Watch Netflix in Linux Mint and Ubuntu

Netflix has become a standard among video streaming services. It does have one not-so-small drawback among fans of the Penguin: they do not support Linux at all and probably never will. This is not to say, though, that it does not work with Ubuntu-based distributions, such as Linux Mint.

Steps to Linux Wizardry: Braving the Murky Depths of the Terminal, Part 1

For many beginning Linux users, Mint or otherwise, the Terminal is an intimidating question mark which hearkens back to days of old when most regular people only knew of mice which were pests, not input devices. Although its way of working may seem antiquated in comparison to the shiny graphical interfaces sported by PCs today, it is by no means worthy of the trash can. In fact, present day Linux and UNIX system administrators would mutiny if forced to work without it. Much like a magic wand, a beginner must learn a few basics before any wizardry can begin and the incantations resemble gibberish to the unlearned and a unique language to the master. Today we will begin a series of articles dedicated to learning the basics of the Terminal program.

Making RenWeb Work with Ubuntu and Mint

RenWeb is a popular school information management system commonly used in private schools in the United States. Although it is not the only one out there, it is one I have personally used. My day job is teaching music and acting as resident technical support at a private school in central Ohio. What may or may not be well-known to many is that the company is quite Windows-centric. Macs and Linux machines have been in many ways left out in the cold, that is, until recently.

Sliding into Linux: Easing the Transition

One of the first articles written for Day-to-Day Linux was about how hard it is to change operating systems. For example, my own first experiences with Ubuntu years ago were quite frustrating. Sometimes the best kind of support is a friend, neighbor, or coworker. Effectively striking out on my own, all I had was me. As much as the community is helpful and there are many, many tutorials and HOWTOs online, it didn't make day-to-day use any easier. Even after I decided to take the plunge and make it the main operating system in my household, I still had plenty to learn. For a beginner, Ubuntu would have been a non-starter, even before the desktop overhaul that is Unity.

Even though there will be challenges and obstacles for someone making the transition from Windows, there are plenty of ways to make the learning curve much more gentle.

Into the Fast Lane with Synapse

One of the differences between average users and “power” users is efficiency. Power users are concerned not just with getting a task done but also with getting it done with as little effort as possible in the shortest amount of time. One way that advanced users often speed up their work is with automation. Synapse puts the pedal to the metal a different way: reducing the need to switch between the keyboard and the mouse.

Unless you are using KDE or some type of minimalist desktop, you have a wonderful piece of search technology called Zeitgeist working behind the scenes. Zeitgeist is a framework which works a bit like a butler, observing which files you open and which programs you run most. It does not, however, spy on you or what is in your documents. Instead, Synapse gives you a way to search this information to open a document, run a program, and much more.