LibreOffice 3.3 Official Release

The day has come. LibreOffice 3.3 has finally hit its official release. And unlike RC3, this version is also available to 10.04 users. The latest version brings some pretty nice enhancements:

• Import and work with SVG files
• Easy way to format title pages and their numbering in Writer
• Improved Navigator Tool for Writer
• Improved ergonomics in Calc for sheet and cell management
• Microsoft Works and Lotus Word Pro document import filters.

Click here for a full list of what makes LibreOffice 3.3 great: http://www.libreoffice.org/download/new-features-and-fixes/

Here’s how to Install:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install libreoffice

If you like, you can also download the .DEB package from here:

http://www.libreoffice.org/download/

Create a Background Slideshow [CreBS]

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been looking for a nice and easy way to create your own Slideshow Wallpaper. I still don’t quite understand why this feature would have been added to Ubuntu without a simple tool that can be used to create one yourself, whatever. When this was first released, I thought to myself, “I’m sure the Ubuntu devs will release a program to create these things in the next version of Ubuntu”…I was wrong.

Yes I know that I can break down the XML file and create my own Slideshow, but that can get to be quite tedious, especially it you have more than five wallpapers in the show. Well, after some time, and even forgetting about the idea of creating one by myself, I stumbled upon an app that can achieve exactly what I’ve been looking for.

Introducing CreBS! Also known as “Create a Background Slideshow.”

CreBS will allow you to add as many wallpapers/pictures as you like, adjust the delay between changes and the length of transition. It’s a great app. But lets get down to the part you really wanna see, how to download/install the app and then how to use the thing.

Here are the three commands needed to download/install:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:crebs/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install crebs


Step 1: Now that you have the app installed, it’s time to get started. Once you have the app open, click on the “plus” icon to select the pictures you would like to use for your slideshow.

 

Step 2: Choose the “Display for” and “Transition” times. You can use the defaults or you can select your own times.

 

Step 3: Click the check mark to save and set the wallpaper.

 

Now you can enjoy your new Wallpaper Slideshow…excuse me…Background Slideshow. 🙂 By the way, you may or may not have noticed that my screenshots have what looks like different backgrounds in them, that’s because I typed up this post and took the  screenshots while my wallpaper was changing. 🙂

Install Wingpanel From PPA

For those who don’t know, Wingpanel is a “super sexy space-saving top panel” created by the Elementary team that displays the Ubuntu indicators. Because it doesn’t take the whole width of the screen and maximized windows go below it, it can save a lot of vertical screen space.

To install Wingpanel in Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat from the Ripps Misc. PPA, use the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ripps818/ppa && sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install wingpanel && wingpanel

Note: you may want to either move or completely delete the top panel if you decide to use Wingpanel.

You can achieve the same thing by using a Gnome panel or even AWN as a wingpanel.

LibreOffice Ubuntu PPA

The PPA provides packages for Ubuntu 10.04, 10.10 and 11.04 users. While LibreOffice has yet to make a stable release it is currently at release candidate stage.

To add the PPA and install LibreOffice RC2 run the command below in a new Terminal session:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install libreoffice

Run this command so that LibreOffice does not look like it’s running in WINE:

sudo apt-get install libreoffice-gnome
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Note: Running These commands WILL remove OpenOffice from your computer.