Speed up Gnome in Ubuntu: Tip2

Another simple way to speed up your desktop is to install preload. According to Wikipedia, this program uses Markov chains to guess what libraries you are likely to use next and loads them into memory when the demands on your system are low. This is especially useful at bootup because you know you want to load libgtk-x11 among others. It should also learn which programs you use most often and load them while idle.

It would be nice if it loaded these libraries when hovering over a launch icon like some other OS, but that would require desktop integration and is thus a task for GNOME/KDE and the distros.

Anyway is is just a simple install:

sudo apt-get install preload

Enjoy!

Speed up Gnome in Ubuntu: Tip1

By default gnome has an intentional slight delay between selecting a gtk menu and displaying that menu. It's appearently an old tradition in desktops. I personally find it annoying.

First, find the .gtkrc file in your home directory (the file name will most likely have some extra junk on the end e.g. .gtkrc-1.2-gnome2 ). FYI rc generally denotes a script that will run at startup be it system startup, window manager startup, etc. Then, add the following line:

gtk-menu-popup-delay = 0

The changed will take place the next time you log into gnome. This should work in gnome for any distro.

Also you can accomplish this in one line :

echo gtk-menu-popup-delay = 0 >> ~/.gtkrc*

CLI: Because GUIs are for Tools

The command line offers the power and flexibility that you'll need to make your Linux box operate the way you want it to. One could never possibly build a GUI with all the options a Linux geek needs to have a comfortable level of control over his or her machine. Many distros have been working quite diligently to provide a GUI for over common Linux desktop task so that your grandmother can use Linux, but if you're a "power user" or just have the healthy curiosity that maintains human race, there is no all-encompassing GUI for you.

In the next few posts, I will cover the basic of using the command-line interface, CLI, and otherwise using a shell. Let me know if you think I've left something out.

Mission Statement

I like start any endeavor with a statement of purpose, and this blog is no different. A Linux-user since 2001, I much prefer the Linux/Unix way of doing things, but as many will tell you there is a bit of a learning curve. I received a great deal of help from others surmounting that curve and want to do a bit more to help others. I don't frequent any forums; so I made this blog.

In Linux everything is simple to do if you already know how, or if someone posts a clear solution on the web. Hopefully you will find my posts helpful, if not write me and tell me why. I'll probably just ignore you, but feel free to vent. If there is a topic you would like me to address, say so. If I have any clue what you are talking about, I'll address the subject.

Lastly, I have a great number of biases. I prefer Python to Perl, OSS to non-OSS solutions, ales to pilsners, and I expect this blog to reflect those biases. So tough, you'll put up with it and my eccentric of humor, or you just won't read my posts.