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Archives For November 30, 1999

Calibre E-book App 5.0 Released with Highlighting & Dark Mode

Last updated: October 1, 2020

Calibre, cross-platform open-source comprehensive e-book software, released version 5.0 with some great new features.

Calibre 5.0 features highlighting in the E-book viewer. Simply select text and click the Highlight selection button. It can be colors, underlines, strikethrough, etc. and has added notes. All highlights can be both stored in EPUB files and centrally in the Calibre library.

The new release also feature Dark mode support. On Windows and Mac, it is activated automatically based on OS settings. In Ubuntu Linux, launch the software in dark mode via CALIBRE_USE_DARK_PALETTE=1 environment variable.
Other features in the release include:

  • Python 3 port. Some third-party plugins will no longer work, until they are also ported to Python 3.
  • Support both vertical and right-to-left text.
  • Enhanced search in the E-book viewer
  • Support bookmarking in content server’s in-browser viewer

How to Install Calibre 5.0 in Ubuntu Linux:

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to download & install the official installer script:

sudo -v && wget -nv -O- https://download.calibre-ebook.com/linux-installer.sh | sudo sh /dev/stdin

Once installed, open it from system application launcher and enjoy!

Enable Calibre Dark Mode in Ubuntu:

To temporarily open the e-book reader in dark mode, simply run command:

export CALIBRE_USE_DARK_PALETTE=1 && calibre

To make it permanent, run command to edit the .desktop file and do:

  • add env CALIBRE_USE_DARK_PALETTE=1 at the beginning of the values of “TryExec” and “Exec”.
  • remove --detach flag, or the shortcut icon will disappear.

How to Remove Calibre E-book software in Linux:

To remove the software, open terminal and run command:

sudo calibre-uninstall

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WhatIP – Graphical Tool to Tell Public / Local IP Address, Ports, Local Devices

Last updated: April 24, 2024

Want to check your IP address, listening ports, or local network devices but hate Linux commands? Well, What IP is a simple graphical tool to do the job.

What IP is a free open-source tool written in Python 3 with GTK+ 3 framework. The software features:

  • Display public, local, and a virtual interface’s IP addresses,
  • Display the public IP location,
  • List the ports listening on your system, and check if they’re publicly reachable,
  • List all devices on local network.

display ip address

listening ports

How to Install What IP in Ubuntu:

The software is available as flatpak package in Flathub repository. Open terminal and run following commands one by one to install it in Ubuntu 20.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 needs to add flatpak PPA first).

  • 1.) Install flatpak framework by running command: 
    sudo apt install flatpak
  • 2.) Add flathub repository via command: 
    flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
  • 3.) Finally install the tool via command: 
    flatpak install flathub org.gabmus.whatip

(Optional) To remove What IP flatpak package, run command:

flatpak uninstall flathub org.gabmus.whatip
In App Review
 

Mozilla Firefox 81 Released with New Theme, Media Control via Keyboard

Last updated: September 23, 2020

Mozilla Firefox 81.0 was released a day ago with new features and security fixes.

Firefox 81.0 release highlights:

  • Pause and play audio or video in Firefox from your keyboard or headset
  • New Alpenglow theme
  • Save, manage, and auto-fill credit card information for users in US and Canada.
  • AcroForm support allows to fill in, print, and save supported PDF forms
  • The PDF viewer got a new fresh look.
  • Pocket recommendations for Austria, Belgium and Switzerland users with German version.
  • Important fixes to HTML5 audio/video controls
  • Extended file types support.
  • Picture-in-Picture got new iconography.
  • Security fixes.

How to install Firefox 81 in Ubuntu:

The latest packages will be made into security & updates repositories for all current Ubuntu releases in a few days.

At that time, you can upgrade Firefox through the Software Updater utility:

If you can’t wait, download the Linux package from mozilla website.

In News
 

How to Install Emacs 27.1 via PPA in Ubuntu 20.04, 18.04, 16.04

Last updated: April 24, 2024

For those prefer Deb package to the containerized Snap or Flatpak package, Emacs text editor 27.1 now is available to install via an Ubuntu PPA for all the current releases.

GNU Emacs 27.1 was released more than 1 month ago. Thanks to Kevin Kelley, you can now install it in Ubuntu via this PPA repository.

The PPA package features:

  • native support for JSON
  • support for ACLs
  • support for libgmp
  • support for enhanced text rendering through Cairo and HarfBuzz
  • remove ImageMagick support
  • remove xwidgets support for Ubuntu 16.04.

1. Open terminal either from system application launcher or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kelleyk/emacs

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) if it asks and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then refresh system package cache and install the editor via 2 commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install emacs27

If you want, you can install the text-only user interface via sudo apt install emacs27-nox.

