ubuntu
Starting Linux through Windows XP boot list (boot.ini)
Jul 22nd
Last week I had to recover the grub in a notebook after a Windows reinstall. The easiest way would be running an Ubuntu live cd and run the grub program. But I hadn’t a cd and tried with a bootable usb stick and… nothing. That notebook doesn’t boot by usb. I tried also with a sd card, but had the same problem…
The solution: Burn a CD? No. Let’s do something more criative…
Well, we know that Windows XP also has his boot list (boot.ini), so why not to put Linux on the list?
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy as edit the grub menu, but it’s still easy.
First, you have to create an image from the master sector of a HD which has the grub installed (I used my notebook). Open terminal and type:
sudo dd if=/dev/sda1 of=bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1
Maybe you have to change /dev/sda1 for other device, depending on your HD.
This command creates the bootsect.lnx file. Put it on c:\ on Windows. After that we will edit the boot.ini on Windows.
There’s two ways to do this: you can edit the c:\boot.ini directly (it may be hidden and read-only) or you can right click on “My Computer”, go to “Preferences”, “Advanced” tab, and click the button to edit boot preferences. So the boot.ini is opened on notepad.
On boot.ini, paste the following line at the end of the file:
c:\bootsect.lnx="Linux"
Save, close and reboot.
Now your Windows asks you if you want to start Windows or Linux.
And voi là.
(I think it’s the biggest post I wrote in English, so forgive me for the mistakes)
How to open PDFs inside Firefox on Linux
Jul 19th
I was thinking about how to open a PDF file inside Firefox on Ubuntu, like the Acrobat plugin do on Windows, but using Evince.
So I “googled” about Evince and Firefox and found it quickly in the Lâmpada Azul site. Altought it has many steps, I used only the first and it worked very well. You have only to install the mozplugger package:
sudo aptitude install mozplugger
Alright. It may works now.
Help me to win an Asus EeePC
Dec 5th
You can help me to win an Asus EeePC simply by voting on my answer on a promotion here on Brazil.
So, what my phrase means?
The question is: Where should Linux run?
My answer: “Linux should run on deputies and senators. So their filesystem would be less subject to corruption, the votes of draft laws would be significant faster, with fewer crashes, and the uptime would not be only from Tuesday to Thursday, but for seven days a week.”
To vote you only need a valid mail and know the answer to a simply sum (like 5 + 2) to confirm. After it you have to click on a link on your email.
It would be nice to install Ubuntu on it and use to spread Ubuntu here…
PS: You can also help me passing it on…
Ubuntu without “win key”
Nov 28th
This post is an adaptation of one post I made on my portuguese blog. It may contain some write errors (especially on manicurist part).
One day I was talking with my friend (and GSoC Guy) Lucas Veloso, and I solved a problem that bother many Linux users: the use of “win key”.
May we call “ubu key”? 
Step-by-step for win key “removal” e ubu key “install”:
- With a nail sandpaper, sand the top of the key until you see no image there (be careful to don’t damage the key).
- Alternative: According Lucas, if you use a transparent nail polish on the key and remove it using acetone (after a while), the image can be erase easily.
- After remove the image, pass nail polish on the key.
- Print the image you want to put on the key on a normal sheet (i made it 0,6cm x 0,6cm).
- Pass transparent nail polish on both sides of the sheet over the image. The sheet will become a little “plastic”.
- Cut the image carefully, using a knife.
- Paste the image on the key (you may paste with the nail polish) and pass more nail polish to fix it and protect.
- The end.
Wow, I’m talking like a manicurist… 
Below is a picture of Lucas’ keyboard, in a different version, as you can see:
Another keyboard that I like is the one of Jose Vitor:
His girlfriend made it for him, inspired by my portuguese post.
PS: Here goes the template made with inkscape to create the “ubu key”.
PS2: Yesterday I saw one “Ubuntu keyboard” for sale. It looks nice…
Add the Gutsy Countdown Script to your site
Oct 3rd
Just copy this code:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.ubuntu.com/files/countdown/dist/display.js"></script>
<noscript><img id="countdownimage" src="http://www.ubuntu.com/files/countdown/dist/710countdown_default.png" width="199" height="164" alt="Ubuntu 7.10 - Coming soon"></noscript>
And a handsome countdown timer will appear in your site:
I added it on my blog.
Liquid Rescale Plug-in: step-by-step
Oct 1st
On my last post I wrote about the “Liquid Rescale Plug-in” for Gimp and published an image that I resized. Now I’ll show how to make it step-by-step.
First I choose a picture. The original size was 2048×1536 pixels.
Then I choose Layer > Liquid Rescale…
I changed the width to 1500 and “OK”:
Well, this is no good. The image was resized, but the plug-in didn’t know what was important on the image.
So I backed up the original and created a new transparent layer to identify what was important on the image:
On this new layer I filled with black what I want to preserve (I think it would be any color).
The new layer after painting (the white part is transparent):
Following, I selected the photo layer, then I choose Layer > Liquid Rescale…, but now I set my new layer as the area to preserve.
Finally, I executed the script and voi là!
OBS: I did the same thing on my three years old computer running Ubuntu Feisty (Athlon XP 2000+, 512Mb RAM DDR), and on my new computer on my work, running win XP (Pentium 4, 3.0, 512Mb RAM DDR2). On my computer the process was really really really faster.
Cool resize plugin for GIMP
Sep 28th
Some time ago I saw this post about a super horizontal/vertical resize algorithm which preserves the proportions of what is important on an image. Yesterday I was reading unread posts on Planet Ubuntu when I saw this post of Jorge Bernal where he says that already exists a plugin for GIMP of this algorithm (this is why I love free software).
Well, I installed it on my computer and made a test with my picture. Look the “before” and “after”:
If you want to play (and I think you will), download it for your plataform. After install it will be available on “Layer” menu.
Don’t be jealous…
Aug 25th
Today is my birthday. So my wonderful wife gave me something that I would not expect:
She gave me this box with three t-shirts on ubuntu color (red, orange and yellow). So I thought: “Cool, three t-shirts on ubuntu colors! And they look like the ubuntu logo”. But when I open the t-shirts I saw that they weren’t simple t-shirts:
She ordered to embroider the ubuntu logo on the t-shirts and on the sleeve embroider the phrase that are on our wedding rings: “Semper Amemus”, that means that our love is forever.
Today I also updated my blog theme, where I’m using one of those t-shirts on the top…
Meet the “open surface”
Jul 17th
![[MPX: Servidor X com suporte a multi-touch]](http://andrenoel.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/mpx.jpg)
![[MPX no Ubuntu]](http://andrenoel.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/mpx_ubuntu.jpg)
3 years old!
Jul 4th
![[Birthday cake]](http://andrenoel.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/birthday.jpg "[Birthday cake]")
Today my computer completes 3 years of life! 3 years ago I assembled him… By the way, I just remembered that he has my DNA. I cut my finger when I was mounting him, and when I saw, there was a little drop of my blood on the motherboard. Maybe it makes my computer stronger…
Much thing happens in the life of a computer in 3 years… I remember the relief that he felt when I eliminated totally Windows from him. He used Debian for a while, till know Ubuntu and “they live togheter and forever”.
They say that a 3-year-old computer is an ancient one, but he runs very fast with Ubuntu 7.04 + Beryl… Maybe I would celebrate installing Compiz Fusion over him…
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