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Automatic CPU Speed & Power Optimizer Auto-cpufreq 1.2 Released

Last updated: August 7, 2020

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:

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

In App Review, News
 

Pinta 1.7 Released! How to Install in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: August 6, 2020

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
In Howtos, News
 

Vivaldi Web Browser 3.2 Released with Improved Pop-out Video

Last updated: August 5, 2020

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:

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.

In News
 

How to Install Linux Kernel 5.8 in Ubuntu

Last updated: August 4, 2020

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

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
In Howtos, News
 

How to Install Faenza Icon Theme in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: August 3, 2020

This simple tutorial shows how to install and apply Faenza Icons in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

Faenza is a set of icons for Gnome provides monochromatic icons for panels, toolbars and buttons and colorful squared icons for devices, applications, folder, files and Gnome menu items. Four themes are included to fit with light or dark themes/panels.

1.) Install Faenza icons

To install the icon theme, simply open terminal from your system application launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo apt install faenza-icon-theme

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) for sudo prompt and hit Enter.

2.) Apply the icon theme in Ubuntu 20.04:

The icon theme offers Faenza, Faenza-Ambiance, Faenza-Radiance, Faenza-dark, darker, darkest. You can choose one of them in Gnome shell via Gnome Tweaks.

Install Gnome Tweaks either via sudo apt install gnome-tweaks command or from Software utility (if you don’t have it).

In Howtos
 

How to Install Mac OS Catalina Theme in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: August 3, 2020

This simple tutorial shows how to install Mac OS Catalina style Gnome Shell theme and icons in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

Following steps include how to install the GTK theme, icon theme, tweak panel appearance, and install useful extensions. When everything’s done, your Gnome desktop will look like:

1. First install Gnome Tweaks and required theme engines.

Open terminal (press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard), paste following command (Ctrl+Shift+V) and run to install some required libraries:

sudo apt-get install gtk2-engines-murrine gtk2-engines-pixbuf gnome-tweaks libcanberra-gtk3-module libcanberra-gtk-module libglib2.0-dev gir1.2-gtkclutter-1.0

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) and hit Enter.

2. Download / Install Mac OS Catalina Theme:

The light, dark, transparent theme packages are available at gnome-look.org page (under files tab).

Select download one or all of the packages as you want. You may also download “Extra” tarball for wallpaper and fonts.

Then install them via:

  1. Go to Downloads folder and extract all the three tarball.
  2. Open new Files (Nautilus file browser) window.
  3. Press Ctrl+H to display hidden file folders.
  4. Then navigate to .themes folder (create the folder if not exist!).
  5. Finally move the theme package folders from Downloads to .themes.

2. Download / Install Mac OS Icon Theme:

There are a few OS X icon themes available, click here (files tab) to get one of them.

Then install the icons via:

  1. Go to Downloads folder and extract the tarball.
  2. Open new Files (Nautilus file browser) window.
  3. Press Ctrl+H to display hidden file folders.
  4. Then navigate to .icons folder (create the folder if not exist!).
  5. Finally move the icon package folders from Downloads to .icons.

3. Install user theme Gnome Shell extension.

You can skip this step if you have already installed the User Theme extension, and don’t want the Blur effect.

1.) First time installing a gnome shell extension? Do open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard, then run command:

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell

Go to extensions.gnome.org, and click the link to install the browser integration.

2.) Click here to install user theme extension to load shell themes from user directory.

3.) (Optional) Click here to install extension to apply a Blur effect.

4. Apply the Mac OS Catalina Theme and Icon:

Launch Gnome Tweaks and navigate to Appearance, there you can choose themes for Applications, Icons, Gnome Shell.

5. Adjust the left dock panel.

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run following commands one by one:

  • To move left dock panel to bottom, run command: 
    gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock dock-position BOTTOM
  • To shorten the dock panel, run: 
    gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock extend-height false
  • Move app launcher icon to left: 
    gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock show-apps-at-top true
  • Set dock panel background transparency (range from 0 to 1): 
    gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock background-opacity 0.3
In Howtos
 

Enable Top Panel Auto-Hide in Ubuntu 20.04 [Ubuntu 22.04 Update]

Last updated: April 23, 2022

Gnome’s top bar can auto-hide itself like the left dock panel does via a Gnome Shell extension.

In Ubuntu 18.04, you can enable the feature by installing the gnome shell extension easily from Ubuntu Software.

In Ubuntu 20.04, it’s still easy to install the hide top bar extension, though the Software utility does not longer handle the extension packages.

For Ubuntu 22.04 user, please scroll down and see the update section.

1.) Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Then run the apt command to install the extension:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-autohidetopbar

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) for sudo prompt and hit Enter.

