Ubuntu/Nautilus Specific

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I know this doesn't flow in the vein of "command line" that I am aiming for, but I thought this was a useful tidbit for those of us using Ubuntu.

I recently purchased a reasonably up-to-date laptop (refurbished, from ebay!) and changed the partitions so I could have XP and Ubuntu, and a 45GB media drive. It's awesome! If I can figure out a few programs I will remove my dependence on XP, but I am not hurting for hard-drive space yet, so no hurry.

Anyway, Ubuntu does not ship with mp3 support built in, since it is a proprietary codec and Ubuntu is released solely under the GPL. You can add the mp3 support along with some other proprietary support (Java, DVD's, etc) from the "Add/Remove..." in the Applications Start bar. The package is labeled "Ubuntu restricted extras", but is a very large download.

If you only want mp3 support, you can install the specific packages (the "Restricted extras" installs all restriced media drivers at once) by installing the packages:
gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly
libmpeg2-4

This will download a few other required files, but overall it is much smaller than the entire "restricted extras"package.

One other neat trick that Nautilus, the included file manager in Ubuntu, can do to music files is play them when you hover over them with your mouse. This trick is "cool", although it may not have much practical value. To get this neat feature, install the packages:
mpg321
vorbis-tools

While you can install these packages through "System / Administration / Synaptic Package Manager" or you can always install it my favorite way: The command line!

For the flashy play-back in Nautilus:
sudo apt-get install mpg321 vorbis-tools

For mp3 support:
sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly libmpeg2-4