15 tips on Ubuntu for experienced Linux users (translation)
Original article in English. Translation: Boten , Deniska, MaxElc
A few days ago I (hereinafter - the author of the original article - Note. Lane) wrote about books that novice users can download, and read them to learn Linux on their own. Today in the Linux section we have something for advanced users. Here are some tips you should try if you are an experienced Ubuntu Linux user.
1. Quickly and intelligently manage the command line
You can use keyboard shortcuts and other command line features to make typing commands easier and faster. You should already know about the 'tab' key, which ends part of a command or even the names of files and directories.
Here are some keyboard shortcuts you can use in the terminal:
Ctrl-a - move to the beginning of the line
Ctrl-e - move to the end of the line
Alt-] x moves the cursor straight to the next place of appearance x
Alt-Ctrl-] x moves the cursor back to the previous place of appearance x
Ctrl-u delete everything from the cursor to the beginning of the line
Ctrl-k delete from cursor to end of line
Ctrl-w delete from the cursor to the beginning of the word
Ctrl-y inserts text from the clipboard
Ctrl - l clears the screen by moving the current line up to the screen.
Ctrl-x ctrl-u undo last changes. ctrl -__
Alt-r undo all changes in line
Alt-Ctrl-e expand command line
Ctrl-r incremental reverse search in history
Alt-p is not an incremental reverse search in history
!!! execute the last command from the history
! abc execute the last command from the history starting on abc
! n execute the n-th command from the history
^ abc ^ xyz replace the first appearance of abc with xyz in the last command and execute it
Also, be sure to check out 4 sites where you can find cool command line tricks.
')
2. Launch Ubuntu Linux applications using hotkeys.
This can be done in two ways:
* Use applications like Launchy or Gnome-Do, which allow you to quickly launch applications by typing just a few letters from the application name.
* Or you can call the gconf editor (press Alt + F2, then enter gconf-editor and press enter) and go to apps> metacity> global_keybindings. There you need to double-click on any of the run_command_N and specify the hot keys that will launch the application you need. Remember this number N, go to apps> metacity> keybinding_commands, double-click on the appropriate command_N (where N is the number you remembered earlier) and enter the name of the application that will be launched. For example, if you want to launch Firefox, just specify firefox.
At the same time, you should familiarize yourself with the hot keys used in Ubuntu by default.
3. Continue to work from where you left off.
You can configure Ubuntu to remember the applications that were opened during the last logout. When you start a new session, all of these applications will already be running, and you can continue from where you left off.
To enable this feature, go to System> Preferences> Startup Applications, go to the settings tab and check the box “Automatically remember running applications when logging out”.
4. Create a separate partition under the Ubuntu Linux home directory.
The new version of Ubuntu is published every 6 months. Although you can upgrade the system to the latest version using the update manager, sometimes the update may not work correctly, and some users prefer a clean installation in this case.
The disadvantage of this option is that all data in the home directory will be lost. To avoid this problem, you can create a separate partition under your home directory when you first install Ubuntu and allocate the necessary amount of disk space according to your needs. During the next installation of Ubuntu, simply specify this partition for the home directory (specifying / home as the mount point).
In this case, all your files and data will be saved even in the case of a clean installation.
5. Update and install applications for Ubuntu Linux without an Internet connection.
There are several ways to do this, but the simplest of them is to use APTonCD. APTonCD allows you to create CD or DVD discs containing all the packages you need, which you can later install on computers without being connected to the Internet.
To create the installation media, the APTonCD requires a network connection (or pre-loaded packages). However, after preparing the media, you do not need to connect to the network of machines on which the applications will be installed. Insert the desired CD / DVD and use apt-get as usual.
6. Install new fonts, Microsoft fonts and improve the display of fonts.
Ubuntu doesn't provide much choice when it comes to fonts. However, you can easily install new fonts , including Microsoft fonts such as Arial, Verdana, impact, and many others. You can browse through the various sites and select the font that best suits you.
