Enjoy your internal speaker with beep again in Ubuntu or Debian

Latest GNU/Linux distros do not load by default the module to sound the internal beeper of the computer.

If you want to listen to it again you have to type the following commands:

sudo modprobe pcspkr
sudo apt-get install beep

Now you can listen to it until you reboot your computer beep.

If you want to make the change permanent you must edit the file /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf and comment out the line that disables the internal speaker:

blacklist pcspkr

Now you get:

# blacklist pcspkr

Now you can enjoy the shrill and charming sound of the internal speaker again ;-)

 

How to install Celestia in Ubuntu 18.04 or Debian 9

Latest Debian based distros don't include Celestia in their repositories and you need to compile the software to enjoy it.

Just need to type the following commands in your console (Ubuntu and derivates distros):

sudo apt-get install libglew-dev libjpeg-dev libpng-dev libtheora-dev libgl1-mesa-dev libeigen3-dev libfmt-dev qtbase5-dev qtbase5-dev-tools and libqt5opengl5-dev freeglut3-dev libgtkglext1-dev liblua5.2-dev git
git clone https://github.com/CelestiaProject/Celestia
cd Celestia/
mkdir build
cd build/
cmake .. -DENABLE_QT=ON
make
sudo make install

If you use Debian type first su - and then type the same commands as Ubuntu case but don't type sudo

Multi-construction LDraw configuration kit: install tools to make your TENTE and LEGO models in your computer with Ubuntu

Multi-construction LDraw configuration kit installs and configured these applications to create and see 3D models of several construction systems:

• MLCad 3.40
• BMP2LDraw
• LDDesignPad
• LD4DStudio
• ldglite_1.3.1
• ldraw_2017.01
• ldview_4.3-ubuntu18.04
• leocad_17.07
• lpub_4.0
• povray 3.7
• Blender

Other resources:

• LDraw TENTE set (Jasolo)
• LDraw LEGO set (http://www.ldraw.org/)
• LDraw EXIN CASTILLOS set: COMMING SOON!
• My 3D models, customs and oficial ones.

Ubuntu Linux installation

1. Download this kit in any folder.
2. Open console and select this folder.
3. Type: sudo ./install.sh

Windows installation

For now you need to install this set manually in Windows:

1. Download LDView and install it.
2. Make the folder C:\LDRAW and uncompress this kit in this folder.
3. Uncompress these set of pieces in these folders:
   • C:\LDRAW\TENTE.
   • C:\LDRAW\EXINCASTILLOS (you need authenticate in this web).
   • C:\LDRAW\LEGO.
4. Uncompress these software in these folders:
   • MLCad 3.40 in C:\LDRAW\SOFTWARE\MLCAD_V3.40 (Optional).
   • BMP2LDRAW in C:\LDRAW\SOFTWARE\BMP2LDRAW
   • LDDesignPad in C:\LDRAW\SOFTWARE\LDDP
   • Etc...
5. Copy in Desktop the files of this folder C:\ldraw\software\accesos-directos-Windows.

How to compile and install povray in Ubuntu, Debian and distro derivates

Povray is a ray tracer available for several systems, although on unix systems you need to compile it, but it's easy following these steps:

Compile and install

Install the libraries you need to compile:

sudo apt-get install zlib1g-dev libpng12-dev libjpeg-dev libtiff5-dev libopenexr-dev libsdl1.2-dev libboost-system1.55-dev libboost1.55-dev git

Download the latest source code:

git clone https://github.com/POV-Ray/povray.git povray

Compile and install:

cd povray/unix
./prebuild.sh
cd ..
./configure COMPILED_BY="your name" LIBS="-lboost_system -lboost_thread"
make
sudo make install

Now, povray is installed in your computer.

Note: You needn't LIBS="-lboost_system -lboost_thread" in Debian.

How to use

You can generate a Full HD image with this command:

povray -W1920 -H1024 file.pov

Pov file is a text file with all the instructions in povray language to render a image (may be a very big file).

You can get amazing images like this:

LDraw viewers and editors in Ubuntu 16.04. Your favourite construction game, now virtual in your PC

The last Ubuntu LTS version has many new features, but some exotic programs have stopped working and you have to compile them or wait for versions to run them on this version.

Just follow this guide if you want make your own Tente(R), Lego(R), Exin Castillos(R), etc... 3D models with the open format LDraw.

LDraw editors: MLCad & LeoCAD

You can install both of them without any problem, MLCad is a Windows sofware than run very well with wine, so if you want to use in any GNU/Linux install first wine and them MLCad like any other Windows application.

To install LeoCAD follow the guide I make for previous versions of Ubuntu.

LDraw viewer: LDView

You can install the new special versions for Ubuntu 16.04 , 64 bits or 32 bits.

