The Disk Usage Analyzer

Monday, December 11, 2006

Download the podcast here - Episode 21

News

Item #1 - Linux Backer Lets Go Of Third Of Staff

Item #2 - Feisty Fawn (7.04) Herd1 Released!

Item #3 - The Open Source Car Project

Main - -The Disk Usage Analyzer for Ubuntu and Kubuntu





This was a neat little find!! The Disk Usage Analyzer located in the application menu under accessories, as well as KDirStat, included in the base installation of Ubuntu and Kubuntu will tell you how big your directories are and how much space is allocated to it on the physical drive. The utility will give you both a text version of the space and a graphical representation of the data that is on your hard drive. Above are the pictures of both the Ubuntu version and the Kubuntu version. The Fresh Ubuntu choice for disk analyzers is....Kubuntu!!! Yes, it is actually far and away a better implementation of this utility. It is located in the K menu under the utilities menu and is named KDirStat (Directory Statistics), the Kubuntu version gives both the graphical and textual information in a split window, whereas in Ubuntu you have to call up the graphic by pressing a different button on the menu. I also give a thumbs up to the way that Kubuntu walks you through the whole process by selecting the directory from a popup window upon initial startup of the utility. On the other hand, Ubuntu leaves you standing there wondering what to do. Now, I realize that once you learn the application this become less clumsy, but, when opening up the program for the first time it can literally stop you in your tracks. This is a novel utility which might come in handy someday when you are getting close to filling up your hard drive with documents, music, and, (ahem) graphics.

CLCOTW - aliases


This is not really a specific command, but a way of accessing a set of commands through "aliases". An alias is a shortcut to a proper command that can be entered in the terminal. Aliases can be very handy with long and verbose commands. I am a poor typist, so anything that can alleviate that end of my work is appreciated. Before we can use any aliases we must declare them in our user's ~/.bashrc file, which resides hidden in our home directory.

You can use sudo gedit ~/.bashrc to open the file. (I am not a big fan of Vim or Nano).

I would save a copy of the file before making any changes. For example, File -> Save As -> .bashrc.orig It is also a good idea to actually read the file before adding the aliases. Bash, the default shell, already provides some example aliases that have been commented out. It is here that I suggest adding the apt-get aliases.

alias agu='sudo apt-get update'
alias agi='sudo apt-get install'
alias ags='apt-cache search'
alias agsh='apt-cache show'
alias agr='sudo apt-get remove'

These aliases could also be put in a file called .bash_aliases, and set aside from the .bashrc file. there is a provision in .bashrc to map all aliases to a file called .bash_aliases. That option is quite helpful for cross-pollenating your settings from machine to machine. This example was taken as an excerpt from the O'Reilly press book "Ubuntu Hacks", chapter six, page 209.

Enjoy!!!

Links to the music - Because of the graciousness of the artists, they have allowed podcasters to play their music on our podcasts in exhange for a little promo. So here it is, thanks for listening.

Hullabaloo / Calypso Blues

Download "Hullabaloo" (mp3)
from "Hullabaloo / Calypso Blues"
by Spiritual South & Sleeptalker Sleepwalker
Raw Phusion




Artistry In Swing

Download "Take The "A" Train" (mp3)
from "Artistry In Swing"
by Tony Evans & His Orchestra
Tema International




HatHead - Rumba Lullaby

Posted by harlem at 8:12 PM  

5 comments:

You don't seem to state the names of the 2 programs you're talking about, or the names of the packages I would have to install to try them for myself.

Maybe you mention them in the .mp3 file, but I can't see it mentioned in the text.

Chris Moore said...
1:29 AM  

Just curious, Am I overlooking a link, or is there no ogg version? I bet an ogg version would get some downloads.I personally feel all linux podcasts should have an ogg version.

Listeners, Unless you are listening on a portable device that does not have ogg support (shame, shame..), you should be supporting ogg.

Great show!

Bob

Anonymous said...
3:03 AM  

Great podcast. I've listened to about 5 episodes and I look forward to many more. I'm more of an "expander" than a "switcher." The Mac remains my home platform, I spend about 80% of my work on Windows (cygwin makes it bearable) and thanks to a laptop I inherited, I have been going through linux distros. I tried Fedora Core, which is a bear to configure, likewise for SUSE and I have zero interest in Gentoo linux. I'm not THAT much of a hobbiest. ubuntu works great "out-of-the-box." Here's a few thoughts I'd enjoy your take on in future shows:

zsh
What a shell. I'm not geekie enough to get fanatical on the matter but if you spend a little time in the shell, zsh is great.

Migrating from iTunes to ipodderx/juice
I can imagine a world without iTunes...

"Take the A Train"
I'm not a big-band swing fan but what a refreshingly unique song to hear in a podcast. Sound levels are great -- but the shorter the sound segues are, the better, IMAO.

Vocally spelling out command line
I'm wondering if it isn't better to talk about the command line of the week and direct your good audience to your web site? Probably just me, but it's almost painful listening to you spell out each letter.

Keep up the great work!

Regards,
Kyle

Anonymous said...
3:50 AM  

Great Comments folks!!

First off, you dont have to install these programs as they come as part of the initial installation in Ubuntu and Kubuntu. In the Ubuntu package the utility is found in the "Application" menu under the "Accessories" sub-menu. In Kubuntu it is found in the "K" menu under the system sub-menu (I think, I am not on my computer at the moment)

Secondly, I have had an Ogg feed since episode 3, thinking much the same way 'ezerhoden' was thinking. My mistake was that I do not list it on the website. I have now provided links to bothe the FeedBurner Ogg Feed and the Freshubuntu Ogg page, although it basically has the same content just different template.

Thirdly, to Kyle, nice feedback. I'm happy that you enjoyed it and will take your advice and shorten the bumpers. As far as my taste in music is concerned it is rather (pardon the cliche) "eclectic". I try to pick out music that I both like and goes well with the theme of the topic which precedes it. Sometimes that isn't always apparent or even possible, but such is life, eh? I also agree that I should redirect the listeners to the site more often for a more straightforward explanation of the command line tip and I'll make it a point to do just that.

Anonymous said...
5:36 AM  

Great show! I've recently been experimenting with Compiz/Beryl on Ubuntu as I'm sure many of you have. The 3-D effects are amazing and are some of the most exciting things happening on Linux. I think a show covering these window manager enhancements would be a great idea. Keep the shows coming!

Anonymous said...
11:01 AM  

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