‘Udev-notify’ provides Ubuntu notifications when connecting USB peripherals

By , Published May 9, 2011

Whilst the name of this app isn’t the most memorable, what it does is.

By default Ubuntu provides no feedback whether the connection of a peripheral  device – such as a webcam or usb thumbdrive – has succeed or failed. Windows, for example, uses a set of audio notifications to relay such status.

udev-notify brings a similar functionality, albeit a visual one using Ubuntu’s Notification system, to your desktop.

udev-notify in Ubuntu

Once installed the small ‘app’ runs along in the background and displays an Ubuntu notification ‘bubble’ when you a USB device is connected, removed or otherwise changes. Whether it’s a digital camera, Mobile phone, USB thumb drive or an iPod – if it’s supported in Ubuntu then udev-notify can notify you about it.

Download

Udev-notify currently supports Ubuntu 9.04, 9.10, 10.04, 10.10 and 11.04, as well as many derivatives (Mint, eOS, etc). A .Deb file can be downloaded at the link below.

Via Alaukik

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  • http://twitter.com/kwartel16 Piet de Vries

    Nice. I actually missed that! :O I was thinking about it yesterday! xD

  • http://twitter.com/itachi_linux itachi

    very nice :D

  • http://twitter.com/davbren David Gross

    Yh this is really quite cool. It should definitely be as standard in Oneiric(sp.)

  • Waldir Leôncio

    I’ve always wondered what the rationale behind not giving the user feedback on peripheral plugging and unplugging is.

    • Anonymous

      You’ve stolen my words ;) I totally agree.

    • http://twitter.com/piratelv Levi

      I have never gotten any reply from Ubuntu when connecting my ancient hp scanner. Sure it just works. But there isn’t any indication of it until I hit scan in simple scan.

    • http://mark-y-a.myopenid.com/ Mark

      It won’t if you set a default action or disable it. I do the latter. Ejecter has some kind of visual prompt when you remove the USB drive. It’s an indicator I found somewhere. I think OMGU also featured another named ‘indicator-usb’ if I’m not mistaken.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_F52YAFZB6HCPSBQLU4WTM3EBAU ME

      mine doesn’t. it just comes up on the desktop and launcher and does nothing. this is a good piece of software because it will let me know, at least, that Ubuntu has recognised my device. if i don’t notice it on the launcher, of course.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_F52YAFZB6HCPSBQLU4WTM3EBAU ME

      Type your comment here.
      mine doesn’t. it just comes up on the desktop and launcher and does nothing. this is a good piece of software because it will let me know, at least, that Ubuntu has recognised my device. if i don’t notice it on the launcher, of course.

  • http://twitter.com/chaeMil Michal Mlejnek

    this have to be default in ubuntu 11.10!

    • Anonymous

      Maybe as an easily configurable option. I yet can’t decide, if I want to be notified about a thing I plugged myself into the computer…

      • http://twitter.com/piratelv Levi

        I can bet you want to be notified if the new printer/scanner/12 gazillion-in-one device you just bought, isn’t working!

        • Anonymous

          Well, yes. You’ve got the point. If it doesn’t work, notify. If everythings fine, do not. I think it’s what I would like to see by default.

          • http://profiles.google.com/kroq.gar78 Aditya Vaidya

            @mekmar:disqus how is the computer supposed to know whether or not the device works if it can’t “see” it? That’s where this thing ocmes in handy…

        • Anonymous

          Well, yes. You’ve got the point. If it doesn’t work, notify. If everythings fine, do not. I think it’s what I would like to see by default.

        • Anonymous

          Well, yes. You’ve got the point. If it doesn’t work, notify. If everythings fine, do not. I think it’s what I would like to see by default.

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JQYHNQPB3PRRNE3UYNEAJY2IPY uci

        Well at least it saves you the task to open windows assuming it did recognized your device when it didn’t.

      • Anonymous

        I’d rather have this then a pop up window asking what i want to do.

        • http://twitter.com/omichalek omichalek

           definitely, pop-up windows are so 2001 and ultimately annoying!

