Making the sixaxis work in PSUbuntu

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USB Mode

See this forum post for a thorough walkthrough:
http://psubuntu.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5∞

SixAxis will 'just work' when plugged into the PS3 via a USB cable. You can use joystick aware applications at this point. Joystick nodes will be created at /dev/input/jsX, with X being the joystick number, starting from zero, ie. /dev/input/js0. Be sure to press the PS button after plugging in the SixAxis, otherwise no signals will be sent, even if the lights are flashing.

If you get erratic or no response from programs whilst trying to use the SixAxis, be sure you check your settings in that application, and then try using the jscalibrator program which can be installed in synaptic, or by typing the following in a console:
sudo apt-get install jscalibrator

then do:
jscalibrator /dev/input/js0

Also, you can test that input is being sent to your console by using jstest which will show the 'raw' input being sent to the console:
jstest /dev/input/js0

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Wireless mode

QtSixA (New for Ubuntu 9.04+)

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=7472939∞
HOW-TO: Connect Sixaxis to Ubuntu trough bluetooth mode

Intro:

After the BlueZ stack was updated to 4.xx, Sixaxis joysticks (from Sony PS3 console) stop working. There's some people on the bluez team working to make it work, but it seems that it could take a while.
So I decided to create a simple GUI that would use some patched 'hidd' that allows to connect Sixaxis to a Linux PC "out-of-the-box".

The app is called 'QtSixA' (It will be in 'Apps' -> 'Utils' -> 'QtSixA'). The GUI is now complete and has been tested to work in 32, 64bit and PowerPC/PS3 computers.

Installation:

If running in a PS3 (or a PowerPC machine), add my repository to the Software Sources:
(It's normal if it gives a warning when updating sources; the repo isn't trusted yet)
deb http://falktx.xtreemhost.com/repo/ubuntu ubuntu main

If you're not running from a PS3 (or any PowerPC machine), add the repo by running this command:
For Karmic or Lucid:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:falk-t-j/qtsixa

For Jaunty or Intrepid, add QtSixA PPA to the Software Sources: (replace UBUNTU_VERSION by "jaunty" or "intrepid")
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/falk-t-j/qtsixa/ubuntu UBUNTU_VERSION main

Then can you install it by opening a terminal and type:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install qtsixa

Usage:

I could explain every detail of the GUI, but it is so easy to use that, well..., I don't think it needs an explanation.

Screenshot:

http://kde-apps.org/CONTENT/content-pre1/107197-1.jpeg∞ (OLD)
(It's KDE4.3, Air Theme)

Updates:

I plan to keep working on this until it gets more than functional (when no more features can be added)

Bug Reports:

Use the links in the GUI (menu "Help" -> "Web Links")

About the Code:

The GUI is written in pyQT (python-qt4) and uses 'sixad' (written in C) to connect through bluetooth or a hidraw device. They're both released under the GPL v2 license and you can get the source code here:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/qtsixa/files/∞

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SixAxis-gui (Old Deprecated)

You can also use the bluetooth features of the PS3 and SixAxis to use your controller wirelessly. This requires a simple gui program called SixAxis-gui as stated here. Bluetooth Sixaxis-The Easy Way∞
You can use the SixAxis to control your mouse pointer as well. Just go to the the 'Task Menu' in SixAxis-gui and 'Enable keyboard and Mouse' and choose one of the options.