Print to PDF, and some sniggles

Since my last Linux Mint 9 Update / Tweak, I've tackled some more of the sniggly things that I have with Linux Mint. Some of these things may have been related. Such as, I wasn't happy with the Ubuntu Logo showing up in my Menu. This might have be due to the Airplane Theme that I picked out, I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised. But I don't like the default Mint Slab Menu system. I prefer the Gnome Menu. But neither the Mint Logo nor the "Gnome Foot" were on display, but rather the Ubuntu Logo. I do like Ubuntu, as Mint is built from it, but I'm not using it. As I don't know if there is a better way to do this fix/hack, but I searched out all of the start-here.svg files and replaced them with the icon of my choice. I had to do some resizing of the image, and use ROOT permissions, etc. It's a pain to search out for them, and replace them all. I don't know if I'll do it again.

The other thing, was that my PDF files were going into my main HOME folder. - I don't want that, I want to put them into my PDF folder, this is something that should be taken care of in the Cups PDF printer config, IMHO, so people don't have to hack it via the terminal, not a hard thing to do for me, but maybe not so easy for others. I think that the whole point of a GUI based Desktop is to be able to perform your tasks from within the GUI framework as much and as often as possible. But here I start to run amok and ramble.

Output files are stored in your home directory under /PDF subdirectory.
To change the default location of the PDF output
From a Terminal window you want to edit the /etc/cups/cups-pdf.conf file

sudo gedit /etc/cups/cups-pdf.conf

look for
Out ${HOME}/PDF
and change to:
Out ${HOME}/my_print_to_pdf_folder

I don't know why this does the trick, but it does. 

[Credit] http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-create-pdf-documents-in-ubuntu.html

Nautilus Elementary: A Simplified Patched Nautilus For Linux Mint 9

I got this from WebUpD8.. works just great in Linux Mint too. I wanted some of the functionality back to the old Nautilus that I had grown used to with other older versions of Ubuntu.

Linux Mint 9 - Part 3

Over the past week (or three), I've installed the following to make my Linux Mint 9 desktop more complete:

Xsane:  The simple scanner just doesn't do it for me, won't re-number the images auto-magically or if it does, I didn't see or know how. To me thats a simple "must have" feature.  One Scanner utility looks like you're viewing the guts of C3P0 (Star Wars Episode 1) and the other one seems to be overly plain Jane.


K3B:  While Rhythmbox will rip the CD's etc, K3B seems to do it faster... ? I don't know why.

Had to make use of the NDIS wrapper that comes with Mint, as the wireless card on my laptop died on me, - But I only had an old PCIMCI card to use, and it's chip set isn't Linux friendly, so I had to use some from windows.

I can't think of much else at the moment..  

Oh and a snapshot of the Air Lines Theme.. 

Posted via email from Randy's Posterous

Linux Mint 9 (RC 1) 2nd post.

More tweaking for Mint 9. Can you See why I don't like to update every 6 months, it takes me 1-2 months to get the thing "just right".  There are some other ways to go about it, and when I find those, I'll post about them also.  But I'm going from a fresh install to what it is that I'd like. I'd like to keep to a minimal amount of tweaking, but I think that's just crazy talk.

I'm also thinking that I'll have to make up a list of the changes I did over the first month. - If I still have free time to do so.

So, this week, we've got:

gThumb image edit and viewer. "gThumb is an image viewer and browser for the GNOME Desktop. It also includes an importer tool for transferring photos from cameras." It also allows for some quick cropping of files. One of the features that I use the most.

Also got Ubuntu One setup, and have Tomboy Notes backing up to that folder, don't know what else I'll be doing with that, But I'll be fiddling with Tomboy Notes a little more. It's been a while since I've done much with them, but they're kinda handy.  Check them out if you haven't. - I first used the Synaptic Package Manager to install it, but think that they've got a .deb file to run for the last two versions of Ubuntu.

Added Alarm Clock  Since I don't have Evolution and it's one useful item that I did use with it, was the alarm clock. - I also added to this my Mashpodder script to run three times a week. Yea, I know there's a way to do a Cron Job, for those of you who are command line jockey's. But I've not tried that yet, nor do I think I could walk someone else how to do a cron job. - Part of "My Linux Experiment" is to be able to figure out some things without to much command line, using obvious solutions in the repo's. Trust me, I'd like to be able to take the time to bounce around on it, but it's not something some people would find very user friendly.

Installed Grsync. Simple backup utility. - And that reminds me, I've not taken the time to look at the Mint Backup program. - I need to do that. It's faster then Nautilus for moving large chunks of files etc,  I'm using it now to move stuff from one USB drive to another. I've a drive that has a large FAT32 partition, and I just don't need that around for anything. Moving to EXT3, and of course GParted to perform this feat.

