[Solved] Android to Ubuntu file transfer over bluetooth shows "Connection failure" error

I got this error while I was trying to transfer the files from my Android phone to my laptop, which have Ubuntu installed. I had the devices paired, but still the file transfer from my phone to laptop would not happen. I have done the following to configure Ubuntu to accept files from bluetooth devices that solved the problem.

Open the Personal File Sharing in the dash and check both the checkboxes under "Recieve Files over Bluetooth" section.

Ubuntu - Google Hangout/Chat : A plugin is needed to display this content

Error
Chrome - No Plug-in available to display this content
Firefox - A plugin is needed to display this content
Got the error when trying to set the webcam settings in google chat. I got the error in Chrome and Firefox browsers in Ubuntu 12.04. I solved it by installing the icedtea plugin. sudo apt-get install icedtea-7-plugin

Always open google chrome in incognito mode in Ubuntu

In Ubuntu, we can modify the google-chrome.desktop file to make google chrome always open in incognito mode. Here is how we can do it

1. Take a backup of the google-chrome.desktop file. Use the following command in terminal
   sudo cp /usr/share/applications/google-chrome.desktop /usr/share/applications/google-chrome.desktop.backup
2. Open the google-chrome.desktop file for editing. Use the following command in terminal
   sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/google-chrome.desktop
3. Find the line(line 108 for me)Exec=/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable %UReplace it with Exec=/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable --incognito %U

Note: If the chrome shortcut is locked in the launcher, you may need to unlock it and restart chrome, before locking it back to the launcher, next time the launcher icon of chrome is clicked, chrome opens in incognito mode.

Setup Hot corners in Ubuntu 12.04

Use the following steps to setup hot corners in Ubuntu 12.04

1. Install 'CompizConfig Settings Manager' from 'Ubuntu Software Center'
2. Go to Category > General > General Options > Key bindings > Show Desktop > Click on 'Disabled' button
3. Select the corner that need to be enabled

Note: In some cases, the hot corner that is set will be forgotten after restarting the machine. In that case, do the following to fix this issue.

1. Install gconf-editor (type gconf-editor in terminal, the command to install will be shown if it is not installed already)
2. After setting the hot corners using CompizConfigSetting Manager, open terminal and type gconf-editor
3. In the Configuration Editor, go to apps > compiz-1 > general > screen0 > options
4. Double click on active_plugins
5. In the Edit Key dialog, move 'scale' to the end of the list, move 'expo' to second last in the list

Setup Firefox in Ubuntu 12.04

It was surprising to know that there is no direct way to install firefox in Ubuntu. No worries, I'm not a Windows user!
After I installed Ubuntu 12.04, I have installed firefox, in a not so direct way(double click a .deb, I meant). I'm listing below the steps to get the latest build of firefox setup.

1. Download firefox from www.mozilla.org
2. Extract the firefox-_____.tar.bz2 to a directory firefox
3. Run the following command in terminal, to move the directory into /opt/
   sudo mv firefox /opt/firefox
4. Using the following command, take a backup of the default firefox symbolic link in /usr/bin/ directory
   sudo mv /usr/bin/firefox /usr/bin/firefox_backup
5. Create a symbolic link in the /usr/bin/ directory that points to the newly downloaded firefox binary. Use the following command
   sudo ln -s /opt/firefox/firefox /usr/bin/firefox

The firefox browser is installed on the machine now. We need to do the sync setup, plugins setup for the firefox to be fully functional.

1. Open Tools > Setup Sync and follow instructions to complete the sync setup
2. Install Adobe Flash Player plugin. This is needed to play video files in youtube. Use the following command to install
   sudo apt-get install flashplugin-installer
3. After that install Adobe Flash Player, visit the url www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/ to ensure that the plugin is installed

Install gnome 3 themes on Ubuntu 12.04

Recently I upgraded my laptop to Ubuntu 12.04. Its better that the best. :-)
While browsing the net for something I stumbled on a very pleasing UI theme for Ubuntu 12.04. I read along following all the links in the page and got to know much about GNOME 3. The themes collection available for GNOME3 was plenty and beautiful. I installed GNOME3 shell on my Ubuntu and then imported some very nice themes, icons from gnome-look.org.
GNOME 3
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell
Download themes
Follow instructions in the theme package about installation, usually the themes are copied to ~/.themes folder, icons are copied to ~/.icons and custom fonts needs to be copied to ~/.fonts.

GNOME tweak tool
This is a tool used to set the themes for UI. Very useful.
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool

Note:~/ refers to home directory. i.e., '/home/username/'

Ubuntu 12.04 - Brasero will not copy a DVD to ISO

After installing Ubuntu 12.04, I wanted to copy a DVD I had. The Select disk to copy list will be blank, no matter how many times I selected the DVD. I had to read through many forums to finally figure out, it is something to do with a bug in Brasero. But, I figured out a workaround.

1. Insert the disk into the DVD drive
2. Open Brasero, and select Copy CD/DVD
3. If the Select disk to copy list is having a value, you may not need to go further reading the post. You are good to go. Proceed to next step if the Select disk to copy is empty. Note:Don't close the Copy CD/DVD dialog.
4. Right click on the DVD drive that is mounted, and select Eject
5. Insert the DVD back in the drive
6. The DVD should be listed in the Select disk to copy list

Note:You may need to install the restricted extras. Please refer my earlier post on how to install these libraries.

Install restricted extras in Ubuntu 12.04

After installing Ubuntu 12.04 on my laptop, to unleash some advanced libraries, I installed the restricted extras.
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh
I got much of the information from the Ubuntu community help portal at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats/PlayingDVDs
Note:There will be a Configuring ttf-mscorefonts-installer screen that appears, use the TAB key to navigate to the ok button and press ENTER key.

[Solved] Cyanogenmod 7.2.0.1 - WIFI disconnects after display is off

I had installed Cyanogenmod 7.2.0.1 in my mobile. It is really an awesome OS!

After installation of the OS in my mobile, I had set the WIFI sleep policy to 'When screen turns off'. The problem I faced because of this setting was when my mobile display was off, WIFI would get disconnected and mobile data connection was switched on automatically; this caused my available mobile data allowance per month to be used, even though there was a WIFI available.

I totally forgot where I had set this policy. I literally browsed all the settings except, where it could be re-configured! Finally I found where I had set the WIFI sleep policy, and set it back to 'Never'.

In this post I will provide the steps on how to set the WIFI sleep policy to suit your need.

1. Open Settings
2. Navigate to Wireless & networks > Wi-Fi settings
3. Press the menu button on phone
4. From the menu, select 'Advanced'
5. Open 'Wi-Fi sleep policy'
6. Select the option that suits your need ( I set it to 'Never' )

No worries of WIFI disconnect after this setting was enabled.