UbuntuHandbook

How to Auto-Hide the Top Panel in Ubuntu 18.04/19.10

Last updated: April 8, 2022

This simple tutorial shows how to auto-hide the top bar in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10 with the default Gnome desktop.

It’s easy to enable auto-hide the dock (left panel) feature as Ubuntu offers an option in the system settings utility. To run any maximized application window in full-screen like a video player does, you can also make the Gnome top bar auto-hide.

This can be done by a Gnome Shell extension called ‘Hide Top Bar’.

Open Ubuntu Software, search for and install hide top bar gnome shell extension.

UPDATE: For Ubuntu 20.04, install the extension by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal and run command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-autohidetopbar

Once installed, launch the extension settings either from Ubuntu Software in the install page, or by going to Gnome Tweaks -> Extensions.

Enjoy!

Uninstall:

To remove the extension, simply run command:

sudo apt remove gnome-shell-extension-autohidetopbar

In Howtos auto-hide top bar

qBittorrent 4.2.1 Released with Libtorrent Fixes (Ubuntu PPA)

Last updated: December 18, 2019

qBittorrent torrent client 4.2.1 was released today. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.04, and Ubuntu 19.10.

qBittorrent 4.2.1 brings libtorrent fixes which make UDP through proxies work again. The listening IP/interface selection code has been reworked. If you have a specific network interface/local address set in the Advanced Settings, go and make sure that your settings have stayed the same.

Other changes include:

Enable portable mode if “profile” directory exists
Enable “Apply rate limit to peers on LAN” option by default
Expand single-item folders in torrent content
Rework the listening IP/interface selection code
Bug-fixes and some Web UI changes. See News page for more.

How to Install qBittorrent 4.2.1 in Ubuntu:

The official qBittorrent PPA has built the new release packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.04, and Ubuntu 19.10.

1. To add the PPA, open terminal by either pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or searching for “Terminal” from application menu. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:qbittorrent-team/qbittorrent-stable

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

2. If an old version was installed, upgrade it via Software Updater,

or run following commands to install /upgrade qBittorrent in terminal:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install qbittorrent

Uninstall:

To remove qBittorrent PPA, either go to Software & Updates -> Other Software, or run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:qbittorrent-team/qbittorrent-stable

To remove the bittorrent client, either use your system package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove qbittorrent

In Howtos, News qbittorrent

SuperTux 0.6.1 (Similar to Super Mario) Released (How to Install)

Last updated: December 17, 2019

SuperTux, classic 2D jump’n run side-scroller game inspired by Super Mario games, released version 0.6.1 a few days ago with new game content. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.04, and Ubuntu 19.10.

SuperTux 0.6.1 is a bug-fix release for version 0.6.0 which was released almost a year ago. It also brings new graphics, levels and other game content:

Rework of the first 3 Bonus Worlds
Added 3 new bonus worlds to the core game
Improvements to the story mode
Addition of Ghost Forest to the Story Mode
New Backgrounds and Music by BlasterMaster
Tiles and Sprites Improvements by Alzter, weluvgoatz and RustyBox
New enemy: The Ghoul
Fixed buggy controls, game speed, etc.
Level Editor Improvements, Fixes and Optimisations
Revamp of the Credits Menu
Blocks no longer jitter when stacked on top of one another
Trampolines as bonus block contents no longer hurt Tux

How to Install SuperTux 0.6.1 in Ubuntu:

The SuperTux download page offers .Appimage (non-install executable file) and .Flatpak (runs in sandbox) packages for Linux.

For those prefer native Ubuntu .deb package, run following commands one by one to install it via an unofficial PPA.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/supertux

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

2. If an old version of the game was installed, upgrade it via Software Updater:

or run commands to install Supertux 0.6.1:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install supertux

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA, either go to Software & Updates -> Other Software or run command:

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

To remove the game, run command:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove supertux supertux-data

In Howtos, News Super Mario Ubuntu, Supertux

How to Install Vim 8.2 in Ubuntu 18.04, 16.04, 19.10

Last updated: December 16, 2019

Vim text editor 8.2 was released a few days ago. An unofficial PPA has made the packages for all current Ubuntu releases as well as Ubuntu 14.04.

The main new feature of Vim 8.2 is support for “popup windows”, which displays message boxes, function prototypes, code snippets, etc on top of the text. See Vim 8.2 release note for more.

Jonathon F maintains a PPA with Vim packages for all current Ubuntu releases.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonathonf/vim

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

2. Then refresh package cache and install Vim via commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install vim

For more features (e.g., Python support), you may also install vim-gtk3 and / or vim-nox:

sudo apt install vim-gtk3 vim-nox

Uninstall:

To restore Vim to the stock versions in Ubuntu main repositories, run command to purge the PPA:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:jonathonf/vim

To only remove the PPA while keeping the installed Vim packages, either go to Software & Updates -> Other Software, or run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:jonathonf/vim

In Howtos, News Vim

How to Install Mesa 19.3 in Ubuntu 18.04, 19.10

Last updated: December 15, 2019

Mesa 3D graphics library 19.3 was released a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.04, and Ubuntu 19.10.

