Monday, January 28, 2013

Install Linux Kernel 3.7.5 in Ubuntu/Linux Mint



Linux Kernel 3.7.5 is the fifth maintenance release of the kernel 3.7 series that has been made available for Linux users. This update brings more bug fixes and improvements. I have updated the bash script so that users can upgrade to this new kernel smoothly. You have to bear in mind that upgrading the kernel may render your system unstable, unusable or even may cause the loss of some device drivers (WiFi, videos drivers, etc.), so it is recommended that you backup your system before proceeding to the installation of this new kernel.

Here are some of the fixes taken from the kernel's changelog:



  •     ACPI: Add fixups for AMD P-state figures
  •     ACPI / processor: Get power info before updating the C-states    
  •     ALSA: hda - Fix mute led for another HP machine
  •     ACPI / cpuidle: Fix NULL pointer issues when cpuidle is disabled
  •     module: fix missing module_mutex unlock
  •     usb: gadget: FunctionFS: Fix missing braces in parse_opts
  •     usb: dwc3: gadget: fix ep->maxburst for ep0
  •     USB: UHCI: fix IRQ race during initialization
  •     arm64: elf: fix core dumping to match what glibc expects
  •     arm64: makefile: fix uname munging when setting ARCH on native machine
  •     vfio-pci: Fix buffer overfill
  •     ioat: Fix DMA memory sync direction correct flag

You can install the kernel in the following Ubuntu/Linux Mint distros (AT YOUR OWN RISK!):

  • Ubuntu 12.10/12.04/11.10 or older
  • Linux Mint 14/13/12 or older
Linux Kernel 3.7.5 Installation

As usual, you may download and install the kernel packages from here, or run simply this sequence of commands:

cd /tmp 
wget http://dl.dropbox.com/u/47950494/upubuntu.com/kernel-3.7.5 -O kernel-3.7.5 
chmod +x kernel-3.7.5 
sudo sh kernel-3.7.5 
sudo reboot

When having kernel upgrade troubles for users running the Nvidia driver, you can fix your system by enabling the text mode (CTRL+ALT+F2) and entering these commands:

    cd /usr/src/linux-headers-3.7.5-030705/arch/x86/include 
    sudo cp -v generated/asm/unistd* ./asm 
    sudo apt-get install --reinstall nvidia-current

Finally, to uninstall Kernel 3.7.5, you may use this command:

     sudo apt-get purge linux-image-3.7.5*

Enable or Disable Desktop Icons using a GNOME shell Extension



A GNOME shell extension provide capability to enable or disable desktop icons. Gnome tweak tool allows you to do the same function, but this extension brings a switch button in GNOME shell status menu for quicker and easier switching.
Desktop-Icon-Switcher-Gnome-Shell-Extension
Desktop icon switch GNOME shell extension can be installed using “gnome-tweak-tool” or you can installed by following the instructions down below.
Download the DesktopIconsSwitch-3.tar.gz package for the extension, and extract it and move it to GNOME shell directory using commands down below.
Run Terminal “Ctrl+Alt+t”, then type,
tar -zxvf DesktopIconsSwitch-3.tar.gz
mv DesktopIconsSwitch@bananenfisch.net/ ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/
Now open GNOME tweak tool, if you don’t have it, you can install it using this command,
GNOME tweak tool for Ubuntu and its derivatives
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool
GNOME tweak tool for Fedora and its derivatives
su
yum install gnome-tweak-tool
Finally, open GNOME tweak tool, select “shell extensions” and activate the Desktop Icon Switch extension.

Use IFTTT to Automate Your Internet Life



When using your computer or mobile device, it seems as if a multitude of applications are in use each day. Once you are done checking email and catching up on the news, you may have a ton of services to catch up with later during the day, from catching up with the latest on Instagram to documents received in Dropbox.
IFTTT_whatisIFTTT
Regardless whether you are finding a way to separate work from play, merging them together, or a little bit of both, we can all benefit with a little automation. We can have the Internet work for us. That’s the motto of IFTTT. Today, we will go over how it can help to with your daily syncing regimen.

What is IFTTT?

IFTTT’s purpose is to get the Internet to work for you. It will create a syncing regimen by piecing together your various social networking sites and online services and carrying out your tasks without you initiating them. From automatically having business email attachments saved into Dropbox to setting a text message alert each time precipitation is in the forecast for the next day, IFTTT makes it possible to have a free automated personal assistant.

