UbuntuHandbook

Install Cave Story Easily via Snap in Ubuntu 18.04, 16.04

Last updated: March 17, 2019

NXEngine Evo, a rewrite of the classic side-scrolling platformer game Cave Story, now is easy to install in Ubuntu Linux using snap package.

NXEngine Evo is a complete open-source clone/rewrite of the masterpiece jump-and-run platformer Doukutsu Monogatari (also known as Cave Story) created by Studio Pixel. NXEngine Evo is an upgraded/refactored version of NXEngine by Caitlin Shaw.

The classic side-scrolling platformer game has been made into snap, containerized software package, for most Linux desktop.

To install the game in Ubuntu 18.04 / higher:

Simply open Ubuntu Software, search for and install the snap package cave story:

To install Cave Story 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 daemon:

sudo apt-get install snapd

2. Then install the game package via:

sudo snap install cavestory

Once installed, open it from your system application launcher and enjoy!

Uninstall:

To remove the game package either use Ubuntu Software or run command in terminal:

sudo snap remove cavestory

In Howtos Cave Story Ubuntu, NXEngine Evo Ubuntu

Display CPU / Memory / Network Usage in Ubuntu 18.04 Panel

Last updated: March 15, 2019

Want to monitor Ubuntu system resources usage momentarily? There’s a gnome extension allows to display CPU usage, Memory usage, network speed, disk, GPU, and battery informations in Ubuntu 18.04 Gnome status bar.

The system monitor extension features:

Display informations for CPU, GPU, Memory, Swap, Net, Disk, Fan, Battery
Display resource usage in panel via digit or graph
A drop-down menu with detailed information.
Ability to set gragh width, background color, refresh time.
Show tooltips.

1. To install the extension, first open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or by searching for ‘terminal’ from application menu.

When it opens, run command to install the necessary system libraries:

sudo apt-get install gir1.2-gtop-2.0 gir1.2-networkmanager-1.0  gir1.2-clutter-1.0

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

2. Open Ubuntu Software and then search for ‘system monitor extension’.

There are a few similar extensions available. In the case, I installed the last one.

3. You’ll see the indicator applet once you installed the extension. Click to show drop-down menu, then go to Preferences and change the applet appearance.

In Howtos resources usage indicator

Sublime Text 3.2 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: March 14, 2019

Sublime Text 3.2 was released yesterday with first-class Git integration, GTK3 port, and many other new features.

Sublime Text 3.2 release highlights:

First-class Git integration
Incremental diff functionality tracks changes to files being edited.
Moved to GTK3, and various high DPI fixes for Linux.
New theme functionality and block caret support.
Support for Unicode 11.0
Many syntax highlighting improvements to Clojure, D, Go, Lua.

How to Install Sublime Text 3.2 in Ubuntu:

The easiest way is to install the community maintained Snap package (run in sandbox).

For Ubuntu 18.04 and higher, simply open Ubuntu Software search for and install sublime-text

For Ubuntu 16.04, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the snap:

sudo apt install snapd && sudo snap install sublime-text

Install Sublime Text 3.2 via its official apt repository:

For those who don’t prefer Snap package, do following steps to install Sublime Text from its official apt repository:

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

wget -qO - https://download.sublimetext.com/sublimehq-pub.gpg | sudo apt-key add -

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

2. Then run command to add the apt repository:

echo "deb https://download.sublimetext.com/ apt/stable/" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sublime-text.list

3. Finally install sublime-text package either via Synaptic package manager or by running command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install sublime-text

Uninstall:

To remove the editor, run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove sublime-text

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

In Howtos, News Sublime Text, Sublime Text Git, Sublime Text GTK3

Install Midori Web Browser vis Snap in Ubuntu 18.04, 16.04

Last updated: March 12, 2019

Midori web browser now can be easily installed in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04 and higher via Snap package.

Midori is a light-weight web browser that uses Webkit rendering engine with GTK user interface. It is the default browser in the SliTaz Linux, Bodhi Linux, and Trisquel Mini.

The software maintainer has made the web browser into Snap package, which runs in sandbox and auto-updates itself once a new release is published.

How to Install Midori in Ubuntu:

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

For Ubuntu 19.04, there are two Midiro packages in Ubuntu Software. Check packages details, and install the one from Snap Store.

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

sudo apt-get install snapd

Then install Midori snap package via command:

sudo snap install midori

Uninstall:

To remove Midori web browser, either use Ubuntu Software (Ubuntu 18.04 and higher) or run command in terminal:

sudo snap remove midori

In Howtos midori lightweight browser

Avidemux 2.7.2 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: March 11, 2019

Avidemux video editor released version 2.7.2 today with new demuxers / encoders, bug-fixes, and various other changes.

Avidemux 2.7.2 release highlights:

Native AviSynth demuxer (MSVC++ 64 bits Windows builds only)!
VapourSynth demuxer to directly load .vpy scripts
FFmpeg-based VA-API HW accelerated H.264 encoder (Intel/Linux)
FFmpeg-based VA-API HW accelerated HEVC encoder (Intel/Linux)
FFmpeg 4.x compatible
Allow to cancel indexing of MKV files
Add decoding support for multichannel Opus audio
Other enhancements, and many bug-fixes.

How to Install Avidemux 2.7.2 in Ubuntu:

Appimage:

The software offers Linux universal binaries (non-install executable to launch the software) in its download page:

Once you get it, do:

right-click and go to file Properties -> Permissions -> allow executing file as program.
right-click and select run the Appimage.

Flatpak:

Avidemux is also available as flatpak, see the Flathub page for more details.

