Adding Screenlock to PicarOS Diego

This is the method I followed to add the screenlock function to PicarOS Diego 2015.  Since PicarOS uses LXDE, I could find my way to do it.


1. Replacing the Screensaver:
a-  Replace MateScreensaver with Xscreensaver (I used Synaptic for adding Xscreensaver).
b-  Make a file called “Screensaver.desktop” with Leafpad, add this as its content:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Screensaver
Type=Applicaton
Exec=xscreensaver -nosplash


c-  Set its permissions and make it executable (With right click / properties).
d-  Save the file as root in: /etc/xdg/autostart/  (I used PCManFm as root)
e-  Open the Startmenu (the cat footprint), go to Preferences / Desktop Session Settings, and tick “Screensaver” in the list of the tab “Automatically Started Applications”.

 
2.  Making a Screenlock file:
a-  As root, go to /usr/share/applications and make sure you have the Screenlock.desktop file. If not, make it and add this as its content:


[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=ScreenLock
Comment=Lock your screen
Icon=system-lock-screen
Categories=Panel;Utility
Exec=lxlock
NoDisplay=false



b-  Set its permissions and make it executable.



3.   Adding Screenlock to the panel:
a- Right click on the panel and choose “panel settings”
b- Choose the tab “Panel Applets”, find the last “Application Launch Bar” from the currently loaded plugins list. Then press the button “Preferences”

c- You must see in the panel to your left the button “Shutdown.” In the list of installed applications to your right, open “Accessories” and look for Screenlock”.

d- Select ScreenLock and press “Add” (from the buttons in the middle) to add it to the panel on your left, where Shutdown is and use the button “up” to move it above Shutdown.

Although the process was pretty long, it was not difficult.  I guess there must be a better way to do it but I'm glad I could find one at least.

Crouton: How to Install Ubuntu on a Chromebook with Compiz and Other Tweaks

Since I got my Samsung Chromebook Series E, I've been playing with it to see what it is capable of.  Surely enough, the very first thing I did was to go the Crouton route to install Linux on it.  To keep a record, this is what I did, based on several websites:

A. To add Crouton and Ubuntu:

First, I needed to go into developer mode and prepare my Chromebook for the fun.  The tutorials are here and here.

1.  To download Crouton:
https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton
You place it in the Downloads folder.  Why?  Because both ChromeOS and Linux will share that folder.

2.  To install Crouton:
Open a terminal (ctrl+alt+t)
type "shell"
sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -t lxde  (Or xfce, or KDE, depending on your choice)
Add your username and password at the end of the process

3.  To run Crouton:
Control+alt+T
Type: shell
sudo startxfce4

Here you have Ubuntu running.  You can go back to ChromeOS by pressing Ctrl+alt+back arrow.  Ctrl+alt+forward arrow will take you back to Ubuntu. I downloaded Synaptic because I'm familiar with it for handling the software I want to download.

4.  If you need to erase Crouton for some reason:
Control+alt+T
Type: shell

Type these two commands separately:

cd /usr/local/chroots

sudo delete-chroot *

sudo rm -rf /usr/local/bin

Ready!!

Sources:
linux.com
lifehacker.com



B. To add Compiz: 

1. Download Compiz packages:

a. I added this source to Synaptic:
deb http://snapshot.debian.org/archive/debian/20120616T042917Z/
wheezy
main

b. using a terminal, as root:
apt-get -o Acquire::Check-Valid-Until=false update
(otherwise, they won't show in Synaptic)

2. Download  GCONF-EDITOR and METACITY:
That will simplify things when reaching step 5.

3. Change the windows manager:
To load Compiz instead of Openbox we edit as root the file /etc/xdg/lxsession/Lubuntu/desktop.conf and replace window_manager=openbox-lubuntu (on Debian it's "openbox-lxde") with window_manager=compiz.

4. Mark everyting related to window decoration in compiz settings
We have to make sure window decoration is active (marked) in compiz settings.  The same goes for everything related to windows: movement, minimizing, etc.

5. Set Compiz windows decorations
The window decorator used by Compiz is gtk-window-decorator and it may use Metacity's themes.

Running the command gtk-window-decorator --metacity-theme Bluebird --replace will do the trick.  But I used gconf-editor:
In the left panel: Apps --- Metacity --- General
and then search in the right panel "Theme" and type "Bluebird"

Source: desdelinux.net 


C.  To change locales:

I found that, no matter what I did, Ubuntu did not like to keep my chosen locale (Spanish).  But I could correct the problem following this process:

On a terminal:
1.  sudo aptitude install language-pack-es language-support-es
2.  sudo dpkg-reconfigure locales
3.   sudo /usr/sbin/locale-gen es_ES.UTF-8
4.  sudo /usr/sbin/update-locale LANG=es_ES.UTF-8
5.  export  LANG="es_ES.UTF-8"  /usr/bin/locale

Source: Tonisoto.com

I Got a Chromebook and I Have Been SCROOGLED!

I admit it.  I should have known better.  If I don't like Google Chrome as a browser... could I like it as an OS?

But I wanted to try a Chromebook.  After all, they generate all kinds of opinions.  Are they friendly devices?  Are they safe?  More than that, are they any useful?

Microsoft has been going to great lengths to persuade people that Chromebooks are little beyond bricks if you are not online or want hard drives with lots of space.  Scroogled, that is the word they used to refer to those users like me who purchased one of these devices.

Let's see:  I am not a cloud guy.  I barely use gmail.  I dislike Chrome.  I guess I'm not the best candidate for one of these machines.  I should get a Surface instead...

But here is the difference:  I am not afraid of learning!  I do not think that what most people do necessarily is what's best.  Malware is very popular...

Thus,  I did get the Chromebook.  It was hard to find one here, but I got it and it was extremely cheap!  (it's a Samsung, series 5 XE500C21-H01US Black Intel Atom N570(1.66GHz) 12.1" WXGA 2GB Memory 16GB SSD)

Certainly, those are not the most powerful specs out there...

Turning it on was quite a feat.  It needed a connection to perform its initial bootup and configuration. Is this a brick without wi-fi?   Then, it had to grab some upgrades and that took quite a while.  This was so Windows-like that I felt my heart fainting.  :P

And finally, ChromeOS greeted me.

Interestingly, I realized that I can actually get some of my work done offline using this little device. ChromeOS is fast, intuitive, and it has a pretty friendly personality.  It reminds me of the times in which computing was fun!

This chromebook, as it is, is a perfectly useful machine, at least for most my needs...

But what about other of my computing requirements?  Is Microsoft right about the limitations of Chromebooks?

Actually. I found this machine more flexible and useful than I expected...thanks to Linux, of course.

Using Crouton, I installed Ubuntu with LXDE (KDE was too heavy) on my new device.

This is what I got:

A beautiful, light, and customized Desktop Environment

All the great productivity tools that Linux has

And why not?  A little eye candy as well!

All this working with a minimal footprint on my resources!  Did I mention that, if I want to alternate between ChromeOS and Ubuntu, I just have to enter a keystroke combination?

But alas!  Nothing comes without a price!  To do that, I had to turn my device into developer mode, and that made the bootup longer.  Instead of the immediate one after pressing start, now it takes 15-20 seconds.  :P

Is a Surface as flexible as this?  We know the answer...

As a matter of fact, I'm typing this entry on my Chromebook...

Apparently, I have been Scroogled...and I DO NOT REGRET IT!