====== Terminal Emulator ====== As a Linux Power User, you simply **can't do without a terminal** emulator application. Although "Terminal" is readily available in Linux Mint LMDE, it might come short of a few bells and whistles that make some alternatives attractive for one reason or the other. Here are two of my favorites on that field: Terminator and Guake. ===== Terminator ===== When it comes to Terminator, some say it is the most powerful terminal emulator on Linux. It is feature-filled, has tabs, allows arranging terminals in a grid, configure a ton of keyboard shortcuts, and more. You can even save custom layouts for later, so when you're running a few regular tasks, you can open up your custom grid with just a few keystrokes. Best of all, it is available straight from the "Software Manager" application, where you'll even get a pretty recent version by the way (if you made the [[install:upgrade-up7|UP7 upgrade]] that is). {{ :applications:devtools:terminals:softwaremanager-terminator.png?direct&200 |}} To take a glance at the possibilities offered by the window layouts, have a look at [[http://www.linuxnov.com/the-complete-guide-to-configure-terminator-terminal-emulator-layouts/|this article]]... It even thought me about the //Alt-F2// shortcut to open the "command" window! To customize Terminator's appearance, create the //**/home/<user>/.config/terminator/config**// file, and put this content in it: ++++ Display config file content | <code> [global_config] title_transmit_bg_color = "#e29f12" [keybindings] [profiles] [[default]] background_image = None background_darkness = 0.83 scrollback_lines = 2000 background_type = transparent split_to_group = True foreground_color = "#ffffff" font = Monospace 11 [layouts] [[default]] [[[child1]]] profile = default type = Terminal parent = window0 [[[window0]]] type = Window parent = "" [[h1v2]] [[[child0]]] position = 16:1 type = Window order = 0 parent = "" size = 1898, 1023 [[[child1]]] position = 684 type = HPaned order = 0 parent = child0 [[[child3]]] position = 640 type = HPaned order = 1 parent = child1 [[[child5]]] position = 372 type = VPaned order = 1 parent = child3 [[[child7]]] position = 349 type = VPaned order = 1 parent = child5 [[[terminal2]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 0 parent = child1 [[[terminal4]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 0 parent = child3 [[[terminal6]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 0 parent = child5 [[[terminal9]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 1 parent = child7 [[[terminal8]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 0 parent = child7 [[v1v2]] [[[child0]]] position = 0:1 type = Window order = 0 parent = "" size = 1280, 751 [[[child1]]] position = 640 type = HPaned order = 0 parent = child0 [[[child3]]] position = 375 type = VPaned order = 1 parent = child1 [[[terminal2]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 0 parent = child1 [[[terminal5]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 1 parent = child3 [[[terminal4]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 0 parent = child3 [[h2v3]] [[[child0]]] position = 0:0 type = Window order = 0 parent = "" size = 1918, 1057 [[[child1]]] position = 641 type = HPaned order = 0 parent = child0 [[[child3]]] position = 665 type = HPaned order = 1 parent = child1 [[[child5]]] position = 367 type = VPaned order = 1 parent = child3 [[[child7]]] position = 362 type = VPaned order = 1 parent = child5 [[[terminal2]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 0 parent = child1 [[[terminal4]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 0 parent = child3 [[[terminal6]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 0 parent = child5 [[[terminal9]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 1 parent = child7 [[[terminal8]]] profile = default type = Terminal order = 0 parent = child7 [plugins] </code> ++++ ===== Guake ===== Guake is also immediately available from the "Software Manager" application. {{ :applications:devtools:terminals:softwaremanager-guake.png?direct&200 |}} The big originality (and advantage) of Guake is that it creates a dropdown Terminal window that you can access via any keystroke (combination) you like. Letting you access a terminal window in no time, and making the switch from Terminal to Desktop a breeze. Combining the "full screen" keystroke shortcut with the activation shortcut you have a pretty quick way of accessing a full screen terminal in no time ! I recommend you give Guake a try... ===== Command Line Packages ===== If you're using a terminal you might find some interest in the following packages: ==== ranger ==== The [[http://ranger.nongnu.org/index.html|ranger file manager]] is a text based file manager for command line users... We won't delve into the details of the possibilities it offers, suffice to say they are worth the try! <code> > sudo apt-get install ranger > ranger </code> {{ :applications:devtools:terminals:ranger1.png?direct&200 |}} ==== htop ==== top is cool, htop is... hyper cool! [[http://hisham.hm/htop/|htop]] is an interactive process viewer for Linux, it also has a lot of possibilities to let you monitor the system you're logged in to. Once again, we won't get into details here but we highly recommend you try it! Don't hesitate to follow the previous link to learn more about it. <code> > sudo apt-get install htop > htop </code> {{ :applications:devtools:terminals:htop-1.0-screenshot.png?direct&200 |}} ==== iftop ==== It's often interesting, or even important, to monitor your network activity, to this purpose, [[http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/|iftop]] is a must have. iftop displays bandwidth usage on a network interface, in a relatively graphical manner. It's interface is simple and clear, allowing for a good perception of the interface activity while providing enough information to let you grasp at a glance what's exactly transiting through it. It is worth taking a minute reading the available options... <code> > sudo apt-get install iftop > sudo iftop </code> {{ :applications:devtools:terminals:iftop_screen1.png?direct&200 |}}