      • Anonymous

        I’d rather have this then a pop up window asking what i want to do.

      • Anonymous

        I’d rather have this then a pop up window asking what i want to do.

    • http://twitter.com/vishnumrao Vishnu Rao

      Couldn’t agree more with you! Yes this should be picked up for inclusion for the default 11.10 install.

    • Anonymous

       Nein, nein, nein!
      It was so nice and quiet! I boast about this feature of silence in Ubuntu.

      Plug in a (wireless) mouse/keyboard, what does it say? Nothing. Why not? It just works!

      Plug in a printer/camera/disk/whatever, what does it say? Nothing! Great! Nothing!

      That’s is the best design! Don’t tell me I just plugged in something I just plugged in! Just Work!

      • Anonymous

        Its not for ubuntu..its for tat creepy peripheral or a twisted usb cable u r not sure about!

    • http://profiles.google.com/aloctavodia Osvaldo Martin

       this is like the  “everything’s OK alarm” of Homer Simpson… :-)

  • http://profiles.google.com/nagy.pite Péter Nagy

    cool app! how about a ppa?

    • http://profiles.google.com/sonny.benshimon Sonny Ben-Shimon

      @google-350b017799ec58d181d384c73458f758:disqus there is a PPA (not on Launchpad). Follow this link

      http://udev-notify.learnfree.eu/

      • http://profiles.google.com/nagy.pite Péter Nagy

        ouch. should have RTFA
        thanks!

  • http://twitter.com/Inoe_Nugroho Asmoro Budi Nugroho

    The shortcut applet in Cairo-Dock has this kind of function, but I think this is a great thing to have when we don’t use it :D

  • http://profiles.google.com/madsheytan Tomasz Dudzik

    Does it work in Kubuntu, too?

    • http://twitter.com/freezeeedos freezeeedos

      Why would kubuntu need this ? KDE already as a similar tool out of the box.
      EDIT: And I should have read more carefuly, because I’m wrong. I don’t think KDE says anything when the operation fails.. My apologies..

    • http://twitter.com/freezeeedos freezeeedos

      Why would kubuntu need this ? KDE already as a similar tool out of the box.
      EDIT: And I should have read more carefuly, because I’m wrong. I don’t think KDE says anything when the operation fails.. My apologies..

    • http://bobby.com.ng bigbrovar

      @google-244ad971a79ff10e84f3ed5a66bd5719:disqus I have not tried it, but if all it does it sends udev events to libnotify then its would work with kde notification system (whose specification is what is used in Ubuntu’s notification system AFAICT)

      • Anonymous

        The notification spec is not KDE/GNOME/Ubuntu/WHATEVER – specific….

        • http://bobby.com.ng bigbrovar

          @rolandixor:disqus just checked and u are right. It was the kde’s notification area’s specification that was adopted by ubuntu

  • https://launchpad.net/~flimm Flimm

    I like.

  • Anonymous

    nice! The only disgusting thing is: if you plugin an umts stick, there are tons of notificatens like modem detected, removed, detected, removed and so on

  • Anonymous

    PPA anyone? Me likes very much

  • Anonymous

    PPA anyone? Me likes very much

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/VCZRSQJUHWGQC7XWHKQW777SMY Fredrik

    I don’t know about this, windows has it and I think it can be kind of annoying, maybe if the pop-up didn’t actually was a pop-up but something that just scrolled over the clock and the indicator-applets or somewhere in that area.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/VCZRSQJUHWGQC7XWHKQW777SMY Fredrik

    I don’t know about this, windows has it and I think it can be kind of annoying, maybe if the pop-up didn’t actually was a pop-up but something that just scrolled over the clock and the indicator-applets or somewhere in that area.

  • http://profiles.google.com/p4d573r Pad Ster

    Nah, I’m fine with the “what to do with this” dialog and the desktop icon.

  • http://profiles.google.com/p4d573r Pad Ster

    Nah, I’m fine with the “what to do with this” dialog and the desktop icon.

