UbuntuHandbook

PyCharm 2018.3 Released with WSL, Multiline TODOs Support

Last updated: November 22, 2018

PyCharm IDE

JetBrains PyCharm IDE 2018.3 was released one day ago with new features and great improvements.

PyCharm 2018.3 features:

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) interpreters for Windows users developing apps for Linux.
Multiline TODOs support.
Great usability improvements for search everywhere feature.
Performance improvements to F-string.
Additional options for optimizing imports
GitHub pull requests
Cassandra support

How to Install PyCharm 2018.3 in Ubuntu:

Jetbrains offers official Snap package for Linux desktop. 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

MusicBrainz Picard 2.0.4 Available to Install via Snap

Last updated: November 21, 2018

MusicBrainz Picard music tagger now is available as Snap package for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, and higher.

Snap is containerised software package designed to work within most Linux desktop. It bundles all its required dependencies, so the latest Picard 2.0.4 works in Ubuntu 16.04 while the official PPA updates only for Ubuntu 18.04 and higher.

Note that the MusicBrainz Picard snap package is not official. It’s maintained by the community.

To install Picard snap package in Ubuntu 18.04 / higher:

Simply open Ubuntu Software, search for and install picard. There are 2 software packages while the Snap package marked as ‘Source: Snap Store’ in the package details.

Install Picard 2.0.4 in Ubuntu 16.04:

For Ubuntu 16.04, open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or by searching for ‘terminal’ from app launcher. When it opens, do:

1. Run command to install snapd is daemon:

sudo apt install snapd snapd-xdg-open

Type user password (no asterisks feedback due to security reason) for sudo prompt and hit Enter.

2. Then install Picard snap package via command:

sudo snap install picard

(Optional) To uninstall the package, run command:

sudo snap remove picard

In Howtos, News Install Picard 2 Ubuntu 16.04, MuiscBrainz Picard, MusicBrainz

PlayOnLinux 4.3 Released with POL 5 Winebuild Compatibility

Last updated: November 21, 2018

PlayOnLinux, a graphical frontend for the Wine software compatibility layer which allows Linux to install Windows-based applications, released version 4.3 a few days ago.

While Phoenicis PlayOnLinux 5 is currently under development, the POL 4.3 is a bug-fix release that also brings Phoenicis (POL 5) winebuild compatibility. POL 4 winebuilds will be deprecated.

To install PlayOnLinux 4.3, download the official .deb package:

You can also add the PlayOnLinux apt repository via following steps:

1 Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the keyring:

wget -q "http://deb.playonlinux.com/public.gpg" -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Type user password (no asterisks feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then add PlayOnLinux repository which so far supports for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04.

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://deb.playonlinux.com/ $(lsb_release -sc) main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/playonlinux.list'

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

3. Finally either upgrade PlayOnLinux via Software Updater or install it via commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install playonlinux

Uninstall:

To remove PlayOnLinux, simply run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove playonlinux

To remove the apt repository, go to Software & Updates -> Other Software.

In Howtos, News PlayOnLinux, wine

qBittorrent 4.1.4 Released with .TS Recognize as Previewable

Last updated: November 19, 2018

The free and reliable P2P bittorrent client qBittorrent 4.1.4 was released today with new features, bug-fixes, WebUI and search improvements.

qBittorrent 4.1.4 release highlights:

Recognize *.ts files as previewable
Allow to disable speed graphs
Clear LineEdit on ESC
Fix divide-by-zero crash
Remove speed limit checkbox in Options dialog
Fix speed graph “high speeds” bug
BUGFIX: Don’t update torrent status unnecessarily
BUGFIX: Improve force recheck of paused torrent
Restore torrent in two steps
Improve scaling of speed graphs
Add isNetworkFileSystem() detection on Windows. This allows network mounts to be monitored correctly by polling timer.
Reduce horizontal graphs resolution. Improves perfomance.
Add SMB2 magic number
Restore startup perfomance to v4.1.2 times. Needs at least libtorrent 1.1.10
Add free disk space to WebUI status bar, and many other WebUI improvements.
Allow to disable downloading REPACK/PROPER matches
Improve RSS Feed updating
Allow resizing search filter in search job
And various other improvements and bug-fixes.

