your home directory to follow this path.

Yeah! It's finally over. Start working on an application now. I just did .

p.s : There's hardly anything that can not be accomplished on Ubuntu. Just take your time. You don't need to be an 'engineer' ( not one of those with that Er. prefix at least ) to accomplish this.

Click here to download Java EE 6 .

Download web videos in Ubuntu

Thinking of downloading that video you just saw. Well, there's no dearth of websites that allow you to copy and paste the URL of the page hosting the video and voilà! you have it in your videos folder.

But obviously things are not that simple for you windows guys making a transition to Ubuntu.

Ubuntu users need to install a Java plug in that actually loads an applet and downloads that video for you ( not getting into what's an applet thing ).

Let's make things really simple.Just open the 'Synaptic Package Manager' and search for 'java'. As usual a long list would be returned. Just mark the package titled 'sun- java6-plug in'. You have in the screen shot right here.Let the 'Synaptic' take care of dependencies while you enjoy that coffee of yours ( well, net speeds here make it really possible ).

Now we are set. Just copy the URL of the page hosting the video you wish to 'have' an open one of those websites ( well keepvid.com is what I use) . You would have to a bit patient here. Choose the resolution and 'save target as' .



As usual , keep in mind those copyright issues ( actually , I don't care ).



p.s : pretty elementary stuff huh! Wonder what took us so long.