The First Point Release of Ubuntu 20.04 Available to Download

August 7, 2020 — Leave a comment

Ubuntu 20.04.1, the first point release for the LTS, was released. ISO images and upgrade from Ubuntu 18.04 are available.

This point release DO NOT contain updated Kernel and X stack. It contains various bug fixes to installation, upgrade, desktop, server and cloud, and Kernel and hardware support updates. See change summary.

Download / Upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04.1:

The desktop and sever ISO images are available for download at the link below:

Download Ubuntu 20.04.1

For Ubuntu 20.04, simply install regular updates via Software Updater will bring you to Ubuntu 20.04.1.

For Ubuntu 18.04, if you want to upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04, do:

  1. Keep your system up-to-date by installing all system updates via Software Updater.
  2. Restart your computer after installing updates if Software Updater asks.
  3. Launch Software & Updates, select Download from “Main sever”.
  4. Still in Software & Updates, under Updates, choose Notify me of a new Ubuntu version “For any new version”.
  5. Finally launch Software Updater. It will prompt that Ubuntu 20.04 available to upgrade.

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Automatic CPU Speed & Power Optimizer Auto-cpufreq 1.2 Released

August 7, 2020 — Leave a comment

CPU-G

Auto-cpufreq, automatic CPU speed & power optimizer for Linux to improve battery life, released version 1.2 with AMD support.

Different to cpufreq indicator and / or TLP, Auto-cpufreq automatically make “cpufreq” related changes based on active monitoring of laptop’s battery state, CPU usage and system load. Ultimately allowing you to improve battery life without making any compromises.

How to Install Auto-cpufreq in Ubuntu:

Auto-cpufreq is available as Snap package, which can be easily installed from Ubuntu Software:

Don’t like the containerized snap package? You may also download the source tarball which contains an install script:

Auto-cpufreq tarball

Extract and go into the source folder, then right-click on blank area and select ‘Open in Terminal’

Finally run the installer via command:

sudo ./auto-cpufreq-installer

How to run Auto-cpufre:

Once installed the tool, you can run it with different flags:

1. Monitor and suggest CPU optimizations by running command:

sudo auto-cpufreq --monitor

2. Run the tool to improve battery life for temporary use (work until reboot):

sudo auto-cpufreq --live

3. Install the daemon so it will work permanently and silently in background.

sudo auto-cpufreq --install

4. Uninstall the daemon to stop the service:

sudo auto-cpufreq --remove

see auto-cpufreq in github

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Pinta 1.7 Released! How to Install in Ubuntu 20.04

August 6, 2020 — 1 Comment

Open source painting software Pinta 1.7 was released a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu 18.04.

Pinta 1.7 is the first release in over 5 years. Release highlights include:

  • Added a tab view to switch between images.
  • Rotate / Zoom dialog now supports zooming and panning
  • Added a Smooth Erase tool
  • The Pencil tool can switch between different blend modes.
  • Added support for JASC PaintShop Pro palette files.
  • The transform tools can now rotate in fixed increments by holding Shift.
  • The Move Selected tool can now scale by holding Ctrl.
  • Dragging and dropping a URL (e.g. image from a web browser) to download and open the image
  • Rewritten user guide.
  • See release note for details.

How to Install Pinta 1.7 in Ubuntu:

The Pinta official PPA has made the packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 19,x and 20.

1. Open terminal from system application menu, and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pinta-maintainers/pinta-stable

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then you can upgrade Pinta from an old release via Software Updater (Update Manager):

or run apt command in terminal to install or upgrade the software:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install pinta

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA repository, either use Software & Updates -> Other Software, or run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:pinta-maintainers/pinta-stable

And remove Pinta if you want via command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove pinta
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Vivaldi Web Browser 3.2 Released with Improved Pop-out Video

August 5, 2020 — 3 Comments

Vivaldi web browser 3.2 was released today. The new release added a mute button to the pop-out video (picture-in-picture) mode.

Vivaldi 3.2 release highlights:

  • Add mute button to Picture-in-picture window
  • Option to change Close Tab button position
  • Support Alt+F4 to close Task manager
  • Various improvements to Notes Manager
  • Overall improvements and security fixes.

Download / Install Vivaldi in Ubuntu:

The official Ubuntu .DEB packages are available for download at the link below:

Download Vivaldi (DEB)

Grab the deb matches your OS type, then install it via either Ubuntu Software or Gdebi package manager. Or run command in terminal:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/vivaldi-stable_3.2*.deb

You may also add the official Vivaldi apt repository to your system, to be able to receive the browser package updates via Software Updater utility.

Open terminal by either pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or searching for terminal from application menu. When it opens, run following commands one by one:

1. Download and install the repository keyring:

wget -qO- https://repo.vivaldi.com/archive/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add -

Typer user password when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. Add Vivaldi repository via command:

sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://repo.vivaldi.com/archive/deb/ stable main'

3. Finally check updates and install the web browser via command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install vivaldi-stable

Or upgrade from an old version via Software Updater utility.

(Optional): To remove Vivaldi apt repository from you system, launch Software & Updates and navigate to Other Software tab.

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How to Install Linux Kernel 5.8 in Ubuntu

August 4, 2020 — Leave a comment

Linux Kernel

Linus Torvalds announced the release of Linux kernel 5.8 two days ago on Sunday. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu and / or Linux Mint.

New features in Linux Kernel 5.8 include:

  • Qualcomm Adreno 405 / 640 / 650 open-source support.
  • AMDGPU TMZ support.
  • Intel Tiger Lake SAGV support.
  • New Arm SoC and platform support.
  • AMD Energy Driver.
  • Initial support for booting POWER10 processors.
  • Intel Tiger Lake Thunderbolt support for Intel’s Gateway SoCs.
  • And many other new features and improvements.

How to Install Linux Kernel 5.8 in Ubuntu:

The mainline kernels do not include any Ubuntu-provided drivers or patches. They are not supported and are not appropriate for production use

The mainline kernel packages for Linux 5.8 (64-bit) are now available for download at the link below:

Download Kernel 5.8

Select generic for common system, and lowlatency for a low latency system (e.g. for recording audio):

  1. linux-headers-5.8.0-xxxxxx_all.deb
  2. linux-headers-5.8.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb
  3. linux-modules-5.8.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb
  4. linux-image-xxx-5.8.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb

Alternatively you can download and install the kernel binaries via terminal commands ( open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T):

cd /tmp/

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8/amd64/linux-headers-5.8.0-050800_5.8.0-050800.202008022230_all.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8/amd64/linux-headers-5.8.0-050800-generic_5.8.0-050800.202008022230_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-5.8.0-050800-generic_5.8.0-050800.202008022230_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8/amd64/linux-modules-5.8.0-050800-generic_5.8.0-050800.202008022230_amd64.deb

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

Once installed, restart your computer and enjoy!

Uninstall Linux Kernel 5.8:

Restart your machine and select boot with the previous kernel in boot menu ‘Grub2 -> Advanced Option for Ubuntu’. Then run command to remove Linux Kernel 5.8:

sudo dpkg --purge linux-image-unsigned-5.8.0-050800-generic
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