First, add a repository that contains Sun’s JRE. You may go to the Synaptic Package Manager and select “Settings->Repositories->Other software->Add” and paste the following: deb http://archive.canonical.com/ lucid partner, or type the following command into your console window:  sudo add-apt-repository “deb http://archive.canonical.com/ lucid partner”.

Second, you should now be able to install sun-java6-jre, sun-java6-fonts and sun-java6-plugin through either Synaptic or sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-fonts.

Third, make sure that you remove the openjdk. In Synaptic remove openjdk-6-jre-lib and openjdk-6-jre.

Finally, set the sun-java6-jre to be your active jre by typing the following in your console: sudo update-alternatives –config java. Then select the right jre (/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun/jre/bin/java). It should most likely be “0″.

This does not work right out of the box with Ubuntu. Thanks to Anders S. Lund I found the solution, which was to install an alpha version of Moonlight:

1. Remove the Firefox-VLC plugin: “sudo apt-get remove mozilla-plugin-vlc”
2. Remove previous versions of Moonlght: In Firefox goto Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions
3. Download the most recent version of Moonlight: http://www.go-mono.com/moonlight/prerelease.aspx
4. In case of sluggish performance, turn of all effects by closing the browser and using the following command: “MOONLIGHT_OVERRIDES=effects=no firefox“

See the following link for more information/troubleshooting.

MOONLIGHT_OVERRIDES=effects=no firefox

Error message:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
sun-java6-plugin: Depends: sun-java6-bin (= 6-15-1) but 6-16-0ubuntu1.9.04 is to be installed
E: Broken packages


To fix it, I removed the java implementation through the following commands (thanks to FrostCake):
sudo apt-get remove sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-bin sun-java6-fonts
sudo apt-get autoremove

Then I reinstalled the sun-java6-plugin through the Synaptic Manager. This will also install all packages which the Java plugin depends on.

Luckily, by disabling IPv6 it was quite easy to speed it up. The steps below should do the trick (thanks to tribaal at the ubuntuforums):

• open firefox
• In the adress bar type in “about:config”
• In the filter bar type in “ipv6″
• Double click “network.dns.disableIPv6″ so that the value turns to TRUE
• Restart firefox

This helped my browsing quite a lot and you might give it a shot if you experience slow browsing in Firefox.

Edit: Adding the Flashblock add on my further speed up loading of pages with a lot of flash. Be aware that this add on blocks flash videos and if you want to see them you have to click on them.

The solution was however quite simple. Some users in the Ubuntu forums suggeste removing IcedTea and OpenJDK and so I did. I used the Synaptic package manager but you may also remove it using apt-get: sudo apt-get remove gcj libgcj-common libgcj7-0 icedtea-gcjwebplugin openjdk-6-jdk openjdk-6-jre opendjdk-6-jre-headless libaccess-bridge-java tzdata-java (I have not tested this myself). After removing the open Java implementation you simply restart your browser and that should be it.

I had already installed Sun’s Java implementation following the instructions I wrote about earlier. Then I had to use this trick which I found thanks to Eirik Hoem.

First, go the the plugins folder where you have installed Firefox (using a text shell/command prompt).

cd /usr/lib/firefox-3.0/plugins$

Next, create a symlink to where you have installed the Java plugin.

sudo ln -s /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun/jre/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so

Finally, restart your browser and the problem should be solved.

My editor or tool package of choice is of course OpenOffice. OpenOffice is very much like MS Office and it contains a text editor, a spreadsheet program and a program for making presentations. These should cover most users needs. I have used both the text editor and the spreadsheets quite a lot and in the latest version of OpenOffice, editing .doc (the MS Word document format) also works like a charm. In previous versions of OpenOffice I have experienced some problems editing the same document with both OpenOffice and MS Word but this seems to be resolved.

Probably the two programs I use the most is my web browser and my email client. Thank you Mozilla for Firefox and Thunderbird. I have been using both for several years and they are in my eyes way better than the alternatives, and they are open source. You should not need any other reasons for using them. Pair Thunderbird with Lightning, the calendar plugin, and you have a very good organizer.

If a calendar isn’t enough to organize your thoughts you might consider, FreeMind. FreeMind is an exelent mind mapping software which I use quite often to brain storm and to structure thoughts.

I will probably come back to other desktop tools when, or if, I write about any Linux distributions. Most such distributions come with a lot of useful tools and applications right out of the box and ready to use.