UbuntuHandbook

How to Install Skype 4.3 in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: April 13, 2016

Skype for Linux sucks. It is lagging behind and has lots of problems, but some of Ubuntu users may still need this application.

Here’s the quick tip for beginners how to install Skype 4.3 in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS:

1. Enable Canonical Partners Repository

Canonical partners repository offers access to proprietary and closed-source software including Skype for Linux and is not enabled by default.

To enable it, launch Software & Updater from Unity Dash or System Settings, then check the first box in Other Software tab.

The second “Canonical Partners (Source Code)” is not required unless you want to get software sources and make some changes.

2. Skype won’t be listing in the Software App even after adding the partners repository. To install it, use Synaptic Package Manager (need to install):

click Reload to update cache
click Search and search Skype
right-click skype package from the list and select “Mark for Installation”
click Apply to apply changes

Or just open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and paste following command and hit run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install skype

Type in your password (no visual feedback while typing password) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

Finally launch Skype from Unity Dash or App Launcher and enjoy!

In Howtos skype

Install My Weather Indicator with Desktop Widget in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: April 9, 2016

Looking for a weather app for your Ubuntu desktop? Though there are a few available in Software Center, I would recommend my-weather-indicator which is developed by atareao team.

My-weather-indicator is an advanced desktop weather app for Ubuntu Unity. It displays the current weather situation and a week forecast for your location through indicator menu and/or a desktop widget.

my weather indicator and “alinone” widget

one week forecast

It also allows you to see a map of current situation, forecast information for the next hours and days of the temperature, humidity and cloudiness.

Forecast for next hours

The app also features:

support two locations
weather services: Yahoo, OpenWeatherMap, wunderground.com, world weather online.
weather display: Temperature, Pressure, Humidity, Thermal sensation, Dew point, The speed and wind direction, cloudiness, Time sunrise, sunset and twilight, Moon phase

Weather Preferences Window

How to Install My-weather-indicator in Ubuntu:

The weather app is available in the developer’s PPA for all current Ubuntu releases. Follow the steps below to add PPA and install the software:

1. Add PPA

Open terminal from app launcher or via Ctrl+Alt+T keys. When it opens, paste below command and hit run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/atareao

Type in your password (no visual feedback when typing) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

2. Install the software via Synaptic Package Manager after clicked Refresh button. Or run following commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install my-weather-indicator

Once installed, you can future update of the software alongside other system packages via the Software Updater utility.

3. (Optional) To remove the PPA, use Software & Updates -> Other Software. To remove my-weather-indicator, use Synaptic Package Manager or run command below in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove my-weather-indicator

For new changes, bugs, and requests, go to github.com/atareao/my-weather-indicator

In Howtos weather app for ubuntu, weather indicator

Rhythmbox 3.3.1 Released, Ported to WebKit2, Better Handle Locked Android Devices

Last updated: April 4, 2016

Rhythmbox, Gnome’s default music player, has reached the 3.3.1 release with a few improvements, bug fixes, and translation updates.

According to the changelog, Rhythmbox 3.3.1 features:

Better handling of locked Android devices
Simplified ReplayGain processing that might crash less
Switched to webkit2 API, except for the context plugin which is disabled
Notifications behave better when actions aren’t available

And a few reported bugs has been solved in this release:

Rhythmbox segfaults when trying to access Android 4.0 MTP device already mounted by Nautilus
Rhythmbox crashes when trying to access Android device.
Port to WebKit2
CD playing with cross fading on crashes rhythmbox
Display notifications about playing song when pausing
RhythmDB-CRITICAL **: rhythmdb_entry_get_entry_type: assertion ‘entry != NULL’ failed
Gtk-WARNING **: Drawing a gadget with negative dimensions. Did you forget to allocate a size? (node grid owner RBHeader)
Rework logic of Python support option

How to Install/upgrade Rhythmbox 3.3.1 in Ubuntu:

Besides building from the source, fossfreedom is maintaining a PPA to make it easy to install the latest Rhythmbox music player for all current Ubuntu releases.

Check out the PPA page before doing following steps since there may be a small delay for the latest packages to be made into PPA.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:fossfreedom/rhythmbox

Type in your password (no visual feedback just type in mind) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

2. After that, launch Software Updater and install updates for Rhythmbox, or just run below commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install rhythmbox

3. (Optional) To downgrade to the stock version of Rhythmbox in your Ubuntu release, use ppa-purge:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge

sudo ppa-purge ppa:fossfreedom/rhythmbox

In Howtos, News rhythmbox

How to Install Grub Customizer 5.0.5 in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

Last updated: April 4, 2016

Grub Customizer, a graphical configuration tool for Grub and BURG boot-loader, has recently reached the 5.0.x series with Ubuntu 16.04 support and a few fixes.