Mesa 19.3 is a big release that features:

Intel OpenGL 4.6 support
New Vulkan extensions both for Radeon RADV and Intel ANV
Initial Intel Tiger Lake support
AMD Navi 14 support (Radeon RX 5500 XT!)
Zink is added for experimental OpenGL over Vulkan

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kisak/kisak-mesa

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and read the PPA description before pressing 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 drivers shipped in your Ubuntu, run command:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:kisak/kisak-mesa

In Howtos, News Mesa 3D graphics library, Mesa PPA

How to Install DBGL DOSBox Game Launcher in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: December 14, 2019

This quick tutorial shows how to easily install DBGL, graphical user interface to DOSBox (configuration), in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10, and their derivatives.

DBGL is a free, open-source, multi-platform Java frontend for DOSBox. It features:

Multiple DOSBox versions support.
Templates support.
Basic support for ‘Windows system integration’
Import / Export Game.
Support for so-called Booter games.
Export game-list to a file
Automated build system, and more.

How to Install DBGL in Ubuntu:

Thanks to Rob Savoury who maintains a PPA repository that contains DBGL as well as DOSBox packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.04, and Ubuntu 19.10.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/dbgl

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

2. Then refresh system package cache (for Ubuntu 18.04 and higher, it’s done automatically after adding PPA.), and install the game launcher:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install dbgl dosbox

3. (Optional) DBGL requires Java. If you don’t have Java runtime in your system, either install Oracle Java or run command to install OpenJDK:

sudo apt install openjdk-8-jre

For Ubuntu 18.04 and higher, you may replce openjdk-8-jre with openjdk-11-jre.

Once installed, open DOSBox game launcher from system application launcher and enjoy.

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA repository, run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:savoury1/dbgl

To remove DBGL as well as DOSBox, run command:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove dbgl dosbox

In Howtos DOSBox, DOSBox Game Launcher

HPLIP 3.19.12 Released with New Printers Support

Last updated: December 12, 2019

HPLIP 3.19.12, open source Linux driver for HP printers and scanners, was released today with many new devices support.

HPLIP 3.19.12 added following new devices support:

HP Color LaserJet Pro M256dn, M256nw, M256dw.
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dn, M255nw, M255dw.
HP Color LaserJet Pro M155a, M155nw, M156a, M156nw.
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M282nw, M284nw
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdn, M285fdn
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw, M285fdw
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283cdw, M285cdw
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M182n, M184n
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M182nw, M184nw
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M183fw, M185fw

This release also added support for Debian 10.1, Debian 10.2, and Manjaro 18.1.2.

1. To install the software, download the package “hplip-3.19.12.run” from the link below:

2. Then open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “terminal” from app launcher. When it opens, run command to give executable permission:

chmod +x ~/Downloads/hplip-3.19.12.run

3. Finally run command to start installing the driver:

./Downloads/hplip-3.19.12.run

Follow the terminal output and answer some questions. If everything goes OK, plug or re-plug your HP devices and enjoy!

In Howtos, News HPLIP

Enable ‘2×2’, ‘3×3’ Workspace Grid in Ubuntu 18.04/19.10

Last updated: December 11, 2019

This is another tutorial about how to arrange workspaces in a two dimensional grid (2×2, 2×3, 3×3, etc.) in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher.

The Workspace Grid gnome shell extension does the job, it is however seems to be not maintained anymore.

The Workspace Matrix extension takes up the job and so far supports for Gnome Shell up to version 3.34.

With the extension, you can bring up the workspace grid via Super+W (press again to hide) key, and use arrow keys to navigate between workspaces.

1. First open Gnome Tweaks (install it via Ubuntu Software), and enable “Static Workspaces” under Workspaces tab.

2. Then install the Workspace Matrix extension in Ubuntu Software.

3. Launch the extension settings page either in Ubuntu Software (package installing page) or via Gnome Tweaks -> Extensions.

Finally set the number of rows, columns, and scale of workspace thumbnails.

That’s it. Enjoy!

In Howtos enable workspace grid

Disable Installing Updates During Shutdown in Ubuntu 19.10

Last updated: December 10, 2019

While shutting down, Ubuntu sometimes gets stuck at purple screen with Ubuntu logo and the scrolling 5 dots. And it says ‘Unattended-upgrade in progress during shutdown, please don’t turn off the computer‘.

This happens not very often, and it’s OK to press and hold the power button to force shutdown Ubuntu, which will not break you machine.

You can also prevent Ubuntu from installing updates while shutting down simply by doing following steps one by one.

1.) Open applications menu, search for and launch Software & Updates utility.

2.) When it opens, navigate to Updates tab. Then disable ‘Automatically check for updates‘ by setting its value to Never.

That’s it.

NOTE: Disabling automatic updates comes with a security risk. You may launch Software Updater or run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade command to keep your system updated manually.

In Howtos

Restore Missing Dual / Triple Boot Menu in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: December 9, 2019

After installing recent updates in my Ubuntu 18.04 via Software Updater, Grub2 boot-loader menu is not showing on startup. The dual-boot (or triple-boot) operating system is no longer available when you press Shift (or Esc) to show the menu entry.

It seems to be a grub2 package issue in the recent update, though I’m not sure. And sudo update-grub can’t detect operating systems outside the current Ubuntu release.

If you happened to have the similar issue, try following steps to fix the problem.

1.) Open terminal and run following commands one by one to install grub-customizer:

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

sudo apt update

sudo apt install grub-customizer

For Ubuntu 19.04 and higher, grub-customizer can be easily installed from Ubuntu Software.

2.) Launch Grub Customizer. When it opens, do:

navigate to General Settings tab.
check the first two check-boxes under visibility to show menu, check for other OSes.
click on the Save button.