7. Use PPA, install the latest software.
Before the software becomes part of the Ubuntu distribution or becomes available through repositories, it has to go through a series of steps. Of course, these additional steps guarantee additional stability, but it also means that you don’t get the latest software when it becomes available.
If you want to be ahead of the rest, you can find Personal Package Archives for your favorite software on Launchpad and add them to your system. I have described the use of PPA only briefly. If this option delivers you too much trouble, you can download the latest deb-packages and install by double-clicking (you will not receive automatic updates for the software installed in this way).
Using the latest versions, you may encounter a couple of difficulties, but more often they are not critical. You can always visit the Ubuntu Forums and quickly find help.
8. Work as root.
The root user is blocked by default in Ubuntu to minimize the possibility of unauthorized actions. However, if you “promise to be careful,” you can unlock the root user in the following way:
1. Enter sudo passwd root and enter the new password for root.
2. Go to the System> Administration> Login Window, open the Security tab and check the box “Enable local system administrator login”
Now you can login as root from the login window. You can also enter “sudo su”, enter your password and switch to the root user.
9. Run applications and games for Windows.
Who would not want to play Counter Strike on Ubuntu (if you are interested in games, of course) or even launch Photoshop? With Ubuntu, it's very easy to do .
10. Reduce download time using profiling.
The developers of Ubuntu Linux did a great job of reducing download time, Jaunty is fast, and Karmic will be even faster. However, there is another room for improvement - load profiling. Profiling allows Ubuntu to compile a list of all the files used during the download, and sort them according to their location on the hard disk. Due to this, with subsequent system bootups, these files will be read faster.
To profile downloads, follow these steps.
* In the grub menu, highlight the kernel boot item that you use most often.
* Press "e" to edit.
* Highlight the line that starts with “kernel” and press “e” again. Add the word “profile” to the end of the line.
Press "Enter" and then "b" to continue the download.
Please note that during the first time profiling the system boots more slowly, however with subsequent loads you will see a speed increase. Also note that the gain depends on the specific machine and the location of the files on the hard disk, so the acceleration may not be significant or even absent in some cases.
11. Try other Ubuntu desktop environments.
If you need something other than the standard Gnome shell, you just have to check out alternative desktop managers. If you are looking for a complete replacement for your environment, then KDE4, which has a long history, is now very convenient and beautiful. To get KDE, you just need to run “sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop”.
12. Create a media center or media server.
It would be great if you could easily view and manage your huge collections of music, videos and photos. Enchanted by the Windows Media Center interface? Wait, you have not seen all the cool features of Ubuntu as a media center . You can even access the media via phone, PSP or another computer if you install the media server on your Ubuntu.
13. Share your Firefox profile with Windows.
Many use Windows and Linux on the same computer. If you are one of them, it means that you already had cases where you could not find your bookmarks, because they were made in Windows. Find out how you can share a single Firefox profile across multiple operating systems without synchronizing over the Internet (guaranteed if you have the same version of Firefox). For different computers, of course, you can use Weave.
14. Customize Nautilus to your taste.
Nautilus is a standard file manager in Ubuntu. You can be content with what you have, but you can make him do more. Use extensions to enhance features or even add new features to Nautilus.
15. Compile your own kernel.
If you don’t know what to do on the weekends and you want to take the time to configure something, how about building your own kernel configuration to meet your exact requirements? In fact, it serves more to educate yourself. Someone can tell you that this allows you to use only those drivers and functions that you specifically need, although if everything works fine with the standard kernel and you have no interest in the Linux kernel, then just skip this item.
But if you need some experimental kernel features or need to compile it in a special way, you can always find the manual in the Ubuntu documentation.
16. Change the Usplash screen and create your own background for GRUB.
You did not defend the previous advice for yourself? Here is another one. The Usplash screen is the text and Ubuntu logo with a running bar that you see when you boot the system.
If you want to change them to something more interesting, follow these steps . What could be the best way to show your Linux-fu, than to configure the initial boot screen? You can create your own boot screen using one of your photos, GIMP and a bit of skill. Here's how to do it.
Know other features and hacks available to Ubuntu users? I am sure you know. Share them in the comments.
