The Best Tips for Lazy but Smart Linux Home Users

You have probably seen the abundance of smart homes and how they make life easier. These smart homes have been made possible by the Internet of Things and can help users turn lights on and off or play music just by the command of your voice.

To make this possible, you need to have the right hardware and software that can undertake these tasks. Some smart home users have chosen to use Linux to power their homes and have had great success at it.

You need to know the facts about Linux first before using it and familiarize yourself with working around it. Here are some of the best tips for lazy but smart Linux home users to create the best setup.

Learn how to install several VPN protocols on your Linux device

Operating systems appear as all-around tools that facilitate our interactions with our devices and even the Internet itself. They manage and organize all of our apps, files, documents, programs, and other vital elements.

Among them, Windows and macOS are the most popular for desktop computers, while iOS and Android take the crown for smartphones and tablets. The order may vary year to year, but these are the market leaders.

However, there are other operating systems with a serious market share. One of them is Linux, which is quickly gaining traction as one of the most reliable and secure alternatives for those that want to explore other options.

Linux-friendly Yandex.Disk - get 32 GB additional free storage

Yandex.Disk is one of the most Linux-friendly platform for cloud file storage.

Linux notes from DarkDuck had published a how-to guide for running Yandex.Disk application on your Linux computer back in 2016. Using the link from that article, you can get at least 1 GB of free space, and there are steps to get 10 GB extra once you start using the application.

Until the 3rd of July 2017 you have another chance to further increase the storage space you get by the whopping 32 GB. Although, you will need a smartphone for that, and you will need to install the Yandex.Disk app. If you summarise all that, you get 1 + 10 + 32 = 43 GB of free online storage!

So, the process now includes three steps.

• First, register with Yandex.Disk if you have not done so yet. You can optionally do the steps to get 10 GB of free space once you registered.
• Second, you need to install the application for your smartphone. It is available for both Android and iPhones platforms. Search for Yandex Disk there.
• Third, you need to switch on auto-upload function and then upload at least one image to Yandex.Disk using the application. Once you do this, 32 GB of free space should be added to your account. You can use it the way you like, including an agent running on your Linux computer.

The Terms & Conditions for steps 2&3 are here. These T&Cs also include links to official Yandex.Disk applications, if you are in doubt.

And yes, you can uninstall the application afterwards, if you don't want to use it.

Keep storing! :) And stay tuned for Linux notes from DarkDuck blog for future Linux articles.

2 Linux clients for Microsoft's OneDrive. Yes, they work, but...

The Linux notes from DarkDuck blog has recently published a How-to guide for using cloud storage from the Russian company Yandex with native Linux support: Yandex.Disk.

Of course, Yandex is not the only company that offers free and subscription-based cloud storage services. There was even a discussion about one of the alternatives in the comments for that article. You can also check the other alternatives.

My take on that discussion is that I would not trust my files to a company that only receives revenues from the cloud storage. It is like putting all your eggs in the same basket. That's why I would recommend you use a company with a diverse set of cash cows. How many of them are there? Not that many, I am afraid.

Yandex is a Russia-based company. There is another Russian company Mail.Ru that offers web storage with 25 Gb of free space per user by default. Unfortunately, its site interface is mostly in Russian, that's why I would not talk too much about it here.

Global technology companies also offer cloud storage. The most famous of them is Google Drive, of course. You all are aware that Google does not provide an official Linux client for its Google Drive. There are some unofficial alternatives including JDrivesync that you can read about.

However, there is another cloud storage from a global company. It is OneDrive from Microsoft. You can think of me being a Devil's Advocate here, but let me continue. OneDrive gives you 5Gb of storage space by default that you can extend later on. However, if you use the referral link, you get 0.5 Gb extra, and so will I. Of course, it is less than the 10 Gb you can easily obtain from Yandex, but still enough space for many who prefer US-based Microsoft to Russia-based Yandex.

There are no official clients for running OneDrive on Linux. But there are two unofficial ones.

Let me talk you through installing and using them and compare the features running Xubuntu 16.04.

Video: How to configure keyboard layouts in Cinnamon 2 and 3

I have recently written an article where I described the process of configuration of changing the default keyboard layout in Cinnamon Desktop Environment versions 2 and 3.

Some people prefer to see the video with the same steps rather than read them. That is why I created a video for you.

You can watch it below or visiting the link https://youtu.be/cOEwNDmAYzs


Hope you have enjoyed!

How to uninstall obsolete dependent packages

How much rubbish does your system have?

Do you say none? Then let me ask how old is your system? How often have you installed and removed software?

If your system is not fresh and you installed and removed a good dozen different applications using Synaptic or any other package manager, it is more likely than not that you have not removed all the obsolete dependent packages. They could be installed as a pre-requisite for the application you wanted, but they are not automatically uninstalled when you decide to uninstall the main application.
Do you remember being in this situation?

