IT/Software/Applications

Office(LibreOffice)

Hands down this is the best open office software available at the moment.(March 9, 2020)

• LibreOffice

File Explorer

Dolphin is the default in Kubuntu and it is always getting better.

It is Highly customizable and works great with ssh

• Dolphin

Browser

Firefox is the default in Kubuntu and it is always getting better.

It is Highly customizable and works great.

• Firefox

We moved to Chrome due to the ever increasing pressure to become Google.

• Chrome

We will move back to Firefox!

Tools to edit text files

You will use them to edit code, php, and mainly config files.

• Text or Code Editing

What hardware do you have?

Sometimes you need the motherboard information to update the bios or look up a feature. Sometimes you need to know the memory type so you can upgrade it. Sometimes you need the NIC model to make it work.

• Hardware Information

Media, Photos, Audio and Video

Anything you do with Video or Photos

• Media

Take a screenshot for documentation

You want a tool that can be used with shortcuts. You can screenshot menus. Easy to use. Editing features built in.

• Shutter Screenshot Tool

Remotely control another computer.

Once you do that you can use the command line or a GUI

• Remote Login

Scanning

• We like gscan2pdf.
• NAPS2 is excellent, cross platform, free and great at "deskewing"
• Applications abound. All with strengths and weaknesses

• More here on Scanning

Email

• We have always used Thunderbird.
  • Number one negative is security in that password protection is tricky to set up well.
  • Therefore you can load anyones profile easily.
  • Number one benefit is simplicity and ease of use.
• Thunderbird

Edit PDF Metadata

Often you have a pdf with an unusable name or other data that pops up when you open the file.

exiftool is the default command line tool.

I like PDFMetaEd but it is not super easy to install. Pdf Meta Editor
Download the zip and extract it.

sudo ./install.sh

You will see some errors. You need to manually go and create the directories.

sudo mkdir nameOfDirectory

I think the directories are there in Ubuntu but not in Kubuntu.

After you have made all the directories it will install

It runs from the context(right click) menu

Another way is an old Windows program running under wine. It does not install. Just runs.

BeCyPDFMetaEdit.

You can download it and double click on it and Wine or Q4Wine will take over.

Batch Renaming documents

• First check if you have Bulk Rename Utility downloaded on your computer
  • if you do skip ahead to where it says Bulk rename utility
  • if you do not, read this.
    • this program works well with Wine 5.0
      • First of all go to this link which will take you to the Bulk Rename Utility page.
      • Click on the "free download" button.
      • It should take you to another page with a big blue button saying "Install Bulk Rename Utility". Click it.
      • It should open a small bar at the bottom of your screen where downloads appear and one download should have "setup" in it's name. Click on it.
      • if you have wine installed it will open a window with download options. change what you want to change and then press "ok"
      • it should open a window called "Setup - Bulk Rename Utility" read and click accept if you accept the terms.
      • it will then ask you where you want to save it. pick where you want and pick next.
      • it should ask in which folder so pick the folder of your choice. click next.
      • deselect install windows explorer extension and click next.
      • click install and then finish and you are done!
  • Bulk Rename Utility

• GPRename
  • It is in the repos. Works very nicely.
• Also see qmv which is a command line tool

cups

this is the wonderful and mysteriously dreadful Common Unix Printing System.

• CUPS

Utilities

Synergy

This is an amazing mouse and keyboard sharing application.

• Synergy

EasyTag

Easily edit metadata

You can do this individually or in bulk

Bulk: select files inside easytag, edit the field you want, click the icon at the right of the field box!

Spectacle

This is a good screenshot application. It is native to KDE and can be excellent. Also check out Shutter and scrot

• Spectacle

Examview

This is a piece of windows software that is great for making tests.

It outputs to many formats including Blackboard which imports well into Moodle.

• Examview

Speedtest

This is the classic speedtesting software from your computer to the world.

sudo apt install speedtest-cli

speedtest-cli

or for results in bytes

speedtest-cli --bytes