Be a Productive Linux User
Use Terminator: Terminator is a nice way to free your valuable screen space from multiple terminal windows. Instead of using one terminal window for each task, divide an existing window horizontally or vertically each time you need a new terminal window. So if you find yourself using 8 terminal windows, you can use Terminator and pack your terminals into 2 windows.
Set Terminal as Desktop Background: Some time ago, I showed you how to setup your terminal as a desktop background. This is a great way to assign certain portion of your desktop background for terminal window which can be seamless and be part of your desktop wallpaper. Two popular way to achieve this is with the use of Tilda or Devilspie. It would be even better if we could setup Terminator with Devilspie; I will have to find out and get back to you on that.
Use Conky: Conky can be used to have system stats, live, right on the desktop. Apart from giving you OS stats, conky can be setup as a music player and can alert you when you receive e-mail with IMAP and POP3 support. Conky has similarities with devilspie in the sense that it also integrates itself with the desktop background, without having a separate window for itself.
Use Pidgin: I am still surprised to see people using separate IM clients for chatting. Pidgin is a multi-protocol Instant Messaging client, which is a great way to stay connected with your friends regardless of the IM service they use. If you are a console junkie you can use the console version of pidgin, known as Finch.
Gnome-do: This will set your productivity on fire. Gnome Do wiki has an excellent description of what can be done with this wonderful application, so I will quote them:
“GNOME Do (Do) is an intelligent launcher tool that makes performing common tasks on your computer simple and efficient. Do not only allows you to search for items in your desktop environment (e.g. applications, contacts, bookmarks, files, music), it also allows you to specify actions to perform on search results (e.g. run, open, email, chat, play). Want to send an email to mom? Simply type “email mom.” Want to listen to some music? Simply type “play beatles.” Do provides instantaneous, action-oriented desktop search results that adapt to reflect your habits and preferences. For example, if you use Firefox web browser often, typing “f” in Do will launch it. Or, if you visit The New York Times webpage often, Do will open it if you simply type “nyt.” Unlike other search tools that present search results as flat, homogeneous lists, Do provides familiar graphical depictions of search results that assure you that your intent is being realized correctly; searching for “mom” will show a picture of mom, and searching for “beatles” will show a Beatles album cover. Do has many more powerful and exciting capabilities that must be seen to be appreciated.”
Do you know any other linux application that will help you be a more productive linux user? Do share them on comments.
If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)
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I wish people would write more about topics keeping the masses in mind. Whose going to use GNU/Linux if they get this impression it’s command operated? That’s exactly what you did here. I’m against the MS Windows GUI only way of life, but lets not publicize the command line applications soo much. Instead we aught to write more about the new and interesting applications-and if you can’t find them then write them if you’re so dammed technical that you write about command based applications.
This post has been very helpful to me, I’m definitely giving ‘Tilda’ a shot. Pidgin has and is being used whenever I am working with Linux (Ubuntu, usually) and is indeed a very neat, clean and powerful IM-client.
Thanks for some practical tips on being efficient with Linux!
Wow Jack, what a rude response.
Great article.
How exactly does conky increase productivity?
I’ve never seen the Terminator app before. I must check it out. It looks like it is to terminals what kate is to text files. (as far as screen partitioning goes)
>Whose going to use GNU/Linux if they get this impression it’s command operated?
Me.
>I’m against the MS Windows GUI only way of life, but lets not publicize the command line applications soo much.
No, let’s do. The console will not eat you. And even though you don’t seem to like it, it is extremely useful and relevant.
Lmao @ Jack, what a close minded response, you troll.
this article sucks
conky is bad. gkrellm is better
want a transparent terminal with no borders? use konsole or xterm and remove the borders i have it set for win+t and borders are removed from anything
gnome sucks. kde is better
pidgin sucks. kopete is better
linux will never be productive until there is decent flash support (amongst other things)
http://guake-terminal.org/ is better than tilde even though it’s new with a few rough edges.
I find KDE to be extremely more productive than GNOME in many ways:
–Opening an unknown file type allows you to pick the app to open with from a list of apps, NOT making you hunt to find it in (maybe?) /usr/bin/
–App integration works much more smoothly
–Open and Save dialogs are more customizable and generally nicer IMHO
–Changing settings in KControl or (newer) Control Center is a single window where you can change between the various places to set up the desktop, printers, networking, etc, rather than the million options in GNOME’s System menu with individual icons/apps for each item
–KDE allows you to right-click and modify nearly everything, and I never seem to have the ‘obvious’ options in GNOME’s right-click menu
These two tools have helped me a lot in KDE and likely in other DEs also:
–Yakuake is a konsole (terminal) that drops from the top of the screen with [F12] and disappears again with another key press. Great for when you need that terminal but don’t want it around much
–Right-clicking on an application’s title bar can allow you to keep it Always On Top, or Always on Bottom, and more. Setting up the Advanced Settings in KDE’s KDM can even make the window always occupy the same screen location etc; it allows me to keep my multi-chat Kopete windows in one place so that I can work and always have access to these apps if someone needs to chat.
lefty.crupps, good list. Just wanted to add the following.
