Working With Files in Linux: Kludges and Solutions

Working With Files in Linux: Kludges and Solutions
A year ago, I made the best and worst mistake of my life: I messed up my GRUB boot list, and didn’t have the wherewithal to fix it. I was so frustrated, that I chose to abandon the Microsoft axis altogether. What would I do without the tools I used in Windows? I found myself relying on some very helpful roundups online. You know “The 5 best apps for this or that”, and the like.

It turns out, after you read 50 or so Linux roundups that don’t help you at all, you find one shining program( or solution )in the rough that takes care of your issues. Sometimes, you end up using a combination of programs together, with varying degrees of success. Then, you have the “kludge”. This is a programming term that basically means ” an inefficient, clumsy way to get the result you want”. I have plenty of those, and have detailed a few of my favorites below.

I’m not saying that you will see much of a difference in the programs I suggest in this roundup. Depending on how new you are to the Linux scene, you might stumble onto something you aren’t currently using. What I will offer are unique and occasionally “kludgey” solutions to get the job done.

PDF’s: These gave me a real problem when I started using Linux full-time. Don’t get me wrong, Linux has plenty of PDF readers/writers. When it came to editing them all, I hit a bit of a roadblock. I have to amend PDF’s(photo and text-based) on a regular basis. So what are the solutions I found?

- PDFedit: This is okay, provided you are satisfied with having a one-shot edit. By that, I mean that you can access the document and change it, but it does not have an “undo” function. Hopefully, they will add this feature in future. You have to close the document in order to “undo” any changes. I only use this for highlighting text based PDF’s. For image based PDF’s I choose…

- GIMP(a kludgin’ we will go): Yes, that’s right. The venerated Photoshop replacement can edit text and image-based PDF’s. There are several issues with this method, but I’ll explain how to use it, should you be so inclined. The downfall of this method is that GIMP imports the PDF, whether Image or Text based as an Image. When it exports, it exports the file independently of the original as a PDF. That being said, it is a good solution for 1-3 page docs. All you have to do is create a new layer in Gimp, cover up the old information with a color( I use white, generally) and create a new text layer to replace the old data Microsoft MCTS Training. Then export as a .jpg or .png (I generally use .jpg, but .gif works pretty well, should you need a smaller file size.)

Here comes the fun part: Now, you have to open up the other PDF pages in GIMP, and export them as a .jpg or whatever. Then, open up OpenOffice Draw. Insert the picture into the first slide. Insert another slide, insert pic. Repeat until done. Click “Export as PDF” button. Tada. Not fun. Or you can just write a PHP script to run on your Apache server, and use the PHP/PDF library to export your files as a single PDF(if you feel froggy, jump.) I hired someone to write a short script for me, and they were among the best dollars I have ever spent.

- Scribus: This is the most mature of the editing/publishing platforms out there. I have heard great things about its ability to edit PDF’s. The only problem is, I cannot get it edit a single PDF. It tells me that my PDF’s are not in an acceptable format. Should they fix this in a later release, this would be your best shot at a editing on a great platform. It just does not work with PDF’s generated in OpenOffice, or anywhere else for that matter.

- Xournal or Gournal: Xournal is the better of the two. They are both lightweight PDF annotators/editors. They do not work well with Image based PDF’s. They do an admirable job when dealing with text based PDF’s.

Let’s move on to picture formats, and photo management systems. Man, have I ever had a problem with these. This mostly has to do with the frequent inability of Linux programs to understand layers, as they relate to Adobe based products.

The following programs allow you to view, and even batch process photos. These are the ones that will save you more time than any other Microsoft MCITP Certification.

- Phatch: The single greatest contribution to Open Source photo editing since GIMP. Phatch allows you to quickly and easily batch edit thousands of files at the time. A simple GUI makes this a snap. Resize, change file quality parameters,rename, rotate, drop shadow, etc., without ever seeing the command line.

- Inkscape: A vector editor that comes close to accurately opening .ai and layered .eps files. I say, comes close, because it picks and chooses which of these files it interprets. It’s Russian Roulette. I wouldn’t pay for a vector graphics package based on its performance, unless it gives you the file in .svg, which it interprets without a problem.

- GIMP: Okay, if you don’t know already, GIMP is the app that started it all. You can open up pretty much anything in GIMP. It just works. There are enough scripts and tutorials out there that enable you to do anything you want with an image. Its batch processing abilities are not nearly as good as Phatch, but you can add “Dave’s Batch Processor” should you feel the urge.

(For all of you who say “Well, you can use Adobe products with WINE.”, let me remind you that I am not dual-booting MS and Linux. To speak of a solution using WINE would nullify the point of this article.)

Ok, now that I am done with programs, I’d like to share with you some websites that help you convert files into usable formats. You know the ones, the primarily brilliant spawn of Microsoft that are a pain to open: .docx, .xlsx, .pub, and anything else you need decoded on the fly.

