Yakuake causing Ubuntu tog log off?

I was using Ubuntu and started getting logged off. 3 hours later, I found it was Yakuake that was causing me to log off. I stopped using it and went back to Konsole. Now, I need a good alternative.

Connecting to a wireless network without security

Ubuntu strangely (well, at least the broadcom chipset) doesn't give an option for Open access - a connection without security. This link helped me a lot to set it up, particularly this part:
sudo iwconfig essid
sudo dhclient

Screen Hotspots / Corner Actions

In Ubuntu, with the compiz effects on, you get lots of free visual effects that make your Linux experience more pleasant. There's this app called Brightside that allows you to put actions in the corner of your screen. You need to use it with xautomation though to call the hotkeys of compiz.

Watching a text file

Before, I used to open the log files to see what new stuff were added. If the log file was long, I'd waste a good 10 seconds to open it and to go to the bottom.

To see all the changes made to a text file as they happen, you can tail it:

tail -f textfile

Find and Delete Files

Need to find a pattern in a filename and delete all those files?

find . -name "ftp.log" -exec rm '{}' \;

You can replace "ftp.log" with "*.log" to get all files with the .log extension. The "." after find just means "search at the current directory".

I got this from this website: http://www.aota.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-20930.html

When moving from Windows to Linux

If you're a programmer, you need to move your text (ASCII) files properly from Windows to Linux or else you'll have more headaches than you should. I had that headache today so I'm posting this so you may not have to go through it.

I had some config files for gVim that had an extra "^M" character after every line. I think that's a return carriage in Windows.

To clean files automatically, put them in Subversion, or simpler yet, put it through an FTP server. Make sure though that you upload it as ASCII and the files aren't zipped. Apparently, that does the job!

Ubuntu

Taking it easy
So that the casual viewer won't get shocked, let's start with Ubuntu. Ubuntu is supposed to be a user-friendly Linux made to replace current operating systems most of us use.

Installing
It's really easy to install. In fact, if you're already running a current operating system, you can just pop in the CD and test things out - without having to install anything. It's a handy CD to bring around when troubleshooting computers.

Caution
Ubuntu isn't for gamers, it isn't for multimedia professionals. It'd be great for programmers or the casual all-I-do-is-email-and-surf user.

The Look
Ubuntu looks pretty. To the right you'll see a picture of the desktop. It's clean and simple. Don't expect fancy stuff especially since Linux is known to be friendly with slow systems. If you have an old PC around, it'd be good to revive it using Ubuntu.

Downloading
You can download Ubuntu easily. I suggest using Bittorrent to immensely speed up the download time, and to give something back to the community by seeding it for a while. You can download the torrent here. If you don't know how to use Bittorrent, you can download the CD image straight from the servers here. After downloading, you'll need to burn the image into a CD to run it.

Running It
When you restart your computer with the CD in your drive, it'll ask whether you want to install or run it from the CD. Run it from the CD first to see if this'll suit your needs.

I miss my MS Word!
There are a bunch of applications that are available with Linux that are for free. Yes, graphical editing software, office productivity software, audio editing software, etc. Plus, they're super easy to install via the add/remove software button. For office, try out OpenOffice. From what I've experienced, most installs of Linux come with OpenOffice already installed. Just start the word processor or the spreadsheet program.

I hope you enjoy Ubuntu!
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That's it for now. Time to go and hack my way into installing Rails :|