Finally got my tablet working again in Intrepid. I have never installed an Ubuntu version that had support right from the start for my tablet. So, I am used to doing a search a few weeks after install and going through a lengthy howto. This time, the howto was not lengthy, but the time involved sure turned out to be.
I had to try this several times to get it working, and I'm not sure if it will STAY working once I restart my PC. I kept getting the command line (as in X wouldn't start). So, hopefully this helps you do it faster than I did.
Ok, so here is my quick three step program:
1) Backup your current conf file.
> In a terminal type "sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.default" (don't type the quotes)
> Write down these instructions in case you get a command line:
- To restore your default conf file type these two commands (after signing in using your username and password)
- "sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf.default /etc/X11/xorg.conf"
- "sudo reboot"
- Just write down the bold parts, don't include any quotes in the terminal.
2) Edit your conf file
> In the terminal type "sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf"
> Add this to the bottom of the file:
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "stylus"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "eraser"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "cursor"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
EndSection
3) Restart X
> AFTER SAVING ALL OF YOUR WORK (your computer will basically restart now), press ctrl+alt+backspace
- If you do not see a command line, pull out your pen and try to move the cursor. Should work now. Go ahead and sign in and enjoy your tablet functionality.
More research:
These articles were ESSENTIAL for me to get this done.
Wacom Tablets in Ubuntu Guide / howto
Wacom - Community Ubuntu Documentation
I thank the Ubuntu community for once again helping me (well, basically doing all the hard work for me) with yet another configuration of my tablet. This is why I love Ubuntu, people really do help people with this OS.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Compiz and Intrepid
Do yourself a favor: download CompizConfig Settings Manager. That is one of the first things I do when I install Ubuntu.
TERMINAL:
This utility lets you add some extra eye-candy beyond the 3 options that you have in Appearance Preferences > Visual Effects. It's fun just to PLAY with Compiz and see what you can do. I always set up my cube, some burn effect for closing windows, some beam effect for opening windows, and play around with some other options.
Intrepid continues the trend of using the current stable Compiz, which means we have new options to check out. Maybe it is just me (or the RAM I added in between installing Hardy and Intrepid), but Compiz seems to run a little faster now too.
TERMINAL:
sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager
This utility lets you add some extra eye-candy beyond the 3 options that you have in Appearance Preferences > Visual Effects. It's fun just to PLAY with Compiz and see what you can do. I always set up my cube, some burn effect for closing windows, some beam effect for opening windows, and play around with some other options.
Intrepid continues the trend of using the current stable Compiz, which means we have new options to check out. Maybe it is just me (or the RAM I added in between installing Hardy and Intrepid), but Compiz seems to run a little faster now too.
Dropbox (0.6.416)
The skinny
This program is pretty decent. Gives you a free 2GB online storage account that syncs between several computers pretty quickly (obviously depends on internet connection). They have a .deb package for Ubuntu right on the site, an added bonus. Just a quick note: dropbox has worked on Hardy and Intrepid for me, neither usage has ever crashed.
It works beautifully. I actually have dropbox installed on a few Windows boxes as well, and hands down I prefer dropbox for linux. Always nice to see a company that doesn't drop the ball in a linux implimentation. Dropbox can also be limited to how much bandwidth it will consume (can say how effective it is, I have never tested it out).
Speaking of Windows boxes, I LOVE that they have utilities for Windows, Mac and Linux. This makes it a breeze to sync some important files back and forth. Or just do some file transfers. Obviously, transfering files will be slower than a straight network connection or a thumb drive, but it can be useful at times.
You are required to sign up for an account. This makes perfect sense really... since you want your data secure and this also allows you to access your storage from a web interface (that actually doesn't suck!). This is a fairly new company I think, so some forethought into what you store might be prudent. You wouldn't want to store extremely private or personal files without checking to see if their security meets your demands and before you trust them as an entity. I have no problem with the company, but I am not going to say why, you should do that research and come to a conclusion yourself.
