The wealth of applications on a modern Linux system is phenomenal, but sifting through screen after screen of menu items is no fun. Likewise, it's convenient to have all of your files in one place, but the more you have the longer you have to look for the one you need.

gnome-volume-manager is the Gnome daemon in charge of controlling how removable media is going to be treated in Linux (When using Gnome).

RIG (Random Identity Generator) is a free replacement for a shareware program out there called ‘fake’. It generates random, yet real-looking, personal data. It is useful if you need to feed a name to a Web site, BBS, or real person, and are too lazy to think of one yourself.

KDE 4.0 is the innovative Free Software desktop containing lots of applications for every day use as well as for specific purposes. Plasma is a new desktop shell developed for KDE 4, providing an intuitive interface to interact with the desktop and applications. The Konqueror web browser integrates the web with the desktop. The Dolphin file manager, the Okular document reader and the System Settings control center complete the basic desktop set.

Many Linux distributions try to be visually appealing. Some use Beryl-Compiz for cool 3-D effects on resource-laden boxes, while others turn to desktops like Enligtenment for a little bit of gloss at the expense of functionality. Geubuntu is a new distro that combines the best of those two worlds, equipping Enlightenment with bits from GNOME and Xfce on top of Ubuntu.

The KDE 4 series has begun with the release of 4.0. It is the start of something amazing. Kubuntu has packages for 7.10 and Hardy and there’s a Live CD for those wanting to try before installing.

Speaking Hangman is a cross-platform bilingual game that's both fun and educational, and suitable for the whole family. You'll need to have a Java 2 Java Runtime Environment installed on your system to play the game. If you're not sure if the version of Java you're running is adequate to the task, you can test it on the page you download the program from.

Lately I've been performing lots of fresh system installs, a result of testing my Ubuntu respin. Restoring my personal data after such an install is simple enough, but having to reinstall my Apache, MySQL & PHP set-up requires a little more effort. So, for future reference I've decided to record the process. By following the instructions below I should be able to get my development server up and running within minutes.

GNOME’s text editor, gedit, has a setting enabled by default that will leave heaps of hidden backup files even when the originals have been deleted.

For years, discerning Windows users have relied on Tweak UI, a semi-official Microsoft program for system settings not available on the default desktop. Now, in the same tradition and with something of the same name, Ubuntu Tweak (UT) offers the same advantage to Ubuntu users.

Osmo, a compact yet feature-rich personal information organizer for Linux, separates itself from the pack of other calendar applications due to its light weight and easy-to-use design. The GPL-licensed Osmo includes a datebook calendar, a to-do organizer, and a contacts list, all with lots of intuitive options.

Some distributions run a caching nameserver in the background out of the box while some do not. To clear the cache if you have such a daemon running, simply restart the nscd service in ubuntu.

O’Reilly, the organisers of Ubuntu Live, have just issued the call for papers for Ubuntu Live 2008. The theme of the event is “Taking it Further”, which I think is perfect for Ubuntu this year!

Applications running with Wine don’t have to look so appalling! Ubuntu 8.04 is planned to have usability improvements for Wine, among these improvements is a theme for Wine applications that matches the GTK theme. Can’t wait until April?

In the photography world, a prominent proprietary file format is Kodak's Photo CD (.PCD). Once the premiere format for film scanning, it is now a difficult-to-work-around relic. Recently I set out to resurrect some old PCD images on a Linux system -- a challenge that serves as an object lesson in the importance of open standards in any kind of digital archive.

I found myself toying with one of my test servers the other nite and realized that I didn’t know what the root password was for my MySQL database.  After a quick bit of Google searching I found a very easy solution.

If you use many search plugins for Firefox, you might be interested in a better way to organize them, rather than just choosing from a giant drop-down menu when you want to switch the search engine.

This is very useful if you want to block internet access to your kids or particular users. First you need to edit the network interfaces file using the following command:

Google has released a public beta of its Picasa photo organizer for Linux. The new release adds some important features for image browsing, image searching, and creative image export. If you haven't tried it before, now is the time.

Firefox 3 for Linux integrates with the current GTK theme. If you don’t want to run beta versions until the final release, you can get some of the same integration in Firefox 2 using a theme.

OProfile is a system-wide profiler for Linux systems, capable of profiling all running code at low overhead. OProfile is released under the GNU GPL.

Do you have multiple computers on your desktop? If you’re anything like me this happens from time to time. Alongside my main computer for example, I occasionally need to have my laptop on my desk. If you’re a computer-nut in any way, shape or form then the odds are in favor that you know what I’m talking about.

Multiple computers, each with their own (or several) screens. Each requiring you to switch between confusing sets of keyboards and mice. If this is the case with you, then you need Synergy.

Most common users are bored and play games. I decidet to buy Postal 2 Fudge pack. Since its native to Linux and your able to do what ever you like to do. To be honest its a kick in the but to find out how to get the game working. After a few error fixes and some searching. I noticed that it was missing some files. Its all on the DVD’s so no worries to download!

A DAM Server is a Digital Asset Management Server. In its purest form it is a central repository for your digital assets. This article will describe a Digital Image Asset Management Server and how to setup the Open Source alternative called Resourcespace.

I’m writing this mainly for my own reference. I note that a lot of people want to install Ubuntu on a laptop but choose to put it on an external USB hard drive. The result is usually that GRUB breaks when the external drive is not connected since it cannot locate the files needed to boot which are on the external drive.