Oh! The one additive that I thought should be included with all GNOME installs or the ones that have Rythmbox is the Nautilus enqueuer plugin for Rhythmbox. Oh yea. I know for some this might seem sorta goofy, but heck, I used to love Amarok, and the fact that it USED to behave a lot like WinAmp, and was for the most part, REALLY GOOD.  With a million different programs out there that will play music on a Linux box... that don't really do anything special, I'm digressing.. Ok, Ok,  I like to be able to bounce around in the file manager and load up a few Podcasts or Tunes.  OR both. But there wasn't really a clear path to do it, or program that DID for me it out of the box with my Linux Experience two years ago, except for Amarok. KDE4 killed off the old player, and the new player just looks wrong, and left me wanting. RythmBox kinda sorta still does, but it's the default Gnome do-dad music thingy and It'll do just fine.

Themes! We mustn't forget the Themes. The AirLines: A New Bisigi Project Gnome Theme is a gorgeous theme. And has a background that changes from daytime to nighttime. Here, better yet, check out the Bisigi Project home page.  A handful of very very stunning themes. - Ubuntu didn't need to move the silly buttons, they could have just added one of these to their default install, and it would have made Ubuntu (or Mint in my case now) a gorgeous desk top that would rust the pixels on any "Brushed Aluminum" crud that the Apple cart has to offer.

That's about it. I don't expect to add much more, or to tweak much more.  I think now, I'll concentrate on getting my personal files sorted out and organized.

Linux Mint 9 is has finally made my laptop work the way it was intended. The Sound Card Issues aren't there, I can use my headphone jack on my Toshiba Satellite A135 now, I can hook it up to the TV with the S-Video port, something I wasn't able to do until now.  I haven't tried the mic jack as of yet, but at the moment, that's a non-issue for me.  Nor have I tried Audacity, or a few other programs that will find their way on my Linux Box.

Have a Great day!

Linux Mint 9 (RC 1) 1st post.

I downloaded and installed Linux Mint 9 RC LTS. - As it's the Release Candidate I expected to find some bugs in it here and there. But so far, nothing painful has cropped up. I am pleasantly surprised.  -  No, the Buttons weren't on the left side of the window, but that would be easy enough to change even if they were.  Also, it's a Long Term Support Release, I've been thinking that I want to go the LTS route for now.  I'll get this setup tweaked and  don't plan on doing anything major with it for a couple of years.
Sure, I might put something else on another partition, if my time allows.

I Went with Mint, just due to some of the things that it Does have that Ubuntu doesn't.  And didn't include things that I didn't care about.  Such as the Evolution Email client.  Ripping that out of Ubuntu is sorta painful and causes issues.  Since I use Thunderbird, IF I use a desktop email program (and I do, from time to time, to "backup" messages.  It fits me better. Since I DO want to watch a movie, or use MP3 files,  I don't have to add that feature, as it's already "in there".

I did a fresh install, and will be testing it some more, I have a little used install of Karmic, that will most likely be blown away. I expect to keep my Intrepid version on a little longer, as it "just worked" minus some sound card issues.

So far I've:

Installed Chrome:  And added extentions: (I might go into these w/ a later post, my fav's and why)

"Fixed" the "Switching workspace with mouse scroll wheel" change that started with Ubuntu Karmic.  Not being a Compiz Guru that's one of those sniggly changes that happens that can get a person to wreak havoc on their system.  "Fixed" Drag a window from one desktop to another. Fixed "back" also.

I'll be adding gPodder, for podcasts that I want to put on my RockBoxed Sansa.  And to separate out some of the podcasts that I like to listen to or stream via Rhythmbox to my Netbook, I'll use Mashpodder and point Rhythmbox to view the files there. These are the non-Tech-Geek podcasts that I want to keep around to listen to on a long term basis. Not that Tech 5 or TLLTS isn't worthy of keeping around, I just don't intend to listen to them over and over.  Such as  Decoder Ring Theatre,  Old Time Radio,  X Minus One, etc...

Well, it seems that I'm out of time with updating my Mint 9 Configuration... Will have more later..
Such as ..  AirLines: A New Bisigi Project Gnome Theme ~ Web Upd8

I've never been good at organization,  so I'm merging photo's and images from one system to the next, and not really needing to KEEP every digital shot that I take with my camera,  So, I'm farting around with the file structure and locations of stuff. Moving from one version to another doesn't help me with my hair brained way of doing things.

[SOLVED] Switching workspace with mouse scroll wheel? - Ubuntu Forums

After upgrading to Karmic, I too was having a heck of a time trying to figure out what it was that was causing me the issues with the mouse scroll to not work to change desktops, as I had in the past..

[SOLVED] Switching workspace with mouse scroll wheel? - Ubuntu Forums

Here are some screens. It's the viewport switcher plugin under desktop section. Buttons 4 and 5. With button 2 for the initiate action button.