How To Setup Remmina

For this tutorial we’re referencing instructions targeted to Ubuntu users. The same setup process applies, but installation will differ slightly for your Linux flavor.

Installation

• Open Ubuntu Software Center.
• Search for Remmina (there should be only one choice).
  
• Click install.

Setup

• Open Remmina (terminal command: remmina).
• From the toolbar, click Create a new remote desktop file.
• A Remote Desktop Preference window opens.
  
• Enter a Name for the connection. It can be anything, this is just for description purposes.
• Choose a Protocol from the drop-down menu. We’re setting up a Windows Server connection so we’ll choose RDP – Windows Terminal Service.
• In the Server field, input the IP address of the server you want to connect to.
• In the Username field, input the username for the remote system (ex. Administrator).
• In the Password field, input the password for the remote system.
• The remaining settings are subjective to your situation, but generally on a new setup the default values are acceptable. Tip: To improve speed, reduce the resolution and color depth.
• When you’re finished, click Connect or Save.

That process should get you up and running. Remmina offers more advanced settings as well. To improve speed, users can set the quality level to fastest under Preferences → RDP or manipulate the toolbar under Preferences → Options, along with a number of other more advanced settings.

Remmina is straight-forward and does exactly what it intends to do. The interface is direct, not flashy but adequate. There are a number of remote access titles available, but what makes Remmina convenient is that it uses the Windows built-in Remote Desktop on the host end. Thereby eliminating the need to install a third party software title on the receiving end.

You can download Remmina or search for the package in your distribution, as we described above for Ubuntu.

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Firefox 9 Improvements

Javascript

Firefox has new Javascript enhancements which undoubtedly will make web browsing faster and more responsive. If you’ve ever wondered why some websites are slower than others, there’s a good chance that Javascript is the culprit. Mozilla claims the improvements can boost performance by up to 30%. While we won’t bore you with the details of how they achieved this speed increase, the main factor behind the improvements is the use of Type Interface which Mozilla blogged about back in November.

CSS

Firefox now has added support for css property font-stretch. The font-stretch property selects a normal, condensed, or extended face from a font family. The font-stretch property was dropped in CSS 2.1 and is now back in CSS 3. Without going into great detail about what the font-stretch property actually does, the support for it in Firefox basically means web developers have another option at their disposal to make websites appear as they want and have them display properly through the browser.

Firefox also has improved support for the text-overflow CSS property. Mozilla gives a nice illustration of how the text-overflow property works on their developer page. Additional support means web pages will look more appropriate and allow more freedom for developers.

For anyone not familiar with what CSS does or why it’s important, CSS is how web developers make a website look appealing. From things like text size, color and style to the way images change when a mouse hovers over them, CSS beautifies the web.

Mac OS X, Standards & Security

• There is now two finger swipe navigation along with theme integration improvements for Mac OS X Lion users.

• Like any update, Firefox has updated its standards support for previously mentioned CSS, HTML5 and MathML. Improved standards keep Mozilla on the front lines of web interaction and website display.

• As is typical with all browser updates, Mozilla fixed several security issues in this latest Firefox release. While some are listed as critical, the patches address items which aren’t viewed as safety concerns for users. Firefox is still one of, if not the safest browser available.

Final Thoughts

Most of the improvements are ‘under the hood’ type fixes to an already outstanding browser. The speed boost from the Javascript enhancements will go a long way to satisfy existing Firefox users and could lead to bringing some users back. The other improvements are part of an ongoing process to make Firefox as good as it can be and as long as Mozilla continues that pursuit, they should remain successful.

Your Thoughts

What do you make of the new improvements? Is speed a major factor for you when choosing a browser? Let us know your opinions in the comments!

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How To Install and Setup Xscreensaver

1. Uninstall gnome-screensaver.
   sudo apt-get remove gnome-screensaver
2. Install the xscreensaver packages.
   sudo apt-get install xscreensaver xscreensaver-gl-extra xscreensaver-data-extra
3. Add xscreensaver to startup so that it loads each time the system is booted. Fill the entries in as shown in the screenshot below, then click ‘Add’.
   
4. Click ‘Close’.
5. Adjust the xscreensaver settings to your preferences.
   

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The post How To Add A Screensaver To Ubuntu 11.10 first appeared on GeekITDown Computer Services & Technology Solutions.

Preparation:

• d/l at least one icon theme from gnome-look.org and install it.
• Install the Icon Theme
• I recommend viewing: This Icon Themes Tutorial to familiarize yourself with how icon themes work and how they call upon icons when changing themes.

Notes:

• Tested and works on Gnome 2.14.3 +; Dapper +
• If running gdesklets, you’ll have to manually alter those icons. gdesklets doesn’t conform to the current theme.

