Showing posts with label howto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label howto. Show all posts

Share your music with your mates using Firefly

View Comments

Earlier this year I was looking for a way to set up music sharing for my flatmates. I knew that Rhythmbox supported DAAP sharing, so I set that up using the DAAP plugin and that was fine - my flatmate running Ubuntu on his laptop could access my library through his Rhythmbox (he shared his too), and my other flatmate could access it using iTunes on his Mac. DAAP sharing also works in Songbird with an extension, Banshee, and I believe Amarok too.

The only issue with this was that the DAAP server only ran when Rhythmbox was actually open, so it was a stroke of luck if we could transfer music and not get cut off when one of us closed our client.

I have an Ubuntu LAMP server running AjaXplorer which is an awesome web file management service, with user login and everything. Our router is also port forwarded so I can access my server, and hence the files on it, anywhere in the world - very handy. Since the server is running pretty much 24/7 (it's nice and efficient and quiet because I installed fanless heatsinks and acoustic padding) and my music is on it as well, I figured I may as well make this a DAAP music share server.

Enter Firefly Media Server. It's available in the repositories, so all you have to do to install it is run:

sudo apt-get install mt-daapd

To set it up is really easy, you just need to follow the instructions on the manpage. Basically, all we need to do is turn it on and then tell it where to look for some music. To start Firefly, run:

mt-daapd

Or alternatively, just reboot and it should start automatically. Once you've done that, open up a web browser and hit up:

http://127.0.0.1:3689

In my case, the server is set on 192.168.1.2 with a static IP, so I type in http://192.168.1.2:3689 to login. The default password is defined in /etc/mt-daapd.conf and you can just edit this file to change the password.

So once you login to the web interface you should see something like this:


Here we can start and stop the server and see some statistics which should tell you if it's running or not. If you click on configuration, you'll see this:


In this screen we can set up the scan interval, where to look for music, and change the login name and password, as well as the name of the server as it appears to other people in Rhythmbox and iTunes.

Once you're all up and running, open up Rhythmbox and turn on DAAP sharing in plugins.


What I'd really like to know, is how I can stream my music from the server not just locally through LAN, but over the internet. If you have an idea how to do this, please let me know in the comments!


Continue reading

How to run Opera Mini in Ubuntu

View Comments

Ever wanted to see whether the fuss over Opera Mini - oft lauded as one of the best mobile web browsers - stacks up? Maybe you just want to see how your mobile site will displays to users on smaller screens.

Either way why not take the ickle-browser for a spin without the need to go anywhere near a mobile phone...?

First up you will need to make sure that you have the Java runtime environment installed. After that all you need are a few other odds n' sods and before you know it Opera Mini will be rocking out on your desktop.

Step one

Download the microemu @ microemu/downloads. This is pure java implementation of the Java Platform Micro Edition (Java ME).

Extract the folder. Enter the folder. Right click on the 'microemulator.jar' file inside and give it permission to execute via the Permissions tab. You'll also want to ensure that it will open with Java, so set Java as the default application to open .jar files.

Step two
Next up you'll want to grab Opera Mini. Head over to operamini.com, select the version you wish to try and download both the .jar and .jad files, placing them somewhere memorable.

Step three
Now lets load OperaMini 5.1.

  1. Open up the emulator by double-clicking on it. You can resize the emulator to any size you wish, just extend as you would any other window.
  2. Click through to "File > Open MIDlet" choosing the Opera Mini .jad (yes, .jad not .jar) file you previously downloaded.
  3. "Opera Mini" will now be listed in the apps list. Click on the "Start" button to launch it
If you so wish you can easily create a menu launcher to the emulator. Likewise you can easily install plenty more Java-based mobile applications, games and utilities - getjar.com is a great place to poke around.

Continue reading

How to Install Compiz 0.9 in Ubuntu

View Comments

The latest development release of Compiz - version 0.9 - was released earlier this month to much fanfare.

The widely used compositing manager gained a major re-write in C++, added a new developer API, rendering was split into plug-ins and the build system now used is cmake.

