Linux Tricks

Linux (GNOME-based): There are work-arounds to set Gmail as a default mail app in Linux, but they don't cover right-click file sending and complex mail links. Gnome Gmail does a much better job of integrating Gmail.

Download a DEB (Ubuntu/Debian) or RPM (Fedora/openSUSE) package from the site, install it, and then head to your Preferred Applications preference (in Preferences, under the System menu in Ubuntu, for example). Set Gmail as your "Mail Reader," and now it should really respond like a desktop client—on email links in every browser, when you right-click a file and select "Send to," and with full functionality when email links include cc: or pre-written subject lines. Google Apps users, you're not left out in the cold—hit the Configure link when you're asked to sign into Gmail on a right-click Send To action, and you can add your Google Apps login and make it the default.

Gnome Gmail is a free download for Linux systems running a GNOME desktop.

Gnome Gmail [SourceForge]

Often, even if we do catch a virus, it's not so difficult to eradicate it using installed antivirus—but if your system has been crippled, try using Linux to scan the drive for viruses instead.

As any Linux veteran knows, one of Linux's greatest uses is fixing unbootable drives—recovering files, deleting files, and even killing viruses. For those of you that aren't quite as well-versed in Linux, technology blog gHacks has a tutorial for doing just that, though we recommend a few tweaks to their process.

If you have another machine already running Linux, as gHacks suggests, then you'll have a pretty easy time with this—all you need to do is install some antivirus, hook the infected drive into your Linux machine, and go to town. However, we know that not everyone has an extra Linux machine just floating around—so we recommend using a Live CD with antivirus pre-installed, or, even better, a live USB stick on which you can install antivirus yourself (the USB solution is likely easier in the long run, since I have yet to find a Linux Live CD with a GUI-based antivirus program pre-installed). You'll have to make the live USB yourself, but this is a pretty easy process using previously mentioned Usbuntu Live Creator or UNetbootin. However, these require a working Windows computer, and if your only PC is the infected one, you'll have to download, burn, and boot from the Ubuntu Live CD (available here), and under System > Administration, use their easy-to-use Live USB creator.

After making the Live USB stick, boot into it (you may have to set your boot priority in your BIOS, directions for which can be found in step 2 of this post), and install antivirus on it—gHacks recommends F-Prot, but if you don't want to buy a copy of F-Prot just for this, all of our Hive Five antivirus favorites have Linux versions, and open-source favorite ClamAV (pictured above) is available from Synaptic Package Manager (along with the Clamtk GUI for it—just search for clamav and clamtk in Synaptic [available under System > Administration] and install both packages). Start it up from Applications > System Tools, set it to scan your Windows drive and you're good to go.

Note that if your BIOS does not support booting from USB, you'll need to make a boot disk that allows it to—which, unfortunately, requires a bit of command-line-fu, and then you're right back where you started with the command-line-requiring Live CDs. If you know of any Linux Live CDs that contain an Antivirus program with a GUI, let us know in the comments!

Scan a Windows drive for viruses using Linux [gHacks]

Firefox/Chrome: Small netbook screens make you really appreciate every last pixel on your device. The Mini Wide userscript for Gmail adds a "netbook mode" shortcut to Gmail that removes navigation and ads for a streamlined, netbook-friendly, message-focused view of your inbox.

(Click the image above for a closer look.)

Once installed, just tap 'w' to toggle between the default Gmail view and netbook mode. That's all there is to it. Assuming you've mastered Gmail's keyboard shortcuts, the lack of navigation isn't all that big of a deal—plus you can easily bring back the default view with a quick press of the 'w' key. The tweak is a little rough around the edges at times (I couldn't use 'g' + 'l' label navigation unless I toggled out of mini mode, for example), but it's a nice start, and could be really useful for netbook users.

You'll need the Greasemonkey extension to install it in Firefox; Chrome supports installing userscripts as extensions, so just head to the homepage and click Install.

Better Gmail: Mini Wide [Userscripts via gHacks]

Windows/Mac/Linux: If you would like to easily access, edit, and save files across multiple computers, free application FeelHome allows you to share files across operating systems and over the web.

