PCLinuxOS Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Yet Another Linux Blog

PCLinuxOS Repositories

Something that is asked about quite a bit in the PCLinuxOS support IRC channel is “how to change repositories”. One of the main reasons this is needed is that not all repositories are reachable depending on your geographic location. Some of the repositories are also down at random intervals. To equip the standard PCLinuxOS user with how to change repos, we first need to understand how the repository is structured, how the developers use the repositories, and how the community should make use of repositories.

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The Absent PCLinuxOS Release Cycle

During distro comparisons, many call a lack of release cycle for PCLinuxOS one of its negative aspects. In my opinion, this is the most attractive and positive aspects of the small distribution. Not to take away from a distribution that sets a release cycle…I understand that normal release cycles are a must with companies and software engineering. However, I think PCLinuxOS has a unique approach to releases and updates. Allow me a bit of time to show you the method in my madness on this one.

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Remove Root from PCLinuxOS Login Screen

Just a quick tip on how to remove the root user from the PCLinuxOS login screen. This should work for most if not all KDE based distributions.

Go to the Kmenu >> Run Command >> kdesu kcontrol

Enter your root password when prompted for it. You should now see the KDE Control Center. The difference here is that you’re running this as the root user so changes will be made at the root (super user) level. Go to System Administration >> Login Manager. You should have something similar to the screenshot.

Next up, go to the ‘Users’ tab and look in the center. There you can see all the system users. Check the box for root. This will hide the root user from the front KDM Login Screen. This won’t prevent you from logging in as root, but it will prevent it from displaying by default.

More PCLinuxOS tips and tricks coming soon 😀

How-To: PCLinuxOS 2007 and MythTV

For those of you who always thought PCLinuxOS and MythTV would go together…you’re quite right, they do fit well together…though there are a few bumps on the road. Hopefully, this how-to will help you along the way.

First, let’s mention what this guide will not cover:

Remote Controls
IR Blasters
Picture Quality Settings

Why won’t I cover those? Because there are infinite possibilities for each one…and it would be impossible for me to investigate them all…hardware not in my possession besides. So, this will cover installing mythtv and omit the items above. Mythtv has those items covered quite well in their documentation.

Hardware Specifications:

HP a1520n
ATI x300 PCIe VPU
PVR150 and PVR350
Sharp Aquos 37″ LCD TV
USR MaxG PCI Card

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Convert Audio with Ease in KDE

I ripped a couple of CD’s for my son this evening. In the process, I decided to setup Kalarm and Korganizer on his computer so that he could set alarms to remind him to do various chores around the house. While doing all of this, I needed a .wav file so that he could use a song for his alarm. Of course, he wanted one of the songs I had just ripped from his CD. Since I had ripped his songs to .ogg format, I had to investigate which program could convert from .ogg to .wav this the easiest in KDE.

I’ve not used many of the whiz bang functions of KDE and desktop Linux…I’ve been more of a browser, mail, and RSS type of guy for many years. Now that I’ve been using Linux at work and at home, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to figure out how to do things that I’ve never done before. In this case, convert audio to .wav, .ogg, or .mp3 with ease. There is a tool called audiokonverter available in PCLinuxOS 2007 repositories that makes this a snap.

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Autostart Apps in PCLinuxOS 2007 (KDE)

There’s a question that is often asked via IRC on freenode #pclinuxos-support. Many people want to know how to get programs to startup immediately upon login.

Now there are two ways to do this…kind of. Actually, there is only one way to get programs to autostart but there is another way you can have programs startup when you login…let’s look at both of them.

The First Way

First, go to the PC Menu (or kmenu) >> Run Command >> konqueror –profile filemanagement

When Konqueror opens, navigate to /home/user/.kde/autostart (replace user with your login name). Now minimize that window…we’ll come back to it later. Next up, click on the My Computer icon on your desktop (or for other users, open up Konqueror and put the following in the addressbar: system:/). When that opens, click on applications and minimize the window and place it side by side with the previously opened window.

Hieronymus has posted a helpful tip that simplifies the process above. After opening up Konqueror, use the Go Menu and click the entry for “autostart” which will take you directly to the correct folder for the current logged in user. Thanks Hieronymus for the tip! Visit their homepage here.

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