How to save laptop battery when using Ubuntu Linux

When you are working outside with your laptop, the most important thing that you might consider is to maximize your battery lifetime. This is true especially when you are working on location where AC power is not readily available.

Laptop mypapit

Typical laptop might last from 1.5 hour to 3 hours of normal use. So you might want to squeeze out all the battery juice and put it to good use.

Here are a few tips that I got from surfing the internet to save battery life when you are using Ubuntu (or GNU Linux OS in general) :

Awesome Web apps integration with Mozilla Prism (Google, Facebook)

Being a relatively newcomer with Desktop + Web apps application, I tried to experiment with Mozilla Prism in a newly installed Ubuntu Hardy on my sister’s laptop.

At first glance, Mozilla Prism really hits the spot. as it allows seamless integration of various web application within your computer. Prism made it easier for me to access various web application from my desktop with relative ease, as if they were local applications.

Screenshots of Prism in action

Google Reader

Google Prism

Google Docs

Google Docs in Prism

Google Facebook

Google Docs in Prism

Prism enhances web experience greatly by integrating web application into desktop environment.

How to Install Prism
From desktop, go to System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager, and search prism. Install “prism” package together with its associated web application (called “bundles”)

Installing Mozilla Prism

Facebook and Google Groups Integrated inside Applications Menu

Installing Mozilla Prism

Putting Colors to GRUB Bootloader menu

Some distro like Ubuntu installs a plain white on black color scheme of GRUB on your computer. Nothing wrong with it, only it look like as if the computer is running with a monochrome monitor. Rest assured, there are ways you can do to spruce up your GRUB menu

Grub Ubuntu mypapit.net

Add colors to GRUB menu
The easiest way is to add colors to the plain vanilla grub menu. First edit the /boot/grub/menu.lst using your favorite editor.

Then, uncomment the line
# color cyan/blue white/blue

GRUB Color Explanation
cyan/blue = color of the GRUB menu
whte/blue = color when a particular menu item is highlighted

It follows this format : foreground/background … cyan/blue

Finally, save the file and reboot. You shall see your new colorize GRUB menu. Other color combination you might want to try are :

# black
# blue
# green
# cyan
# red
# magenta
# brown
# light-gray

Foreground color :
# dark-gray
# light-blue
# light-green
# light-cyan
# light-red
# light-magenta
# yellow
# white

GRUB boot menu similar to OpenSUSE and Linspire
Alternatively you can use themeable GRUB boot menu similar to those of OpenSUSE and Linspire bootloader. To do this you need to install gfxboot and grub-gfxboot package.

Follow the instruction from ubuntuforums.org, Howto : GfxBoot ( Grub menu like suse )

The friendly Old Battery Warning in Ubuntu

Ubuntu is friendly enough to provide a nice and friendly warning to me about the status of the laptop battery that I currently use. With Microsoft Windows (at least Windows XP), the laptop simply dies when the battery looses its juice.

old and broken battery warning

Its nice to have this sort of reminder when you really need to change the battery.