Installation
This is a breeze in Ubuntu. I already mentioned the .deb package a bit ago. Actually, writing installation instructions is both pointless and irritating. Seriously, you can wing it just fine. Just go to the website in step one and the rest will fall into place.
1) Download the .deb here: http://www.getdropbox.com/install?os=lnx
2) ... install it ... go wit' da flow man
A few notes: Dropbox will reboot nautilus during the installation. This will cause your panels and wallpaper to simply disappear for a little bit. After installation, Dropbox needs to download and install more components.
This program is pretty decent. Gives you a free 2GB online storage account that syncs between several computers pretty quickly (obviously depends on internet connection). They have a .deb package for Ubuntu right on the site, an added bonus. Just a quick note: dropbox has worked on Hardy and Intrepid for me, neither usage has ever crashed.
It works beautifully. I actually have dropbox installed on a few Windows boxes as well, and hands down I prefer dropbox for linux. Always nice to see a company that doesn't drop the ball in a linux implimentation. Dropbox can also be limited to how much bandwidth it will consume (can say how effective it is, I have never tested it out).
Speaking of Windows boxes, I LOVE that they have utilities for Windows, Mac and Linux. This makes it a breeze to sync some important files back and forth. Or just do some file transfers. Obviously, transfering files will be slower than a straight network connection or a thumb drive, but it can be useful at times.
You are required to sign up for an account. This makes perfect sense really... since you want your data secure and this also allows you to access your storage from a web interface (that actually doesn't suck!). This is a fairly new company I think, so some forethought into what you store might be prudent. You wouldn't want to store extremely private or personal files without checking to see if their security meets your demands and before you trust them as an entity. I have no problem with the company, but I am not going to say why, you should do that research and come to a conclusion yourself.
Installation
This is a breeze in Ubuntu. I already mentioned the .deb package a bit ago. Actually, writing installation instructions is both pointless and irritating. Seriously, you can wing it just fine. Just go to the website in step one and the rest will fall into place.
1) Download the .deb here: http://www.getdropbox.com/install?os=lnx
2) ... install it ... go wit' da flow man
A few notes: Dropbox will reboot nautilus during the installation. This will cause your panels and wallpaper to simply disappear for a little bit. After installation, Dropbox needs to download and install more components.
Amarok and Intrepid
Amarok and Gnome don't always play nice. I've looked for alternatives to Amarok, and I just haven't found one that matches Amarok. In fact, I have never experienced a better jukebox (for lack of a better word). Any OS. Any MP3 player. Period.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand: Amarok, Gnome, and Intrepid.
Amarok has behaved much more stable in Intrepid for me. I had it crash on me a lot in Hardy, so I welcome the improvement. However, I, rather stupidly, checked a box on a warning box. In the past, I would always just say retry and it worked like a champ. Amarok hasn't really had any problems, but this has caused one rather unfortunate side-effect. NO GNOME MEDIA KEYS. I have the plugin installed. Easy as always. But it doesn't work. This is either a regression with Intrepid / Gnome OR it is because of the aforementioned dialog box I have dismissed for the last time.
I like to think positively, so I will imagine that it is because of the dialog box. Now I just need to figure out WHAT the dialog box was for so I can find the configuration file for it and tell it to show those warnings again. That's the plan.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand: Amarok, Gnome, and Intrepid.
Amarok has behaved much more stable in Intrepid for me. I had it crash on me a lot in Hardy, so I welcome the improvement. However, I, rather stupidly, checked a box on a warning box. In the past, I would always just say retry and it worked like a champ. Amarok hasn't really had any problems, but this has caused one rather unfortunate side-effect. NO GNOME MEDIA KEYS. I have the plugin installed. Easy as always. But it doesn't work. This is either a regression with Intrepid / Gnome OR it is because of the aforementioned dialog box I have dismissed for the last time.
I like to think positively, so I will imagine that it is because of the dialog box. Now I just need to figure out WHAT the dialog box was for so I can find the configuration file for it and tell it to show those warnings again. That's the plan.
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