  • Anonymous

    Wow !! This SHOULD be default ! A simple and awesome application. Congratulations to the devs !

  • Anonymous

    Interesting. I for one tout the fact that Ubuntu doesn’t annoy you with endless dialogs about something you’ve plugged in. Windows for example will usually give at least four: 1) New device found… 2) New device identified… 3) Searching for driver for {devicename}… 4) Driver installed, device ready. With a bubble and a sound each time it’s a bit much.

    I would prefer the default be a notification only for failure, eg “you’ve plugged in a webcam but I don’t have a driver for it”. That’s the *nix way anyway, assume it worked unless it notifies otherwise.

    • Anonymous

      Problem is if the device is too broken, Ubuntu won’t even know you have connected something.

  • http://twitter.com/iwilkomirsky Igor Wilkomirsky

    very useful. thanks!

  • http://twitter.com/fr1zle Timm H

    What theme are you using in the screenshot?

  • http://owaislone.org/ Owais Lone

    This should be default.

  • http://owaislone.org/ Owais Lone

    This should be default.

  • Anonymous

    This is one of those similarities with Windows that I, personally, find unnecessary. If connecting your USB drive almost always works, and you know you can get to it from the desktop, I don’t see much of a good reason to put up a notification, as ‘unannoying’ as they may be. They still present a distraction, despite being so easy to see and interact through.

    I mean, Mac users seem to do fine with it. I don’t think we’ve ever really needed this, even for the grannies out there. But it’s great if you want it- making it default might be going too far, obviously. :3 We need as much configurability as we can get, I suppose.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1645382940 Красимир Стефанов

    I’m the dev of this app. PPA is comming, so be patient :)

    • http://twitter.com/ez24geth8 ez24geth8

      Great! It would be nice to be able to configure the time span the notification appears. It’s a tad long for my taste.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1645382940 Красимир Стефанов

    I’m the dev of this app. PPA is comming, so be patient :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1645382940 Красимир Стефанов

    I’m the dev of this app. PPA is comming, so be patient :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/maati.hernan Matias Hernan

    How I do install it ?

  • http://twitter.com/EuruxD Eustace

    How do I get those flags?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1645382940 Красимир Стефанов

    By the way, the idea behind this app is to show notifications not only for some dumb usb storage devices (which have some kind of visual feedback when plugged already). I created it to show feedback for other devices – WiFi, Bluetooth, Printers, Scanners, Cameras, Joysticks etc.

    Currently in Ubuntu, for example, when I plug my Joypad nothing happens. Why is that? There must be some kind of feedback, and this is why I created udev-notify.

  • http://gemunu.wordpress.com/ gemunu

    Nice work! , Really usefull..

  • http://twitter.com/Afrodiseum N.C. Weber

    I like it. Simple yet effective. :)

  • http://twitter.com/Afrodiseum N.C. Weber

    I like it. Simple yet effective. :)

  • http://twitter.com/Afrodiseum N.C. Weber

    I like it. Simple yet effective. :)

  • http://profiles.google.com/dimidrol1068 Dmytro Tkachivskyi

     any locales available?

  • Anonymous

    This should be default its incredibly useful and its a wonder why we haven’t had this sort of feature in Ubuntu earlier

  • Rolf Iggström

    Cool app, but is it possible to adjust the notification time? I think the notification stays too long!

  • Duncan Murimi

    thanks, totally love it.

  • Santiago Puigdéngolas

     How can I translate it?

  • Anonymous

    y dont the ppl at ubuntu see things like this before a major release? it should have been their idea at first place!
    Now would sumone show this thing so tat it makes its way into 11.10!
    i hate how the little things tat matter here are the looks of OSX only!

  • Anonymous

    by the way, thumbs up to the developer! it couldnt have been neater!
     

  • Pingback: Conoce el estado de dispositivos USB en Ubuntu con udev-notify | emsLinux

  • http://www.v-pills.org/ v-pills

    Yh this is really quite cool. It should definitely be as standard in Oneiric(sp.)
     

 
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