(It should be noted that current Linux versions of OpenOffice will open .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx locally. Windows versions of the program do not support these files as of yet.) These are for when you are on the go, or using a machine that isn’t owned by you. You could always carry a custom distro on your keychain, but my guess is you are not that hardcore yet. If you are, you have probably discovered or coded far better solutions than I am offering.

- k2pdf.com : This will take .rtf, .txt, .doc, .eps, .docx, .mdi, .tif, and a few other formats, and convert them into a usable, viewable PDF for you.

- pdfonline.com- Should you need the document editable in word, head over here to convert your PDF to a standard MS Word file. The only reason that you would possibly need this, is to edit tables from an .xlsx to PDF conversion. Still, a reasonably decent kludge.

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_onlinetools.html- Yup. Adobe offers to convert your PDF to HTML for you here. You take the help where you can get it. Then you can paste the HTML into OpenOffice and save as .doc (or preferably, an .odt.) Again, not the greatest solution, but one that works.

The Linux community is doing an admirable job of making file formats accessible. Hopefully, in the near future, an open standard will overtake these proprietary formats. In the meantime, I hope some of these patched together solutions will help you get the job.

I have paperwork to do, so I’ve gotta run. The penguin shall prevail…

IT and Certifcation trends 2011

Lenovo’s super slim desktop for space-starved businesses
The Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 comes bundled with a ‘motion sensor' gaming feature, and enables users to make and receive VoIP calls over the Internet.

Space and storage are usually two big problems in small and home offices, and even for big firms. In such scenarios, it is important to set up computers that occupy less space and store more data. To address these issues, Lenovo has introduced the Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 all-in-one desktop Microsoft MCTS Training.

The IdeaCentre A600 features a 54.61 cm (21.5-inch) frame-less screen, and provides discerning space-conscious and storage-hungry users a modern design that is only one-inch thin and can store up to 1 TB (1,000 GB) of data, videos, music and other documents. The company says that it comes bundled with a ‘motion sensor' gaming feature, and enables users to make and receive VoIP calls over the Internet. Besides, the desktop features Intel Core2 Duo, and up to 4 GB of fast DDR3 (double-data-rate) memory for improved multitasking. You can buy the desktop for

The K10 pico projector combines DLP technology with LED (light-emitting diode) lamp technology, with claims of taking picture quality to a new level.

Presentations are a part of most executives' work life, for which projectors are required. But it is often not possible to travel with a typical heavy projector. Now, Acer has launched its K10 pico projector in India. Weighing just 0.55 kg and measuring 127 x 122 x 48.5mm, the K10 pico projector is supposed to be one of the smallest and lightest on the market today Microsoft MCITP Certification.

While all Acer projectors are based on DLP (digital light processing) technology, which offers enhanced contrast, sharpness and image vividness, the new K10 pico projector combines DLP technology with LED (light-emitting diode) lamp technology, taking picture quality to a new level, Acer claims. According to the company, the tiny projector provides 100 ANSI Lumens for clear and detailed images of sizes up to 60 inches or 152.4 cm (diagonally) while a contrast ratio of 2000:1 ensures crystal clear, vibrant projections. The device comes with a two-year carry-in warranty for the projector and a 90-day warranty on the lamp.

IT and Certifcation trends 2011

Lenovo’s super slim desktop for space-starved businesses
The Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 comes bundled with a ‘motion sensor' gaming feature, and enables users to make and receive VoIP calls over the Internet.

Space and storage are usually two big problems in small and home offices, and even for big firms. In such scenarios, it is important to set up computers that occupy less space and store more data. To address these issues, Lenovo has introduced the Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 all-in-one desktop Microsoft MCTS Training.

The IdeaCentre A600 features a 54.61 cm (21.5-inch) frame-less screen, and provides discerning space-conscious and storage-hungry users a modern design that is only one-inch thin and can store up to 1 TB (1,000 GB) of data, videos, music and other documents. The company says that it comes bundled with a ‘motion sensor' gaming feature, and enables users to make and receive VoIP calls over the Internet. Besides, the desktop features Intel Core2 Duo, and up to 4 GB of fast DDR3 (double-data-rate) memory for improved multitasking. You can buy the desktop for

The K10 pico projector combines DLP technology with LED (light-emitting diode) lamp technology, with claims of taking picture quality to a new level.

Presentations are a part of most executives' work life, for which projectors are required. But it is often not possible to travel with a typical heavy projector. Now, Acer has launched its K10 pico projector in India. Weighing just 0.55 kg and measuring 127 x 122 x 48.5mm, the K10 pico projector is supposed to be one of the smallest and lightest on the market today Microsoft MCITP Certification.

While all Acer projectors are based on DLP (digital light processing) technology, which offers enhanced contrast, sharpness and image vividness, the new K10 pico projector combines DLP technology with LED (light-emitting diode) lamp technology, taking picture quality to a new level, Acer claims. According to the company, the tiny projector provides 100 ANSI Lumens for clear and detailed images of sizes up to 60 inches or 152.4 cm (diagonally) while a contrast ratio of 2000:1 ensures crystal clear, vibrant projections. The device comes with a two-year carry-in warranty for the projector and a 90-day warranty on the lamp.