World Of Nubcraft

Posts Tagged ‘ubuntu 11.04’

PayPal Now An Option On Ubuntu Software Center

It is great that Ubuntu has finally included PayPal as a payment option on Ubuntu Software Center. This certainly gives Ubuntu users more reasons to buy non-free apps from USC because they now have an easier way to pay for it – me included. In fact, I feel more at ease paying through PayPal than with a credit card.

I wonder why it took them so many years to integrate PayPal into USC? It is not like PayPal is new to the market. So what’s next, Google Checkout, 2Checkout or Moneybookers (Skrill)?

Switching Windows Of Same App On Unity

The window switching for same apps on Unity – starting with Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal – is confusing. It is easier to determine windows of different applications with the use of Alt+Tab combo where there is an overlay icon shown by default. When switching between windows of the same application it’s hard to determine which one is which.

This is what I have observed. When switching between windows strictly of the same application through the Unity launcher, this is what appears to happen.

How To Set Default Desktop Session On Ubuntu

If I remember correctly, Ubuntu Lucid Lynx (10.04) and Maverick Meerkat (10.10) lacked the concept of a “control center.” Although the app is readily available, Ubuntu did not make use of it “visibly.” The control center remained hidden among the multitude of apps that comes pre-installed with the operating system. Natty Narwhal has the Control Center (a.k.a System Settings) prominently right below Shutdown in case you’ve missed it for some reason.

Add More Options To Firefox Quicklist

The default Unity launcher quicklist for Firefox could certainly do with a few additional options. It’s easy to add a few more.

This tip I got from AskUbuntu. There are more quicklist tips available and you can read it at this page – http://askubuntu.com/questions/35488/list-of-custom-launchers-quicklists-for-unity. I only wanted to add a few more useful options than the ones given.

Ubuntu Software Center Updates With Wrong Password

A bug or what? While I was tinkering around with the gksu ‘force-grab’ functionality with the Ubuntu Software Center (USC) I realized that it was updating the cache every time I entered a wrong password.

Although the Software Sources window did not come out, as expected, because of the wrong password, nothing else should have happened except for an alert that the password was incorrect. Unfortunately, gksu does not appear to have that functionality by default. It is a hit or miss event and it will not repeat or warn the user if the process failed. It will simply terminate. (Try ‘gksu geditor’ on a terminal, or Alt + F2, and type in the wrong password.)

Fooling An Ubuntu AppIndicator Icon Into Reading PNG

I’m using this appindicator on Ubuntu 11.04 that has an icon that doesn’t blend too well with the Radiance theme. Although the icon is monchrome-ish, I think it was intended originally for the Ambiance theme. On the panel it looked the odd-man-out because it had more white color than black.

Notify OSD Config

If you are using the patched version of Notify-OSD* from Leolik’s PPA and using Notify OSD Configuration GUI** of AmandeepGrewal to change the look of the notification bubble, chances are you may also have edited the .notify-osd file by hand to include either or both of the following: bubble-prevent-fade and bubble-close-on-click. These two options are not included in the GUI.

What you should be aware of is that the GUI will overwrite any and all changes to the the .notify-osd file. Using ‘Save Theme’ will not include whatever changes were made outside of the GUI.

Get Rid Of Obese Scrollbars on Ubuntu Natty

The default scrollbars for applications that don’t support the overlay scrollbar are too fat and ugly. They could certainly use a little workout to shave off a few excess weight. If you can’t wait for another six months for Ubuntu to roll-out support of the overlay scrollbars to all applications like me, well, let us at least force these obese scrollbars to become thinner.

HOW? Feed them a veggie-only diet? Perhaps. Workout at the gym? Not really. How about we edit the gtkrc file? YES!

Unity Launcher Can Even Be Better If…

(1) The Unity launcher appears to look better when the backlight is set to toggle. That is, when an application (app) is running its icon backlight is On and turned Off when it is not. This makes the running app more distinct against the non-running ones.

Make Nautilus Look Better

Let us face it, the default look for the Nautilus file browser on Ubuntu 11.04 is not too appealing. It looks dated. Like a remnant of the past.

However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Thanks to Nautilus Elementary.

To install Nautilus Elementary, add the following PPA to Ubuntu Software Center: ppa:am-monkeyd/nautilus-elementary-ppa. Open gnome-terminal then enter the following command – sudo apt-get install nautilus. This will force nautilus to be updated from the new PPA you added above.