Grumblr – Nifty Linux Desktop app for tumblr

By , Published October 11, 2010

Users of the increasingly popular Tumblr blogging service wishing to oil their creative juices should check out Grumblr - a desktop-based application for posting and updating Tumblr blogs.

With the service being a sort of mash up of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, it’s not surprising that Tumblr is fast picking up new users.

Social-style features allow readers to reblog other peoples’ entries, follow blogs they like and ‘fave’ specific posts all of which adds a friendly and gregarious community spirit. to the service.

So to the Tumblr companion called Grumblr which, by side-stepping the need to edit in-browser where your attention is prey to all-manner of attention-ambushes, makes maintaining your Tumblr blog easier to do.

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Interface

The interface is like Tumblr itself: focused on helping you express yourself quickly.

As such there are no advanced hidden features or superfluous extras tacked on – just what you need where you need it.

Features

Grumblr supports all of the Tumblr post types – with each corresponding entry page being tailored specifically – as well as support for post tagging, posting and marking private.

Handy buttons to your own Tumblr homepage as well as the Tumblr dashboard are present on top and –  the clincher – it happily supports multiple-accounts with a drop-down menu for account-switching.

Download/Install

Grumblr is a GTK_friendly application and can run under most desktop environments (including LXDE).

Installation of Grumblr is slightly unorthodox compared to that of most applications we feature on OMG! Ubuntu!. As Grumblr is a Ruby gem (a ‘gem’ is format for distributing Ruby programs and libraries) there is no direct app download required. Instead we can install the gem using the Terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal) and punching in a few commands.

The steps below should make it a breeze.

Install the required dependencies using the following command: -

Click to Install Dependencies

Now install Grumblr itself y opening a terminal and entering the following command: -

  • sudo gem install grumblr

Finally we need to sort out some menu entries for it: -

  • sudo gem install grumblr
  • sudo cd /var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/grumblr-2.4.2
  • sudo ruby ./setup.rb

Grumblr can now be launched from the Applications > Internet sub-menu.

Related posts:

  1. OpenTumblr Goes QT, [Desktop Tumblr App]
  2. Desktop Tumblr Blog App Get's A New Interface
  3. Desktop Tumblr Application For Ubuntu
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  • Anonymous

    Why do you need a GUI based application shouldn’t we just use a CUI alternative

  • Anonymous

    Why do you need a GUI based application shouldn’t we just use a CUI alternative

    • http://omgubuntu.co.uk/ d0od

      CUI? Do you mean CLI? And I’m not sure posting and formatting a blog entry via the terminal would be a very “lucid” experience.

      • Anonymous

        Command User Interface
        Anyway i was trolling
        for a lucid experience no terminal is required or wanted which omg heavy recommends and often mostly doesn’t even tell about any alternative and user-friendly method

        • http://twitter.com/BlackOtaku Avichi Suite

          Point Failed. Do you realize how many painstakingly described steps it would take to do all that in the GUI?I think it’s much better for OMG! to give the ‘quick and simple way’, than ‘look how long it’ll take you to set up this application! I wouldn’t even start if I were you!’.

          Besides, does this ‘gem install’ thing even *have* a frontend?

          • http://twitter.com/ethnt Ethan Turkeltaub

            Because it’s made in Ruby, that’s the best way to install it. Ruby isn’t really made for client-side desktop applications, even if this is done really well.

          • http://twitter.com/BlackOtaku Avichi Suite

            Thanks for the info.

        • http://twitter.com/BlackOtaku Avichi Suite

          Point Failed. Do you realize how many painstakingly described steps it would take to do all that in the GUI?I think it’s much better for OMG! to give the ‘quick and simple way’, than ‘look how long it’ll take you to set up this application! I wouldn’t even start if I were you!’.

          Besides, does this ‘gem install’ thing even *have* a frontend?

  • http://twitter.com/shadowwoman shadowwoman

    This app needs a PPA!

    • http://omgubuntu.co.uk/ d0od

      I don’t see why – it’s already installable in Ubuntu out-of-the-box.

      • Wayne

        Correct me if I’m wrong, but to reduce CLI and to have auto updates?? (Auto updates being the most important one as I can live with CLI).

        • Wayne

          Oh! I see… sorry… I misunderstood the instructions. Its already ready out-of-the-box.

        • Wayne

          Oh! I see… sorry… I misunderstood the instructions. Its already ready out-of-the-box.

    • http://twitter.com/silner Silner

      I was told it’s not very easy to package Ruby Gems for Deb and doing so sometimes creates conflicts. Just passing this on

  • http://twitter.com/shadowwoman shadowwoman

    This app needs a PPA!

  • http://openattitude.com Andrew

    Does this app bring any data portability options to a Tumblr blog? That the only current option to export your data is a Mac app is pretty weak…

  • http://openattitude.com Andrew

    Does this app bring any data portability options to a Tumblr blog? That the only current option to export your data is a Mac app is pretty weak…

  • Anonymous

    Ok, I’m a relative n00b. I get a “cp: cannot stat `/var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/grumblr-2.3.1/data/pixmaps/grumblr.svg’: No such file or directory” error when I try to “sort out some menu entries” using your commands…

    • http://flavors.me/gamerchick02 gamerchick02

      I’m getting this issue too. I’ll see if I can add the menu entry via the gui.

      • Anonymous

        From the Grumblr website (just before the menu commands):

        “Grumblr comes with both desktop entry file and icon, though they are not installed automatically during gem installation process. To make Grumblr acessible via GNOME menu move data/grumblr.application file into /usr/share/application/ directory, copy data/pixmaps/fliewr.svg icon to /usr/share/pixmaps/ directory accordingly, and create a symlink of grumbr script to an accessible directory like /usr/bin/ or /usr/local/bin/.”