- Konsole allows for tabbed interface for the terminal similar to what Firefox and Opera do for websites.
This is extremely helpful as I can use a shortcut (Ctrl+Tab) to cycle through them.
Jack - Linux is command oriented… there’s just no two ways about it. The best distro IMO is Ubuntu if you want your Grandma to use Linux - so I would advocate that. However I would not try to stifle command oriented posts from websites like this.
Pavs - excellent post! I love this website, the more Linux tips I can cram into my mind the better!
@Jack
Even on clickedi-doo-dah mousey old Mac OS9 she who used keyboard shortcuts was more productive than he who used the mouse. To say that the CLI makes you more productive on Linux does not say that you are forced to use it - only that your working life becomes more fun if you do.
great list! i hadn’t tried out gnome-do for a while… looks like it keeps getting better every time
@jack. Hi jack! Not every article fits everyone. Some advices apply to people who are overwhelmingly terminal users, some applies to people who likes to be more GUI oriented. Its very difficult to write articles, that will please all kinds of people, because there will be always someone out there who is not satisfied with something. In the future I will try to write more articles, that is more geared towards new users and GUI oriented users. No promises :)
To others, Thanks!
The author simply is showing you, if you do not know, something that may be of interest, thereby, making Linux even more useful. Please, instead of flaming the messenger, help encourage people to learn and write on things FOSS is capable on. After all FOSS wouldn’t be where it is if there was no encouragement.
@PAV: Thanks for the tips.
About Gnome-DO.
This is a cute application but:
1) deskbar-applet make almost the same job
2) dekbar-applet has good tracker integration
3) deskbar-applet is no mono, so is more light
4) gnome-do with some plugins activated consume 150MB RAM or even more. Deskbar-applet consume no more than 30MB RAM
my conclusion? Use the standard gnome deskbar-applet instead Gnome-do
Yo Jack, what’s that all about?
It’s a wonderful article! If you think this is too technical, you don’t belong near a computer :p
I’m a linux noob and I certainly don’t feel intimidated by the command line at all. In fact, I’m trying to learn more about it from great posts like this one because I think it’s a really powerful tool.
Another word of advice: maybe you OUGHT to learn how to write before actually saying something…
Good post. Instead of Terminator you can always use Screen, which is compatible with any terminal software (and terminal’s themselves) and can also do split screens (though possibly not as intuitively as Terminator)
What about KDE Desktops?
You’ve forgotten Yeahconsole (http://phrat.de/yeahtools.html) with screen and urxvt.
Greets
@stan: Please explain to me how, for the average person, Flash increases productivity.
Flash 9 is working great for me right now on Debian under Iceweasel.
@stan: My openSUSE installed out of the box perfect flash support. It does not in my opinion offer any boost for productivity. On the contrary, flash animated ads take up my processor time and flash games effectively cut down productivity as users play flash games instead of work.
Misleading article name, Productive and conky? muhahaha
Ok terminator maybe productive IFF you use terminal for most of your work,
but I would rather choose a tiling WM or screen.
Gnome-do seems interesting, have to check it out…
Here is how i keep my self productive as a blogger
http://yabblog.com/2008/09/12/ubuntu-apps-productive-blogger/
Stan and the rest of you seem to be using different definitions of the word “Productive”.
Computers are used for more than running a word processor. Thus, I think the best (though maybe not fully dictionary-accurate) definition of “Productive” is getting whatever you are doing done in the most efficient way possible. That said, a lot of home computers are used for amusement as well as work, ’specially the web. A great deal of the internet is powered by Flash. If you don’t have Flash, then you can’t be productive in the task of using the internet to provide entertainment. And as for flash advertisements, that’s what things like NoScript were made for…
As for your above list, I’ve tried all of these apps and all except for Pidgin (and Pidgin is far from being the only multi-protocol IM client around, you see them everywhere) really get in my way more than they help. But nice try.
Great post. The terminal as a desktop background is super sweet. I love it.
A lot of this thread deals with Linux fatware. I don’t use Gnome or K libraries unless I have to. Try Archlinux and you will get more productive without all this garbage.