How to get the desktop resolution of your monitor on Linux using the command line.

Getting information about your desktop resolution with the Linux command line is very easy to do. This one-liner will print the current desktop resolution. This could be used in a script that will then do something with the output. jason@jason-desktop:~/Videos$ xrandr | awk ‘{if(NR==5) print $0}’ | awk ‘{print $1}’ 3440x1440jason@jason-desktop:~/Videos$ xrandr | awk ‘{if(NR==5) … Read more

Install the MATE desktop on Ubuntu and enjoy a nice reliable desktop environment.

To install the MATE desktop environment on Ubuntu 20.04, run this simple command. jason@jason-desktop:~/Documents$ sudo apt install mate-desktop-environment-extras mate-common mate-desktop-environmentjason@jason-desktop:~/Documents$ sudo apt install mate-desktop-environment-extras mate-common mate-desktop-environment Then you need to logout of the desktop session and restart the desktop login manager to allow it to detect MATE. Press Control-Alt-F2 and then login to a virtual … Read more

Install a nice custom desktop theme for Ubuntu 20.04.

There are a few very useful Linux packages for Ubuntu 20.04. They can make your desktop look incredible. Install these packages like this. jason@jason-virtual-machine:~$ sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-dash-to-panel gnome-shell-extension-arc-menu gnome-shell-extension-weatherjason@jason-virtual-machine:~$ sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-dash-to-panel gnome-shell-extension-arc-menu gnome-shell-extension-weather Then enable the extensions with gnome-tweak. This is what my Gnome 3 desktop looks like now. The Arc menu … Read more

The best thing about the Linux desktop in my opinion.

The best thing about the Linux desktop is the customization. You can tweak all sorts of things: icons, color schemes, fonts, everything. You can customize the system settings. You can even do color selection with your display device. Here’s an example: You can easily set a background for Windows. You can easily set a background … Read more

Ubuntu 19.04 is out. But does not work in older versions of VMWare.

The Ubuntu 19.094 release is out, but does not work in older versions of VMWare. But I am installing it in qemu, following this guide. Follow this guide and load the ISO, and the installation will work. Apparently, workstation pro 15.1 supports an Ubuntu 19.04 Guest. But I chose to use free software instead. But … Read more

KDE 3 is back. I am running Trinity desktop and loving it.

This is the Ubuntu distribution running the Trinity desktop for Linux. This is a reworking of KDE 3 to operate on a modern Linux distribution. I added this to my /etc/apt/sources.lst for Ubuntu 18.04. deb http://mirror.ppa.trinitydesktop.org/trinity/trinity-r14.0.0/ubuntu bionic main deb http://mirror.ppa.trinitydesktop.org/trinity/trinity-builddeps-r14.0.0/ubuntu bionic main deb-src http://mirror.ppa.trinitydesktop.org/trinity/trinity-r14.0.0/ubuntu bionic main deb-src http://mirror.ppa.trinitydesktop.org/trinity/trinity-builddeps-r14.0.0/ubuntu bionic maindeb http://mirror.ppa.trinitydesktop.org/trinity/trinity-r14.0.0/ubuntu bionic main deb http://mirror.ppa.trinitydesktop.org/trinity/trinity-builddeps-r14.0.0/ubuntu … Read more

Awesome E17 desktop is the best alternative to the MATE and KDE desktop environments.

The E17 desktop is the best alternative to the bloated MATE and Gnome desktop environments. These are good, but use a lot of resources. A good alternative is to use E17. This is light and has a lot of very good effects. Install it on Ubuntu 17 easily. sudo apt install e17-data e17sudo apt install … Read more

New themes for your Linux desktop in 2018.

Nice Linux themes and wallpapers Some more lovely GTK themes and wallpapers for your new Linux desktop in 2018. Gnome Shell themes Human Next: https://www.gnome-look.org/p/1188270/. Maxim: https://www.gnome-look.org/p/1182550/. Copernico: https://www.gnome-look.org/p/1013056/. Wallpapers for Gnome and MATE Railway line through the mountains: https://alpha.wallhaven.cc/wallpaper/22805. Looking down on a swimming pool beside the ocean: https://alpha.wallhaven.cc/wallpaper/575741. Lake in the Rocky Mountains: … Read more

Very nice Linux commands. These are most useful for a desktop user.

Get a nice urxvt windows with a fixed font and lovely colors. urxvt -fn "fixed" +sr +st -fg "#FFFFFF" -bg "#000033" -bd "#302c64" \ -ip +sb -title "*-Home-${HOME}-Shell-${SHELL}-Display-${DISPLAY}*" \ -tint DarkSlateGrey -fade 50 -fadecolor redurxvt -fn "fixed" +sr +st -fg "#FFFFFF" -bg "#000033" -bd "#302c64" \ -ip +sb -title "*-Home-${HOME}-Shell-${SHELL}-Display-${DISPLAY}*" \ -tint DarkSlateGrey -fade 50 … Read more

How to record your Linux desktop to a mkv file with ffmpeg.

Record your Linux desktop to a video file and showcase it on Youtube To get a simple desktop recording of your Linux desktop for teaching purposes or any other use, just follow this guide. This command below. will record a high-quality video file of your Linux desktop to an MKV file. It will automatically get … Read more

Ubuntu 17.10 alpha with Gnome desktop released.

The new Ubuntu 17.10 (Artful Aardvark) distribution has been released. This comes with a Gnome desktop instead of the Unity environment. The desktop environment in this looks just like Unity though. Where is the benefit of using a Gnome desktop if it looks exactly like Unity anyway? This is how I set up Ubuntu 17.10 … Read more

An alternative to the wget command for Linux. How to use curl to download files.

How the curl command works on Linux. A good alternative to wget. This shows how to use the curl command to download a file from the Internet. I am retrieving a file from a website which I may then view with my local machine. ubuntu ~ $ curl http://s2.enemy.org/globe.gif > out.gif % Total % Received … Read more

Get Ubuntu Chinese edition now. Ubuntu Kylin is very good.

There is a good version of Ubuntu for Chinese customers. Ubuntu Kylin is customized especially for China with custom applications installed that are specifically designed for use in China. Give this a try if you wish to have an alternative to Windows on your desktop or laptop machine. Download Ubuntu Kylin: https://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu-kylin. Ubuntu Kylin website: … Read more