PS: Other articles are proposed for translation, which are indicated in the links in this article.
A few days ago I (hereinafter - the author of the original article - Note. Lane) wrote about books that novice users can download, and read them to learn Linux on their own. Today in the Linux section we have something for advanced users. Here are some tips you should try if you are an experienced Ubuntu Linux user.
1. Quickly and intelligently manage the command line
You can use keyboard shortcuts and other command line features to make typing commands easier and faster. You should already know about the 'tab' key, which ends part of a command or even the names of files and directories.
Here are some keyboard shortcuts you can use in the terminal:
Ctrl-a - move to the beginning of the line
Ctrl-e - move to the end of the line
Alt-] x moves the cursor straight to the next place of appearance x
Alt-Ctrl-] x moves the cursor back to the previous place of appearance x
Ctrl-u delete everything from the cursor to the beginning of the line
Ctrl-k delete from cursor to end of line
Ctrl-w delete from the cursor to the beginning of the word
Ctrl-y inserts text from the clipboard
Ctrl - l clears the screen by moving the current line up to the screen.
Ctrl-x ctrl-u undo last changes. ctrl -__
Alt-r undo all changes in line
Alt-Ctrl-e expand command line
Ctrl-r incremental reverse search in history
Alt-p is not an incremental reverse search in history
!!! execute the last command from the history
! abc execute the last command from the history starting on abc
! n execute the n-th command from the history
^ abc ^ xyz replace the first appearance of abc with xyz in the last command and execute it
Also, be sure to check out 4 sites where you can find cool command line tricks.
')
2. Launch Ubuntu Linux applications using hotkeys.
This can be done in two ways:
* Use applications like Launchy or Gnome-Do, which allow you to quickly launch applications by typing just a few letters from the application name.
* Or you can call the gconf editor (press Alt + F2, then enter gconf-editor and press enter) and go to apps> metacity> global_keybindings. There you need to double-click on any of the run_command_N and specify the hot keys that will launch the application you need. Remember this number N, go to apps> metacity> keybinding_commands, double-click on the appropriate command_N (where N is the number you remembered earlier) and enter the name of the application that will be launched. For example, if you want to launch Firefox, just specify firefox.
At the same time, you should familiarize yourself with the hot keys used in Ubuntu by default.
3. Continue to work from where you left off.
You can configure Ubuntu to remember the applications that were opened during the last logout. When you start a new session, all of these applications will already be running, and you can continue from where you left off.
To enable this feature, go to System> Preferences> Startup Applications, go to the settings tab and check the box “Automatically remember running applications when logging out”.
4. Create a separate partition under the Ubuntu Linux home directory.
The new version of Ubuntu is published every 6 months. Although you can upgrade the system to the latest version using the update manager, sometimes the update may not work correctly, and some users prefer a clean installation in this case.
The disadvantage of this option is that all data in the home directory will be lost. To avoid this problem, you can create a separate partition under your home directory when you first install Ubuntu and allocate the necessary amount of disk space according to your needs. During the next installation of Ubuntu, simply specify this partition for the home directory (specifying / home as the mount point).
In this case, all your files and data will be saved even in the case of a clean installation.
5. Update and install applications for Ubuntu Linux without an Internet connection.
There are several ways to do this, but the simplest of them is to use APTonCD. APTonCD allows you to create CD or DVD discs containing all the packages you need, which you can later install on computers without being connected to the Internet.
To create the installation media, the APTonCD requires a network connection (or pre-loaded packages). However, after preparing the media, you do not need to connect to the network of machines on which the applications will be installed. Insert the desired CD / DVD and use apt-get as usual.
6. Install new fonts, Microsoft fonts and improve the display of fonts.
Ubuntu doesn't provide much choice when it comes to fonts. However, you can easily install new fonts , including Microsoft fonts such as Arial, Verdana, impact, and many others. You can browse through the various sites and select the font that best suits you.
7. Use PPA, install the latest software.
Before the software becomes part of the Ubuntu distribution or becomes available through repositories, it has to go through a series of steps. Of course, these additional steps guarantee additional stability, but it also means that you don’t get the latest software when it becomes available.
