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Great "must have" programs ? by Jørn Rudolph » Sat Jan 09, 2016 10:31 am
Hi Hope you have a fine Saturday, all of you ... I just wonder : Is there any "must have" programs, there is not installed by default ?
Jørn Rudolph Level 4
Well - I know it is a question of "what a person need".
Posts: 332 Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 3:31 am Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
But, never the less : Is there something, what are great to install, and why ? Last edited by xenopeek on Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:44 pm, edited 1 time in total. Reason: moved to chat
Greetings From Jørn Rudolph Copenhagen * Denmark * Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia * MATE *
Re: Great "must have" programs ?
User avatar
by daveinuk » Sat Jan 09, 2016 10:45 am
For me it would be: K3b because it's much nicer than the rest QBittorrent ^ ditto ^ Virtual Box to play around and compare new distro's with.
daveinuk Level 7 Posts: 1544 Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 7:52 pm Location: Manchester, England. Contact:
Re: Great "must have" programs ?
User avatar
by richyrich » Sat Jan 09, 2016 11:15 am
hardinfo - (System Profiler & Benchmark in the menu once installed) it's available in Synaptic Package Manager.
HardInfo is a small application that displays information about your hardware and operating system.
richyrich Level 18 Posts: 8674 Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 8:31 pm
Re: Great "must have" programs ? by all41 » Sat Jan 09, 2016 12:28 pm
Gparted gets my vote--very powerful and useful tool.
Proud to be a supporter and monthly contributor to Mint. all41 Level 12 Posts: 4056 Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 9:12 am Location: Computer, Car, Cage
Re: Great "must have" programs ? by Flemur » Sat Jan 09, 2016 12:31 pm
fluxbox (window manager - don't install it if you like the one, or DE, that you have) qasmixer - for audio Please edit your original post title to include [SOLVED] if/when it is solved! Your data and OS are backed up....right? Mint 18.3 Xfce/fluxbox/pulse-less Xubuntu 17.10/fluxbox/pulse-less
Flemur Level 14 Posts: 5326 Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:41 pm Location: Potemkin Village
Re: Great "must have" programs ?
George99 Level 3
by George99 » Sat Jan 09, 2016 1:33 pm
mc the Midnight Commander a great tool a la Norton Commander under DOS
Posts: 106 Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2014 10:59 am
Re: Great "must have" programs ? by Moem » Sat Jan 09, 2016 1:36 pm
Pinta. No matter which powerful, full featured image editing / drawing application you prefer, Pinta is great to have on hand for those quick, simple edits. Want to send someone a screenshot, but it needs to be cropped and have some words or a circle added to point something out? That's what Pinta is for. It's so simple anyone will be able to use it instantly.
Moem Level 14 Posts: 5390 Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:14 am Location: The Netherlands Contact:
If your issue is solved, kindly indicate that by editing the first post in the topic, and adding [SOLVED] to the title. Thanks!
Re: Great "must have" programs ? by BenTrabetere » Sat Jan 09, 2016 2:14 pm
Here is my Must-Have list Tilda - Repository Tilda is a po-up terminal emulator that can be pulled up and down from the top of the screen with a special hotkey. AutoKey - Repository AutoKey is a desktop automation tool that is a passable substitute for the Windows utility AutoHotkey that I once used to simulate the programmable functions of a Northgate OmniKey Ultra keyboard. The way I use it is so minimal that it borders on misuse - I assigned hotkeys to insert the accented characters I frequently use, my address when filling out forms, and to launch some programs. It can do a lot more.
BenTrabetere Level 5 Posts: 567 Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2014 12:04 am Location: Hattiesburg, MS USA
ConvertAll - Repository ConvertAll (from the same developer as TreeLine) is a unit conversion utility. (Duh!) In addition to single value conversion, it can also be used with combination of values to convert the obscure Miles/Gallon to a more useful Furlongs/Hogshead. Shutter - Repository A screen capture utility that has much more functional than PrintScreen. In addition to capturing the entire screen or a window, you can also capture a user defined portion of the screen. CherryTree - Repository and Download CherryTree is a hierarchical note taking program. (EverNote is a Windows equivalent.) The version in the default repositories is old, and I recommend installing the newer version, either from the deb or by adding the PPA. An online user guide is on the website. It also can be downloaded as a CherryTree document. http://www.giuspen.com/
TreeLine - Repository and Download TreeLine describes itself as "a structured information storage program." It is a lightweight database. The version in the default repositories is old, but it is the version I recommend. An online user guide is on the website. Pity it is not available as a PDF or TreeLine document. http://www.bellz.org/progs.html
XnView MP - Download XnView has been my go-to image viewer for several years, and it works great as "light table". It is fast, thumbnails load very quickly, and it is suitable to be used as the default image viewer. It offers some basic tools for image editing, and it has tools for batch conversion and renaming. 32-bit and 64-bit DEBs are available. http://www.xnview.com/en/
Master PDF Editor - Download It claims to be "a complete solution to edit PDF documents", and it is not far from the mark. It is the best program I have found to work with PDFs with XFA forms. It does not use a lot of system resources, so it is suitable to use as a PDF viewer. 32-bit and 64-bit debs are available at the website, as well as an online user guide. For shame it is not available for download as a PDF. https://code-industry.net/
Re: Great "must have" programs ?
