Keeping notes on a fresh Ubuntu 9.04 system

After emigrating from Windows XP, I decided to keep track of some of the changes on my freshly installed Ubuntu (Jaunty Jackalope 9.04) system so that I don't have to remember them. Plus it saves a lot of digging. Here are some notes / instructions / stuff...

Firefox

• The base version probably has Firefox 3.0.12 on it. Unlike the windows version, it won't offer to upgrade itself. Go to System|Administration|Synaptic and install firefox-3.5.
• Before you can use it, the FF icon on the Gnome Panel has to link to the correct program! Since 3.0.12 is still installed, it will open that one. Right-click on the icon|Properties, and change the "firefox %u" text to "firefox-3.5 %u" (or whatever the new version is).
  
• Remove the old version of FF using Synaptic. (This could probably be done sooner, but I wasn't too sure at the time).
  
• If the icon on the Gnome Panel now has a blank "placeholder" instead of a FF icon, right-click|Properties| and click the "choose icon" button. Version 3.5 calls itself Shiretoko.

No Youtube or Flash games?

• Find and install "flashplugin-nonfree", preferably using Synaptic or apt-get.
• I closed and reopened FF during the installation, but for some reason I had to reload the youtube tab before it started working.
• I then discovered that Ubuntu was using something else called "gtk-gnash", which was a heavy load on the CPU. Someone on the Internet recommended that "gnash" should be completely removed with Synaptic to allow the Adobe drivers to be used, so I followed their instructions and it worked.

Now that Flash is enabled (et voilà! LoL), the ads will probably drive you crazy. That is why they created "Flashblock".

• FF|Tools|Add-ons --> search for Flashblock.

Sanity-check for the mouse and scrolling settings?

Try typing "about:config" into the URL bar, and change the following settings as you see fit:

• middlemouse.openNewWindow --> false
• middlemouse.paste --> false
• general.autoScroll --> set it to true if you want extra-fast scrolling by clicking the middle button and dragging the pointer across the page.
• general.smoothScroll --> true (maybe test it to be sure that it's not too glitchy).

Facebook chat bug:

• The chat function doesn't work properly at the moment. I googled a work-around. Go to about:config, find the general.useragent.extra.firefox line and change the text from Shiretoko/xx to Firefox/xx.
  

That's all for now.

Buying my first laptop

I've recently been thinking about buying a laptop computer. However, it's not an easy decision for me as each benefit seems to have a corresponding drawback.

What do I actually want/need one for?

• Portability — the ability to take it to a sunny park bench and browse the net, write stuff, or practice some programming.
• Getting away from the house. My current living situation demands that my desktop PC is near a television set, which seems to get extremely heavy usage by other occupants. It's hard to get anything done when my ears and peripheral vision are being accosted with rubbish.
• Playing some lightweight "retro" games. I've been playing 80s / 80s-style games since before they got popular again!
• There's a possibility that I'll be able to use my laptop as a mobile sound + music keyboard controller for a band that I may create or join (I'm into that sort of thing).
• The lack of speed and limited storage may actually suit me quite well. It'll challenge me to keep it "lean and mean" with minimal bloatware. (Unlike my PC, which seems to evolve, given enough nutrients!)
  

That's the dream anyway. However, after shopping around for a bit, I found a lot of potential cons:

• Questionable durability — flimsy looking plastic cases. Even the latest cell-phones seem more rugged!
• If I open and shut the LCD 1000 times, will it still work? Will the hinge lose its precisely tuned level of friction and start squeaking or become loose?
• If I spill something on the keyboard, what's the risk that the liquid will destroy the motherboard?
• The hardware options are both numerous and limited. As of mid-2009 there seems to be a glut of 15.x" screens or larger, 10.x" screens or smaller, but very little in between! I've seen a few with screen sizes between 12" and 14" but they are rare and priced accordingly.
  

It seems like an inordinate amount of homework just to make sure I don't accidentally buy a dud!
Other things that I'm looking out for:

• LED backlights instead of CCFL. The lack of information on manufacturers' sites leads me to suspect that they are deliberately downplaying the difference in order to get rid of old stock.
  
• Extra battery cells and as much AH (ampere hour) capacity as practical.
• A matte screen, not glossy! The whole point of a laptop PC is to use it in bright, shiny places where desktop PCs cannot go! Unfortunately, the manufacturer sites that I've seen always use annoying sales terms such as "true bright" and "sparkletone" (I only made up the latter one).
  

Advertisers are shouting about "end of financial year savings" but I'm taking my time. I haven't even decided on a specific make or model yet. Maybe a mid-spec'd Dell or Lenovo with a 14" screen.