# Linux Tips and Tweaks



## Irreverent (Mar 18, 2010)

Puppy Linux or K9 fanboi?  Is Bash your thing?  Did you replace your boss with a small shell script?  Post your Linux/MacOS tips, tweaks and favourite distro's here!


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## ToeClaws (Mar 18, 2010)

Okay - first tip post for the Ubuntu family of OS's (and those based on Ubuntu) is a program called "Ubuntu Tweak".  For a great long while, there's been a ton of tweaking programs around for Windows, but Linux never really had a good one until this.  UT has all sorts of settings up front - some available, some hidden, that you can tune to customize and tweak your installation.

One of the handiest things it has, however, is actually more about package management.  It has a source list system that lets you add all kinds of 3rd party sources for extra themes, special software versions, daily builds, etc.  It also has a package cleaner that's phenomenal at cleaning unused kernels, configs, and package cache.  It's actually so good at all this stuff I'm surprised it's not part of the actual default distribution.

To install, download the latest version from the link above, and then open a terminal, change to the directory that you downloaded it too, and type:


```
sudo dpkg -i ubuntu-tweak_0.5.2-1~karmic2_all.deb
```

The filename will be whatever you downloaded - the above example shows the current release at the time of this writing for the "Karmic Koala" family of Ubuntu.  When you run it, there is a repository you can check which can keep it up to date as newer ones are released.


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## Axelfox (Apr 11, 2010)

ToeClaws said:


> Okay - first tip post for the Ubuntu family of OS's (and those based on Ubuntu) is a program called "Ubuntu Tweak".  For a great long while, there's been a ton of tweaking programs around for Windows, but Linux never really had a good one until this.  UT has all sorts of settings up front - some available, some hidden, that you can tune to customize and tweak your installation.
> 
> One of the handiest things it has, however, is actually more about package management.  It has a source list system that lets you add all kinds of 3rd party sources for extra themes, special software versions, daily builds, etc.  It also has a package cleaner that's phenomenal at cleaning unused kernels, configs, and package cache.  It's actually so good at all this stuff I'm surprised it's not part of the actual default distribution.
> 
> ...



I notice that the Wubi version of Ubuntu has Ubuntu tweak built in.


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## ToeClaws (Jul 3, 2010)

Another great Tip for Linux, which you'll need to do when you install it, is to manually partition your drive.

Now, most of the modern Linux distributions have an automatic disk partitioner that either uses the whole disk, or tries to resize available partitions to fit Linux on with the rest of whatever's on there.  Now, I don't want to get into a big long How-To on what partitioning is, how the various ones work and why - I would _strongly_ suggest you Google the topic and do some reading to learn the basics.

What I wanted to mention here was choosing the manual route so that you can define specific partitions for your install rather than just putting everything in one big one like most defaults.  So why is one big partition a bad thing?  Well, it's not really bad - that's what Windows has done forever, but it does complicate upgrade/update time.  First, a bit of explanation.

Linux/Unix have a wonderful advantage over Windows when it comes to how they store and work with personal information; Everything that makes your system _yours_ is stored in a directory called "/home".  Not just your files like pictures or music or whatever, but everything about how you customize your desktop, your programs and other settings.  Linux/Unix don't have a registry like Windows (thank the gods), so everything is stored in files, and all those custom settings and setups are stored in "/home".  Most of them are in hidden directories that start with ".", so for example all your Firefox customizations, bookmarks, cache and everything is in the ".mozilla" directory in your "/home" directory.  

Okay, so back to why this is important... when you install a new version of Linux, or perhaps even a different one, if the "/home" directory is in it's own partition, ALL of your files and your custom settings will be maintained there.  