Grub Customizer provides a graphical interface to make it easy to:

create, move, remove, edit Grub menu entries
set default OS
show or hide Grub menu and change the time delay.
change background image, resolution, fonts, etc.
install Grub boot-loader to Windows’ MBR, and more.

Grub Customizer, edit menu entries

Grub Customizer General Settings

grub customizer theme settings

How to Install Grub-Customizer in Ubuntu 16.04:

This open-source application is available in the developer’s PPA repository for all current Ubuntu releases and their derivatives.

Install Grub Customizer and receive future updates via Software Updater:

1. Open terminal from App Launcher or via Ctrl+Alt+T keys. When it opens, paste below command to add PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer

Type in password (no visual feedback when typing password) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then update package lists and install the software:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install grub-customizer

Get Grub-Customizer installer directly from PPA packages page:

For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab the .deb package for your system and click install via Software Center.

Grub Customizer PPA Package Page

(Optional) To remove Grub Customizer, use Synaptic Package Manager or run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove grub-customizer

In Howtos grub customizer, Ubuntu 16.04

Install Simplenote Desktop App in Ubuntu

Last updated: March 31, 2016

Simplenote, one of the most popular note-taking apps which was first started on iOS, now is available for Linux Desktops.

Simplenote blog announced the release of Simplenote for Linux (and Windows) on Tuesday. It’s an open-source application that is built with React and runs on Electron.

Features:

History: drag the History slider to view previous versions.
Collaboration: share your note with others and allow them to edit.
Publishing: make your note public with its own URL.
Tags: organize your notes effectively with tags.
Pinning: pin notes right from the note list so they’re easy to find.
Markdown support:
- Enable globally in Preferences -> Writing -> Enable Markdown.
- Enable in single note by selecting the Info panel icon and toggle the Markdown setting.

Install Simplenote in Ubuntu:

Download the .deb package from its website, then click install via Software Center.

Download for Linux (.deb)

Simplenote for Linux now is in 1.0.0 release. Report bugs and ask requests at github.com/Automattic/simplenote-electron/issues

In Howtos note-taking app, simplenote

How to Upgrade From Ubuntu 15.10 to Ubuntu 16.04 Beta

Last updated: March 30, 2016

Want to try the new Ubuntu 16.04 LTS? Here’s how to upgrade to Ubuntu 16.04 Beta 2 from your Ubuntu 15.10 desktop. You can then update to the final release a few weeks after, on April 21st.

NOTE:

1. This beta has numbers of bugs, don’t do this and wait for the final release if you want a stable system.

2. DON’T upgrade from Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. There’s a known bug upgrading from 14.04.

Preparation:

1. Always first backup your bookmarks, documents, and other data.

2. If you have the proprietary video driver installed, uninstall it and switch back to the open-source driver.

For Nvidia, depends on how you installed the driver, use the official .run from Nvidia website via --uninstall option:
sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-xx.xx.run --uninstall
or remove nvidia-current via command:
sudo apt-get purge nvidia-current
You may also re-install the open-source driver via PPA:
sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-video-nouveau && sudo rm /etc/X11/xorg.conf

3. Remove/Disable third-party PPAs by going to Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

4. In Updates tab, enable Proposed repository:

Upgrade Ubuntu:

1. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and update your system by running below command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Type in your password (no visual feedback when typing) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

You may need to restart your computer to complete installing updates.

2. Once your system is up to date. Launch Software Updater with -d option, so it checks if upgrading to the latest devel release is possible:

sudo update-manager -d

After checking for updates, it prompts that Ubuntu 16.04 LTS is available.

3. Click Upgrade and confirm in next window to start the upgrade process. At the end you’ll be prompted to restart your computer if everything goes well.

Tip: Once Ubuntu 16.04 final is released, run commands in step 1 to update this beta to the final release.

In Howtos Ubuntu 16.04

How to Install f.lux in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 15.10

Last updated: March 27, 2016

F.lux changes your computer display’s color temperature according to location and time of day. It was designed to reduce eye strain during night-time use and disruption of sleep patterns.

The f.lux for Linux is a command line daemon and the GUI is an indicator applet created by Kilian Valkhof. Though Kilian’s repository does not update anymore, you can still get the applet for Ubuntu 16.04, and Ubuntu 15.10 via below steps.

How to Install f.lux in Ubuntu via PPA:

The Linux f.lux GUI is now available in Nathan Rennie-Waldock’s PPA for all current Ubuntu releases.

1. Launch terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run below commands one by one to get it from PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nathan-renniewaldock/flux

Type in your password when it asks (no visual feedback when typing) and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then update and install the GUI along with xflux daemon via commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install fluxgui

For those who don’t want to add PPA, download the .deb package for your Ubuntu release from HERE

3. (Optional) To remove the software, use Synaptic Package Manager or just run below command:

sudo apt-get remove fluxgui

The PPA repository can be removed by going to Software & Updates -> Other Software.

