Ubuntu: remove file generated by Firefox in the Home folder

Mozilla Firefox creates - and keeps on creating - an annoying "C:\nppdf32Log\debuglog.txt" file in your home folder, and keeping on deleting it is useless: every time you open Firefox, it's generated again.

A simple solution to this bug is to hide the file: in order to do that, create a new empty document in the same folder, and call it "hidden", without extension. Open it and copy the name (extension included) of the file (or files, and/or folders) you want to hide, then save and close. Rename the file by adding a "." at the beginning, so the final name should be ".hidden". Refresh the folder, or close and open it again, and the file will be hidden.

To see hidden files, or to see and edit the ".hidden" one, press CTRL+H on the folder, and again to re-hide everything.

Ubuntu - add a folder to bookmarks on the left panel

Bookmarking a folder on Ubuntu is easier as expected: just open the folder you want to have at hand in the left-hand-side panel, and from the above menu choose Bookmarks, and then Add Bookmark. In alternative, directly from the folder press CTRL+D, and a shortcut will be created in the bookmarks tab.

[SOLVED] Add custom characters to keyboard layout in Ubuntu

After a lot of attempts, which were not definitive, I finally managed to add some custom characters to my keyboard layout which were not included, avoiding to switch form one layout to another for just some characters.

Here I use as example how I added some German characters (ä,ö,ü,...) on my Italian layout.

• temporally change your layout with a similar one:
  Menu -> Keyboard Layout ->  Layout -> + -> chose a different one from your current (I chose English UK)
• open a terminal (CTRL+ALT+T)
• type cd /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/
• type ls to see all the layouts, and identify which one your was (in my case it, in the following steps substitute it with your layout)
• make a backup copy: sudo cp it it.backup
• open the file: sudo gedit it &
• identify the key you want to edit: if for example you want to add the "ä" as third option on the "A" key, search for the lines which contain "a" and "A" at the beginning; in this case it is:
      key <AC01> { [a, A, aring, Aring] };
• substitute the third element ("aring" or whatever you have) with "adiaeresis" and eventually the fourth with "Adiaeresis" in order to get an "Ä"; this in ALL lines (there can be more of them for different layout settings) where that specific key appears. 'A' key lines should then look like
      key <AC01> { [a, A, adiaeresis, Adiaeresis] };
• add other desired characters as well; if you don't know their code (e.g. "adiaeresis"), just look for them in that language's layout
• save & close
• in the Terminal type sudo dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration and follow the on-screen instructions
• then type sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-setup and follow the on-screen instructions
• close all programs and reboot: sudo reboot
• after logging in go again to Menu -> Keyboard Layout ->  Layout, remove the previously set layout and add your default one; now, following the above example, you should be able to get an "ä" by AltGr+A and an "Ä" by SHIFT+AltGr+A

[SOLVED] Share folders between Linux Mint computers

If you want to share a folder on a Mint machine, and to access it both from Windows and from Linux computer, you have to follow these simple steps:

INSTALLATION (on every Linux machine):

• open a Terminal (CTRL+ALT+T)
• install Samba:  sudo apt-get install samba
• create a login to access shared folders:  sudo smbpasswd -a <whateverYouWant>  and insert a password for it when asked

FOLDER SHARING (on every Linux machine you want to share some folder of)

• make a backup of the Samba configuration file on your home folder:  sudo cp /etc/samba/smb.conf ~
• edit the configuration file:  sudo gedit /etc/samba/smb.conf
• for every folder you want to share, append something like this at the very end of the file:
  [nameOfSharedFolder]
  path = /path/to/shared/folder
  available = yes
  valid users = theUserYouCreatedInTheStepAbove
  read only = no
  browsable=yes
  public = yes
  eventually changing the values on the right-hand side of the = sign, and the name in the square brackets.
• if you want to share the folder with another linux machine, add this line just after the line starting with "workgroup = ...": name resolve order = bcast host lmhosts wins
• save and close the text editor
• restart Samba:  sudo service smbd restart
• check that there are no errors:  sudo testparm

Wait some minutes and then everything should work. If you have other questions just post a comment, I'll answer as soon as possible.

