There exists a well-known bug in gnome-power-manager, which breaks Ubuntu on computers with 2 or more batteries. If one is empty, Ubuntu will shutdown ('critical battery'). As a workaround, it can useful to disable shutdown on critical battery status. However with Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, the GUI doesn't allow this. What can I do?
The physical DPI of my laptop screen is approximately 142 dots per inch as you can calculate from the correct output of xrandr --query:
$ xrandr --query | head
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 32767 x 32767
eDP1 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 344mm x 193mm
However, Ubuntu appearantly forces the X server to use 96 dpi and thus assume a wrong physical size of the display, which you can check with xdpyinfo
$ xdpyinfo | grep -B2 dots
screen #0:
dimensions: 1920x1080 pixels (508x286 millimeters)
resolution: 96x96 dots per inch
As a consequence, fonts and other visual elements are smaller as they should be. You can check with any web browser on this website. The square is too small, less than 1 in^2.
This answer lists a number of work-arounds, none of which works for me:
Tell lightdm to start X with the option
-dpi 142, which I achieved on Saucy by editing /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/50-xserver-command.conf. Has no effect.Run
xrandr -dpi 142x142, when starting the X session by adding a file to /etc/X11/Xsession.d/. Has no effectSet the text-scaling-factor, which can be achieved in a number of ways. This only effects fonts rendered by Unity/Gnome/GTK(?), basically the standard Ubuntu GUI, but fails for other apps such as web browsers or PDF viewers. Not what I want.
How do I get Ubuntu to use the correct dpi for my screen?
Update: This appears to be a known bug disguised as a feature. What are your workarounds?
I need to generate Word documents (both .doc and .docx), which will work on a typical Windows or Mac setup with any common version of Microsoft Word to the degree possible. LibreOffice sometimes doesn't do the job, the layout comes out different.)
This thread explains how to verify a document for Word compatibility using SkyDrive. Is there a solution that allows editing? Would Office 365 (paid subscription) work in Firefox/Chrome(ium)/?? on Ubuntu?
Say, I have a PDF graphic (such a plot made with matplotlib, Mathematica or similar), which contains vector art and text. The text uses non-standard or proprietary fonts (such Computer Modern if inline-TeX is used). The fonts are (usually) embedded and the PDF renders nicely in evince/acroread.
I'd like to edit/share the pdf without relying on those fonts, e.g. in Inkscape. Is there tool that will convert all text to paths?
- Inkscape is not suitable here because it will replace the non-standard font with "Sans".
- pdf2svg has issues with line art.
On my system, audio settings show no available sound card. However, as soon as I start pulseaudio from the command line, everything works. Output from pulseaudio:
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/virtual/sound/timer'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/virtual/sound/seq'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/pcmC0D7p'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/pcmC0D2c'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/pcmC0D3p'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/pcmC0D0p'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/pcmC0D0c'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/hwC0D3'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/hwC0D2'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e47f30 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/controlC0'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e37f40 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_read_db: device 0x1e37f40 filled with db file data
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e39240 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e39570 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e39560 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e39560 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e39560 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e3f270 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_read_db: device 0x1e3f270 filled with db file data
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e40e70 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_read_db: device 0x1e40e70 filled with db file data
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e42290 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_read_db: device 0x1e42290 filled with db file data
libudev: udev_device_new_from_syspath: device 0x1e45a00 has devpath '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0'
libudev: udev_device_read_db: device 0x1e45a00 filled with db file data
Output from lspci:
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801JD/DO (ICH10 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 02)
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS precise, upgraded from Lucid LTS. Worked out of the box on Lucid.
I upgrade from Lucid via update-manager -d and the upgrade went fine. However, I didn't get Unity's global menu. Windows stil have their indivual menu bars.
This happens for all applications.
Does this typically occur? Can this be fixed with a configuration setting?
I have a PDF, made with Inkscape, that uses transparent colors. This image shall be used in a LaTeX document.
While preserving the transparency is nice for editing, it can be a problem for printing. Printing usually involves PDF to PS conversion. Since Postscript does not support transparency, this requires either
- flatting, i.e. creating a vector graphic that works without transparency
or
- rastering, i.e. rendering a bitmap image.
When a PDF document containing such a figure is printed (or converted to PS) using Evince (or Cairo or Ghostscript), the whole page gets rendered as a bitmap, rendering fonts ugly (different from other pages). (Adobe Acrobat handles such PDFs well.)
Unfortunately, converting the PDF figures to EPS (before including them with LaTeX) doesn't help much, because both pdftops and pdf2ps (again, Cairo or Ghostscript) rasterize the image, i.e. render a bitmap (saved as EPS). (This is slightly better, because it doesn't affect the whole page, but I'd still prefer a vector graphics.)
How can I flatten transparency with Inkscape or other software on Linux?
Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx used to run fine on my computer. Since a few weeks, my X server crashes out of the blue while the computer is idle and I'm logged into a Gnome session. (I'm then greeted with a new GDM login prompt). After the crash, /var/log/gdm/:0.log.1 has the following:
Fatal server error: Failed to submit batchbuffer: Input/output error
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support at http://wiki.x.org for help.
