Installing Vidyo on Ubuntu 16.10
Posted: May 12, 2017 Filed under: Computers, Linux | Tags: hacks, installation, Linux, vidyo Leave a comment »I need to use Vidyo conferencing software for some projects I’m on. Because I just reinstalled Ubuntu 16.04, I needed to reinstall the Vidyo desktop.
This is not easy, since the installation file Vidyo directs you to contains a dependency that is not available on Ubuntu 16.10 (libqt4-gui).
There are various solutions out there, though I was not able to get the one proposed by Vidyo itself to work.
The one that did work for me is on the CERN site. Read the rest of this entry »
Displaylink and Ubuntu 16.10 and 17.04
Posted: May 11, 2017 Filed under: Computers, Linux | Tags: displaylink, Linux, monitors, setup, ubuntu Leave a comment »I have a new supercool three screen setup in my office.
To run this, I am using two cables: A old-style displayport cable to the middle screen, and HDMI cables, via a Dell USB3 Docking station, to the side screens.
Running screens via a USB docking station requires me to use DisplayLink. Fortunately, Displaylink have an Ubuntu driver. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to work with 17.04 and getting it to work well with 16.10 LTS requires a little fiddling. Read the rest of this entry »
How to backup an Ubuntu system using Dropbox
Posted: May 11, 2016 Filed under: Computers, Linux Leave a comment »How you do this depends on whether you are setting it up for the first time or want to restore already-saved files from Dropbox to their correct place.
First time (i.e. you have never used dropbox to backup your files)
- Install dropbox
- In the terminal, navigate to the Dropbox folder (probably
~/Dropbox) - Soft link to each directory you want to backup in dropbox (i.e.
ln -s ~/Documents .,ln -s ~/Desktop . Read the rest of this entry »
Dual booting Windows 10 and Ubuntu 15.04
Posted: August 8, 2015 Filed under: Computers, Linux Leave a comment »Some quick notes, from memory, about how I successfully setup Windows 10 and Ubuntu 15.04 to dual boot. The starting point was a new Windows 8.1 computer which I then updated to Windows 10.
Warning about this post
Before you do anything at all, realise that following the instructions here could completely destroy your computer’s software: you might end up bricking it (i.e. changing it so that nothing starts); you might end up wiping out your data, the original operation system, or something else. I don’t mind that kind of thing happening to me and I’ve never not been able to fix things back. But I also have support you may not: e. Read the rest of this entry »
Problems with Cisco Anyconnect on Ubuntu 14.04 (Breaks Internet Connections)
Posted: January 11, 2015 Filed under: Computers, Linux | Tags: anyconnect, Computers, fixes, Linux, vpn Leave a comment » This blog is about resolving an issue I had after installing Cisco Anyconnect, the U of L’s VPN client. If you're having trouble with the internet connections on your business, EATEL Business might be the solution to your problems, make sure you visit website. This is an aide memoire for me, but might be useful to others. The information comes from, with the first being most useful for this particular case:Problems with Cisco Anyconnect on Ubuntu 14.04 (Breaks Internet Connections)
Posted: January 11, 2015 Filed under: Computers, Linux | Tags: anyconnect, Computers, fixes, Linux, vpn Leave a comment »This blog is about resolving an issue I had after installing Cisco Anyconnect, the U of L’s VPN client.
This is an aide memoire for me, but might be useful to others. The information comes from, with the first being most useful for this particular case:
- http://askubuntu.com/questions/264398/cisco-anyconnect-vpn-client-broke-my-internet
- http://askubuntu.com/questions/225134/cannot-connect-to-the-internet-after-installing-cisco-anyconnect-vpn-client
- http://askubuntu.com/questions/3518/connecting-to-vpn-prevents-access-to-normal-web-sites Read the rest of this entry »
Mounting University of Lethbridge “P” and “W” drives under Linux
Posted: February 19, 2014 Filed under: Computers, Linux | Tags: cifs, Computers, Linux, network drives, networking, systems, Tips, ubuntu, uleth, windows Leave a comment »Here’s how to find the “P” and “W” drives at the University of Lethbridge.
Contents
“P” drives
Your “P” drive is the windows share that represents your standard network desktop (i.e. the thing you see if you log into a classroom or other computer on campus).
Read the rest of this entry »Mounting University of Lethbridge “P” and “W” drives under Linux
Posted: February 19, 2014 Filed under: Computers, Linux Leave a comment »Here’s how to find the “P” and “W” drives at the University of Lethbridge.
“P” drives
Your “P” drive is the windows share that represents your standard network desktop (i.e. the thing you see if you log into a classroom or other computer on campus).
The address is ulhome.uleth.ca/$USER where $USER is your account username (the same as the lefthand side of your uleth email account, or, in my case, daniel.odonnell. Read the rest of this entry »
Installing Zotero in Ubuntu
Posted: June 14, 2012 Filed under: Applications, Linux, Technical Notes, zotero | Tags: Computers, gnome, Linux, zotero Leave a comment »See the excellent post here.
http://anterotesis.com/wordpress/2011/11/installing-zotero-standalone-on-ubuntu-11-10/
To install the .desktop, I used the application launcher under system>preferences>main menu.
How to draw a circle in GIMP. Seriously.
Posted: June 14, 2012 Filed under: Applications, GIMP, Linux, Technical Notes | Tags: Computers, GIMP, graphics, Tips Leave a comment »I use GIMP, the free graphics software package, all the time. But boy it can be awkward at times. Here’s how to draw a circle or elipse (like the one in the photo below):
Ellipse select tool > Start selecting > Hold down shift > Click on the circle to select it > Edit (Menu) > Stroke Selection – Voila!
Alternative method: Select a circle again > Fill it > Select (menu) > Shrink few pixels > Delete
Seriously?
Weaponised viruses: Flame and Stuxnet
Posted: June 9, 2012 Filed under: Applications, Linux, News, Notes, Virus, Windows | Tags: computer virus, Computers, espionage, Flame, malware, politics, Stuxnet Leave a comment »The Globe and Mail has an article today about evidence that the makers of Flame, which it describes as “the most complex pieces of malware ever designed,” are issuing instructions for it to self destruct. The article follows on an astounding New York Times piece on June 1st, linking the Stuxnet virus directly to the United States and Bush and Obama administrations.
set date and time from commandzone
Posted: November 22, 2011 Filed under: Applications, Linux, Technical Notes | Tags: command-line, Computers, Linux, Tips Leave a comment »As the title suggests
Change date using touch
Posted: October 18, 2011 Filed under: Applications, Linux, Technical Notes | Tags: Computers, Linux Leave a comment »#!/bin/sh
for i in *; do
touch -r "$i" -d "-1 years" "$i"
done
Fixing Touchpad in Aspire One
Posted: July 18, 2011 Filed under: Applications, Hardware, Linux, Technical Notes | Tags: Computers, Linux Leave a comment » In my Natty install, my trackpad suddenly stopped working. Apparently this has something to do with a mixup between gconf and the hardware. To fix it, follow the instructions here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-input-synaptics/+bug/549727/comments/103 Read the rest of this entry »Modify grub menu in grub2
Posted: February 12, 2011 Filed under: Applications, Linux, Technical Notes | Tags: Computers, Linux, Teaching Leave a comment »Recent versions of Ubuntu no longer have the old menu.lst. Now the file is regenerated each time you run update-grub.
If you need to modify simple stuff in the menu (like turning off quiet boot) you can change common lines by editing the following file and running sudo update-grub afterwards: /etc/default/grub.