When installing, /home should usually be the largest of the partitions since it's where all of your pictures, movies, music and general large-type files will go.  Root, aka /, is where the system will default to putting everything else that does not have a specific mount assigned to it.  Root doesn't need to be all that large 10g or more is really all it needs (with drives being as big as they are nowadays, give it whatever you think is appropriate, but any more than 30g is just gonna be a waste).  You can actually create a partition for several different mount points (there's a pull down list in most partition programs), but the only other one you might want to consider is /boot.  /boot is where the base kernel files and bootable files are placed.  If you do want to make a /boot partition, it doesn't have to be very big at all - 300 to 400M is more than enough.  The last thing to consider is making a dedicated swap partition.  Place this at the end of the drive.  The Swap partition should be anywhere from 1 to 1.5x the size of your memory.  If you think you're going to be updating the memory in the future, then use that amount for the size of the file.

So if you were doing this on a laptop that has, say, a 160g drive and 2g of ram, you might do it like this: swap=3g, /home=130g, /boot=400m, /=26.6g (the remainder of drive space).

As an example of where this would be handy, let's say you're running an older Ubuntu 9.04 LTS install and when you built it, you created a separate partition for your /home directory like the one above.  Now you want to ditch that older OS and install Mint 9.  When installing, you can run the manual disk partitioner, and choose to format/reuse all of the old partitions on your drive but when it comes to /home, you don't format that one - just select to use it and mount it to /home.  The install will go as normal, but when you boot up and log in for the first time, all of your data will be there, and when you open up your favourite applications, all of the custom settings will have been maintained. 

Now, though your settings are all preserved, you _will_ have to reinstall any custom software that you had before, but with the repositories, that's a very easy process in Linux.  For special software like WINE, all of your Windows programs will still be there in your /home directory, and when you reinstall WINE, they'll all work exactly as they did before.

Now, as with all things in life, there are pros/cons to this method.

*Pros:* Easy way to maintain all of your files, personalized settings and the look/feel of how you customized your OS.

*Cons:* May require some house cleaning - sometimes settings change from version to version, and a setting you had in your last OS will not quite work with the new one.  So you sometimes have to clean up the taskbar, or apps, or whatever.  Can carry over clutter and kruft that you should have cleaned up a long time ago. 

CAThulu just recently used this when updating her laptop from Mint 8 to Mint 9, and it worked beautifully.  Compared to the hell you have to go through to reinstall everything in Windows, it's a breeze (she'll probably back me up on that when back from vacation, hehe).

It is a method I use all the time, and it has saved me SO much time and frustration, yet, allows you to have a completely fresh/new OS install instead of the more twitchy "upgrade" type path.  Enjoy!


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## Riv (Jul 3, 2010)

I don't have any good Linux tips (since my experiments with Linux have never gone past 10 hours of runtime), but here's a dump of killer OSX tweaking apps;

-BetterTouchTool: Allows for customization of multitouch gestures on a modern MacBook, for gestures involving up to five fingers and context sensitive gesturing which can be set to have different behaviors in different apps. As an added bonus, it gives you the capacity for Windows-7 style "snap-feature" with slightly more extensive options.
-Afloat: Allows you to set any cocoa-based window (most windows in osx are) to any level of transparency at will using simple controls. Also allows you to stick a window onto a topmost layer and make it "click-throughable."
-GeekTool: Allows you to run bash scripts and display various info on your desktop, like component temperature, running processes with CPU%, computer specs, Free Mem, network/IP status, facebook/twitter updates, etc. 
-iAlertu: A (not quite flawless) security system for a macbook, can be customized to check for various signs of tampering (being unplugged, having a key pressed, being moved, other things) and under such circumstances it will take a photo with the built-in iSight and email it to you at the next time internet is available, along with date and time. It also plays a very loud and very annoying alarm for up to two minutes per tampering event, and the only way to disengage it is to type the password, shut it down, or disable it with an apple remote which has been properly paired with the laptop, which means that, no matter what, you're going to need either a password or a unique remote to access the computer. (as long as you require password at startup)
-ScreenSaverBackground: Displays a screensaver as the desktop image. There are alot of utilities which do this, and it can be activated with a one-line terminal command which I can't be bothered to learn, but this one is the most modern app, I think. (Unfortunately, the one screensaver it doesn't play nice with is my favorite, but BackLight2 works for that one, so it's all good.)
-XQuartz: A more modern version of X11, OSX's compatibility layer for X-Window based programs. Allows Linux software, like GIMP or wxMaxima, to be ported more easily and run better, without a full interface rewrite.
-Webkit Nightlies: Not very useful, but makes web browsing into a real daredevil experience.
-Perian: Allows you to play many more video codecs in Quicktime. Doesn't negate my need for VLC, but still pretty nice.