Once you install FeelHome on your computer and specify which folders you want to share, you can access those files from the web or from another computer in your virtual FeelHome network.

Files aren't stored on the FeelHome servers, and FeelHome isn't an online storage solution like Dropbox. Your files still reside on their respective computers. Instead, FeelHome allows you to access them between machines and through the web-based interface. FeelHome's servers act as secure mediators in the transaction—much like the LogMeIn Hamachi servers help mediate your VPN connections.

Check out the video below to see FeelHome in action:

newVideoPlayer( {"type":"video","player":"http:\/\/vimeo.com\/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8152141&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1","customParams":[],"width":500,"height":375,"ratio":0.75,"flashData":"","embedName":null,"objectId":null,"noEmbed":false,"source":"vimeo"} );

FeelHome is free, and available for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. Have a great tool for sharing files across multiple computers and the web? Let's hear about it in the comments.

FeelHome [via Download Squad]

Windows/Mac/Linux: Launchy, the little application launcher that could, has introduced a Mac version with its latest beta. Bug fixes, performance overhauls, and new shortcuts and controls are also baked into this beta for every system.

As the developers themselves note, "Not much else has changed" in terms of appearance or basic function for Launchy, but, then again, those changes may be in the works. Many have noted that with Windows 7's surprisingly powerful Start menu searching, Launchy has a need to differentiate itself and find other functions to justify the use of a dedicated, if very fast and nimble, application launcher. By improving the ease of skin creation, stabilizing the build, and improving performance, the Launchy team is hopefully clearing the way for strong plug-ins and functionality—not that Launchy can't already do quite a bit of heavy lifting.

Launchy is a free download for Windows, Linux (x86 and 64-bit), and, as of this release, Mac OS X. Lifehacker East lacks a testing Mac, so if you give it a go on your system, do tell us how it's running in the comments.

SourceForge.net: Topic: Launchy 2.5 Beta 2 (now for OS X too!) [Launchy Forums via @asian_angel]

Firefox/Chrome: Sure it's nice and all that we get Gmail for free, but those ads to the right of open messages aren't really all that helpful. Free browser add-on Rapportive replaces Gmail ads with contact info about the sender.

Beyond installing it, there's nothing to using Rapportive. You have to give it access to a minimum of information to get started (looks like your name and email address, via your Google account). Then whenever you open an email, it cross-references the email of the sender with various social networking sites, then fills the ad space with whatever information it finds.

As ReadWriteWeb points out, some users may be wary to trust a third-party add-on with their inbox, but your Gmail credentials don't end up with Rapportive, and they don't have any access to your password. My take: If you can get over the tin-foil hat concerns, it's an extremely cool extension worth trying out.

Rapportive [via ReadWriteWeb via The Next Web]

newVideoPlayer( {"type":"video","player":"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/XqnjkF5SZPQ&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22","customParams":[],"width":500,"height":412,"ratio":0.824,"flashData":"","embedName":null,"objectId":null,"noEmbed":false,"source":"youtube"} );Windows/Linux: Sleeping your computer is a useful way to save energy, but free utility SonarPM takes power management an awesome step further: It puts your computer to sleep automatically when you walk away from your desk—using sonar.

Almost any computer with speakers and a microphone can take advantage of this software, so most laptops are good to go. It works by emitting an inaudible frequency from your speakers, and detecting echoes with your microphone, determining whether you are sitting at your desk or not. If you get up, your computer will see that you have done so and automatically put your computer to sleep. Sure, you could always just use a hotkey, but this requires literally no energy on your part—and it's sure to be a heck of a conversation starter.

The program is open source, so if you've got some tinkering skills, you can make it do all sorts of things when you walk away (as described in the video above by Tinkernut). If you just want the sleep functionality, you can still download and install the package and use it as-is (if you're a Windows user, that is—Linux users need to compile from source—check the instructions on the site if you need help doing this). It doesn't necessarily work with every microphone and speaker equipped computer, so test it out to see if it does with yours—you may need to calibrate it a few times before it works well (it took me a few tries and a little bit of waiting afterward before it started working in Windows on my MacBook Pro).

