View Larger Image	Nicholas Petreley, Jono Bacon O'Reilly Media, Paperback, Published March 2005, 318 pages, ISBN 0596009119
	List Price: $24.95 Our Price: $15.95 You Save: $9.00 (36% Off)
	Availability: Out-Of-Stock

Read three hacks from the book:       Excerpt provided courtesy of O'Reilly and Associates.

People who purchase this book frequently purchase:

• Linux Server Hacks; Rob Flickenger, $15.95, 36% Off!
• Firefox Hacks; Nigel McFarlane, $15.95, 36% Off!
• Linux Server Hacks, Volume 2; Bill Von Hagen, et al, $18.95, 37% Off!
• Linux Quick Fix Notebook; Peter Harrison, $21.95, 45% Off!

• Operating Systems : Linux
• Other Topics : Open Source
• * Series - All Users : O'Reilly Hacks

• O'Reilly Media

With hacks that any user can follow, Linux Desktop Hacks demonstrates how easy it is to modify Linux to suit your desires. The book is packed with tips on customizing and improving the interface, boosting performance, administering your desktop, and generally making the most out of what X, KDE, Gnome, and the console have to offer.

From the practical to the whimsical, and some things you never thought of trying, the hacks in the book include the following, and more:

• Kill and Resurrect the Master Boot Record
  
• Jazz Up Your Debian System Boot
  
• Energize Your Console with Macro Music Magic
  
• Konquer Remote Systems Without Passwords
  
• Run KDE on the Bleeding Edge
  
• View Microsoft Word Documents in a Terminal
  
• Read Yahoo! Mail from Any Email Client
  
• Motion Capture and Video Conferencing Fun
  
• Automate Your Life with cron
  
• Protect Yourself from Windows Applications
  
• Make an Internet Connection Using Bluetooth and a Mobile Phone
  
• Print to Unsupported Printers
  
• Accelerate Your Gaming

If you're yearning for information to make the Linux desktop easier, more powerful, and more fun, Linux Desktop Hacks is just the ticket.

Table of Contents

Credits

Preface

Chapter 1. Booting Linux

1. Give Your Computer the Boot
2. Kill and Resurrect the Master Boot Record
3. Bypass the Boot Manager
4. Set a Bitmap Boot Screen for LILO
5. Create Your Own LILO Boot Splash
6. Display a GRUB Boot Splash Background
7. Create a GRUB Boot Splash Background
8. Jazz Up Your Debian System Boot
9. Graphics on the Console

Chapter 2. Console

10. Redefine Keyboard Actions
11. Energize Your Console with Macro Music Magic
12. Take a Screenshot from the Command Line
13. Put Your Command Prompt on a Diet
14. Simplify Changing Directories
15. Colorize Files in Your Pager

Chapter 3. Login Managers

16. Switch Users Fast
17. Double Your KDM (KDE) Login Screens
18. Double Your GDM (GNOME) Login Screens
19. Get Multiple Desktops the Macho Way
20. Scrap X11 for Fancy Login Consoles
21. Personalize Your Qingy Theme

Chapter 4. Related to X

22. Take Your Screens Black
23. Spice Up Your Desktop with Creative Mouse Cursors
24. Convert CursorXP Themes for Use with Linux
25. Use Windows and Mac Fonts
26. Never Miss Another Reminder
27. Make Applications Trigger On-Screen Alerts
28. Heat Up Your Keyboard with Hotkeys
29. Get Hotter Hotkeys with LinEAK
30. Access Windows and Mac OS X from Linux
31. Run Your Desktop over the Internet
32. Access Your Programs Remotely
33. Add Depth to Your Desktop
34. Give Your Desktop X-Ray Vision

Chapter 5. KDE Desktop

35. Make Konqueror a Window into Remote Spaces
36. Konquer Remote Systems Without Passwords
37. Ai Karamba! Flashy KDE Gadgets!
38. Start Applications in Weird and Wonderful Ways
39. Script Hacks with DCOP
40. Create Your Own KDE Right-Click Menu Actions
41. Make KDE Even Easier to Use
42. Give Depth to Your KDE Windows
43. Lock Down KDE with Kiosk Mode
44. Run KDE on the Bleeding Edge

