Install rpm packages by converting them to deb

Once in a while you might want to install software that is neither in a repository nor available as a standalone deb package. If you’re in this situation, there is another option for you, converting an rpm file and installing the so created deb. So if you do have an rpm file and want to …

Play Half-Life and other Steam games with Wine

Wine is a compatability layer for running Windows software on Linux. Of course, reimplimenting the whole Windows API is a very ambitious task and Wine is not able to run every software perfectly, if at all. A good example of software that does run reasonably well is Steam and the Half-Life series with their expansions …

Update on the new Gnome volume control

The Gnome volume control widget has changed again in the current Gnome development version. It now uses an icon from the current theme (Tango in my case) and features subtle changes in the general appearance. In short: It doesn’t look like the one from Mac OS anymore. Of course I prepared a little preview again: …

PowerPC support to become unofficial with Feisty

The Ubuntu Technical Board announced that the PowerPC architecture will be reclassified as unofficial with Ubuntu Feisty. The cause for this decision is obviously the declining number of PowerPC based computer systems after Apple switched to Intel processors. Older releases will still be supported within their whole life cycle, which ends as late as 2011 …

Proprietary video drivers not default in Feisty

The Techincal Board of Ubuntu announced that Ubuntu Feisty won’t come with proprietary video drivers by default. However, there will be an easy (graphical) way for the user to enable them if he wishes to do so. This decision has been made since Feisty won’t include either Compiz or Beryl by default and therefore the …

Ubuntu and Linspire announce partnership

Canonical (the company behing Ubuntu) and Linspire announced a formal partnership today. The press release confirms that Ubuntu will be the first distribution to be supported by the previously announced CNR service. This service will provide an easy and convenient way to install software, including proprietary products like support for DVD playback. Right now there …

Automatic Codec installation in Ubuntu Feisty

The upcoming Ubuntu Feisty will have a new feature that will make the installation of multimedia codecs very easy, especially for novice users. See how the system works in the following screenshots. The user clicks on a multimedia file that needs a proprietary codec, in the example a simple MP3 file A status message pops …

Linspire’s Click and Run soon to be available on Ubuntu

Linspire’s user-friendly way of installing software is called CNR (Click and Run). Basically it’s a categorised directory of software with a summary of a software title and a rating system for the users. Linspire itself puts it as following: CNR.com will be a free on-line digital software warehouse and one-click delivery service designed to solve …