Sonar Power Manager is a free download for Windows and Linux systems. Sleeping your computer whenever you walk away seems a little heavy handed (do I really want to put my computer to sleep when I'm going to get a glass of water?), but the possibilities are endless, and if you are interested in bending it to your will, Tinkernut's guide is an excellent place to start.

Sonar Power Manager [via Tinkernut]

Windows/Mac/Linux: Mozilla's second Developer Preview of Firefox 4.0's framework and back-end highlights a feature we'd heard was coming: separate processes for plug-ins. That means if (when) Flash or another plug-in crashes, there's a good chance your browser won't go with it.

This second alpha of Firefox 3.7—which is, confusingly, what will actually be released as 4.0—adds some performance improvements and HTML5 efficiencies, but the main new thing is the "out-of-process" plug-ins. Contained, stand-alone processes for each tab and add-on are likely in Firefox's future, but starting off with the most likely crash candidates is a good start.

Photo by Christopher Blizzard.

Those interested in kicking the tires really hard on Flash crashes and reporting back to Mozilla should give it a go, as should anyone developing extensions or testing site compatibility. Everybody else looking to test it should try a more contained method.

This Firefox developer preview is a free download, available for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.

Mozilla Developer Preview Now Available With Out-of-Process Plugins [Mozilla Developer News]

Linux: The default image scanning app on most Linux desktops, XSane, has many, many buttons and sliders. When all you want to do is make a PDF from text, or scan a picture, Simple Scan is there for you.

Robert Ancell, a developer for Ubuntu backer Canonical, is developing Simple Scan to drop into the next release of Ubuntu, Lucid Lynx, due out in April. Although his software isn't officially at a finished, 1.0 stage, it's already decent enough to be an attractive install for Ubuntu users. Load up your scanner, plug it into your system, fire up Simple Scan, switch between Photo and Text, and hit the Scan button. Yes, you can adjust the dpi resolution, create multi-page PDFs, and crop your results, but you usually don't need to. The buttons to save, email, and print your results are all there, too, and this app just works.

Simple Scan is a free download for Linux systems only. Source code is available in addition to Ubuntu packages, but we're guessing the app runs best on Ubuntu.

Simple Scan [Launchpad via Starry Hope]

For linux/gnome looking to save screen space, you can remove the titlebar of a maximized window. [ubuntuforums.org]
#tips #linux

djluvsgod

Firefox/Chrome: If you love using your keyboard and shun your mouse, you'll definitely want to try gleeBox, an awesome add-on that lets you effortlessly browse the web without your mouse. Check out the video inside to see it in action.

Click on the picture above for a closer look.

Browsing the web without a mouse isn't easy. Without any add-ons at all you're stuck furiously punching the tab key to move through all the available links on the page. Other add-ons help you to navigate without your mouse but often not very intuitively.

Gleebox offers a highly customizable and intuitive way to navigate web pages via keyboard. At its most basic gleeBox allows you to hit the G key, and every link on the page is highlighted and you can navigate to it by typing part or all of the link name into gleeBox. Check out the videos below to see it in action.

newVideoPlayer( {"type":"video","player":"http:\/\/vimeo.com\/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7987369&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1","customParams":[],"width":500,"height":375,"ratio":0.75,"flashData":"","embedName":null,"objectId":null,"noEmbed":false,"source":"vimeo"} );

After you've watched the intro video above to get a feel for how gleeBox works, this video showcases the newest features and customizations:
newVideoPlayer( {"type":"video","player":"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/QKYdmNHZhIE&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22","customParams":[],"width":500,"height":412,"ratio":0.824,"flashData":"","embedName":null,"objectId":null,"noEmbed":false,"source":"youtube"} );

GleeBox is so neat we of course had to try it out immediately on Lifehacker.com and then make a custom script to browse Lifehacker with ease. The following screenshot shows the options menu of gleeBox with the entry you'll want to make to enable "ESP mode" on Lifehacker. ESP mode allows you to narrow the range of links on a page so that only the important links are selected.

For your cut and paste convenience this is the value from the screenshot above: div.content>h1:not(div.menubar-bg). That entry will highlight all the articles in the main column on Lifehacker, but will not highlight the main title bar or top stories. If you don't mind the big Lifehacker logo being highlighted in exchanged for the top stories being highlighted too, you can trim the entry down to just div.content>h1 to highlight all stories.

