Ubuntu Hacks: Tips & Tools for Exploring, Using, and Tuning Linux

by Jonathan Oxer, Kyle Rankin, Bill Childers

Overview

Ubuntu Linux--the most popular Linux distribution on the planet--preserves the spirit embodied in the ancient African word ubuntu, which means both "humanity to others" and "I am what I am because of who we all are." Ubuntu won the Linux Journal Reader's Choice Award for best Linux distribution and is consistently the top-ranked Linux variant on DistroWatch.com. The reason this distribution is so widely popular is that Ubuntu is designed to be useful, usable, customizable, and always available for free worldwide.

Ubuntu Hacks is your one-stop source for all of the community knowledge you need to get the most out of Ubuntu: a collection of 100 tips and tools to help new and experienced Linux users install, configure, and customize Ubuntu. With this set of hacks, you can get Ubuntu Linux working exactly the way you need it to. Learn how to:

• Install and test-drive Ubuntu Linux.
• Keep your system running smoothly
• Turn Ubuntu into a multimedia powerhouse: rip and burn discs, watch videos, listen to music, and more
• Take Ubuntu on the road with Wi-Fi wireless networking, Bluetooth, etc.
• Hook up multiple displays and enable your video card's 3-D acceleration
• Run Ubuntu with virtualization technology such as Xen and VMware
• Tighten your system's security
• Set up an Ubuntu-powered server

Ubuntu Hacks will not only show you how to get everything working just right, you will also have a great time doing it as you explore the powerful features lurking within Ubuntu.

"Put in a nutshell, this book is a collection of around 100 tips and tricks which the authors choose to call hacks, which explain how to accomplish various tasks in Ubuntu Linux. The so called hacks range from down right ordinary to the other end of the spectrum of doing specialised things...More over, each and every tip in this book has been tested by the authors on the latest version of Ubuntu (Dapper Drake) and is guaranteed to work. In writing this book, it is clear that the authors have put in a lot of hard work in covering all facets of configuring this popular Linux distribution which makes this book a worth while buy."
-- Ravi Kumar, Slashdot.org

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780596551469
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/14/2006
Series:	Hacks
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	450
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Jonathan Oxer, who has been labeled "Australia's Geekiest Man," has been hacking on both hardware and software since he was a little tacker. He is a former president of Linux Australia, and founder and technical director of Internet Vision Technologies. He is author of a number of books including How to Build a Website and Stay Sane, Ubuntu Hacks, and Quickstart Guide to Google AdWords. He has been surgically implanted with an RFID chip and is set to host an upcoming TV show called SuperHouse (www.superhouse.tv) featuring high-tech home renovation, open source automation systems, and domestic hardware hacking. Jonathan has appeared on top-rating TV shows and been interviewed on dozens of radio stations about his home automation system. He was technical supervisor for the first season of the reality TV show The Phone, has connected his car to the Internet (www.geekmyride.org), and is also a member of the core team of Lunar Numbat (www.lunarnumbat.org), an Australian group working with the European team White Label Space (www.whitelabelspace.com) on an unmanned moon mission for the Google Lunar X-Prize (http: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Oxer).

Table of Contents

Credits

Preface

Chapter 1. Getting Started
      1. Test-Drive Ubuntu
      2. Get Help
      3. Make Live CD Data Persistent
      4. Customize the Ubuntu Live CD
      5. Install Ubuntu
      6. Dual-Boot Ubuntu and Windows
      7. Move Your Windows Data to Ubuntu
      8. Install Ubuntu on a Mac
      9. Set Up Your Printer
      10. Install Ubuntu on an External Drive
      11. Install from a Network Boot Server
      12. Submit a Bug Report
      13. Use the Command Line
      14. Get Productive with Applications

Chapter 2. The Linux Desktop
      15. Get Under the Hood of the GNOME Desktop
      16. Tweak the KDE Desktop
      17. Switch to a Lighter Window Manager
      18. Install Java
      19. Search Your Computer
      20. Access Remote Filesystems
      21. Tweak Your Desktop Like a Pro
      22. Sync Your Palm PDA
      23. Sync Your Pocket PC
      24. Customize the Right-Click Contextual Menu
      25. Download and Share Files with the Best P2P Software
      26. Make Your Own PDFs
      27. Blog with Ubuntu

