Having fun with application indicators in Unity

If you, like a whole lot of other people (if the download speeds on the Ubuntu servers are an indicator), just installed the latest version of Ubuntu, you probably realized that Unity has a... different ways of doing things. Here, I'll just focus on the application indicators (a.k.a. the system tray).

First thing you'll realize, just after the fact that the indicator is now located in the top-right corner of the screen, is that a lot of (legacy?) applications do not show their icons in the tray. This is "normal": Unity offers a new API for indicators, and (by default) requires the applications to be coded specifically for Unity. What that means is, most applications that are not actively supported most likely didn't switch to that new API, and as a consequence, are not present in the tray. Also, some applications where not using the tray, but were GNOME applets themselves. Those, again, have been booted out the Unity party. What a bummer, especially if you had a kick-ass panel setup.

What to do then?

The current state of my tray

White-list indicators

One thing you can do is to white-list existing indicators. Eventually, the apps you use may be ported for Unity compatibility, but why wait? In the meantime, just indicate to Unity that some (or even all) applications should be allowed to show in the system tray.

To do so, you'll first need to install dconf-editor from the dconf-tools package. You can get it from the Software Center in Ubuntu.

Once it's installed, launch it (either by pressing Alt+F2 then typing dconf-editor, or through a Terminal). In the application, navigate to Desktop -> Unity -> Panel, and modify the systray-whitelist value. You can add each application individually (personally, I added 'Last.fm' and 'Dropbox'), or replace the whole thing by ['all']. Be aware, however, that some applications might mess a bit with the tray, so if you happen to experience some weird behavior, be sure to revert back to the old value. There's even a nice "Set to Default" button in dconf-editor, so that you don't have to remember what that default was.

Using dconf-editor

Oh, and make sure to at least log-out then log-in for the change to take effect.

Install new indicators

Sometimes, an indicator you were using is not compatible for Unity, but a nice alternative is available. Or maybe you just want to try something new. There's indeed a lot of nice indicators to use. Here are some of the nicest ones, in my opinion:

• Caffeine: Allows to enable or disable screensaver and sleep mode, either manually or depending on some applications (e.g. if Banshee is open, don't sleep).
• Ejecter: A simple icon that allows to easily unmount external drives, such as USB sticks, CDs, external hard drives. Can sometimes by faster than doing it in Nautilus.
• Indicator-Weather: A nice, configurable weather indicator, with multiple locations and sensible preferences.

References

• "How do I access and enable more icons to be in the system tray?", from Ask Ubuntu
• "List of Application indicators", from Ask Ubuntu

Get a Windows 7-like taskbar in GNOME with DockbarX

One of the first thing I *really* liked when I first tried Windows 7, was the taskbar. This launcher-switcher hybrid that allowed me to simply click on the unique Firefox (or whichever) application icon to pop it, without having to think "ok, if it's already launched, I should click on the taskbar, but if not, I'll have to click on the launcher". I didn't really realized how stupid it was to have, on the same bar, a lot of duplicate icons (because what is set as launcher/shortcuts is often also what is running most of the time). Both icons did have the same role: bring the application to the front. It shouldn't matter whether it was already launched or not. I think the way it's done in Windows 7 is just fantastic*. Add to that: the jump lists, the recent and bookmarked documents, the previews... Well, it's just perfect IMO. If you absolutely don't know what I'm talking about (and my messed up description probably didn't help), just take a look at this.

That being said, even if the Windows 7 taskbar is the most perfectest perfect taskbar, that was not enough for me to simply ditch Ubuntu. Instead, I tried to find something that would work a bit like that taskbar. I experimented with a lot af different switcher GNOME applets, but none really did it... Until I found DockbarX. Since that day, I'm blessed with app selection goodness and intuitive UI. Life is great.

You can also get a piece of that heaven, by following the instructions here (download link, PPA, extra themes and all). Then, simply replace your standard application launcher/selector/taskbar applet by the DockbarX, and you're ready to go.

Now, I just need to find a good Snap-like thing. This just didn't do it. I may also just wait for Compiz 0.10... Please wave in the comments if you know a good solution for this.

* By the way, I don't know if Microsoft were the first to come with the idea, or if it came for Apple, or from somewhere else. And quite frankly, I don't care.

