Multimedia, Games and Crypto Archives

How to listen to music from the console using the cmus player on Linux

30 December 2020 by Egidio Docile

Cmus is a fantastic ncurses-based music player written in C. It can be used on all Unix-based operating systems, and so also on Linux. It has a series of very nice features like gapless playback, and supports a variety of file formats; among the others: Ogg Vorbis, MP3, FLAC, Opus, Musepack, WavPack, WAV, AAC, and MP4. It also support adding features via extensions. In this tutorial we will learn its basic usage.

In this tutorial you will learn:

How to install cmus on the most used Linux distributions
How to add songs to the library
How to reproduce a song, and the various reproduction modes
How to add and remove songs from the queue
How to create,rename,delete,import and export a playlist
How to add and remove songs from a playlist

Firefox vs Firefox ESR on Linux

27 November 2020 by Korbin Brown

Mozilla Firefox is a really popular browser to use on Linux systems, with many or most distros even including it as the default web browser. It even edges out Chrome and Chromium, at least in the Linux world.

Some Linux distributions, like Kali or Debian include a different version of Firefox, called Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release).

In this guide, we’ll be comparing Firefox to Firefox ESR. This will include a look into why some distros come with ESR instead of the normal version of the browser, and also what the pros and cons are of both browsers.

In this tutorial you will learn:

What is Firefox ESR?
Why do some distros use Firefox ESR?
How to download Firefox ESR

How to improve Firefox font rendering on Linux

26 November 2020 by Korbin Brown

For one reason or another, Mozilla Firefox may not render fonts as intended on all Linux systems. Fortunately, Firefox gives us a lot of control over the font configuration, so we can fine tune these settings until it looks better.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to access Firefox’s font settings to improve rendering. We’ll also go over some more advanced options in case the usual ones don’t work for you.

In this tutorial you will learn:

How to configure Firefox font settings
Advanced font settings in about:config
Operating system level font tweaks

VA-API setting enabled in Firefox on Linux

Firefox with VA-API on Linux

25 November 2020 by Korbin Brown

The Video Acceleration API, developed by Intel, has been enjoying widespread support in a variety of software, including the latest versions of Mozilla Firefox. The VA-API is an API for hardware acceleration that allows a computer to offload video decoding and encoding tasks to a system’s video card, a task that historically has taken place in the CPU.

In this guide, we’ll talk about Firefox’s VA-API setting. This will include a brief introduction to what it is and how it works, as well as how to enable or disable the setting on a Linux system. Keep reading if you want to give the VA-API setting a try, potentially speeding up your web browser’s video playback a great deal.

In this tutorial you will learn:

What is Video Acceleration API in Firefox?
How to enable or disable VA-API

Enable Firefox dark mode on Linux

25 November 2020 by Korbin Brown

Dark mode is all the rage these past few years, with nearly all operating systems and applications now offering the feature. Mozilla Firefox is no exception, and it’s pretty simple to enable dark mode inside the web browser. This can help reduce eye strain, especially when using your PC in a dimly lit room.

In this guide, we’ll take you through the step by step instructions to enable dark mode in Firefox on a Linux system. You’ll also see how to select from a variety of other themes or restore the classic brighter theme.

In this tutorial you will learn:

How to enable or disable dark mode (and other themes) in Firefox

Firefox with title bar disabled on a Linux system

How to remove Firefox title bar on Linux

25 November 2020 by Korbin Brown

If you’re into a sleek and minimal aesthetic when it comes to Linux, removing the title bar in Mozilla Firefox can help you accomplish that feel. The title bar isn’t really necessary anyway, since it just contains information that’s already available in the title of the tabs.

In this guide, we’ll show you the step by step instructions to remove the title bar in Firefox. These same steps can also be used to toggle it back on.

In this tutorial you will learn:

How to remove Firefox title bar on Linux

How to update Firefox on Linux

19 November 2020 by Korbin Brown

Keeping your Linux system’s software up to date is always a good practice to follow, and Mozilla Firefox is no exception. Having the latest updates means that you have access to the newest features, bug fixes, and security patches for your web browser.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to update Firefox on all the most popular Linux distributions. Firefox normally takes care of updates by itself and doesn’t require much user intervention, but there are still a few methods that can be used to manually update the application.

