UbuntuHandbook

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.

For Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, Ubuntu 19.04, and higher, download the package from the link below:

Select download i386.deb for 32-bit OS, amd64.deb for 64-bit OS, or armhf.deb for Raspberry pi.

Then double-click to install via Ubuntu Software, or run command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/xsnow_*.deb

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

(Optional) To remove the tool, simply run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove xsnow

In App Review, News bring Christmas to desktop, Snow on Gnome, Xsnow Ubuntu 18.04

VirtualBox 6.0.10 Released with UEFI Secure Boot Support

Last updated: July 16, 2019

Oracle Virtualbox 6.0.10 was released today with many improvements and fixes to Linux hosts and guests.

Virtualbox 6.0.10 release highlights:

Fix guest display resolution resize issue with recent Linux hosts.
Fixed guru meditation when raw mode is enabled
Fixed possible VM crash under certain circumstances
Fixed “unrecoverable error” problems in OHCI emulation.
USB: improve captured device identification
Support UEFI secure boot driver signing on Ubuntu and Debian hosts
Fix focus grabbing problems with recent Qt versions.
Share folder fixes for Windows hosts and guests.
Linux kernel module build fixes for various kernels
Remember Linux guest screen size after a guest reboot

How to Install Virtualbox 6.0.10 in Ubuntu:

For all current Ubuntu releases, you can either download the official .deb binary from the link below:

or install VBox from its official apt repository:

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

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -sc) contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

For Linux Mint, you HAVE to replace $(lsb_release -sc) in the command with bionic for Mint 19.x, or xenial for Mint 18.x.

2. Then download and install the repository key via command:

wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

3. Refresh system package cache via command:

sudo apt update

4. Finally install Virtualbox 6.0:

sudo apt install virtualbox-6.0

Uninstall:

To remove it, simply run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove virtualbox-6.0

And go to Software & Updates -> Other Software to remove apt repositories.

In Howtos, News Virtualbox

How to Install FeedReader RSS Client in Ubuntu 18.04 / Higher

Last updated: July 14, 2019

FeedReader is modern GTK+ 3 client for online RSS services like tt-rss and others.

FeedReader currently supports Feedbin, Feedly, FreshRSS, InoReader, Local RSS, Nextcloud/ownCloud, The Old Reader, and Tiny Tiny RSS.

It combines all the advantages of web based services like syncing across all your devices with everything you expect from a modern desktop application. It also allows to save articles to read-it-later with Instapaper, Pocket, or Wallabag.

Also it lets you share articals with others via Email, Twitter, Telegram.

FeedReader in Elementary OS

How to Install FeedReader in Ubuntu 18.04 & Higher

The software is available in universe repositories of Ubuntu 18.10, Ubuntu 19.04, Ubuntu 19.10, but they are old and won’t receive future updates.

To install the latest release in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher, open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T or from application menu, and run following commands one by one:

1. First run command to install the flatpak framework:

sudo apt-get install flatpak

2. Add flathub repository, which hosts a large list of flatpak applications:

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

3. Finally install RSS client via command:

flatpak install flathub org.gnome.FeedReader

And future install updates if available via flatpak update org.gnome.FeedReader command.

(Optional) To remove FeedReader flatpak package, run command in terminal:

flatpak uninstall org.gnome.FeedReader

In Howtos Feed Reader, RSS Client

Foliate – A Simple & Modern New GTK eBook Viewer

Last updated: July 13, 2019

Foliate is an open-source GTK eBook viewer built with GJS and Epub.js. It offers a simple and modern user interface, and features:

View EPUB files in two-page view or scrolled view
Customize font, line-spacing, margins, and brightness
Light, sepia, dark, and invert mode, or add your own custom themes
Reading progress slider with chapter marks
Bookmarks and annotations
Quick dictionary lookup with Wiktionary, Wikipedia, and dictd, or translate text with Google Translate
Touchpad gestures—use two-finger swipe to turn the page
Basic text-to-speech support with eSpeak NG and Festival

To install foliate ebook reader in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher:

The software offers Ubuntu .deb package, com.github.johnfactotum.foliate_1.4.0_all.deb at the moment, which is available to download at the release page:

Grab the package, then either double-click to install it, or open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/com.github.johnfactotum.foliate_*.deb

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

(Optional) To remove the software, simply run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove foliate

For those who prefer the Flatpak package, Foliate is also available in Flathub repository.

In App Review ebook reader, GTK ebook reader

Customizable Weather Widget ‘Gis Weather’ 0.8.4 Released

Last updated: July 12, 2019

Gis Weather is an open-source desktop weather widget and indicator applet with highly customizable user interface.

Gis Weather is written in Python 3 with GTK+ 3. It features:

View weather for several days
Detailed weather forecast for today and tomorrow
Select the background and theme weather icons
“Compass” with the wind direction, with adjustable angle of rotation
Highlighting the high wind
Support weather services: Gismeteo.com, OpenWeatherMap.org, Yr.no.

The new version 0.84 was released hours ago with updated icons, translations, and various bug-fixes.

How to Install Gis Weather in Ubuntu:

The software offers .deb package available to download at the link below:

Grab the package the install it by opening terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/gis-weather_*.deb

Once installed launch it from your system application menu:

Choose weather service, and setup your location at first launch:

Then you can change icons, background, text font via widget’s right-click menu. And in Preferences, change units, widget location, refresh time interval, appearances, enable indicator applet, auto-start, etc.

In Howtos gis weather, weather indicator, weather widget

FireFox 68 Releazed with Improved Dark Mode (How to Upgrade)

Last updated: July 12, 2019

Mozilla Firefox 68.0 was released a few days ago with dark mode improvements, new features, and security fixes. Here’s how to install it in all current Ubuntu releases.

Firefox 68.0 release highlights:

Window controls, sidebars and toolbars will be dark with dark mode in reader view.
New reporting feature to report security and performance issues with extensions and themes.
Redesigned extensions dashboard for easy accessing to information about your extensions
Redesigned extensions now displays user count and ratings for each extension.
Add cryptomining and fingerprinting protections to strict content blocking settings
Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) update download support.
Camera and microphone access now require an HTTPS connection.
And various security fixes. See release note for details.

Upgrade to Firefox 68 in Ubuntu:

Firefox 68 has been ~~will be~~ made into Ubuntu universe repositories for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, and higher ~~in a few days~~. Check HERE, and do following to upgrade it once available.

For all current Ubuntu releases, simply open Software Updater and install the updates after checking for updates.

If you don’t see the Firefox updates, go to Software & Updates and make sure the security and updates repositories are enabled in Updates tab.

In Howtos, News Firefox

Syncthing 1.2.0 Released, Adds QUIC Transport Protocol

Last updated: July 10, 2019

Open source continuous file synchronization program syncthing 1.2.0 was released yesterday with new features, various bug-fixes, and enhancements.

Syncthing 1.2.0 release highlights:

Add QUIC with NAT traversal as a new transport protocol. TCP remains the preferred way of connection when possible.
Adds automatic crash reporting.
Make large / variable block size the only available mode of operation
Versions are now named with the time of their archiving
The new release does not interoperate with Syncthing 0.14.45 or older