Dropquest 2011: Get a free 1GB from Dropbox (bring your thinking cap!)

You probably already know about Dropbox. If not, let's say it's self-desbcribed as a "software that syncs your files online and across your computers". I'll also add that it can sync with mobiles (iPhone, Android and Blackberries at least), and allows for some neat tricks (I'll share some with you... eventually).

So what I'm talking about here, is getting a free GB of storage, simply for following some steps. Mind you, I didn't say simple steps. In fact, it's a full-on scavenger hunt, with all the head-stratching it implies. A game that spawns the whole interwebs, and even more. A game you probably won't finish in ten minutes (except if you cheat and use some FAQs, but seriously? You're certainly better than that) At least this time, you won't have to bother your friends and family to subscribe for a 250MB referral bonus per user you bring on-board.

What are you waiting for? Get that cloud-located gigabyte right now, here: https://www.dropbox.com/dropquest2011

P.S. As a totally shameless plug, if you don't already have a Dropbox account and want to create one, please use this referral link: http://db.tt/OGFrNxO. Both of us (that is, you and me) will get a 250MB bonus, in addition of the basic free 2 GB. Add to this the 1 GB mentionned in this article (you've been reading, right?), and you'll start with a nice 3.25 GB. Ain't that nice?

Enjoy a Mont Blanc-like writing feeling, for a (very small) fraction of the price

I stumbled upon an Instructables article a couple of days ago, and since then, I was obsessed to give it a try. Even though I'm a technology geek, I just can't deny my obsession with pen and paper.


The whole thing consists of taking a simple Pilot G2 Pro pen body, and replacing the ink shaft by a nice Mont Blanc one. The refills are surprisingly similar, just requiring a lit trim at the top of the Mont Blanc one. The details are in this article, with a little bit of humor threw in.

And for the records, this also works with a standard G2 (non-pro) pen, and probably any other that would normally take a G2 refill. Just saying, because I know I wasn't able to find any G2 Pro in local stores around me, but standard G2 were aplenty.

Enjoy your while music collection from (almost) everywhere... even your iPhone or Android device!

Over the years, you may have grown quite a huge music (digital) collection. You know, the kind of collection that doesn't quite fit into your portable device storage space. Smartphones and even laptop hard drives have their limit, or you may prefer to keep an empty buffer for other things.

Well, if you got an always-on computer at home that is storing your whole collection (or if you're ready to do a move in that direction), you'll be able to free your music from the confine of your walls, thanks to Subsonic.

The setup requires that you first install the Subsonic server on your always-on machine. The software is free, and available for Windows, Mac and Linux. For the download and details on installation and configuration, just head to their site.

Once the server is setup and running good locally (you'll be able to test it in your web browser), it's time to make it accessible from the Internet. Don't worry, your precious music (and bandwidth) will be protected from strangers by the built-in Subsonic user accounts system.

First, you will probably want an easy-to-remember URL. If you opt to donate to the Subsonic project, they'll happily provide you with a user.subsonic.org address. Or, you may want to take a look at my strangely convenient previous article about a dynamic DNS.

Next, if your home network is running behind a router, you need to make sure the Subsonic traffic gets correctly routed. Just forward the port 4040 to your local Subsonic server, or any other port if you changed the default configuration, which might have been necessary if your ISP blocks some ports or something like that.

At this point, you'll be able to access your collection from any browser, everywhere the connection speed is at least decent. But what about when it's a bit less speedy? In that case, you can create a specific Subsonic user account on your server, on which you'll set a speed limit. By activating and configuring this option, Subsonic will transcode (i.e. resample as it streams) any file to the specified bandwidth. This will allow you to better control you own upload bandwidth, and also limit the download bandwidth you be using on the receiving end.

There are a couple more options you may want to take a look at on the server. For example, you can associate a Subsonic user account to a last.fm one, so that all songs played are scrobbled. There is the possibility to let each user select it's own browser skin. You can also ask Subsonic to retrieve all your missing albums cover art. There's really a lot to explore here, so enjoy!

