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When it comes to the look and feel of a Linux distro, there is a huge amount of choice available. You can choose Desktop Environments (DE) that focus on aesthetics or those that focus on utter efficiency. For those looking for the ultimate in efficiency, LXDE is the one for you. In this LXDE review, we’ll cover the basics of LXDE, how to use it, what it feels like, and some recommendations about LXDE.
LXDE First ImpressionsLXDE is made up of a lot of separate components, and many of those are interchangeable. As such, it can feel a little disjointed. However, there’s a really important part about LXDE that I want to drive home: it’s so fast. Even in a virtual machine it feels like I’m using a bare metal system. There are so many LXDE distros that aim toward older machines that it makes total sense why they’re able to do that. Additionally, many LXDE distros are quite beautiful, which can really revitalize an older system.
LXDE User ExperienceThe user experience of LXDE can vary wildly. However, many follow a very traditional desktop paradigm with a hierarchical application menu and a search function. There’s also a system tray with networking, sound, and notifications, but that’s where the similarities end. Peppermint Linux configures LXDE to look and feel a lot like Cinnamon, whereas LXLE keeps things a little more GNOME 2. It speaks to the modular nature of LXDE that both distros can do such good work with a lightweight DE.
ModularityOne of the things that is so great about LXDE is the modular nature of it. Linux is all about tinkering and choosing exactly what you want, so it only makes sense. A great example is Window Managers – the default is Openbox, but you can also use Fluxbox, IceWM, and Xfwm if you want.
This is where a user more familiar with Linux with specific needs may thrive, as it’s quite easy to tailor your experience to suit whatever you may want. All parts of LXDE are separate and don’t depend on each other, so you can make choices about what you want specifically. You can see in the examples above that the desktops don’t look anything alike, but they’re both LXDE, just with different parts.
SimplicityThis is arguably the best part about LXDE. It’s not about what amazing new features exist, it’s not about what crazy applications are installed with it, it’s just about simplicity. No extra bells and whistles, just something light and minimal to support the workflow you already have. That’s what LXDE embodies. You can, of course, add a bunch to it, but that defeats the purpose. It’s elegant in its simplicity. For those users who feel like they fight their system to make it work for them, LXDE is a great place to start.
PerformanceThis is one of the areas where LXDE really shines. A fresh boot of LXLE in a virtual machine yields just over 250MB RAM usage, with an average CPU usage of 0.7%. This slides right in line with what many LXDE distros proclaim as a primary purpose, which is to revitalize underpowered and/or old computers. LXLE, one of the distros tested for this review, has that as their main branding on their website. Moreover, even in a VM, things are incredibly snappy. I feel like I’m working with a full-fat desktop environment like KDE, but the taxation on the system is so minimal that I could run it on any hardware I wanted.
The Cons of LXDEAs is the case with all software, LXDE isn’t perfect. For those users looking for something specifically aesthetically appealing, LXDE often doesn’t deliver. There are extra tools you can add to make it more traditionally beautiful, but those all add weight, and with weight comes reduced flexibility in the hardware. There are other systems designed for ultra-old hardware that are more beautiful, much like Elive.
Additionally, with the modularity comes fragmentation. I personally like when my desktop environment looks and feels cohesive, and that cohesiveness is recognizable. I know when I’m using GNOME or Pantheon, but it’s hard to recognize when I’m on LXDE. Things are so heavily customized and disjointed that it may feel like Xfce over here and more like MATE over here. For those going for ultimate utility and functionality, then this may not matter to you, but it’s hard to settle into for me.
Where to Experience LXDEThere are two main contestants for the best places to experience LXDE. The first is Peppermint. Peppermint is an excellent choice for those who are looking for a more feature-rich LXDE desktop. It looks and feels a lot like a combination of Xfce and Cinnamon but is lighter than either of them, and the Peppermint project has made some modifications to the system that make it much nicer to use, like the Peppermint Settings Panel to bring all the settings to one spot.
