Ubuntu Tips And Tricks

Turn The Google Menu Bar Into An Ubuntu-themed Panel

Google began rolling out a darker menu bar across its sites and services yesterday.
This minor similarity has led one developer to create a userstyle that replaces Google’s choice of menu bar with an Ubuntu Ambiance-themed ‘Panel’ style – even through to the highlight colour used in menus

Download

The userstyle is available to download from gnome-look.org.
Once fully download head to your Downloads folder and extract the .zip archive.
Next open your ‘Home’ folder and press ‘CTRL+H’ to reveal hidden files and folders.
Google Chrome/ium users need to move the css file to:

~/.config/chromium/Default/User StyleSheets/

Firefox users need to move the css file to:

~/.mozilla/firefox/yourProfile/chrome/

Going Further in Chrome

For an even greater Ambiance-themed Chrome you can also install: -

The credit goes to...

By Joey Sneddon, Published June 29, 2011 OMG Ubuntu

Neverputt

Neverputt is a 3D miniature golf game for 1-4 players. You are in the first-person hot-seat and must control the direction and velocity of the ball in order to be successful.

Neverputt

Whether you’d like to just relax and play a little putt-putt in peace, or challenge yourself with a bizarre combination of holes, Neverputt will not disappoint. It ships with seven different courses by default, ranging from easy to insanely difficult.

Many of the holes are similar to those you would see at a real miniature golf course, but some of the more complex holes provide pitfalls such as moving tiles and teleportation.

Neverputt is free software available for all currently supported versions of Ubuntu. For more information, please visit the project’s website on icculus. Please note that most of the information you find there will pertain to Neverputt’s better known big brother, Neverball.

By Brian Thomason, Published July 19, 2011 in OMG Ubuntu

I do not qualify for credit.

How-To Remove Old Kernel Entries From GRUB [Video]

As you may know, some people find Linux to be really challenging when they first try it out.
Because of this, I have launched a new segment called: “Ubuntu is Easy” and thought the OMG! Ubuntu! community – in the true nature of open source – could also assist Ubuntu newbies in finding their way around this great operating system.
In this tutorial I show you how to get rid of all of those extra boot menu entries that the system updater adds. These aren’t just menu entries, they’re actually different versions of the kernel, the core of a Linux operating system, so they take up space on your hard drive.
Watch to find out how to fix this problem, the easy way.

What topics do you think new users would find difficult?

Feel free to reply below, or write me on my Twitter or Facebook!

By Nixie Pixel, Published July 23, 2011 in OMG Ubuntu

A Surprisingly Easy Tip for Upgrading Ubuntu

Some versions of Ubuntu don’t automatically give you the option to upgrade to the latest version. In this week’s Ubuntu is Easy segment, I show you the easy way to upgrade Ubuntu to the latest release, which as of when this video was released is 11.04, Natty Narwhal!
Thanks for all your previous feedback with my last video! I came up with “Ubuntu is Easy” to help new Ubuntu users get more familiar with their new Linux operating system and see that you don’t have to be an expert with the command line to get things done.
Video produced on Linux Mint 10 using Kdenlive, Audacity, and GIMP.

Do you find the GUI works just as well as the CLI for upgrading?

Feel free to reply below, or write me on my Twitter or Facebook!

By Nixie Pixel, Published August 7, 2011 in OMG Ubuntu

Five beautifully simple Conky themes

The desktop system monitor that comes with an intimidating learning curve is capable of producing some stunning, flashy and crazy looking desktops.
Its equally adept at doing understated too, as this selection of five ‘simple’ Conky themes shows.
All you need to add them to your desktop is the ‘Conky’ package from the Software Centre. This can be installed in Ubuntu by hitting the button below.

To install, pick your favourite, download it, then extract it tour home folder, then run ‘Conky’ to see it on your desktop.
To tweak any of the theme – for example to change font sizes or screen position – you’ll need to edit the ‘.conkyrc’ file in your home folder.