Gnome Tips for Ubuntu

Enable passwordless logins with GDM

References: Re: Can GDM allow passwordless logins for specified users, in Ubuntu? and Re: passwordless login.

1. Open /etc/pam.d/gdm and before this line:

   @include common-auth

   add these three lines:

   # start enable passworldless logins
   auth sufficient pam_listfile.so item=user sense=allow file=/etc/X11/gdm/nopassusers.txt onerr=fail
   # end enable passwordless logins
   

2. Now create the file /etc/X11/gdm/nopassusers.txt and add the usernames of the users that you want to have passwordless logins, one per line.

Use xscreensaver instead of gnome-screensaver.

Found in the Howto replace Gnome-screensaver with Xscreensaver thread in the Ubuntu forums.

1. Install xscreensaver if you haven't

   sudo apt-get install xscreensaver

2. Make it so that gnome-screensaver cannot be run:

   chmod -x /usr/bin/gnome-screensaver

3. Choose your screensaver using Xscreensaver and say yes if it asks if you want to start the xscreensaver daemon (gnome-screensaver disables the xscreensaver daemon.)

   xscreensaver-demo

There, finally a way to fullscreen preview and configure screensavers ;)

Disable Gnome Volume Manager Gthumb

I have lost videos that were on my digital camera because the Gnome Volume Manager Gthumb popped up and asked if I would like to Import the Photos from device. The problem is that Gthumb does not show movie files that are on the digital camera. I find it's much better to use Nautilus instead of Gthumb to copy photos off my digital camera.

Here's how to use have Nautilus pop up instead of Gthumb when you connect a camera to your computer:

1. Open: "System -> Preferences -> Removable Drives and Media".
2. Click on the "Cameras" tab.
3. Uncheck the "Import digital photographs when connected" checkbox.

Install an easy to use Firewall

Install firestarter:

sudo apt-get install firestarter

Install a great image viewer for Gnome

I was looking for a simple image viewer allowing me to scroll through images quickly (similar to Kuickshow). My searched ended when I found GQview and changed the zoom quality to lowest and found out how to hide the file list.

Install GQview:

sudo apt-get install gqview

Make GTK and QT apps look the same using Klearlook and Clearlooks

You can use the Klearlooks theme for QT and Clearlooks theme for GTK to make GTK and GT apps looks similar without resorting to gtk2-engines-qt.

You can install Klearlooks on Ubuntu or Kubuntu by running the following command:

sudo apt-get install kde-style-klearlook

You can download the Klearlook style source from the Klearlook KDE-Look.org page. A Debian Package (.deb) can be downloaded from the Ubuntu -- kde-style-klearlook page.