Darktable 3.2.1 Released with Greatly Improved Lighttable View[PPA]

August 11, 2020 — Leave a comment

Darktable 2.2.5

Darktable 3.2.1 was released a day ago as the latest release of the open source photography workflow application. PPA has been updated with the packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and Linux Mint 19.x / 20.

Version 3.2.0 has been skipped due to last minute bug fixes. Therefore, the 3.2.1 release is the expected 3.2.

Darktable 3.2.1 is a big release that features lighttable view rewritten and filmstrip reworked, resulting in large performance gains. Also the culling view has been rewritten from scratch. Operations are smooth at any screen resolution up to 8k.

Other new features include:

  • Complete overhaul of the CSS code to get a professional look
  • Updated Color Picker and Location modules
  • Possible to add CSS rules into preferences to tweak darktable’s look as well as
    to control the font size and DPI values
  • New negadoctor module to help inverting negative films.
  • New histogram display called RGB Parade
  • Add support for curved gradients.
  • Add support for AVIF file format
  • Many new camera support.
  • And tons of other changes, see release notes for details.

How to Install Darktable 3.2.1 in Ubuntu:

The OBS repository has made the new release packages for Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, and Ubuntu.

There’s also Flatpak package available at flathub repository.

For choice, the unofficial PPA contains the new release packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10, Ubuntu 20.04, and derivatives.

1. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/darktable

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) for sudo prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. If an old version was installed, upgrade it using Software Updater:

upgrade darktable

or run commands in terminal to install Darktable:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install darktable

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA, either launch Software & Updates and navigate to Other Software, or run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/darktable

To remove the RAW image editor, use Ubuntu Software.

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GNU Emacs 27.1 Released with Native JSON Parsing Support

August 12, 2020 — Leave a comment

GNU Emacs 27.1 was released after almost one year of development. Here is what’s new and how to install it in Ubuntu.

Emacs 27.1 contains a wide variety of new features, including:

  • Built-in support for arbitrary-size integers
  • Text shaping with HarfBuzz
  • Native support for JSON parsing
  • Better support for Cairo drawing
  • Portable dumping used instead of unexec
  • Support for XDG conventions for init files
  • Additional early-init initialization file
  • Lexical-binding is used by default
  • Built-in support for tab bar and tab-line
  • Support for resizing and rotating of images without ImageMagick

How to Get Emacs 27.1 in Ubuntu:

Emacs is available Snap Store, v27.1 will be available very soon.

To install Emacs Snap, simply search for and install Emacs in Software utility.

Emacs flatpak package has been updated. It’s available to install in flathub repository.

To install Emacs flatpak, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run following commands one by one:

sudo apt install flatpak
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
flatpak install flathub org.gnu.emacs
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NewFlash – Modern New GTK Feed Reader for Gnome Desktop

August 11, 2020 — Leave a comment

NewFlash, spiritual successor to FeedReader, is a modern feed reader designed for the GNOME desktop.

NewsFlash is a program designed to complement an already existing web-based RSS reader account. It combines all the advantages of web based services like syncing across all your devices with everything you expect from a modern desktop program: Desktop notifications, fast search and filtering, tagging, handy keyboard shortcuts and having access to all your articles as long as you like.

NewFlash so far support for:

  • Miniflux
  • feedly
  • local RSS
  • fever
  • feedbin

How to Install NewFlash Feed Reader:

The software officially is available as flatpak in Flathub repository for most Linux desktops.

Ubuntu 18.04 and higher can install it by running following commands one by one:

1.) Open terminal and run command to install flatpak framework in Ubuntu:

sudo apt install flatpak

2.) Add the flathub repository which hosts the flatpak package:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

3.) Finally install NewFlash via command:

flatpak install flathub com.gitlab.newsflash

When a new release is out, you can update the package by running command:

flatpak update com.gitlab.newsflash

(Optional) To remove the feed reader, run command:

flatpak uninstall com.gitlab.newsflash
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LibreOffice 7.0 Ready to Install via PPA in Ubuntu 20.04/18.04

August 10, 2020 — 1 Comment

LibreOffice

LibreOffice office suite 7.0 was released a few days ago. For those sticking to the PPA .deb packages, you can now install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 19.x, and 20.

LibreOffice 7.0 release highlights:

  • ODF 1.3 document support
  • Skia graphics engine + Vulkan support.
  • Better Microsoft Office DOCX / XLSX / PPTX support.
  • remove Adobe Flash export support
  • HiDPI, import/export, and other improvements.

How to Install LibreOffice 7.0 via PPA:

1. Add the PPA.

LibreOffice 7.0.x specific PPA has been created hours ago contains the latest deb packages. You can add it to your system by launching terminal and run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-7-0

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

You may alternatively add the LibreOffice Fresh PPA and wait it to be updated via command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa

2. Install LibreOffice 7.0.

Software Updater utility will keep back the new PPA packages. So you have to run command in terminal to install / upgrade to LibreOffice 7.0:

sudo apt full-upgrade

Uninstall:

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

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-7-0

For any reason you want to revert back to the Ubuntu stock LibreOffice version, instead of removing the PPA, run command to purge it which also downgrade all installed packages:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-7-0
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Scorewriter MuseScore 3.5 Released with Chord Symbol Playback

August 9, 2020 — Leave a comment

MuseScore, free music composition and notation software, released version 3.5 with long list of new features, bug fixes, and other improvements.

MuseScore 3.5 contains one of the most requested features: Chord Symbol Playback. The feature is disabled by default so far. You can enable it by going to Edit > Preferences > Note Input.

Other features in MuseScore 3.5 include:

  • Much improved support for voices to arts feature
  • Dragging the end handles of hairpins and other lines will change their actual durations.
  • Specify whether transposition should prefer flats or sharps in the key signature.
  • Improved tremolo layout, so you need to do a lot less manual adjustments
  • Support “beamed half note” style of minim-based two-note tremolo
  • Support the Orca screenreader on Linux.
  • See release note for details.

Download / Install MuseScore 3.4 in Ubuntu:

Single executable Appimage package is available for download:

MuseScore Appimage

Right-click on the Appimage, then go to Properties -> Permissions, check the box ‘Allow executing file as program’. Finally run the Appimage to launch MuseScore 3.5 and enjoy!

Also MuseScore flatpak package has been updated, and you can install it via following commands.

1.) Open terminal and run command to install flatpak framework in Ubuntu:

sudo apt install flatpak

2.) Add the flathub repository which hosts the flatpak package:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

3.) Finally install MuseScore via command:

flatpak install flathub org.musescore.MuseScore

If an old version of this package installed, update it via command:

flatpak update org.musescore.MuseScore

(Optional) To remove MuseScore flatpak package, run command:

flatpak uninstall org.musescore.MuseScore
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