Native Ubuntu package:

There’s also an unofficial PPA contains the latest 2.7.2 packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, and higher.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/avidemux

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

2. Then run following 2 commands to refresh package cache and install the video editor:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install avidemux2.7-qt5 avidemux2.7-qt5-data avidemux2.7-plugins-qt5 avidemux2.7-jobs-qt5

Uninstall:

To remove the native Ubuntu .deb package of Avidemux 2.7, run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove avidemux2.7-*

And remove the PPA via Software & Updates utility under ‘Other Software’ tab.

In Howtos, News avidemux video editor

[Quick Tip] Auto Resize the Dock Launcher in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: March 10, 2019

This quick tutorial shows how to get Mac OS style auto-resize dock launcher in Ubuntu 18.04, without installing extensions, e.g., Dash to Panel or Dash to Dock.

The left panel in Ubuntu 18.04 is called “Ubuntu Dock“. It is forked from Dash to Dock extension and less customizable via System Settings. There are only auto-hide, panel position, and icon size settings.

To get more settings for Ubuntu Dock, there’s a graphical tool called Dconf Editor.

1. First search for and install dconf editor from Ubuntu Software:

2. Launch dconf editor, and navigate to org/gnome/shell/extensions/dash-to-dock. And turn off the switch for ‘extend height’.

Then you’ll see an auto-resize Mac OS style dock launcher instead of the extended panel.

In Howtos auto resize dock ubuntu 18.04, dash to dock

Audacity 2.3.1 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: March 9, 2019

Audacity audio editor 2.3.1 was finally released and restored Linux support which was missing in 2.3.0.

Audacity 2.3.1 brings over 20 bug-fixes and following new features / improvements:

Microfades are now an opt-in feature. They were always on in 2.3.0.
The advanced vertical zooming option is now available in the View->Zoom menu.
Regular interval labels now support range labels.

How to Install Audacity 2.3.1 in Ubuntu:

There’s an unofficial PPA contains the 2.3.1 packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, Ubuntu 19.04, and their derivatives, e.g., Linux Mint 18.x and 19.x.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/audacity

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

2. If you have a previous version installed, you can upgrade Audacity via Software Updater after adding the PPA.

or run following commands one by one to check updates and install (or upgrade) audacity 2.3.1:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install audacity

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA repository, launch Software & Updates utility and navigate to ‘Other Software’ tab.

To remove Audacity audio software, either use system package manager or run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove audacity audacity-data

In Howtos, News audacity

How to Install NVIDIA Driver 418.43 (G-SYNC Support) in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: March 8, 2019

NVIDIA driver 418.43 for Linux was released 2 weeks ago with G-SYNC Compatible (a.k.a. FreeSync / Adaptive-Sync) support. Now you can install it in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher via the “Graphics Drivers” team PPA.

NVIDIA driver 418.43 is the first stable release in the 418 series, and it features:

New GPUs support:
- GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
- GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design
- GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
Initial support for G-SYNC Compatible monitors.
Support for stereo presentation in Vulkan.
NVIDIA optical flow support.
NVIDIA Video Codec SDK 9.0 support
Various Vulkan and OpenGL fixes
See the release note for more details.

How to Install NVIDIA Driver 418.43 in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 18.04, Linux Mint 19, Ubuntu 18.10, Ubuntu 19.04, you can do following steps to add the PPA and install the latest NVIDIA 418 drivers.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa

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

2. For Linux Mint 19, you may need to run command to refresh system package cache:

sudo apt update

3. Launch Software & Updates utility, and navigate to Additional Drivers tab.

Then choose using “NVIDIA driver metapackage from nvidia-driver-418” from the list and click Apply Changes.

In addition, if the driver does not install after clicking ‘Apply Changes’, try running command in terminal:

sudo apt install nvidia-driver-418 nvidia-settings

For unmet dependency issue, try removing old NVIDIA proprietary drivers first.

In Howtos, News NVIDIA 418 Ubuntu, NVIDIA G-SYNC support Ubuntu, NVIDIA G-SYNC Ubuntu

How to Install Facebook Messenger ‘Caprine’ in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: March 7, 2019

Caprine is an unofficial and privacy-focused Facebook Messenger works on Ubuntu, Mac OS, and Windows.

Caprine is free, open-source, and features a dark theme, privacy settings, keyboard shortcut, Work chat support, code blocks, custom styles, compact mode, and more.

The software offers .deb, .snap, and .Appimage packages to make it easy to install in Ubuntu desktop.

1. Caprine snap package:

Snap is a containersized software package that features software auto-updating. Ubuntu 18.04 and higher can easily install it from Ubuntu Software.

2. Caprine .deb package:

For those don’t prefer snap applications, download the .deb package from the release page:

Then install the package via:

install Gdebi package installer from Ubuntu Software.
Right-click the .deb -> open with other application -> Gdebi package installer.
Finally install the package and launch Caprine from applicatione menu.

3. Caprine .Appimage package

Without installing the software, you can launch the messenger by running the .Appimage file.

download the .Appimage from the previous link.
right-click and go to file Properties -> Permissions.
check the box says ‘Allow executing file as program’
finally click run the Appimage file to launch Caprine.

In Howtos Caprine, facebook messenger

Mari0 (Mario + Portal) Aailable to Install via Snap in Ubuntu

Last updated: March 5, 2019

Mari0, a fan-made video game that combines elements of Super Mario Bros and Portal, now is available to install in Ubuntu easily via Snap package.

Although there’s already a 2D jump and run game SuperTux available in Ubuntu Software, Mari0 is available as a complete from scratch recreation of Super Mario Bros, with puzzle game mechanics from Portal. It also features play 4-player coop, with everyone having their own Portal gun!