Frequently Asked Questions
From PSWiki
About UBUNTU
Is Ubuntu compatible with Windows?
Yes. Installing Ubuntu does not stop you from working with your Microsoft Windows files and applications. Ubuntu can be installed along-side (side-by-side) Windows and also it can be installed within Windows as a program.
Where is 'START → PROGRAMS' in Ubuntu?
Instead of the START menu as in Windows, there are different Menus in Ubuntu (usually 'Applications', 'Places', and 'System'). These are present on the right side of the top panel. Any application, after its installation will be inserted into the Applications menu. Back to Top
How do I create desktop shortcuts for applications on Ubuntu?
- Follow the steps to create desktop shortcuts:
- Find the program in the Applications menus and right click.
- Select Add this launcher to desktop.
- A link to the application will now be on your desktop.
How can I install new software/tools on Ubuntu?
The preferred way to install software in Ubuntu is to use the package manager, which you can access through Ubuntu Software Center. This requires an Internet connection, unless you are using offline repositories. Ubuntu Software Center can be accessed through Applications-> Ubuntu Software Center. Type a query into the search-> Select a package you think is relative to what you want-> Click "Install"
How do I remove an application/software on Ubuntu?
- To remove an application:
- Click Applications → Ubuntu Software Center.
- In the Installed Software section, find the application that you want to remove by finding it in the list or by searching for it.
- Select the application and click Remove.
- You may be asked to enter your password. After you have done that, the application will be removed. This should not take very long.
Why is Linux/Ubuntu less prone to Malware/Viruses?
-
Possible reasons Linux/Ubuntu is less prone to malware:
- Linux is based on UNIX architecture. UNIX is designed as a multi-user operating system and has in-built safeguards to protect user from malware. This includes user permissions definitions, user space distinct from system space etc
- Programs are run as normal user, not Root User.
- Vast diversity makes it difficult to reproduce flaws in a system.
- All software and drivers are frequently updated by Package Managers.
- Software is generally installed from vast Repositories not from unfamiliar websites.
- No-one profits from supplying anti-virus or security products.
Why isn't there a 'Refresh' option when I right-click on Ubuntu?
- There is no 'Refresh' option in Ubuntu. Instead you can press 'F5' or 'Ctrl+r' for refreshing your desktop.
How to recover the missing top panel in Ubuntu (Gnome Desktop)
- Press Alt+F2
- Type 'gnome-terminal'
- Check/tick 'Run in terminal' box
- and type the following command 'gconftool --recursive-unset /apps/panel&& killall gnome-panel'
Alternatively,
You can open the terminal by clicking on Application -> Accessories -> Terminal and type the following command at the $ sign 'gconftool --recursive-unset /apps/panel&& killall gnome-panel'
How to add new/recover missing icons on the Desktop Panel in Ubuntu (Gnome Desktop)
- Right click on top panel, select Add to Panel
- Select the required item from the list and click on Add
- The selected icon will appears on top panel.
ABOUT OpenOffice.org
Can I open Microsoft Office document in Open Office?
Yes you can. Open Office can open .doc, .xls and .ppt files of Microsoft Office.
Can I save a file in Microsoft Office format (.doc, .docx etc) in OpenOffice?
Yes you can. Open Office can save a text file in '.doc' format, a spreadsheet in '.xls' format and a presentation file in '.ppt' format of Microsoft Office. These files can then be opened by MS Office Word.
Can OpenOffice open '.doc' files and can MS-Office open '.odt' files?
OpenOffice.org can open documents of almost all the formats and it can also save a document in any format. However, MS-Office can open documents that are created only using MS Office.
If the receiver of my document uses MS Office and I use Openoffice, how can I send the documents?
OpenOffice.org can save documents in many formats including the MS Office format (.doc, .docx, .ppt, .xls etc)
Can I use OpenOffice.org on Windows Operating System?
Yes you can use OpenOffice.org on Windows Operating System, however OpenOffice.org is a part of GNU/Linux operating system distributions.
What are the applications to create spreadsheets and presentations on Ubuntu?