The other place to experience LXDE is LXLE. As stated above, it’s a more GNOME 2/MATE-style interface, but one of the greatest parts about LXLE is that it maximizes the feeling of minimalism that LXDE is all about. The focus remains on keeping things lean, but it adds several really aesthetically-pleasing changes, like an elementaryOS icon theme that updates the way things look considerably.
Who Should Use LXDEAnybody looking for a no-frills desktop environment that’s highly moldable to your preferences and needs should look at LXDE. It’s a step above a tiling window manager in terms of user-friendly features and weight, but not by much, and it gives you a huge amount of flexibility.
Additionally, anybody who has some particularly old hardware will benefit from LXDE as their desktop environment.
After reading this LXDE review, make sure to check out some other desktop environments, like GNOME, KDE, and Pantheon, and learn about some ways to customize LXDE like app launchers and themes.
John Perkins
John is a young technical professional with a passion for educating users on the best ways to use their technology. He holds technical certifications covering topics ranging from computer hardware to cybersecurity to Linux system administration.
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Using Facebook As A Marketing Tool
Garnering almost one billion users, there’s no denying that Facebook is huge. Considered as the social networking giant, it has over 500 million active users, with 50 percent of it logging in on a daily basis.
Knowing Your AudienceFor an average Facebook user, this online platform can be used as a tool to catch up with long lost friends. What they didn’t know is that it can be used to turn messages and profile in actual results. The first thing you need to know is your audience.
Although Facebook started as a college network connection, the social media site now houses more than 900 million users. This makes the site a platform with the most diverse demographic spectrum.
According to KISSmetrics, Facebook’s largest user segment falls into the 35-54 age range. Its fastest growing user segment, on the other hand, is over 55. This only means that the social networking site can serve as a great marketing tool to reach your market, regardless of how old your prospect audiences are.
Choosing Your Facebook Marketing ToolFacebook has three marketing tools that you can use for marketing purposes. Each tool has its own purpose, and it can be combined for greater reach.
PagesA Facebook Page is the same as profile, although it is designed for businesses, organizations and public figures. It can be ‘liked’ by anyone, and it doesn’t have the same restrictions as the profile when it comes to number of friends or fans that it can have. The good thing about Facebook Pages is that it’s free.
GroupsFacebook Groups, on the other hand, is similar to discussion forums, but with additional features the same with what Pages have like the Wall. You can create a group related to your industry, and it also comes for free.
AdsSource: Facebook Marketing Official Page
Lightsout Uses Ambient Light To Switch Between Ios’ Dark And Light Modes
If you’re jailbroken and you enjoy using dark mode to reduce eyestrain at night but prefer the standard light mode during the day for visibility, then you just might come to appreciate the convenience of a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called LightsOut by iOS developer Skitty.
iOS 13 can be configured to automatically switch between dark and light mode based on the time of day, but this unfortunately doesn’t compensate for unusual situations, such as walking into a dark room during the day. LightsOut effectively solves this problem by automatically switching your device between dark and light mode depending on the brightness level around you.
LightsOut works by capturing data from your iPhone’s ambient light sensor to determine whether you’re in a dark or light environment and then adjusting iOS’ display mode accordingly. In other words, the following use cases should happen:
If it’s sunny outside and you walk inside to a dark room, LightsOut will toggle dark mode
If bright lights are on inside and you walk outside into the night, LightsOut will toggle dark mode
If it’s dark outside and you walk into a brightly lit room, LightsOut will toggle light mode
If the lights are out inside and you walk outside into the sunlight, LightsOut will toggle light mode
Those interested in seeing the tweak in action should check out this demo video shared by the developer.
It should also be noted that LightsOut works on iOS 11 and 12 devices as well, as long as the user is using a dark mode-oriented jailbreak tweak called Dune (also by Skitty).
Everyone’s use cases are different, and so are user preferences. For that reason, the developer includes a preference pane in the Settings app where the tweak can be configured to the user’s liking:
Here, you can:
Toggle LightsOut on or off on demand
Toggle Dark Mode (or Dune) depending on ambient light conditions
Toggle Night Shift depending on ambient light conditions
Configure a custom light threshold under which dark mode is turned on
Configure an ambient light sensor data refresh interval (in seconds)
We particularly like that the tweak works with iOS 13’s native dark mode, but it’s just as nice that the tweak kicks back and works with Dune on iOS 11 and 12 devices for those unfortunate enough not to have a jailbroken iOS 13 device at their disposal.
