How to create a launcher in Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon

I just tried Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon today and realized that when you right click on the desktop, there is no option to create a launcher. Of course, you can just drag the applications in the menu to the desktop to create the launchers but this is not very efficient in case you want a custom launcher.

To create a custom launcher in any folder in Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon, just hit Alt + F2 or open the terminal then run the following command:

gnome-desktop-item-edit /path/to/the/folder --create-new

For example, if you want to create a launcher in your default Music folder, the command will be:

gnome-desktop-item-edit ~/Music --create-new

After you hit enter, the create launcher window will appear for you to customize the launcher:

Just enter all the necessary info for the options and hit "Ok" and you will have a launcher. For example, I want to create a  launcher for Firefox in private browsing mode, my launcher window looks like this:

This method also works in Ubuntu 12.04 if you want to create a custom launcher in any folder.

In Linux Mint 13 MATE, when you right click on the desktop, there will be the create launcher option by default. However, you wont have it if you right click on other folders besides Desktop. To create a launcher in any folder in MATE, the command will be slightly different because of the applications names in MATE but everything will work the same:

mate-desktop-item-edit /path/to/the/folder --create-n

Transmission 2.61 Now Requires GTK3

Transmission 2.61, the open source, cross-platform and famous BitTorrent client used in many of today's Linux distributions, has been released last evening, July 23rd.

Transmission 2.61 is the first maintenance release of Transmission 2.6, bringing assorted improvements and fixes.

Highlights of Transmission 2.61:

· Support for GTK+ 3 (mandatory requirement for the GTK interface);
· Support for startup notifications in the GTK interface;
· Added Magnet link generator to the transmission-show command-line utility;
· Improved support for magnet links on the Qt interface;
· The Torrent File list can now display very long lists a lot faster (Qt interface);
· Fixed i18n issues found in the Qt interface, introduced in the previous release;
· Fixed a bug when the web client is opened via the Preferences dialog in the Qt interface;
· Fixed a potential cross-scripting vulnerability from malicious torrent files.

The complete changelog for Transmission 2.61 can be found here.

How to Install Spec Ops: The Line on Linux

The following tutorial will teach Linux users how to install the Spec Ops: The Line game on their open source operating system.

Officially released at the end of June 2012, the ninth installment in the Spec Ops series, Spec Ops: The Line, is a third-person shooter video game developed by Yager Development and published by 2K Games.

For more details about Spec Ops: The Line, you can check out the official home page or the Wikipedia article.

Editor's note: For this guide, we have used the latest version of the PlayOnLinux application. We've tested the tutorial on the current 32-bit release of the Ubuntu OS, 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) with Wine 1.5.9.

Before anything else, please make sure you meet the recommended system requirements (especially the graphics card and CPU/RAM) for playing Spec Ops: The Line.

To install the Spec Ops: The Line game on your Linux system, follow the next step-by-step (with screenshots) tutorial.

Step 1 - Install PlayOnLinux

The PlayOnLinux developers provide binary packages and repositories for many Linux operating systems, including Fedora, Debian, ArchLinux, Frugalware and Ubuntu, as well as a universal binary package.

We can't write instructions for all these Linux distributions here; therefore, if you use one of the aforementioned OSes, go HERE for detailed installation instructions.

Step 2 - Install the latest version of Wine

The PlayOnLinux developers provide an easy installation process of any Wine version, stable or development. So, all you need to do now is to go to the "Tools" menu, select "Manage Wine version" and you'll see a new dialog showing you available Wine versions on the left side, and installed Wine versions on the right side.

Select version 1.5.9 of Wine from the left side and click the middle arrow button to install it and wait for the installation to finish...



Step 3 - Install Spec Ops: The Line

Assuming you have the PC DVD of Spec Ops: The Line, open the PlayOnLinux app and follow the first time instructions to setup the application (skip this if you fired up the app before). Once these are finished, you'll see the PlayOnLinux interface. Click the "Install" button...


Now click the "Install a non-listed program" link at the bottom of the window...


An installation wizard will appear, click the "Next" button...


Click the "Next" button again when asked what would you like to do, leaving the "Install a program in a new virtual drive" option selected...


On the next step type the game's name in the field and click the "Next" button...


Now make sure you check the "Use another version of Wine" box and click the "Next" button...


Select version 1.5.9-WorldOfTank of Wine from the list and click the "Next" button...


Now Wine will be configured and necessary packages will be installed, such as Mono and Gecko...




When the Wine version is fully configured, you'll need to select the Spec Ops: The Line setup.exe installer from the DVD...


Wait for the installation to finish! Choose the "Browse" option and choose the SpecOpsTheLine.exe file from the 2K Games/Spec Ops The Line/Binaries/Win32 folder. Close the wizard.


Now, you will see a Spec Ops: The Line entry in the main PlayOnLinux window.


That's it! Double click the desktop shortcut or select Spec Ops: The Line from the main window of PlayOnLinux and click the "Run" button to play the game. Enjoy!








If you encounter any issues with the tutorial, do not hesitate to use our commenting system below.

New Kernel Vulnerability Affects Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

Canonical announced a few hours ago, July 23rd, in a security notice, that a new Linux kernel update for its Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) operating system is now available, fixing one security vulnerability discovered in the Linux kernel packages.

The CVE-2012-2390 vulnerability is actually an error discovered in the Linux kernel's memory subsystem (hugetlb), that could allow unprivileged local users to exploit it and to cause a DoS (Denial of Service) attack by crashing the system.

Please go here for in-depth descriptions of the vulnerability, as it affects other Linux operating systems as well.

The security flaw can be fixed if you upgrade your system(s) to the linux-image-3.2.0-27 (3.2.0-27.43) package(s). To apply the update, run the Update Manager application.

Don't forget to reboot your computer after the upgrade!

Linux Mint 13 "KDE"

Clement Lefebvre has announced the release of the "KDE" edition of Linux Mint 13: "The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 13 KDE. KDE is a vibrant, innovative, advanced, modern-looking and full-featured desktop environment. This edition features all the improvements from the latest Linux Mint release on top of KDE 4.8. The highlight of this edition is the latest KDE 4.8 desktop, which features the following improvements: Kwin optimizations; redesign of power management and integration with Activities; the first QtQuick-based Plasma widgets have entered the default installation of Plasma Desktop; new display engine in Dolphin; new Kate features and improvements; functional and visual improvements in Gwenview." Read the release announcement and check out the what's new page and the release notes to learn about the new features and known issues. Download (MD5): linuxmint-13-kde-dvd-32bit.iso (915MB, SHA256), linuxmint-13-kde-dvd-64bit.iso (892MB, SHA256).