The new Ubuntu 12.10 codenamed Quantal Quetzal has been released! As you all know Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distribution since it aims on usability and ease of installation. Quantal Quetzal has the new version of Unity 3D interface 6.6 and GNOME 3.6 packages. Online Accounts integration and Unity Web Apps are two new features of this version. Another feature that has raised a lot of debates on the Internet is the integration of Amazon suggestions in the Dash as you search for something. Now, Download Ubuntu 12.10 install it and let's see a few tips, tricks and tweaks!
Contents
- Restricted Extras
- Add Online Accounts
- Web Apps
- Disable Amazon online results
- Tweak Tools
- Multimedia
- Java
- Google Earth
- Google Chromium
- Internet
- Torrent clients
- NTFS read/write support
- PlayOnLinux
- Unity shortcuts
- Flash player
- Disable Overlay Scrollbars
- Install Synaptic
Note: In the rest of this tutorial I will be using the terminal to install some applications. However you can use the Software Center, search for those applications and install them with a single click.
This is how the Unity desktop of Ubuntu 12.10 looks like.
1. Restricted Extras
The Ubuntu Restricted Extras will install a set of Microsoft Fonts (msttcorefonts), extra Gstreamer codecs, the package for DVD decoding (libdvdread4, but see below for info on libdvdcss2), the unrar archiver, odbc, and cabextract. It also installs multiple "stripped" codecs and avutils (libavcodec-unstripped-52 and libavutil-unstripped-49). This is a single command approach.
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
Note: Installation only works completely and properly when done from the command-line Terminal. The entire package will not usually install completely from within a Package Manager.
2. Add Online Accounts
In Ubuntu 12.10 you can set up chat and social apps accounts very easy. Click Systems Settings and from there go to Online Accounts.
Included services are Facebook (including Facebook Chat), Windows Live, Twitter, Google, Yahoo!, Flickr and many more.
Some apps that use the Online Accounts are Empathy, Gwibber and Shotwell.
3. Web Apps
Web Apps is another new feature of Ubuntu 12.10. For example you can control Grooveshark through Ubuntu's sound menu or receive native Facebook and Gmail notifications. If a site supports Web Apps you will be informed while browsing it with Chromium or Firefox. For example you can try Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, Grooveshark or LastFM.
4. Disable Amazon online results
You might have already noticed that while you search for something in Dash a list of Amazon products appears. Quite annoying right? To disable it open System Settings go to Privacy and set Include Online Results to Off.
5. Tweak Tools
Ubuntu Tweak
Ubuntu Teak is an application to make configuration of Ubuntu easier. Among other things you can change the login wallpaper. To install Ubuntu Tweak open a terminal and type:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tualatrix/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-tweak
Gnome Tweak Tool
Gnome Tweak Tool is an application to make configuration of Ubuntu easier for everyone. It provides many useful desktop and system options that the default desktop environment doesn't provide.
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool
Once installed, Gnome Tweak Tool should show up as "Advanced Settings" in the menu. Besides changing fonts or themes, Gnome Tweak Tool can also be used to enable/disable Shell extensions, tweak the desktop, various windows behavior or Gnome Shell.
6. Multimedia
Audio and Video Playback
Playing a Video (XVid, DivX etc.) or Audio (MP3) file has become pretty easy. Just double click the file you want and allow Totem to automatically download the needed codecs. But you could also do this by yourself very easily by installing a package which contains all the needed codecs and more. Just look above at Ubuntu Restricted Extras.
DVD Playback
To play encrypted DVDs you must install libdvdcss2. However have in mind that using libdvdcss2 is illegal in some countries because of copyright issues, so continue on your own.
sudo apt-get install libdvdread4 sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh
MPlayer/SMPlayer
Personally I prefer mplayer and smplayer (mplayer's GUI) for video playback. It supports almost any video type, external subtitles as well as DVD playback as long as you have the needed codecs installed as shown previously. To install it type:
sudo apt-get install mplayer smplayer
VLC
Many users prefer the Video Lan Client (VLC) as their multimedia player. VLC supports many formats without need for additional codecs. Simply install it by typing:
sudo apt-get install vlc
K9copy
K9copy is a free open source DVD backup, copying, compression, and authoring utility that requires libdvdcss. For other info, see this or this guide. You can easily create MPEG-2. MPEG-4, or DVD videos with this utility. To install it type:
sudo apt-get install k9copy
For more information you can read my How to backup your DVDs (in dvd, xvid, mpeg-4, x264 formats) using k9copy guide.
