Getting CDMA datacards to work in Ubuntu 12.04

I was just trying out the new Ubuntu 12.04 and surprisingly, after a full update via the update center, the system just wouldn't enable my CDMA modem. However, the GSM modems were working fine. After a lot of searching in the vast resources of the internet I found the solution. It's a simple 2 line execution in the Terminal.

sudo rmmod -f iwlagn
sudo modprobe iwlagn 11n_disable=1

Apparently, there is some problem in the system and it's not recognizing the n channels of the CDMA network, thus causing the problem.  So try this if you ever get the same problem. Hopefully it will help.

Ciao!

Install Python 3 on Linux Mint

First of all, I don't see a point to show you how to install Python on Windows. It's dead easy download the installer from python.org and in few clicks you will have python up and running. Installing Python on Linux is bit different and requires some pre-work to be done.

So Let's get started.

Note: Every Modern Linux had a python Installed. You can verify this by opening your Terminal and typing python. It will open the python shell for you. Do not remove the installed version.

Step 1: Pre-requisites for Ubuntu

To be able to compile Python Source, you will need few packages. Fire up the terminal and execute this command

sudo apt-get install build-essential libncursesw5-dev libreadline5-dev libssl-dev libgdbm-dev libc6-dev libsqlite3-dev tk-dev

It will take some time to finish depending upon your bandwidth. :)

Step 2: Downloading Python Sources and extracting them on your disk

Download a tarball from the python site here is a direct link. Once, the download is completed you can extract the files by doing a right-click on the file and then clicking the extract option

OR

Fire up the terminal and execute this command which will download the file first and extract it on the disk.

wget http://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.2/Python-3.2rc2.tgz && tar -xvf Python-3.2rc2.tgz

Step 3: Installing Python 3.2

Fire up a new Terminal and execute the following commands individually.

1.   ./configure
2.   make
3.  sudo make altinstall

Add applications to startup in Linux Mint or Ubuntu

For everything there is a hard way and the not so hard way. Similarly, you can add Startup application using the Terminal or just use the GUI.

We always look for the not so hard way of doing things. So here's the same for adding applications to your startup.

Open Startup Applications from Menu. I will add Brightside to my startup applications for example.

Click on Add

Click on Browse and go to /usr/bin. This is where almost all the applications are stored. Click on the application you want and click Open.

 Now add a Name and Comment to your Startup application. And then click Add.

Congratulations! You have just added the application of your choice to Startup!!

Share and enjoy your newfound knowledge!

Develop applications for Linux Mint

Linux Mint community is always looking for softwares and applications that'll ease the lives of the end users and also show Gates where to put his feet. Open source development is the very best a person can do towards humanity.

Now Linux Mint can run applications written in Java, C++, other C derivatives and Python and a plethora of other languages. However among all the languages, Python is the most powerful. Java is also powerful but it leads to bloated usage of resources. So the language of choice, according to me is Python and its also been vouched by many people to be very easy to learn. So why not learn some Python and start contributing to humanity in your own way?

For absolute beginners I would recommend Dive into Python 3 by Mark Pilgrim which you can download for free as its freely licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license.

Another Book that I really liked was Learning Python, 4th edition.

Both the books that I mentioned above are very good books if you are novices in programming. Get them and start learning. I am also gonna start learning some Python and will get back here with the results!

Who will finish first?

With the latest release of Ubuntu 12.04 with Long Term Support, the question now is who will release their Ubuntu-based OS first? Will it be Linux Mint or Netrunner or some other distribution?

The Netrunner OS guys have said that they'll release their Kubuntu 12.04 based distribution by the end of April 2012 while Mint has declared the launch date of their LTS version by the end of May. However, The LM 13 LTS will have only 3 years support unlike the LTS of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS still has bugs in their final version. CDMA usb modems do not get enabled after completing the updates though it used to run fine before the updates just fine. No workaround seems to work. So Ubuntu 12.04 is a strict no-no for me. Let's see what happens in the world of Linux now. The rat race for the first place begins!


