Linux Tips • Page 79 of 115 • Getting you up to speed!

Find Out Which Shell You’re Using

Today’s article is going to teach you how to find out which shell you’re using. Knowing which shell you’re using is important if you’re using an unfamiliar system. Most of the time, it’s something you’d already know, but once in a while you might need to find out which shell you’re using.

As you’re visiting this site, it’s fairly safe to assume you’re using Linux (or at least interested in Linux). In that case, you’re quite likely using Bash. Bash is the most common, from my observations.

If you’re curious, Bash is a replacement for Bourne Shell – and is ‘Bourne Again SHell’. It has existed, thanks to the Brian Fox and the GNU Project, since the late eighties. It’s pretty ubiquitous, pretty stable, and pretty feature complete.

While Bash is the most common, it’s certainly not alone in the field of shell options. There are other shells, from ZSH to Fish, or from Dash to Nushell. In some distros, you might find one of them installed by default, but it’s usually going to be Bash.

So, odds are pretty good that you will already know if you’re using something other than Bash. After all, you’d likely have been the person who installed the alternative. Still, there are a couple of commands you can use when you want to figure out which shell you’re using, for when you do need to know.

Find Out Which Shell You’re Using:

This article requires an open terminal, like many other articles on this site. If you don’t know how to open the terminal, you can do so with your keyboard – just press CTRL + ALT + T and your default terminal should open.

On the off-chance that you don’t know what a shell is, Wikipedia describes the shell as:

A Unix shell is a command-line interpreter or shell that provides a command line user interface for Unix-like operating systems. The shell is both an interactive command language and a scripting language, and is used by the operating system to control the execution of the system using shell scripts.

And now, with your terminal emulator open, let’s go about finding out which shell you’re using.

The first command you can try would be:

echo $SHELL

1	echo $SHELL

You can also use the echo command in a different way. It’s even a bit more clear with this command:

echo $0

echo $0

You can also use ‘ps’ which takes snapshots of current processes:

ps -p $$

ps -p $$

There are certainly other ways to find out which shell you’re using, but those are a few ways that are easy enough. If you have other ways, please feel free to leave them as a comment.

Oh, and here’s a bonus… If you want to see which shells are installed on your system, you can use the following command:

cat /etc/shells

1	cat /etc/shells

The output of this would look similar to this:

list of installed shells — This is the defaults from Lubuntu 20.04 LTS. Your output may vary, of course.

As I said, that’ll let you know which shells you have installed. In a future article, we might discuss how to change your default shell – but that’s something I seldom bother with these days. Bash works and works well.

Closure:

Yup… There it is! Another article. Now that the year is up, I’m not sure what to look forward to as a goal. I highly doubt I’ll make it a full two years, but it could happen. We shall see…

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Convert Disk Image Formats To .ISO

Today’s article will teach you how to convert disk image formats to .iso. It’s a pretty handy tool to have in your toolbox. This is going to be a pretty easy article to follow, so it shouldn’t be all that long.

In case you don’t know, there are all sorts of disk image formats. The .bin and .cue are the two you are most likely to be familiar with (beyond the .iso, which is the most common in the Linux world).

There are .B5I .BIN, CDI, CUE, .MDF, MDE, and .NRG. There may be more, but that’s all the tool we’ll be using handles. As I mentioned, you may well already be familiar with the .BIN and .CUE disk image formats. You see those from time to time and now you no longer have to ignore them – you’ll have just the tool you need to convert them to .ISO (which many programs expect – and work with, while not working with other formats).

The tool we’ll be using is known as iat and it’s actually just a tiny command-line application. The man page defines it as such:

iat – converts many CD-ROM image formats to iso9660

The latter part is probably important to note. That means that it only converts to .ISO format and nothing else. If you want to convert to a different format, or in the opposite direction, this is not the correct tool the job.

So then, let’s take a few minutes to use iat and learn how to …

Convert Disk Image Formats:

With your terminal now open, the rest is easy. It’s almost certainly in your default repositories, and unlikely to be installed by default. You can install it in your usual manner – but I’ll show you how to do it in Debian/Ubuntu/Mint derivatives:

sudo apt install iat

1	sudo apt install iat

It’ll be just as easy to install in any major distro. To use it, it’s REALLY simple… It’s just this easy:

iat <path/to/file_name> <desired_output_name.iso>

1	iat <path/to/file_name> <desired_output_name.iso>

Sure, you can check out man iat, but it’s not really all that complicated. This is pretty much the easiest tool you’ll find to convert disk image formats to .iso. Tell it which file you want to convert, tell it what you want to name the output file, and then you just pound the enter button on your keyboard and wait. The output is a handy .iso that you can use just like you would any other .iso.

Closure:

There you have it! You have a new article that teaches you how to convert disk image formats to .iso – which can seriously come in handy when you need to burn a disk image and the software you’re using only accepts .iso as the input.

It’s also the first article I hadn’t obligated myself to do! This is now over a year since the first article was published, and one published every other day. I am absolutely NOT committing to maintaining the same publication schedules, but I just don’t think I can let the site sit here idle. So, we’ll see what happens.