Chapter 3. Multimedia
      28. Install Multimedia Plug-ins
      29. Watch Videos
      30. Play DVDs
      31. Buy Songs at the iTunes Music Store
      32. Get a Grip on CD Ripping
      33. Burn CDs and DVDs
      34. Automate Audio CD Burning
      35. Rip and Encode DVDs
      36. Create a Video DVD
      37. Connect to a Digital Camera

Chapter 4. Mobile Ubuntu
      38. Put Your Laptop to Sleep
      39. Hibernate Your Laptop
      40. Prolong Your Battery Life
      41. Get Proprietary Wireless Cards Working
      42. Roam Wirelessly
      43. Make Laptop Settings Roam with Your Network
      44. Make Bluetooth Connections
      45. Expand Your Laptop
      46. Hotswap Your Laptop's Optical Drive

Chapter 5. X11
      47. Configure Multibutton Mice
      48. Enable Your Multimedia Keyboard
      49. Configure a Touchpad
      50. Connect Multiple Displays
      51. Change the Ubuntu Splash Screen
      52. Enable 3-D Video Acceleration
      53. Make Your Fonts Pretty

Chapter 6. Package Management
      54. Manage Packages from the Command Line
      55. Manage Packages with Synaptic
      56. Manage Packages with Adept
      57. Install and Remove Standalone .deb Files
      58. Search for Packages from the Command Line
      59. Install Software from Source
      60. Modify the List of Package Repositories
      61. Cache Packages Locally with Apt-cacher
      62. Create an Ubuntu Package
      63. Compile a Source Package
      64. Convert Non-Ubuntu Packages
      65. Create Your Own Package Repository
      66. Convert Debian to Ubuntu

Chapter 7. Security
      67. Limit Permissions with sudo
      68. Manage Security Updates
      69. Protect Your Network with a Firewall
      70. Use an Encrypted Filesystem to Protect Your Data
      71. Encrypt Your Email and Important Files
      72. Surf the Web Anonymously
      73. Keep Windows Malware off Your System

Chapter 8. Administration
      74. Edit Configuration Files
      75. Manage Users and Groups
      76. Mount Any Filesystem
      77. Control Startup Services
      78. Build Kernels the Ubuntu Way
      79. Back Up Your System
      80. Clone an Installation
      81. Rescue an Unbootable System
      82. Check the Captain's Log
      83. Mount Removable Devices with Persistent Names
      84. Mount Remote Directories Securely and Easily
      85. Make Videos of Your Tech-Support Questions
      86. Synchronize Files Across Machines

Chapter 9. Virtualization and Emulation
      87. Run Windows Applications
      88. Play Windows Games
      89. Run Ubuntu Inside Windows
      90. Use Xen to Host Virtual Machines
      91. Create an Ubuntu/Xen Virtual Machine
      92. Split Your Machine's Personality

Chapter 10. Small Office/Home Office Server
      93. Install and Configure an Ubuntu Server
      94. Build a File Server
      95. Administer Your Server Remotely
      96. Build a Web Server
      97. Build an Email Server
      98. Build a Caching Proxy Server
      99. Build a DHCP Server
      100. Build a Domain Name Server

Index

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Ubuntu has become the world’s No. 1 Linux distribution: polished and reliable enough for newbies, powerful and advanced enough for the most sophisticated users. Whatever group you fall into, Ubuntu Hacks will help you get even more out of Ubuntu.

You’ll appreciate the authors’ up-front installation and configuration tips. (Did you know you can run the Ubuntu Live CD on any PC, plug in a USB key, boot, and have a fully working Ubuntu system with your own documents, settings, and programs?) There’s help on burning CDs, syncing handhelds, setting up wireless networks, and downloading even more software.

You’ll learn how to tighten security, automate backups, rescue unbootable systems, host multiple virtual machines, and set up all manner of servers. As with all of O’Reilly’s Hacks books, the emphasis is on solutions that are clever, creative -- and useful. Bill Camarda, from the August 2006 Read Only

bn.com

The one hack which takes the prize is that which explains how to buy songs at the iTunes music store and download the music on Linux....In writing this book, it is clear that the authors have put in a lot of hard work in covering all facets of configuring this popular Linux distribution which makes this book a worth while buy.

Slashdot.org