Ubuntu Tips and Tricks

Ubuntu version is 14.04 LTS running as a guest OS in Oracle VirtualBox 5. For VirtualBox related issues, see http://jessezhuang.github.io/ article/virtualbox-tips/.

Performance Monitoring

• top from command line
• System Monitor application installed by default.

Screen Capture

Application Screenshot installed by default. Can take screenshot of whole screen, current window, or selected area. Similar to “Snipping Tool” in Windows. To run this tool from the shell, use gnome-screeshot -i for interactive window specified with mouse, gnome-screenshot -help for other options.

LXDE Desktop Environment

LXDE is a much lighter desktop environment (DE) and uses much less memory versus unityand is the standard DE in Lubuntu.

Fix LXDE PCMANFM Open Current Folder in Terminal

PCMANFM 1.2.0 is the default file manager used in LXDE which has a built in functionality to open a terminal window at the directory that you are currently browsing with a convenient shortcut of F4. It uses gnome terminal. The problem is the opened terminal window is totally black. The problem is the default profile is using black text on black background.

In the opened gnome terminal, select from menu bar Edit - Profile Preferences, Colors tab, uncheck “use colors from system theme”, select a built-in theme or your customized theme. I used white on black built-in theme.

With LXDE, the ubuntu 14.04LTS system is using about 240 Mb of ram at start up with pacmanfm using a little over 10 Mb. Comparing to unity, about 800 Mb of ram at start up with about 200 Mb for compiz. A lot of times compiz can ramp up to 500 Mb of ram. There is another option Openbox DE, the default is just a blank screen where you would have to right click to pop up the menu.The ram usage is a little less but you would have to customize the menu for it to be really user friendly.