Ryan and Debi

Tag: Linux

  • Linux: Getting “Find” working in Dolphin on KDE (Linux Mint and Kubuntu)

    One of the reasons I switched to KDE from Gnome was Dolphin, the file manager that ships with KDE.  When I made the switch a couple of years ago, the Find feature in KDE worked really well.  But some time in the last couple of years, the two distributions I’ve been using – Kubuntu and…

  • Linux: How to Change Password at The University of Tampa

    Despite sending in feedback to the Information Technology department at my University about the myriad ways they could improve the process of changing passwords, they haven’t made the process much easier.  Since the process is overly cumbersome, not at all intuitive, and I forget about the complications every time I have to change my password…

  • Linux: Changing Date Format in Detailed Display in Dolphin File Manager

    While there are many file managers to choose from when using a Linux-based operating system, the default file manager that comes with KDE – Dolphin – is pretty good.  I’ve run into a few issues here and there that I wish were different, but it generally does what I need. There is one aspect of…

  • Linux: Using dd to erase a hard drive (using pv to view progress)

    I occasionally need to wipe a hard drive and give it to someone else.  When I do, I’m always careful to make sure that I have wiped it clean.  Of course, wiping a hard drive clean is a bit more complicated than just deleting everything or even reformatting it. If you really want to make…

  • bypassing the “ssl_error_no_cypher_overlap” error in Firefox 34

    Generally speaking, it’s a bad idea to override security protocols browsers have instituted as they are designed to keep you safe on the internet (in the “less likely to be hacked” sense).  However, with a recent update to Firefox 34, a website I use all the time for my research that is run by my…

  • Linux – Fixing PDFs opening in GIMP in Firefox/Zotero (instead of Evince or Okular)

    I’m not exactly sure why, but with the latest Firefox updates, every time I download a PDF using Firefox or try to open one using Zotero integrated with Firefox, the PDF opens in GIMP.  This didn’t used to happen, but it’s really annoying.  It’s doubly annoying since you can’t solve it inside Firefox. It would…

  • Linux: Using GIMP to wrap text in an image

    I’m not an expert in graphic design, but I like playing around with images on occasion.  I had an itching to modify a logo recently that included text wrapped in a circle.  It took me a couple of hours to figure out how to wrap text like that in GIMP and the tutorials I found…

  • Linux: Creating Maps on Linux with QGIS

    For my job, I occasionally need to create maps to illustrate some concept or another.  For instance, it can be useful to see a the racial makeup of the US as a map color-coded to reflect the percent of the population that identifies as black in each state.  It provides a quick illustration of how people…

  • ubuntu: HP Elitebook 8540p wireless

    This is primarily a note for me, but I just spent 3 hours reformatting my HP Elitebook 8540p because I couldn’t get it to connect to my new 802.11n router.  Turns out all I needed to do was switching the security on the router to WPA from WEP.  So, anyone searching for how to get…

  • LinuxMint or Ubuntu: Automount Server Share

    (Updated to reflect changes in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS – 5/15/2012) While I’m still not 100% sure how I got my file server to share all the files across the network (whatever I did, it worked; when the server dies, I’ll figure it out and post it here).  Regardless, I recently reformatted my desktop and had…