Services Available to Help (Channels)

In IFTTT, a recipe is created in large part with the help of channels. These are the services and networks that drive IFTTT. The following are some of the popular services supported by IFTTT:
  • bitly
  • Blogger
  • Box
  • Buffer
  • Craigslist
  • Date & Time
  • Delicious
  • Dropbox
  • Email
  • Evernote
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Foursquare
  • Gmail
  • Google Calendar
  • Google Drive
  • Google Talk
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • SkyDrive
  • SMS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • Weather
  • WordPress
  • YouTube
You can view all the channels here.

Creating a Task (Recipe)

1. On the IFTTT dashboard, click “Create” at the top region of the screen.
2. You will see the IFTTT phrase (If this then that), click “This”.
IFTTT_NewRecipe
3. With trigger channels presented, choose the channel (service/network) that you want to begin your recipe with. This is the channel that will cause an action to occur. For example, if you want to email a photo once it hits a Dropbox folder, Dropbox will be the trigger.
ifttt-choose-trigger-channel
4. In step 4, you will be presented with two or three additional options that allow for you to have a more specific recipe.
5. Options from here on out are custom to the type of recipe and service you are creating and choosing.
ifttt-choose-trigger
6. You will then choose the “That” or action channel. Back to our example in step 3, Gmail would be the action channel.
7. When finished with all prompts, click “Create Action“.

Useful Recipes

IFTTT_SampleRecipes

Syncing: For Work

  1. From Email Attachment to Dropbox: Got an email from the boss with the latest report? Have it saved in Dropbox without having to lift a finger.
  2. Receipts from Email to Evernote: Bookkeeping and tax records made easy with this recipe that automatically adds receipts from your email to Evernote.

Syncing: For Social

  1. Backup Your Photos: Each time you take a photo on Instagram, it is automatically saved to Dropbox. Works with Facebook and Flickr as well!
  2. Convert WordPress Posts into Ever-”notes”: From WordPress to Evernote, this recipe does just that.
  3. Keep Social Profile Pictures in Sync: Whenever your Facebook profile photo changes, your Twitter one changes as well.

Syncing: For Life

  1. Weather Alerts Each Morning: Not everyone has a smartphone. When waiting for the local news to tell you the weather holds you back in the morning, this recipe can help out.
  2. Send Family Photos To Grandma’s Email: From Dropbox folder to recipient’s inbox, automatically. You select the folder and recipient’s email.
As you have just learned, IFTTT can provide a wonderful way for you to keep your digital life in sync without even having to leave your web browser. In what ways do you think IFTTT can help your syncing regimen? Let us know in the comments below.

BleachBit 0.9.5 cleaner for Ubuntu 12.10/12.04/Any Ubuntu and Linux Mint Version




BleachBit is a free and open source utility which will help you get rid of those files which clutter up your hard drive and threaten your privacy. It also includes advanced features to shred files and clean disk space to prevent file recovery.

BleachBit, the open source system cleaner, announces the public 0.9.5 which includes enhancements, bug fixes, and translation updates.

Changelog:
  • Google Chrome, Chromium: separate cleaning of passwords out of history into its own option
  • Google Chrome: delete Flash cookies in Pepper Flash
  • Google Chrome: delete more history
  • Thunderbird: delete folder index files (.msf) thanks to BlackDex
  • Clean out obsolete data (hashpath) in bleachbit.ini to reduce file size and improve privacy.
  • Specific to Linux
    • Improve compatibility of memory wiping with 64-bit systems
    • Improve ability to run headless
    • Support newer Linux kernels in memory cleaner by using new out-of-memory score adjustment /proc/pid/oom_score_adj
Translation Updates:
  • Update Chinese (Traditional) thanks to Pin-hsien Li.
  • Update Croatian thanks to freedomrun.
  • Update Dutch thanks to rob.
  • Update English (Australia) thanks to Benjamin Donald-Wilson.
  • Update Esperanto thanks to Anthony, Ivan Camilo Quintero Santacruz.
  • Update French thanks to Nicolas Delvaux, Célestin Taramarcaz, nodiscc, gisele perreault.
  • Update Galician thanks to Miguel Anxo Bouzada.
  • Update German thanks to DNS, Daniel Winzen.
  • Update Hebrew thanks to Yaron.
  • Update Indonesian thanks to Abdul Munif Hanafi.
  • Update Italian thanks to Carml.
  • Update Malay thanks to abuyop.
  • Update Polish thanks to Isamu715 and Paweł Szerszon.
  • Update Spanish thanks to Adolfo Jayme Barrientos.
  • Update Uyghur thanks to Gheyret T.Kenji.

Download deb file and install Bleachbit:
Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) or Linux Mint 14
Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin) or Linux Mint 13
Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) or Linux Mint 12
Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) or Linux Mint 11
Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) or Linux Mint 10
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) or Linux Mint 9
Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) or Linux Mint 8
Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) or Linux Mint 7

For other distributions see this page.