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ubuntu

Debian/Ubuntu cleanup

Springtime, that means cleaning out that lazy-maintained, often-upgraded dusty Debian/Ubuntu install, right? The following commands proved to be very handy in getting rid of stuff you most likely don’t need anymore, and you basicly won’t have to lift a finger. I’m pretty sure this only removes packages you don’t need, …

Compiling PBRT for Ubuntu

If you want to experiment with Physically Based Rendering, PBRT is the tool to use. Unfortunately, the latest builds (>1.03) have some incomplete instructions on how to build PBRT on your own machine. Update: I’ve recently compiled PBRT on Ubuntu 12.10 using the following (shorter!) instructions. Might want to try these …

Karmic Koala Beta

It’s that time of the year again. The 10th month means lots of things: start of spring,  silly birthdays and a new and shiny Ubuntu release. And it wouldn’t be the same without me recklessly updating to the beta a couple of weeks before release. What’s fixed? What’s broken? And …

WICD: An alternative network manager

There are lots of things to like about the GNOME desktop environment. It’s free, it’s highly consistent and backup up with excellent development ethics and a wide range of supported applications. It comes as no surprise that it is the default desktop in a lot of Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, …

Jaunty Intel Performance Fix (Update #2)

Since a lot of people seem to be struggling with this issue (getting good performance out of Intel Mobile Graphics chips on Ubunty Jaunty), I’ll give a quick heads-up on my findings again. I’m on an 945GM chip myself, so although this issue probably effects the whole range of chips …

Jaunty Intel Performance Fix (update)

A couple of weeks ago, I reported about a fix for Intel driver performance regression in Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope). The fix solved the overal responsiveness of the interface (especially for composite-enabled desktops), but introduced a new problem which wasn’t visible at first: a memory leak slowly filling up swap …

Jaunty Intel Performance Fix

After upgrading from Intrepid (8.10) to Jaunty (9.04) I noticed a noticeable performance hit, in 2d and 3d applications on my Ubuntu system, running a (rather crappy) Intel 945GM mobile graphics chip. After poking around on the Ubuntu forums I found this thread. The problem seems to be the switch …

Adjective Animal

Yesterday, I decided to upgrade my Ubuntu installation from Intrepid Impatient Ibex (8.10) to Jaunty Jackalope (9.04). I recklessly went update-manager -d and just let it run. Backups are for wimps, real men save their data the moment the shit hits the fan. Even when there’s still 12 days of …

Installing a DVB-T stick : a comparison

I recently bought a Pinnacle PCTV DVB-T Stick Solo 72e (bonus points for Pinnacle’s over-the-top naming scheme), because the public TV services in Belgium switched to digital broadcasting. It was the €40 pricetag which turned me. The box contains the USB 2.0 stick and an antenna. I advise on attaching …

The long dark teatime of Dist-Upgrade

Every six months, it’s that time again … upgrading to the newest Ubuntu release. I don’t know which department is in charge of the release branding, but with the label for release 8.04 (The year 2008, fourth month) they have outdone themselves: Hardy Heron. I really hope Mark Shuttleworth opens …