Fedora 8 must be running kind of choppy for some people and it's so uncool not to use it. So we tune it to let it go faster.
Part I: Services.
All operating systems have services that you won't be using. You just have to know what the services do and turn the irrelevant ones off.
A few words of comment. This is the most safe way. It's meant to be configured and you can always later turn them on. And it's very effective.
anacron
This runs cron(a scheduler) jobs that were scheduled to run when the system was down. Safe to disable, unless you had a cron job that makes backups at times the system was down.
apmd
Advanced power management daemon. Only leave on for a laptop computer.
bluetooth
If you don't have bluetooth, which is my case. Then obviously...
btseed, bttrack
Automatic seeding and tracking for torrents. Disabled unless you specifically wish to seed or track torrents. More information from a BitTorrent FAQ on seeding and tracking.
canna
Japanese support.
cups
Common UNIX Printing Solution. It is one system the computer uses to control the print queue. Only leave it on if you have a printer
cupsd
Printing. Enableonly if you have CUPS compatible printer that works in Fedora.
firstboot
Specific to Fedora's installation process. Perform tasks to be executed once upon booting after installation. Even though it verifies it has been run before (using /etc/sysconfig/firstboot), it can be disabled.
gpm
Lets you use the mouse in text-only console. Leave it off If you never leave X window system. And you probably don't use mouse in console mode any way.
httpd
Makes your computer a webserver. Unless you have a webpage you are hosting, this can be turned Off.
hplip, hpiod, hpssd
A service to support HP printers in Linux, including Inkjet, DeskJet, OfficeJet, Photosmart, Business Inkjet and some LaserJet printers. Only enable if you have a supported compatible printer.
httpd
Apache HTTP Web Server. If you do web development then leave enabled. Most desktop users and/or non-developers should leave this disabled.
ip6tables
Firewall for IPv6 communication. If you are not using IPv6, then disable this.
irda, irattach
Infrared communications between devices (laptops, PDA's, mobile phones, calculators, etc). This should be disabled for most users.
irqbalance
To increase performance across processors on a multiprocessor system.Uni-processor users or uni-core processor users disabled. Newer computers with multi-core CPU's (Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD X2) should enable this. Leaving this enabled should not affect performance on single CPU/single core systems.
isdn
Unless you have an ISDN modem(which is kind of old), disable this.
kudzu
Fedora's hardware probing service. It optionally configures changed hardware. If you swap hardware or need to detect/re-detect hardware this can be left enabled. But you can run it only when necessary, ie, your hardware changed.
lirc
For infrared remote controls in Linux. If you do not have this hardware, leave this disabled.
lisa
LAN information service and provides similar functionality to the "network neighbourhood" concept in Windows. Only useful for computers on a network, users of Samba or NFS may not require this. Most users should leave this disabled.
lm_sensors
Provides monitoring for motherboard sensor values or specific hardware (commonly used with laptops or high-end servers), watching realtime values for PC health, etc. This is also popular with GKrellM users. Disable this unless you have a need.
mcstrans
Required to see proper context information when you are using SELinux. Users who do not use SELinux can disable this.
mdmonitor
Useful for monitoring Software RAID or LVM information. It is not a critical service and may be disabled.
netconsole
Initializes network console logging. Leave to its default disabled state.
netfs
Automatic mounting of any shared network file space such as NFS, Samba, etc on bootup. Useful if you connect to another server or filesharing on your local network. Most single desktop/laptop users should have this disabled.
netplugd
Monitor network interfaces and executes commands when their state changes. Leave to default disabled.
nfs, nfslock
Standard network file sharing for Unix/Linux/BSD style operating systems. Unless you require to share data in this manner, disable this.
nscd
Handles passwords and caches them for naming/authentication services like NIS, NIS+, LDAP, or hesiod. This should be disabled.
ntpd
Automatically updates the system time from the internet. Mentioned in the installation process. If you have an active ("always-on") internet connection it is recommended you enable this, but it is not required.
pcscd
Support for Smart Cards and Smart Card Readers. Small chip like devices that are embedded in certain credit cards, identification cards, etc. Unless you have such a reader, this should be disabled.
restorecond
Used to monitor and restore proper file contexts for SELinux. NOT required but highly recommended if you use SELinux.