On Ubuntu, OpenOffice.org Presentation can be used to create presentations, OpenOffice.org Spreadsheet can be used to create spreadsheets, and OpenOffice.org Word Processor can be used to create word documents.
Can I create regional language documents using OpenOffice.org?
Yes, you can create regional language documents using OpenOffice.org. Unicode fonts needs to be used.
How can I upgrade an older version of OpenOffice.org to a newer one?
No upgrade patches exist. To upgrade an older version of OpenOffice.org, you always need to download a new installation set of OpenOffice.org and install that version. It is recommended that the previous version be uninstalled before updating to a new version.
What is Unicode?
Unicode provides a unique number for every character, no matter what the platform is, no matter what the program is, no matter what the language is.
Can I copy OpenOffice and take it home, give to my family and friends?
All Sarvajanika Tantramsha software can be downloaded freely from the Internet. Information about free download is available on the Public Software website. You can also get all Sarvajanika Tantramsha applications on Windows platform from the SSA technical support team and e-Governance team.
How do I Password Protect my files using OpenOffice?
In OpenOffice just go to File --> Save As and tick the Save with password option on bottom left corner. It works with .odt files but can not work with .doc files as the algorithm used to password protect those files are proprietary, and cannot be legally used.
How to enable spell check in OpenOffice Writer?
Click here[1] to learn about enabling spell check in Openoffice Writer
Contributed by Sudhakar R Bhandary, Regional Coordinator, American India Foundation Trust
How to reduce photo size before inserting into your document?
Please use GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) to reduce the file size by 90% as follows:
- Right click on photo and select open with GIMP
- Click file save as give new name (add REDUCED to beginning of existing file name)
- Click on SAVE
- In the box that opens for picture quality, select 30%, this will save the picture with reduced quality (but your eye CANNOT Make out any difference) and reduce file size by 50 - 70%.
- Do this BEFORE YOU INSERT Pictures to your document
LANGUAGE SETTINGS (KANNADA) ON UBUNTU
Can I type in Kannada in OpenOffice?
Yes. On Windows, OpenOffice Kannada typing using Nudi works exactly in the same manner. After installing OpenOffice, a one-time configuration for Kannada typing is required. The Kannada and Public Software document has the information for such configurations and also on typing in Kannada information in general. One requirement is to use UNICODE fonts, which is the universal standard for all languages.
Can I read old Kannada documents in non-UNICODE font using OpenOffice?
Yes, you can read Kannada documents in non-UNICODE font using OpenOffice.
Where can I get the Tunga, Lohit Kannada and other UNICODE fonts?
Lohit Kannada is available on Lohit Kannada. Tunga is part of Windows operating system. Information on downloading UNICODE fonts is availabile on the Public Software website.
My Kannada documents do not open with the Kannada script. What do I do?
- To open documents typed with Nudi or Baraha fonts, those fonts must be installed on your computer. If you don't have the required Nudi fonts, download them from here. Follow the steps below to install the downloaded fonts on your system.
- Click Alt + F2 and type sudo nautilus and select Run in terminal. A terminal window will open prompting for the password. Please enter the password and press enter.
- A file browser will open. On the side pane (if no side pane is visible, press F9), double click File System, then double click on the usr folder, then on the share folder and then on the fonts folder. Now the location bar would show /usr/share/fonts.
- Paste the copied fonts in the fonts folder.
- Fonts will now be installed on Ubuntu.
How do I install fonts on Ubuntu?
Once you download the font, double-click on it. In the right down corner there is an "Install" button just click it and your font is installed.
How do I download and install Lohit Kannada Unicode font on Ubuntu and Windows?
Red Hat has released five Indian language fonts as open source licensed under the GPL. The fonts are named Lohit which means Red in Sanskrit. Currently, the font family supports 16 Indian languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, and Telugu. Now, Fedora Project and its contributors took the responsibility to consolidate the further efforts and improvements of the Lohit fonts. Lohit Fonts are Unicode compatible.
- Steps to install Lohit Kannada font on Ubuntu:
- Click on Applications -> Accesories -> Terminal
- At the $ sign, please type $sudo apt-get install ttf-kannada-fonts
- Enter your password when prompted (you'll have to key in your password, it will not be visible at all).
