linux

Four ways to share your printer

How many computers are in your household? Two? Three? More? Many households have more than one computer, but having multiple printers is probably overkill. Here are four ways to share your printer:

1. Integrated Ethernet/Wi-Fi printer The most obvious and convenient way to share a printer is to use a printer with a built-in Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection, like the Brother HL-2270DW. Wi-Fi printers are convenient if you want to put your printer somewhere that isn't near your router, but using the Wi-Fi connection isn't the only way to print wirelessly. If your printer has an Ethernet … Read more

How to control Google Music with keyboard shortcuts

Google Music, like most of Google's services, supports keyboard shortcuts. Here's what you can do with them in Google Music:

Space bar : play/pause music Right arrow : next track Left arrow : previous track Shift+right arrow : search forward in current track Shift+left arrow : search back in current track Up arrow : select item above current Down arrow : select item below current Delete : delete track

= : volume up - : volume down Alt+= : thumbs up Alt+- : thumbs down s : shuffle on/off r : toggle repeat (off, all, and one) p : make new playlist i : make new instant mix from current … Read more

Ubuntu Linux eyes tablet territory

Canonical wants to get its Ubuntu Linux operating system onto tablets and smartphones.

The company plans to make an announcement to that effect at the Ubuntu Developer Summit taking place this week, according to Stephen J. Vaughan-Nichols, a blogger for CNET sister site ZDNet. The platforms beyond the desktop that Canonical is targeting include not only those mobile devices but also smart TVs.

"It's important for us to reach out to our community on these platforms," Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth told Vaughan-Nichols. "So, we'll embrace the challenge of how to use Ubuntu on smartphones, tablets, … Read more

Photo editing for nondesigners

Not every shot is perfect, but most are worth salvaging. Sadly, for most of us, image-editing software can be too intimidating or frustrating to use. Even GIMP, the open-source image-editing software, isn't immediately intuitive.

A Canadian usability research team has released AdaptableGIMP, which lets users search for tools based on what they want to do. It makes life much easier for nondesigners. Here's how to use it:

Download and install AdaptableGIMP. Page through the intro screens and agree to take part in the research. (It will record some usability data.) Set up an account, if you'd like. … Read more

How to change the boot order of a dual-boot Linux PC

Linux is a great operating system, but it can be hard to completely switch over. For this reason, many people prefer to dual-boot Linux with Windows.  The Linux boot loader though (called Grub), usually defaults to booting Linux.  If you'd prefer to have Windows boot up by default, here's how to change it:

Note: The Linux distro we're using for this How To is Ubuntu.

Graphical method

If you're not quite comfortable with the command line yet or just prefer the pretty graphical interface, this is the method for you.

Step 1: We need … Read more

Microsoft addresses Windows 8 secure boot issue

Microsoft is trying to shed light on the new secure boot process in Windows 8 to address concerns from people who may want to dual-boot a non-Windows OS, such as Linux.

In an update posted Thursday to the Building Windows 8 blog , Tony Mangefeste, a member of Microsoft's Ecosystem team, discussed how secure boot attempts to protect the PC against boot loader attacks, which can compromise a system before the OS even loads.

Secure boot is actually a feature of Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), a new type of boot environment that has gradually been replacing the standard BIOS … Read more

Microsoft, Casio sign licensing deal over Linux

Casio has signed a patent-licensing deal with Microsoft that will allow the company to continue to sell devices running Linux.

Although the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Casio has agreed to pay Microsoft licensing fees for certain patents related to the use of Linux in its products. The products included in the deal were not disclosed.

Microsoft and Casio have had a business relationship for quite some time. According to Microsoft, Casio currently uses Microsoft software in its industrial handheld terminals and business information systems.

Since 2003, Microsoft has inked deals with a host of companies through … Read more

Fusion Garage Grid tablet selling for $299

Fusion Garage's new Grid 10 tablet is selling for a healthy $200 below its originally announced price.

Available for sale in the United States and scheduled to start shipping this past Monday, the Grid 10 is being served up in two versions--a 16GB Wi-Fi-only version for $299 and a 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G edition for $399. Those numbers compare with the previously announced prices of $499 and $599, respectively. Shipping is free.

A spokewoman for Fusion Garage told CNET that the company was able to lower the price after negotiating its supply chain costs with a manufacturing partner. Customers who … Read more

Get Spotify on Linux

Linux isn't officially supported by the Spotify music service, but if you're a premium or unlimited subscriber, you can get the Spotify for Linux preview version onto Ubuntu. Here's how:

Step 1: Open up a terminal window (CTRL+ALT+T).

Step 2: Add Spotify to the list of repositories by adding the following line in /etc/apt/sources.list, deb http://repository.spotify.com stable non-free

Type command:

sudo vi /etc/apt/sources.list

Step 3: Add Spotify's public key to verify downloaded packages.

Type command:

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 4E9CFF4E

Step … Read more