It’s this last bit which seems to have thrown many users wishing to install this testing release on their Ubuntu boxes. CMake certainly comes across as a different kettle of fish to those users versed only in the traditional ‘./configure, make, sudo make install’.

Thankfully, friends, the ace Kristopher Ives over @ santiance.com - who's nifty Imgur uploading app we’ve featured before - has bullied out a concise and straight-forward “how-to” for Ubuntu users wishing to install Compiz 0.9 - warts and all.

Check it out at the link below but please be aware that installing this development release is not advised for casual users or those unable to deal with any frell ups incurred as a result.

Continue reading

How To Install Nvidia Drivers Manually in Ubuntu

View Comments

Installing Nvidia drivers manually isn’t as big of a deal as it sounds. It’s literally a few button pushes, a round of “Ok”, “Ok”, “Ok” and a reboot. In many respects it's the easiest way to get your graphics card up and running if the Hardware Manager doesn't do it for you.

coverrrrr The following how-to will help guide you through the process in bite-seized chunks. At the end of the tutorial is a "recap" that you may wish to write down before trying. Why would you want to install Graphics drivers manually?

  • Your Nvidia Graphics card fails to be detected by the Ubuntu "Hardware Drivers" application
  • You feel you're not getting optimal performance from your hardware
  • You want to install a more recent driver version with the latest features and improvements
  • You tried a 3rd party application/PPA but it borked your system
Download Your Driver 1. Before all else you'll need a driver to install. Head to the official Nvidia driver download page : Use the drop down menus to find the appropriate driver and when you've selected the correct categories press the green 'Search' button. 2. You'll then be taken to an overview page, detailing the changes, features and improvements the driver has over it's previous version as well as the all-important 'Download' button for you to press. 3. A license agreement will present itself to you before the download will appear. Click 'Agree & Download'. 4a. If using Firefox a pop-up will ask you whether you want to 'Save' the file. Choose save. 4b. If using Google Chrome or Chromium the file will save itself automatically. Beta Drivers Beta drivers are in-progress version that come with newer features and enhancements. The trade off, however, being potential new issues and instability. You can get the latest Nvidia Beta Drivers for Linux by clicking the following link:
  • http://www.nvidia.com/Download/betadrivers.aspx

Use the steps above to guide you in downloading the driver. Be sure to choose the Driver with the most recent date next to it and the red 'beta' label.

Installing Nvidia Graphics Drivers In Ubuntu First of all SAVE any work you’re currently doing. You’re only a few button-punches away from rebooting, so you don’t want to lose any important work.

Second of all – make sure you have uninstalled any NVidia drivers currently installed - as well as 3rd party application EnvyNG.

If you installed your drivers via the Hardware Manager use the following commands in a terminal.

  • sudo apt-get purge nvidia*

Lastly, make some notes of the steps below – you can’t read it and install at the same time!

Move your downloaded Nvidia driver into your home folder. Just the home folder. Not into any other folder.

  • Press 'CTRL+ALT+F1'
  • You will need to login with your user-name and password

image

  • Type the following: 'sudo service gdm stop' (Minus apostrophes')
  • Press return/enter
  • Type: 'sudo sh ./NV'
  • Press the tab button tol auto-complete the rest of the name.
  • Hit return/enter

During the following process you will want to agree (that’s press ‘Ok’, yes, sure, why not, etc) to the following things

  • License Agreement

Now, I'm pretty certain that you'll want to agree to this - you can't complete installation without doing so. Press the left-arrow key so 'Yes' is highlighted. Press Enter.

You may be prompted with a dialogue informing you that

  • "There appears to be a driver already installed"

If you get this, agree by selecting 'Yes'. The current driver will be uninstalled and then replaced with the new one.

The kernel module is then built and the driver installed.

  • "replace current xorg.profile"

MAKE SURE you agree to it updating your xorg.profile. If you don’t then you’ll be greeted with a low-graphics, blinking bash-shell nightmare!