Chapter 6. GNOME Desktop Hacks

45. Randomize Your GNOME Wallpaper
46. Grow Your GNOME with gDesklets Steroids
47. Create Your Own GNOME Right-Click Actions
48. Compile a Bleeding-Edge GNOME Desktop

Chapter 7. Terminal Empowerment

49. Share Applications and Monitors with screen
50. Stop Using Terminal Command-Line Switches
51. Ultimate Terminal Transparency
52. View Microsoft Word Documents in a Terminal
53. Display PDF Documents in a Terminal
54. View Word and PDF Files from Within Mutt

Chapter 8. Desktop Programs

55. Reduce OpenOffice.org Startup Time
56. Read Yahoo! Mail from Any Email Client
57. Encrypt Your Email
58. Reclaim Your Email with procmail
59. Convert Your Mailbox
60. Configure Firefox Under the Covers
61. Eliminate Annoying Browser Stalls
62. Get Browser Plug-ins Working
63. Create an Internet Phone
64. Motion Capture and Video Conferencing Fun
65. Put Screenshots Automatically on the Web
66. Scan for Wireless Networks
67. Map Your Meatspace
68. Connect to a Microsoft PPTP VPN
69. Play Restricted Media Formats

Chapter 9. Administration and Automation

70. Automate Your Life with cron
71. Update Your Clock via the Internet
72. Start Desktop Applications Automatically
73. Don't Let Elvis Leave the Building
74. Clone Your Linux Install
75. Forward Ports over SSH
76. Take Control of New User Setups
77. Send Email Alerts for System Events
78. Create a Passwordless Login
79. Magically Empower Your Network Cable
80. Protect Yourself from Windows Applications
81. Build a Custom Firewall Computer
82. Link Monitoring in Linux with Wavemon
83. Make Network Backups
84. Recover from Debian Disaster
85. Prelink for Performance
86. Grab the Latest Source Code
87. Speed Up Compiles

Chapter 10. Kernel

88. Compile a Kernel
89. Upgrade Your Kernel to 2.6
90. Use CKO to Make Your Desktop Go to 11
91. Tweak Your Kernel Without Recompiling

Chapter 11. Hardware

92. Make an Internet Connection Using Bluetooth and a Mobile Phone
93. Perfect USB Devices with Project Utopia
94. Optimize Your Refresh Rates
95. Print to Unsupported Printers
96. Control Your Power with ACPI
97. Use an iPod with Linux
98. Sync Your iRiver with Linux
99. Boost Hard-Drive Performance
100. Accelerate Your Gaming

Index

About the Authors

Nicholas Petreley is an award winning columnist who currently resides in Asheville, NC. He has been a freelance writer, editor, consultant, teacher and programmer in the computing industry for almost twenty years. He writes a monthly column for the IT journal Computerworld, and weekly columns, tutorials and reviews for LinuxWorld, a webzine he founded in 1998. Prior to that, he was executive editor of the InfoWorld test center, and editor in chief of the webzine NC World Magazine.

Jono Bacon is an established writer, developer, and musician. He has been working as a full-time writer and technology consultant/developer since 2000 and has worked for a variety of publishers and companies. They include Linux Format, Linux Pro, Linux Magazine, Linux User & Developer, Linux Journal, PC Plus, MacFormat, MacTech, Digital Home, Newsforge, Sitepoint, and ContentPeople. Jono has also worked as a writer/consultant/developer with Trolltech, Apple, theKompany.com, University of Wolverhampton, Delta Institute, and others.

In addition to his work, Jono has been a part of the Linux community since 1998 and has worked for various free software projects including KDE and Kafka; he founded Linux UK, the KDE Usability Study, and KDE::Enterprise; and he currently works on various free software documents at his home page at http://www.jonobacon.org/.

Forgot your password? FAQs Shipping Options Returns Your Orders Your Account