How to Install qBittorrent 4.1.4 in Ubuntu:

The official qBittorrent PPA contains the latest packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, and Ubuntu 18.10.

1. To add the PPA, open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T or searching “Terminal” from app launcher. When it opens, run:

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

Type in your password (no visual feedback while typing due to security reason) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. To upgrade from a previous release, launch Software Updater and you’ll see qBittorrent available for upgrade after checking for updates.

Or run commands below to install /upgrade it from terminal:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install qbittorrent

Uninstall:

To remove qBittorrent PPA, 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

Install C &C: Red Alert via Snap in Ubuntu 18.04, 16.04

Last updated: November 17, 2018

Command & Conquer: Red Alert, the old popular real-time strategy game now can be easily installed in Ubuntu 16.04 and higher via Snap package.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy game and second release in the Command & Conquer series, having been released in October of 1996. it is also the first game in the Red Alert sub-series that takes an alternative path/story of the main Command & Conquer series.

C&C: Red Alert is set prior to the events in Command & Conquer in an alternative history where the Soviet Union has invaded Eastern Europe and started a new war against the remaining European countries and the United States.

Thanks to Taqi Raza, the game now is available via Snap (containerized software package works securely within most Linux desktop).

Please forgive my global internet speed. I can’t test the game package due to lack of time.

1. For Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 18.10, simply open Ubuntu Software, search for and install cncra.

Do install wine-platform (snap) first as the package is running via wine.

2. For Ubuntu 16.04, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run following commands one by one:

Install snapd daemon via command:

sudo apt install snapd snapd-xdg-open

Install wine snap package via command:

sudo snap install wine-platform

Finally install the Red Alert package:

sudo snap install cncra

Replace cncra with cncra2yr for Red Alert 2 Yuri’s Revenge.

Uninstall:

To remove the game package, open terminal and run command:

sudo snap remove cncra cncra2yr

In Howtos Command & Conquer, Red Alert

Visual Studio Code 1.29 Released with Multiline Search

Last updated: November 16, 2018

Visual Studio Code released version 1.29 recently with a number of significant updates.

VS Code 1.28 release highlights according to the announcement:

Multiline search – Search across files with regex multiline expressions.
File icons in IntelliSense – Quickly distinguish file types in IntelliSense.
Better macOS support – Full screen mode control and Mojave Dark Mode support.
Collapsible stack frames – Collapse uninteresting stack frames to clearly see your code.
Improved Loaded Scripts view – Displays related resources such as original source files.
Updated extension samples – Uniform style and structure, README, and API usage.
CI recipe for extensions – Azure Pipelines build recipe for extensions.
Preview: List All References – List All References view shows reference search results.

How to Install VS Code 1.29 in Ubuntu:

The easiest way is to install the community maintained Snap (run in sandbox) package from Ubuntu Software:

You can also install the official .deb package which is available for download at the link below:

Grab the deb and install it via either Gdebi package manager or command in terminal(Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/code_*.deb; sudo apt -f install

For those who want to receive updates for VS Code via Software Updater utility, add the Microsoft repository via following steps (64bit only):

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

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/vscode stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list'

2. Download and install the repository key via commands:

curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > microsoft.gpg

sudo mv microsoft.gpg /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/microsoft.gpg

3. Finally install the IDE via command:

sudo apt-get install code

Uninstall Visual Studio Code:

To remove the code editor, either use Synaptic Package Manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove code

And remove the Microsoft repository by launching Software & Updates utility and navigating to Other Software tab.

In Howtos, News Visual Studio Code

RedNotebook 2.8 Released with Internal Previews Support on Windows

Last updated: November 15, 2018

RedNotebook, cross-platform desktop diary and journal software, released version 2.8 today with support for internal previews again on Windows.

RedNotebook also released version 2.7 and 2.7.1 in recent days. Here are the changes:

Never let search phrases end up in the main text field
Fix spell checking
Use GtkSourceView for editor to obtain better undo/redo functionality
When saving, update the list of tags in the auto-complete list for the search.
Fix opening RedNotebook homepage from About dialog

How to Install Rednotebook 2.8 in Ubuntu:

The official PPA contains the latest packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 16.04, and Ubuntu 18.10.

