Install Razor Lightweight Desktop in Ubuntu 12.10 & 12.04

Razor-qt is an advanced, easy-to-use, and fast desktop environment based on Qt technologies. It has been tailored for users who value simplicity, speed, and an intuitive interface. Unlike most desktop environments, Razor-qt also works fine with weak machines.

Razor-qt is a new open-source project, it works with various WMs. This simple tutorial will show you how to install Razor Desktop in Ubuntu using PPA

 Install Razor Desktop from PPA:

Hit Ctrl+Alt+T, copy and paste this command into terminal and hit enter to add the PPA. It supports Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, 11.10, 11.04, and 10.04.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:razor-qt/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install razorqt

Log out and select to log in with Razor Desktop:
 

Ubuntu Builder 2.3.0 Adds Support For Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal

Ubuntu Builder has been updated to version 2.3.0 recently which adds support for Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal and at the same time drops support for Natty. Ubuntu Builder is a tool with GUI that allows users to build a customized version of their Ubuntu-based distributions. The tool allows to customize either i386 or amd64 OS images.

 Ubuntu Builder Installation

Open the terminal and install Ubuntu Builder 2.3.0 in Ubuntu 12.10/12.04 or Linux Mint 13 with the following commands:
 
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:f-muriana/ubuntu-builder
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-builder 

Make Unity More Responsive in Ubuntu 12.10 with a Small Tweak

Ubuntu 12.10 has been released and you may have already started customizing it. Below is a small tweak that will make Unity dash more responsive.

Ubuntu 12.10 has a 'low graphics mode' that disables some dash and launcher effects like active blur and transparency. It also darkens dash for improved visibility. By sacrificing these effects, you can improve Unity performance.

This low graphics mode is enabled by default in llvmpipe software mode which is used as a fallback method if your system doesn't support 3D hardware acceleration. However, on high end systems, you can enable low graphics mode without getting into fallback renderer.

Low graphics mode can be enabled by adding following line to ~/.xprofile (if the file doesn't exist, create it)

export UNITY_LOW_GFX_MODE=1
 
Logout, and come back for the effect to take place.

To check if you are running llvmpipe software mode or not, run the following command:

glxgears -info

In software mode, you will get output like this:

GL_RENDERER = Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe (LLVM 3.1, 128 bits)

GL_VERSION = 2.1 Mesa 9.1-devel

GL_VENDOR = VMware, Inc.

Low graphics mode changes are mostly same as disabling blur and transparency effects through compiz config settings manager (CCSM). You can use either of these methods to improve Unity performance on your desktop.

via http://askubuntu.com

 

How To Add The BackTrack Repository To Ubuntu 12.10/12.04/11.10

BackTrack is a Ubuntu-based distribution built mainly for security testing and is provided for all user levels from beginners to advanced. The BackTrack distro provides professional users and hackers a large collection of open source tools and utilities that help in testing your hardware and network (wireless/wired) for security vulnerabilities. Their home page can be accessed here if you want to get more information about this Linux distro.

In this tutorial we will help you add the BackTrack repository to Ubuntu so that you can install BackTrack packages natively using "sudo apt-get install package" or from Ubuntu Software Center.

Getting Started

Open the terminal under Ubuntu 12.10/12.04/11.10 or older and run the following commands to add the BackTrack repository:

wget -q http://all.repository.backtrack-linux.org/backtrack.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -

sudo sh -c "echo 'deb http://all.repository.backtrack-linux.org revolution main microverse non-free testing' >> /etc/apt/sources.list"

sudo apt-get update 

sudo apt-get upgrade 

To check if the repository is added correctly, you can try to install this BackTrack package: 

sudo apt-get install backtrack-wallpapers
 
Or you can search BackTrack applications from Ubuntu Software Center: 




source http://www.upubuntu.com 

Get Nitrux OS - a new awesome icon set for your desktop

Nitrux OS was just uploaded on Gnome-look but it already has a very high rating. According to the author, Nitrux OS will be the default icon theme of the upcoming distro with the same name. The download file is very light, around 2.5 MB but it consists of 5 different sets and all are very awesome.

If the preview image on gnome-look is not enough for you, here are some screenshots of Nitrux OS Dark icons I just installed on my Mint desktop:

You can click here to directly download this beautiful icon set here from gnome-look. If you are using Ubuntu or any other Ubuntu-based distro, you can open the terminal and run the following commands to install it from the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:upubuntu-com/themes
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nitruxos

source: http://www.linuxandlife.com/