P.S.: Linux Mint is now on the top of the list by DistroWatch and I want it to stay that way! ;-)

Reactivate Alt + f2 in Linux Mint or Oneiric

I keep on customizing my system and one of the most useful tools for that is the Run Command Prompt by pressing alt + f2. However, since the past two days, it stopped working all of a sudden. Took me a while to realize what I had done to deactivate it.

Basically it had conflicted with another tool and had been deactivated by itself. To reactivate alt + f2, all you have to do is go to Keyboard settings and click on Shortcuts.

Click on System in the left panel and you will see a Run command prompt option.

Keyboard settings

Click on disable to enable the option and enter the new shortcut by pressing alt + f2.

Now your alt + f2 is reactivated! Enjoy!!

Brightside on Linux Mint

Many a times you just want to switch off the monitor of your laptop without closing the lid. Many laptops are now available with the feature but many more are not. So how do you go about doing that in Linux Mint?

There are a few options. First, you can do it via the Terminal by simply typing
"sleep 1 && xset dpms force off"
 The above code puts off your screen after 1 second and the screen will wake up again with a movement of the mouse or a keypress.

However there is another nifty tool for the same purpose. Brightside is a tool for changing the functions of workspace management and you can also make the corners of your screen behave as hotspots.

With Brightside you can:

* fade out volume
* prevent screensaver starting
* start screensaver and lock screen
* enter dpms standby mode
* enter dpms suspend mode
* enter dpms off mode
* dim laptop backlight
* custom action

You can install Brightside by using your Synaptic Package Manager or via the Terminal.

Install Brightside

You won't see an icon for Brightside, so to change the properties, just open up a Terminal and type
brightside-properties and you'll see the GUI for the same.

Brightside

  Configure the properties as you want and enjoy a more energy efficient system!

Linux Mint 13, Maya

Linux Mint 13, code named Maya has been announced to be released by end of May 2012. I have been waiting for a long time for the next release of Mint and it seems the wait is almost at an end. Its been almost 6 months since I started using Mint and I have never looked back towards either Windows or Ubuntu which were my previous OS being used.

On their official blog, Clem said that "The choice for this codename has nothing to do with the Mayan Calendar or the notorious cataclysmic interpretations for 2012 (by then we’ll be looking at Linux Mint 14 and a different codename)."

Infact, Clem said that the code name Maya was selected after her daughter's name.

So all the Linux Mint fans out there, hold your breath till the end of May and I am sure we will all be surprised with the new release.

It is said that there will be separate releases for MATE and Cinnamon. So there's the end of MATE and welcome to Cinnamon, which according to me is going to become the default in Linux Mint 13.

Let's wait and watch. If you want to read about the latest LMDE release click on the Link below:

Linux Mint Debian LMDE 201204

Linux Mint Debian LMDE 201204

Linux Mint Debian also known as LMDE is just another version of Linux Mint. It is based on the Debian distribution. It is a rolling distribution, which means that it receives updates and upgrades often.

LMDE

LMDE comes in quite a few variants. It comes with Cinnamon installed and also with Gnome and XFCE desktop environments. Now you might be thinking what is the difference between the normal Linux Mint and LMDE. Here are  a few answers to that question:

1. LMDE is a rolling distribution whereas the Linux Mint is a much more stable version. LMDE receives updates often and that also causes bugs much more often. However it also means that the bugs are fixed faster.

2. LMDE is Debian based and cannot run applications developed for Ubuntu. For that, you'll have to use the normal Linux Mint. However LMDE supports all Debian applications completely, so no sweat there.

3. The live version of LMDE does not run VLC. you'll have to install the LMDE and after that the VLC will run flawlessly.
However, in case you want to run VLC in the live medium, you can you the following work-around:
"sudo ln -s / /filesystem.squashfs"

4. There is no splash screen in the LMDE version.

5. The best part of LMDE is that won't have to re-install your system. The updates are automatically incorporated. Though many-a-times, your themes are likely to be screwed up, you can fix that by logging out and logging in again!

