Ubuntu / Linux news and application reviews.

Unity Privacy Indicator: Quickly Enable Or Disable Dash Online Search Results Or Zeitgeist Logging

ubuntu privacy indicator

Privacy Indicator is an Ubuntu AppIndicator especially created to control some privacy aspects of Unity.

The AppIndicator can be used to enable or disable:
  • Dash online search results;
  • Zeitgeist logging (so when you disable this, all files you access won't be logged by Zeitgeist and thus, will not show up in Dash or any other applications that make use of Zeitgeist);
  • show real name on the Unity panel.
After a recent update, the indicator can also clear the Zeitgeist log and recent files (from the new Nautilus 3.6 sidebar, etc.).

    Bridge: New Zeitgeist-Powered Related Activities Indicator

    bridge indicator

    Bridge is a cool new indicator developed by David Callé (who's also behind some great Unity lenses and scopes), that uses Zeitgeist to provide quick access to documents, files and websites related to your current activity.

    Gedit Dash: New Tab Gedit Plugin Powered By Zeitgeist

    Seif has released Gedit Dash 0.1, a plugin for Gedit that uses Zeitgeist to display recently or most used items in new Gedit tabs. You can search both recently and most used items and also, the plugin generates previews which "try to jump directly to some code or text from your work".

    Here are a few screenshots:

    Gedit Dash Zeitgeist

    GNOME Shell Zeitgeist Extension Updated With Integrated Shell Search, More

    Quick update: GNOME Shell Zeitgeist extension was updated recently and it now integrates with the standard GNOME Shell search, meaning GNOME Shell will list the Journal items in the regular search under the Activities Overview.

    Zeitgeist Extension For GNOME Shell

    GNOME Shell Zeitgeist

    A Zeitgeist extension for GNOME Shell has been released today. The extension is based on the work of GSoC student Akshay Gupta (kitallis) and it requires GNOME Shell 3.2.

    GNOME Shell Activity Journal (With Zeitgeist) Videos

    Akshay Gupta, a GSoC student, has posted some very interesting videos in which he shows the current progress of integrating Activity Journal (powered by Zeitgeist) into GNOME Shell:

    Zeitgeist Activity Log Manager Now Available In A PPA

    Activity Log Manager

    A quick update: Activity Log Manager, the application that lets you delete your Zeitgeist history or blacklist applications from being tracked by Zeitgeist is now available in the Zeitgeist PPA.

    Keep Files From Showing Up In Unity (Dash) Or Other Programs That Use Zeitgeist With Activity Log Manager

    Activity Log Manager (previously called "Zeitgeist Global Privacy" or "History Manager") is a new GUI tool that allows you to tweak the Zeitgeist history.



    What's Zeitgeist?

    "Zeitgeist logs user's activities and notifications (files opened, websites visited, conversations hold with other people, etc.) and makes the relevant information available to other applications". Starting with Ubuntu 11.04, Zeitgeist is installed by default in Ubuntu and is used by the new Unity menu called "Dash" (Applications / Files Places) as well as other applications such as Synapse, Sezen, Avant Window Navigator, DockBarX, Docky, Cairo Dock, Gnome Activity Journal and more. It will also be used in Gnome Shell.



    Activity Log Manager

    Activity Log Manager lets you delete part of the Zeitgeist history, blacklist some applications or prevent logging certain types of files as well as blacklist folders. This is useful if you want to keep some recent files from showing up in Dash (in Unity) or maybe just to exclude some private files or folders and so on.


    Here are a few Zeitgeist Activity Log Manager screenshots with all the available options:

    Activity Log Manager Zeitgeist
    (Deleting Zeitgeist history)