Issue 24: Publishing: Professional Writing Tools in Ubuntu

In this issue, we take a look at some helpful publishing tools and then get serious about online privacy.

Technical writers often find that attributing and linking back to their sources is a pain. Fortunately, several applications are available to make that task easier.

The Sigil e-book editor covers all important aspects of creating e-books. The current version shines with new functions and is extensible through plugins.

A basic LaTeX setup can only help you design simple tables. With some additional packages, however, you can jazz things up and build some nice professional-looking tables.

The RTextDoc LaTeX editor promises ease of use when entering complex markup. We look at its advantages and also its shortcomings.

Desktop login normally requires only a username and password, and both are often easy to guess. For better protection, you can implement two-step authentication using a PAM module and a free mobile app.

wxMaxima helps solve algebra problems; it is also ideal for teaching and can be a real asset in the classroom.

With Screen, you can easily manage multiple terminal windows in a single session. This terminal multiplexer provides numerous amenities that allow admins to perform their daily tasks without a graphical environment.

With Tox, you can chat and phone like you do with Skype, but securely, with encrypted point-to-point communication and open source software.

Special characters in filenames often cause problems for shell tools. With Xargs, you can circumvent these problems.

Viruses, worms, and Trojans threaten Windows machines almost exclusively. That's why applying a virus scanner in Linux makes sense when the machine is a file or mail server used by Windows clients.

Since the NSA snooping scandal, many companies have started to offer secure communication services and storage. However, if you really want secure email communication, you need end-to-end encryption using GnuPG.

Instead of just killing processes, professionals cleverly catch their communication and steer the computer's tasks in the right direction using signals.

LXC containers are not just for developers. Adventurous users can also find uses for them.

The Ardour digital audio workstation has received quite a bit of acclaim within musical circles. The project has added even more enhancements to the new version.

Screencasts are ideal for online presentations and demonstrating a particular desktop function. With SimpleScreenRecorder, you can create professional-looking screen videos.

Ubuntu 14.10 offers nearly no changes to the installation process. But, just in case you are new to Ubuntu, we'll walk you through upgrading or installing the latest release.

With NetworkManager, you can access the Internet during the Ubuntu installation process. The first step is to download updates to make your system more secure.

Ubuntu's Software Center lets you install just about anything, including free software, purchased apps, and games.

You can watch movies, play music and place calls over the Internet with ease with Ubuntu. You just have to load the right software packages onto your computer. We present some of our favorite multimedia apps.

We show you how to use VirtualBox to set up a Windows XP virtual machine on your existing Linux system.