Ubuntu Filechooser Dialog Size

Gnome 3 Filechooser Dialog Size

I love GNU/Linux. I've used Ubuntu for well over ten years, and it's stable, powerful and "just works". And if anything doesn't work quite the way you like, you can almost always fix it. Here's a great example.

A couple of years back, Ubuntu switched to the Gnome 3 graphics system. When I upgraded to this recently, I noticed that the file chooser dialog now filled the entire window. I found this disconcerting, because without the context of the original program in the background, it was easy to forget what you were trying to accomplish.

With Windows or MacOS, you'd just have to put up with the decisions of the UI design. But with GNU/Linux, a few second's googling brought up the following command: 

gsettings set org.gtk.Settings.FileChooser window-size '(800, 600)'

Hope that helps anyone else wanting smaller file choosers in Gnome 3.

RocketBot 1: Brains, Brawn, Barometers and Batteries

What is RocketBot made of? We'll go through each part, explaining what it does and A tiny computer, a servo motor, a barometer chip and a battery. This article explains each of the parts that make it tick - the , and also where to get them.

RocketBot DIY Water Rocket Altimeter

Welcome to RocketBot, a water-rocket altimeter that you can build yourself for less than $10 (USD).

Why would you want to build one? And how hard would it be? Read on to find out how RocketBot lets you take water rockets to the next level (hah!) and how easy it is to get started.

Eleksmaker A3X Software

I switched to Linux over ten years ago, and never looked back - I love the freedom, stability and security that it provides. There are great equivalents for almost all Windows apps, but I found nothing for generating laser engraver gcode files.

So I either had to install Windows on an old laptop, or write my own cross-platform app. Guess which I did?

Eleksmaker A3X Build Notes

I've completed my Eleksmaker A3X laser engraver and I'm having lots of fun burning strange things. But the building instructions are extremely minimal and there are several things you need to know for a successful build.

In particular, there is one absolutely vital modification that everyone should make before powering-up their laser. Without this, it's only a matter of time before someone blinds themselves while building their machine.

Eleksmaker Laser Belt Fastenings

My latest toy is the Eleksmaker A3X laser engraver. While building it, I found the provided drive belt clamps didn't work, and I came up a better method of fastening them.

Korean IPS Monitors and Nvidia under Linux

The business is doing well, so I thought I'd upgrade my computer. Bye bye old laptop plus extra 23" monitor; hello new desktop system, SSD, a meaty Nvidia graphics card and best of all, a pair of awesome Korean 26" IPS monitors. Cool!

Actually, not cool - the displays wouldn't work due to what turned out to be a stupid bug in the Nvidia drivers for Linux. Read on for the story and a solution...