Let me show you how you can deal with this situation in distibutions using Synaptic package manager.

Say, I have installed an application that required some additional dependent packages to be installed.

Now I need to remove all of them to restore the system status quo.

Yandex.Disk - an alternative to Google Drive with native Linux support

Google Drive is a powerful tool. It is a cloud-based file storage and sharing service from the well-known software company. It is fast, reliable and popular. But there is a limitation for Linux users: the Google Drive client is not available for any Linux distribution.

There are a number of unofficial clients for Google Drive, and I have even written a how-to guide for one of them: Jdrivesync. However, unofficial clients are not something you can trust, especially if they are supported by a "one-man-band" team.

What is the alternative then? It is an alternative cloud-based storage. There are many alternatives for file sharing, but today I will speak about Yandex.Disk. This is a cloud storage solution by a Russian-based company Yandex that also provides search, email and several more services. Yandex.Disk has a native Linux client.

Let me show how you can use that service in your Linux operating system.

Installing MythTV and Brother HL-2230 Laser Printer on PCLOS 2016

I want to share with you my thoughts, good and bad points, problems I had with installing MythTV, and the Brother HL-2230 Laser Printer on PCLinuxOS (PCLOS) 2016. I'll also include step by step fixes it took me to resolve these two issues.

How to configure keyboard layouts in Cinnamon 2 and higher

Desktop Environments are not something set in stone. They develop and change their design.

Linux notes from DarkDuck published an article some time ago where you could learn how to configure keyboard layouts in Cinnamon Desktop Environment. That article was written in 2013 when Cinnamon 1 was available. That How-to is relevant to that release and its sub-releases only.

Cinnamon 2&3 were released since then. Cinnamon 2 is a part of Linux Mint 16 and, more importantly, Long-Term Support version Linux Mint 17. Cinnamon 3 became a part of recently published Linux Mint 18. These version of DEs have a different approach to keyboard layout settings. Let me show you how to set up different keyboard layouts in Cinnamon 3 in Linux Mint 18 and later, and in other operating systems that use Cinnamon Desktop Environment of version 3 and higher. Cinnamon 2 has a very similar approach with slightly different look of the windows.

Installing Arch Linux. Part 2

This is the 2nd part of the how-to guide for Arch Linux installation. Please click here for the 1st part.

Now we are finally booted into our Arch Linux computer! At this point we can install some basic packages. I will install PulseAudio and alsa-utils by entering

sudo pacman -S alsa-utils pulseaudio

Installing Arch Linux. Part 1

Arch Linux is often rather challenging or scary when it comes to a newbie's first Linux experience. Some reasons you may want to go with Arch would be the Pacman package handler, or the fact that it comes with no bloat software that will allow you to truly make it your own. In the installation process, there is no GUI or "Press Next to Continue" to hold your hand. This usually drives people away. I also found the forums to have lots of impatient people who expect you to magically know what you're doing. Here I will try to provide an in depth guide on how to install and setup your own Arch Linux computer.

How to create list for LibreOffice Calc cell (video)

Spreadsheet is a convenient tool to make calculations. But that's the not the only use the spreadsheets have now.

Many people use spreadsheets as a tool to exchange information. For example, you can get a spreadsheet from your supplier with request to list your order details there. On another side, you can create a similar spreadsheet to your customer, or even for household needs: keeping budget, or inviting friends to the party. The range of spreadsheets' use is large.

There are many cases when you want to help either yourself or another people with working with the spreadsheet you composed. For example, you want to advise that certain cells can only contain a pre-defined set of values and nothing else. The best way to do so is to give users a drop-down list to choose from.

4 Ways to Use Whatsapp Messenger on Your Computer

I have recently written about the Telegram Messenger, the secure way to exchange messages with your friends via Internet using your mobile device or computer.

However, Telegram is not the market leader in the world of mobile messengers. Who is? I think you guessed it right: Whatsapp.

Whatsapp was initially designed to work on mobile phones. As in Telegram and other mobile messengers, your account with Whatsapp is your phone number. But does it mean that a mobile device is the only way to use Whatsapp? As in the Telegram case, the answer is "no".

There are several ways to use the Whatsapp messenger on your computer. I specifically don’t mention "Linux" here. I will explain later why.

5 ways to use the Telegram messenger on your Linux computer

Mobile technology develops rapidly nowadays. Do you remember that just 5-8 years ago the most you could get from your mobile device was phone calls and text messages?

Today your smartphone can do more than a typical computer could do 10 years go. Plus, smartphone is also mobile and very often connected to the Internet.

One of the areas that grows exponentially now among smartphone applications is instant messengers. The ability to send your friends messages through the Internet attracts many users, especially as these messages cost many-many times less than standard text messages (SMS). "Many-many times" actually means free. You only pay for the traffic you use, which is quite cheap except for roaming cases. And you can send cross-border messages at the same [nil] price as local, which is impossible to achieve for Mobile Network Operators.