There's one nice tweak app called machDesktop, which lets you play quartz compositions (node-based animations and input processors), web pages, or quicktime movies, as a desktop background, but you have to pay for it unless you don't mind getting an annoying alert every couple hours asking you to donate :/


As far as tips, I'd recommend every mac user have a copy of ffmpegx, to get those tricky video codecs playable on your iPod, as well as VLC Player, for HiDef content that doesn't transcode well, and the GIMP, which is just pure awesome, especially if you're the type who misses MS Paint, or you wish you had Photoshop but are too afraid to pirate it. Also, put Terminal on your dock and don't be afraid to use it.


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## ToeClaws (Jul 3, 2010)

Mac tips are welcome here too!  The MacOS is, after all, a derivative of FreeBSD Unix.



Riv said:


> As far as tips, I'd recommend every mac user have a copy of ffmpegx, to get those tricky video codecs playable on your iPod, as well as VLC Player, for HiDef content that doesn't transcode well, and the GIMP, which is just pure awesome, especially if you're the type who misses MS Paint, or you wish you had Photoshop but are too afraid to pirate it. Also, put Terminal on your dock and don't be afraid to use it.



Actually, I second this for Linux/Unix users too!  Those are all open-source applications available to all those platforms.  For Linux users, I would also suggest installing the WinFF program, which provides a very straight-forward GUI to the ffmpeg family of codecs.  Also seconded on the Terminal comment for _any_ OS - command line is powerful and useful - don't be afraid of it!


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## reian (Jul 4, 2010)

I started using JoliCloud Linux on my Asus netbook ad it works fantastically!  I turned to Joli cloud because it understood my nVidia card(one of the few models of the thing that you can't just download drivers for yet) unlike puppy or Mint.  

It is still in Beta, so it has updates almost everyday, but the suppose system they have created through forums and 'MyJoliCloud' is great!  It is similar to ChromeOS, but for me it is much more managable.  I think it is based on Ubuntu, but don't quote me on that.  Great OS if your trying to turn friends on to Linux and they aren't very computer orientated or just don't know code.


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## ukbeast (Jan 17, 2011)

Bleachbit is a great cache cleaner.
It also removes the cache that get stays on your PC when you install a software.

BTW Stay away from kleansweep. it just randomly deletes everything!


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## Ikrit (Jun 28, 2011)

google is your friend (or what ever search engine you like)

it allowed me to find the answers to my problems so i don't make pointless threads


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## ToeClaws (Jun 28, 2011)

Ikrit said:


> google is your friend (or what ever search engine you like)
> 
> it allowed me to find the answers to my problems so i don't make pointless threads



*laughs* Yes.  It's astonishing to hit a tech forum and see how many times the SAME question has been asked over and over.  Always a good policy to Google first, then ask if you can't find it.


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## iTails (Jul 30, 2011)

I have a few good indicators that I use for Ubuntu 11.04.

*Weather Indicator*:

```
[FONT=monospace]sudo apt-get install indicator-weather[/FONT]
```


*Sysmonitor Indicator:* _*(System Monitor: Monitors load on CPU, RAM, HDD, Swap, Network, etc.)*_


```
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:indicator-multiload/stable-daily
sudo apt-get update
[FONT=monospace][FONT=Verdana]
sudo apt-get install indicator-multiload[/FONT][/FONT]
```


*Disable Trackpad:* *(useful for laptops which don't disable trackpads automatically when a mouse is plugged in.)*

```
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/atareao
sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install touchpad-indicator
```


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## oliverrook (Feb 18, 2012)

