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Posts tagged Linux
Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala: Fix Video Tearing with Compiz & Nvidia Geforce GTS 250
Feb 22nd
I am using Ubuntu 9.10 but steps should be similar for other distributions too.
Video Tearing with Compiz
Ubuntu’s NVidia drivers are okay for this card. I tried playing 1080p video and it works well if you don’t have compiz turned on. When compiz is on, the video tearing is noticeable. This is what I did to solve it:
- In CompizConfig Settings Manager (installable via Ubuntu Software Cemter), go to General Options > Display Settings. Set Refresh Rate to 60 and check “Sync to VBlank.”
- Enable “Sync to VBlank” under nvidia-settings. To do this, go to System > Administration > NVIDIA X Server Settings. Then, choose OpenGL Settings, and check the “Sync to VBlank” box.
This stopped the tearing I guess, but the 1080p became very choppy, probably because the driver is old. Once I installed the latest drivers, the problem was no more.
Update NVidia Drivers
The drivers in the Ubuntu repositories are almost always old. To install the latest version, go to the NVidia site and download the latest version. As of Feb. 22, 2010, the latest version is 190.53. Set the .run as executable by right clicking the file > Properties > Permissions and then checking “Allowing executing file as program.”
Before installing, close X by typing into a terminal:
sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop
Then run the installer:
sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-190.53-pkg2.run
Choose “Yes” for every dialog.
After installation, start X again:
sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start
And the new drivers should be loaded.
Set Up the Logitech MX Revolution in Linux with Revoco
Feb 22nd
Download Revoco 0.5
Wheel:
The basic mouse functions will work in Linux but to get the mouse wheel customized, download Revoco 0.5. Extract the contents to some folder, go to that folder in the terminal and compile it by typing “make”.
Run revoco without any parameters to see the usage. Remember to run it as root! I personally prefer setting it to auto so I’ll run something like this:
sudo ./revoco auto=18
Where the number indicates the sensitivity. 0 = free scroll, 50 = clicky scroll.
The neat thing about revoco is that, unlike Logitech’s SetPoint, you only need to run this once and the settings stay regardless of whether the next computer you plug it in has SetPoint or revoco. Handy if you need it to function the way you like on a work computer 
Extra Functions:
Download btnx and you can set functions to the mouse wheel/buttons. Remember to detect the mouse buttons first before assigning features.
Note that while btnx has a tab for revoco, it may not work if revoco is removed from the build of btnx due to a licensing issue.
How To Set Up a Samba Server in Ubuntu
Dec 18th
So you have a Linux desktop or server and want to share files and/or printers to your Windows PCs or Macs. Luckily, all three operating systems support SMB so let’s use that. With Samba you can share files and printers on your home network and protect your shares with a username and password.
Installing eeebuntu 1.0 on an Asus Eee PC 701SD
Dec 3rd
A friend lent me her Eee PC for a few days so I can replace the default Xandros with Ubuntu. Because this install isn’t for me, I’d like to make this setup the least painful as possible to use. After much experimenting with booting without a disc and fiddling with the tiny hardware, I have found the way to install a pretty good setup. In this noob-friendly guide I will walk you through how to install a distribution of eeebuntu and set it up so that all hardware works (more or less).
Before we start let’s take a look at the specs of the Asus Eee PC 701SD:
900MHz Intel Celeron-M
512MB DDR2 RAM
8GB Solid State Drive
Intel GMA 900 Graphics
Realtek Wifi
Attansic LAN
Linux Mint 5 Elyssia Experience on a Macbook2,1
Jun 16th
I have already tried Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron on my Macbook. To find out the differences between Ubuntu and Linux Mint on the laptop, I decided to try Linux Mint 5, which is heavily based upon Ubuntu 8.04.
Macbook2,1 Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz
1GB DDR2 SDRAM 667 MHz (2x 512MB)
120 GB Hitachi Hard Drive
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GSA-S10N (LG DVD Drive)
Intel GMA 950 Graphics
Atheros Wi-Fi
Intel HD Audio
Apple Bluetooth
You may download and try out Linux Mint here if you wish. YMMV.
Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron Experience on a Macbook 2,1
Jun 7th
This post is not a review of Ubuntu 8.04 per-se but it will describe the compatibility and performance of the operating system with my 2nd generation Macbook.
Macbook2,1 Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz
1GB DDR2 SDRAM 667 MHz (2x 512MB)
120 GB Hitachi Hard Drive
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GSA-S10N (LG DVD Drive)
Intel GMA 950 Graphics
Atheros Wi-Fi
Intel HD Audio
Apple Bluetooth
Note that this is my personal experience with Ubuntu 8.04 on my Macbook. YMMV.
Lighting up LAMP in Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron
Jun 2nd
This guide will help newbies set up a fully working LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) server using on Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron. Doing do will allow you to use various PHP applications such as the popular phpBB forums and Wordpress blog in addition to the basic HTML pages and files. I write this based on an “out of the box” Ubuntu.
Let’s begin…