1- Install the GIMP

The GIMP was removed from Ubuntu as a default application since 10.04, but it’s as great as ever. For most people, the GIMP covers all their image-editing needs. Is there anything more to say?

2- Install Arista

Arista Transcoder makes it easy to convert your media files for use on all your devices. It’s a non-geek oriented application in which you choose the device you have first and the file type. The device comes with presets for everything, from the iPad and multiple Android devices to the web and the Playstation 3. You can also download additional presets here so you can be sure that you’ll never have a problem converting your media files for a device. It’s both worry-free and powerful, the perfect app for everyone.

3- Install Redshift

I’ve reviewed redshift before, but that was when it’s wasn’t in the official repositories yet. My conclusion was unambiguous nonetheless; I can’t live without it. Redshift changes the color temperature of your screen as the day goes by, making it much easier to work during the night. You might think your screen color is too red at first, but after two days of use, I guarantee that you’ll love it!

4- Install Gnome Do

Gnome Do is a very popular add-on to the Gnome Desktop Environment. It’s designed to accelerate almost all tasks, like launching an application, doing system actions (shutting down the computer, controlling window actions, etc.), searching for files and more just by typing a word or two. Not only is it extremely efficient, but it’s also intuitive and fun to use.

5- Install a Dock

Apple’s signature item on their Mac operating system is the dock. I’m not a complete fan of the concept, but I have to admit that it is a great alternative to the bottom panel. Which dock you will prefer depends on your taste. If you want a highly configurable dock, get Avant Window Navigator (AWN or Avant for short). If you prefer a simple, worry-free solution, I’d say that the best ones are Docky.

Extra:

As an alternative (and if you’re geeky enough), you can get both Gnome-Do and Docky together. Docky is a derivative of Gome Do’s theme of the same name. The Do team wanted to create a mix between the two concepts and improve the way the user interacts with the OS. Unfortunately, this addon is missing from the Gnome-Do package on 10.10. It will return in Gnome Do version 2.2. In the meanwhile, you can downgrade your Gnome Do by uninstalling the package and installing the older version here, at then downloading the plugins here and docklets here.

6- Configure the desktop effects

Ubuntu ships with Desktop effects provided by Compiz-Fusion. Compiz makes your desktop beautiful, fluid and more fun, but it can also make you more productive. Effects like zooming out of multiple desktops are enabled by default (Super+E) are great, but who wants to reach for their keyboard everytime they want to zoom? CCSM (Advanced Desktop Effect Settings) is available in the Software Center. It’ll permit you to configure virtually anything on your desktop. Personally, I recommend activating the “Scale” plugin (akin to the Mac OS Exposé) and using at least two of your screen corners.

7- Stop Ubuntu from locking on sleep, suspend, and hibernate

There’s one thing in Ubuntu that really annoys me. Everytime I walk away from my laptop, anywhere between 5 minutes to a whole day, the desktop locks. That’s annoying if you keep closing and re-opening your PC, or if you use your machine only intermittently. Fortunately, there’s a fix for that.
If you want your computer not to lock when it goes to sleep, all you need to do is to uncheck the “Lock screen when screensaver is active” option in the Screensaver Preferences main window (System>Preferences>Screensaver). Disabling automatic screen-locking during suspend and hibernation is slightly harder. First of all, you have to run the Gconf editor, then unearth the right options. To bring up Gconf, hit F2 and then type “gconf-editor” (without the quotes). When the window appears, navigate to “/apps/gnome-power-manager/lock” and uncheck the “hibernate” and “suspend” lines.

8- Install Burg

If you are reading this article, chances are that you have more than one OS on your computer. If so, you see an ugly GRUB screen every time you boot your PC. The solution? Install BURG. BURG “beautifies” your bootloader with pretty themes, something you’d like to look at, something you’d appreciate to see.

To install BURG, first add the BURG PPA and download BURG to your system with the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:bean123ch/burg

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install burg burg-themes

You can then install burg to your MBR using the command below (substitute ‘hd0’ with an alternative drive if your MBR is not on your first hard drive).

sudo burg-install “(hd0)”

Finally, update BURG (If you do not do this, nothing will happen and you will still see your default GRUB):

sudo update-burg

BURG is now installed! When you see the default BURG screen hit ‘T’ and chose the theme that you prefer!

9- Set up Ubuntu One

I know this is not a tweak per se, and it can’t be considered an application as it comes pre-installed with Ubuntu 10.10, but you should really consider using Ubuntu One. Ubuntu One, for those who don’t know, is Ubuntu’s cloud solution. It’s incredibly well integrated with the OS; I’ve never seen a cloud solution as simple to use as this one. And if you have more than one computer, I don’t think there’s anything better to sync their files. Simply go to “System>Preferences>Ubuntu One”, create your account, and you’re ready to go!

10-Keep a tweak tool handy

Great! You’ve tweaked your system as I’ve told you (or not), now what? Well, there are thousands of applications to install so why not start by checking the Software center for more? There are also thousands of tweaks that you may discover to be perfect for you. Unfortunately, most of them are hidden. Fortunately, there are apps that serve as perfect tweaking guides for the customization-avid Ubuntu user. What tools do I recommend you? Two of them caught my attention: Ailurus and Ubuntu-Tweak, and both are pretty good. Ailurus (you can read my review here) is a great tool for users who want to learn more about their system, get accustomed with it, and then become good enough not to need the tool. Ubuntu Tweak, on the other hand, has no intention of teaching you about your system. it’s simpler to use, and has a better interface. The caveat is that you mught get a bit dependent on it in the long run (if you like customizing too much). You can download Ailurus here and Ubuntu Tweak here.

