Tool tests on the fast tracks
Tool Tips
![](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/issues/2015/180/tool-tips/f1_menumaker-001.png/657946-1-eng-US/F1_menumaker-001.png_medium.png)
Tools tested: MenuMaker, CLOC, ddrescueview, Hiawatha, pam_honeycreds.so, and XDM.
MenuMaker 0.99.8
Function: Creates menus for window managers
Source: http://menumaker.sourceforge.net
License: BSD
Alternatives: Wmconfig
Anyone who switches often between window managers will be familiar with the problem: each manager creates its own menus. Users who value uniform structure should take a look at MenuMaker. The Python tool generates menus for eight window managers: IceWM, Xfce (from version 4), Deskmenu, PekWM, Blackbox, Fluxbox, Openbox (from version 3), and Window Maker.
Users can define which window manager they need a menu for, such as mmaker xfce
or mmaker fluxbox
, when calling up the shell. The tool creates the configuration file and saves it in your home directory. MenuMaker does not override existing files automatically; users can enter the parameter -f
if they wish to do so.
Enter -c
to get the result in standard output; -v
provides more details. MenuMaker automatically identifies which software is installed and generates a consistent root menu for all window managers. Users can specifically exclude one or more categories from a menu using the -s
option. Anyone who has a favorite terminal emulator for shell applications can enter it with the -t
option.
4 Stars MenuMaker creates uniform menu structures for the major window managers. It is, however, sometimes necessary to customize the resulting configuration file in the text editor afterward.
CLOC 1.64
Function: Counts lines of code
Source: http://cloc.sourceforge.net
License: GPLv2
Alternatives: SLOCCount, LOC
![](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/issues/2015/180/tool-tips/f2_cloc-001.png/657949-1-eng-US/F2_cloc-001.png_large.png)
CLOC – which stands for Count Lines of Code – provides software developers with an overview of their projects. The practical helper counts blank lines and comments as well as real lines of code. It writes the statistical analysis to the standard output. CLOC requires Perl 5.6 or later and understands more than 130 different programming languages; users can obtain a full list using cloc --show-lang
.
On execution, users specify individual files or entire directories to be counted. CLOC also understands compressed TAR or ZIP archives; the tool can receive optional help when unpacking via --extract-with
. The Perl program also tracks changes between two files, directories, or archives. The man page lists various diff
parameters with examples.
The CLOC evaluation can be saved in CSV, XML, or YAML format. Entering --sql
processes the result in an SQL database; the tool generates the necessary INSERT
and DDL statements.
5 Stars CLOC is a practical helper for programmers. The compare functions and the different output formats for further processing information are particularly useful.
Ddrescueview 0.4 alpha 2
Function: Observes ddrescue logfiles
Source: http://sourceforge.net/projects/ddrescueview
License: GPLv3
Alternatives: none
![](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/issues/2015/180/tool-tips/f3_ddrescueview-001.png/657952-1-eng-US/F3_ddrescueview-001.png_large.png)
Many users use ddrescue to save data from a faulty disk. However, the resulting logs are difficult to read. Ddrescueview graphically processes logfiles.
First, the tool determines the size of the disk and displays an overview of all sectors in the main window. The different colors represent how a section is doing and whether the tool is able to save it (green), it is defective (red), not trimmed (yellow), or not yet recognized (gray). Users can receive detailed information about a sector via mouse click. The Block inspector dialog reveals where the faulty section starts, how big it is, and how much data ddrescue could ultimately reconstruct.
Ddrescueview assumes a block size of 512 bytes by default. Users can define other dimensions in the program settings, as well as set up a refresh interval that keeps the display up to date while ddrescue is running.
4 Stars Ddrescueview allows a close look at the ddrescue data recovery tool's activities. The program provides a good overview and also allows specific analysis of individual sectors.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.