In this tutorial you will learn:

How to update Firefox via browser menu
How to update Firefox via GUI
How to update Firefox via command line
How to update Firefox via direct download

Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers on Linux

Firefox vs Google Chrome/Chromium

19 November 2020 by Korbin Brown

Users of Linux have many choices when it comes to web browsers. Among the top choices are Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome for Linux, along with the closely related Chromium browser. In this guide, we’ll go over a comparison of the three browsers, with the goal of allowing you to make an informed decision about which browser you should use.

This guide will include a basic review of the browsers, highlights on their features and differences, history, pros and cons, etc. Keep reading to learn more and find out which one works best for you.

In this tutorial you will learn:

Web browsers on Linux
Firefox vs. Chrome/Chromium
Which browser should I use?

Firefox hardware acceleration on Linux

18 November 2020 by Korbin Brown

As new innovations continue to push the envelope of what’s possible on a modern PC, hardware acceleration has been finding its way into many common applications. In recent versions, Mozilla Firefox now allows users to enable hardware acceleration in the web browser’s settings.

In this guide, we’ll talk about Firefox’s hardware acceleration. This will include a brief introduction to what it is and how it works, as well as how to enable or disable the setting on a Linux system. Keep reading if you want to give hardware acceleration a try, potentially speeding up your web browser a great deal.

In this tutorial you will learn:

What is hardware acceleration in Firefox?
How to enable or disable hardware acceleration

Hardware acceleration enabled in Mozilla Firefox

How to Use ADB Android Debug Bridge to Manage Your Android Mobile Phone

18 November 2020 by Roel Van de Paar

Mobile phones have evolved a lot over recent years, and we have seen several mobile-vs-desktop management solutions like Samsung DeX for Samsung Mobile phones, and only available for Windows 7 and 10 as well as Mac. As a non-Samsung or Linux user, one may feel left out. Not so! In fact, a whole lot more power can be provided by the ADB toolset from the Android developer team! This article will introduce you the same, and we have two followup articles which describe How to Mirror Your Android Mobile Screen to Linux and How to Remove Bloatware From Your Samsung Android Mobile Phone.

In this tutorial you will learn:

How to install ADB on your Linux workstation
How to connect your phone using a physical USB cable
How to connect to your phone using ADB
How to change the setup to enable wireless access to your phone via ADB

How to Mirror Your Android Mobile Screen to Linux

18 November 2020 by Roel Van de Paar

Using a screen of a remote computer is often using VNC (Virtual Network Computing), or other remote desktop solutions. These come in both commercial and open source flavors. But how do you go about mirroring, and using, your Android mobile phone to and from your Linux desktop?

It is all possible via ADB – the Android Debug Bridge, which is included in the stock Android SDK (Software Development Kit) and is available as an easy install on most modern Linux distributions. Setting up ADB and configuring is not the focus of this article, and you can find detailed instructions on how to do so in our How to Use ADB Android Debug Bridge to Manage Your Android Mobile Phone article.

In this tutorial you will learn:

How to mirror your Android mobile phone screen to your Linux based workstation
How to remotely control your Android mobile phone screen via ADB
How to remote control your mobile phone via USB and via Wi-Fi

How to Remove Bloatware From Your Samsung Android Mobile Phone

18 November 2020 by Roel Van de Paar

Bloatware is a type of software which is installed by the product vendor (like Samsung) on top of the Android operating system in your mobile phone. But do you need all this extra software? The name clarifies; it makes your mobile bloated. Much of the utilities and services installed on your phone are simply not required, and at times may be annoying or consuming a fair bit of battery. Uninstalling a lot of these may buy you an extra day or two of battery power.

Uninstalling bloatware is made possible via ADB – the Android Debug Bridge, which is included in the stock Android SDK (Software Development Kit) and is available as an easy install on most modern Linux distributions. Setting up ADB and configuring is not the focus of this article, and you can find detailed instructions on how to do so in our How to Use ADB Android Debug Bridge to Manage Your Android Mobile Phone article.

In this tutorial you will learn:

How to remove bloatware from your Android mobile phone via ADB
What is likely safe to remove, and where you may run into problems
That bloatware cleanups are generally personal, tuned to your usage