How to remove a directory including all the subdirectories and files in Unix [Quick Tip]

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Problem:

Imagine a scenario where you want to delete a directory (lets say dir_name) which contains lots of subdirectories (folders) and files. You may encounter the following errors if you try rm or rmdir:

rm: cannot remove `dir_name': Is a directory

rmdir: failed to remove `dir_name': Directory not empty

cannot remove directory `dir_name’. Directory not empty

Solution:

To avoid this problem use the following command:

rm -rf dir_name

It will delete all the content of dir_name including the subdirectories.

How to Solve: Backspace key does not work in Mozilla Firefox in Ubuntu Linux

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Problem:

Most of us are used-to of using the backspace key to go back to previous page while browsing in Mozilla Firefox. By default, Firefox in Linux doesn’t provide the functionality of pressing backspace for going back to previous page which is quite irritating as it forces one to use the mouse.

Solution:

A little tweak is required in Firefox configuration to make it work. Here is what you need to do:

  • Open Firefox new tab
  • Type about:config in the address bar
  • Click yes to the warning
  • Now search for browser:backspace_action
  • Double click on it to change its value from 2 to 0

Alternate Solution:

There is another way to go to previous or next pages in any browser, in any OS and that is by using arrow keys. The shortcut is as follows:

  • Alt-Left = back
  • Alt-Right = forward

Questions and suggestions are most welcomed. Cheers :)

Gaming on budget: Play old school legacy games with DosBox on your computer.

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There are many people, who just can’t forget that sweet era of classic computer games, when there weren’t that many computers, people came together to play the newest and coolest Warcraft installation, or to shoot a few more aliens with Duke Nukem. For me the golden era of computer games was in the middle of the nineties. I remember that we were amazed by the “superior” graphics, the humor, and if we played an RPG, the deep storyline. I still cherish these times. The days are long gone, when a bunch of us gathered to play a game, the sole computer in the room evolved to a LAN party, then network game. Heck, if I would play a game nowadays, I would never see my opponents face, the most of I would get is an avatar, and I believe kinda hard to befriend with a picture. However if you still want some old-school fun this is possible in a cross-platform way. DosBox is an emulator which makes running old games a breeze. Actually, the software is made for running DOS games easily across multiple platforms, unlike FreeDos, which is a complete operating system, and makes possible to run legacy applications. DosBox runs on Linux, MacOS X, Windows, and a couple of other systems. [Read more…]

How to fix: Android Samsung Galaxy S2 not recognized on Linux

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Problem:

I was facing problems connecting my Samsung Galaxy S2 on Ubuntu, which is particularly annoying bearing in mind the total lack of support by Samsung for Linux (even Kies is of no use). Strange enough, it works flawlessly on Windows 7, where it recognises it instantly and I can transfer files between my phone and computer.
When I plug it into my Linux machine, it is recognised and I can see the contents of the root of /sdcard and the SD card but I cannot access the contents of any file or folder as all the folders are empty.
When I connect my phone to USB there is no “mount USB” option but just MTP application in the home screen. [Read more…]

How to install the free version of Spotify on Linux

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Spotify is on Linux again and this time its free as well. Well that should sounds music to the ears of Linux users who love music but were not willing to pay for the premium account of Spotify. So here is what Sptify is calling “Linux Preview”, which is nothing but sort of beta version.

Features:

If you are not familiar with Spotify, I’ll list some salient features that make Spotify my favorite music streaming application: [Read more…]

This Christmas enjoy the snowfall and Santa on your Ubuntu desktop

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Christmas is here and everyone is in holiday mood. To celebrate Christmas on your computer, Google provided us with “let it snow”. Moreover, I have come across a tiny little cute app which lets it snowfall on your desktop and Santa and reindeer running all over the screen. [Read more…]

Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin) Release Schedule

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Ubuntu 12.04

The Ubuntu lovers might want to synchronise their calendar with Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin) release schedule which goes as follows:

  • December 1st Alpha 1
  • February 2nd Alpha 2
  • March 1st Beta 1
  • March 29th Beta 2
  • April 26th Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

Ubuntu 12.04 is the 16th Ubuntu operating System. It is the LTS (Long term Support) version and like 11.04 and 11.10 it will have Unity as its default desktop environment. Ubuntu 12.04 is also expected to have some measure changes in terms of looks and user experience.

Linux Mint, not Ubuntu, is the most popular Linux distribution?

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The Best Linux Distribution?

One always wonders which Linux distribution is best. Answer to this question is really very different as it depends upon the likes of person. Some people like core Linux which is more command line oriented while some want Linux to be usable by humans :)

Ubuntu and Linux Mint fall in the category of easy to use and ideal for beginners to learn Linux. Since these are preferred by beginner level user, these are very popular. But who is popular them all? Well, till now Ubuntu used to be the most popular Linux distribution but it seems that Linux Mint have taken the top position from Ubuntu.

Who decides the most popular Linux distribution?

According to distrowatch.com (a website keeping a tab on different Linux distribution) Linux Mint took the first position this week. The data are calculated by page visit of the related distribution website which (some reader) might not take for granted as the measure of popularity but one should remember that distrowatch.com is a respected website and is considered as a reliable source on the distribution measurement.

Here is what was shown on the distrowatch.com

It would be interesting to see that how long Mint stays at the top position.

What could be the reason for the downfall of Ubuntu?

It is not a secret that Ubuntu’s decision to stick with Unity has irked its loyal user and Unity, not being the typical desktop environment, has also scared off the new Linux users. Now when Ubuntu has added the option of Gnome shell, in my opinion, it should get back its lost glory.

Which Linux distribution in your opinion is the best?

How to solve: No Wireless Network Detected in Ubuntu 11.10

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One of the most common problem one faces after a fresh install of Ubuntu is the loss of Wireless Network. And believe me that is the biggest pain for a normal user. The problem double-folds if the wireless adapter is broadcom (do not know what is your wireless adapter? click here). Some of the general problems are showing no wireless adapter, showing wireless adapter but detecting no wireless networks etc. [Read more…]