Alternative to Libre Office or Microsoft Word in Linux.

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Sandeep Bhalla

Finally a near alternative of Microsoft Office /Libre/Open etc. is available in Kingsoft Office which is available for all Debian based Distros like Ubuntu 13.04/12.10/12.04/Linux Mint 15/14/13. I have successfully installed it. It is also available in RPM package for Fedora and the like distros. The screen shot is on the left.

Kingsoft Office for Linux

Kingsoft Office is an office suite developed by Hongkong/Chinese software developer which was until now using the brand name WPS (with website at wps.cn and appears to be an acronym for Writer, Presentation & Spreadsheet). Continue reading →

Alternative to Unity in Ubuntu Raring 13.04: Mate.

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Sandeep Bhalla

Unity sucks as usual. Ubuntu Raring Ringtail 13.04 does not work properly on older machines (e.g. AMD core 2 with 2GB ram and on-board graphics) any more. It installs alright but xWindow crashes. Ubuntu-Gnome also had the same problem. In such situation Xbuntu (Ubuntu with Xfce) is a better option and we can add ‘Mate’ as Desktop environment to make it even better. Mate is the new name for the classic Gnome 2.0 Desktop. Until 10.04 Ubuntu was shipped with Gnome 2.0 Desktop.
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Another good alternative to Ubuntu without Unity is Lubuntu!

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Sandeep Bhalla

Ever since the Unity came on board Ubuntu, clamor for alternatives started. One alternative was Linux Mint with Cinnamon or mate. The option to remove Unity manually from Ubuntu 12.04 did not work as Update Manager messed up and rendered the system unstable. Thus over all Ubuntu now sucks like windows. The very purpose of choosing Ubuntu was stability and speed but it stands defeated with Unity.

The Linux Mint is the best alternative to Ubuntu with Unity Desktop but it had one problem. Ubuntu One, the cloud service of Ubuntu does not work thereon and error remained unresolved. Officially there is no word, either way. Second is the problem with older machines. Dual core machine with 2 Ghz speed are now old machines. Anything less than that is obsolete. Hence Linux Mint, also runs a little slower. Add a decade old LCD Monitor and we have compounded the problem. Alternative is Lubuntu.

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Linux v. Windows – practical reasons for beginners to choose Linux.

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Sandeep Bhalla

An overview comparison of windows and Linux:

Window is like firmware. Very little scope for customization. Even though it does not sell hardware, it is like buying a phone with camera and music player etc. but without scope of expansion. Actually window’s popularity is due to its Games. However Linux is like a smartphone that has a lot of options. Once we install Linux, it brings with it loads of free software created by volunteers who created it for themselves and distributed it over the net.
At one time it could be said that, the first time computer buyer or for beginner, Windows is the safer option but that is not true any more. It was true, back then because the non-availability of hardware drivers. Linux was not able to run on large number of computers or support other apparatus due to non-availability of drivers. Now major hardware producers are supporting the Linux Foundation which is responsible for its core or kernel and compatibility of all major products are built-in kernel itself.
Here are some of the practical and day-to-day reasons which keep me stuck with Linux. Nothing emotional about it.

Windows’ Price

It is expensive. Worst problem is that a new version is rolled out every three years and it will not work on old machine, so we have to go out and buy a new machine as well. The worst part is dishonesty. The Microsoft first rolls out an alfa product as free trial and then sells beta product as new system. It keeps fixing the bugs and then it releases the final product as new edition. Look at past track record. Window 95 was a beta and 98 got it right. Windows 2000 and Millennium Edition were beta and finally XP was rolled out. Again Vista was a Beta and the Windows 7 was the final. My guess is Windows 8 is another Beta for touch screen monitor machines. Final will be the next.
Now after the purchase of OS, software is to be purchased which is no less expensive. Of course a pirated version is around the corner but why use a pirated when there is a free alternative which is also better? Continue reading →

Disabling ‘Guest Log In’ in Precise Pangolin 12.04 LTS

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Sandeep Bhalla

LightDM screenshot, using the “Unity Greeter” frontend. Español: Captura de pantalla de LightDM, usando la interfaz «Unity Greeter». (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Borrowing is a nasty habit. It is worse to borrow somebody’s laptop. In principle everybody tends to agree but in practice expediency over-rules the principle. So I have decided to disable Guest Login from my lap top and if somebody asks for it he will have to find his own way to login (i.e. by own usb). This is how I managed to disable the guest account in Precise Pangolin 12.04 LTS (lightDM log in).

Open Terminal and type:

sudo gedit /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf

It will open text editor with lightdm.conf file with following entries:

[SeatDefaults] 
user-session=ubuntu
greeter-session=unity-greeter

Add following line at the end:

allow-guest=false

And Save.
Before closing, make sure that final result should look like:

[SeatDefaults]
user-session=ubuntu  
greeter-session=unity-greeter 
allow-guest=false

Close the editor. Close all Running programs and re-login by tying the following command in terminal:

sudo restart lightdm

It will ask your password and log-off real fast.
It would be back to login screen with guest account disabled.

P.S.: This worked on a clean install of Precise Pangolin 12.04 LTS (amd64). I am not sure that it will work on upgrade as earlier built may be using GDM. If you try, do it on your own risk, but do tell me the result.

Sandeep Bhalla's Blog

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