Archive for the ‘Software’ Category

Quick Screenshots with Faststone Capture

For Windows, Faststone Capture 5.3 is a free (for noncommercial use) lightweight application allowing you to take screenshots (pictures) of your desktop.

It allows you to easily take a picture of the current window, the selected window/object, a rectangular region, a freehand region, full screen, and scrolling regions (like a webpage in a web browser). It’ll allow you to save or annotate the image in the same dialog, eliminating the need for pasting into Paint. Other features include a magnifier and a screen color picker.

Download it here.

Sync Host and Guest Folders in VirtualBox

As a follow up to our seamless Ubuntu in Windows tutorials, we’re going to show you how to sync a Windows (host) folder to a folder in the Ubuntu (guest). You’ll need to have guest additions installed on the guest OS for this one.

For this tutorial we’ll be syncing the H: drive on Windows (yours will probably be C:) with /home/jason/windows in Ubuntu. (more…)

Configuring Synergy Server on Linux

In this tutorial we’re going to explain the setup of the Synergy server on Ubuntu. If you haven’t already installed it, open Terminal and type the following:

sudo apt-get install synergy (more...)

Ridding Skype of Bloat

Skype 3.8 comes with unwanted/unneeded application bloat, including the Skype Extras Manager and features tabs on the main window which you may never use.

Disabling the Extras Manager

I don’t need or want to play games or other activities on Skype. By default, the Extras Manager is set to autostart. Head into Tools → Options, then hit Advanced → Advanced Settings. Uncheck the box where it says “Automatically start Extras Manager.”

Hide Unneeded Tabs

I use Skype exclusively for PC to PC calls. I don’t need any of the extra tabs they have, so go into View → Tabs and Panels and uncheck what you don’t need. I personally uncheck all the settings. Enjoy your cleaner Skype!

Installing Entertainer Media Center on Ubuntu

Entertainer is a relatively new media center for Gnome and XFCE desktops, currently at version 0.1 as of this writing. This tutorial will focus on the installation of Entertainer on Ubuntu with as little command line use as possible. If you’re comfortable with the command line, this tutorial should suffice. We’ll assume you’ve downloaded the tar.gz from the Entertainer website. (more…)

Search Seeqpod from Launchy

Get quick access to streaming music through Seeqpod searches — launched directly by Launchy. In this article we’re going to show you how to setup Launchy to allow you to quickly search music. When you’re done you should be able to do this:

You’ll need the ability to copy and paste, and Launchy, of course. (more…)

Use the Same Keyboard + Mouse with Multiple Computers

Control two networked computers with the same keyboard and mouse using Synergy, a free program available from SourceForge.net. It’s available for all platforms, but we’ll delve mainly into the Windows usage. Install the latest version for all the computers you want to control, plus the computer with the controlling keyboard and mouse. (more…)

Windows Vista Features for XP

The latest version of Windows, Mojave Vista, is often criticized by others for being slow and having too many unnecessary features. We’re going to show you how to get several of Vista’s major features on XP – for free.

We’re going to also be including a list at the end of minor features touted by Vista, and XP alternatives. (more…)

Selective Idle in Google Talk

Enjoy always being idle, or never being idle in Google Talk – with a small application by the name of GAlwaysIdle:

Once it’s installed, right click on the Google Talk icon and select from 3 choices – Always, Never, and Normal Idle. Note that GAlwaysIdle will run on boot, so you may want to look into disabling its automatic startup.

Disable Javascript’s Annoying Features in Firefox

Some webpages insist on using Javascript to resize or displace your Firefox window. A trip to the options menu in Firefox will fix that: Head to Tools → Options.

Click Content, then next to the Enable Javascript, click Advanced.

Uncheck what you don’t want Javascript to do.