Definitely check out the manual for more gleeBox tips and tricks, and before you slog through creating a new ESP mode entry for a favorite web site, make sure to check out the gleeBox TipJar where users submit new commands and ESP modes they've created.

GleeBox is available as an extension for Firefox and Google Chrome.

Have a tip or trick for mouseless computer use, web browser-related or otherwise? Let's hear about it in the comments. Thanks JBu92!

gleeBox [via Tips]

Looking to further its mission of making your software, and your media, free of restrictions, Ubuntu is bundling an Ubuntu One Music Store into 10.04, the next release of the Linux operating system due out in April. The store uses 7Digital as its provider, likely due to its greater international availability than Amazon's own offering, and looks to be integrated into the Rhythmbox music player. The Ubuntu One name implies a likely connection with the cloud-based file syncing service, and a blogger who came across a preview interface says each track purchased can be downloaded 3 times on different computers. Hit up his post for more screenshots and details, and tell us what you think of Ubuntu's move into the music market in the comments. [popey.com blog via Download Squad]

Linux: Sometimes you just need to see what's inside a file without actually opening the application meant to handle it. Gloobus, a sleek, dark file previewer based on the Mac Quicklook tool, wants to make file previews elegant and convenient.

Ubuntu and other GNOME-based Linux distributions have their own built-in file preview tool, sure. But that previewer doesn't act on every file type, leaving you sometimes regretting a double-click as GIMP or another heavy tool loads up with your file. And thumbnail icon previews aren't available for every file you can create or download. Gloobus aims to provide universal file previews inside its dark, stylish interface.

Installing Gloobus isn't quite a one-step process—you'll need to install either a repository or compile from source to patch your system's desktop display program (Nautilus) to work better with Gloobus. Once it is there, though, smacking the space bar on any file brings up a preview. If you like how Gloobus looks, you can install CoverGloobus, which shows the cover art for the music you're currently playing, whether you've downloaded it or not.

Gloobus and its related plug-ins are free downloads for GNOME-based Linux systems only. Hit the link below and its Installation page for help getting Gloobus up and running.

Gloobus – A Quick Look for GNU/Linux [via Download Squad]

Chrome: We love Gina's Better Gmail Firefox extension, a bundle of user scripts that improves the Gmail experience. Now that Google's beefed up support for Chrome extensions, reader Dimitar Gruev has taken a shot at bringing an unofficial Better Gmail to Chrome.

Almost a year ago our own How-To Geek put together a version of Better Gmail for Chrome, but that was way back when Chrome didn't even have extensions (his were all bundled into a single user script). This new Chrome extension is an unofficial Better Gmail for Chrome that was inspired by Gina's Firefox extension and our earlier Better Gmail for Chrome bag o'scripts.

Once installed, access Better Gmail's options by clicking the wrench -> Extensions -> Better Gmail Options. Tick the boxes of the features you want activated and you're good to go. You can choose to hide little used fields like "Invite Friends," remove ads, show the number of unread emails in the favicon, and more.

Gruev says future versions of Better Gmail will hide spam count, move to next message on delete or archive, and include support for POP3 email. A big round of applause goes to Gruev for putting this together. What kinds of features do you hope for in future versions of Better Gmail? Share your ideas in the comments.

Better Gmail for Chrome [Chrome Extensions Gallery]

Windows/Mac/Linux: Next time you get the urge to rearrange your furniture, don't strain your back randomly shoving your sofa around the room. Download Sweet Home 3D and do the heavy lifting on your computer screen before moving a stick of furniture.

This slick free interior design app recreates the dimensions of a room, and displays the furniture you add in 3D. Drag and drop tables, chairs, and plants around the room until you find an arrangement you like. Drop in windows, doors, and even change the color of the walls to replicate your room as closely as possible.

If you happen to have a blueprint available of the room you're redecorating, Sweet Home 3D will accept an import of the file in BMP, JPEG, GIF or PNG formats. Sorting through the furniture is easy—it's arranged in a tree view, just select the room you're decorating and drag what you like onto the 2D room grid. The app displays a 3D representation in real-time in a pane directly underneath. Check out an overhead view, or walk through the room as a virtual visitor for another perspective.

