Smaller files by xarchiver on Debian Linux

I installed xarchiver to help me make some files smaller. Making files smaller was called "file compression". I could put two or more files into one such compressed file.


Some compression methods were available, e.g. .zip, .tar.gz, .tar.bz2 and .7z.

Handle rar files on Debian Linux

I installed unrar to let me extract the rar files.

Rar files contained other files. A software item was necessary for me to get back these other files.

The command for extracting the files in the current directory was:

unrar e nameOfTheRarFile.rar

WinRAR was the software used on Microsoft Windows to make the rar files.

Upgrade to LibreOffice 3.5 on Debian Linux

Here was how I upgraded to LibreOffice 3.5.

Uninstalled LibreOffice 3.3

First, I uninstalled the previous version of LibreOffice. In my case, it was LibreOffice 3.3.

I selected "System", "Administration" and "Synaptic Package Manager". In the "Quick Search" box, I typed "libreoffice".

Then, I removed all of the packages displayed in "Synaptic Package Manager".

To be really safe and not to leave the old files in the old version, I removed the old directory and those files as well.

rm -r '/opt/libreoffice' 

Installed LibreOffice 3.5

I visited the download page. I clicked on "Change System, Version or Language". I selected:

Linux (deb): x86

for my system to work.

I chose English (US) and then pressed "3.5.0".

I right-clicked on "Main installer" and pressed "Copy Link Location".

I used "MultiGet" to handle this downloading process.


After downloading, I issued the commands:

tar xfv LibO_3.5.0_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US.tar.gz

cd LibO_3.5.0rc3_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US/

cd DEBS/

dpkg -i *.deb

cd desktop-integration/

dpkg -i *.deb

That was it.

Disable touchpad on Debian Linux

I used a notebook computer. I needed to type the text very often. When I typed, I accidentally touched the touchpad. This caused the cursor on the screen to move to somewhere else.

I had my USB mouse and I preferred this mouse.

I searched for the solution. Here is one: (Issue the commands below in Terminal.)

su

cd /etc/init.d

gedit disableTouchpad

Copy and paste the following:

#!/bin/sh
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides:          disableTouchPad

# Required-Start:    $remote_fs $syslog
# Required-Stop:     $remote_fs $syslog
# X-Start-Before:    kdm gdm xdm hal
# X-Stop-After:      kdm gdm xdm hal
# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
# Short-Description: disable the touchpad
# Description:       prevent the touchpad from functioning
#                   
### END INIT INFO

set -e

# Get lsb functions
. /lib/lsb/init-functions

modprobe -r psmouse

Save this file above.

Type:

chmod +x disableTouchpad

update-rc.d disableTouchpad start 01 2 3 4 5 . stop 99 0 1 6 .

You should see:

update-rc.d: using dependency based boot sequencing

Now, restart the computer:

shutdown -r now

The touchpad should be disabled by default.

I can connect and use my USB mouse.


References

I viewed this page on Debian Wiki and Patrik Willard's work to get the solution.

Back up files and directories on Debian Linux

The command for backing up all files and directories is like this:

cp -R ./folderA/* ./folderB/

If two files and one folder are inside folderA, they will be copied to folderB after issuing the command.

-R means recursively copying the files and folders. * means everything inside the folder. "." means the current directory.

Technical things: Directories are referred to as folders. Folders are referred to as directories. They are used interchangeably.


Reference:
Linux and UNIX cp command help

Eclipse on Debian Linux

Here is how Eclipse looks like on Debian Linux. Eclipse is a software item for making some software items. Eclipse can be found here.

Edit interfaces to make Internet connection work on Debian Linux

As a superuser, I issue the command below to make my Internet connection work:

gedit /etc/network/interfaces

I edit the file like this:

# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).

# The loopback network interface
# auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

# The primary network interface
allow-hotplug eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

# auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
    wpa-ssid MyFavouriteSSID
    wpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
    wpa-group TKIP CCMP
    wpa-psk MyFavouritePassword

According to the manual, "allow-hotplug " means "start interface when the kernel detects a hotplug event from the interface". I found an article that said "Hot swapping and hot plugging are terms used to describe the functions of replacing computer system components without shutting down the system."

That means that I plug the cable into the computer and use the Internet when the system is still powered up.

This is the second working example. I had another example here.

Edit video with Kdenlive on Debian Linux

Recently, I used Kdenlive to edit my videos. It worked for me.

I needed to install a library file called "libsdl1.2debian-pulseaudio" for it to handle the sound. I needed to restart the computer as well before I could use it.

See the following information I got:

I learned the basic things here:
An Intro to Video Editing with Kdenlive Part 2: Creating your First Video - YouTube

I learned how to enable the sound here:
Ubuntu sound has gone on KDEnlive | Kdenlive

A folder not to be deleted on Debian Linux

By default, I can delete a file or folder which I created.

To prevent any accidental deletion of a folder or file, I can set the permission of the folder containing this folder to "Access files" instead of "Create and delete files".

I see these options by right-clicking on a folder or directory and choose "Properties". Then, I choose "Permissions". I see the "Folder access" field. I can select "Access files" instead of "Create and delete files". At this point, the folder or file in it cannot be deleted.

To revert back to the original situation, that is, the folder or file can be deleted, choose "Create and delete files".

Here is a directory called "recipe". It contains the "my1stRecipe" folder and the "my2ndRecipe.txt" file.

Below is a chart for explanation:

Right-click on "recipe" and choose "Properties".

I select "Permissions" to view the permissions.

I am the owner of this folder or directory of "recipe". My current permission for the folder is "Create and delete files".

I choose "Access files" and click on "Close".

Now, I cannot delete the "my1stRecipe" folder. I cannot delete the "my2ndRecipe.txt" file. When I press the delete key after selecting this folder or file, nothing happens.

Use Clam AntiVirus on Debian Linux

An antivirus software item available on Debian Linux is Clam AntiVirus. The package name is "clamav". The graphical user interface (GUI) is "clamtk".

Install Clam AntiVirus using Synaptic Package Manager:

Click on "Applications", "Accessories" and "Virus Scanner" to start Clam AntiVirus. Click on "File" to choose a file. Press "Directory" to choose a directory.

No automatic scanning is available when a file is downloaded. I need to manually scan the file.

As a superuser in Terminal, type freshclam to update the virus definitions.

Set up gedit Text Editor on Debian Linux

I use "gedit Text Editor" to do basic word processing tasks. I make it more convenient for me to use this software item by following the steps:

Click on "Edit" and "Preferences" in "gedit Text Editor".

Under View, check the boxes:

Display line numbers

Highlight current line

Highlight matching bracket

Under Editor, change the "Tab width" to:

4

When I press Tab on the keyboard, the cursor moves forward by four spaces.

Under Editor, I also check the boxes:

Enable automatic indentation

Create a backup copy of files before saving

Autosave files every 10 minutes

Under Font & Colors, uncheck the box:  

Use the system fixed width font (Monospace 10)

Click on Monospace and choose my favourite font:

Times New Roman

Choose my favourite font size:

18

Under Plugins, uncheck all the boxes.

No plugins mean that gedit Text Editor starts faster.