In Howtos f.lux

Ubuntu 16.04: How to Move Unity’s Left Launcher to The Bottom

Last updated: April 24, 2016

Finally the default Unity Desktop’s left launcher panel can be moved to the bottom of screen in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Xenial Xerus.

Ubuntu 16.04 has reached its final beta today. One of the great new features is that the left launcher panel now is movable: to Left or to Bottom.

Unity Launcher in Left

Unity Launcher in Bottom

How to Move Unity Launcher in Ubuntu 16.04:

For those prefer Linux commands, this can be done via a single command in terminal:

gsettings set com.canonical.Unity.Launcher launcher-position Bottom

To revert back, run:

gsettings set com.canonical.Unity.Launcher launcher-position Left

For graphical way, do:

Unity Tweak Tool, a graphical configuration tool for Unity desktop, now has an option to move the Unity Launcher. Install it via Gnome Software, launch the tool and navigate to Unity -> Launcher:

1. Launch Gnome Software from Launcher, search for and install dconf editor.

2. Launch dconf editor after installation, and navigate to “com -> canonical -> unity -> launcher”. Finally change the value of “launcher-position” to select Unity Launcher position.

To make the bottom panel fit your screen, go to System Settings -> Appearance and change the value of Launcher icon size.

In Howtos Ubuntu 16.04, Unity Launcher

Final Beta of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Available for Download

Last updated: March 25, 2016

The final beta of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, codenamed “Xenial Xerus”, has been released today!

The beta release features images for not only the Ubuntu Desktop, Server, Cloud, and Core products, but also the Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Mythbuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Studio, and Xubuntu flavours.

New Features in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS:

based on Linux Kernel 4.4
python has been upgraded to the 3.5 series
golang toolchain was upgraded to the 1.6 series, and gcc-go was upgraded to the GCC6 branch.
includes a new port to 64-bit z/Architecture for IBM mainframe computers.
GNOME is mostly upgraded to 3.18. GLib upgraded to to 2.48 (corresponding to GNOME 3.20)
Ubuntu Software Center is replaced by Gnome Software.
Improved HiDPI support
Unity online searches disabled by default.
Unity Launcher can be moved to bottom
Chromium 48, Firefox 45, LibreOffice 5.1
See the release note for more

There is, however, one bug in this beta serious, and will be fixed before release:

In some cases, attempts to install to a hard drive that already contains a swap partition may fail in the partitioning phase. If you encounter this, the simplest workaround is to boot to the live session, start a terminal (Ctrl-Alt-T) and type “sudo swapoff -a”. You can then start the installation from the icon on the desktop and it should proceed successfully.

Download Ubuntu 16.04 Beta 2:

Ubuntu Desktop and Server: releases.ubuntu.com/16.04/

Cloud Images: cloud-images.ubuntu.com/releases/16.04/

Core: cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-core/releases/16.04/

Flavors and others: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/

The final release of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS expected on April 21st, 2016.

via: fridge.ubuntu.com

In News Ubuntu 16.04

Blender 2.77 Released [How-to Install in Ubuntu]

Last updated: March 20, 2016

The Blender Foundation finally announced the stable release for Blender 2.77 this weekend.

The new release features:

Cycles Rendering has better Subsurface Scattering, GPU support for Smoke/Fire and Point Density, and a few other features and optimizations.
User Interface has faster OpenGL rendering and better Anti-Aliasing, and other improvements
Modeling now has an edit-mode boolean tool, better decimate modifier, selection tools
Sequencer has a Gaussian Blur effect speedup, and other strip and modifier improvements
Sculpting/Painting has better extruding and weight painting tools
Animation has a new constraint interpolation method, and improvements in graph editor, dope sheet, armatures and motion paths
Grease pencil now has stroke sculpting, and several other workflow improvements
Library handling has been improved to better manage missing and deleted datablocks
Game Engine has a few new small features
A new Add-on supports packing .blend files and their dependencies, some other IO Add-on was improved, and Python was upgraded
OpenVDB caching is now supported for smoke/volumetric simulations, multithreading is now massively
supported, and also 2D stabilization node, Image editor, Cubemap and spotlights were improved
Support for Windows XP was removed, and the SCons build system too.
And, as usual, a massive bug fixing!
Read more at its features page.

Blender 2.77 Splash

How to Install Blender 2.77 in Ubuntu:

Blender 2.77 can be installed via either the official Linux binary, or a third-party PPA for better Ubuntu integration.

1. See this how-to to install blender via official Linux binary. Need to remove the previous installation first.

2. To install Blender 2.77 from PPA.

There may be a little delay before the current release being made into PPA. Check out the PPA webpage, and read the PPA description before doing below steps.

1.) Open terminal from App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T keys. When it opens, paste below command and hit run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:thomas-schiex/blender

2.) Then upgrade Blender by launching Software Updater.

Or install it by running the commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install blender

In Howtos blender, blender ppa

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