If you want to be ahead of the rest, you can find Personal Package Archives for your favorite software on Launchpad and add them to your system. I have described the use of PPA only briefly. If this option delivers you too much trouble, you can download the latest deb-packages and install by double-clicking (you will not receive automatic updates for the software installed in this way).
Using the latest versions, you may encounter a couple of difficulties, but more often they are not critical. You can always visit the Ubuntu Forums and quickly find help.
8. Work as root.
The root user is blocked by default in Ubuntu to minimize the possibility of unauthorized actions. However, if you “promise to be careful,” you can unlock the root user in the following way:
1. Enter sudo passwd root and enter the new password for root.
2. Go to the System> Administration> Login Window, open the Security tab and check the box “Enable local system administrator login”
Now you can login as root from the login window. You can also enter “sudo su”, enter your password and switch to the root user.
9. Run applications and games for Windows.
Who would not want to play Counter Strike on Ubuntu (if you are interested in games, of course) or even launch Photoshop? With Ubuntu, it's very easy to do .
10. Reduce download time using profiling.
The developers of Ubuntu Linux did a great job of reducing download time, Jaunty is fast, and Karmic will be even faster. However, there is another room for improvement - load profiling. Profiling allows Ubuntu to compile a list of all the files used during the download, and sort them according to their location on the hard disk. Due to this, with subsequent system bootups, these files will be read faster.
To profile downloads, follow these steps.
* In the grub menu, highlight the kernel boot item that you use most often.
* Press "e" to edit.
* Highlight the line that starts with “kernel” and press “e” again. Add the word “profile” to the end of the line.
Press "Enter" and then "b" to continue the download.
Please note that during the first time profiling the system boots more slowly, however with subsequent loads you will see a speed increase. Also note that the gain depends on the specific machine and the location of the files on the hard disk, so the acceleration may not be significant or even absent in some cases.
11. Try other Ubuntu desktop environments.
If you need something other than the standard Gnome shell, you just have to check out alternative desktop managers. If you are looking for a complete replacement for your environment, then KDE4, which has a long history, is now very convenient and beautiful. To get KDE, you just need to run “sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop”.
12. Create a media center or media server.
It would be great if you could easily view and manage your huge collections of music, videos and photos. Enchanted by the Windows Media Center interface? Wait, you have not seen all the cool features of Ubuntu as a media center . You can even access the media via phone, PSP or another computer if you install the media server on your Ubuntu.
13. Share your Firefox profile with Windows.
Many use Windows and Linux on the same computer. If you are one of them, it means that you already had cases where you could not find your bookmarks, because they were made in Windows. Find out how you can share a single Firefox profile across multiple operating systems without synchronizing over the Internet (guaranteed if you have the same version of Firefox). For different computers, of course, you can use Weave.
14. Customize Nautilus to your taste.
Nautilus is a standard file manager in Ubuntu. You can be content with what you have, but you can make him do more. Use extensions to enhance features or even add new features to Nautilus.
15. Compile your own kernel.
If you don’t know what to do on the weekends and you want to take the time to configure something, how about building your own kernel configuration to meet your exact requirements? In fact, it serves more to educate yourself. Someone can tell you that this allows you to use only those drivers and functions that you specifically need, although if everything works fine with the standard kernel and you have no interest in the Linux kernel, then just skip this item.
But if you need some experimental kernel features or need to compile it in a special way, you can always find the manual in the Ubuntu documentation.
16. Change the Usplash screen and create your own background for GRUB.
You did not defend the previous advice for yourself? Here is another one. The Usplash screen is the text and Ubuntu logo with a running bar that you see when you boot the system.
If you want to change them to something more interesting, follow these steps . What could be the best way to show your Linux-fu, than to configure the initial boot screen? You can create your own boot screen using one of your photos, GIMP and a bit of skill. Here's how to do it.
Know other features and hacks available to Ubuntu users? I am sure you know. Share them in the comments.
PS: Other articles are proposed for translation, which are indicated in the links in this article.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/73055/
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