If you still don't understand what messengers I am talking about, I'd like to name two: Whatsapp and Viber. You should have heard at least one of these names.

But I will not talk about these apps. I don't use them. I don't trust them.

What do I use? I use Facebook Messenger and Telegram.

Facebook Messenger - because I use Facebook anyway. But what is Telegram you may ask?

Telegram is a relatively new player on this market. It has three benefits that make it stand out for me:

1. it is open source.
2. it is secure – you can get a serious prize for breaking its security!
3. it is absolutely free and will never push ads.

At least, these are promises for now. And I trust them.

Telegram is available on your mobile phone AND on your desktop both, which is quite convenient when you share your time between both.

It is quite clear how you can use your messenger on the phone. But how can you run Telegram on the desktop? There are actually five ways to do so. Let's have a look at them.

How-to video: Removing old kernels in Ubuntu

Once new kernel passes the test system, Ubuntu offers you to install it through its update system.
At the same time, old kernel remains in the system. It means that after some time of using Ubuntu, you may have a number of old kernels. They take your disk space and also may clutter the GRUB menu, although the latter issue is resolved in newer versions of Ubuntu.

This video shows you the way to remove old obsolete kernels from your Ubuntu installation.

The same approach is valid for whole Ubuntu family and derivatives: Xubuntu, Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Zorin OS, Linux Mint and so on.

Please remember that the "best practice" is to keep at least two kernels in the system: the current and the previous one. This is to ensure the fallback solution if current kernel fails for whatever reason.

How many old kernels do you have in your system? How often do you remove the obsolete kernels?

How-to: headless radio player on Raspberry Pi 2 and SolydX RPi2

First some background story: A little under two years ago my mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 Bone cancer. Today she is paralyzed and bed-ridden. In an effort to keep her comfortable and relaxed, I have hooked up a custom music streaming device to play her favorite genre of music (classical) anytime she wants it. Radio reception and music selection is an issue in our region.

I started with a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, a WiPi wireless adapter, an 8GB microSD card and a low cost case. I downloaded the SolydX RPi2 edition and extracted it onto the microSD card. Once done and inserted into the RPi2, I booted the system and followed the usual procedure for expanding the file system to use the entire SD card. Set up your network connection at this time if you are using the wireless adapter.

Now the fun can begin.

Working with Pivot Tables in LibreOffice Calc

Pivot tables is a very powerful tool in spreadsheets that allow you to analyse big massive of data in flexible dimensions.

LibreOffice Calc gives you an option to build your own Pivot tables using the built-in tools.

Please watch a how-to video showing you details of working with Pivot tables in LibreOffice Calc.

You can also follow this link to watch directly on YouTube.

By the way, if you use OpenOffice Calc, this tutorial may help you too.

Jdrivesync: your Google Drive synchronisation client for Linux

Google Drive is an instrument that is used by many. Of course, there are many alternatives to it like Dropbox or Yandex.Drive, but nevertheless many prefer a Google-backed solution. One of the reasons for me was an ability to have several services under one "roof", one account.

Google released clients for its Drive for many platforms: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS and so on. Unfortunately, an official Linux client is still a missing part of the puzzle. That is why developers worked to create unofficial clients for Google Drive.

Grive was a solution for many. It worked on Ubuntu, Debian and so on... It was distributed in source code only, so you had to compile it for your own OS. Unfortunately, things changed in April 2015. Grive no longer works. The reasons behind this issue are given here.

Is there an alternative to Grive? Yes, there are several options:

1. Insync. This is a paid option. I leave it for those who interested.
2. Ocamlfuse. It is a heavy-weight solution. I tried it in the past, and was not 100% happy about it.
3. Jdrivesync. This is the free option I've never tried before.

Let's explore it!

How-to: different headers and footers on even and odd pages in LibreOffice

LibreOffice Writer is a great Free Open Source tool for writing, no one can argue. Its features are good for both the home users who simply need to write a note to a friend, and to professional authors who need to write texts that many other people read.

Of course, professional texts should look professional. LibreOffice Writer has tools for that! Some time ago I told you how you can insert page numbers in the footers or headers of your pages. Then I told you how you can start page numbering from a certain number – useful for books that have title page or pages created with other tools. Today is the time to uncover yet another useful feature of LibreOffice Writer.

How to enable spell-checking in different languages in Pidgin in Linux

If you are a person who speaks different languages, you are very likely to end up having friends in different parts of the world that you need to communicate with. The modern technological world gives you a good way of doing so using various instant messaging protocols.

Pidgin is a free open source application that allows you to communicate through different protocols. I believe it covers most of the protocols currently known in the world. Some of these protocols are available out of the box, others are available through additional plugins.

I have previously written a guest post on Linuxaria's blog that shows the power of plugins for Pidgin. Today I’m going to dive into a similar topic once again, looking through a different prism.