[SOLVED] Mint13 - Nvidia GeForce GT540M optimus (64 bit)

Nvidia graphic cards with Optimus technology (such as GeForce GT540M) may take to errors in case of installation through the official Nvidia .run file or apt-get install nvidia-current, and result in a horrible VGA screen resolution (in the best cases).

At write time there wasn't a single working solution, but many different forum discussions each solving a subpart of the problem. Now that I managed to solve it, I report here all and only the necessary steps to finally use your Nvidia graphic card on your Ubuntu/Mint OS.

Note: tested on Mint13 64bit.

Important: follow all the steps in order, inserting password when prompted, always confirming

REMOVE PREVIOUS NVIDIA INSTALLATION ATTEMPTS:

• open a Terminal (CTRL+ALT+T)
• type sudo apt-get purge nvidia- and press 2times TAB fast; with the arrow up key reselect the command and complete it with each of the found options
• type sudo rm /etc/X11/xorg.* then enter
• type sudo reboot then enter. The system will REBOOT! (close open programs/files before)

INSTALL BUMBLEBEE

• open a Terminal (CTRL+ALT+T)
• type sudo add-apt-repository ppa:bumblebee/stable then enter
• type sudo apt-get update then enter
• type sudo apt-get install bumblebee bumblebee-nvidia linux-headers-generic then enter
• type sudo apt-get install virtualgl-libs:i386 then enter
• type sudo usermod -a -G bumblebee $USER then enter
• type sudo update-initramfs -u then enter
• type sudo gedit /etc/init/bumblebeed.override then enter
  write:
      start on    (runlevel [2345])
      stop on     (runlevel [016])
  save and close;
• type sudo reboot then enter. The system will REBOOT! (close open programs/files before)

TEST IT

• open a Terminal (CTRL+ALT+T)
• type optirun glxspheres then enter

Please let me know if it was successful for you. If some step gives you problem and you go on skipping it please let me know too! You don't need to register in order to comment!

Note: this guide solves also the following problems:

• You do not appear to be using the NVIDIA X driver. Please edit your X configuration file (just run `nvidia-xconfig` as root), and restart the X server.
• Could not apply the stored configuration for monitors
• The Bumblebee daemon has not been started yet or the socket path /var/run/bumblebee.socket was incorrect

Program to merge, split, rotate and select pages from multiple PDF documents

Are you using Ubuntu, Linux Mint or other similar distributions? Do you need a program to work on PDF pages? Here is the best one that you could use: PDFchain.

To install it just open a Terminal (CTRL + ALT + T), type
sudo apt-get install pdfchain
and insert your password to enable root privilege.

When the program is installed just search for "pdfchain" in the menu: you will then be able to import one or more PDF files, select pages from them, copy them, rotate them, give them an order, even encrypt the output. Then you can merge everything in a single output PDF document.

It's really fantastic! Have a try and enjoy it!

Windows: How to "install" a new downloaded FONT

Did you download a new font and now you want to use it?
That's very easy: the only things you have to do are:

• open your download folder (or after download in many browsers you find the option "view in folder" near the new font file)
• right-click on the file -> copy (or cut if you don't need it in your download folder)
• go to Computer, open the disk labelled with "(C)"
• go to Windows, then Fonts
• right-click in a white space of the folder and select paste

You should now view your new font in your text editor (Word or Writer).

If that doesn't work write a comment and I'll help you further.

Install a PDF printer in 30 seconds on Ubuntu

Installing a PDF printer on Ubuntu will take no more than half minute:

• open a Terminal (search Terminal in the Menu or CTRL+ALT+T)
• type sudo apt-get install cups-pdf, then press Enter
• insert your password to allow installation (it will seem you're not typing for security reasons), then press Enter again
• wait until the installation finishes

You can now print your documents to PDF files choosing the printer named "PDF"; they will be saved by default in the folder PDF in your home.