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!

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!