Managing display power and screen blanking on Linux systems is essential for reducing power consumption on servers, headless machines, and workstations. Two primary tools handle this: setterm for software-based blanking and vbetool for hardware power management via VESA DPMS. Screen Blanking with setterm The setterm command controls when and how the console screen blanks during…
Monitoring hardware temperatures is essential for laptop health and performance. On Linux, lm-sensors provides CPU and system temperatures, while smartctl (from smartmontools) gives you drive health data including temperature readings. Installation Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint: sudo apt install lm-sensors smartmontools Fedora/RHEL/CentOS: sudo dnf install lm_sensors smartmontools Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S lm_sensors smartmontools Detecting Sensors Before reading…
Linux Mint defaults to graphical mode, but you can boot directly to the console if you prefer a text-only environment or need to troubleshoot display issues. There are two main approaches: using GRUB parameters or disabling the display manager entirely. Method 1: Add the text kernel parameter (GRUB) This is the quickest approach and keeps…
Adobe Reader (acroread) is rarely the best choice for Linux users anymore. It’s unmaintained, doesn’t receive security updates, and performs poorly compared to modern alternatives. This guide covers better options and how to set up a functional PDF viewer on Linux Mint. Why Not Adobe Reader? Adobe stopped supporting Reader for Linux in 2013. The…
If you installed Linux in BIOS (Legacy) mode but need to boot alongside Windows in UEFI mode, converting an existing installation is possible but complex. This guide covers the process for modern systems while preserving your existing Linux installation and Windows setup. Before starting: Back up your data. This procedure involves disk partitioning and bootloader…
The most straightforward way to identify which installed package provides a specific file is with dpkg: dpkg -S /path/to/the/file The -S flag searches for a filename pattern across all installed packages. This works for any file path in your system, whether it’s a binary, library, configuration file, or anything else. Searching for command binaries To…
Linux Mint uses the APT package management system (derived from Debian). There are several straightforward methods to verify whether a specific package is installed. Using dpkg The dpkg command directly queries the package database on your system. dpkg -l | grep ghostscript This lists all installed packages and filters for ghostscript. If the package is…
FFmpeg is essential for video and audio processing on Linux. Installation methods vary depending on your Linux Mint version and whether you want the stable release or cutting-edge builds. Installing FFmpeg from Official Repositories The simplest approach is to use your distribution’s package manager. FFmpeg is now included in the official repositories for all modern…
HP printers work reasonably well on Linux, though the setup process varies depending on whether you have a network printer or a USB-connected device. Here’s what you need to know. Install HPLIP HPLIP (HP Linux Imaging and Printing) is the main driver package for HP printers. Install it along with the GUI configuration tool: sudo…
The No-IP Dynamic Update Client (DUC) keeps your dynamic DNS hostname pointing to your current IP address. Here’s how to install and configure the noip2 client on modern Linux distributions. Prerequisites Before you start, install the required build tools and development libraries: sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install build-essential gcc libc6-dev If you’re on a…
The hostname identifies your system on the network. On Linux Mint, you can change it through the GUI or command line depending on your preference and situation. Using the GUI (Easiest Method) Open Settings from the application menu Go to Details or About Click the hostname field (you may need to click a pencil icon…
Managing OCaml packages effectively depends on your workflow and environment. The current standard is OPAM (OCaml Package Manager), which handles dependency resolution, version switching, and sandboxed environments. OPAM: The Standard Choice OPAM is the de facto package manager for OCaml and is maintained by the OCaml community. Install it using your system package manager or…
Firefox on Linux Mint doesn’t include Google in its default search engine list. Linux Mint deliberately curates search engines based on revenue-sharing agreements — only search engines that share ad revenue with Linux Mint appear by default. Google doesn’t participate in this arrangement, so you need to add it manually if you prefer it over…
Before writing code, get comfortable with fundamental Linux commands. You’ll use these daily: File operations: ls, cd, cat, less Text search: grep, ripgrep (rg) Remote access: ssh, scp, rsync Session management: tmux or screen for persistent terminal sessions Shell: bash (default on most distributions), though zsh and fish are popular alternatives Start with built-in documentation….
Watching for filesystem changes and triggering actions is essential for development workflows—recompiling after source edits, restarting services when configs update, or running tests during coding. Linux’s inotify subsystem provides kernel-level file monitoring, and inotifywait makes it accessible from the command line. Installation Install inotify-tools on your system: Fedora/RHEL/CentOS: sudo dnf install inotify-tools Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt…
You’re using a Linux-based OS right now, either directly or indirectly. But what do you actually call it? The naming question matters more than it seems — different distributions frame themselves differently, and understanding the terminology affects how you talk about infrastructure, apply for jobs, and read documentation. How Major Distributions Identify Themselves Red Hat…
Chrome on Linux uses NSS (Network Security Services) for certificate management. Install the certutil utility from your distribution: Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint: sudo apt install libnss3-tools CentOS/Fedora/RHEL: sudo dnf install nss-tools Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S nss Extract and Import the Certificate The most reliable approach is to extract the certificate directly from the server and import…
Sending email notifications when commits are pushed to a central Git repository helps teams stay coordinated and maintains audit trails. This is handled through Git hooks—scripts triggered by repository events. How Post-Receive Hooks Work When a client pushes to your Git server, the post-receive hook executes automatically. This hook lives at GIT_DIR/hooks/post-receive in your bare…