1. Open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcuts or by searching for ‘terminal’ from software launcher.

2. Copy and paste following command into terminal and hit run to add the RedNotebook PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rednotebook/stable

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

3. Finally check updates and install the desktop journal software by running following 2 commands one by one:

sudo apt update 

sudo apt install rednotebook

Ubuntu 18.04 users can skip sudo apt update command since it’s already done while adding PPA.

Uninstall:

To remove RedNotebook desktop journal, open terminal and run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove rednotebook

And remove the PPA via Software & Updates utility -> Other Software tab.

In Howtos, News desktop journal, RedNotebook

PyCharm 2018.2.5 Released, Fixed Crash on Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: November 14, 2018

PyCharm IDE released version 2018.2.5 today with some important bug-fixes. PyCharm 2018.2.5 features following changes:

An issue that causes PyCharm to crash on Ubuntu 16.04 has been resolved
Matplotlib 3.0.0 can now be imported in the Python Console
Python code now folds correctly after it’s minimized with Ctrl+Shift+Numpad – (Cmd+Shift+- on macOS)
Pycharm fails to generate tensorflow skeletons
Gnome-Shell crashes upon replace in path confirmation action
And other bug-fixes. See the release note.

How to Install PyCharm 2018.2.5 in Ubuntu:

Jetbrains offers official Snap package for Linux desktop. 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 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 IDE

How to Install Cinnamon Desktop 4.0 via PPA in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: June 2, 2019

Linux Mint’s Cinnamon desktop has tagged its 4.0 release for more than a weeks. For those who want to try out new desktop release, here’s how to install Cinnamon 4.0 in Ubuntu 18.04.

Cinnamon 4.0 is not officially announced at the moment. It’s mentioned in the last Linux Mint blog post:

New panel layout, you’ll have the option to embrace the change or to click a button to make Cinnamon look just like it did before.
Ability to define a different icon size for each of the three panel zones
Mint-Y-Dark now is the default Cinnamon theme.
Support for mainline kernels was added to the Update Manager.
reduced system memory consumption, and various other changes.

Install Cinnamon 4.0 via PPA in Ubuntu 18.04:

1. Open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut, or from application launcher. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:embrosyn/cinnamon

Type your password (no asterisks feedback) for sudo prompt and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then install Cinnamon desktop via command:

sudo apt install cinnamon

Once installed, log out and login with Cinnamon session.

Uninstall:

To remove Cinnamon desktop, run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove cinnamon cinnamon-desktop-data

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

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:embrosyn/cinnamon

In Howtos, News cinnamon

How to Install GIMP 2.10.8 in Ubuntu / Linux Mint

Last updated: November 11, 2018

GIMP image editor released version 2.10.8 a few days ago. Now you can install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, Linux Mint 18.x / 19.

GIMP 2.10.8 release highlights:

Adaptative chunk size when rendering projections, improving responsiveness dynamically
Detection of RawTherapee (version 5.5 and above) improved on Windows
XCF compatibility information in the Save dialog more understandable and discoverable
Various performance log tools added and log recording made available in the Dashboard dock
Port all plug-ins to the new iterator API in GEGL.
Improve automatic detection of HEIC/HEIF files.
And many other changes.

How to Install GIMP in Ubuntu via PPA:

For Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, and Linux Mint 19, you can upgrade the official GIMP package to 2.10.8 via PPA.

1. Open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or by searching for ‘terminal’ from application launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp

Type your password (no asterisks feedback) for sudo prompt and hit Enter to continue.

2. After adding the PPA via step 1, launch Software Updater (Update Mananger) to update GIMP package:

or simply run command to install the latest GIMP from the PPA:

sudo apt install gimp

3. (Optional) To remove the PPA repository, either go to Software & Updates -> Other Software, or run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp

How to Install GIMP in Ubuntu via Snap:

Due to dependency issue, the PPA does no longer support Ubuntu 16.04, Linux Mint 18.x. As an alternative, you can install GIMP Snap package, containerized software package with all dependencies bundled.

1. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install snapd daemon:

sudo apt install snapd snapd-xdg-open

2. Then install GIMP snap package via command:

sudo snap install gimp

Note you may have two GIMP icons in app launcher, as the snap co-exist with the legacy GIMP package. You can either remove old GIMP package, or run the snap via command snap run gimp.

3. To remove the snap package, run command: