Kubuntu

After installing the shiny new version of Eclipse entitled 'Luna' on a Kubuntu 14.10 box, I found that it crashed/hung when trying to import/clone a Git repository. Starting the application from the command-line triggered the following notice before the crash:

java: /build/buildd/gtk2-engines-oxygen-1.4.5/src/animations/oxygencomboboxdata.cpp:87: void Oxygen::ComboBoxData::setButton(GtkWidget*): Assertion `!_button._widget' failed.

The title sounds like the name of a fantasy novel ... but I'm of course talking (or, as you, stranger of the Internet, will find out, ranting) about the KDE audio player. Amarok is the default audio player for KDE which makes it the default audio player of Kubuntu, my Linux distro of choice. Now, some history before I begin spitting all over you. I usually use Windows as my primary desktop.

So I wanted to upgrade my Sony Xperia Ray from its now old (and official) Gingerbread version of Android to the relatively more modern Jellybean. The most reliable alternative out there is Cyanogenmod.

While the Cyanogenmod wiki was generally useful, here's what I think is a cleaner guide. I performed the upgrade via a Kubuntu Trusty (14.04) laptop.

In Kubuntu/Ubuntu (and presumably Debian and other derivatives), the CTRL + ALT + F4 (or any other function key) keyboard shortcut switches from the desktop to a virtual terminal while CTRL + ALT + F7 brings you back to the desktop. However, I want to disable this as it's messing up my HTPC thanks to its dodgy remote control. While I could find a solution for Gnome/Ubuntu readily enough, KDE/Kubuntu was not immediately apparent.

Using Virtualbox (4.3.6) on an XP64 machine, I ran into the following error while trying to install a 64-bit version of Ubuntu:

this kernel requires an x86-64 CPU, but only detects an i686 CPU, unable to boot

This happens even if the host machine is a 64-bit machine. To fix this, reboot the box and enter the BIOS. Look around for a virtualisation setting and enable it. Save and exit the BIOS configuration screen.

I've got Kubuntu running my HTPC and XBMC starting up in full screen on boot. Besides XBMC's remotes which I operate from an Android tablet, I also use a VNC client on said tablet to connect to the HTPC to operate other programs. As a VNC server, I've got krfb also starting up on boot which is where my problem lies. krfb does not start minimised in the system tray. There is also no option to get it to do so in its configuration screen.

Here is a guide on how I have krfb configured to start it minimised.

I'm trying to VNC into my Kubuntu box using Jump Desktop from my Android tablet. All works well and everything is quite peachy. Everything that is, except for typing with the keyboard. Typing anything results in letters being displayed in capitals. Using the SHIFT key in the Android keyboard does fuck all. However, when I connected a keyboard to the Kubuntu box and pressed the CAPS LOCK key, my Android keyboard started typing in smalls.

KTorrent on the LTS release of Kubuntu—Precise Pangolin aka 12.04—is perfectly fine except for the fact that it comes only with version 4.1. Unfortunately, this package is missing a few features that I was looking for, especially the option to add magnet links via its web interface.

Upgrading from 4.1 to 4.3 (the latest version at the time of writing) is pretty straightforward if one is happy to accept PPA sources.

Attempting to update flashplugin on Ubuntu Precise resulted in an error. Removing the package and reinstalling it resulted in the following:

My upgrade from Lucid to Precise did not go well and I've been battling errors ever since. I ran into the following error when trying to reinstall the php5-gd extension for PHP:
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already