Change Snap Application Privileges In Lubuntu

In today’s article, we’re going to learn how to change Snap application privileges in Lubuntu. With Ubuntu, it’s a bit more straightforward. In Lubuntu, you have to dig around a little bit. Don’t worry, ‘snot hard – it’s just not all that intuitive.

Snap applications come with their own privileges. This is useful because sometimes you may want to change them, to enable something that was disabled or to disable something that was enabled. I think it’s sorted now, but at one point you even had to change the permissions to let the Firefox browser access removable media.

In Ubuntu it’s pretty straightforward and there are a ton of tutorials already out there that will help you change Snap application privileges. It’s just one of those things that comes with Snaps, so we’ll cover Lubuntu.

I’ve written about Snap applications before, including sharing how to disable Snaps completely. However, the reality is that they’re going to be a part of the Ubuntu ecosystem for the foreseeable future.

Like them or not, they will be a part of Ubuntu and official Ubuntu flavors. I suspect trying to avoid them will get more difficult. With the new Lubuntu, for example, the Firefox browser will come as a Snap application by default.

So, well, even we folks using Lubuntu must come to grips with Snap applications. This can be a pretty painless process, if you’re armed with some information. That’s what this article is meant to do. This article is meant to teach you how to …

Change Snap Application Privileges In Lubuntu:

This is actually pretty easy, but not necessarily intuitive. Unlike many of my articles, you don’t actually have to start with an open terminal. No, you need to start with “Discover”.

So, crack open your menu, click on System Tools, and then click on Discover. Once you have Discover open, you can use the search or installed option to find the application in question. In this article, I decided to just use Firefox – seeing as we Lubuntu users will be faced with a Snap app Firefox.

When you find the application, you just click on it. It looks like so:

click on Firefox to begin — See? I even started you off with a handy arrow! *It’s a recurring theme!*

Once you’ve clicked the application, then you just click on the obvious! You just click on “Configure permissions”. That looks like this:

click on permissions to continue — Yup. I gave you another handy arrow – but it should be obvious now.

Finally, you can adjust the individual permissions. That looks like this:

finally, adjust your permissions as needed — There are a bunch of settings you can change. Again, you get a handy arrow!

That’s about it, really. The thing is, you have to use Discover. While the Muon application is able to install applications, it doesn’t deal with Snap applications. Only the Discover application has these menus and it’s the only way (at least graphically, by default) for you to adjust the individual Snap application privileges.

So, while it’s not necessarily intuitive – it’s not dreadfully difficult. You just have to know where to look and then it becomes obvious.

Closure:

Guess what? As of tomorrow, a day where no article is scheduled, it will have been a full year that this project has been alive. That’s right! I’ve gone the full year without missing a single publication date! If I can do it, so can’t you!

So, am I done? No… No, I don’t think so. I still have articles that need to be written, things that need to be said. I’ve had a great deal of fun, though it has been a lot of work. I’ve learned some, you’ve learned some, and I’d say it’s a net benefit to the Linux community – though I suppose I’m a bit biased. (Feel free to agree with me!)

I may take a few days off. I’m not actually sure. I haven’t decided. I have decided that this can’t be the last article, so there’s that. Which is nice… If nothing else, I’ll see you again in a few days. I might enjoy taking a break. Then again, I kinda suck at taking breaks. I truly suck at retirement.

Check To See If SELinux Is Working

In today’s article, you’ll learn how to see if SELinux Is Working on your system. Your system may not have SELinux, but many do. This article is for those people. You’re welcome!

SELinux stands for Security-Enhanced Linux and its function is to provide greater controls over who can access the system. It was actually developed by the US spy-agency – the NSA. You’ll often find SELinux in distros that fall within the RHEL family tree. The link at the start of this paragraph will give you even more details.

This article is just about checking to see if SELinux is working. It should be noted that SELinux has three operational states. I’ll cover them lightly here.

The first operational status is usually the default, which is ‘enforcing’. This means that it’s working and blocking as designed.

The second possible result is ‘permissive’. When SELinux is in this state, it is not blocking anything – but it is logging everything. So, you’ll see things after the fact, when you check the logs.

The third is simply ‘disabled’. That’s self-explanatory. If it’s disabled, it means it isn’t working. If it’s disabled, it’s easy enough to start it. If you choose not to, you’re not taking advantage of a security tool.

It’s not a very difficult article to follow, I don’t imagine. Pretty much anyone can figure this out. We won’t be going into details other than what the headline, and explaining everything about SELinux would take a lot of time and is beyond my level of expertise.

See If SELinux Is Working:

With your terminal open, the very first command you can use is simply:

getenforce

1	getenforce

That’ll spit out exactly the answer you’re looking for. However, the command that’s more interesting is the one that follows, an arguably better command to learn more about the status of SELinux:

sestatus

sestatus

That command outputs a ton of information. The output of that command has more information. Included in that information is the SELinux status. It’s a quick way to see if SELinux is working.