The PPA also contains emacs26 and emacs25 packages for choices.

(Optional) To uninstall the PPA, either go to ‘Software & Updater -> Other Software’, or run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:kelleyk/emacs

And remove the Emacs text editor if you want by running command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove emacs27
In Howtos
 

Flameshot Screenshot Tool 0.8.0 Released with Counter Tool

Last updated: September 20, 2020

Flameshot, powerful yet simple to use screenshot tool, released version 0.8.0 with new editing tools, improvements, and many fixes.

Flameshot 0.8.0 added the popular requested circle counter tool. It added a button in left-side of screen to open the sidebar, which was previously only accessible by hitting Space on keyboard.

The blur tool has been replaced by pixelate tool. If the “thickness” is 0 or 1, the old blur behavior is preserved. If the thickness is increased past 1 the image will pixelate by the thickness.

Other changes include:

  • Allow enter key to copy image to clipboard
  • Add support for saving as JPG and BMP files.
  • Add line thickness to side panel
  • Add option to close after capture (buggy at the moment.)
  • Add option to auto copy URL after upload
  • Fix capture after pressing ctrl + S during textarea input
  • Add more translations.
  • Add Snap and Flatpak packages

How to Install Flameshot 0.8.0 in Ubuntu 20.04 / 18.04:

Go to the release page at the link below, scroll down, and select download an installer package:

For Ubuntu 20.04, grab the “flameshot_ubuntu_0.8.0-1_amd64.deb” package. Then install it by either GDebi, or running command in terminal:

cd ~/Downloads && sudo apt install ./flameshot_ubuntu_0.8.0-1_amd64.deb

For older Ubuntu releases, grab the .Appimage – single executable to launch the screenshot tool, .snap or .flatpak – universal Linux packages run in sandbox.

In News
 

Celluloid (formerly GNOME MPV) 0.20 Released! How to Install

Last updated: September 19, 2020

Celluloid, formerly Gnome MPV, released version 0.20 a few hours ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04 via PPA.

Celluloid is a simple GTK+ frontend for mpv media player. The latest 0.20 release features:

  • Make it possible to activate context menu when the playlist is empty.
  • Prevent constant resizing of the seek bar due to timestamp label resizing as its value changes.
  • Only show a single error dialog when a large number of errors occurs in rapid succession.
  • Add menu item for opening folders.
  • Adjust position of UI elements of modal dialogs in non-CSD mode to be more consistent with CSD mode.
  • Add support for loading external video tracks.
  • Make playlist shuffle toggleable.
  • Make arrow key bindings work with arrow keys on numpad.

How to Install Celluloid 0.20 in Ubuntu 20.04:

Celluloid media player is available to install via Flatpak package in Flathub repository.

For those prefer apt repository, the formerly Gnome MPV PPA has made the new release packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 20.

1.) Open terminal either by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or by searching for ‘terminal’ from application menu. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xuzhen666/gnome-mpv

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

2.) Then install the media player via command:

sudo apt install celluloid

For Ubuntu derivatives, you may need to run sudo apt update to refresh package cache first.

Uninstall Celluloid:

To remove the media player, open terminal and run command:

sudo apt remove celluloid

And remove the PPA repository via command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:xuzhen666/gnome-mpv
In News
 

VS Code IDE 1.49 Released, How to Install it in Ubuntu

Last updated: September 18, 2020

Visual Studio Code IDE 1.49 was released a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 18.04.

Visual Studio Code 1.49 release highlights include:

  • Format modified text – Limit formatting to just the code you’ve changed.
  • Add support for changing text casing during global Search and Replace.
  • Display pending changes per repository in the Source Control repositories view
  • Debug Console now supports quickly filter and find debugging output.
  • Improved JS debugger Auto Attach – “Smart” Auto Attach to Node.js scripts or test runners.
  • TypeScript optional chaining refactoring – Convert multiple checks to a concise optional chain.
  • JSDoc @deprecated tag support – IntelliSense clearly shows APIs marked as deprecated.
  • Notebook UX updates – Cell Status bar contributions, enhanced notebook diff editor.

How to Install VS Code 1.49 in Ubuntu:

The official .deb package is available to download at the link below:

Grab the deb and install it via either Gdebi package manager or command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/code_*.deb; sudo apt -f install

For those who want to receive updates for VS Code via Software Updater utility, add the Microsoft repository via following steps (64bit only):

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

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/vscode stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list'

2. Download and install the repository key via commands:

curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > microsoft.gpg

sudo mv microsoft.gpg /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/microsoft.gpg

3. Finally install the IDE via command:

sudo apt-get install code

Uninstall Visual Studio Code:

To remove the code editor, either use Synaptic Package Manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove code

And remove the Microsoft repository by launching Software & Updates utility and navigating to Other Software tab.