User avatar
by BigEasy » Sat Jan 09, 2016 2:29 pm
all41 wrote:
Gparted gets my vote--very powerful and useful tool.
Yes. "fdisk" is also really "must have" program. It helps to resolve any initial problems. So it's powerfull as hell.
BigEasy Level 6
Jørn Rudolph wrote: Posts: 1127 Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 9:17 am Location: Chrząszczyżewoszyce, powiat Łękołody
Well - I know it is a question of "what a person need". But, never the less : Is there something, what are great to install, and why ?
Audacity. Why? My person need. Windows assumes I'm stupid but Linux demands proof of it
Re: Great "must have" programs ?
Cosmo. Level 23
by Cosmo. » Sat Jan 09, 2016 2:37 pm
KeePassX - password manager
Posts: 17515 Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2014 7:34 am
Re: Great "must have" programs ?
User avatar
by phd21 » Sat Jan 09, 2016 4:24 pm
Hi "Jørn Rudolph", I just read your post and the good replies to it. Here are my thoughts on this as well. This is a very subjective topic that depends upon your edition of Linux Mint and your personal interests and needs.
phd21 Level 15
There are a lot of really great Linux programs for almost anything you can think of. Posts: 5766 Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:42 pm Location: Florida
Obviously, as some have already mentioned: "K3b" for burning and processing CD's/DVD's, or "Xfburn". I prefer "K3b",but both work really well. -- For creating DVD's for playing in a home DVD player, including training DVD's for personal or business use, "Bombono" and "DeVeDe", DVD Styler, Tovid. "Kdenlive" video editor for creating stuff to put on DVD, websites, etc... "Unetbootin" and "Startup Disk Creator" for USB flash drive sticks, along with the existing Linux Mint USB tools. For emergencies: create bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive stick, of "Boot-repair-cd disk", "Super Grub2", "gParted Live", System Rescue, UBCD (ultimate boot CD), MiniTool Partition Wizrd (for Ms Windows file system repairs (NTFS, Fast32, etc..) - I also think that it is a very good idea to create a USB flash drive stick (16gb or greater) with a fully installed version of Linux Mint for emergencies and repairs, and for a portable version, although you cna use the "live installation DVD or USB" of Linux Mint for some of this. Backing up: Clonezilla Live (boot CD/USB), "Aptik" *, Back In Time, or Timeshift, or Systemback, etc... It is always a good idea to have more than one browser installed, in case a browser update does not work properly (rare), or for another user (wife, girlfriend, parent or child) without having to swtich users, or because it can do somethning another browser cannot, like the excellent Google's Chrome browser which has other benefits (Netflix, Android apps, etc...), and Opera a great light weight browser. There are even text browsers, like "links, elink, lynx, etc...", if for some reason you cannot get to your graphical desktop, you can search for a solution from the command line. The "Tor Browser bundle" for surfing anonymously. FireFox add-ons: Febe, Tab Mix Plus, xmarks, translators, "ublock", etc... * Password programs: KeePassX or KeePass2 For Sound, "the programs that start with "Qas", like "Qasmixer", and "Veromix". PulseAudio-equalizer. - Amarok* is my preference for a complete Music Player (music manager), but there are many more, like Audacious, Clementine, Rythmbox, Exhaile, Mixxx (DJ)*, Tomahawk*, YAROCK*, Banshee, Guayadeque, DeadBeef, etc... http://www.tecmint.com/best-linux-audio-music-players/ - Streamtuner2* for streaming radio (music, talk shows, etc...), although most music player can also stream, they do not have all the content that this has... - "Audio-Recorder" to record audio. - "Audacity", "Ardour3", "Rosegarden" for audio and music processing. For video: - from the Software Manager or Synaptic Package Manager (SPM): "ubuntu-restricted-extras", "mencoder", "mplayer" stuff, smplayer, smtube, melt, MPV, ffmpeg, (x264, h264enc, x265, libde265), libdvdcss*, vlc plugins, etc... search for and install "V4L* " = Video For Linux stuff...