It’s worth noting that the default light threshold works just fine for most use cases, but if you have problems with it, you can always increase the sensitivity. The default value of 50 is considered ‘low light,’ with 1,000 being ‘no light.’ Being able to adjust the sensor data refresh is also a valuable option, as it can mitigate battery consumption. By default, the tweak refreshes every 3 seconds, but if you want to save battery, you can reduce the refresh interval, potentially at the cost of a degraded user experience.
LightsOut works with pwned iOS 11, 12, and 13 devices and is available to download for free from Skitty’s repository. If you aren’t already using Skitty’s repository, then you can add it to your repository of choice with the following URL:
How To Save A Word Document As A Pdf
Last Updated on September 2, 2023
Knowing how to save your Word documents as PDFs is very useful as PDF files are easier to share with others, and don’t require special software to open.
They are also a better file option if you ever want to print something high-quality. Converting your Word documents to PDFs is very simple, and you don’t need to worry about using any fancy software, the converting can be done on Word itself!
This article will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how you can do this.
What Are PDFs?PDF is short for ‘Portable Document Format’ and they are documents that are ‘read-only’ and can be accessed on all kinds of devices without having to install any special software to view them.
There are an array of benefits to these files. They are completely secure and known as one of the most trusted document formats. As they are recognized in court, they are used by professionals in legal departments.
This is because any changes made to these files can be traced very easily, so legal professionals and courts will definitely know about it.
They are also consistent documents, meaning they will show the exact same display no matter where you are accessing them from, unlike other files that change their formatting depending on what device you are accessing them from.
1
How To Convert A Word Document To A PDF
The first thing you need to do is locate the Word document you would like to convert.
Step
1
Step
2
Choose Where To Save Your PDFFrom this screen, you can choose where you prefer to save your PDF, (documents, desktop, etc.)
Step
3
Step
4
Select PDFFrom here, you can select ‘PDF’ from the menu.
Step
5
Converting your Word document to PDFs is very simple, and if you ever need to make changes to your file, you can just make these changes in the original Word document and repeat the process!
It is important to always keep a copy of your Word document in case the need for change arises.
2
What If I Don’t Have Microsoft Word?
If your computer or laptop doesn’t have Microsoft Word, then you can still convert documents people send you to PDFs!
A very simple way to do this is through Google Drive. You can upload, or open a Word document in Google Drive as a Google Document, and then change it to a PDF file.
Step
1
Open Your Google DocumentBegin by opening your Google Document.
Step
2
Select FileSelect ‘file’ in the top left corner, and place your cursor over ‘download’ from the drop-down menu.
Step
3
Select PDF DocumentWhile your cursor is hovering over ‘download’ a drop-down menu will appear. From here, select ‘PDF document’.
Step
4
New PDFOnce this is done, your new PDF will be located at the bottom of your screen.
Final ThoughtsPDF files are secure and very accessible, so knowing how to convert your Word documents to PDFs is very useful.
This is beneficial if you ever need to send someone a document and aren’t sure what software or device they have, as PDFs never change their format, and are accessible on most, if not all, devices.
They are also very safe and secure, so if you ever need to send any official documents to anyone, PDFs are the way to go!
How To Use Homepod As A Speakerphone
Do you know that you can use your HomePod as a speakerphone to enjoy hands-free calling at its very best? Moreover, you will also be able to manage your multiple iPhone calls using the HomePod.
Transferring iPhone calls to HomePod is quite upfront. You can comfortably switch between different calls. With just a tap, you will be able to put a call on hold and easily end the current one to receive the incoming call. Clearly, the Siri-based speaker is designed to enhance your hands-free calling experience. Head over to find out how it works!