- To download the font, copy the the given link in your bowser--> thatskannada.oneindia.in/common/Lohit-Kannada.ttf
- Click Start, and then click Run.
- Type the following command, and then click OK: %windir%\fonts.
- On the File menu, click Install New Font.In the Drives box, click the drive that contains the font that you want to add. Note The floppy disk drive is typically drive A or drive B. The CD drive is typically drive D.
- In the Folders box, click the folder that contains the font that you want to add, and then click OK.
- In the List of Fonts box, click the font that you want to add. To select more than one font at a time, press and hold the CTRL key while you select each font.
- Click to select the Copy Fonts To Fonts Folder check box. The new font is saved in the Windows\Fonts folder.
- Click Ok
Steps to install Lohit Kannada font on Windows:
How do I type in Kannada on Ubuntu (in OpenOffice.org Word Processor, Text Editor etc)?
To start typing in Kannada, follow the steps:
- Go to System --> Administration --> Language SUpport.
- In the Keyboard Input System Method, select scim-immodule.
- Go to Tools --> Options --> Language Settings.
- In Languages, check if Enabled for Complex Text Layout is ticked(enabled).
- Also in Default Languages for Documents(CTL), select Kannada
- Now Restart your system.
- Now open a new page in OpenOffice and press Control+Space.
You can now start typing in Kannada
How do I install scim on Ubuntu?
Installing and Configuring SCIM:
- Click on System → Administration → Synaptic Package Manager Note: You must have Internet connection
- Enter the password and click OK, when asked for.
- Click on the Reload button.
- Once the packages are downloaded, type scim in the quick search bar.
- Now, click on the square boxes and mark for installation the following packages:
- scim
- scim-bridge-agent
- scim-bridge-client-gtk
- scim-bridge-client-qt4
- scim-m17n
- scim-modules-table
- Click on Apply.
- Restart computer once done.
How do I setup Kannada language on OpenOffice.org, Ubuntu and Windows?
- Open OpenOffice.org Word processor by clicking on Application → Office → OpenOffice.org Word Processor.
- Click on Tools → Options → Language Settings → Languages.
- Check Enabled for Complex Text Layout(CTL) and Choose Kannada in Default languages for Documents (CTL).
- Click on OK.
Also,
- Click on System → Administration → Language Support.
- Choose scim-immodule in the input method box.
- Log off and login again to see the effects.
Can I convert word documents with nudi non-unicode fonts to a document with unicode fonts?
- Download the 'converter' document (Nudi Conversions.dot) to your computer (This converter will run on a Microsoft Word document in Microsoft Windows. So users should do conversion on Windows platform using Microsoft Word since this is a Microsoft Word template document. After conversion the document can be edited/used in OpenOffice (Windows/Ubuntu)).
- Open this document
- Open your document which has non unicode font
- Select all text from your document, copy and paste to the converter document
- Click the button 'nudi converter' on the converter document
- Select the required option for UNICODE conversion and click on select button
- Save the file as the new file with UNICODE font and make changes for re-use
- Please read this new document carefully to ensure the changes are OK
For NEW documents, please use UNICODE font only - Tunga or Lohit Kannada.
DEVICE AND NETWORK SETUPS ON UBUNTU
How do I setup my printer on Ubuntu?
-
Before you begin the installation steps below, connect your printer/s. You need to do this prior to turning your system on. This helps to ensure Ubuntu recognizes how the printer is connected to the system, and it allows Ubuntu to identify the specific printer port.
- Starting Ubuntu’s printer tool --- From your Ubuntu main menu, select System, then choose Administration. Under the Administration menu, you will find an icon labeled Printing. Select this tool and within several seconds the Printer Configuration Tool will open.
- Configuring a printer connection --- Now, double click on the New Printer icon. This will bring up the Add a Printer wizard.
- Choosing a printer driver --- Your printer has been detected. Select your printer from the list and click the Forward button to complete the process.
- Testing the printer --- Highlight your new printer icon and press the right mouse button. Now choose the Properties option. This takes you to your specific printer’s properties control. The properties control allows you to not only print a test page, but also to make changes to your printer paper, resolution, color options and ink usage. Your printer is now ready to use.