Ok, now that everything is configured on the server side, it's time to look a the options we have on the client side. Sure, we can stream from the browser, but it can be a bit clunky, especially on a smartphone's small screen. If you're running on an iPhone or Android-powered device, you have access to native player applications that will connect to your Subsonic server, and deliver you all that audible goodness. A simple search on "subsonic" in the device's integrated app store will show you what's available. At the time of this writing, two $5 applications are available on the iPhone, and a free one will satisfy those Android users. There's also a desktop application, for those interested.

All is not perfect, however. To make sure you don't abuse your phone data plan, or simply to allow your 3G connection to keep up the pace, you'll probable need to down-sample what you're listening to. Also, at least on the iPhone, you won't be able to stream music while you're doing something else, thanks to its no-multitask "feature". And there's always the risk of a connection problem, preventing you from accessing your collection. That being said, just make sure you still keep a couple of classics on your device for those cases, and you'll have the best of both worlds.

No need to remember your public IP address

There are a lot of reasons why you may want to know you public IP address. Maybe you set up an FTP server, so you can always access your files when you're away. Maybe you collaborate on a project, and want to host a source control server. Maybe you installed some other service, that you would access through a web interface. Or, maybe, just maybe you refrained doing any of this, because you couldn't bother to take note of your public IP address each morning before leaving home, just in case your service provider changed it overnight.

Well, there's really no need to remember your public IP address (sounds like the title of this article, doesn't it?). For quite some time now, it's possible to freely register a subdomain (for example, myname.dyndns.org), and link it to your own setup.

How does that work? It's quite simple, really. There's no redirection, port forwarding or anything like that. The subdomain you register will simply resolve to your public IP address. Consider that the subdomain will act as an exact synonym for your public IP address. That's it, nothing more, nothing less. This will not create a web server or anything though. This will only allow you to easily access any service you provide (and have set up) on your home network.

Once you register your subdomain, you'll need to keep it up-to-date with your public IP address. Depending on the service you choose, you may have to run an application in background, that will detect any change, and inform the server of it as it happens. If you're lucky enough, you may even have a built-in option in your router configuration that does exactly this, so there's no need to lose some precious CPU cycles and kilobytes of RAM on one of your computers. I know some Linksys routers (WRT54G and WRT310N, at least) offer the option for dyndns subdomains. Whichever method you use to keep the service updated, once it's set up, you can forget about it, and let it do it's job.

There are a couple of offerings for this kind of service. However, there are really no options or anything, so it's really a matter of reliability, and the availability of update tools, that will direct your choice. I personally opted for dyndns.com a couple of years ago (the free service), and never looked back.

Holy box of rhythm, Beatman, I can now sync my iPhone on Ubuntu!

Yup, you read right: it's now possible to sync the music on your iPhone directly in Ubuntu, with Rhythmbox. Personally, I don't have a need for video transfer, and all my other stuff (contacts, mails, tasks list, etc.) is already synchronized automatically through the Internet, so that's a really good news for me.

I may be a couple weeks late, but I just read the article over at OMG! Ubuntu! (by the way, I added a shortcut to that site in the "Links of Interest" box, bottom-right corner of this page). If you want a (very) more detailed how-to, with screenshots and all that, you can head to the original article, at MakeTechEasier. I won't repeat the whole how-to here: just use one of the two links in this paragraph to enable this goodie on your own machine. It may seem complicated, but seriously, it's a matter of minute(s).

I just tried transferring a 13-track, about 55-MB album, and it took about 5-10 minutes. Not thaaaaat fast, but then again, it beats the über-long synching that usually comes with the whole process in iTunes. Plus the fact that, as a Ubuntu user, I normally had to launch VirtualBox, my Windows XP virtual machine, then iTunes, then start synchronizing stuff... Saving me a lot of time.


To send music on your iPhone, simply drag and drop what you want, in Rhythmbox, from your library to your device (on the left-side bar). A little progress bar will appear on the bottom, so you know when it's done... almost! I noticed my iPhone going into "Synchronizing" and "home screen" mode, back and forth, a couple of times. I don't know why it did that, but I wait for the back-and-forth to stop, then I went into the iPhone's iPod app to validate all was sent. At that moment, it was OK to eject the device (right-click the device name, then select the appropriately named option "Eject"), then disconnect. Joy!

Just a quick note, as seen in the comments of one of the how-to's: make sure to disable your iPhone's password, or else, it won't be detected in Rhythmbox.