rpcbind
Manages remote procedure call support for other services (such as NFS or NIS)，similar to 'portmap'. Can be disabled if you have no other services depend on it.
rpcgssd, rpcidmapd, rpcsvcgssd
Used for NFS v4. Unless you require or use NFS v4, these should be disabled.
sendmail
Unless you run a server or you like to transfer or support a locally shared IMAP or POP3 service, most people do NOT need a mail transport agent. If you check your mail on the web (hotmail/yahoo/gmail) or you use a mail program such as Thunderbird, Kmail, Evolution, etc. then you should disable this.
setroubleshoot
SELinux Troubleshooting Daemon. Provides information to the setroubleshoot Browser. While this is not a critical service it is incredibly helpful for debuggin SELinux issues. Leave this enabled only if you have SELinux enabled.
smartd
SMART Disk Monitoring Daemon can be used to monitor and predict disk failure or problems on hard disk that support this. Most desktop users may not need this unless there is possible problems, but is it recommend to be left enabled (especially for servers).
smb
The SAMBA daemon is required to share files from Linux to Windows. This should be enabled only if you have windows computers that require file access to Linux.
smolt
This daemon provides monthly information for Smolt which is gather statistics and information to assist Fedora developers. Users who wish to help and share information should enable this, otherwise leave this disabled.
sshd
This is not needed if you have no other computers or no need to login from a remote location (work, school, etc.) with SSH. Most likely this should be disabled.
wpa_supplicant
Required if you use a wireless card that requires WPA based encryption to connect to an Access Point, VPN or Radius Server. People who do not need to connect to a WPA wireless network can disable this.
yum-updatesd
YUM Update notifier daemon provides notification of updates which are available to be installed to your computer.If you don't want your systems to be constantly updated, then turn this off. And I think it's even better turned off than on because constant updating gives rise to many problems (like your Windows XP that is getting slower and slower). Only choose updates that are known to fix your problems or security problems.
Again, the service disabling should already increased performance a lot. It should feel much more smooth now. And the following method is somehow additional and not as safe (unless you disable the wrong services). I omitted the services that you don't usually disable.
Much more details about services can be find here containing services that you can and cannot disable:
http://fedoranews.org/mediawiki/index.php/Which_Services_Can_I_Disable%3F
http://www.mjmwired.net/resources/mjm-services-f8.html
DbxConv - DBX to MBOX converter by Ulrich Krebs
This program will extract the messages from an Outlook Express (5.0 - 6.0) mailbox and convert it either to the standard mbox or the Outlook Express eml format. The advantage of saving your mail in mbox format is, that it's a plain text format, which can be read by many mail-clients. Converting to eml format is a convenient way to re-import the messages into Oulook Express.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
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Main Window: Most of the window is taken up by the current fractal. The toolbar allows you to set the commonest fractal parameters. From left to right, it has a small preview window; widgets for adjusting the 4D angles; widgets for the position in 4D space; a depth adjuster; undo and redo; and three widgets for controlling explorer mode. |
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Explorer Mode: The screen is divided into sections. The large, middle section is the current fractal - the other smaller fractals around it are random variations based on the central image. You can click on one of the outer fractals to transfer it to the middle and generate more variants based on it. You can think of this as "breeding" mutant fractals. |
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Formulas: You can easily write your own formulas and coloring methods, or choose from thousands which already exist. |
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Parameters: Formulas and coloring algorithms can have any number of named parameters, increasing your options enormously. Parameters can be functions, integers, complex numbers, colors and more. |
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Gradient Editor: Use one of the many color schemes provided, or import them from Fractint or The GIMP. If none of those suit your image, you can use the Gradient editor to modify the colors to your requirements. Color changes happen almost instantly after the image has first been calculated. You can also easily create random color schemes. |
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Direct Coloring Algorithms: You can bypass the gradients altogether and create other beautiful effects with Direct Coloring Algorithms. |
Since it was first released in 2004, the Disposable Soft Synth Interface has allowed Linux audio users to have simple plugin software synthesizers. Over time, the number of these has grown as users and coders have developed new plugins for particular sounds. Now, nekosynth brings some new plugins to enrich your sonic palette.
