Make Your Linux Desktop Look Like A Mac

a quick and easy tutorial for making your linux theme like osx leopard can be found here:
http://www.howtoforge.com/mac4lin_make_linux_look_like_a_mac

good style to all.

Acer Aspire 2920: microphone with alsa

PART 1

From: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=4988340

I have written the following line in both files:

• "/etc/modprobe.d/snd-hda-intel.modprobe" (this file must be created)

• "/etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base" (at the bottom in the last line)

Code:

options snd-hda-intel model=acer position_fix=0 enable=yes

PART 2

From: http://www.imhorst.net/ubuntu-on-an-acer-aspire-2920

1) execute the following commands:

    sudo apt-get install module-assistant
    sudo m-a update
    sudo m-a prepare
    sudo m-a a-i alsa
    sudo alsa force-unload
    sudo depmod -ae
    sudo modprobe snd-hda-intel

2) execute

    alsamixer -c 0 -V all

and enable Internal at the last control (Input Source).
that's all... and ... incredibly... it works!!!

PyTube

[...] PyTube is a GUI for various command-line tools such as:youtube-dl, sox, mplayer, mencoder, ffmpeg and others.It allows you to resize, rotate, apply an external mp3 into a video, generate a 10 to 30 seconds mp3 ring tone. [...]

Essentially from youtube to your HD :P

What is?
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/pytube-best-youtubegoogle-manager-downloader-and-video-converter-for-ubuntu-linux.html

The original site is no more reachable, so if you use ubuntu here you'll find the binaries:

http://www.getdeb.net/search.php?keywords=pytube

Terratec Hybrid XS

Have you got this kind of device for tv acquisition and you don't know how to install on ubuntu???

well after some days spent surfing in the forums... i found this

ending ... to an useful even if obvious suggestion ...this one...

that's everything you'll need:

wget mcentral.de/empia/installer.sh
 chmod 777 installer.sh
 ./installer.sh

--- reboot ---

monitor too much bright?

It's the case of my glossy display (acer 2920) so I discovered that, under ubuntu, a gamma set to 0.6 it surely better:

1. how to find your preferred gamma settings:
   xgamma -gamma .6
   this will set both colors (rgb) to 0.6 value
2. alternatively it is possible to change each color as in the following example:
   xgamma -rgamma .6 -ggamma .8 -bgamma .6
3. Once discovered the right equilibrium among gammaa values, if you have the superuser rights you can set the xorg configuration in this manner:
   "sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf"
   modify the monitor section as follows, with your gamma values:
   
   

   Section "Monitor"
     Identifier      "Configured Monitor"
     Gamma           1.03 0.86 0.67
   EndSection
   

   
   
4. If you are not super user enabled???
   
   Open: System->Preferences->Sessions
   Press: Add
   
   Name: Gamma Settings
   Command: xgamma -gamma .6
   Description: optional
   
   

High frequency of load/unload cycles on some hard disks may shorten lifetime (Ubuntu bug)

starting from this site
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/acpi-support/+bug/59695


here you'll find a workaround:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/acpi-support/+bug/59695/comments/14

Problem::

• Frequent HD clicks -- more than one per 3 minutes while idle, louder than the typical access sounds. Often more than twice per minute. On some disks, the click is very quiet
  
  
• Early hard disk failure never stay parked, due to very frequent disk activity. Thus this cycle occurs often, thus wearing out the drive, and any comparative benefit is negligible (whereas, if the-- some disks are cut down to less than a year of actual uptime.

• Drives are spec'd to a limited number of these cycles. (600,000 is the most common, although some may be spec'd higher or lower).

• The OS not setting disk APM variables according to current disk access pattern.

So ... check your cycles::

• sudo smartctl -a /dev/hda | grep Load_Cycle_Count

  
  (where /dev/hda is replaced with your own hard disk device)

Solution::

Here is how I permanently fixed it:

1) make a file named "99-hdd-spin-fix.sh". The important thing is starting with "99".

2) make sure the file contains the following 2 lines (fix it if you have PATA HDD):
#!/bin/sh
hdparm -B 255 /dev/sda

3) give to it execution rights
chmod +x 99-hdd-spin-fix.sh

4) copy this file to 3 locations:
/etc/acpi/suspend.d/
/etc/acpi/resume.d/
/etc/acpi/start.d/

Voila! After that the HDD never spins down on power (looks like it actually spins down on battery at modest rate).
Sorry if the instruction is too detailed, no offense.

Solution at a glance::

sudo gedit /tmp/99-hdd-spin-fix.sh

write inside the file the following lines:

#!/bin/sh
hdparm -B 255 /dev/sda

sudo cp /tmp/99-hdd-spin-fix.sh /etc/acpi/suspend.d/.
sudo cp /tmp/99-hdd-spin-fix.sh /etc/acpi/resume.d/
sudo cp /tmp/99-hdd-spin-fix.sh /etc/acpi/start.d/
sudo /etc/init.d/acpid restart

iwl3945 wifi working on unbuntu hardy

I have an acer 2920 with T7500 processor (dual core 2.2ghz)...

after a lot of jumps around several forums I have collapsed here the working solution:

From here:
install backports for drivers

sudo apt-get install linux-backports-modules-hardy

create as super user:

sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ipw3945

write this line inside:

blacklist ipw3945

--- restart ---

to test if it is working try with:

sudo iwlist wlan0 scan

probably it is not enough, if you have errors during scanning, you have to do:

sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/iwl3945

write inside it the following lines:

alias wlan0 iwl3945
options iwl3945 disable_hw_scan=1

--- restart --- again