How to Use your HomePod as a SpeakerphoneTransfer iPhone Calls to HomePod
One thing worth noting upfront is that you will be able to transfer not just the regular cellular calls but also FaceTime audio calls as well as the VoIP calls from the third-party apps like WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook Messenger and more so long as they support Apple’s CallKit framework. As a user, you can’t help appreciating this well thought out feature.
Step #1. Assuming you are about to accept a call or in a call on your iPhone, tap on Audio button in the call interface.
Step #2. Next, you need to choose HomePod in the list.
Step #3. Now, the light on top of the HomePod will turn green, confirming it’s been connected to the audio of your call.
Step #4. It’s time to put down your smartphone and enjoy your call hands-free using the HomePod as the speakerphone.
Step #5. When you want to hang up the call, just tap on top of the smart speaker.
Alternately, go back to your iPhone’s call interface and deselect HomePod from the audio option.
Manage Multiple iPhone Calls in the Speakerphone Mode on HomePod
When in speakerphone mode, you can easily manage multiple iPhone calls using the speaker. To do so, just end the current conversation or put the caller on hold and then switch between conversations.
For putting the current caller on hold in order to answer an incoming call, you just need to tap on the green light on top of the speaker
To switch between calls, just double tap on the green light on top of the HomePod
To end the current call, you need to tap and hold on the green light on top of the smart speaker
How to Prevent Others from Using HomePod As a Speakerphone
There is also an option to prevent others from transferring audio to HomePod. Head over to this post to get it done.
That’s it!
Over to You:
Aside from the impressive build quality, what has appealed me a lot in Apple’s smart speaker is the top-notch sound quality. Of course, the Siri speaker may not yet be as versatile as some of its noted alternatives but it’s got the quality to be a fine contender.
Some of the features that I’ve found really adorable are the ability to create a HomePod stereo pair and the option to set up multi-room AirPlay 2 audio. Not to mention the functionality to create a sleep playlist and even adjust the equalizer.
You’d like to read these posts as well:
What’s the one biggest improvement you want to see in HomePod?
Author Profile
Dhvanesh
The founder of iGeeksBlog, Dhvanesh, is an Apple aficionado, who cannot stand even a slight innuendo about Apple products. He dons the cap of editor-in-chief to make sure that articles match the quality standard before they are published.
Test Lxqt (Upcoming Version Of The Lxde Desktop) On Ubuntu
One of the official derivatives of Ubuntu is Lubuntu, a version that is designed to use less system resources. To do this, Lubuntu uses the lightweight desktop LXDE, plus a selection of light applications.
To test LXQt on Ubuntu (13.10 or 14.04), you need to use the Personal Package Archive (PPA) released by the Lubuntu development team plus some packages from Julien Lavergne, the lead developer of Lubuntu.
To start, open a terminal window and enter the following command:
sudo
add-apt-repository ppa:lubuntu-dev
/
lubuntu-daily
sudo
add-apt-repository ppa:gilir
/
q-project
sudo
apt-get update
The first two commands add the PPAs from Lubuntu and Lavergne. The third command refreshes the package list to include the packages from the two new archives. The last command installs the LXQt packages.
Now log in as normal.
Since this is the first time you are using the LXQt desktop, it might take a few seconds longer than normal to start. Once it has fully started, you will see a simple desktop environment. At the bottom left is the “Start” menu and next to it are the numbered icons to switch between the four virtual desktops.
Another interesting feature of Openbox (the Window manager) is that you can reduce a window to just its title bar. Known as roll up/down or “shade,” it is a cool way to keep windows in the foreground without them occupying too much desktop space.
You might be tempted to try out some of the other desktops in the environments list like “Lubuntu,” “Lubuntu Qt session” and “Openbox.” Don’t! They aren’t complete installs and are just some of the baggage that comes with pre-release LXQt packages.
Gary Sims
Gary has been a technical writer, author and blogger since 2003. He is an expert in open source systems (including Linux), system administration, system security and networking protocols. He also knows several programming languages, as he was previously a software engineer for 10 years. He has a Bachelor of Science in business information systems from a UK University.
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