Ubuntu Hacks: Tips & Tools for Exploring, Using, and Tuning Linux

by Jonathan Oxer, Kyle Rankin, Bill Childers

Overview

Ubuntu Linux—the most popular Linux distribution on the planet—preserves the spirit embodied in the ancient African word ubuntu, which means both "humanity to others" and "I am what I am because of who we all are." Ubuntu won the Linux Journal Reader's Choice Award for best Linux distribution and is consistently the top-ranked Linux variant on DistroWatch.com. The reason this distribution is so widely popular is that Ubuntu is designed to be useful, usable, customizable, and always available for free worldwide.

Ubuntu Hacks is your one-stop source for all of the community knowledge you need to get the most out of Ubuntu: a collection of 100 tips and tools to help new and experienced Linux users install, configure, and customize Ubuntu. With this set of hacks, you can get Ubuntu Linux working exactly the way you need it to. Learn how to:

• Install and test-drive Ubuntu Linux.
• Keep your system running smoothly
• Turn Ubuntu into a multimedia powerhouse: rip and burn discs, watch videos, listen to music, and more
• Take Ubuntu on the road with Wi-Fi wireless networking, Bluetooth, etc.
• Hook up multiple displays and enable your video card's 3-D acceleration
• Run Ubuntu with virtualization technology such as Xen and VMware
• Tighten your system's security
• Set up an Ubuntu-powered server

Ubuntu Hacks will not only show you how to get everything working just right, you will also have a great time doing it as you explore the powerful features lurking within Ubuntu.

"Put in a nutshell, this book is a collection of around 100 tips and tricks which the authors choose to call hacks, which explain how to accomplish various tasks in Ubuntu Linux. The so called hacks range from down right ordinary to the other end of the spectrum of doing specialised things...More over, each and every tip in this book has been tested by the authors on the latest version of Ubuntu (Dapper Drake) and is guaranteed to work. In writing this book, it is clear that the authors have put in a lot of hard work in covering all facets of configuring this popular Linux distribution which makes this book a worth while buy."
— Ravi Kumar, Slashdot.org

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780596527204
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/28/2006
Series:	Hacks
Pages:	447
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Oxer is the founder and technical director of Internet Vision Technologies in Australia, as well as the past president of Linux Australia, the national organization for Linux users, developers, and vendors.

Kyle Rankin is a system administrator who enjoys troubleshooting, problem solving, and system recovery. He is also the author of Knoppix Hacks, Knoppix Pocket Reference, Linux Multimedia Hacks, and Ubuntu Hacks for O'Reilly Media. He has been using Linux in many different forms since 1998, and has used live CDs to demo Linux and troubleshoot machines — from DemoLinux to the LinuxCare bootable toolbox to Knoppix.

Bill Childers is Director of Enterprise Systems for Quinstreet, Inc. He's been working with Linux and Unix since before it was cool, and previously worked for Sun Microsystems and Set Engineering.

