UbuntuHandbook

How to Install Parole Media Player 1.0.3 in Ubuntu 18.04, 19.04

Last updated: July 27, 2019

Xfce’s lightweight Parole media player released the third bug-fix update for the 1.0 series today. Here’s how how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.04, and their derivatives.

Parole 1.0.3 release highlights:

Drop deprecated OnlyShowIn keys in desktop actions
Ensure the time divider is shown/hidden correctly
Fix closing of Parole process with Ctrl-Q
Fix Gtk-CRITICAL when closing main window
Change text ‘…’ to ‘…’ for consistency with other Xfce apps
Change text ’60 seconds’ to ‘1 minute’
Move appdata to metainfo

How to Install Parole 1.0.3 in Ubuntu 18.04, 19.04:

The unofficial PPA has made the new release package for Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 19.04.

1. Open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “Terminal” from application menu. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

Type user password (no asterisk feedback when typing due to security reason) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then upgrade the media player via Software Updater utility:

or run following commands to install / upgrade it:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install parole

For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab the .deb package from HERE.

Uninstall:

Run following command to purge the PPA repository which also downgrade installed packages to the stock version in your Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

In Howtos, News lightweight media player, parole media player

How to Install Linux Kernel 5.2.2 in Ubuntu / Linux Mint

Last updated: July 25, 2019

Ubuntu mainline kernel packages for Linux 5.2 finally available to download & install in 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.

Due to build failure, Ubuntu mainline kernel packages for Linux 5.2 missed 32-bit & 64-bit packages for a few weeks.

Linux Kernel 5.2 release highlights:

Nouveau suppport for GeForce GTX 1650.
Intel Icelake graphics considered production-ready.
Intel Comet Lake support
Improved AMD Ryzen laptop support.
Better Logitech wireless device support.
New “RTW88” 802.11ac WiFi driver.
Various other improvements and updated drivers.

At the moment, Linux 5.2 series is at the second 5.2.2 maintenance release. And here’s how to install it in Ubuntu, Linux Mint.

How to Install Linux Kernel 5.2.2 in Ubuntu:

The mainline kernel packages for Linux 5.2.2 are available for download at the link below:

Depends on your OS type, download and install the packages in turns:

linux-headers-5.2.2-xxxxxx_all.deb
linux-headers-5.2.2-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64(/i386).deb
linux-modules-5.2.2-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64(/i386).deb
linux-image-xxx-5.2.2-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64(/i386).deb

Select generic for common system, and lowlatency for a low latency system (e.g. for recording audio), amd64 for 64bit system, i386 for 32bit system, or armhf, arm64, etc for other OS types.

Alternatively you can download and install the kernel binaries via terminal commands (Ctrl+Alt+T):

For 64-bit OS:

cd /tmp/

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.2.2/linux-headers-5.2.2-050202_5.2.2-050202.201907231250_all.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.2.2/linux-headers-5.2.2-050202-generic_5.2.2-050202.201907231250_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.2.2/linux-image-unsigned-5.2.2-050202-generic_5.2.2-050202.201907231250_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.2.2/linux-modules-5.2.2-050202-generic_5.2.2-050202.201907231250_amd64.deb

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

for 32-bit OS:

cd /tmp/

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.2.2/linux-headers-5.2.2-050202_5.2.2-050202.201907231250_all.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.2.2/linux-headers-5.2.2-050202-generic_5.2.2-050202.201907231250_i386.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.2.2/linux-image-5.2.2-050202-generic_5.2.2-050202.201907231250_i386.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.2.2/linux-modules-5.2.2-050202-generic_5.2.2-050202.201907231250_i386.deb

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

Once installed, restart your computer and enjoy!

Uninstall Linux Kernel 5.2.2:

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 5.2.2:

sudo dpkg --purge linux-image-5.2.2-050202-generic linux-image-unsigned-5.2.2-050202-generic

In Howtos, News Linux Kernel 5.2

PyCharm 2019.2 Released with Initial Python 3.8 Support

Last updated: July 24, 2019

PyCharm 2019.2 was released today with exciting new features, initial Python 3.8 support, improved Jupyter Notebook experience, and many more other changes.

