Upgrading Picasa from 3.0.0 to 3.8.0 on Ubuntu

The short answer: You can do it by downloading the Windows version and double clicking it. If you already have wine installed it will just take care of everything. If you don't have wine installed grab it via the software manager before going anywhere.

Don't Worry!

• It remembers all of your starred photos
• It remembers all of your organization as far as Folders go

What Sucks!

• Transferring any groups of images you've stored in "Albums" sucks, but it can be done!

1. Make sure Picasa is closed
2. Navigate to your home directory (ie. Adam)
3. Hit Ctrl+H to display hidden folders
4. Navigate through to
   .google > picasa > 3.0 > drive_c > Documents and Settings > YOURNAME > Local Settings > Application Data > Google > Picasa2Albums
5. Here you'll find a file with a crazy name filled with numbers and letters, double click it
6. These .pal files are what store your Album data, so copy all of them or open a new window
7. Navigate to:
   Applications > Wine > Browse C Drive > users > YOURNAME > Local Settings > Application Data > Google > Picasa2Albums > CRAZY NUMBERS
   The reason the directory structure is so similar is because a program named Wine was installed along with your original Picasa installation, but in a non-standard directory.

Why you should upgrade

Note that most of these reasons were, for whatever reason, poorly marketed.

• The area that displays the basic exif data now sits on the left instead of over top the image
• You have extended exif data available through the (i) button
• There is an easy to overlook (and poorly advertised) double arrow button above the tray that lets you hide the basic fixes menu! You can actually view images in full screen!
• You can install the Picasa to Facebook add on! To do this download the .pbz file (here) and then navigate to your downloads folder and copy it. Applications > Wine > Browse C Drive > Program Files > Google > Picasa 3 > buttons and paste it. Boo ya!

Notes

• After the first install make sure to go to Tools > Folder Management and remove your music directories and any other directories picasa shouldn't be browsing. If you click on Pictures folder at the top do not click on the Pictures buried in your "My Documents" or it will start registering duplicates.
• I don't think face-movie features work, I personally don't care. They are dumb
• I don't know how effective face recognition features are.

Deets: I am running Ubuntu 10.04, Wine 1.2, Picasa 3.0.0 > 3.8.0, Chrome setup as the go to browser (System>Preferences>Preferred Applications)

Keyboard Shortcuts

First of all, I am more of a point and click guy for getting things done. I know a couple of keyboard shortcuts, but I tend to find a menu to get things done. There are a couple of exceptions, but not too many. Here are two new ones to add to your repertoire.

• F2 and F3.

Easy to memorize right? F2 is they shortcut to rename a file when in the file browser (Nautilus). When I first switched over to Ubuntu from Windows not being able to click-pause-click to rename a file was one of the obstacles I stumbled over (and over again). It was a dumb way to rename a file, but it was ingrained in me. In Ubuntu I've gotten in the habit of right clicking the file then hitting 'r' on the keyboard to jump into renaming. Today I found F2. It seems once you find a way to do something you continue for quite some time even if you think that it is slow and there ought to be a better way to get things done.

F3 is a shortcut for Nautilus as well and it splits the main browsing screen in half. You can also use tabs for a similar effect (ctrl+t or file>new tab), but I've found this little trick to be more visually appealing. In both instances you can highlight files from one window, or tab, and drag them to another.

Also 10.10 came out! I'll probably wait till the next release as 10.04 is treating me fine, but who knows. It is hard to resist a free upgrade.

New Ubunt Font Released

You can grab it from the packages site.
Click on "all" under "Download TTF..."
From there you just double click to install.

To implement the font you need to navigate to: System > Preferences > Fonts
Once there you can change all of the fonts from Sans to Ubuntu, and Sans Bold to Ubuntu Bold.
There is no mono-space Ubuntu font yet, so just leave that one alone

This is just me, but I found the following settings to produce the most readable content

• Application Font: Ubuntu @ 11
• Document Font: Ubuntu @ 10
• Desktop Font: Ubuntu - Bold @ 10
• Window Title Font: Ubuntu - Bold @ 11
• Fixed Width Font: Monospace @ 10

Another really pretty font, if you don't dig Ubuntu is Aler. It is available for free! To install it simply double click on the font and click "install font"

Simple enough right? God I love Ubuntu.

