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Enable The RT2860STA Linux Wireless Driver
I've been using ndiswrapper and the Windows drivers for the Ralink RT2700E wireless card in my MSI Wind U100 432US. It turns our that the kernel included with Ubuntu Jaunty now includes the native Linux driver for this card. I'm not sure when this was added to the kernel, but I'm using version 2.6.28-15.
If you've been using ndiswrapper you'll need to disable it first. This is done by removing the ndiswrapper kernel module using the modprobe command. Open a terminal and enter
You can now try out the RT2860STA driver by enabling the proper kernel module.
You should now be able to see a "new" wireless device called ra0 listed in the results of iwconfig.
You'll need to reconnect to your wireless network using Network Manager or whatever tool you use to connect to wifi.
If everything is working OK for you with the new driver, there are a few steps you need to take to make sure the changes hold after a reboot.
Blacklist ndiswrapper
You need to blacklist ndiswrapper to keep the module from loading on the next boot. Edit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
Add this line to the end of the file and save it.
blacklist ndiswrapperLoad the rt2860sta module at Boot Time
Edit /etc/modules to force the rt2860sta driver to be loaded when you boot.
Add the following and save the file.
rt2860sta
You are now running your RT2700E wireless card with the native Linux driver.
Fade Out Images with GIMP
There's no need to go out and buy Adobe Photoshop and take Photoshop classes. Just follow this simple GIMP tutorial to learn how to fade out the edge of an image.
One of the features that gives images a web 2.0 kind of look is fading out the edges. This is most commonly seen in the image reflection effects. I'm not going to cover a reflection in this post. I'll just cover the image fade out part for now.
I'm going to start out with an image of our favorite Linux mascot, Tux. I've already trimmed out the white background and made it transparent.
Tux in GIMP
Add a Layer Mask
- Open up the Layers menu [CTRL][L]. If you're opening just a basic jpeg or png there should be just one layer at this point.
- In the Layers menu, right click on the layer and select Add Layer Mask.
- Make sure White (full opacity) is selected and click Add. You should see a white box show up next to the thumbnail of your image in the Layers menu.
Create the Fade Effect
- Right click on your layer and make sure that Edit Layer Mask is selected.
- Make sure that the Foreground Color is set to Black and the Background Color is set to White in the GIMP tools menu.
- Click on the Blend Tool (it should be just to the right of Bucket Fill).
- Drag a vertical line from the bottom of the image to where you want to stop the fade effect. (Hint: Hold down the [CTRL] key to help make the line vertical.)
If you right click in the Layers menu, you can select Show Layer Mask. It should look something like this:
GIMP with Layer Mask shown
Right click again and select Apply Layer Mask.
Tux in GIMP with Fade Effect
You can now save your file. In the image window select File?Save As. Enter a new name and click Save. A menu will pop up with save options. The defaults should be fine. Click Save.
Here's the final product.
Tux with Fade Effect