3 Ubuntu tips and tricks

Ubuntu is a popular linux distribution that has done a great job of creating an operating system that's fit for linux novices. Follow these lesser known tips and tricks to overcome to make Ubuntu linux really fun, efficient and productive for you.

1 Conky

If you like to keep some information always handy and constantly refreshed, such as CPU/GPU usage and temperatures, install Conky. Conky will make that information appear as a seamless part of the desktop. A simple apt-get install conky-all will get the goodies ready for you. The internet, especially reddit, is full of shared configuration files, .conkyrc, many of which include integrated music, quotes, and weather solutions too.

2 Add program to startup or boot

Hit Alt+F2 to bring up the Run dialog. Type gnome-session-properties. Now click the Add button and enter some name for the process and the path to the executable.

3 Take a screenshot

Fire up an XTerm, and use the command gnome-screenshot to take screenshots. There are many possibilities:

  • gnome-screenshot
    to capture entire screen
  • gnome-screenshot -w
    to capture current window
  • gnome-screenshot -d 2
    to capture after a delay of 2 seconds
  • gnome-screenshot -B
    to capture a window without the border

You can also combine these various options to arrive at more specific solutions. For example, if you wish to capture some other window (not the current one), without the border, then set an appropriate delay when your mouse will click on the window you need.

gnome-screenshot -w -d 2 -B

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