Finishing Up

You'll be returned to the "command line" whereby you need simply type
  • sudo reboot

to restart your machine.

Recap 1: Download driver from the Nvidia driver site 2: Press ALt+F1 and stop GDM 3: Run driver package 4: Follow installer's instructions, allowing it to replace your xorg.conf. 5: Restart

Kernel Updates (Or "My Graphics Don't Work Since I Updated") The driver you have installed manually is purposely built against the kernel version you have at the time. As such any kernel updates you install will result in your 3-D graphics driver no longer working. Kernels updates aren't incredibly frequent but it certainly helps if you pay attention to what you install via the update manager. The solution to the kernel update "issue" is simple.

  • Reinstall your driver again after a kernel update
or
  • Install the script below to do it for you - automatically!

Automatically Re-Install Nvidia Driver After Kernel Updates It's probably worth doing this after you've installed your driver, so that it doesn't slip your mind! Make sure your Nvidia driver is sat in your home folder. Then run the following commands, replacing 'nvidia-driver-name' with the name of your driver: -

(Tip: Renaming your driver to just "nvidia-driver' may save you time)

  • sudo mv nvidia-driver-name-here.run /usr/src
  • sudo ln -s /usr/src/nvidia-driver-name.run /usr/src/nvidia-driver
  • Download the following script, placing it in your Home folder:
  • http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1115768/update-nvidia
  • sudo mkdir -p /etc/kernel/postinst.d
  • sudo install update-nvidia /etc/kernel/postinst.d

Continue reading

10 Useful Things To Do After Installing Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala

View Comments
Untitled-1000
You’ve installed Ubuntu 9.10, now what? Here are my top 10 tips for getting a fresh install feeling your own…
 

Continue reading

Install The Single-Windowed Gimp Preview in Ubuntu [How-to]

View Comments
Want to try out the new "single window" Gimp? Here's how!




BEAR IN MIND THAT THIS IS IN DEVLOPEMENT SOFTWARE AND NOT DESIGNED FOR EVERYDAY USE.
You will also need to remove any exising Gimp install before installing this.



PPA:
A kind soul is maintaing a PPA with recent git builds of GIMP. Although he says it won't be updated every night - it will save you have to compile it yourself!

  • https://launchpad.net/~matthaeus123/+archive/mrw-gimp-svn

Alternatively you can get the latest-latest builds by compiling it from the GIMP git. (Gimp git sounds like an insult...)

Got Git?
First step is to ensure you have git installed, as we will be building Gimp 2.8 from source via a GIT repository.
  • sudo apt-get install git-core
Get Source-y
Open a terminal and issue: -
  • git clone git://git.gnome.org/gimp
This will download all of the source needed to build from. (This may take a little while so go make that nettle tea or feed the shrimps or something!)

Other dependencies
Gimp 2.8 also requires gegl 0.1.0 and babl 0.1.0. You can download these via the links below and install them using the usual ./configure && make && sudo make install method.



B u i l d
We now want to build this source so navigate into the newly created 'gimp' folder in your Home directory by using:
  • cd gimp
Then rattle off the following
  • ./configure
  • make
  • sudo make install
If all goes to plan you should now find Gimp installed in the Graphics section of the main Gnome Menu.

Enable Single Window Mode
The spiffy single window mode isn't enabled by default, so to see what all the fuss is about turn it on via the 'Windows' menu in Gimp.



You'll find that this updated version of Gimp also comes with a few new features, too! Including tabs to navigate between open projects: -



And the ability to edit text directly on an image (no more pop-up toolbox!): -



Despite this only being an initial early build of what will become The Gimp 2.8 it's an exciting glimpse into the evolution of the premier image editor on Linux.

Continue reading

OMG! IRC!

OMG! IRC!
 

Popular Threads

Powered by Disqus

Designed on

Blog Archive

Recent Comments

© Ohso 2010 All rights reserved | Site designed by Jeff V and TSM1428. Created by d0od | Back To Top