Docks in Ubuntu

Mac's use a nifty looking dock at the bottom of the screen instead of the bar we Ubuntu users have. I thought it sounded like a novel idea, and figured there was a reason that all of the mac users like it.

Reporting back after trying AWN, Docky, and a few other no name ones: They all suck

They are a little fun at first but none of them are ready for prime time. Here are the major disadvantages I noticed. They didn't all have all of these problems, but they all had some.

• Transparency. Sure it looks nifty to have a "3D" dock, but it eats up resources and compiz needs to be enabled to use it! The only thing I've found pretty that compiz adds as are the drop shadows behind windows and even those piss me off when I have two windows side by side! Transparent window titles is a silly idea, that is where the most important data is that I need to see. I can live without the smooth maximize and minimize. It is nice little bit of gloss, but if I am closing a window it is because I want it out of the way, the faster the better.
• Stacks / Organization / Drawer It is terrible to try and put all of your web browsers in a folder labeled "Web Browsers" with a web browser icon. I just wanted to have access to each of the browsers in one spot. This goes double for the bar that is already there, just don't bother using the Drawer feature, terrible. End Result: Just lay them all out across the top bar, there is plenty of space up there.
• Window Management So I thought window management and program management would be the two main reasons for these docks, to nicely combine the two and look pretty. Wrong-O. They all stink. Docky uses the ugliest transitions to let you know you've clicked on an icon, a different ugly one for when the program loads, heck the dumb thing changes size when you hover over it. All of them had issues combining the icons for the launcher and the windows that were opened. I don't know if it is a "mac-standard" to keep these separate, but it is confusing as hell. You have notepad open and accidentally click on the launcher instead of the window? Well you are going to fire up another copy of notepad. "Slightly annoying" you say? Try doing it with Picassa or Virtual Box, not so funny.
• Themes Dear lord these can be hideous and annoying to "rate". I am sure there are some OK ones out there, and the 4 in AWN that look nearly identical aren't bad, but the majority of them are painful to look at. There is one that is supposed to model ancient china or something; wooden panel, samurai icons that all look the same. Oh yeah, that one made me stop and think about who made that one.

This isn't an in depth review, it is just some advice; "Stick with what Ubuntu has given you, it works better than you think" The one change I have made after all of this is a simple one.

1. Right click on the divider of the Window List on the bottom panel
2. Select Preferences
3. Change "Window Grouping" to Always
4. Hit Close

Best of luck staying organized,

Knoxy

Auto-Login From Hibernation

The Problem:
When you close you laptop it hibernates. Later when you open your laptop and hit the power button it asks for a log-in password. You have the computer set to auto-log-in, but no dice.

The Solution (Folder hierarchy is specific to Ubuntu 10.04):

1. Boot up that laptop
2. Press Alt+F2; this brings up the "Run Application" Dialog Box
3. Type in "gconf-editor" and hit "Run"
4. Hit the plus box next to "apps" then "gnome-power-manager"
5. Click on the "lock" folder
6. Uncheck the boxes next to "hibernate" and "suspend"
7. Making these changes automatically applies them, so you can now close the window.
8. Celebrate by testing it!

Fresh Lucid Lynx Install? Time to grab some software

The following is a list of software I recommend downloading on your fresh Lucid Lynx install.

1. Run updates (just in case it isn't as fresh as you think!)
• System > Administration > Update Manager
• While we are here let's take a moment to adjust the settings (button is in the lower left hand corner of the Update Manager window)
• I prefer to have Ubuntu check for updates weekly, and to install security updates without confirmation. Choose whatever suits you though. Hit close to save and exit.
2. Open up the Ubuntu Software Center and search for the following:
• Applications > Ubuntu Software Center
1. Ubuntu Restricted Extras
• This gets you set up to play MP3s, Java, Flash, and installs the core fonts used in microsoft (and a lot of websites)
2. VLC
• A simple video/audio player
3. HomeBank
• For personal accounting
4. Advanced Desktop Effects Settings
• This lets you play around with some of the more advanced effects that your computer is capable of. You often have to install this for other effects altering tutorials, so it is nice to just get it installed now.
• Let's finish of DVD playing by unlocking the DVD reader we downloaded. To do this we have to enter some code into Terminal
1. Open up an instance of terminal by going to Applications > Accessories > Terminal
2. Terminal doesn't like keyboard shortcuts, so when you go to paste code you have to right click and select paste. That said.
3. Paste the following code:
   

   sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

3. Now for the software where you have to visit their sites
• This can be a bit confusing, but you are looking for files that end in .deb (instead of .exe) and are built for i386 or 32bit computers. i386 is just a fancy way of saying 32bit. And because there are two ways to say it everybody disagrees about which is correct.
1. Picasa
• A great photo organizer that lets you upload photos to your web albums account, and e-mail them.
• http://picasa.google.com/linux/download.html#picasa30
• Again you want the .deb file for Debian/Ubuntu i386. This is the second option.
• Download, double click, and hit install. If it says there is an error or something is corrupt, then download it again.
2. Skype
• Perfect for online chatting.
• http://www.skype.com/download/skype/linux/choose/
• Lucid Lynx was released in April of 2010 (so it is 10.04), this is above 8.10, and we want the 32-bit release.
• Download, double click, and hit install. If it says there is an error or something is corrupt, then download it again.
4. And last but not least the random ones that sneak through the cracks in the ground.
1. Community Themes, is quite what the title suggests. You don't like the greys and blacks around your windows? Neither did I!
• You can download this one by clicking on community themes there are tougher ways to grab it, but after all the good work you've done today this one is a freebie

I'll keep this post updated with any software I stumble upon.  If there is something you want your computer to do that it isn't doing then browse around the Software Center.

Best of luck
Knoxy

Mount Iso, bin easy

search mount bin in the apps, it does not install a right click mount option. The app is installed in system tools in the applications menu. Ta Da

Correcting Shadows

When "normal" or "Extra" Visual Effects are turned on, the shadow from the top toolbar is over windows.

To check this, right click on the desktop and go to Change Desktop Background. From here click on the last tab "Visual Effects"
Normal or Extra will probably be ticked, if not you should tick it Normal as it makes things a bit easier on the eyes.

To fix it:
System > Preferences > CompizConfig Settings Manager
(If this is not visible it may either be hidden or not installed.)

In Compiz Config Settings Manager scroll down to Window Decoration (Under Effects)
Click on Window Decoration
Then copy and paste the following:
(any) & ! (class=Gnomre-panel)
into the "Shadaow windows" text entry box.

Ta DA, Windows are now a bit more legible.

A theme wizard for ubuntu on 1st time boot?

Sick of the poo colored theme? If you like the idea of a wizard that boots your first time and helps you choose a color theme you like, vote for it!

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/14963/

Tips, Trick, and Hot Keys

Ubuntu
Highlighting automatically copies the contents to the clipboard
Clicking the left and right mouse buttons together pastes
alt+F2 opens the "run" window

Firefox
Ctrl+L - Jumps to the address bar
Ctrl+K - Jumps to the search bar
alt+Enter - Opens in a new tab
Left and right mouse buttons together on a tab closes the tab

Awe, cool or Things doing what you want without you asking them

If you rank music on your ipod Songbird transfers these rankings to your computer when you dock it.

Nifty.

Having Songbird watch for new music

Edit > Preferences
Media Importer > Watched Folders

Check the box next to "Automatically watch..."
Click on "Browse" and navigate to your music folder
or if you are keeping your music in your music folder, type :

/home/YourName/Music

where "YourName" would be your name...

Gmail and Ubuntu

You ever click on an "email me" link to find it starts up evolution?

Me too, it is dumb, everyone should use gmail.

Here is how to have it launch a new tab in Firefox that opens up gmail and fills out the To: line and the Subject: line (if there was one in the link).

Go to
System>Preferences>Preffered Applications

Change Mail Reader from Evolution to Custom
Paste the following in the text box below

perl -MURI::Escape -e '$to= shift; if ($to =~ /^([^\?]+)\?(.*)$/){$to=$1;$args="&".$2;$args=~s/\&subject=/&su=/};$to =~ s/^mailto://i; exec("firefox","https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&cmid=22&to=".URI::Escape::uri_escape($to).$args);' '%s'

Hit close.
Fin (you don't even need to restart firefox to see if it works).
To check if it worked click here (don't actually send that e-mail)