1. Chapter 1 Booting Linux

   1. Hacks 1-9

   2. Give Your Computer the Boot

   3. Kill and Resurrect the Master Boot Record

   4. Bypass the Boot Manager

   5. Set a Bitmap Boot Screen for LILO

   6. Create Your Own LILO Boot Splash

   7. Display a GRUB Boot Splash Background

   8. Create a GRUB Boot Splash Background

   9. Jazz Up Your Debian System Boot

   10. Graphics on the Console

2. Chapter 2 Console

   1. Hacks 10-15

   2. Redefine Keyboard Actions

   3. Energize Your Console with Macro Music Magic

   4. Take a Screenshot from the Command Line

   5. Put Your Command Prompt on a Diet

   6. Simplify Changing Directories

   7. Colorize Files in Your Pager

3. Chapter 3 Login Managers

   1. Hacks 16-21

   2. Switch Users Fast

   3. Double Your KDM (KDE) Login Screens

   4. Double Your GDM (GNOME) Login Screens

   5. Get Multiple Desktops the Macho Way

   6. Scrap X11 for Fancy Login Consoles

   7. Personalize Your Qingy Theme

4. Chapter 4 Related to X

   1. Hacks 22-34

   2. Take Your Screens Black

   3. Spice Up Your Desktop with Creative Mouse Cursors

   4. Convert CursorXP Themes for Use with Linux

   5. Use Windows and Mac Fonts

   6. Never Miss Another Reminder

   7. Make Applications Trigger On-Screen Alerts

   8. Heat Up Your Keyboard with Hotkeys

   9. Get Hotter Hotkeys with LinEAK

   10. Access Windows and Mac OS X from Linux

   11. Run Your Desktop over the Internet

   12. Access Your Programs Remotely

   13. Add Depth to Your Desktop

   14. Give Your Desktop X-Ray Vision

5. Chapter 5 KDE Desktop

   1. Hacks 35-44

   2. Make Konqueror a Window into Remote Spaces

   3. Konquer Remote Systems Without Passwords

   4. Ai Karamba! Flashy KDE Gadgets!

   5. Start Applications in Weird and Wonderful Ways

   6. Script Hacks with DCOP

   7. Create Your Own KDE Right-Click Menu Actions

   8. Make KDE Even Easier to Use

   9. Give Depth to Your KDE Windows

   10. Lock Down KDE with Kiosk Mode

   11. Run KDE on the Bleeding Edge

6. Chapter 6 GNOME Desktop Hacks

   1. Hacks 45-48

   2. Randomize Your GNOME Wallpaper

   3. Grow Your GNOME with gDesklets Steroids

   4. Create Your Own GNOME Right-Click Actions

   5. Compile a Bleeding-Edge GNOME Desktop

7. Chapter 7 Terminal Empowerment

   1. Hacks 49-54

   2. Share Applications and Monitors with screen

   3. Stop Using Terminal Command-Line Switches

   4. Ultimate Terminal Transparency

   5. View Microsoft Word Documents in a Terminal

   6. Display PDF Documents in a Terminal

   7. View Word and PDF Files from Within Mutt

8. Chapter 8 Desktop Programs

   1. Hacks 55-69

   2. Reduce OpenOffice.org Startup Time

   3. Read Yahoo! Mail from Any Email Client

   4. Encrypt Your Email

   5. Reclaim Your Email with procmail

   6. Convert Your Mailbox

   7. Configure Firefox Under the Covers

   8. Eliminate Annoying Browser Stalls

   9. Get Browser Plug-ins Working

   10. Create an Internet Phone

   11. Motion Capture and Video Conferencing Fun

   12. Put Screenshots Automatically on the Web

   13. Scan for Wireless Networks

   14. Map Your Meatspace

   15. Connect to a Microsoft PPTP VPN

   16. Play Restricted Media Formats

9. Chapter 9 Administration and Automation

   1. Hacks 70-87

   2. Automate Your Life with cron

   3. Update Your Clock via the Internet

   4. Start Desktop Applications Automatically

   5. Don't Let Elvis Leave the Building

   6. Clone Your Linux Install

   7. Forward Ports over SSH

   8. Take Control of New User Setups

   9. Send Email Alerts for System Events

   10. Create a Passwordless Login

   11. Magically Empower Your Network Cable

   12. Protect Yourself from Windows Applications

   13. Build a Custom Firewall Computer

   14. Link Monitoring in Linux with Wavemon

   15. Make Network Backups

   16. Recover from Debian Disaster

   17. Prelink for Performance

   18. Grab the Latest Source Code

   19. Speed Up Compiles

10. Chapter 10 Kernel

    1. Hacks 88-91

    2. Compile a Kernel

    3. Upgrade Your Kernel to 2.6

    4. Use CKO to Make Your Desktop Go to 11

    5. Tweak Your Kernel Without Recompiling

11. Chapter 11 Hardware

    1. Hacks 92-100

    2. Make an Internet Connection Using Bluetooth and a Mobile Phone

    3. Perfect USB Devices with Project Utopia

    4. Optimize Your Refresh Rates

    5. Print to Unsupported Printers

    6. Control Your Power with ACPI

    7. Use an iPod with Linux

    8. Sync Your iRiver with Linux

    9. Boost Hard-Drive Performance

    10. Accelerate Your Gaming

1. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The tool on the cover of Linux Desktop Hacks is a wood plane. For carpenters of the past, wood planes, which are used to smooth, shape, and straighten wood surfaces, were once indispensable tools. The typical carpenter lugged around an entire chest full of planes, each with a special function. This is not surprising considering a single piece of wood can potentially become bowed, twisted, cupped, sprung, and diamonded, all at the same time. Learning to use a wood plane is said to be a difficult and often frustrating task. If the proper techniques are not used, the plane will dig into the wood surface and ruin the board. Seasoned carpenters say that keeping a sharp blade and planing with the grain are the first steps in mastering this tool.

Bench planes, such as jointers and jacks, range in length from 9 to 22 inches or more. These are better than smaller planes for straightening edges, because their length enables them to bridge dips and rises in the wood's surface. Today, power tools, such as routers and power planers, have replaced bench planes for straightening boards, but hand or "block" planes are still the perfect tool for trimming swollen doorways and fitting shingles. Sarah Sherman was the production editor and proofreader, and Audrey Doyle was the copyeditor for Linux Desktop Hacks. Lydia Onofrei, Claire Cloutier, and Colleen Gorman provided quality control. Johnna Van Hoose Dinse wrote the index.

Emma Colby designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is an image source found at Photo.com. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's Helvetica Neue and ITC Garamond fonts.

David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted by Judy Hoer to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Helvetica Neue Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. This colophon was written by Lydia Onofrei.