Then you can install it with commands like this:

sudo dpkg -i ldview-4.2-ubuntu-16.04.XXX.deb
sudo apt-get install -f

Professional screenshots: povray

You can get screenshots like a 3D professional:

• Export the model to povray form LDVIEW
• You can get a Full HD screenshot with a command like this:

povray my_model.pov -W1920 -H1080

The problem is that if we install the povray package in the Ubuntu 16.04 repositories it does not work because of a problem in a library, so we have to recompile it ... ugh! how difficult! That it is enough that you copy and paste in your console the following commands:

sudo apt-get install git build-essential libvips-dev libboost-system1.58-dev libboost-thread1.58-dev libc6-dev libgcc1 libilmbase12 libjpeg8-dev libopenexr22 libpng12-dev libsdl1.2-dev libstdc++6-4.7-dev libtiff5-dev zlib1g-dev
./configure COMPILED_BY="tu nombre y correo" --disable-io-restrictions
git clone https://github.com/POV-Ray/povray
cd unix
./prebuild.sh
cd ..
make check
sudo make install

And now you get it.

Set of pieces

You need the set of the pieces of the constuction game you want to use: TENTE(R), LEGO(R) or EXIN CASTILLOS(R).

Then unzip them in differents folders, for example:

• /home/your_user/ldraw/tente
• /home/your_user/ldraw/lego
• /home/your_user/ldraw/exincastillos

Then we can run LDView with this parameter:

LDView -LDrawDir=path_to_set_of_pieces

For more details see the Tente 3D wiki.

Note: The artwork is my construction in Tente 3D of the famous building of the comic 13, Rue del Percebe, the first tentexpress quiz I won :)

Compiling LeoCAD in any GNU/Linux

LeoCAD is a LDraw file editor, a open format to make LEGO(R), TENTE(R), EXIN CASTILLOS(R), etc... virtual models.

I follow this steps to compile Leocad:

1. Install subversion and the necesary libraries to compile QT code:
   sudo apt-get install git libqt4-dev zlib1g-dev
2. Download the lastest version of code in a folder, for example $HOME
   cd $HOME
git clone https://github.com/leozide/leocad/
3. Change to this directory, compile and install:
   cd leocad
qmake leocad.pro
make
sudo make install 
4. If we use the LEGO library we might launch the software with this command (I suppose you download the library in /opt/ldraw/lego):
   leocad -l /opt/ldraw/lego/

You can also use the Tente® 3D library, then the comand to run might be:
leocad -l /opt/ldraw/tente
If you compile in a raspberry pi, use qmake-qt4 leocad.pro instead of qmake leocad.pro.

Original articles

• Tente 3D en Raspberry pi 2 (I): compilando LeoCAD.
• LeoCAD en Ubuntu 14.04 LTS de 64 bits.
• LeoCAD en Ubuntu (II): configuración para Tente 3D.

Use multiple virtual desktops in Ubuntu 16.04 with compiz

If you use Ubuntu 16.04 with compiz (gnome-flashback), you will see that you can not use virtual desktops because when you click on it with the right button in the virtual desktop selector to increase the number always returns to have only one again.

To fix it install Compiz Config Setup Manager (ccsm) y vdesk

sudo apt-get install ccsm vdesk

• Then we run ccsm and select these options:

General ► General options ► Size of the Desktop
(you must press the right arrow to access to this option)

• Now we can increase the horizontal size.

Install CPCtelera in Ubuntu

CPCtelera is a low-level C library that makes things much easier for who want to program software for Amstrad CPC. You can add various elements and compile the result directly into a DSK or CDT file, disk and tape CPC images respectively ready to run in a Emulator or burn in a physical medium to execute in a real Amstrad CPC.

 Install it on Ubuntu 14.04 64 bits

• Go to $HOME folder and download the latest version of CPCTelera source code, just type:

git clone https://github.com/lronaldo/cpctelera

• Install all the libraries you need install it:

sudo apt-get install build-essential bison flex libboost1.55-dev libfreeimage-dev wget unzip wine

• Start the instalation:

cd cpctelera

./setup.sh

If you need any other library the instalation tell you in the process.

Use

Read the CPCtelera Reference Manual there are also a lot of videos in youtube but most of them are on Spanish.

Super button in Lubuntu 16.04

We want to use the Super key (also known as "Windows key") to access  to Display the lxde menu and avoid depend so much on the mouse and gain some productivity in the handling of the computer.

Just add these lines to ~/.config/openbox/lubuntu-rc.xml file
<keybind key="Super_L">
    <action name="Execute">
        <command>lxpanelctl menu</command>
     </action>
</keybind>
And it's all OK.