Section: How To

Discover an eclectic mix of tutorials covering everything from ways to install neat apps, or enable new features, to workarounds for known issues, and configuring your Ubuntu system.

[How To] Login to Steam Big Picture Mode in Ubuntu

Ubuntu gamers wanting to get right to action with Steam can now do so straight from the login screen. Steam-login runs nothing Steam's Big Picture Mode. No fuss, no frills, just Steam.

14 November 2012

Getting Started with Google Play Music on Ubuntu

Google's online music service 'Google Play Music' has officially launched in select European countries, having been restricted to America for the last year or so. If you're in the UK, France, Germany, Italy or Spain you can now buy legal music downloads from the some of the worlds biggest record labels.

13 November 2012

‘UnSettings’ – A Comprehensive Tweaking Tool for Unity

The Unity desktop is more customizable than it's often given credit for, you just have to install an extra app to unlock its potential. We’re going to show you how to use a small app called ‘Unsettings’ to tweak Unity to suit your preferences.

12 November 2012

[How To] Run Chrome OS in Ubuntu

Ever wanted to play with ChromeOS? A new unofficial 'hack' for Ubuntu lets you do just that - and with a minimum of fuss. The lightdm-chromeos-login project installs the ChromiumOS desktop, compete with the Aura window manager, within Ubuntu. It even lets you login it to a full-blown Chrome desktop straight from the login screen.

11 November 2012

Ubuntu 12.04 Up and Running on Samsung ARM Chromebook

Ubuntu 12.04 has been successfully made to run on the new Samsung Series 3 Chromebook, which has been on sale for less than 2 weeks. The ARM powered device, priced cheaply at $249/£229, boasts a dual-core ARM processor clocked @ 1.7Ghz; quad-core Mali-T604 for graphics; a thin and lightweight design; an 11" screen; and 2GB of RAM.

30 October 2012

[How To] Speed Up Ubuntu 12.10 Minimize Animation

Ubuntu 12.10 introduces a slower window minimising animation so that users have enough time to 'register' where their apps go to. If you're used to using Ubuntu and Unity, or have a serious case of impatience, you may find that it's too slow. But the good news is that you can adjust it - but you will need to get you hands dirty to do so...

22 October 2012

[How To] Enable DVD Playback in Ubuntu 12.10

As an avid fan of Doctor Who I have a lot of the 'older series' on DVD. But Ubuntu can't play DVDs out of the box for a whole tangle of legal reasons. Here's a quick guide on enabling DVD playback in Ubuntu 12.04 and 12.10.

19 October 2012
update manager in Ubuntu

[How To] Upgrade Ubuntu 12.04 to Ubuntu 12.10

Ubuntu 12.10 is now available to download - which is great news for those doing fresh installs. But because Ubuntu 12.04, the release prior to todays, was a Long Term Support release (meaning that it is supported with bug fixes and security updates for 5 years) you won't find a pop telling you that a new version is available. So what to do if you want to upgrade, but don't want to reinstall? We're here to let you know what to do....

18 October 2012

10 Things To Do After Installing Ubuntu 12.10

After the thrill of downloading it, and the jagged nerves from installing it, you may be wondering what to do next with your freshly installed copy of Ubuntu. That question is especially true if you're new to Ubuntu or haven't used it for a while. So, to help get you settled, we've listed our top 10 post-install must-dos...

18 October 2012

[How To] Add Other Timezones to Ubuntu’s Clock Applet

The easiest way to keep an eye on different timezones is to add them to Ubuntu's time and date applet. By the end of this post you will know how to add, edit and remove timezones on the Date & Time menu in Ubuntu 12.04 and 12.10.

14 October 2012
Placeholder koala image

[How To] Use Different Messaging Menu Icons in Ubuntu 12.10

Icon changes to the Messaging Menu in Ubuntu 12.10 were met with a lukewarm reception from many users. The good news is that like all things open source if we don’t like it we can, with a little effort, tweak things to suit our personal preferences. And in this guest post from Sam Hewitt, we take a look at how to do just that....

23 September 2012
cuttlefish indicator icon fix

How to Enable Cuttlefish’s Ubuntu-Themed App Indicator Icon

Cuttlefish, my aquatically-designed chum: there's a time and place for garish purple-y pink tentacles and the Ubuntu indicator area isn't it.

13 September 2012