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How to Install / Upgrade to Linux Kernel 3.13.2 in Ubuntu or Mint

Last updated: February 7, 2014

Linux Kernel 3.13.2

Greg Kroah-Hartman has announced the Linux Kernel 3.13.2 and urged users of 3.13 series to upgrade as soon as possible.

Linux kernel 3.13.2 brings updated architectures, including ARM, s390, PowerPC, PA-RISC, and x86, numerous updates drivers (mmc, wireless, rtc, scsi, tty, usb, etc.), some filesystem improvements (mainly Btrfs, HPFS and EXT4), a couple of networking fixes for IPv4 and IPv6, and some sound improvements. See the announcement.

Install / Upgrade to Kernel 3.13.2:

The Ubuntu Kernel Team has build the deb packages which are available in this page. Low-latency Kernel packages are included.

If you’re comfortable with command line, you can also follow the steps below to download & install this kernel:

1. Download Kernel DEBs:

For 32-bit system:

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.13.2-trusty/linux-headers-3.13.2-031302-generic_3.13.2-031302.201402061638_i386.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.13.2-trusty/linux-headers-3.13.2-031302_3.13.2-031302.201402061638_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.13.2-trusty/linux-image-3.13.2-031302-generic_3.13.2-031302.201402061638_i386.deb

For 64 bit system:

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.13.2-trusty/linux-headers-3.13.2-031302-generic_3.13.2-031302.201402061638_amd64.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.13.2-trusty/linux-headers-3.13.2-031302_3.13.2-031302.201402061638_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.13.2-trusty/linux-image-3.13.2-031302-generic_3.13.2-031302.201402061638_amd64.deb

2. Install all the packages:

sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-3.13.2-*.deb linux-image-3.13.2-*.deb

Once installed, restart your computer and done.

If you’re using a proprietary video driver, you may need to re-build or re-install to get it work with the new kernel.

If for some reason this kernel release doesn’t work properly for you, reboot into previous kernel (Grub -> Advanced -> select previous kernel) and run this command to remove Linux Kernel 3.13.2:

sudo apt-get remove linux-headers-3.13.2-* linux-image-3.13.2-*
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Create Wifi Hotspot in Ubuntu Laptop For Android Phones

Last updated: April 22, 2024

Wireless access point for Android

If you have a single wired Internet connection, you can easily setup an ad-hoc wireless network with Ubuntu and share the Internet connection among multiple devices. Unfortunately, some devices including Android & Windows Phones may not support ad-hoc wireless networks.

UPDATE 2024: This tutorial is outdated! It may no longer works in current Ubuntu releases!

ubuntu ad-hoc wifi hotspot

So this tutorial is going to show you how to turn your Ubuntu laptop into a wireless access point in another way with Android phones support.

UPDATE 2: Seems that Ap-hotspot is not working good on Ubuntu 14.04, please try this post using KDE’s network manager.

Or use the default Network Manager with a little hack.

To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the commands below one by one to install ap-hotspot.

Ap-hotspot is an open-source project that automatically creates an infrastructure (Access Point mode) wireless hotspot in Ubuntu that should work with Android and Windows Phone devices

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install ap-hotspot

Supports for Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04 and Ubuntu 14.04. download & install the ap-hotspot deb for saucy at this page.

For Ubuntu 14.04, due to bug you need to downgrade hostapd to make ap-hotspot work.

  1. First uninstall the buggy hostapd in Ubuntu 14.04 via: 
    sudo apt-get remove hostapd
  2. Copy and paste the command below into terminal that matches your OS type – check out via System Setting -> Details – and hit run to download, install, and hold the old version of hostapd.While running the commands below, type in your user password in terminal when prompt.

