DoudouLinux 1.0

DoudouLinux is a Linux distribution for children, designed to be both educational and fun. It can be used from a CD/DVD or an USB stick so you don't have to install it. We've reviewed it a while back so check out that post for more info.

The first stable DoudouLinux version was released earlier this month. DoudouLinux 1.0 "Gondwana" is based on Debian Lenny and supports 15 languages, using 5 different alphabets. Here are the most important changes in DoudouLinux 1.0:

• three new applications: Songwrite (a simple song editor and player which defaults to use fingerings and tabs instead of the musical notation), Stopmotion (animation movie creator - using this app, you can make videos from a series of photos in which the characters are slightly moved from one shot to another) and Jukebox (a small launcher that plays the music files in the user’s Music directory)
• new startup / shutdown graphics and music
• songs for children
• better hardware support, especially for networking and wifi (Network Manager has replaced lxnm)

Songwrite and Stopmotion aren't exactly for young children, but there are quite a few applications for children of any age, like: Tux Paint, Piano Keyboard, Childsplay and lots more.

DoudouLinux 1.0 is the last release based on Debian Lenny and the next version will use Debian Squeeze as a base and will be ported to the ARM platform.

Written by Andrew in Web Upd8

Get Rid Of PPA "404 Not Found" Messages When Running "apt-get update"

If you type the wrong PPA address when adding a PPA or you add a PPA that doesn't provide packages for your Ubuntu version, you'll get a "404 Not Found" error message when running "apt-get update".

These errors are pretty much harmless (though they probably slow down "apt-get update" a bit) but if you want to get rid of them anyway, you must disable the PPAs that cause the 404 errors via Software Sources. If you want an easier, automated way to disable the PPAs that cause these errors, give "fix404" a try.

"fix404" is a simple script that checks for "404 not found" messages for all the PPAs added to your software sources and prompts you to disable them:

"fix404" will prompt twice for each PPA - that's because it needs to disable both the binary and the source line.

By the way, if you want to check which Ubuntu versions are supported by each PPA you've added, use "checklp".

Installation

The "fix404" PPA is only available for Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal - add it and install it using the commands below:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:lkjoel/fix404
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install fix404

For other Ubuntu versions, you can download the .deb file from HERE.

To use "fix404", run the following command in a terminal:

sudo fix404

Update: the last command is required because I've found a bug in this script (the permission of the modified .list files is changed). I've reported the bug so hopefully it will be fixed. The bug has been fixed. In case you've ran fix404 before the fix and get an Update Manager error, run this command in a terminal: "sudo chmod 644 /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*".


Also see: Launchpad-Getkeys, a tool to automatically import all missing PPA GPG keys.

Thanks to lkubuntu for the script!

 

Written by Andrew in Web Upd8http://www.webupd8.org/2011/07/get-rid-of-ppa-404-not-found-messages.html#more

5 Beautiful Plank Themes

Plank is new dock for Linux written in Vala, developed by the Docky team.

1. Glass Pill:

Download

2. Ubuntu Panel:

Download

3. HUD:

Download

4. Froyo:

Download

5. Rounded Glass:

Download

Usage

To install Plank in Ubuntu, use the commands below (this will add the Plank/Docky testing PPA):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ricotz/docky
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install plank

The above PPA is available for Ubuntu Oneiric, Natty and Maverick.


To use a theme, make a backup of the original Plank theme under ~/.config/plank/theme/ and then extract the downloaded theme into this folder (~/.config/plank/theme/), replacing the already existing files. Note: ~/.config/ is a hidden folder in your home directory so press CTRL + H to see it.


Themes thanks to Cassidy James; via elementaryositdev

Written by Andrew in Web Upd8

Android App To Send And Receive Text Messages Via Gmail Or GTalk: DesktopSMS

DesktopSMS is an Android application that forwards SMS messages from your phone to GMail or Google Talk. You can even reply to these text messages, either using Gmail or using your favourite IM client (it needs to support Google Talk).

While replying to text messages via Gmail is as easy as replying to an email, using DesktopSMS with Google Talk makes it a bit annoying because you have to add each contact that texts you to your Gtalk. Also, when someone sends an SMS for the first time, Google Talk displays a pop-up to add that person as a friend, but the initial SMS is not displayed.

DesktopSMS was created by the ROM Manger developer and is currently in beta. In my initial test, there was a delay when replying to text messages via Gmail, but this didn't happen in a later test. Still, this is currently in beta so you may encounter delays or other bugs, so use DesktopSMS at your own risk.

Download DesktopSMS

Thanks to Matt for the tip!

Written by Andrew in Wep Upd8

Facebook Notifier With Ubuntu Messaging Menu Integration: FBuntu

FBuntu is an application that integrates Facebook into the Ubuntu Messaging Menu and displays NotifyOSD notifications for each new Facebook notification you receive.

The application is a bit difficult to set up but I've tried to make it easier so all you have to do is copy/paste a few commands:

1. Install BZR and get FBuntu using the commands below:

sudo apt-get install bzr
cd
bzr branch lp:fbuntu

2. Click THIS link to authorize FBuntu with Facebook. After authorizing the application, copy the link to which it redirects and paste it into the url="" field (it's on line 24) in the auth.py.example file (you'll find it in the fbuntu folder in your home directory).

3. Use the commands below to copy the facebook.png file into the ~/.icons folder, rename auth.py.example to auth.py and run Fbuntu:

cd
mkdir -p ~/.icons
cp fbuntu/facebook.png ~/.icons/
mv fbuntu/auth.py.example fbuntu/auth.py
python ~/fbuntu/fbuntu.py

The last command above should start FBuntu.

For enabling inbox notifications, see the README file. In my test, I got a lot of notifications after enabling this so it may be better to leave this off.


If you want to report a bug or contribute code, you can find FBuntu @ Launchpad.

Thanks to Greg for the tip!

Written by Andrew in Web Upd8