Post tagged: desktop

Local Startup

This is a method to control start-up of applications in a Linux Desktop session that are run by a local default configuration, but can also be overriden by the user. This is unlike the /etc/xdg/autostart which is mostly under the control of the distro packager. Aslo unlike the /etc/X11/profile.d directory, this runs inside the Desktop Session. /etc/X11/profile.d gets started before the Desktop session is available. ...

Pulse Audio control in python

I have been using a shell script to toggle pulse audio sinks for some time. It worked well enough for switching output among several profiles on a single audio card. I recently upgraded my set-up to new hardware. This hardware for some reason, reported the analog stereo output and the digital HDMI output as different sound cards. So my patoggle script did not work well enough anymore. Since parsing the output of the pacmd in shell script was becoming a pain, I decided to re-write ...

Global hotkeys

To make it easier to switch desktop environment I am using a Desktop Environment independant hot keys configuration using xbindkeys. This lets me use the same keybindings on different Window managers and Desktop Environments. This code can be found in github. Included are the follwoing: ...

Desktop Environments 2023

Around April 2023, I decided to look for a new Linux Desktop Environment for my personal void linux. So I tried these distros: lxqt: This is the one I eventually chose to switch to. I liked it that it was very small and light, and very modular, almost like a kit that you assemble yourself. Because I have thinking for some time that I would like to make my ...

RDP vs VNC

For years I have been using VNC for my remote desktop needs. This works usually well enough. The features that I like are: Basic set-up is easy Desktop sessions are persistent Can be used to view an actual X11.org desktop. ...

flatpak

Flatpak is a utility for software deployment and package management for Linux. It is advertised as offering a sandbox environment in which users can run application software in isolation from the rest of the system. Flatpak was developed as part of the freedesktop.org project and was originally called xdg-app. Snap vs Flatpak ...

Linux Icons

A quick note on how to add icons to menus in a Linux desktop. Create the icon image in: /usr/share/pixmaps. png and svg (and maybe others) are supported. 24x24 seems to be a good size for menus. ...

Enable syslog with void

In void Linux, the default is without logging. Most cases it is OK for desktop use. If you want to enable syslog service in void, you need to install: socklog-void Also to let your user have access to the logs, use: ...

3 Open Source Password Managers

Keep your data and accounts safe by using a secure open source password manager to store unique, complex passwords. Maintaining complex, unique passwords for each site and service you use is among the most common pieces of advice that security professionals provide to the public every year. Yet no matter how many times it is said, it seems like a week doesn't ...

Open Source Alternatives to Visio

Need to create diagrams, flowcharts, circuits, or other kinds of entity-relationship models? Microsoft Visio is without a doubt the best software for that, but that doesn't mean it's the best choice for you. Visio may be the industry standard in the corporate world, but it comes with a huge drawback: it's expensive ($299 for the standard ...