The output of that command would look something like this:

See the line – which is “Current mode:”? Well, that’s how you see if SELinux is working. It also feeds you other information, for a more deep view of your SELinux status.

I suppose if you use that command and want to narrow it down, you could do something like:

sestatus | grep "Current mode:"

1	sestatus \| grep "Current mode:"

Which is really just a bit silly when you already have the getenforce command available. There’s no reason to occupy one of your memory banks with that command, as it’s really just some fun with grep.

Closure:

Yup… There you have it. You have another article! ‘Snot really all that handy for those of us who don’t use SELinux. But, if you are using SELinux, this is a perfectly handy way to see if See If SELinux Is Working.

Install The Snap Version of Chromium

Today’s article will teach you how to install the Snap version of Chromium – the opensource browser from Google. It’s akin to Chrome, but without all the proprietary bits and bobs. This isn’t a difficult article to follow, but may have some information that was easy to miss along the way.

Chromium is also the source for many other browsers, from Brave to Opera, they’re all Chromium underneath – including the Edge browser from Microsoft.

You’ll find things like syncing your passwords and history isn’t really possible with Chromium’s default configuration. Those bits are proprietary, and Google doesn’t want third parties using their resources, so those bits have been disabled for some time now.

However, it’s still very much a usable browser – and I’d know that sorta thing. After all, I’ve made it pretty clear that I’ll try any browser at least once! I’m often checking out the browser market and trying new browsers. With that, I can say that Chromium is generally easy to work with, has the features I use, has great support, and has a ton of available extensions.

Snap Version?

Snap? Yes, this article is about installing the Snap version of Chromium. I actually wrote an article about how to install the non-Snap version. (It was a horrible article written while I was very ill – I need to go back and edit it.)

Snaps are Ubuntu’s (will work on most every distro, with a little effort) ‘new’ package management system. It’s meant to be easier for both you and the developer, as the developer needs to only package one version. As for it being easier for you, it’s meant to avoid needing dependencies and does things like run in a secure container. It has some differences to, and some similarities with, both AppImages and Flatpaks.

Snaps are happening. If you don’t like them, you’re going to have to put some effort into not using them – if you want to use Ubuntu and official Ubuntu flavors. Mint is an exception – currently. We’ll see how long they hold out and which side of history they end up on. Still, if you want to use Ubuntu, you might as well adjust and start using Snaps.

In fact, in Lubuntu 22.04, you’ll find that Firefox defaults to a Snap version. That’ll likely be mentioned in the release notes that nobody ever reads, so, we’ll have to see how folks deal with that change. I wonder how many won’t even notice the change?

Yes, there are complaints about Snap applications – some of them even valid complaints. It doesn’t matter. This is the direction Ubuntu is going and there’s no stopping them. I will link to this page again, just to show you how easy they are to use. You might as well jump on the train, ’cause the destination is set for Ubuntu’s locomotive.

On a personal level, I don’t really mind them. They’re a bit wonky when compared with traditional repositories or PPAs. They do things like save the previous version, so that you still have access to the application if the newer version is buggy. They also take up more space, as one would expect if dependencies are included with each Snap. Indeed, they even take longer to load. Much of that is mitigated by having more modern hardware or being just a little patience – they don’t take all that long to load, after all. They also have some pretty great features.

So, yeah… This article is about a Snap application – specifically Chromium. It’s not terribly complicated – but there’s a second step that many don’t realize and I want to bring attention to that step.

Install The Snap Version of Chromium:

Once you have your default terminal emulator open, you can just install Chromium with the following:

sudo snap install chromium

1	sudo snap install chromium

That’s all well and good, but it’s actually just a limited version of Chromium. Perhaps for licensing reasons, I’m not actually sure, you’re probably not done at this point. Well, many people will not be done at this point.

If you, like those many people, want to play things like proprietary media (i.e. DRM encumbered media like Netflix) you actually have to install another package. This step isn’t really all that clear and you’re kinda left blind to figure it out for yourself. Hopefully this makes it a bit more clear for those seeking information about installing the Snap version of Chromium.

Again, it’s not hard. This is not a difficult article to follow. It’s just that it’s not all that clear. You next need to install chromium-ffmpeg. Your regularly installed ffmpeg is not adequate, you need a Chromium specific version. The command is pretty logical, once you know that you need it.

sudo snap install chromium-ffmpeg

1	sudo snap install chromium-ffmpeg

And, that’s actually all you should need to do. Having done that, you can restart your browser and you should be able to use DRM-protected music and video. Yes, you should be able to use Netflix – but not Peacock, ’cause they’re just jackasses.

Closure:

See? I told you that it wasn’t that difficult to install the Snap version of Chromium. It shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes before you’re watching videos and listening to the music. We can argue the merits of DRM some other time, but this is not the article for that.

Well, I mean, you can offer opinions in the comments and feedback, but no amount of opinion will stop me from telling folks how to do this. If they want to consume DRM-encumbered media, they are free to do so, and this is one way of doing so. No amount of opinions offered will sway Ubuntu from this course.