- MultiMedia converters - to convert an image, video, or audio (music), from one file format to another: WinFF, Curlew, Format Junkie, etc... -Video editors: "Kdenlive", "Lives", Open Shot, "Flowblade", Lightworks, etc.... -Slideshow creators: "Kdenlive", FFdiaporama, Mistelix, many others ...
For screen recording (screencasting), "Simple Screen Recorder" is the best and easiest and most capable screen (desktop) recorder with video and sound options, that I have tried so far. "Byzanz" is another excellent one without sound, but is a command line program. Some General stuff to install from the Software Manager or Synaptic Package Manager (SPM): xsel, syslinux, extlinux, linux-firmware, checkinstall ... For Image processing, Gimp (with plug-ins, Gmic, "gimp-Gap", etc...), Gwenview, XnViewMP, Converseen, etc ... For renaming files: Gwenrename, Krename, pyrenamer, etc... "CherryTree" for taking notes and recording other stuff. An incredible program that can help you with anything you are interested in and that you want to keep track of. Like for Learning and recording various Linux Mint stuff, create a Linux Mint categroy (parent node), and put anything that may help you in there. I use this everyday and have it auto start with my system login. If you are active in something that requires typing repetitive words, phrases, etc... then, "autokey" is a wonderful program. I use it everyday to help here in this forum. for PDF files: Okular, Evince, and "Master PDF Editor". If you search the Software Manager or Synaptic Package Manager (SPM), you will find programs for almost everything. But, there are also really good programs that are not in the Software Manager or Synaptic Package Manager (SPM) (repositories), where, asking people here can help with those, like you are doing with this post. You can also search this forum regarding any of this and most everything else. Hope this helps ... FYI: If you are not using KDE, or just want to be able to run some very high quality KDE applications, then install these few programs below in the quote box in blue, which are perfectly safe for any edition of Linux mint.
If you're experiencing issues with KDE apps (like Okular, Gwenview, KStars, kdenlive, ..etc) run the following command from your console terminal prompt: (you can copy & paste it too) Depending on your setup, you might also need to install "KDE-runtime" as well. sudo apt-get install kdelibs-bin kdelibs5-data kdelibs5-plugins
To transfer files from one computer to another without using USB flash drives: Dukto is a free, Open Source file transfer utility that can be used to used to transfer files over Local area network (LAN), including Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, Meego, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phones and Symbian (for Nokia touch phones). sudo apt-get install dukto http://www.unixmen.com/dukto-an-easy-mu ... sfer-tool/ Nitroshare - is a tool that can be used to easily transfer files between computers on your local network, available for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. http://www.webupd8.org/2015/03/nitrosha ... es-to.html sudo add-apt-repository ppa:george-edison55/nitroshare sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install nitroshare Phd21: Mint KDE 17.3 & 18.3, 64-bit Awesome OS, Ancient Dell OptiPlex 780 Core2Duo E8400 3GHz,4gb Ram,256gb SDD, Video: Intel 4 Graphics, DVD Lightscribe. Why I use KDE?:https://opensource.com/life/15/4/9-reasons-to-use-kde
Re: Great "must have" programs ?
quotha Level 1
by quotha » Sun Jan 10, 2016 3:37 pm
One I don't see here and would definitely recommend is Mirage. It's just a photo viewer, but it renders photos much better than the default application. If you use the photo viewer much at all, whether because you're a hobbyist photographer or because you just have family photos on your machine, I highly, highly recommend installing Mirage.
Posts: 4 Joined: Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:55 pm
Re: Great "must have" programs ?
wong Level 2
by wong » Sun Jan 10, 2016 5:54 pm
Nice thread,
Posts: 57 Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2015 11:59 pm
A few simple terminal based programs: htop - handy for keeping an eye on what the system is up to and for finding and/or killing processes. ranger - cool little lightweight file manager with a load of features and customization options. ncdu - fast and simple way to find out what's taking up space. CODE: SELECT ALL
ncdu / ncdu folder/with/stuff/in/it
dfc - check disk space usage, pretty much just 'df -h' but easier on the eyes. Dwarf Fortress - spends hours slightly confused whilst the dwarves you spent hours equipping slowly descend into a murderous depression.