In Howtos
 

Install Oracle Java 15 via PPA in Ubuntu 20.04, 18.04, 16.04

Last updated: September 17, 2020

Oracle Java 15 was released a few days ago. The installer script has been made into PPA for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and their derivatives.

See the release note for what’s new in Oracle Java 15.

The “Linux Uprising” team ppa has made the installer script, which automatically downloads and installs Oracle JDK 15 package, and sets Java 15 as the default Java version (setting JAVA_HOME, etc.) on 64-bit Ubuntu based system.

1.) Open terminal and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:linuxuprising/java

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

2.) After adding PPA, refresh system package cache and install the script:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install oracle-java15-installer

Once the package is installed, you have to accept the license (press Tab to highlight) before starting the download process.

And after installed Oracle Java 15, check via java --version command:

(Optional) To uninstall the PPA repository, run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:linuxuprising/java

And remove Oracle Java 15 if you want by running command:

sudo apt-get remove oracle-java15-installer
In Howtos
 

Opera 71 Released with Tab & History Searching Improvements

Last updated: September 16, 2020

Opera web browser 71 was released one day ago. The new version features more options for tab searching and history searching, custom shortcuts for Messengers & Workspaces.

Opera 71 release highlights:

  • Add Show more (Show less) button in ‘Search in tabs’ result.
  • Add date filtering to the history searching options.
  • Add Delete History Below button to delete history items you’ve found.
  • Ability to create your own keyboard shortcut for each messenger or workspace.
  • Updated to Chromium 85, see changelog for more.

How to Install Opera 71 in Ubuntu:

Snap Package:

The Opera team offers official snap package (runs in sandbox), available to install directly from Ubuntu Software:

Deb package:

Also the native Ubuntu .deb package is available for downloading at the link below:

Grab the .deb package, and double-click to install it.

You may also add the official apt repository via following steps to receive future software updates.

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

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://deb.opera.com/opera-stable/ stable non-free" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera.list'

2. Get the key:

wget -O - http://deb.opera.com/archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

Finally either install Opera via following command or upgrade the browser via Software Updater:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install opera-stable

Uninstall:

For the Opera snap package, simply remove it from Ubuntu Software.

For the Opera apt repository, launch Software & Updates and navigate to Other Software tab.

To remove traditional opera package, either use your system package manager or run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove opera-stable
In News
 

Fragments – Stylish GTK4 BitTorrent Client with Remote Control Support

Last updated: April 24, 2024

For GNOME fans, there’s now a GTK 4 BitTorrent client that has a stylish user interface looks native in Ubuntu, Fedora Workstation or other Linux with GNOME desktop.

The software was originally written in Vala as a GTK3 app. By the 2.0 release (in beta at the moment), it’s rebuilt from scratch using Rust. Along with libadwaita library, it has an adaptive UI that fits well in small displays (e.g., Linux mobile or tablet).

Fragments adaptive UI

Fragments is based on Transmission, the out-of-the-box BitTorrent client in Ubuntu. Besides deep integration with GNOME desktop, the key features so far include:

  • Automatic clipboard detection. Click or copy a magnet link, it will handle the downloads automatically.
  • Control remote Fragments or Transmission sessions.

Say you have a Linux machine running as a ‘download server’ either with desktop environment or not. After setting up the remote access functionality in Transmission GTK or CLI, user may use Fragments’ menu option ‘Add Remote Connection‘ to remote control the server via RPC protocol.

Fragments add remote session

Once connected, the header-bar turns purple and it displays ‘Remote Control “Name”‘ as subtitle indicates that you’re in control of the remote session. A little server icon appears in header-bar, allows to switch between local and remote sessions.

As well, it displays statistics about current session, such as overall network usage, and allows to select encryption type and toggle dark mode, and more.

How to Install Fragments in Ubuntu & other Linux:

The software is available as Flatpak package. Open terminal by searching from ‘Activities’ overview screen. When it opens, run following commands one by one:

1.) Install Flatpak framework if you don’t have it installed via command:

sudo apt install flatpak

2.) Add flathub, the main repository hosts a large list of flatpak packages:

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

3.) Finally install the BitTorrent client via command:

flatpak install flathub de.haeckerfelix.Fragments

The last command will install the latest stable release. For those want to try out the 2.0 Beta with newest features, run command below instead:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/beta-repo/appstream/de.haeckerfelix.Fragments.flatpakref

Once installed, search for and open it from ‘Activities’ overview and enjoy!

How to remove Fragments BitTorrent Client:

To uninstall the app, simply run command in a terminal window:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data de.haeckerfelix.Fragments

That’s all. Enjoy!

In App Review