Customizing the boot up screen image for linux (grub version):
First  off, you need an image. To do this, find the original image (normally  under /boot/grub/). You can tell it is the boot image, because it would  normally have a name similar or equal to the operating system (mint's is  linuxmint.png).Open the image in an editor, such as GIMP. DO NOT EDIT  THE IMAGE!!! This is simply to see the properties of the image. Now,  click the save as button to make a back up copy of the image, and save  it to you're documents folder.
Now, using the properties of the  image, create your own (it can be anything, as long as it has the same  properties). Make it unique, something you'd like to see every time you  turn on your computer.
When you're finished, save it to your documents folder. MAKE SURE IT IS NOOOT THE SAME NAME AS YOUR BACK UP!
Now,  go back to the folder where you found the image, and open the folder as  an administrator. To do this, go up a folder, right click, and say open  as administrator from the menu. Now, type in the password, and click  ok.
Delete the original image, and copy and paste your new image in  it's place. Finally, rename the image to the original images name, and  restart the computer.
If you did everything right, it should work.
------------------
If  you didn't then don't panic. All you need is to use a live disc  feature. Note: you need a blank dvd to do this, or you can get a usb  flash drive (a bit harder) (Try for one that is At Least 4 GB). To get a  live disc, go to any major linux site (such as mint, Ubuntu, Mandriva,  and so on). If you don't have access to a computer at home, most  libraries allow you to use their computers to do pretty much anything  (as they erase the data every day). On the site, look for their  downloads section. Download the appropriate iso, and wait for it to  finish downloading (can take a few hours). Now, if you have access to a  blank dvd and burner, then simply use an iso burner to burn the iso to  the disc (google it). If you use a flash drive, then it's a bit harder.
Get  iso mounting software, and mount the iso to the virtual cd/dvd drive.  Now, insert the flash drive, and copy and paste the root of the iso (not  the folder, root means the whole thing!) onto the flash drive. Wait for  it to finish, and then wait at least twenty seconds AFTER the copying  bar goes away, to take it out, as large copys tend to have background  processes that continue after the actaul copying is done.
Now, go  home, and boot up your computer. Quickly look for something that says  something like: "system setup" or "Bios setup" or even better "Boot  from". Read the key combo on it. If you have time, quickly press and  hold that key combo. If you don't, then just hard restart your computer  (press the power button). Now, turn it back on, and press and hold the  combo.
If it's a bios setup, then navigate through using the arrow  keys, and find the boot order. Change the first or primary boot to the  appropriate device (dvd or usb for flash). Now, do NOT restart, use the  keyboard and handy help section at the bottom, to save the settings and  restart the computer.
Now, Start up the computer again with the flash  drive/dvd in the computer. It should load the live disc. Now, just  follow the instructions on the live disc, and reinstall grub, and it  should work.


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## Elim Garak (Feb 18, 2012)

Remove Ubuntu, install Arch Linux.


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## ToeClaws (Feb 20, 2012)

Caroline Dax said:


> Remove Ubuntu, install Arch Linux.



While it's easy to argue the benefits of moving to Arch in terms of efficiency, package management and customization, it is equally easy to recommend against it because of complexity or lack of user-friendliness.  I would suggest Arch only to intermediate or advanced Linux users with lots of time on their hands.


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## aqxsl (Jun 4, 2012)

Here's a chump-level tip for Fedora, use EasyLife post installation.  This will transform fedora into a user-friendly distro right out of the box.

"sudo yum install easylife" (I think, else get it here http://sourceforge.net/projects/easylife-linux/)

This manager lets you quickly do some important configurations (like set up rpmfusion, disable SeLinux, ...) as well as install those critical proprietary drivers/codecs/software (Nvidia, Flash, Java,...).  So much time was wasted trying to get my GPU working by hand while this resolved it in minutes.

