Archive for the ‘Linux Tips and Tricks’ Category
Open source video converter HandBrake and others.
Formally known as MediaFork, Handbrake is an open source, GPL- licensed, multi platform DVD to MPEG-4 converter. The most recent version, released 8 October, 2007 came out with many additional features. HandBrake 0.9.1 takes your DVDs and video sources like VIDEO_TS folder, DVD image , PAL or NTSC, AC-3 or MPEG audio tracks and and gives them back to you in major file formats like MP4, AVI, OGM and video formats like: the pro iPod MPEG-4 or H.264 and audio formats like : AAC, MP3, Vorbis or AC-3. Its worth mentioning that the ripped files can be played by Zunes and many other devices.
For Linux platforms, this final release is available for download as source code.
Two free Web Applications that serve as efficient video encoders are Hey!Watch and VidDownloader
Hey!Watch converts videos uploaded from your desktop as well videos on sites into wide variety of formats like H264, MP4, WMV, DivX, HD Video, Mobile 3GP/MP4, iPod, Archos and PSP. Above 10MB of upload per month, the service becomes commercial.
VidDownloader could be used to make a save and personal copy of videos found around the web. It picks-up videos from streaming sites like YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo etc and converts them to playable video formats and it gives it back for download in the popular AVI format, thus compatible with DivX.
Solutions from the Ubuntu Community
Installing Azureus on Ubuntu 7.10
Many would have noticed that whilst trying to install the famous BitTorrent client, Azureus on Ubuntu 7.10 from a terminal, it hang up with the response
Aborted (core dumped) azureus
This issue occurs with other p2p clients like aMule-AdunanzA. The Ubuntu community for now uses a patch to fix this issue. All you need to do is install the .deb patch and it would lead you to the complete installation of Azureus.
Installing aMule AdunanzA
For aMule AdunanzA the same error occurs whilst trying to install the aMule AdunanzA with the Auto-Installer. The easiest way to turn around this issue is using the cvs downloadable from this Website.
Free games for your Linux platform
Linux games for now are not up to what we find on Windows or Apple neither are they up to what we find on Xbox or PlayStation. Nonetheless it is good to know that they are good Open Source or free games available for various Linux distributions.
Linux Journal came out with a rather interesting list of free games for Linux. I tried out three of these games and can say they are utmost and run well even on a moderate pentium III workstation. To enjoy these games, arm your PC with OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) . Try them out.
AstroMenace
Deadly Rooms of Death
War Zone 2100
The Battle for Wesnoth
Torcs
BZFlag
Sauerbraten
There are certainly many more games for Linux out there. Help me extend the list.
Screen Recording in Linux; Is it possible?
Xvidcap; The most classic screen recorder for Linux. Xvidcap records both video and audio. It uses the ffmeg tool for video recording while the audio is taken from the system’s interface(need a working microphone).
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Wireshark, the Live Network Analyser
Formally known as Ethereal, Wireshark is a popular Network analyser that displays all data packets that get in and out of your computers network interface (LAN, Wi-Fi etc).
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Make beautiful Panoramas with Hugin
Hugin, the time saving cross-platform open source software that is used by both professionals and amateur photographers. All you need is as digital camera, a nice landscape and Hugin. Hugin, by simply stitching together a sequence of photographic shots taken from the same location or landscape creates one big and well blended image or panorama.
This GUI front-end application comes out of the Panorama Tools project and it is maintained by Pablo d’Angelo
Hugin is available for download in both .deb and .rpm packages. Ubuntu users can also install it from the terminal using
sudo apt-get install hugin
Go through the Hugin tutorial and start making great panoramas like real experts do.