At the moment there are three plugins, only one of which is in any way ready to use. Recreate those squelchy acid sounds with nekobee, a simple single-oscillator synth based on the Roland TB-303. For warm pads, have a look at nekostring (currently under development), which imitates the polyphonic string ensembles of the 1970s. Finally there is Wsynth-DSSI, a hack on Xsynth-DSSI to allow wavetable synthesis. It's not really under active development any more, but a new re-written version will be started Real Soon Now.
The packages available are:
dssi
The dssi 0.9.1 package contains:
- The specification, header file and documentation for the DSSI 0.9 API.
- A complete DSSI host (
jack-dssi-host) that can host any number of DSSI plugins with GUIs as a JACK application using the ALSA sequencer for MIDI input.
- A number of example plugins, including (just about) the simplest possible synth, another simple synth with GUI, and monophonic and stereo monotimbral samplers with GUIs.
FluidSynth-DSSI
The FluidSynth-DSSI package contains FluidSynth-DSSI, a wrapper for the FluidSynth SoundFont-playing software synthesizer, allowing it to function as a DSSI plugin. (This was formerly part of the main DSSI package.)
xsynth-dssi
The xsynth-dssi package contains the Xsynth-DSSI plugin, a classic-analog (VCOs-VCF-VCA) style software synthesizer with an editor GUI. Xsynth-DSSI was written by Sean Bolton, and was based on Steve Brooke's Xsynth code, but has since aquired polyphonic operation, band-limited oscillators, a better filter mode, and velocity-sensitive envelopes.
dssi-vst
The dssi-vst package contains a wrapper plugin for Windows VSTs that enables them to be used by DSSI hosts running on Linux or similar on i386, using Wine. dssi-vst was written by Chris Cannam.
hexter
hexter is a plugin which models the sound of a Yamaha DX7. It can load DX7 patch files, and accept patch editing commands via sys-ex. hexter was written by Sean Bolton. Download hexter here.
Features of ZynAddSubFX:
- realtime synthesizer
- polyphonic (allows playing more than one note at once), mutlitimbral (allows playing more than one instrument at once) synth
- Microtonal capabilities with any scale, any number of notes per octave (well... the no. of notes per octave must be less than 128) and keymapping
- 3 synthesiser engines: 1) first (called " ADsynth" or " ADnote") is a complex engine which makes sounds by adding a number of voices. Each one has filters, envelopes, LFOs, morphing, modulation (Ring Modulation, Phase Modulation... the modulators can have any shape), resonance, etc. Each voice includes a very powerful waveform generator with up to 128 sine/nonsine harmonics. You can use Fourier synthesis or if you don't like it you can waveshaping/filtering of functions. This engine includes antialiasing.
2) second (called " SUBsynth" or " SUBnote") is a simpler engine who allows to make sounds by subtraction of harmonics of sounds from white noise
3) third (called " PADsynth" or " PADnote") is engine that makes very beautifull pads and other instruments.
<> - Instruments can be orgainzed in kits, which alows you to make drum kits or layered(mixed) instruments; this makes possible to use more than one instrument for a single part. It is possible to choose what items from the kit should be processed by the Part's effects.
- Effects: Reverb, Echo, Chorus/Flange, Phaser,AlienWah (it's a kind of vocal morpher), Distorsion(Waveshaping), EQ, DynamicFilter
- The effects can behave as System Effects or as Insertion Effects; this allows to use many effects at the same time. You can put any insertion effect on any part(or more insertion effects to same parts, if you like so) or you can put the insertion effect to Master output (very usefull if you use the EQ effect). Also, you can have instrument's effect (that is saved with the instrument).
- Filters up to 60dB/octave (or more..); filters can be analogic (LPF,HPF, BPF,etc.), formant(advanced formant filters) and state variable (SVF)
- Envelopes can have ADSR (or ASR, etc..) modes or can be free modes (with any shape)
- Many settings has a " randomness" option, which you can make instruments that every time produces a subtle different sound; this produces a very pleasent effect (like analogue synths or natural instruments that can't produces exactly same sound twice). Because of this, even if it is digital synthesis, it sounds "warm". Listen the ogg vorbis demos from this page to hear this effect.