PyCharm 2019.2 release highlights:

Improved Jupyter Notebook integration. Some of the most requested features have been implemented.
Syntax highlight support for many other languages, C#, C++, Groovy, Lua, Makefiles, and more.
cURL format is now supported for HTTP requests.
Add support for some major Python 3.8 features.
Full-text search across multiple data sources
Improved debugging and variable refactoring experiences.
For more details, see the release note.

How to Install PyCharm 2019.2 in Ubuntu:

Jetbrains offers official Snap package for Linux desktop, which keeps the IDE always up-to-date.

For Ubuntu 18.04 and higher, simply open Ubuntu Software, search for and install pycharm packages:

For Ubuntu 16.04, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and install snapd daemon via command:

sudo apt install snapd snapd-xdg-open

Then install PyCharm snap package via command:

sudo snap install pycharm-community --classic

In the command replace pycharm-community with pycharm-professional for the professional edition.

Uninstall:

To remove the PyCharm snap package, either use Ubuntu Software or run command in terminal:

sudo snap remove pycharm-professional pycharm-community

In Howtos, News PyCharm, python 3.8

How to Change Battery Critical Low Action in Ubuntu 22.04 [Updated]

Last updated: March 17, 2023

Ubuntu will by default go sleep when your laptop battery is running into critical low. For those who want to apply anther action, here’s how to do the trick in Ubuntu with the default GNOME desktop.

NOTE: This tutorial is tested and works in Ubuntu 22.04 with default GNOME. It may also works in current other Ubuntu releases.

1. First, open terminal either by searching from ‘Activities’ overview or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard.

2. When terminal opens, run command to edit the upower config file:

sudo gedit /etc/UPower/UPower.conf

For Ubuntu 22.10+, replace gedit in command with gnome-text-editor, or use nano instead for other Linux.

3. Once file opens, scroll down and find out the line CriticalPowerAction=HybridSleep (the last line in my case). As the description says, you can change the value into:

PowerOff
Hibernate – need to enable hibernate function first.

(Optional) 4. For choice, you may also edit the value of following lines:

PercentageLow=20 – battery low when percentage 20% left.
PercentageCritical=5 – battery critical when percentage 5% left.
PercentageAction=2 – perform the action you set in step 3 when battery 2% left.

In case you want to use time remaining instead, find out and change UsePercentageForPolicy=false. So, following values will be in active:

TimeLow=1200 – battery low when 1200 seconds left.
TimeCritical=300 – battery critical when 300 seconds left.
TimeAction=120 – perform action (step 3) when 120 seconds left.

5. Once you saved the file (for nano text editor, press Ctrl+X, type y and hit Enter), run the command to restart upower service to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart upower.service

That’s all. Enjoy!

In Howtos critical low battery action

How to Enable On Screen Keyboard in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: July 22, 2019

In Ubuntu 18.04 and higher, Gnome’s built-in screen keyboard can be enabled via universal access menu.

However, it only triggers automatically in Gnome Activities and Application menu, nowhere else. See the bug. Though it’s marked as fixed, I still have the problem in my laptop.

For those have the same issue, you can install the previous Ubuntu 16.04’s default onboard screen keyboard utility in Ubuntu 18.04 as a workaround.

Open Ubuntu Software, search for and install onboard as well as onboard settings.

Once installed, launch the utility from Gnome application menu.

In onboard settings, set up auto-show, layout, theme, etc and enjoy!

In Gnome Shell on screen keyboard, screen keyboard Ubuntu 18.04

Microsoft Teams client for Linux 0.4 Released with Stability Fixes

Last updated: July 21, 2019

Teams for Linux is an unofficial Microsoft Teams client for Linux using Electron. It uses the Web App and wraps it as a standalone application using Electron.

The latest Teams for Linux 0.4 was released 2 days ago with mostly stability improvements and fixes. And the spellchecker has been re-implemented not to need an external module.

Teams for Linux is available to install via Snap package (runs in sandbox). So you can easily search for and install it from Ubuntu Software utility in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher:

Also native Ubuntu .deb package is available to download at the release page:

Click install the .deb package via Ubuntu Software, or open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run following command:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/teams-for-linux*.deb

Once installed, launch the client from your system application menu and enjoy!

In App Review Microsoft Teams for Linux

Gscan2PDF 2.5.5 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu

Last updated: July 20, 2019

Gscan2pdf 2.5.5, GTK tool to produce PDF / DjVu from scanned document, was released yesterday with bug-fixes, some improvements, and updated translations.