Also, in terms of shell customization.  For anyone using gnome, here's a truly glorious gtk and gnome combo theme

http://www.techdrivein.com/2012/02/boomerang-gtk-30-theme-faience-gnome.html


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## Takzfurry (Aug 3, 2013)

hello I am rather new to the forums but I am a nerd so I have this beat  up dell from 1998 that runs ubuntu perfectly love it, I have also  installed ubuntu tweak and I have made a few teaks but I was looking for  a true furry theme or at least bit of furry related tweaks I can add to  it. I have used furbuntu I believe it's now called creature ( 10.11 I  think the version was and the only that would run on a macbook pro) but I  like the updated ubuntu and I keep updating it on my beat up zombie  dell laptop I look forward to hear from you guys!


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## DarkXander (Aug 24, 2015)

Heres a tip that actually works on a lot of distros, users who predominantly use windows are used to doing CTRL + ALT + DELETE when crap hits the fan and apps hang or the user interface gets stuck.  But on linux depending on the distro that key combination likely wont get you very far.

In linux, particularly Fedora, Red Hat, CentOS, and some others that use gnome, if the user interface becomes corrupted, distorted, or stuck, simply press CTRL + ALT + BACKSPACE and this will cause gnone to be dumped, and completely relaunched without a full reboot, meaning all your background services will be unaffected by this.

The reload usually only takes 5-10 seconds, sometimes less.  And saves doing a hard reboot and any hardships such may cause.

IF the key sequence doesnt work on your distro of linux, you can achieve the same effect from the command line, if you are still able to get to a terminal window.

type in: init 3

when its done unloading the GUI and other services, type in: init 5

then it will reload the GUI again fresh, without rebooting.


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## ArielMT (Aug 24, 2015)

DarkXander said:


> In linux, particularly Fedora, Red Hat, CentOS, and some others that use gnome, if the user interface becomes corrupted, distorted, or stuck, simply press CTRL + ALT + BACKSPACE and this will cause gnone to be dumped, and completely relaunched without a full reboot, meaning all your background services will be unaffected by this.



This is not a GNOME thing.  This is a feature of the X.org server, and it either works or doesn't regardless of the window manager or desktop environment.  The feature is either enabled or disabled by setting the DontZap option in your xorg.conf or xorg.conf.d/* files to False or True respectively.  Unix and Linux distros are defaulting it to True because of the keystroke's disastrous accidental consequences.



DarkXander said:


> IF the key sequence doesnt work on your distro of linux, you can achieve the same effect from the command line, if you are still able to get to a terminal window.
> 
> type in: init 3
> 
> ...



This depends on the distro and how its runlevel scripts or settings are configured.  At least one runs X11 in runlevel 3 instead of 5.

But if you're in a situation where you need to kill the X server on a personal computer, where everything of consequence is most likely run, you're better off giving it a full reboot anyway.  Modern Unix and Linux distros have an ACPI daemon running, so just pushing the power button runs the shutdown command.  If the PC is responsive enough, pressing CTRL + ALT + F1 to get the first virtual console and then CTRL + ALT + DEL runs the shutdown command for reboot.

If CTRL + ALT + F1 gets you a login prompt, you can log in and then `pkill` the program that hung everything up, or `sudo service <your-display-manager-here> restart` (usually gdm for GNOME, mdm for MATE, kdm for KDE, and lightdm for LXDE) to kill and restart your whole X session.

To get back to a running X session, either CTRL + ALT + F7 (if it's running on the 7th virtual console) or ALT + LEFT ARROW (to cycle backwards through virtual consoles).


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## twalaight-sparkhul (Feb 28, 2016)

One fun thing to do on OSX is to install zsh instead of bash (all about dat autocomplete).  
CDock is a nice dock customization tool
Sublime Text. Now. Get it. Even if you don't code. It kicks TextEdit's butt and imo a bunch of IDE's. 
iTerm adds more functionality than you'll ever need to Terminal
Spectacle because screw moving windows around with the mouse.
smcFanControl for the days when you need to cool down your laptop *fast*
LineIn is gr8 for testing out microphone inputs & re-routing audio 
and finally gfxCardStatus, because sometimes you want to know when your laptop switches from integrated to discrete graphics.


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