News, Tutorials, Howtos for Ubuntu Linux
When launching some apps (e.g., GParted, Synaptic, or Grub Customizer), install/uninstall packages with App Center or Software Updater, it always pops-up a dialog asking for admin password to authenticate.
This is great for security! But for lazy men those who don’t want to type user password again and again after logged in (or unlocked screen), it may be OK to disable the authentication window when using their computers at home or other safe places.
Password Authentication Pop-up in Ubuntu
GNOME, the popular free open-source Linux desktop environment, finally released new major 47 version a day ago on Wednesday!
If everything goes well, the new GNOME 47 desktop will be default in upcoming Ubuntu 24.10 and Fedora Workstation 41, and optional in Arch, Manjaro Linux, etc.
The new release features accent colors in the “Appearance” settings page. With it, user can change the Default Blue color of toggle buttons, slide bars, check-boxes, selection borders, etc., as easy as a single mouse click.
Ubuntu has the feature since 22.04. It has 10 colors while GNOME 47 has 9. They include Blue (default), Teal, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, Pink, Purple, Slat. And, so far the accent color does NOT apply to the folder icons.
Scrcpy, Android screen mirroring and controlling app, released version 2.7 few days ago.
Scrcpy is a popular free and open-source application for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It can mirror the Android screen on PC, and allows to control the device with keyboard and mouse.
With the new 2.7 release, user can now use game controllers (e.g., PS4/PS5, or XBox gamepad), which are connected into the computer, to play Android games.
Scrcpy on Ubuntu
Linux Kernel 6.11 was released! Linus Torvalds announced it 2 days ago on Sunday:
“I’m once again on the road and not in my normal timezone, but it’s Sunday afternoon here in Vienna, and 6.11 is out.
The last week was actually pretty quiet and calm, which is nice to see. The shortlog is below for anybody who wants to look at the details, but it really isn’t very many patches, and the patches are all pretty small. Nothing in particular stands out – the biggest patch in here is for Hyper-V Confidential Computing documentation. …”
This tutorial shows how to enable floating top panel in Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 40, Arch, Manjaro and other Linux with GNOME 46/47 Desktop.
Unlike traditional system panel which is usually stick to screen edge, floating bar (or panel) looks kinda like a desktop widget. It floats on the desktop, and usually has a small distance from the top or bottom edge.
Some systems, such as Windows 11, Zorin OS, Deepin Linux, include options to enable floating taskbar. The KDE Plasma 6 desktop even use it as default, which also automatically switches to solid panel style, when a window approaches or is maximized.
Ubuntu is working on a new desktop security center and prompting-client. Here’s how to try it out in current Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
It’s an experimental new feature that will land in next Ubuntu 24.10. Which, provides graphical interface to make it easier for users to control the file/folder access permission for Snap apps.
For example, when browsing web via Firefox (the preinstalled Firefox is a Snap package). You found a good image and want to save it to local folder, or you just want to download something. Before the downloading process starts, it will pop-up a dialog as the screenshot shows you, asking for user permission to allow writing to the file or folder.
Pop-up for file/folder access permission
Oracle finally announced the release of new major VirtualBox 7.1.0 after almost 2 years since the last feature release.
The release introduced a new logo icon with flat design, and re-fined the UI with modern look and feel. The Preferences and VM Settings dialog now include Basic and Expert tabs that will show/hide some extra settings.
It improved the font in Settings/Preferences to make the text more easy to read, as well it provides a “Search Box” in the dialog for searching settings. And, each VM now has new splash screen at very beginning of startup.
VirtualBox VM startup splash
This tutorial shows how to enable One Time PassWord in Ubuntu 24.04 for either local or remote SSH login.
One Time PassWord, OTPW in short, is a PAM module which is useful for allowing a user to login public or shared computer/server using a single-use password, that works only for one time.
By generating a list OTPW passwords, and configuring your system to allow OTPW logins, it will ask random one of the OTPW passwords on every login. And, that password will never work again once logged in successfully with it.
Audacity audio editor announced 3.6.2 release a week ago, then version 3.6.3 a day ago with a quick-fix.
As you may know, Audacity 3.6.0 introduced new compressor and limiter effects, replacing the old ones. For those who prefer the classic effects, the new point release added a “Legacy” effects section, under “Effects” menu, that contains the old Limiter, Compressor and Classic Filters.
This is a simple tutorial shows how to disable password authentication, and use SSH key instead for remote login to remote Ubuntu Server or Desktop.
SSH (Secure Shell) is a popular and secure way to login remote servers and/or transfer data between local and remote machines. When you try to SSH to a remote server, it usually asks for user password for authentication.
However, passwords are not the most secure. They are generally either not complex or long enough to protect from attacks, or hard to remember and type again and again on every connection.
To be more secure and also save your time, the secure key authentication is a good choice. And, here’s how to set it up step by step.
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