    For 64-bit system:

    cd /tmp && wget http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/w/wpa/hostapd_1.0-3ubuntu2.1_amd64.deb && sudo dpkg -i hostapd*.deb && sudo apt-mark hold hostapd

    For 32-bit system:

    cd /tmp && wget http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/w/wpa/hostapd_1.0-3ubuntu2.1_i386.deb && sudo dpkg -i hostapd*.deb && sudo apt-mark hold hostapd

Once installed, execute below command to configure your wifi hotspot:

sudo ap-hotspot configure

It will detect the wired & wireless interfaces and ask you to confirm that if they are correct (run ifconfig if you’re not sure). Then you’ll be asked to enter a wifi hotspot name and setup a password.

ap-hotspot config

Finally start the wireless hotspot via:

sudo ap-hotspot start

Now you’re able to connect to wifi hotspot via your Android phone!

ubuntu wifi hotspot android phone

To stop the wireless hotspot, execute this command in Ubuntu terminal:

sudo ap-hotspot stop

UPDATE: Please report issues at: https://github.com/hotice/AP-Hotspot/.

Tip: For the error “Access Point Mode is not supported by this device”, you may take a look at this page.

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Batch Image Converter and Resizer Converseen 0.6.7 Released

Last updated: April 22, 2024

The open-source image converter and resizer converseen has released version 0.6.7. Now it is possible to resize a bunch of pictures with different size keeping the aspect ratio.

As you may know, converseen is a batch image converter and resizer written in c++ with the powerful Qt4 and Magick++ libraries. It allows you to convert, resize, rotate and flip automatically an unlimited number of images. With Converseen you can save your time because it can process more than one image with one mouse click!

converseen ubuntu 13.10

With converseen you can:

  • Carry out a single or a multiple conversion.
  • Resize one or multiple images.
  • Compress images for your web pages.
  • Rotate and flip images.
  • Rename a bunch of images using a progressive number or a prefix/suffix.
  • Selecting a resampling filter to resize images.

Converseen 0.6.7 changelog:

  • Now is possible to resize a bunch of pictures with different size keeping the aspect ratio.
  • Added a menu item for bug signalation.
  • Various code improvements.

Install Converseen:

Converseen 0.6.7 has been made into Ubuntu 14.04’s universe repository, which mean Trusty users can easily install the converter from Ubuntu Software Center.

For Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint and their derivatives, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the commands below one by one to install from PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install converseen
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Command Line IRC Client F-IRC 1.32 Released [Ubuntu PPA]

Last updated: February 5, 2014

irc client for command line

The command-line irc client f-irc has reached version 1.32. This release sanitizes user interface logic. A crash in /LIST has been fixed. The user menu now automatically retrieves full names. Joining a channel from the list shows the topics as well. DCC did not work. This release can let the channel list be sorted. Improved search in channel and user input scrollback windows.

F-IRC client

The source tarball is available in its official web page.

For Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint and their derivatives, you can install this client from my PPA.

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run below commands one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install f-irc

This will add the PPA, update your system packages list and install f-irc client.

Once installed, run man f-irc to get help.

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Install Keystroke Visualizer in (K)Ubuntu 14.04/13.10/12.04

Last updated: February 4, 2014

Keystroke Visualizer

Keystroke is a Qt based keystroke visualization tool for Linux. This is a new KDE project just created a few days ago. It is helpful when creating screencasts where you want to show what you are typing. E.g. when using vim.

See the video:

This keystroke visualization tool only works on K Desktop Environment (KDE). For Ubuntu users, you can easily install it by running the commands below one by one in terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open the terminal):

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:samrog131/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install keystroke

This will install the tool in (K)ubuntu 14.04, (K)ubuntu 13.10, (K)ubuntu 12.10, and (K)ubuntu 12.04.

Once installed, search for and run keystroke-gui in the start menu and then type anything to see the magic!

keystroke visualization tool KDE

keystroke on github

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DeeDBeeF 0.6.1 Fixed Various Bugs, How to Install in Ubuntu

Last updated: February 4, 2014

DeadBeef 0.6.1

DeaDBeeF music player has recently released a new version with lots of bug fixes. This is the first update after deadbeef added the gui layout designer.