How do I connect to a wireless network on Ubuntu?
-
To connect to a wireless network:
- Ensure that your wireless device is turned on.
- Click the Network Manager icon in the system notification area.
- In most cases the security type will be detected automatically. If not, select the security type from the Wireless Security drop-down box. This will depend on how the wireless network is set up. Examples of security types are WEP, WPA and LEAP.
- Enter the password, key or other authentication details as appropriate. These are usually case-sensitive. If you don't know your wireless key, it may be printed on the bottom of your wireless router.
- Click Connect. If you are prompted again for your security details, you may have entered them incorrectly, or there could be a problem with your wireless setup.
If you are connecting to a network for the first time, security details may be needed. If so, a dialog box will open. Enter your security details as follows:
How do I connect to a wired (LAN) network on Ubuntu?
-
You will be connected to a wired network automatically when you plug in the network cable.
Manually entering your network settings
- Right click the Network Manager icon in the system notification area and click Edit Connections.
- Click the Wired tab, select the connection and click Edit.
- Click the IPv4 Settings tab and choose Manual from the Method drop down list.
- Click Add and enter your IP address and other details. Enter the address of your DNS server too.
- Click Apply. The network should now connect if you entered the settings correctly.
How do I connect to the Internet via a Wireless Data Card (Mobile Broadband)?
-
Mobile Broadband means any kind of high speed Internet connection which is provided by an external device such as a 3G USB stick or mobile phone with built-in HSPA/UMTS/GPRS data connection.
Most mobile broadband devices should be recognized automatically when you connect them to your computer. Ubuntu will prompt you to configure the device:
- The New Mobile Broadband Connection wizard will open automatically when you connect the device.
- Click Forward and insert your details, including the country where your Mobile Broadband device was issued, the network provider and type of connection.
- Give your connection a name (it is up to you what name you choose) and click Apply.
- Your connection is now ready to use. To connect, click the Network Manager icon in the top right of the panel and select your new connection.
- To disconnect, left click the Network Manager icon in the top right of the panel and click Disconnect.
-
If you are not prompted to configure the device when you connect it, it may still be recognized by Ubuntu. In such cases you can add the connection manually:
- Right-click the Network Manager icon in the system notification area and click Edit Connections.
- Select the Mobile Broadband tab.
- Click Add.
- This should open the New Mobile Broadband Connection wizard. Enter your details as described above.
OR
Most of the data cards available in the market are designed to work on windows and mac computers. Few have drivers (software) to work on GNU/Linux too! However for the data cards that do not have GNU/Linux drivers, here is the most generic and simple solution..
1. Connect the data card to the USB port.
2. Open the 'Terminal' (Application → Accessories → Terminal)
3. Two additional software are required for this activity. So use internet (may be wifi or cable) to download these software packages. In the terminal window, at the $ sign, type sudo apt-get install wvdial and when prompted for a password, type in your login password (you will not see a thing on the screen, don't worry just key in your password)
4. The next software package that we have to install is call usb-modeswitch. This package is very important because most of the datacards when plugged in acts like storage devices and not datacards and this package switches the devices' mode from storage device to a datacard. You can download this package from http://www.draisberghof.de/usb_modeswitch/usb-modeswitch-1.2.0.tar.bz2 and you'll need another file which can be downloaded from here http://www.draisberghof.de/usb_modeswitch/usb-modeswitch-data-20111023.tar.bz2. A supporting package called libusb is required too. This can be downloaded by typing sudo apt-get install libusb at the $ symbol in the terminal.