Gscan2PDF 2.5.5 changelog:

Fix occasional error messages when clearing all pages
Only set paper to Manual if not applying profile
Update OCR view switching between pages with and without OCR output
xz compress log file if xz available
Fix bug applying paper after profile set SANE_INFO_INEXACT
When saving current settings as new profile, actually set the profile
If a device throws an error when opening it, add it to a session blacklist
option tolerance to cover buggy backends that return inexact options without setting SANE_INFO_INEXACT
Update translations.

How to Install gscan2pdf 2.5.5 in Ubuntu:

The official Ubuntu PPA has made the new release packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, Ubuntu 19.04 and their derivatives.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jeffreyratcliffe/ppa

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

2. For those who have a previous release installed, upgrade it through Software Updater:

For the first time, you can either install it via Synaptic Package Manager or by running following commands in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gscan2pdf

How to Remove:

To remove gscan2pdf, either use your system package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove gscan2pdf

And the PPA can be removed via Software & Updates utility, under Other Software tab.

In Howtos, News gscan2pdf, scan to pdf

How to Enable Screen Magnifier in Ubuntu 18.04 / 19.04

Last updated: July 20, 2019

The default Gnome desktop has a built-in desktop magnifier. This quick tutorial will show you how to enable this feature in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher.

First of all, install dconf editor from Ubuntu Software utility if you don’t have it.

To enable screen magnifier in Ubuntu:

Open Dconf Editor, then navigate to org/gnome/desktop/a11y/applications.

There turn on the toggle for “screen-magnifier-enabled”.

To change screen magnifier preferences:

I don’t like the default magnified view which fills entire screen. Fortunately, there are options to change the maginifier preferences.

Also in Dconf Editor, navigate to org/gnome/desktop/a11y/magnifier, there are many preference options including:

lens-mode: move the magnified view with the mouse pointer.
screen-position: screen position of magnified view, left-half, right-half, top-half, bottom-half, or full-screen.
mag-factor: magnification factor, minimum = 0.1, maximum = 32.
mouse-tracking: determine the position of the magnified mouse image within the magnified view, and how it reacts to system mouse movement.

There are also options to enable crosshairs, inverse lightness, scroll beyond the edges of desktop, etc.

In Howtos screen magnifier, screen magnifier ubuntu 18.04

How to Install Mesa 19.0.8 in Ubuntu 18.04 / 19.04

Last updated: July 18, 2019

Mesa 3D graphics library 19.0.8 now is available to install in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.04 via PPA repository.

For those sticking to the open-source RadeonSI / RADV / Intel / Nouveau drivers, Mesa 19.0.8 is the latest bug-fix release for 19.0 series which fixes a critical bug found in the 19.0.7 release.

Canonical’s Timo Aaltonen has made Mesa 19.0.8 package into “Ubuntu-X” team PPA for Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 19.04.

To get better open-source graphics driver performance, you may install Mesa 19.0.8 via following steps:

1. Open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or from software launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-x-swat/updates

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

2. After adding the PPA, do system update via command:

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

apt-get update is not required any more in Ubuntu 18.04 since adding PPA automatically refreshes system package cache.

3. Finally check your driver version via command:

glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version"

Uninstall:

To restore changes and downgrade to the default drives shipped in Ubuntu 18.04, run command:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntu-x-swat/updates

In Howtos Mesa 3D graphics library

Xsnow – Snow on Your Desktop in Ubuntu 18.04 / Higher

Last updated: July 19, 2019

Xsnow, let it snow on your desktop, now is working on Gnome, KDE, FVWM desktop in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher.

Xsnow is a handy command tool that brings Christmas to your desktop. However, it does not work properly in Ubuntu since Ubuntu 12.04 Precise.

Now a brand new Xsnow based on the original xsnow-1.42 is available to work on many desktop environments, and a simple graphical interface is available for those who are not familiar with command line.

Finally, a working xsnow for Gnome, KDE, etc. Based on the original xsnow-1.42 created by Rick Jansen, after the xsnow-2019 conference in Antas (Spain) we now have available a xsnow that works on many desktop environments, even Raspian. By request of many beta-testers, a graphical front end has been created as well.