Re: Great "must have" programs ?
theStreak Level 3
by theStreak » Sun Jan 10, 2016 5:55 pm
Here are some of my favorites apps that aren't typically installed by default:
Posts: 138 Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2013 1:28 am
Hiero My single-pane outliner for Linux, specifically targeting writers (http://productivepenguin.blogspot.com/2 ... linux.html). This is the only currently supported single-pane outliner for Linux. Meld If you have to compare two text files or directories, just select both and drag-n-drop em onto Meld's GUI. SimpleScreenRecorder The perfect screen recorder for Linux (http://www.maartenbaert.be/simplescreenrecorder/). MonoDevelop A great IDE for developing cross-platform C# apps. Inkscape Easy to learn yet powerful vector graphics editor. Yet another must-have (along with GIMP) for the Linux-based graphics designer. Can also serve as a pretty fair alternative for doing 2D CAD design, BTW. HardInfo A GUI to easily view your system information. PosteRazor For creating large posters from pages printed on your laser printer (http://posterazor.sourceforge.net/). I believe it can be found in the LM repos. Kodi/XBMC Turns your computer into a full-blown HTPC media center. FreeCAD A 3D parametric modeller with great potential. Handbrake For ripping your DVDs. HipChat A great cross-platform chat client. SmartGit If you GIT, this is the one to get. pavucontrol Pulse audio volume control (great for making screencasts). key-mon Another great little utility for making screencasts. It displays all of your keystrokes so that the viewer of your screencast knows exactly what keys you've pressed. See link to Hiero (above) for a screencast video that incorporates this utility. Compiz It's not just eye-candy. It's already installed by default on both the XFCE and MATE desktops. Practice safe computing -- use a live CD ________________________________________ Sony VAIO VGN-SR540G / Linux Mint 17.2 / MATE + Compiz
Re: Great "must have" programs ? by MintBean » Sun Jan 10, 2016 6:57 pm
Another vote for GParted.
MintBean Level 9
Asunder is a great CD ripper if you need one. Audacious is my personal preference for a music player.
Posts: 2744 Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2015 6:54 am Location: Blighty
Re: Great "must have" programs ?
tarala Level 1
by tarala » Sun Jan 10, 2016 10:36 pm
I sought for a decent music player for a while, until I discovered Clementine -it's by far the best I have come across.
Posts: 28 Joined: Sun May 25, 2014 7:35 pm
Spideroak is a great, secure and private cloud service for backup and sync between computers/DEs. You get 2GB for free. It also keeps previous versions of your files which can be really handy in case they are not lost but corrupted. For instance, my LibreOffice started wrecking my files once and had I not been able to recover previous versions, the corrupted ones would have replaced the intact files in the cloud. Redshift is handy if you use your computer at night and sometimes have issues falling asleep afterwards as it reduces the light frequencies that causes your brain to be in 'daytime' mode. As a non-native English speaker (I believe you are Danish as well?), Artha can be handy as you can look up words to get a definition (offline, so no internet connection required). I've set it to have a shortcut key so that I can just highlight the word and press the relevant shortcut. Finally, in case you have a laptop and use it on the go, indicator-cpufreq allows you to reduce the frequency of your CPU to save that battery juice for when you need it. for instance, I don't really need the full CPU capacity when taking notes in a meeting, so it's handy to be able to 'gear down' and opt for more battery time
Re: Great "must have" programs ? by z31fanatic » Sun Jan 10, 2016 11:11 pm
Good suggestions guys. I tried a few from the suggestions that I didn't know existed and I like some of them and will be using them in the future. z31fanatic Level 5 Posts: 897 Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2015 5:25 pm Location: Pennsylvania
Re: Great "must have" programs ? by Jørn Rudolph » Mon Jan 11, 2016 10:40 am
Amazing ! MANY thanks for your suggestions .... Greetings From Jørn Rudolph Copenhagen * Denmark * Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia * MATE *
Jørn Rudolph Level 4 Posts: 332 Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 3:31 am Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Re: Great "must have" programs ? by Moem » Mon Jan 11, 2016 1:14 pm
phd21 wrote:
It is always a good idea to have more than one browser installed, in case a browser update does not work properly (rare), or for another user (wife, girlfriend, parent or child
...or husband, or boyfriend)
Moem Level 14 Posts: 5390 Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:14 am Location: The Netherlands Contact:
If your issue is solved, kindly indicate that by editing the first post in the topic, and adding [SOLVED] to the title. Thanks!
Re: Great "must have" programs ? by killer de bug » Mon Jan 11, 2016 1:30 pm
mpv a simple but yet ultra powerful video player. Atom my favorite text editor. With all its extensions, it's really powerful ! killer de bug Level 14 Posts: 5354 Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 1:49 pm Location: Graz, Austria
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
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