New Apps in PCQLinux 2006

PCQLinux 2006 has a ton of new applications for you to use.

Here we  list a few of the more interesting ones that you will find. You

will of course need to explore the distribution more thoroughly to find out more

such goodies.

Unison



This file synchronization utility allows you to keep a bunch of files that

change in different computers all the time. For instance, if you have a notebook

and a desktop computer-both of which you work on-you might files stored on

each as well as save your bookmarks and other data. So how do you get all these

copies into sync?

This is where Unison comes in. Unlike the uni-directional

rsync, Unison syncs both ways. So if you have directory structures on multiple

machines that you wish to keep synchronized, you create the sets in Unison. Now

whenever you run it, Unison will check the files on both locations and

synchronize them. If there are conflicts-for instance, a particular file in

both locations has been updated, it will flag the file and display the necessary

information like the last update time  so that the user can decide which

copy to keep. Being a user level sync program, it doesn't need kernel updates

or root access to run.

Bittorrent



If you are someone who loves downloading stuff off the Internet, Bittorrent is
for you. This allows a high download rate of popular items provided that you

allow a high upload rate of the same as well. For instance, when a new Linux

distribution is released, it might be impossible to get to any of its mirrors to

be able to download it for some time. However, using Bittorrent, you can start

downloading the data from other 'peers' on the Internet and upload the parts

you have received to others as well-in essence creating a mall community of

downloaders.

Beagle



For all the hype around Google and its search engine as well as its

commitment to open source, it is disappointing to see that Google hasn't

released a version of their desktop search for Linux yet. However, there is no

need to fret, since Beagle is here. This is a desktop search tool for Linux that

indexes your personal user space and allows you to perform searches that find

the data you need very, very quickly.

Beagle supports many different types of files or data-the

entire filesystem (to the parts to which you have access, of course), the

Evolution mail, calendar and addressbook, Firefox, Epiphany and other

browsers' Web cache, instant messenger conversations, office documents of all

popular formats, text, images, audio and video and more. The moment you perform

a search, Beagle sniffs out data matching your criteria from all these sources

and displays them in a very organized way.

F-Spot



This is a very powerful but extremely easy to use personal photo-management

software for PCQLinux 2006. In this, you can perform a various tasks of

organizing your photo and image collection.

F-Spot supports many different file formats and can import

images from a number of devices, including your filesystem, camera and others.

Once they are imported, you can tag the images with keywords or organize them

into albums. You can, of course, search within the whole set to find any

particular image you want. A timeline view lets you organize the pictures in the

order that they were actually taken. If you wish, you can even view a slideshow

of the selected pictures.

But it doesn't end here. If you want to perform some

simple editing tasks. F-Spot lets you do it right within the application itself

and there is no need to be a Gimp expert to do it. You can rotate, crop, resize,

red-eye adjust and color corrections right there. And if you wish to revert to

the original, you can do it with a simple click.

You can also easily export a set of  images,

create a PhotoCD for the images, export to a Flickr account, send to Gallery

website or create a static HTML page for upload from this application.

Workrave



Ever sat at a computer for so long that your eyes and wrists started aching?

Well, if you have, you are having the symptoms of RSI (Repetitive Strain

Injury)-an



ailment that many computer users are prone to. Workrave is a program that helps

you prevent this problem.

Workrave works by providing four different ways to reduce

the strain of working on a computer. The first is a



'micropause'. This is a tiny pause that you should get after every few

minutes. For instance, a pause for 10 seconds after 15 minutes of continuous

work. The next is a rest break, which is of a slightly longer duration after a

longer continuous work period. Then you have a daily limit timer that informs

you that you have reached your daily limit of computer time. And  finally

and exercise option shows you



different exercises that you can do at your work table to relieve the strain as

well.

It is a program that should be running all the time on your

machine if you are a regular computer user.

Stellarium



This is a planetarium software that lets you view real-time skies and the

celestial objects in it. It renders these objects as can be seen by your naked

eye, binoculars or a small telescope. Stellarium can let you view the night or

day sky from almost any location on Earth. Celestial objects like the Sun, Moon,

planets, stars and constellations can be setup the way you would see them. You

can even set up grids, zoom into planets and nebulae, change weather conditions

to add fog, sunrise or sunset, see comets and meteors and more.