If you want to try out Sweet Home 3D before you download, there's an online version you can try out for free. Register to save any plans you create, or play with the app without signing up. Check out the video below to see Sweet Home 3D in action.

newVideoPlayer( {"type":"video","player":"http:\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/swf\/x8phes","customParams":[],"width":500,"height":375,"ratio":0.75,"flashData":"","embedName":null,"objectId":null,"noEmbed":false,"source":"dailymotion"} );

Sweet Home 3D [via Download Squad]

Windows/Mac/Linux: If you've been using the recently released Boxee Beta media center but found it to be a bit on the unusable side of buggy (at least one Lifehacker writer felt that way), good news: Boxee just released an update to Boxee Beta, and while the update doesn't have any new features, it's overflowing with bug fixes (over 500 resolved issues in total). A few highlights among the fixes:

• Significantly improved video quality of our DXVA support
• Regained support for older graphics cards (pre-2.0 pixel shader) which was broken after move to DXVA
• Improved file scanning performance
• Playlist playback of internet video streams was sometimes using the music player instead of the video player

If you're still not familiar with Boxee or the Boxee Beta, check out our first look at Boxee Beta.

28 days later. a new version of the Boxee Beta. [Boxee Blog]

Earlier last week we asked you to share your favorite netbook operating system, then we rounded up the five most popular candidates for a vote. Now we're back to highlight the winner and runners up.

At the front with a nearly 10% lead was Windows 7, the newest offering in the Hive, with 36% of the vote. Ubuntu took second place with 27% of the vote, followed by a near tie between OS X and Jolicloud—12% of the vote each, with a 58 vote margin pushing OS X slightly ahead. Pulling up the back of the popular crowd was Linux Mint and its 8% share of the vote.

For a closer look at the winner and runners up, check out the full Hive Five. Have an idea for a future Hive Five? Send us an email at tips at lifehacker.com with "Hive Five" in the subject line.

Windows/Mac/Linux: If you're looking for a quick way to download a photo album from Picasa without installing the desktop application, Picasa Album Downloader does just that—and you don't even need to register at the Picasa website.

Picasa is a terrific online photo storage service, but if you aren't a regular user, you may not want to register for an account just to download some pictures from your nephew's birthday party. Picasa Album Downloader lets you grab all the public photos you want without signing up for an account.

The free utility works on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and really couldn't be easier to use. Once installed, just fire it up, tell the downloader what user name and album you're after, and it does the rest for you. The tool collects all the images in the album, then files them neatly in a folder on your hard drive.

Picasa Album Downloader was just released a couple weeks ago and still bears the beta label, but it worked just fine for us. What apps help you manage photos you download from online storage services? Talk about them in the comments.

Picasa Album Downloader [SourceForge via AddictiveTips]

Firefox: Maybe you've seen your favorite extensions fall behind when new Firefox releases roll out, but you haven't known what to do about it. A new-ish Mozilla add-on not only enables technically incompatible extensions for testing, but makes reporting actual incompatibilities easy.

Some of your favorite extensions might have authors that view them mainly as side projects, and can't always test and release new versions with every Firefox alpha, beta, and final release. Some of their extensions, though, may work just fine with a newer Firefox, but they just haven't updated their code to affirm that. Mozilla's Add-On Compatibility Reporter lets you, the extension fan, enable and test out extensions on any version of Firefox, then report if they're working fine or need some work.

It's a smart thing for Mozilla to make it easier for non-programmers to help with testing and reporting of extension compatibility. Your reports go to Mozilla, not the extension author, so you don't have to worry about embarrassing yourself in front of those clever types (trust me, it's a real concern). And for users who feel like they're lost at sea without their favorite Firefox tweaker, there's a way to verify that it really works, or actually doesn't, without having to hack your browser to make extensions compatible.

Add-On Compatibility Reporter is a free download, and technically works with Firefox versions through 3.7 alpha 1—though I couldn't install it from Mozilla's site while using the 3.7 alpha 1. Tell us if this extension has helped you test and report your own oft-neglected favorites in the comments.