You can download the latest version of Linux Mint Debian from the link below:
LMDE 201204

Ubuntu Vs. Linux Mint

Many of my friends and colleagues have asked me the question: If Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, wouldn't it be better to use Ubuntu instead of Mint? Well, everyone is entitled to have their own personal favourite distro and mine happens to be Linux Mint.

Here are a few reasons why I think Linux Mint is better than Ubuntu.

First of all Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu and being a community driven project, it has fixes of all the bugs that appear on Ubuntu. For example, my machine's integrated bluetooth did not work right out of the box when I tried out Ubuntu on a virtual machine designed for testing new releases. However, Linux Mint did. That just shows if there are any reported bugs in Ubuntu, its more than likely that they have been removed in Linux Mint.

Why choose Ubuntu when you can download all of the Ubuntu applications and run them on Linux Mint without a glitch. Both support the .deb extension. You can also install the Ubuntu Software Centre in Linux Mint and that will give you two software managers on your system.

Play media out of the box in Mint. When you install Ubuntu, you have to download all the codecs before you can start playing multimedia. Not in Mint though, it comes equipped with everything you can think of and more.

All these reasons and more mak it clear that the winner is Mint. However that's my opinion. What's yours?

And just in case you decide to try out Linux Mint 12, Lisa read my post on how to install Linux Mint 12 on your system.

Install Linux Mint 12 Lisa

Installing Linux Mint 12 is a breeze whether you have installed any other Linux distro or not. The steps are the same as that of installing Ubuntu. However if you are new to Linux distros, I am providing a step by step DIY on how to install Linux Mint 12 Lisa.

STEP 1:
Download the DVD/CD version of Linux Mint 12, Lisa from the official download page. I would suggest you to download the DVD version as it includes all the necessary applications and codecs needed to run your Linux system without any glitch. The CD version is also good but then you will have to install all the codecs and application one by one yourself from the software manager or synaptic package manager.

STEP 2:
Create a bootable media like bootable DVD or USB. Use any free disk burning software like Nero (free version) to burn the .iso image to disk. If you prefer to use a bootable USB then download the Universal Linux Installer.

STEP 3:
Boot the machine accordingly and you will get the welcome screen on your monitor.

Click on Install Linux Mint.

STEP 4:
You will be presented with a screen which will ask for the type of installation you want.

According to your needs click on the needed radio button and click Continue.

STEP 5:
If you choose to install Linux Mint in a customized format then check the Something Else in the step above and continue.

You will see a partition manager .

Select the amount of space you want to give to your Linux Mint partition. Give it around 10 GB if you just want to use it as a trial or around 50 GB if you want to use it as a primary system. Select the free space and then format it as ext 4.

Select a swap area equal to the size of your RAM.

If you want to use just a Linux Mint partition on your computer select Beginning. But if you want to run it alongside any other OS, then select End.  Select Mount Point as /.
Click OK and you will be back to the partition manager.

Then select Install Now and follow the instruction from thereon. You will have to select you language, time zone and your keyboard layout.



That's it! Now you have learnt how to install Linux Mint 12 Lisa on your computer! Enjoy!

Linux Mint: The Most Trending Distro

Linux Mint is one of the most trending Linux/GNU distro recently. It has seen a huge increase in its fan following and is rising rapidly amongst other heavy weight distros like Fedora and Ubuntu. Started in 2006, Linux Mint is now the 4th most widely used home operating system behind Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS and Canonical's Ubuntu.

Linux Mint 12, code-named Lisa, is the latest version of this distro. Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu which itself is based on Debian. Just like Ubuntu, Mint also uses .deb packages. It has a wonderful software centre, synaptic package manager and is free of almost all the bugs that creep into an Ubuntu system.

You can download the latest version of Linux Mint from their download page. It has Gnome 3 and MATE desktop environments by default. KDE and LXDE variants of the same also available for download. So download Lisa and give it a try, and I am sure you'll fall in love with it!

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