        Now, if I could figure out how to do this, I would be in business…

        • http://themactep.blogspot.com/ Paul Philippov

          $ sudo ln -s /var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/grumblr-2.3.1/data/pixmaps/grumblr.svg /usr/share/pixmaps/
          $ sudo ln -s /var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/grumblr-2.3.1/data/grumblr.desktop /usr/share/applications/
          $ sudo ln -s /var/lib/gems/1.8/bin/grumblr /usr/local/bin/

          • http://arokk.tumblr.com Rusty Sullivan

            Thanks for the tip, Paul. Unfortunately, the errors still occur (although the command you gave return no errors).

    • http://flavors.me/gamerchick02 gamerchick02

      I’m getting this issue too. I’ll see if I can add the menu entry via the gui.

    • http://twitter.com/arabicfoss arabicfoss

      you need to install build-essential (meta)package:
      sudo apt-get install build-essential

  • http://twitter.com/Tarakoni Bert de Bruijn

    Yay for Relient K lyrics

    • http://omgubuntu.co.uk/ d0od

      Someone noticed! :D

  • http://twitter.com/Tarakoni Bert de Bruijn

    Yay for Relient K lyrics

  • http://twitter.com/brandenmikal branni.

    i am definitely loving this app. a great addition to my blogging experience and now i don’t have to open up chrome every time i want to write a post! :]

  • http://twitter.com/ArtemMostovoy Artem

    who make PPA?

  • http://twitter.com/johniac John Vaccaro

    I’m getting “Authentication” failed errors whenever I try to log on to Grumblr. I’m running Ubuntu 10.04 LTS – the Lucid Lynx

    Any thoughts?

  • http://mrnelvin.posterous.com mrnelvin

    Now what we all need is a client for Posterous.

    • http://twitter.com/syanide1 Syanide

      Seriously. I know Posterous and Tumblr are like a carbon copy of each other, but I’m not really big into Tumblr. Too social and too micro.

      • http://mrnelvin.posterous.com mrnelvin

        Same here.

        • http://omgubuntu.co.uk/ d0od

          I’ll have a poke around and see if I can find something.

          • http://mrnelvin.posterous.com mrnelvin

            That would help a lot.

      • http://dropable.com Matt Wansley

        I agree. Posterous is more content focused. Tumblr seems suited for younger, immediate gratification types.

        • http://twitter.com/silner Silner

          Oh that’s harsh. I think it’s just more visually focussed, at the moment anyway

  • http://changingoftheguard.tumblr.com/ Charles Kane

    As much as I like having Ubuntu as a “fail safe” – this absurd saga is why Ubuntu is a “fail”. Despite everyone’s help I cannot access Grumblr, altho it is installed I cant get it into the menu and I don’t know how to run it.
    To have to toil through instructions, find guides and learn arcane code to run a little program is neither my inclination, nor do I have the time.

  • AJ

    If anyone is having trouble, or doesn’t understand, then there is greater detail and copy+paste code on their website (links in the article) =]

  • http://CoryClaxon.com/ CoryClaxon

    I would really like to see a monochrome icon (in the systray)!

    • http://paulphilippov.com/ Paul Philippov

      open /var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/grumblr-2.3.1/data/pixmaps/grumblr.svg with inkscape vector editor and change colors to match your theme.

  • http://twitter.com/kadu20es Carlos Eduardo

    Please, show me a blogging app that can replace (or to work as) Windows Live Writer. I found “Blogilo”, but it hasn’t any updates and doesn’t allow image resize without manual pixels edition and drag’n'drop function.

    If you know something near by Windows Live Writer (to use with WordPress), please, let us to know.

  • http://mydanar.tumblr.com danar donianto

    i can’t find
    $ sudo ln -s /var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/grumblr-2.3.1/data/pixmaps/grumblr.svg /usr/share/pixmaps/
    $ sudo ln -s /var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/grumblr-2.3.1/data/grumblr.desktop /usr/share/applications/
    $ sudo ln -s /var/lib/gems/1.8/bin/grumblr /usr/local/bin/

    grumblr-2.3.1 is doesn’t exist??

    • http://paulphilippov.com/ Paul Philippov

      sometimes, on the latest ubuntu release, libxml-ruby gem fails to install due to a missed library, and so grumblr can’t install either. you have to install zlib1g-dev from ubuntu repository and re-install grumblr:

      $ sudo apt-get install zlib1g-dev
      $ sudo gem install grumblr

  • http://twitter.com/cranil Anil C R

    “am I understood?” why is the guy cribbing?? :P

  • http://twitter.com/hrhenry Rick Henry

    I use this for a blogger account I have and it’s OK, not great. There just isn’t anything great for Linux blogging.

    One thing that bugs me on the blogger side of things (don’t know if WordPress is affected as well) is tagging. I can´ t assign tags to entries within BloGTK. I have to go into blogger’s web interface and add them after the fact.

  • http://twitter.com/spidermc Алексей Головин

    Sorry for an offtop, but which app do you prefer on N900?

  • http://twitter.com/silner Silner

    I’m really impressed. I have no major issues, but I like how the author is so responsive here. I see a spellchecker is already in the works. I’m pleased. It’s absolutely vital for the clumsy fingered, like me :)

  • samizdatjones

    For all the people having issues, I noticed in the terminal the error code saying I should install a missing library, once I did the application opened just fine for me.  Try:

    sudo apt-get install libopenssl-ruby

 
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