I've got a new laptop which runs Linux! These are mostly notes to myself. Fonts First, from the console, install Gnome Tweaks sudo apt install gnome-tweaks Run Tweaks and select "Fonts". You can swap fonts, boost them, and generally have a good fiddle. Increasing the scaling factor is a good way to boost the size of all desktop elements. Bluetooth - rename By default the Bluetooth name is pop_os. sudo nano /etc/hostname Replace it with whatever you like. Keyboard Lights You will…
Continue reading →
I have a vertical monitor for my new Linux laptop. Because it is rotated 90 degrees, this causes problems with some graphics drivers on Linux (and Mac!). Here's a solution I found for my Intel graphics card. Edit this file: sudo nano /etc/gdm3/custom.conf Find this line: WaylandEnable=false Change it to: #WaylandEnable=false Reboot. On Pop!_OS, there is this settings cog in the bottom right corner. (Different login screens may have it elsewhere). Choose "Pop on Wayland". Or…
Continue reading →
Sorry for the title gore. But it's the only way to let people know that all four of these laptops are identical. Taiwanese manufacturer Clevo makes the N151CU laptop. They sell it directly to resellers, who in turn sell it on to consumers. It has excellent Linux support. Both Entroware (in the UK) and System76 (in the USA) sell it pre-installed with Ubuntu. I purchased mine from PC Specialist where they sell it as the Lafité IV. PC Specialist sell it "bare bones" with no operating system. …
Continue reading →
I need a new laptop. My old one is dying a long, slow death. My requirements are modest - runs Ubuntu and charges via USB-C. Cheap would be a bonus - as would a num-pad - but I'll take what I can get! Loads of people have recommended the Dell XPS13 series. I'm looking at them and I'm a bit confused (so what else is new). I'd appreciate your advice gentle reader. There are two models available. Here are the main differences between them: New Old CPU i5-1035G1 Processor(6MB…
Continue reading →
This is a quick guide for setting up your new mouse with Ubuntu. I'm a big fan of the Evoluent Mouse range, and I've agreed to publish this Linux guide in return for a review sample. The Basics The only way to configure this mouse is via the command-line. This may look a bit daunting, but I promise you it's simple. Just copy and paste the highlighted code. Open up a Terminal. You'll usually find this in your main menu. Or, you can open it by pressing ctrl+alt+t. Connect the mouse Make…
Continue reading →
I recently downloaded an album from Bandcamp. On trying to extract the zip file using Ubuntu, I got the error "File name too long." This is a known problem with Bandcamp. If you have a problem with long filenames in zip files, here's how to fix it. Quick Solution unzip -p -c whatever.zip "filename.ogg" > shortname.ogg That will extract a specific file from the zip and then rename it before writing it to disk. If you don't want to use the whole file name, you can use unzip -p -c…
Continue reading →
As ever, mostly notes to myself. RAR is a silly and proprietary format. I prefer free software and I find that ZIP files are smaller and decompress faster. Not everyone agrees, and that's fine. Assuming you've downloaded a RAR file and want to convert it to ZIP, what's the easiest way? Install P7Zip sudo apt-get install p7zip-full p7zip-rar Script This basic bash script will Extract a RAR example.rar file to a temporary directory on a RAM disk. Recompress to example.zip. Delete the…
Continue reading →
I've been trying to find the perfect Linux laptop. I need something small, light, powerful, and with an ergonomic keyboard. Hmmm... Perhaps I don't need a laptop. I could use a tablet and my new Bluetooth keyboard... Enter BQ's Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition. It promises the Ubuntu experience in a convenient tablet package. I wanted to love this tablet. But it is so unbelievably bad that I'm returning it for a refund. Unboxing It all starts pretty well. OK, a few usability issues. These…
Continue reading →
I like to listen to music while I work. I find - especially in an open plan office - that it is an essential aid to concentration. That said, I find music with lyrics particularly problematic as my brain prefers to concentrate on the words rather than the task in hand. On long flights, I often use a white noise generator to drown out sound. I've recently started listening to random music. A simple command line script to generate a highly synthetic / chiptune / glitchnoise neverending piece…
Continue reading →
Selfie sticks - like most modern inventions - are utter tosh. But they've rapidly brought down the price of Bluetooth buttons. So who am I to complain? Let's take the venerable AB Shutter 3 - You can find it on Amazon for around £2 including postage - or around $2 on AliExpress. Frankly, that's stupidly cheap. OK, let's put this to work as something other than a vanity clicker! There are no instructions which come with this, it's delivered in a little plastic bag and that's it. Time to …
Continue reading →
New tech site Gadgette has a great article on how to type Emoji on Mac and Windows - but they (understandably) didn't cover Ubuntu. So here I am to show you how. Get The Fonts If your computer doesn't have the requite font, install the latest version of Symbola. Simply open up the .zip file, double click on the .ttf font, then choose "Install". Find The Character You almost certainly have the GNU CharMap app installed. If not, run apt-get install gucharmap. You'll find it in…
Continue reading →
Regular readers will remember that I run Ubuntu on a MacBook pro. Why? I'm a contrarian sod. It's the machine work gave me. I can do everything I need to do with Linux without having to deal with OSX or Windows. What can I say, it works for me! The only problem is that the MBP is heavy. Much to unwieldy to carry around without a decent rucksack. The keyboard - while delightfully backlit - isn't ergonomic. I rely on an ergonomic keyboard and a vertical mouse. Basically, I…
Continue reading →