~/.xsession-errors.old has symptoms of X clinets dying:
nm-applet: Fatal IO error 11 (Die Ressource ist zur Zeit nicht verfügbar) on X server :0.0.
dmesg says:
[191848.390081] [drm:i915_hangcheck_elapsed] ERROR Hangcheck timer elapsed... GPU hung
[191848.390086] render error detected, EIR: 0x00000010
[191848.390088] IPEIR: 0x00000000
[191848.390090] IPEHR: 0x01800002
[191848.390091] INSTDONE: 0xffffffff
[191848.390093] INSTPS: 0x8001e020
[191848.390095] INSTDONE1: 0xbfffffff
[191848.390097] ACTHD: 0x0a47b014
[191848.390099] page table error
[191848.390100] PGTBL_ER: 0x00000002
[191848.390103] [drm:i915_handle_error] ERROR EIR stuck: 0x00000010, masking
[191848.390127] [drm:i915_do_wait_request] ERROR i915_do_wait_request returns -5 > (awaiting 5617217 at 5617205)
Is this a known problem that can be traced back to the X server from Ubuntu repositories? How would I debug this?
Edit: There's a relevant bug on LP.
This image (original SVG from Wikipedia, public domain) was created using the following procedure:
- Create a 3D model in Google sketchup
- Export as PDF
- Import in Inkscape
- Save as SVG
Is there a straightforward way to produce such a SVG with software that runs (natively) on Ubuntu? (Pantograph, a Blender plugin, has only broken download links; VRM, another Blender plugin works with Belnder 2.4x, but not with Blender 2.6x.)
Possible Duplicate:
How to render 3D models as SVG vector graphics? (planar projection)
Inkscape features a nice mode to create isometric projections of three dimensional images. The results can be exported nicely as SVG or PDF. For many applications this is preferable over a rendered bitmap image (as produced by Blender, POVray, etc.).
Also, vector graphics appear more technical and less playful, which looks more professional depending on the context. And finally, vector graphics are more suitable for post-processing.
However, Inkscape's axonometric grid method has a number of disadvantages:
- The viewpoint is fixed. Once, you have setup the grid, it is not possible to rotate the scene.
- I cannot figure out how to draw a sphere.
- Inkscape has no concept of front and back, so you have to manually hide or dash lines that would be invisible. (Or use opaque objects and manually get the order right.)
- Inkscape doesn't have any concept of three dimensional space at all. The whole thing remains a 2D vector graphic, which if well-done creates a three-dimensional impression.
Is there something like Inkscape in 3D, where I can work with 3D objects, and create the isometric view from the 3D model. To clarify: Technically, I want a simple 2D vector graphic (preferably as SVG), that looks 3D to the human eye. Apparently Google SketchUp can produce such graphics (as PDF, which can be converted to SVG). Here is an example. I want to draw arbitrary solid shapes that automatically get a shading as if they had some simple lighting projected on them.
I want to purchase an eBook reader device and eBooks. I don't use Windows, Mac OS or Wine. Most eBooks sold today are encumbered with DRM. Therefore, I need a workflow to buy and read DRM eBooks either using only the device or using Ubuntu.
The three popular types of DRM in use today are:
- Adobe Digital Editions(ADE) used with the ePub format on multiple devices with books from several stores. This software requires Windows, Mac or Android. Sony Reader and B&N Nook Apps appear to be variants of ADE.
- Apple iTunes. This software requires Windows or Mac (or an iDevice).
- Amazon Kindle. This requires, a Kindle, Kindle software (such as on Androids) or Kindle Cloud (through web browser).
This leaves me with two option
- an Android device with a DRM app (Kindle or ADE)
- a Kindle
Both can directly communicate with a store and handle the DRM themselves, a computer is not required. To my knowledge there is no Android device with an eInk display.
Other devices are not an option because although the support ePubs with ADE DRM, it appears that a computer with the ADE software or some variant thereof is required (according Google eBooks, B&N, Sony) While many readers have Wifi or 3G, no manufacturer states that you can buy DRM books without going through a computer with the ADE software.
This brings me to the conclusion that Amazon's kindle is the only eInk device that will work for me. Can you name an alternative?
@enzotib mentioned the following command
sudo mount -o remount,rw /cdrom
Does this imply I can mount a CD or DVD in rw mode and use like a (real) filesystem? Does this work with the popular ISO-9660 filesystem, which is read-only by design? Will this create a multsession CD with one session per change (or per mount)?
Would this work (differently) on a ISO image file on a read/write filesystem?
Assume, I have a system with all the packages installed, which I want, and all configuration files set up as desired. However, the files on the file system could have become corrupted or missing due to some mistake in the past or hardware error. The corrupted files would be replace if the package in question was reinstalled. Such a situation is described elsewhere
Can I safely run
aptitude reinstall ?installed
to get a fresh version of my system?
Is there a standard procedure to 'unit test' an Ubuntu system against the deb packages?
Assume, a system has ubuntu-desktop installed according to the package manager. Can I find out, whether the file system has all the files in ubuntu-desktop and dependencies?
related question: Find packages with corrupted files
I usually prefer to fix a Linux system than to reinstall from scratch. My computers have seen many distribution upgrades and a list of PPAs or third-party repositories. APT usually makes sure that everything works in the end. However, the fact that the package manager thinks that all required packages are 'installed' does not guarantee that all the files are present on the file system.
Such a such situation may occur if you have to work-around dependency problems with dpkg --force-*. One could also reproduce such a situation by deleting a file from /usr as root.
Is there a simple way to verify whether all files belonging to an installed package are present?
If a such a problem package is found, aptitude reinstall fixes the problem.