Table of Contents

Credits; About the Authors; Contributors; Acknowledgments; Preface; Why Ubuntu Hacks?; How to Use This Book; How This Book Is Organized; Conventions Used in This Book; Using Code Examples; Safari Enabled; How to Contact Us; Got a Hack?; Chapter 1: Getting Started; 1 Test-Drive Ubuntu; 2 Get Help; 3 Make Live CD Data Persistent; 4 Customize the Ubuntu Live CD; 5 Install Ubuntu; 6 Dual-Boot Ubuntu and Windows; 7 Move Your Windows Data to Ubuntu; 8 Install Ubuntu on a Mac; 9 Set Up Your Printer; 10 Install Ubuntu on an External Drive; 11 Install from a Network Boot Server; 12 Submit a Bug Report; 13 Use the Command Line; 14 Get Productive with Applications; Chapter 2: The Linux Desktop; 15 Get Under the Hood of the GNOME Desktop; 16 Tweak the KDE Desktop; 17 Switch to a Lighter Window Manager; 18 Install Java; 19 Search Your Computer; 20 Access Remote Filesystems; 21 Tweak Your Desktop Like a Pro; 22 Sync Your Palm PDA; 23 Sync Your Pocket PC; 24 Customize the Right-Click Contextual Menu; 25 Download and Share Files with the Best P2P Software; 26 Make Your Own PDFs; 27 Blog with Ubuntu; Chapter 3: Multimedia; 28 Install Multimedia Plug-ins; 29 Watch Videos; 30 Play DVDs; 31 Buy Songs at the iTunes Music Store; 32 Get a Grip on CD Ripping; 33 Burn CDs and DVDs; 34 Automate Audio CD Burning; 35 Rip and Encode DVDs; 36 Create a Video DVD; 37 Connect to a Digital Camera; Chapter 4: Mobile Ubuntu; 38 Put Your Laptop to Sleep; 39 Hibernate Your Laptop; 40 Prolong Your Battery Life; 41 Get Proprietary Wireless Cards Working; 42 Roam Wirelessly; 43 Make Laptop Settings Roam with Your Network; 44 Make Bluetooth Connections; 45 Expand Your Laptop; 46 Hotswap Your Laptop's Optical Drive; Chapter 5: X11; 47 Configure Multibutton Mice; 48 Enable Your Multimedia Keyboard; 49 Configure a Touchpad; 50 Connect Multiple Displays; 51 Change the Ubuntu Splash Screen; 52 Enable 3-D Video Acceleration; 53 Make Your Fonts Pretty; Chapter 6: Package Management; 54 Manage Packages from the Command Line; 55 Manage Packages with Synaptic; 56 Manage Packages with Adept; 57 Install and Remove Standalone .deb Files; 58 Search for Packages from the Command Line; 59 Install Software from Source; 60 Modify the List of Package Repositories; 61 Cache Packages Locally with Apt-cacher; 62 Create an Ubuntu Package; 63 Compile a Source Package; 64 Convert Non-Ubuntu Packages; 65 Create Your Own Package Repository; 66 Convert Debian to Ubuntu; Chapter 7: Security; 67 Limit Permissions with sudo; 68 Manage Security Updates; 69 Protect Your Network with a Firewall; 70 Use an Encrypted Filesystem to Protect Your Data; 71 Encrypt Your Email and Important Files; 72 Surf the Web Anonymously; 73 Keep Windows Malware off Your System; Chapter 8: Administration; 74 Edit Configuration Files; 75 Manage Users and Groups; 76 Mount Any Filesystem; 77 Control Startup Services; 78 Build Kernels the Ubuntu Way; 79 Back Up Your System; 80 Clone an Installation; 81 Rescue an Unbootable System; 82 Check the Captain's Log; 83 Mount Removable Devices with Persistent Names; 84 Mount Remote Directories Securely and Easily; 85 Make Videos of Your Tech-Support Questions; 86 Synchronize Files Across Machines; Chapter 9: Virtualization and Emulation; 87 Run Windows Applications; 88 Play Windows Games; 89 Run Ubuntu Inside Windows; 90 Use Xen to Host Virtual Machines; 91 Create an Ubuntu/Xen Virtual Machine; 92 Split Your Machine's Personality; Chapter 10: Small Office/Home Office Server; 93 Install and Configure an Ubuntu Server; 94 Build a File Server; 95 Administer Your Server Remotely; 96 Build a Web Server; 97 Build an Email Server; 98 Build a Caching Proxy Server; 99 Build a DHCP Server; 100 Build a Domain Name Server; Colophon;

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Ubuntu has become the world’s No. 1 Linux distribution: polished and reliable enough for newbies, powerful and advanced enough for the most sophisticated users. Whatever group you fall into, Ubuntu Hacks will help you get even more out of Ubuntu.

You’ll appreciate the authors’ up-front installation and configuration tips. (Did you know you can run the Ubuntu Live CD on any PC, plug in a USB key, boot, and have a fully working Ubuntu system with your own documents, settings, and programs?) There’s help on burning CDs, syncing handhelds, setting up wireless networks, and downloading even more software.

You’ll learn how to tighten security, automate backups, rescue unbootable systems, host multiple virtual machines, and set up all manner of servers. As with all of O’Reilly’s Hacks books, the emphasis is on solutions that are clever, creative -- and useful. Bill Camarda, from the August 2006 Read Only

bn.com

The one hack which takes the prize is that which explains how to buy songs at the iTunes music store and download the music on Linux....In writing this book, it is clear that the authors have put in a lot of hard work in covering all facets of configuring this popular Linux distribution which makes this book a worth while buy.

Slashdot.org