2.) Once installed, restart Gnome Shell by pressing Alt+F2 and type r in the pop-up “Run a Command” box and hit Enter.

3.) Finally open either Extensions or Gnome Tweaks (both available to install in Software), and enable “Hide Top Bar” extension.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Update for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

The extension works for Ubuntu 22.04 with GNOME 42, though it’s not available in system repository anymore.

Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run the command below to install required packages first:

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell gnome-shell-extension-prefs

Next, go to the link page below, install browser extension if prompt and turn on the slider icon to install the extension:

Install Auto-Hide Topbar

NOTE: The pre-installed Firefox (Snap) does not support installing Gnome Extensions! Use another browser or install Firefox as classic Deb.

It will work immediately after you installed it. To manage its behavior, search for and open “Extensions” app and click the related “Settings” button.

App to Manage your extensions

In Gnome Shell, Howtos
 

How to Install Conky Manager 2 in Ubuntu 24.04 | 22.04

Last updated: April 22, 2025

This simple tutorial shows how to install Conky Manager 2, the graphical front-end for Conky system monitor, in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and Ubuntu 25.04

Conky is a light-weight system monitor for Linux Xorg, that displays CPU, GPU, and disk usage, network speed, weather, date and time and other information on desktop as widget.

And Conky Manager is a graphical tool that manages Conky config files. It provides options to start/stop, browse and edit Conky themes installed on the system.

The software was originally developed by by teejee2008 (Tony George), but not been updated for quite a few years. And Conky Manager 2 takes the job to make it work on recent Linux systems with updated Conky versions support.

Install Conky Manager 2 Ubuntu via PPA:

For those still using conky widget to monitor CPU/RAM, network usage, and weather information, I’ve create an unofficial PPA contains the most recent packages for Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 20.04, with both 64-bit and arm64/armhf OS types support.

1.) First, open terminal by either pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard, or searching from ‘Activities’ overview screen. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/conkymanager2

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

2.) Then install Conky Manager2 and conky as dependency library via command:

sudo apt install conky-manager2

NOTE: Linux Mint needs to manually update cache via sudo apt update command first.

Start and use Conky Manager 2:

Once installed, search for and launch Conky Manager app from the activities overview screen (or from start menu depends on your DE).

The app comes with some default themes, though may not well configured for your desktop. Tick or un-tick any item in the list will start or stop conky with that theme, though you may also use the tool bar buttons.

And, you can use the “spanner” icon to config theme options, including screen location, size, background transparency. Advanced users may also click on the ‘pencil‘ icon to edit it via configuration file.

There are also tons of Conky themes on the web. You can download one, and install it easily by clicking the second folder icon (with a little emblem).

Uninstall Conky, Conky Manager:

For any reason, you can easily remove the Ubuntu PPA by running the command below in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/conkymanager2

If you want to remove Conky as well as Conky manager run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove conky conky-manager2
In Howtos
 

Magnus – A Simple Screen Magnifier for Ubuntu

Last updated: July 31, 2020

Looking for a desktop magnifier? Besides enabling the built-in screen magnifier, there are a few third-party applications can do the job.

Magnus is a very simple desktop magnifier written in Python 3. It shows the area around the mouse pointer in a separate window magnified two, three, four, or five times. Useful for users who need magnification, whether to help with eyesight or for accurate graphical design or detail work.

How to Install Magnus in Ubuntu:

Magnus is available as Snap package, it can be directly installed from Ubuntu Software.

For Ubuntu 20.04 and higher, the software is also available in the main apt repository. Simple open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install it:

sudo apt install magnus

For Ubuntu 18.04, you need to add the PPA repository by running command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:flexiondotorg/magnus && sudo apt update

Then run the previous apt install command to install it.

Once installed, launch magnus from system application launcher and enjoy!

Uninstall Magnus:

To remove the software PPA if added, run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:flexiondotorg/magnus

To remove Magnus, simply run command:

sudo apt remove magnus
In App Review, Howtos
 

Quick Tip: Display Battery Percentage in Ubuntu 20.04 Top Panel

Last updated: July 30, 2020

This quick tip shows how to display the battery percentage in the top panel system tray area in Ubuntu 20.04 with the default Gnome desktop.

Single command to show battery percentage:

For those familiar with Linux commands, this can be done via a single command.

Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal, copy the command (Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl+Shift+V) into terminal and hit run:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface show-battery-percentage true

Using graphical tool: Gnome Tweaks

Search for and install Gnome Tweaks from Ubuntu Software.

or install Gnome Tweaks by running command in terminal:

sudo apt install gnome-tweaks

Once installed, launch the tool and navigate to Top Bar in the left pane, and finally toggle on “Battery Percentage”.

In Howtos