Deadbeef 0.6.1 changelog:

  • fixed crash in AAC plugin when mp4 file reports 0 samples (e.g. radio rips)
  • fixed libsupc++ linking issues
  • fixed support for gcc<4.5
  • changed description of hotkeys plugin in configure
  • fixed 100% CPU load issues with certain hotkeys
  • fixed opening files from command line into default playlist
  • don’t allow spawning multiple instances of converter
  • fixed EQ drawing past the bottom margin
  • fixed progress dialog while loading playlists
  • fixed M3UINF parser
  • reverted MP3 bugfixes which introduced incorrect duration calculation
  • fixed ungrabbing deleted global hotkeys
  • added config option to help debug buffering/streaming
  • ffmpeg plugin can now handle dynamic data format changes
  • fixed rare buffering problem which was causing stuttering for some users
  • fixed running without X and/or without GUI plugin
  • fixed mp3 duration rounding bug
  • fixed incorrect scroll/cursor after deleting playlists
  • added support for loading plugins from ~/.local/lib{32|64}/deadbeef, depending on running deadbeef build version
  • fixed bug imposing 256 byte limit on file pathes in archives
  • fixed column autoresize issues
  • removed libstdc++ hacks from C++ plugins
  • fixed “Remove from disk” menu item not being hidden by corresponding option
  • fixed applying “Pin group titles” config on startup (patch from Christian Boxdörfer)
  • improved charset detection in CUE files, not longer allowing invalid utf-8 to go through
  • paused network streams don’t attempt to prebuffer until played
  • unpausing network streams always restarts them
  • prevent loading playlists from archives (treat them like folders)
  • hide the “Hotkeys” tab from preferences if hotkeys plugin is not available
  • don’t build shellexecui if not building shellexec
  • fixed memleak when drag-dropping pls/m3u playlists from file managers
  • prevent passing non-utf8 filenames to progress dialog
  • fixed crash when opening invalid VTX files
  • fixed crash when opening invalid WMA files
  • don’t delete replaygain info from FLACs when writing tags
  • fixed really old buffer overflow bug in dnd handler (kudos to Megabaks)

Install DeadBeef:

Deb, Arch, and source packages are available at official download page.

You can also run the commands below one by one in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) to install it from PPA. Supports Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 12.10 and their derivatives.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:starws-box/deadbeef-player

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install deadbeef
customized deabeef music player in Ubuntu 13.10

customized deabeef music player in Ubuntu 13.10

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Install Android x86 Emulator ‘Genymotion’ in Ubuntu 14.04/13.10

Last updated: February 3, 2014

android emulator ubuntu

Want to emulate Nexus, Galaxy, or other Android Phone/Tablet on Ubuntu Desktop? Well, you may already know the handy tool Genymotion.

Genymotion is a complete set of tools that provides a virtual environment for Android. It can be very useful for developers, testers, salesman or even gamers. Genymotion is free for personal use. For full features, you need to buy a license.

Features:

  • OpenGL acceleration to achieve the best 3D performance
  • Enable full screen option and improve your experience
  • Be precise in your UI development with the “pixel perfect” functionality
  • Start multiple virtual device at the same time
  • Override virtual device identifiers
  • Directly command virtual devices sensors with Genymotion Shell
  • Fully compatible with ADB. You can control your virtual device from the host
  • Manage sensors: Battery level / status, GPS, Rotation, Camera

Since 2.1:

  • supports copy/paste from the host to the virtual device, or from the virtual device to the host using Android builtin copy/paste feature.
  • Android 4.4 support

Screenshots:

Create a new virtual device

list of installed devices

 
Nexus 4 4.4.2 emulator

Install Genymotion:

1. This Android Emulator requires Virtualbox, so first search for and install virtualbox in Ubuntu Software Center.

2. Register https://cloud.genymotion.com/ (free).

3. Download the installer after your login the website. Not sure Linux 32 bits or 64 bits? Go to System Settings -> Details and you’ll see the OS type:

System-type-32bit-64-bit

4. If you save the installer in the default Downloads folder, press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands one by one:

cd ~/Downloads/

chmod +x genymotion-2.1.0_x64.bin

./genymotion-2.1.0_x64.bin

It first navigate to Downloads folder, then give executable permission, and finally start the installer. Of course you need to change the file-name to yours.

install genymotion android emulator

5. According to the previous picture genymotion has been installed to “/home/handbook/Downloads/genymotion”.

So run below command to start it:

/home/handbook/Downloads/genymotion/genymotion
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How to Charge Your iPad (Air)/iPhone/iTouch in Ubuntu Linux

Last updated: January 23, 2015

charging ipad air

If you have an Apple mobile device and want to charge it through the USB port in Ubuntu Linux machine, you’ll find a little app called ipad_charge which was originally developed by Ondrej Zary from Rainbow-Software.

This simple app supports following devices:

  • iPad / iPad2 / iPad3 / iPad4 / iPad Mini
  • iPod Touch 2G/3G/4G
  • iPhone 3GS/4/4s/5

The developer of super-wingpanel has done a little tweak on the code so that iPad air is supported now. This build has been made into PPA for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint and their derivatives.

Install ipad-charge:

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run below commands one by one:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:heathbar/ipad-charge

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0 ipad-charge

After that, your iPad should be automatically detected and charging enabled when you plug it in. However, if it’s not you may have to troubleshoot.

Troubleshooting:

If the udev rules are not automatically enabling charging when you plug in your device, you can run the program manually.

ipad-charge

If your iPad is still not charging you can find the device IDs of all Apple products with this command.

ipad-charge -l

If more than one is listed, you may have to run it with your iPad unplugged, then plugged in to find the correct ID. Once you determine the ID, report the ID to the links below.

via: ipad_charge on github

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Fotoxx 14.02 Released with Enhancement [Ubuntu DEBs]

Last updated: February 2, 2014

Fotoxx faster workflow

 

Fotoxx, a free and open source photo editing software has reached version 14.02 recently with improvements and bug fixes.

As you may know, Fotoxx is a Linux program for photo editing and collection management. The goal is to meet most user needs while remaining fast and easy to use.

Version 14.02 changelog:

  • Index Image Files (aka Synchronize) runs faster. Intermixing image files with
    100K other files under /home/user/… has little effect on speed.
    Startup time is also faster for the normal case of few new image files.
  • Retouch Combo: sliders were added for fast adjustment of overall brightness,
    contrast and color. The curves can then be hand-tuned if needed.
  • Slide Show: a new transition type simulates turning a book page.
  • Slide Show: images are clipped to exactly fit the monitor if the difference
    in aspect ratio is less than a predefined limit.
  • Slide Show: optionally show captions/comments above each image.
  • The batch Rename and Convert functions were combined for convenience.
  • Batch Convert has a new option to automatically sharpen images.
  • Paint/Clone: a “shadow” paintbrush tracks the source of copied pixels.
  • Retouch Combo, Trim/Rotate and Resize can recall prior settings for easier application to multiple images needing similar treatments.
  • Mashup: resizing/rotating an overlay image with the mouse is smoother.
  • Editing in a selected area: edge blending was made a bit smoother.
  • Search Images: select a gallery (thumbnails) report or a tabular report for
    listing desired metadata along with a thumbnail image.
  • Block metadata edits for image types not supporting this (e.g. bmp, gif).
  • Bugfix: Texture function converted RGB 0/0/0 pixels into illegal values.
  • Bugfix: Bogus error message about exceeding geotag limits.
  • Bugfix: Trim function left temporary image remnants on the window.

Download:

The official download page provides the DEB packages for Ubuntu and its derivatives.

Fotoxx Download Page

Fotoxx 14.01 ubuntu 13.10

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