Skip to main content

My Customization Guide to the KDE Plasma 5 Desktop

Written by Gwen

KDE Application Launcher IconUpon first installing any operating system, my first priority is always to customize the graphical interface so that it best suits my needs, ultimately saving myself a great deal of accumulated time.

The KDE Plasma 5 desktop was no exception. Although I found it to be exceptional in its own right, I made several changes for comfort and familiarity.

This guide will walk you through the changes that I made, step-by-step, so that you can make similar changes to suit your own needs in the desktop environment.

Read More

Linux, ,

Vi/Vim Editor Cheat Sheet (Free Download)

Written by Gwen

Vi Vim Editor Cheat Sheet PreviewToday’s topic is a continuation of last week’s lesson on the Vi/Vim editors.

Mailing list subscribers will receive a free copy of the Vi/Vim Editor Cheat Sheet. To receive this, and other (past/future) exclusive content, you can subscribe.

The command possibilities available in Vi are seemingly endless; as such, they are not all covered in this cheat sheet.

What this cheat sheet does cover, are all of the basic commands for navigating Vi and modifying, searching, replacing, exiting, etc.

Remember, Vi is case-sensitive; any letter that you type can mean two completely different things, depending on its case.

I like to use this cheat sheet as a quick reference, as I have not yet managed to memorize all of these commands.

I hope that you find it as useful as I do.

Linux, , ,

How to Use the Linux Vi Editor (And Vim, Too!)

Written by Gwen

Vim Command Line EditorThe Vi editor is a programmer’s text editor. The VIM editor is a “Vi IMproved” editor.

In short, the Vim editor is an improved version of the Vi editor, with additional features.

On many distributions of Linux, the Vi editor defaults to the Vim editor; their function is primarily the same.

The good news, is that you do not have to be a programmer — or have any programming knowledge/aspirations — to use the Vi/Vim editors. They’re just editors. Specifically, they’re command line text editors.

Read More

Linux,

An Introduction to Linux Command Line Text Editors

Written by Gwen

Linux Command Line TerminalWe already know what a command line is.

A command line text editor is a text editor that runs directly from the command line, and does not require a graphical user interface, or even a separate window.

Command line text editors only edit plain text files.

The most common examples of command line text editors are Ed, Pico, Nano, Emacs and Vi.

Each editor presents is own set of challenges and rewards; it is not necessary to choose a favorite, but it is a good idea to be briefly introduced to each one.

Read More

Linux,

7 Process Control Commands for Linux

Written by Gwen
1 Comment

Linux Commands for Jobs & ProcessesTo begin, let’s discuss processes.

We all know that a process is a series of actions, or steps, taken in order to achieve a particular end.

With that thought in mind, it should be easy to see that a computer process is a task, or a set of instructions, that is processed by a computer’s processor.

In Windows, processing happens in the background, and is rarely interactive with the average user.

In Linux, you, the average user, have the opportunity to see and control all kinds of processes.

Let’s go cause some havoc!

Read More

Linux

How to Find Out Linux Kernel & Distribution Details + System Uptime

Written by Gwen

Uptime ClockIf you’re running Linux, chances are that you know what distribution you’re running, as well as the version of that distribution, and all those other pertinent details that can come in handy.

In fact, you probably have it memorized down to the very last three decimal points of the version, and also know what date it was last updated.

What’s that? You don’t?!

Often-times, for those of us who just do not memorize such details, we need a quick way to look them up.

Read More

Linux

7 Linux Commands for Remote System Administration

Written by Gwen

Remote AdministrationWhile we’re still on the subject of networks, I thought I’d stick in a few remote system administration tools.

You’ll let me get away with claiming that these are network-related, because by definition of “remote”, there has to be some sort of network connection involved, right?

These commands will allow you to perform various administrative tasks on Linux machines that you do not have physical access to, whether that’s because they’re in a far off country, or because you can’t be bothered to get out of your chair and walk across the room. Both are perfectly valid excuses, provided — in the case of the latter — that you’re recovering from running a very recent marathon.

Read More

Linux

Linux Network Commands Part 3 – Management

Written by Gwen
1 Comment

Computer Data NetworkIt could be argued that configuration and management run hand in hand, and should not be separated.

I do not disagree. It is not an easy matter to draw a line between the two, especially in the case of network commands that can be used to test whether or not the configurations were successful.

The fact of the matter is very simply that I ran out of time — and energy! — to cover all of the most common networking commands in a single post.

Read More

Linux

Linux Network Commands Part 2 – Configuration

Written by Gwen

Computer Data NetworkThis section of Linux network configuration commands deals with the most common methods of configuring a system’s network interfaces from the command line.

It is not a complete list of commands, nor are all possible details and options discussed.

This way you have a little space to do some exploring on your own, and can enjoy the thrill that comes with successfully completing a configuration all on your own.

Read More

Linux,