5. The two files downloaded needs to be unzipped (uncompressed). If you are not sure of where the files are, check your Downloads folder under the home folder. Right-click on the downloaded files and select extract here. Once this is done, go back to the terminal and type the following commands
cd ~/Downloads/usb-modeswitch-1.2.0
sudo make install (you'll have to enter your login password after this)
cd ~/Downloads/usb-modeswitch-data-20111023
sudo make install
sudo apt-get install libusb-dev
6. Now we need to configure wvdial. In the terminal at the $ symbol type sudo gedit /etc/wvdial.conf. This will open a text editor which might have some text in it. Replace the text with the following[Dialer Defaults]
Init1 = ATZ
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Modem Type = Analog Modem
Baud = 9600
New PPPD = yes
Modem = /dev/ttyUSB0
ISDN = 0
Username = <type your reliance number here> or internet (if it is a tata photon datacard)
Password = <type your reliance number here> or internet (if it is a tata photon datacard)
Phone = #777
Stupid Mode = 1
7. Once this is done, at the $ type sudo wvdial to connect to the internet
–> WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.60
–> Cannot get information for serial port.
–> Initializing modem.
–> Sending: ATZ
ATZ
OK
–> Sending: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
OK
–> Modem initialized.
–> Sending: ATDT#777
–> Waiting for carrier.
ATDT#777
CONNECT
–> Carrier detected. Starting PPP immediately.
–> Starting pppd at Thu Nov 5 15:45:26 2009
–> Pid of pppd: 3205
–> Using interface ppp0
–> pppd: 0$P
–> pppd: 0$P
–> pppd: 0$P
–> pppd: 0$P
–> pppd: 0$P
–> local IP address 115.184.194.33
–> pppd: 0$P
–> remote IP address 220.224.141.145
–> pppd: 0$P
–> primary DNS address 202.138.103.100
–> pppd: 0$P
–> secondary DNS address 202.138.96.2
–> pppd: 0$P
You are now connected to the internet
8. You can start browsing now and remember not to close the terminal window. To disconnect you'll have to press Ctrl C. Back to Top
FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE (FOSS)
What is FOSS?
Free and open-source software (FOSS) or free/libre/open-source software (FLOSS) is software that is liberally licensed to grant the right of users to use, study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code.
Can FOSS be downloaded and installed on Windows?
Yes. There are public software alternatives to proprietary softwares. These softwares can be downloaded and installed on Ubuntu (Linux) as well as Windows. To see a list of these public software alternatives, click here.
How can I download FOSS for Windows?
To download FOSS for your Microsoft Windows Operating System, the links are as follows:
Ubuntu GNU- Linux (Operating System)
To download: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
OpenOffice.org - Writer (OpenOffice Word Processor)
To download: http://download.openoffice.org/index.html
OpenOffice.org - Calc (OpenOffice Spreadheet)
To download: http://download.openoffice.org/index.html
OpenOffice.org- Presentation (OpenOffice Presentation)
To download: http://download.openoffice.org/index.html
Mozilla Thunderbird (E- Mail Client)
To download: http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/
Mozilla Firefox (Web Browser)
To download: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/
7-zip, Peapod (Archiving)
To download: http://www.7-zip.org/download.html
VLC Player, MPlayer (Media)
To download: http://www.videolan.org/
GIMP (Graphics)
To download: http://www.gimp.org/downloads/
PDF-edit (PDF Editor)
To download: http://pdfedit.petricek.net/en/download.html
Inkscape (Vector Graphics Editor)
To download: http://inkscape.org/download/?lang=en
Audacity (Digital Audio Editor)
To download: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/linux
How do I install OpenOffice on Windows?
To install Open Office on Windows, click here, and follow the steps.
How to make OpenOffice as the default program to open Microsoft Office files on Windows?
To know how to set OpenOffice as the default program for MS Office files on Windows, click here.
How do I install Lightning extension for Thunderbird?
Lightening extension allows quick display of current tasks. Task preview pane displaying task parameters like the description, from date, due date, category, etc and calender showing events.- Download extension for lightening from this link: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/2313
- Open Mozilla Thunderbird, from Tools menu select Add-ons.
- Click the Install button, and locate/select the file you saved on desktop (lightning-0.9-tb-win.xpi) and click OK.
How do I use Nudi and Baraha on OpenOffice.org for Windows?
Nudi:
- Start Nudi direct (Assuming Nudi is installed, if not, please download from the website www.kagapa.org)
- Right click on the icon on the system tray and choose Nudi Unicode.
- Choose Unicode fonts like Kedage, Mallige, Tunga in the OpenOffice.org writer fonts.
