Starting programs on Login

To have a program start when you login just add the command the rc.local file located in /etc/.
The simple way to do this is open a terminal in the /etc/ folder and type:
sudo gedit rc.local

You will be prompted for your password as you are editing a file you don't own. The command that causes this is sudo.
gedit is a simple file editor and rc.local is of course the file you are editing.
In my case I wanted to start Dropbox so I added:
# Start the Dropbox daemon
~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd & 

The first line is a 'comment' so I know what I'm starting and the next line is the actual command to start Dropbox.
You will probably need to change the permissions of the rc.local file so it can run your stuff. Do this with the following command in the terminal you opened earlier:
chmod u+x /etc/rc.local

Desktop shortcuts a 'la Windows

To create a desktop shortcut to say a script that starts a game, you just need to create a softlink. A softlink is Linux speak for a shortcut. To do this, open a terminal in the games/applications folder and type the following:
ln -s script ~/Desktop/shortcut_to_the_script
To break that down, ln -s means to create a link (ln) of type soft (-s). 
The script is simply the script you want to link and shortcut_to_the_script is the name of the shortcut as it will appear on your desktop. The ~/Desktop/ is the path to your Home directory (~) and then of course the Desktop folder in there.

Windows networking in Linux.

I found Linux Mint works quite nicely in a home Windows network. It uses Samba and after an install of 'system-config-samba', I fixed my last issue.
If you are getting issues opening Windows shares, try opening the Software Manager and typing Samba then click Search.
You should then see system-config-samba as an installable option. Install it and then press ALT+F2. This will open a terminal (command-line) window. In that window type sudo system-config-samba. It will then prompt for your password, so type that in and press <ENTER>.
This will display the settings for your Samba server in a window call Samba Server Configuration. This server is what other PCs will connect to access the stuff you've shared, so you'll need to do this on each PC you want to access shared stuff on.
Click Preferences and then Server Settings.
Select the Security tab and set Authentication Mode to Share. Click OK.

Click Preferences and then Samba Users. The Samba Users window is displayed.
Click Add User,
Select a user from the Unix Username drop down. This is the local user account to use.
Enter a user name in the Windows Username dialogue. This is the user you'll use on other PCs when it asks for a user name and password.
Now enter the password that you'll use in the Samba Password and Confirm Samba Password fields.
Click OK twice.
Back in the Samba Server Configuration window, click the plus (+) symbol to add something to share. 
Click Browse to find a folder to share.
In the Share name: field, enter the name you want displayed when browsing the PCs shares from the network.
Tick Writable if you want to be able modify or delete stuff on your PC from another PC. This is probably not a good idea in most cases, especially if you have kids, haha.

Click the Access tab and tick the user you want to be able to access your stuff.
Click OK and close the Samba Server Configuration window.
Now when you browse  the network from another PC, you can double click the PC and share you want to access and once you've entered the username and password from above, you should see what is shared.
Remember: you'll need to do the above on each PC you want access stuff on.

That's it.  Enjoy  :-)

My switch from MS Windows to Linux

Firstly, I'll say this: I love technology, mostly. The issues and foibles are annoying but it is satisfying to fix, customise or improve something.

This blog is not really directed at anyone in particular, except perhaps those seeking answers to PC related problems. I'll be posting my solutions to problems as I find them, so I have a place I can find my solutions later. If they help you, that's great. If they don't sorry, so keep 'googling'. If you have a constructive comment, I'd love to hear it. If you are a 'hater', you are not welcome here and you will be blocked.


I have several children and as such I have many PCs. I always build my PCs as I get what I want for a fraction of the price of a 'brand name' PC. Of course, having many PCs with several kids as users, I get many problems I must fix, ugh..
Recently 3 of these PCs would make themselves unusable on an almost daily basis. I think the culprit was a 64 bit Windows 7 update, as my 32 bit Windows 7 still runs fine.

Anyway, I got incredibly sick of a daily PC fix using System Restore (if it worked) or having to do a complete reinstall. Therefore I thought I would go back and try Linux as it's free, much more resistant to viruses, reliable and very secure.

I hadn't really used Linux much for many years but I had started with it back around 1993. Back then, getting your mouse to work was something to brag about! Since then each time I tried Linux, it was better in user-friendliness.

I would not recommend Linux to newbies (new computers users) as I don't want to have train people.

Having heard of many people's dislike of the new Unity interface in Ubuntu Linux, I went with Linux Mint. I have to say I am loving how far Linux has come in only a few years. Here are some of my reasons:

• It boots VERY fast (in seconds, not minutes),
• It auto-detects and uses new hardware quickly, if not instantly,
• It's reliable (not one system crash yet),
• Most software is free and is easy to get.
• A usable and compatible Office is included,

So I finish off here and start adding 'tips and tricks' that may help other's trying to go down the Linux path.