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How to Install New Fonts on Windows & Linux

Written by Gwen

FontTypography refers to the style and appearance of a written language, and/or the art and study of arranging and displaying a written language.

Let me just say (from the perspective of not being an artist) that typography is truly is an art-form that can add to or subtract from just about every language I’ve ever run across.

In this digital age, typography relies very heavily upon the usage of one main component: font.

Font is the graphical representation of text. Each font is a set of characters in a specific style, typeface, or design.

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An Introduction to KDE Virtual Desktops & Activities

Written by Gwen

Virtual DesktopVirtual desktops are an old concept, centered around the thought of operating multiple applications on each of several separate desktops that are running in unison.

This allows for a separation of tasks to the degree that, for example, a web browser, email client and other social activities can be open on one desktop, work-related documents in another, and image-editing in yet another.

Virtual desktops are called workspaces in many distributions of Linux, and have also been known as multiple desktops.

Activities are, as of now, unique to KDE, and are very similar to virtual desktops, but allow for a greater range of options, customizations, and task-orientation. Unique activities are often set up on each virtual desktop so that the two can be utilized together.

To summarize the difference between these two options, I would say that virtual desktops are like working with multiple monitors all lined up on one desk, while activities are like switching to another PC entirely, on a separate desk — maybe even in a separate room!

(That may have made more sense in my head than it does on the screen, but stick with me, and it should all clear up as we go.)

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All About KDE Widgets

Written by Gwen

KDE LogoKDE widgets are utilities that provide ease-of-use, functionality, or just plain fun to the KDE desktop environment.

Widgets can be added to either the desktop or the task manager; the available widgets are usually identical in each case.

Currently, over 50 widgets are packaged with the KDE desktop, and more can be downloaded/installed (from trusted sources!)

Let’s jump right into some details on how to set up and customize KDE widgets.

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7 Linux Desktop Environments In a Nutshell

Written by Gwen

Linux PenguinLet’s face it: Linux is not a graphical environment. Linux revolves around a simple text-only interface commonly referred to as “the command line”.

That being said, one unique feature of Linux is the veritable multitude of desktop environments (the Graphical User Interface parts) that can be run on most distributions.

Each desktop environment (DE) has different graphical elements, layouts or functionality that set them apart.

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How to Monitor Bandwidth on Windows and Linux

Written by Gwen

Bandwidth Usage MonitoringBandwidth is a prized commodity — and generally in short supply — in my household.

Due to this preciousness of bandwidth, the question of “where does it all go?” soon arises.

With that question in mind, I have spent time in the past experimenting with various means of monitoring bandwidth, to see how much I actually use on my PC.

My research resulted in several promising candidates.

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How to Adjust Screen Brightness Settings on KDE Linux & Windows 7

Written by Gwen

Bright Monitor Screen DisplayThe premise: A beautiful Saturday, with a cool breeze, a cloudless sky, and the outdoors calling my name.

The catch: I had work to do.

The problem: I turned on my computer to start working, and could barely even see the screen.

Now, one might automatically assume that I needed glasses (I don’t), or that the bright sun was reflecting on my screen (to taunt me), but this was not the case.

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An Introduction to the Atom Text Editor

Written by Gwen

Atom Text Editor LogoThis week I was introduced to a new text editor. While it is not a command line text editor, or even a Linux-only text editor, it does fit pretty well into the current line-of-thought.

Atom is a GitHub project described as a “hackable text editor for the 21st century”. It is designed to be deeply customizable, but still approachable, using the default configuration. Atom can be run on OS X, Windows, and Linux.

For anyone who does not already know, GitHub is a web-based repository hosting service for Git, which is a version-control and management software for source code. Github is used primarily to host open-source software projects. It’s a popular social network for developers, programmers, and even end-users.

Atom provides support for over 25 web/programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, Python, Perl, MySQL, C, Ruby, and Java, to name a few.

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Use Rsync to Backup From the Linux Command Line

Written by Gwen

Syncing ComputersIf backing up data is not already a part of your (daily/weekly/hourly) routine, it should be.

Previously, I have talked about creating a backup process, and how double/triple/off-site backups can be lifesavers.

What I’m going to talk about today is how you can make backups, specifically from the Linux command line.

If you’re still backing up by copying and pasting files around in the GUI, or even by using tar, cp, dump or restore from the command line, you’re missing out.

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