Ubuntu For Free

I’d heard mention of KSquirrel in other neighborhoods before (Gentoo and Debian systems mostly) and thought anything would be better than gwenview. I was right. It’s much faster and a major improvement. It was a little tricky to install, but I was able to do it. Here’s how:

Installing KSquirrel

From the above link, click on Downloads and you’ll be taken to a page with multiple selections. You’ll need both files for the Debian binaries. In Konqueror, right click on the *-libs.deb file and use the Kubuntu package manager to install it. Mine failed, and that’s ok. Do the other file now using the same way, and it may fail again, like mine did. I fixed the install of both by using


sudo apt-get -f install


from Konsole. I was then able to launch by using alt+f2 and typing ksquirrel

In my quest for the perfect program to use for burning DVD’s from AVI or MPG I found ManDVD. It’s very nice. It reliably creates quality output. Overall I am quite pleased with the application and I do find myself returning to use it, so I’ve spent some more time with it. Because of the graphic interface, I’ve also included several screen shots of the software. Notice all of the areas in need of translation.

Installation was a snap. I downloaded a pre-packed .DEB file from GetDeb although the installation instructions appeared simple enough, I chose to use my regular method of installing a .deb in KDE  (because I use Kubuntu) via right clicking in Konqueror and selecting Package -> Install Package.

The program permits a broad range of options and formats for the user, and directly requests the desired output format. It expertly handles 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios.

Where it needs help is in localization. Even after selecting the English language for the program, throughout the rest of the user’s experience, the application still presents the user with many prompts, labels, titles, etc, in something other than English.

It’s also in need of volunteers for documentation as evidenced by the gaping void of a help file of any form.

Because the program’s does perform so well, I’d like to see some more community support for this application to improve on the areas that it does need more development.