Category / Ubuntu

by Ben

Install Plex Server in Ubuntu without a desktop

A quick guide on how to install Plex Server in Ubuntu without the Ubuntu Desktop for a dedicated media server. Don’t bog down your gaming rig any more!

Further to my post last year about installing Plex on Fedora; I have recently been asked on twitter by @mikestecker how to set up Plex without a gui (no desktop) for a separate NUC style server box. Well, after a bit of experimentation with VirtualBox (I don’t have another spare computer to setup as a server box sadly – donations welcome *wink*) I have streamlined the setup and present them to you here!

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by Ben

Integrate CodePen with Ubuntu Unity Launcher

Like CodePen? Use Ubuntu? Would you like to combine the two in a far more integrated way? Then read on!

As I have written about in an earlier post I quite like Codepen. In many ways I find it easier to code with than just Gedit. I can see the changes I make in real-time without flicking between my editor and my browser. All I felt it was missing was a bit of desktop integration.

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by Ben

Handle apt urls better in Ubuntu Gnome 13.10

After using Ubuntu Gnome 13.10 for a few months now I’ve decided it’s the spin for me. Everything is succinct, in it’s place and accessible. Nothing surprises me, nothing gets lost and it looks good!

Only a few niggles remain and I intend to iron them out over the coming weeks. The first is only small really but has been bugging me: Firefox’s handling (or not) of apt links.

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by Ben

My First Javamorph

Me morphing into my brother Sam.

Just a quick post to show what can be made in around 10 minutes with a nifty little java morphing application called Javamorph and of course my favourite image editor gimp.

The Javamorph project can be found at Google Code or if you’re lucky enough to use Ubuntu it’s in your repositories so you can just apt-get it. I think it’s in the Debian Squeeze repos too.

The project homepage is worth checking out for a brief overview of how the program works and a link to a very informative pdf that explains all.

My very quick and dirty example shows me turning into my youngest brother and back again. Sorry Sam.

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by Ben

Chocolate Bonsai Wallpaper

purple-chocolate-gemmel-thumb

Inspired (if that’s really the right word) by all this new Ubuntu artwork I decided to have a little go at creating a new wallpaper. As I said in my last post I like brown, it’s smooth, sexy and natural. So, after a little tinkering with an old photo of my Bonsai tree – ‘Gemmell’ – I created this.

It’s now the default wallpaper on my desktop: could it be yours?

If anyone does like it I’ll upload the (somewhat mammoth sized) gimp xcf file so anyone can play with the colours or whatever they wish.

by Ben

Ubuntu colours: earthy or veggie?

Anyone even remotely interested in Linux these days can’t really go more than a few days without reading something, somewhere about Ubuntu. It’s easily the most popular distribution of Linux out irrespective of how you calculate this. Be it from distrowatchs‘ rankings or just running a google search for Linux and seeing how many results pertain to Ubuntu (usually most of them).

Currently the chatter surrounding Ubuntu is obviously focused on its next upcoming release 10.04 Lucid Lynx. However, most blog posts and news articles are all talking about the new artwork rather than any technological advances. Discussion (as ever with Ubuntu users and critics alike) seems to focus almost solely on colour. Yes that’s right. I said colour. This release will bring about quite a few changes in not only the colour scheme of the default desktop, it’s wallpaper and themes but also the ubuntu website, online shop, documentation cd covers (just mockups currently) and more besides. Which is nice. But how important is it?

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by Ben

Making Vista and Linux get along

Windows_vista_logoAs I said in my previous post I’ve recently got a nice shiny new laptop. It came with Vista and so far I’ve left it on there. I have a few games which I don’t yet dare try and get running in Linux so a multiboot system will suffice for now.

Unfortunately, Windows Update doesn’t like this, specifically when it comes to installing service packs. I actually want service pack 2 for my laptop as it brings in better support for my BlueRay drive. What I need is to find a way to make my Linux and Windows installations more cosy with one another.

The way to do this is to give the Windows  partition the boot flag, booting its manager andLinux-penguin selecting either Windows or Linux from there. Otherwise when the Vista update scans the boot manager it finds grub and gets, quite rightly I suppose, a little confused.

To setup your multiboot computer to get around this, read my tutorial.

by Ben

Meandering through Moon OS part one

MoonOS Logo

September 9th, 2009 brought with it the third release of Moon OS codename Makara. It’s been on my periphery for a while now, seen in a similar vein to Elive but instead Moon OS presents itself as an installable OS rather than Elive, which I’ve alway found to be appealing if a little unpredictable. According to the website it’s powered by Ubuntu but I see a definite minty hand in how it’s laid out, certainly the grub gfx boot.

One of the stand out things I take from the website, screenshots and now I’ve booted from the cd the actual system is quite how good looking it is. Not too pretty, not too slick but slim and salubrious. I must admit I like the green. Having been an Ubuntu man for some time I’ve become used to Browns and oranges, a hint of red perhaps but mainly earthy colours on my Desktop. Green seems like a sensible progression and although I’ve never liked the green of OpenSUSE, Moon OS has it spot on.

But I digress, lets see some screenshots shall we?

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