Category: Computers

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Google Nexus 7 running on Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail

Here is the video showing Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail (still in development at this time of writing) running on Nexus 7, a 7.81″ tablet which runs Android Jelly Bean by default.

It is expected that more announcement will be made regarding Ubuntu tablet at the upcoming Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS) in Denmark, which Mark Shuttleworth himself drop a hint that future Ubuntu development will focused on mobile platform. He even encouraged attendees to bring Nexus 7 to the summit.

My Thoughts
Its refreshing to see Ubuntu can be ported on tablets. It open up several opportunities to integrate Ubuntu operating system with mobile platform and together with the possibility of cloud computing, it will be able to unify the way people use their computers in their daily life. However, a new GUI has to be designed in order to make Ubuntu usable and convenient to be used on tablets.

All in all, it is a bold move from Canonical.

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How to install Unity 6.x backports to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise)

Unity 6.x (included by default in Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal) features performance improvements and new features on the Unity 3D user-interface as several bug fixes which enhances user experience while using Ubuntu desktop. Besides that, the backport also improve the performance of low-end 3d cards when rendering unity animations.

ubuntu logo 12.10 Quantal

Use these command to install Unity 6.x backports into Ubuntu 12.04 LTS:
[bash]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:benkai/precise-unity-backport
sudo apt-get update
sudo aptitude remove unity-lens-applications
sudo aptitude install unity
wget http://ppa.launchpad.net/benkai/precise-unity-backport/ubuntu/pool/main/u/unity-lens-applications/unity-lens-applications_6.4.0-0ubuntu2_amd64.deb or
wget http://ppa.launchpad.net/benkai/precise-unity-backport/ubuntu/pool/main/u/unity-lens-applications/unity-lens-applications_6.4.0-0ubuntu2_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i unity-lens-applications_6.4.0-0ubuntu2_*.deb
[/bash]

Note:
The unity backport may cause stability issues with Nouveau (nVidia Accelerated Open Source video driver). Those who are using nVidia cards are advised to use nVidia blob binary drivers.

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How to remove Amazon Shopping search result from Unity

Hi there, Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal is out! However the Dash search functionality includes shopping results retrieved from the internet (namely Amazon), which I personally found annoying.

ubuntu

In order to remove that, just run this command:

[bash]
sudo apt-get remove unity-lens-shopping
[/bash]

This will remove online shopping search suggestions. Your mile may vary, but from my point of view, it does speed-up search result.

Try it!

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Compact Grub and Remote Login menu: New features that I love in Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal

Those who are keeping up with the updates knows that Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal has been released yesterday!

However now I’m going to share two great features that I like about Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal.

#1. New GRUB menu that hides old kernel after updates!

Now, GRUB menu always display “Ubuntu” with each kernel update. All previous kernels are grouped together under the “Advanced options for Ubuntu”.

So you get:

Instead of:

This will keep the computer from listing too many kernels on the boot menu, which is messy in itself.

#2. Remote Login option!

Ubuntu Quantal Quetzal allows users to login remotely to Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) server right from Ubuntu Greeter.

Other Features worth mentioning

  • Linux kernel 3.5
  • LibreOffice 3.6.1.2, featuring menu that can be integrated to Unity menu.