Install Ask Ubuntu, Reddit Lens in Ubuntu 11.10 from PPA

Unity Lens API in Ubuntu 11.10 have been improved greatly with better filters and data sources. Both Ask Ubuntu and Reddit Lenses have been updated to match with the new API and now they are better equipped.

How to Fix Lag Issues with ATI Proprietary Graphic Drivers (fglrx) in Ubuntu 11.10

The lag issue with ATI proprietary graphic drivers in Ubuntu 11.04 has not been solved and the problem exists in Ubuntu 11.10 too.

The fix is simple. Just install and go to Compiz Config Settings Manager and disable Sync To Vblank in OpenGL plugin as shown below in screenshot.

This will automatically change some settings in ATI Catalyst Control Center. However, make sure that 'Tear free' and ' Wait for vertical refresh' are disabled as shown in screenshots below.

Meet Unico, The New GTK3 Theme Engine in Ubuntu 11.10

 Gnome 3 stack is steadily landing into Oneiric. Work is also being done to port default themes Ambiance and Radiance to GTK3.

Light themes in Oneiric will most likely use Unico theme engine and not Murrine as some style guidelines for GTK3 themes have changed. Unico was actively developed in past but the work stopped as the new overlay scrollbars in Natty took precedence. Unico engine is already present in Official Ubuntu 11.04 repositories but that should be only meant for testing purposes as it is far from being finished. However, the development has resumed now.

Unico Description in Launchpad

Unico is a Gtk+ engine that aims to be the more complete yet powerful theming engine for Gtk+ 3.0 and newer. It’s the first Gtk+ engine written with Gtk+ style context APIs in mind, using CSS as first class citizen.

No more information about Unico is available as of now. The package has been uploaded to Oneiric repositories only two days back. 

A new Ambiance theme (work-in-progress) which is based on Unico is available. I will post installation instructions with some screenshots tomorrow after testing it on one of my systems as I am travelling yet again and will reach my office tomorrow morning. So if you are using highly unstable and far from complete pre-alpha of Ubuntu 11.10 on a system which is NOT your production machine and are willing to get burnt, stay tuned.

Install Web History Lens and Clementine, Rhythmbox Scopes for Unity Music Lens from PPA

Unity Web History Lens allows a user to search the websites he has visited on his computer. It currently supports Chrome/ium and Firefox and has been developed by same developer who provided updated Ask Ubuntu and Reddit Lens for Ubuntu 11.10 in his PPA.

The PPA also includes Clementine, Rhythmbox and Guayadeque scopes for Unity Music Lens. These scopes will allow you to browse your music library and directly play a song/album form Unity dash.

To add the PPA and install them run the commands below:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:markjtully/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install unity-web-history-lens clementine-scope rhythmbox-scope guayadeque-scope