Doing a basic screencast in Linux is pretty easy. The package recordMyDesktop can be found easily on the repository of many Linux distros (including Ubuntu 9.04 that I use).

With this package you’re actually getting the backend recordMyDesktop which is written in C and the frontend developed in Python (gtk-recordMyDesktop or qt-recordMyDesktop).

The feature list is simple but that is all I needed for a quick screencast demo I had to prepare this afternoon:

• record the entire screen or just a specific window;
• record audio (with channel and frequency settings);
• adjust fps;
• include mouse pointer, “follow the mouse” recording, include window decoration (or not), and tooltips.

The closing added bonus, it records directly in theora / vorbis!

Recording is done with a simple click on the “record” button and than on the panel you’ll see an icon where you can quickly pause, resume and stop the recording. Easy and simple.

I’m an follower of GTD. Probably not the best one, but at least I try to keep myself as organized as I can in the stream of neverending to-dos.

Which is why one of the first applications I searched for to install on my Android device was a good task manager to sync with RememberTheMilk. I was quite happy to find the open source app Astrid. The program does exactly what I need:

• prioritize tasks;
• add tags and visualize tasks well based on these tags;
• it has a timer function so I can keep track (if needed) of how much time I spend on a task;
• good reminder notification;
• and more.

Asstrid Android task manager

Syncing with RememberTheMilk is a breeze, the only problem is that all tasks go to my inbox and not the lists I have already defined. But, overall Astrid meets all of my demands

Blender is an open source, cross-platform 3D content creation program. This kind of stuff is way too off my league, but if you’re in to creating images and want to do some 3D work, Blender will surely be for you.

I’ve heard a great many things about this software. First and undoubtedly that it is feature rich and extremely resourceful. I’ve seen a lots and lots of work done on Blender and they look amazing. But, there is the other side of the world who says that Blender is useless if you want to be a real pro, mainly because the UI and standards it uses will not be the same as those found in other proprietary programs.

In my opinion, it is surely worth a shot specially for those that are starting out and interested to do this kind of work. If you’re smart and talented enough to do a nice 3D image or animation,  you’ll be smart enough later on to use that expensive software your company bought for you to use.

Want more proof that Blender is good? Check out the animated movie Big Buck Bunny, made entirely with Blender (download of the movie file is also available on their website):

Want to share with us your experiences with Blender? Please write them on the comments bellow.

For the past few months I’ve been doing a lot of work editing images in .eps format. Since I really like my Gimp, I spent weeks trying to find a nice way to edit these images with this program, instead of running to Photoshop. Well, I was finally able to find a solution I now share with you.

The steps you’ll need to follow are actually quite simple:

1. Download Gimp and install it;
2. Download Ghostscript and install it;
3. Go to the  /bin directory of where you installed Ghostscript
4. copy all .exe files (may be 2 or 3) and paste in Gimp’s main directory (where gimp is installed);
5. Start gimp and try opening eps files.

That should do it! If you’re on Linux, just make sure Ghostscript is installed, it should be easy to find in Synaptic for example.

Via: Gimptalk.

Inkscape, everyone’s favorite open source vector graphics editor has just come out with its version 0.46. From the website’s change log, a few highlights of what is new:

• Paintbucket tool
• Tweak tool
• 3D Box tool
• Live path effects
• Color management
• New SVG filters and UI
• Native PDF and AI import
• XAML import/export
• Open Clip Art Library integration (import/export)
• Stock patterns
• Bitmap editing extension effects
• Full on-canvas gradient editing
• Engraver’s Toolbox in the Calligraphic tool
• Touch selection
• Dockable dialogs
• Command-line access to verbs
• Snapping made usable
• “3D” / axonometric grid
• Angled guidelines
• Conversion of objects to guidelines
• Significant speed and interactivity improvements
• Hundreds of smaller features and bugfixes

Download it here. Enjoy!

While Gimp can help you edit raster images (pixel graphics), Inkscape will help you edit vector graphics. The good thing about vector-based images is that you can resize it as you wish and it will not be distorted.

If you’re not a professional graphics designer most likely you’ll be able to use Inkscape and have it do everything that you need. No need to purchase the expensive Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw.

Inskcape will handle several file formats such as: SVG, PDF, EPS, AI, and also JPG, PNG, GIF.  It’ll work on Linux, Windows, and MacOS X operating systems. Download it here.

As mentioned previously, Gimp is a very good open source program for your image editing needs. What is even better about Gimp is its plug-in structure which allows for a greater usage of the program.

One of these plug-ins, called GimpPublishr, will allow you to upload your images to Flickr or Picasaweb automatically. It is quite simple to use, to install it just drop the extracted files inside your Gimp plug-in folder.

The developers have written a pretty good setup tutorial on the project’s page with lots of helpful screenshots.

Have you hear of Photoshop? Who hasn’t, right?! Although this piece of software is incredibly good, it is too powerful for the vast majority of users. Why spend so much cash on such software if you’re only using about 10% of its real functions?

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) handles image manipulations task extremely well. It works for the newbies who just want to resize or convert an image file, up to more advanced users who would like to build complex images. The main principles of image editing are present in GIMP (layers, channels, and a lot more that I haven’t even explored). Another nice thing about GIMP is that it works with plug-ins so you can extend its functions.

Here you can cut, paste, convert, retouch, resize, build images, and take screenshots of your desktop. You can even open and edit PDF files with GIMP.

This program is quite simple to use, as long as you are familiar with some concepts of image editing.

You can download GIMP to use on your Windows, Mac OSX, or Linux machine. If you want to go mobile, download GIMP for portable apps.