Step 1

• Open your Home folder, press ctrl-h (to expose hidden folders/files), navigate to .icons folder. Inside the .icons folder will be the installed theme(s).
• Right-click and copy one of the theme folders and paste it to your desktop.
• Rename the folder, for this how to I will use <Myicons>.
• Right-click and cut the folder from the desktop and paste it back into the .icons folder.

Step 2

• Open a terminal window.
• Type the following code:

gedit .icons/Myicons/index.theme (Reminder: case sensitive)
 

Step 3

• At the top of the file are generic terms:

[Icon Theme]
Name=<themename> --> This is the theme name that will be displayed in Theme Manager. This name needs to match exactly to the theme folder name.
Comments=<theme comment> --> Use as a simple descriptor.
Inherits=<root theme> --> This is used if an icon is not supplied by the current theme.

• Edit the file to match as follows:

[Icon Theme]
Name=Myicons
Comment=Myicons Custom
Inherits=gnome

• Save and exit.

You have now told the file to display the Myicons name in the Theme Manager and to read from the root gnome icons if an icon is not supplied with this theme. If you open Theme Manager, you will now see the choice of Myicons under the icons tab.

Within the Myicons folder are subfolders showing which icons are supplied and what type. For example, many icon themes have a gaim replacement icon located under the apps subfolder. Some icons are placed in alternate folders depending upon the theme and artist.

Step 4

Replace/Add icons based on the app/device/place/etc. You now have a custom icon folder. If you have specific icons locate them or icon themes install them. For this step I will use 2 examples:

Example A: We want to replace the gaim icon.

• Navigate to the apps subfolder in the Myicons theme folder as well as in <Alternate theme 1>.
• Rename gaim.* to gaim-OLD.* in Myicons/<subfolder>/apps.
• Copy the gaim.* icon from <Alternate theme 1> and paste it into the Myicons/<subfolder>/apps folder.  Note: <subfolder> usually refers to <scalable>. If <scalable> isn’t available choose the highest resolution folder, ie <128×128>.

Example B: We want to replace the ubuntu logo located next to the applications menu.

• Choose the icon you want to use as the replacement.
• Rename it to distributor-logo.*
• Copy/paste it to Myicons/<subfolder>/apps.

Note: This example doesn’t call for a rename and replacement setup b/c I’ve personally never seen a theme that comes with a replacement for that icon. I mainly used this example b/c I’ve seen several posts looking for a quick fix for replacing the ubuntu logo.

Step 5 (optional)

• Reload the desktop. Logout/Login or open a terminal window and type:

killall gnome-panel or killall kicker

• The icons should now be replaced.

Advanced Tip

If you have multiple icon themes installed and you are fond of some more than others or more than

the root gnome icons, then edit the index.theme file to merge them.

From a Terminal window type:
gedit .icons/Myicons/index.theme

Alter the Inherits line to look like this:
Inherits=<MoreIcons>, gnome
<MoreIcons> is the name of an alternate theme. That will force your Myicons theme to read from <MoreIcons> first and then read from the root gnome icons if an icon isn’t supplied.

That’s about it I hope I described the process simply and directly in a way that is understandable. If anyone notices any discrepancies, please let me know.

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Introduction

After installing Ubuntu, the first thing I wanted to add was gnome-shell. For one reason or another I appreciate the look and feel over Unity. I’m not alone and customizing gnome-shell can be a real hassle at times. One area in particular that irked me for a time was adding more favorites to the dock. Sure, it’s easy if an application is listed under ‘Applications’, but what if an application isn’t listed?

Take Firefox for example. Here at GeekITDown we regularly use nightly builds and as a result we may not have that version listed in applications. In our example, the Firefox build is located in our .pot directory and as such it isn’t listed in the Applications list/menu, but we want the application to be easily accessible.

Adding The Shortcut/Launcher

First we need to create the shortcut and place it in the right location. The code below opens a new window where all the shortcut information is entered and upon clicking OK, the shortcut is placed in ~/.local/share/applications/ so that it becomes available in the Applications Menu/List.

1. Open a Terminal window and type the following:
   [notice type=”blue”]gnome-desktop-item-edit ~/.local/share/applications/ –create-new[/notice]
2. Enter all the information for the application you want to create a shortcut for. In our example, we use Firefox. Be sure to note the name for your application, you’ll need it in step 4.
   
3. Click OK.
4. Open up the Applications Menu and begin typing the name of the application (see step 2) you created a shortcut for. In our example we type Firefox.
5. You’ll notice the application is listed now. Drag the application icon to the favorites bar or right-click and select ‘Add to Favorites’.

That’s it, now your application will be listed on the Favorites bar each time you login. To remove the application from the Favorites bar, right-click the launcher and select ‘Remove from Favorites’.

Note: This method also works in Fedora.

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