Baraha
- Start Baraha direct. (If you do not have Baraha, please download from the website [www.Baraha.com])
- Right click on the Baraha icon on the system tray and choose Languages -> Kannada -> Unicode or Languages -> KGP Keyboard Layout -> Unicode.
- Choose Unicode fonts like Kedage, Mallige, Tunga in the OpenOffice.org writer fonts.
BLOGS & OTHERS
How can I create a blog account and write blogs in www.karnatakaeducation.org.in?
- In the address bar of a web browser, please type http://www.karnatakaeducation.org.in and enter the site.
- In the home page, at the bottom left corner, you'll see a user login block.
- In this block, click on the create new account link.
- Fill up the form
- Choose a user name for your self. Spaces are allowed; punctuation is not allowed except for periods, hyphens, and underscores.
- Enter a valid email ID
- Click on the Create new account button
- You'll see a message like this “Thank you for applying for an account. Your account is currently pending approval by the site administrator.In the meantime, a welcome message with further instructions has been sent to your e-mail address.”.
- Please check your email and you'll have a mail with the subject line “Account details for <user> at Karnataka education (pending admin approval)”.
- You'll receive another mail after the approval with a subject line “Account details for <user> at Karnataka Education (approved)”. Please click on the link in the mail or copying and pasting it in your browser. You can use this link to login in only once. After you login you'll go to a page where you can change your password. Once you have set your own password, you will be able to log in to http://www.karnatakaeducation.org.in/?q=user in the future using: <your chosen username>.
- In the Main Menu, click on create content → blog and you can write your own blog.
What is Way2SMS? Can I send SMS and E-Mails via Way2SMS?
Way2SMS is a service that offers SMS communication totally cost free to mobile users. Mobile users can register at absolutely no cost with Way2SMS.com, and receivers of the messages need not be registered Way2SMS users. To create an account at Way2SMS.com, click here.
How do I increase the screen brightness on my Samsung N148 Plus Netbook?
- Go to Applications --> Accessories --> Terminal.
- After the $ prompt, copy and paste the following command: sudo setpci -s 00:02.0 f4.b=ff
- Press Enter. It may prompt you for the password. Type your password and press Enter.
- The value ff increases your screen brightness to the maximum.
To increase the screen brightness on your Samsung N148 Plus Netbook, do the following:
- 42, 56, 70, 92, AF, CC, E5, FF
- 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100
Note:One of the following possible values can be entered instead of ff to adjust your screen to a medium brightness to save battery.
How can I download and save any Youtube video on my computer?
- First copy the youtube video link (while it is open) from the address bar of your internet browser.
- In a new tab or a window, go to www.keepvid.com
- In the URL box, paste the video link (which you copied) and click Download
- This will show the various video formats that you can download for that video.
- You can click on any format and download/save the video on your hard disk.
To download and save any YouTube video on your hard disk , yo can do the following --
How to install, setup and start using Skype on Ubuntu 10.04?
This page has the required information to install, setup and use skype on Ubuntu 10.04
DESKTOP PUBLISHING
How to use MS Publisher (.pub) files on GNU/Linux?
Microsoft Publisher (.pub) files do not work on GNU/Linux systems. Zamzar is a free online conversion service, which lets you convert your files online to any desired format (images, documents, audio, video, e-books, compression too). You can select files (upto 100mb in size) at a time for conversion. Once you select the file to be converted and the output format, you will be sent a link to your e-mail(which you provide during the conversion process), to download the converted file. One can upload the .pub files and it will convert the .pub file into OpenOffice.org's (or any other) format so that it can be used on GNU/Linux.
EDUCATIONAL TOOLS
How to install KTechLab
The customised DVD that you receive during your training sessions has KTechLab pre-installed. A shortcut to KTechLab can be created as follows
- On the desktop right-click and select create launcher.
- In the box that pops up, please enter the name as KTechlab and command as 'ktechlab' (command is case sensitive) and click on OK.
- The Ktechlab icon will appear on desktop. Double click on the icon to start KTechlab.
Now open OpenOffice.org Word Processor:
