Linux - Page 2

• Source Code Browser for Gedit 3

  May 06, 2011

  

  I have just switched to GNOME 3 and as a result, my old Symbol Browser Plugin was no longer compatible with Gedit 3. Since I have grown pretty dependent upon this plugin for daily use, I had to hunker down and put out a new plugin: Source Code Browser for Gedit 3

  The new Gedit plugin is written in Python instead of C (so that it is easier to install and update) and has some prettier looking icons. It is fairly similar in functionality but I have dropped some of the less-used features in favor of simplicity.

  You can read more or download Gedit Source Code Browser at Github.

  
  

• Guake - Drop Down Terminal in GNOME 3

  May 05, 2011

  Today I fell in love with a new Terminal. See, I just took a screenshot as I typed this (below). Guake is a "top-down" terminal like that used in the game Quake. By pressing a hot-key (F12 by default) a terminal window drops down from the top of your screen. Press the hot key again and the terminal goes away. With customizable transparency and support for multiple tabs, this terminal could be a great addition to my GNOME 3 environment.

  

  The Guake website does say:

  Yes, Guake has a lot of bugs =)

  So, I'll have to spend a few more days of playing with it. But either way it seems like a cool project and a handy way to interact with the terminal from within GNOME Shell.

  Fedora users can find Guake in the repositories as 'guake'.

• Adding a Taskbar or Dock to GNOME 3 / GNOME Shell

  May 02, 2011

  GNOME Shell in GNOME 3 does not have a taskbar, task list, or dock in the way that many of us have grown accustomed to. This has been the source of lot of criticism from new users migrating to GNOME 3. I too was put off by the lack of a taskbar initially (I have since adapted to a workflow without a taskbar).

  Here are some taskbar options for those users out there want a taskbar or dock to ease their migration to GNOME 3 and GNOME Shell.

• MagTek Credit Card Reader in Linux

  Nov 01, 2010

  

  I recently purchased a MagTek USB Swipe Reader to use as a credit card reader for a point-of-sale system I'm developing for my company. Since the POS system is written in Python and GTK+, and will be running on Ubuntu Linux, I needed to be able to interface with this credit card reader in Python and Ubuntu as well.

  These are my adventures in getting the MagTek USB Swipe Reader to work in Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat). I hope this information helps others out there tinkering with credit card swipe readers in Linux.

• Star TSP600 Series Printers in Ubuntu Linux

  Oct 31, 2010

  

  Here are my install notes for the Star TSP600 Series Thermal Impact Receipt Printer on 64-bit Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat). I have the TSP650 USB version of this printer. The manufacturer provides i386 RPM drivers and the source. So I had to build the cups drivers for Ubuntu Linux. Turned out to be quick and painless.