- the specifications can be easily chaged, so (for example) if you want to change the number of voices or parts to a higher value or to allow a higher number of effects at the same time, there is necessary to chage only a single value from the source file ( globals.h) and to recompile the program
- Intuitive and easy to use User Interface with Clipboard and many objects has user presets
- Midi support (supports many controllers) and (if you want) JACK support
- the program has Virtual Keyboard which let you to use it even if you don't have a real midi keyboard
- the graphical user interface can be completely disabled if the user need so
<> - it is a free program, licensed under version 2 of the GNU General Public License
- there are over 300 high quality instruments included into the package
- many other features.... It is is impossible to describe all this program's features in just a page
 Hydrogen is an advanced drum machine for GNU/Linux. It's main goal is to bring professional yet simple and intuitive pattern-based drum programming.
What's Qsynth ?
Qsynth is a fluidsynth GUI front-end application written in C++ around the Qt4 toolkit using Qt Designer. Eventually it may evolve into a softsynth management application allowing the user to control and manage a variety of command line softsynth but for the moment it wraps the excellent FluidSynth. FluidSynth is a command line software synthesiser based on the Soundfont specification.
Licence: GNU General Public License (GPL)
Sourceforge project page: http://sourceforge.net/projects/qsynth
Screenshots
Click on image to see more screenshots...
What's QjackCtl ?
QjackCtl is a simple Qt application to control the JACK sound server daemon, specific for the Linux Audio Desktop infrastructure.
Written in C++ around the Qt4 toolkit for X11, most exclusively using Qt Designer.
Provides a simple GUI dialog for setting several JACK daemon parameters, which are properly saved between sessions, and a way control of the status of the audio server daemon. With time, this primordial interface has become richer by including a enhanced patchbay and connection control features.
License: GNU General Public License (GPL)
Sourceforge project page: http://sourceforge.net/projects/qjackctl
Screenshots
Click on image to see more screenshots...
Loop-based Music Composition With Linux, Pt. 1
Loop-based music composition is the practice of sequencing audio samples to create the various parts of a musical work. A sample may contain only a single event such as a bass note or cymbal crash or it may contain a measured pattern of events such as a drum beat, a guitar chord progression, or even an entire piece of music. The former type is sometimes referred to as a "one-shot" sample, while a longer sampled pattern is often simply called a loop.
A loop is usually created at a specific tempo in a precise time period (musical beats and measures) for exact concatenation with other loops. Sequencing a series of timed loops creates realistic tracks that can convince a listener that he or she is listening to a part specifically performed for the piece.
Loop sequencing offers certain advantages over MIDI sequences. They may contain performance characteristics that are difficult or even impossible to achieve with MIDI instruments, such as bass slaps and guitar fretboard tapping techniques. As we shall see, loops can be used in many non-obvious ways, thanks to the tools and utilities available for manipulating sampled audio.
This two-part article will explore some of the techniques and software used for composing music with audio loops. We'll look at some well-known Linux audio applications that include powerful tools for loop manipulation, and I'll also introduce some utilities specifically designed to help you create and edit your own seamless loops.
Hydrogen is an advanced drum machine for GNU/Linux. It's main goal is to bring professional yet simple and intuitive pattern-based drum programming.
What is Rosegarden?
"the closest native equivalent to Cubase® for Linux" – Sound on Sound
Rosegarden is a professional audio and MIDI sequencer, score editor, and general-purpose music composition and editing environment. Rosegarden is an easy-to-learn, attractive application that runs on Linux, ideal for composers, musicians, music students, and small studio or home recording environments.
Ardour is a digital audio workstation. You can use it to record, edit and mix multi-track audio. You can produce your own CDs, mix video soundtracks, or just experiment with new ideas about music and sound.
Ardour capabilities include: multichannel recording, non-destructive editing with unlimited undo/redo, full automation support, a powerful mixer, unlimited tracks/busses/plugins, timecode synchronization, and hardware control from surfaces like the Mackie Control Universal. If you've been looking for a tool similar to ProTools, Nuendo, Pyramix, or Sequoia, you might have found it.
Above all, Ardour strives to meet the needs of professional users. This means implementing all the "hard stuff" that other DAWs ( even some leading commercial apps ) handle incorrectly or not at all. Ardour has a completely flexible "anything to anywhere" routing system, and will allow as many physical I/O ports as your system allows. Ardour supports a wide range of audio-for-video features such as video-synced playback and pullup/pulldown sample rates. You will also find powerful features such as "persistent undo", multi-language support, and destructive track punching modes that aren't available on other platforms.
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