DVD::Rip
DVD::Rip is a DVD backup/copy program, written in GTK-based perl, that uses the transcode video/audio processing and conversion tools. To install it type:
sudo apt-get install dvdrip
For more information you can read my How to rip a DVD to DivX/XviD/H264 using DVD::Rip
DeVeDe
DeVeDe is a program to create video DVDs and CDs suitable for home players (i.e. VCD, sVCD or CVD) from any source video file that is supported by MPlayer.
sudo apt-get install devede
For more information on how to install it and use it read my How to create a custom DVD using DeVeDe .
7. Java
Ubuntu 12.10 uses OpenJDK, which mostly derives from Sun's JRE, as its default flavor of JRE. Moreover Icedtea is the default browser plugin to run Java applets. Most users should be fine with those JRE versions. If you don't have them installed simply type:
sudo apt-get install openjdk-7-jre icedtea-plugin
8. Google Earth
Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places, and share with others. To install it type:
sudo apt-get install googleearth-package make-googleearth-package --force sudo dpkg -i googleearth*.deb
9. Google Chromium
Chromium is Google's open source web browser and it's fast! You should give it a try. To install it type:
sudo apt-get install chromium-browser
10. Internet
Skype
Skype is a proprietary integrated VOIP and video conferencing program similar to Ekiga. To install Skype on Ubuntu 12.10 open a terminal and type.
sudo apt-add-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ $(lsb_release -sc) partner" sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install skype
Pidgin
Pidgin is an open source IM application. It is the previous default in the Ubuntu (Gnome) desktop.
sudo apt-get install pidgin
Empathy
Empathy is the default IM application. It allows you to chat on MSN, Google Talk, Facebook and many other networks. To install it type:
sudo apt-get install empathy
Emesene
Emesene is an MSN messenger client that uses a simplified interface similar to the original client. To install it type
sudo apt-get install emesene
IRC
XChat is an IRC chat program for both Linux and Windows. It allows you to join multiple IRC channels (chat rooms) at the same time, talk publicly, private one-on-one conversations etc. Even file transfers are possible.
sudo apt-get install xchat
Ubuntu 12.10 uses empathy as its default IM (Instant Messaging) client. A few others IMs are:
11. Torrent clients
Transmission is the default BitTorrent client in Ubuntu 12.10. Here are some additional clients if you want to try them.
Deluge
Deluge is a lightweight, Free Software, cross-platform BitTorrent client.
sudo apt-get install deluge
Vuze
Vuze is the next version of Azureus. To install it type:
sudo apt-get install vuze
12. NTFS read/write support
Ubuntu has a graphical configuration tool for enabling read/write on NTFS partitions, either from a Windows/Linux dual boot system or from external hard disks. To install it type:
sudo apt-get install ntfs-config
If you can't launch it after install type:
sudo mkdir -p /etc/hal/fdi/policy
NTFS-Config will auto detect your NTFS partitions and afterwards you can enable write support for them. The will be mounted under /media.
13. PlayOnLinux
PlayOnLinux is a piece of software which allows you to easily install and use numerous games and applications designed to run with Microsoft®'s Windows®. Call Of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Need For Speed, Starcraft, Steam, Age Of Empires, Warcraft and AutoCad are only some of those. To install it type:
sudo apt-get install playonlinux
14. Unity keyboard shortcuts and mouse tricks
Here is a previous article I've written with many Keyboard shortcuts and mouse tricks for Unity
15. Flash player
To install the latest Flash player open a terminal and type
sudo apt-get install flashplugin-installer
This will install flash player no matter whether you have a 32bit or 64bit installation. Now restart Chromium or Firefox and go to YouTube to test if everything is ok!
16. Disable Overlay Scrollbars
Did you like the new overlay scrollbars? I didn't. If you want to disable them just type
sudo apt-get remove overlay-scrollbar
Log out and log back in. If you want to revert that change simple install them again.
sudo apt-get install overlay-scrollbar
17. Install Synaptic
If you don't like the new Software Center you can use the old, good Synaptic Package Manager.
sudo apt-get install synaptic
I hope the above information have made a little easier your experience with Ubuntu 12.10. If there is something else you would like me to post in this guide feel free to drop me a comment! If you liked this article you could digg or twit it so that more users will read it!
Have you tried Ubuntu 12.10? For the time being I am using it on VirtualBox however it is really slow. I hope an update either from Canonical or Oracle will fix this.
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