In the Linux world with Ubuntu dominating the market to discuss about the comparison of Desktop Managers available for Linux is of good importance . By default Ubuntu comes with gnome desktop environment and Kubuntu comes with kde as the desktop manager . Considering the case of someone who is interested in trying out something different xfce might be fun . Xfce is a new desktop environment aimed at unix like operating system , providing nice features at smaller size and resources . Xfce can be installed in many platforms like freebsd , linux , solaris , cygwin and even macos . Xfce is definitely worth a look for users , who is interested in nice look and feel without sacrificing system resources . xfce is based on gtk 2 + just like gnome . It uses xfwm window manager . As it is always better to show something than to describe it , here I present you with some screenshots .

Also have a look at how xfce performs with compiz in Ubuntu 9.10 distribution .

The latest available version of XFCE is XFCE 4.6 . Visit xfce website for more details .

Applications like Mousepad text editor, Xfmedia audio player, Orage Calendar and Terminal are available by default for xfce environment . Printing tasks in xfce are managed by Xfprint . Xfburn is the cd/dvd burner program available for xfce . The default media player is Xfmedia player derived from Xine movie player . Thunar is the file manager for xfce .Xfce has almost everything needed by a normal user . Xfce but doesnot offer the flashy and eye-candy appearance of kde or large amount of applications like gnome .

Considering the progress xfce made in the following years , one day xfce may replace kde and gnome from our distros .Also connsider reading the comparison of kde vs gnome .

You might be using ubuntu and dissatisfied by your cd burner program . Then , you have landed on the right page . Here i will show you how install k3b in your computer whether it be ubuntu 9.10 ,ubuntu 9.04 or something else . K3B is a really nice cd/dvd burner for linux distributions . K3B is available for default in kde and offers many features like .iso image burning and really cool and easy to use interface . K3B is one of the advanced cd/dvd burning solutions available in linux . Here are a few screenshots of  k3b  interface .

k3b can be installed easily in ubuntu by using terminal . While in terminal issue the following command .

$ sudo apt-get update

$ apt-get install k3b

k3b is now installed in your ubuntu machine .

For installation details of k3b in other linux distros like archlinux , fedora ,suse, slackware etc read this page .

A  portable application can be run from your usb drive or external storage device rather than installing it in your computer . If you need to carry your applications to where ever you go , then you should be aware of the best of portable applications. This collection of portable applications consists of more than 15 applications.

Vlc player – One of the best , multimedia players available . It is a good option to carry this superb media player as it is capable of playing almost anything under the sun .

vlcplayer

MediaPlayer Classic – Just like vlc player it supports a lot of video formats , and its huge collection of video codecs make it an excellent choice for  multimedia freaks.

mediaplayerclassic

CDBurner XP – Portable freeware for burning dvds and cds . CDBurner XP is capable of even burning bluray and HD dvds. CDBurner XP even offers features for burning iso images and is a freely available software.

FastStone Capture – FastStone Capture is a screen-shot utility , which supports a lot of features like  floating Capture Panel,shortcut keys , resize function crop function, text annotation, print support , e-mail, zoom  and lots more.

faststone-photo-editing-software-screenshot-1

VDownloader – As the name suggest , VDownloader is small tool for downloading videos from  the internet .

vdownloader

Notepad ++ – Portable edition Document editor , which has advanced features like indentation and language support . Because of its ease of use and stability , it is usually kept as a replacement for notepad.

Portable OpenOffice – The complete office suite for your computer , and that too for free . Portable OpenOffice is really worth carrying  as it supports almost all document formats . Generally considered as an alternative to Microsoft Office.

Foxit PdfReader – A nice small pdf reader which even offers portability . Foxit Reader is a free software and considered as an alternative to adobe acrobat reader.

foxit reader

Pstart – Portable launcher , absolutely free of cost . Pstart is completely rid of ads or spyware .

pstart

CCleaner – CCleaner is a small tool that can take care of all your computer , from repairing registries to erasing your web browsing history .

ccleaner2

?torrent – Bittorrent client that is portable , and  small with a simple and clean interface .

Portable Firefox -  Firefox , not to mention it’s name . Everyone around here had been using firefox , for long days . Ya ,there is a portable version for your favourite web browser .

TrueCrypt Portable – Having unencrypted data on your harddisk can be a security risk , when the data contained is important . TrueCrypt can take care of all your data , ensuring privacy .

TrueCrypt

Portable Antivir Personal Edition – Portable antivirus comes in handy , when you are in a strange computer . Run your antivirus and things will be fine and you can work in full confidence.

Pidgin – I have heard a lot of Pidgin freaks crying , when pidgin was removed from Ubuntu 9.10 with empathy . Pidgin is an  instant messaging client  .Pidgin can take care of your AOL ,Yahoo, MSN and much more.

Feel free to post your comments . If any nice applications other than this are known to you, let me know please post it here .

Reclaim your life with the new ubuntu 9.10 .What it has given you is a Smooth Shuffle to your computer and your life.Your old Windows XP would be with you running inside your new linux .Don’t believe it? .Here i am ,to tell you how it happens .You download an Ubuntu 9.10 cd burn it run it.Ok ,i know you all need to change to linux not because you love linux it is because you need to get rid of that ugly trojans ,junk files,viruses, bugs, security flaws,non responsive applications and what else you need to change.But you are not doing it because you dont want to loose your faavourite files with which you have fallen in love years ago.Ok do the impossible.

Reboot your computer with the disk and a USB drive .Now go and get yourself a cup of coffee.You have done a lot ,you deserve one.Oh! what is this ,something is happening to my computer ,dont care it will be allright.Go for a walk when you return you can see your computer running xp as an application in it with the new os ubuntu just waiting for you.

How does it happen.Ubuntu converts your windows XP to a virtual partition and copies it all files and settings and make it run as a virtual machine in your computer.Does it sound great .Yes the Era of free software is not far away…. Ubuntu 9.10 launches on 28th october ,beta version is available here.

Also take a look at five linux tricks you should know ,kde vs gnome and top 7 linux distributions .

About me : I am just a fan of Linux

Cairo-Dock is an  application launch bar for your ubuntu, comparable to the dock in Mac OS X or Rocket Dock (for Windows).it is compatible with Beryl, Compiz, Metacity+xcompmgr and kwin.Even though there are applications like Simdock  and AWN in ubuntu for dock stimulation ,I think this one faster and eye candy.Cairo-Dock can work with  GNOME, KDE and XFCE desktop environments.

Installation

From Repository( for ubuntu 8.04 to 9.10 only )

1.Open the sources.list file to add your Cairo-dock repository

gksudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

2.Add the appropriate repository to the end of the file according to your version of Ubuntu

deb http://repository.cairo-dock.org/ubuntu karmic cairo-dock // For Ubuntu 9.10

deb http://repository.cairo-dock.org/ubuntu jaunty cairo-dock // For Ubuntu 9.04

deb http://repository.cairo-dock.org/ubuntu intrepid cairo-dock // For Ubuntu 8.10

deb http://repository.cairo-dock.org/ubuntu hardy cairo-dock // For ubuntu 8.04

3.Type in

wget -q http://repository.cairo-dock.org/cairo-dock.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -

4.Finally to install cairo-dock give this command in Terminal

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install cairo-dock cairo-dock-plug-ins

You are done.Enjoy the dock customising it further.

keywords linux dock cairo dock gnome ubuntu 9.10 compiz beryl kwin

I know you need to shift to Linux from Windows as you can’t afford the side effects of windows. If you are having this feeling then this article is really for you. Like you i too, was a user of Windows and decided to shift to Linux when i was fed up with it. This was mainly because of the virus attacks and lack of stability of Windows . You know once i installed windows XP four times a day. One of my friends advised me to take a look at Linux . I have taken his advice , but soon came back to windows , when i found it was not right for me. But more and more nasty windows events took place and i made my mind to shift to Linux and the first Linux distribution in my life was Knoppix. Later i came to use Ubuntu and the journey in my Linux world continues.
Let me say, these days almost all programs which are for Windows are available for linux, atleast something like that do exist. Here are a list of few programs you should not miss when shifting to linux.
1. vlc player for linux , Mplayer also recommended.
2.Mozilla Firefox (available by default for most distributions).
3.OpenOffice
4.If you are an IRC freak then consider, Xchat
5.Interested in Virtualization , Virtual Box from Sun is a good option.
6.Amarok Music Player
7.For bittorrent clients consider Deluge , Azure, or Ktorrent .
8.K3B for cd burning.
9.GIMP image editor
10.Gwenview , default image viewer for KDE.
11.Text Editor Nano or Emacs or Vi(advanced).

Personally it is best to start with Ubuntu and if needed you can change to other advanced distros. Now Ubuntu 9.10 is available.If you are too skeptic about your Windows XP, then there is smooth shuffle program for linux which transforms your old XP to a virtual machine. Download any Linux distribution and feel the spirit of free software.

keywords windows becomes linux linux windows

ubuntu_pendrive_install

Here is a trick which enables you to install ubuntu 9.10 on a pen drive.

Just follow the steps:

1.fire your pc with the ubuntu live cd .

2.When the system comes to its functional state from the system menu select administration and then USB startup disk creator.

3.Make sure your pc boot option is set to USB boot in the bios of your system.

4.Restart your pc and it will run ubuntu 9.10 from your thumb drive.

Note: 2GB USB drive is enough for the installation of ubuntu on the pen drive.For a regular install 8 GB drive is necessary as 4 GB leaves  only a little space.The following steps illustrate a persistent install on USB drive.

1.Download the linux .iso file which is the ubuntu 9.10 .iso image.

2.Download the USB Installer For Ubuntu program from the address. http://www.pendrivelinux.com/downloads/u910/USB-Installer-for-Ubuntu-v0.2.exe.

3.Follow the instructions on the screen and wait for installation to complete.

4.Reboot the system and set the bios to boot from USB drive .

Now you will be booting your ubuntu 9.10 live cd to which you can make persistent changes.