Add-on Compatibility Reporter [Add-ons for Firefox]

Netbooks—the low-power and lightweight mini-notebooks that have surged in popularity—practically beg for some tweaking and customization to increase the functionality of their diminutive screens and relatively wimpy processors. Find yourself the perfect netbook operating system from this fine selection.

Photo by nDevilTV.

Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite operating system for giving your diminutive mobile-computing companion a boost. You shared your favorite netbook OS, and now we're back to highlight the five most popular options.

Jolicloud (Linux-based, Free)

Jolicloud is the most distinctly netbook-oriented operating system in this Hive Five. It's not just pretty good on a netbook—it was actually designed from the ground up to be a netbook operating system, so it's a great fit. (For the curious, it's a combination of Debian and Fedora Linux with WINE mixed in to support Windows-only apps.) Jolicloud has been tweaked and tuned to make it shine even on systems with low resources and small displays. The emphasis is not on a traditional computing experience but on harnessing web-based applications and storage services so that much of the heavy lifting and deep-storage of the netbook is transferred from the netbook to more powerful and larger servers. The application launcher—see in the screenshot here—makes it easy to organize and select your applications. The launcher emphasizes easy to read and identify text and logos, and all applications launch in full-screen mode by default. In addition to the default applications, you can browse the app directory to find new applications—the Jolicloud team curates the list to ensure compatibility. Jolicloud can be installed over any other operating system, but it has a handy express installation tool for installing from Windows.

Windows 7 (Windows, $165 for Home Premium)

Although it would seem counterintuitive given the history of Windows—new edition comes out, everyone grabs bigger and better hardware, etc.—the newest offering from Microsoft, Windows 7, runs amazingly well on netbooks with just a little more oomph in their processor. The biggest concern among netbook users is usually battery life, and despite having truckloads of features and improvements over Windows XP—the other most popular version of Windows installed on netbooks—battery life doesn't suffer thanks to improved power management. The most obvious benefit of running Windows 7 on a netbook is how easily the netbook then integrates with the rest of your—most likely—Windows-based life.

Ubuntu (Linux, Free)

Ubuntu received votes not only for the "stock" edition of Ubuntu, but also for the netbook-centric edition—seen in the screenshot here—Ubuntu Netbook Remix. Both the regular Ubuntu and the netbook remix benefit from how smoothly Linux runs even on very low-spec netbooks. Running regular Ubuntu gives you the benefits of taking one of the most popular versions of Linux with you in full desktop form, while running the netbook remix alters the menu structure for higher visibility and adjusts the user experience for comfort.

OS X (Mac, $24)

Although it's not the most straightforward installation—compared to installing Windows or Linux on a netbook that is—many Mac fans go out of their way to install OS X on their netbook. How far out of your way do you have to go? Unlike Windows and Linux, you can't simply install OS X wherever and expect full compatibility. Apple doesn't acknowledge or support the installation of OS X on non-Apple hardware, so they couldn't care less if the Wi-Fi chip and the webcam on your netbook don't work under OS X on your netbook setup. That said, if you're willing to do some research ahead of time and select your netbook based on OS X/Hackintosh compatibility, then you can have the experience of OS X on your netbook and not worry about which components won't make the transition.

Linux Mint (Linux, Free)

Linux Mint is a Linux distribution with a very strong emphasis on accessibility and out-of-the-box ease of use for new users. It's lightweight, snappy, and should you need more than Mint offers with the initial installation, it provides access to the vast Ubuntu repositories of packages and software. The focus on immediate functionality is great for netbooks—the Linux Mint community has worked to ensure compatibility with a wide range of standard hardware found in netbooks.

Now that you've had a chance to look over the top five contenders for the best-netbook-OS-belt, it's time to cast your vote:

Which Netbook Operating System is Best?(polling)

Honorable mentions this week go out to three solid netbook operating systems that just barely missed the cut: Moblin, Crunchbang, and Chromium OS.

If you've got netbooks on the brain, don't forget to check out our previous Hive Five Best Netbooks, our guide to getting the most out of your netbook, and my tips for turning your netbook into an e-book reader.