I am a little behind, but here are parts two and three of my article series on formatting a book in OpenOffice. Both articles are available on MakeTechEasier.com.
Part 1 (if you missed it)
Archive for the ‘Free Software’ Category
How to layout a book with OpenOffice.org Parts 2 and 3
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009KDE 4 Screencasts
Monday, July 20th, 2009
In an effort to bring more exposure to KDE and its features, I have created two videos. One is a brief introduction to KDE and some highly acclaimed features. The second is about a specific application: Krunner. It is based on an article I wrote for MakeTechEasier.
Both videos are available for streaming and download.
10 Awesome Features of Krunner in KDE 4
The production plan is also available in PDF format.
How to Layout a Book with OpenOffice.org: Part 1
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
It is all in your head: the plot, the characters, the locations, and even the scenes, but for some reason, staring at the blank page and blinking cursor makes you freeze. You like the idea of writing a book but cannot imagine actually completing it. If that feeling sounds familiar, then this might be the right article for you. Even if you have written a book and have it all ready to go, you may intend to self-publish it, start your own publishing company, send it to an editor, or just layout your book so you can see how it looks.
There is a long list of reasons why you might need to prepare an OpenOffice.org document in book form, and once you have learned how to do it, you will have a useful skill that you or people you know may need in the future. You can use this method for both print publications and e-books.
10 Awesome Features of Krunner in KDE 4
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
Many KDE 3 users depended on Krun, a simple yet effective application used to execute commands. Executed simply by pressing “Alt-F2″, it was much easier to start applications using it, rather than navigating through a launch menu or opening a terminal window. The only catch with Krun was that you had to know the exact name of the command you intended to launch. With the advent of KDE 4, that has all changed.
Krunner operates independently of the Plasma desktop system as a standalone application. It includes a ton of features that make it useful beyond simple command launching. It has retained many of the features present in KDE 3 and greatly expanded them. We would fail to do it justice if we did not give it a top ten list.
How To Setup Dual Monitors With XRandR
Monday, June 1st, 2009
Dual monitor setup in Linux has never been easier. While methods such as the xinerama extension sometimes drive people insane, using RandR (Resize and Rotate) is quick and painless. This will allow you to use both monitors as one big screen instead of two identical ones (cloning). Follow these simple steps to get started.
Note: This HOWTO assumes that you are using the opensource drivers for your video card (ATI or Intel). Nvidia and AMD proprietary drivers come with their dual screen components.
KOffice 2.0 Released
Thursday, May 28th, 2009The KOffice team is extremely pleased to finally announce version 2.0.0 of KOffice. This release marks the end of more than 3 years of work to port KOffice to Qt 4 and the KDE 4 libraries and, in some cases, totally rewrite the engine of the KOffice applications.
Beyond Web 2.0 and the Information Age
Sunday, May 17th, 2009
I can remember turning on my computer, dialing into IndyNet, and opening the World Wide Web inside of a terminal window. My first web experience was through a text browser. At $10 a month, that was all I could afford. Eventually, I learned to hack it and give myself access to the graphical side of the web and my first experience with Netscape Navigator.
Back then, web sites usually consisted of long single pages with mostly text, a few static images scattered about, some horizontal rules, and maybe an animated GIF, if you were lucky. For those of you too young to remember, I am not reminiscing about the 70s or even the 80s. It was not until the 90s when the World Wide Web burst onto the scene, drawing people away from their television sets for the first time in a way that nothing else before it could.
The Best KDE Twitter Client
Saturday, May 16th, 2009
You would be hard-pressed to go anywhere or even watch television without hearing some reference to “Twitter”, “tweets”, or “tweeting”. From your cousin in Iowa to Shaquille O’Neal, all types of people from all walks of life have taking a liking to Twitter.
Whether or not Twitter will become a technological standard as email or just a passing fad, remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that if you want to use Twitter while it is hot, you will probably want some type of client so that you do not always have to open your web browser and go to Twitter.com.
For KDE there are a few options, but there is one that I have found to be superior to them all. Keep reading, or if Twitter has convinced you that you can only process 140 characters of information at one time, scroll to the end of this article.
How to Get The Most Out Of KDE4’s Folderview Widget
Saturday, May 16th, 2009
One of the most innovative and simultaneously controversial features of KDE 4 is the Plasma widget, Folderview. Simply put, it allows a user to display the contents of a file system folder within a widget on the desktop.
Beyond just displaying files on your computer, Folderview can be used to launch applications, display remote file systems, filter large folders for particular types of files, or serve as a traditional desktop.
