Linux Desktop Hacks - Tips & Tools for Customizing and Optimizing Your OS

Linux is the most customizable and configurable operating system you can run on your desktop. Where some people see a lack of polish or incomplete features, others see an opportunity for hacking.

And when all of the code is open, there is no end to what you can do.

Linux Desktop Hacks demonstrates how easy it is to modify Linux to suit your purposes. The book is packed with tips on customizing and improving the interface, boosting performance, administering your desktop, and generally making the most out of what X, KDE, Gnome, and the console have to offer.

From the practical to the whimsical, the hacks in the book cover the following and much more, including creative how-tos that you never imagined!

• Take control of Linux startup by mastering the boot loaders and creating splash screens that display during the entire boot process
• Access your desktop over the Internet from Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux machines, and run applications at near local speed
• Run the kernel, KDE, and GNOME on the bleeding edge
• View Microsoft Word and PDF documents in a console or text email client
• Encrypt and filter your email for increased security and reduced spam
• Automate your system with cron and protect your network with a firewall
• Make an Internet connection using Bluetooth and a mobile phone
• Print to unsupported printers
• Play Windows Media and Quicktime files and watch DVDs
• Utilize 3D video cards and portable music players to their full potential

If you're craving information to make the Linux desktop easier, more powerful, and more fun, Linux Desktop Hacks has one hundred quick and easy hacks waiting for you.