And so here they are, my ten recommended tweaks and apps for your new Ubuntu 10.10 install. Have I missed anything? Would you not recommend any one of this. What are your experiences? Please comment below.

Contact the author via email

1. It will be called “Lion”

Don’t laugh. It might be just a name, but it tells us a lot about the product.
First, it’s a clear cut from the previous OS X versions. Unlike “Snow Leopard”, which was a stripped down, polished and accelerated version of “Leopard”, “Lion” is destined to be something completely new.
They could have chosen another cat. Frankly, even OSX “Simba” sounds better than “Lion”. What about Lynx, Cougar, or even Clouded Leopard? But the Lion is after all the king of the jungle, which indicates that Apple is aiming high.
Snow Leopard is an excellent system, but Apple was resting on their laurels lately. Now that Windows and Ubuntu are slowly catching up, it’s time for some real change.

2. It will feature a redesigned UI

OS X has seen some small but significant UI design improvements along the years. The main theme, Aqua, now features a sleek gradient instead of the brushed metal featured in the previous OS X versions, but even a gradient can get old.
Newer apps, like AppZapper, Transmit or the CS5 suite have demonstrated new kinds of UI designs, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple change the way OS X looks.
Of course, when it comes to Apple, I’m always open to surprises, but the new UI is probably going to look like the one Quicktime X is using: dark, elegant and sleek.

3. Performance, performance, performance

Performance is like iOS apps, you can never get enough. Newer technologies allow more efficient coding, newer processors allow better multi-threading and multitasking.
But to be honest, OS X 10.6 is already bloody fast. So what could be improved? 3D performance is the answer. As it turns out, one of the largest gaming companies has recently opened its doors to Mac, and this will probably play a major role in OS X 10.7′s handling of heavy 3D graphics, or at least we shall hope so. I want to play Crysis on my MacBook!

4. Multitouch

Multitouch is at the core of Apple’s mobile technology, and it has already found its way to the Macintosh line: the truly phenomenal glass trackpad on unibody MacBook Pros and the Magic Trackpad rely on multitouch gestures to make the OS X experience so smooth.
More, deeper, and better multitouch integration is bound to be integrated to OS X in some way or another, be it thanks to hybrid MacBooks (A MacBook Air made of an iPad with a keyboard?) or simply gigantic multitouch surfaces on Cinema Displays.
Regardless of the way multitouch is used in OS X, one can safely state that the UI will have  a major impact here.

5. The cloud

I’m not a huge fan of the cloud. I like having my media on my own hard drives. But regardless of personal preferences, the fact remains that cloud storage becomes cheaper faster than physical storage does. Cloud apps becomes increasingly popular, and with the slow adoption of HTML5, they will be able to match desktop apps.
Apple knows that, and I would not be surprised to see their MobileMe scam being transformed into something actually quite usable. iTunes will, eventually, work like Spotify.

… And surprises

I recently ranted on and about Apple’s increasingly boring predictability. OS X Lion is the perfect occasion for Steve Jobs to rise back to his own standards and surprise the world with something revolutionary, something that we, mere mortals, simply can’t imagine.
October 20th will also probably be the day that iLife ’10 get’s unveiled, and maybe, who knows, some new hardware.
Any specific feature you’d like to see in OS X 10.7? Let us know in the comments.

Contact the author via email

I cannot tell you the number of times I have gone to someone’s house to clean out a system that is used strictly for webrowsing and typing papers and the system is a total power house. Maybe it is just myself, but it seems wasteful to use a 2.4ghz Quad core sporting 8gigs of RAM to just compose papers.

Why does this happened? Well there are really two people to blame here. The first is the sales person. Odds are the system was purchased from someone who works on a commission and as such it is to their benefit to sell a more expensive computer than a cheaper one. The second is the consumer themselves. If they had been informed on what they are buying in the first place they never would have purchased something so ridiculously powerful for their simple needs.

Beyond these two factors I think another misconception that is ingrained in people is that technology has to be expensive. A computer that costs half as much? That can’t possibly last as long as the more expensive model or meet my needs as readily.

In the same manner I believe people have become accustomed to be gouged on the cost of software. The old “you get what you pay for” motto sticks in the back of their mind and because of this I think many don’t give free alternatives a fair chance.

OpenOffice meets the needs of easily 95% of home users (and a good deal of those that use office software at work) and most of those people using an, often times illegal, version of Photoshop would be able to accomplish the exact same tasks using the legally free GIMP. Beyond this beginning Linux distros such as Linux Mint or Pinguy OS easily fulfill all the desktop computing needs of your average user.

With all of this in mind, why don’t you see Linux, OpenOffice, or GIMP on the shelf at your local computer store? Simple:

There is no money in it for the retailer.

None of these products come with the, often hundreds of dollars, price tag attached that the commerical products have. Beyond this if a customer is using a Linux system the store will not have that same customer returning in six months to have their system cleaned out of viruses and “brought back up to speed”.

The lesson to be learned here/the point I would like to get across is this – if you are not familiar with technology, bring someone with you who is when you go to pick out new hardware/software! It could end up saving you a good deal of money in the long run.

You can contact the author via email and visit his personal blog