Archives For November 30, 1999

uGet download manager

uGet download manager has reached the new stable 2.2 release series. The new release features ability to download from Youtube.

“uGet respects the YouTube Policies so depending on the individual settings of a video it may not be possible to download video from YouTube. The vast majority of videos will be available for use in uGet. The reason this was done instead of using something youtube-dl is because this method allows uGet for Android to also download YouTube videos as well as not have to worry about the ever changing APIs of YouTube that consistently break alternative methods of downloading.” uGet team announced.

The “uGet Chrome Wrapper” browser extension is compatible with Firefox, Chromium, Google Chrome, Opera, and Vivaldi. It will be renamed in the near future to better reflect the functionality.

uGet 2.2.0 features:

  • Support for downloading from YouTube
  • Support for downloading from MEGA
  • Batch Downloading up to 3 Wildcard Ranges
  • Better support for Wayland
  • New Browser Extension: uGet Chrome Wrapper

How to Install uGet 2.2.0 in Ubuntu:

The new release has been made into uGet Stable PPA, available for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and Ubuntu 18.04.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or from app launcher, and then run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:plushuang-tw/uget-stable

Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then upgrade the download manager from an existing release via Software Updater:

or you can run following 2 commands to check updates and install / upgrade uGet:

sudo apt-get update 

sudo apt-get install uget

How to Remove:

Run following command in terminal will remove the PPA and also downgrade to the stock version of uGet in your Ubuntu system:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:plushuang-tw/uget-stable

If you want to remove uGet download manager, simply search for and remove it via “Ubuntu Software” utility.

Ubuntu 17.04 Reaches End of Life Today

Last updated: January 13, 2018

Ubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zapus reaches end of its life today on Jan 13. Ubuntu Security Notices will no longer include information or updated packages for Ubuntu 17.04.

Users can either upgrade to Ubuntu 17.10 (support will end in July 2018), or download Ubuntu 16.04, the current LTS with 5-year support cycle.

Ubuntu announced its 17.04 (Zesty Zapus) release almost 9 months ago, on April 13, 2017. As a non-LTS release, 17.04 has a 9-month support cycle and, as such, will reach end of life on Saturday, January 13th.

At that time, Ubuntu Security Notices will no longer include information or updated packages for Ubuntu 17.04.

The supported upgrade path from Ubuntu 17.04 is via Ubuntu 17.10. Instructions and caveats for the upgrade may be found at:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Upgrades

Note that is NOT patched against Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities due to the End of Life timing. Users are advised to upgrade to Ubuntu 17.10 and install the updated kernel packages.

Development of a complete response to the highly-publicized Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities is ongoing, and due to the timing with respect to this End of Life, we will not be providing updated Linux kernel packages for Ubuntu 17.04. We advise users to upgrade to Ubuntu 17.10 and install the updated kernel packages for that release when they become available.

Read the announcement for more details.

Get-iplayer is a command line tool for downloading TV and radio programmes from BBC iPlayer. The tool features:

  • Downloads TV and radio programmes from BBC iPlayer
  • Allows multiple programmes to be downloaded using a single command
  • Indexing of most available iPlayer catch-up programmes (not BBC Three, Red Button or iPlayer Exclusive)
  • Caching of index with automatic updating
  • Regex search on programme name
  • Regex search on programme description and episode title
  • Filter search results by channel
  • Direct download via programme ID or URL
  • PVR capability (may be used with cron or Task Scheduler)
  • HTTP proxy support
  • Perl 5.10.1+ required, plus LWP, LWP::Protocol::https, XML::LibXML and Mojolicious modules
  • Requires ffmpeg for conversion to MP4 and AtomicParsley for metadata tagging
  • Runs on Linux/BSD (Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenBSD and others), macOS (10.10+), Windows (7/8/10 – XP/Vista not supported)

Install get-iplayer:

It’s quite easy to install the latest get-iplayer 3.10 Snap package via Ubuntu Software:

You can also open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run following command to install the snap:

snap install get-iplayer

For those who prefer traditional .deb package, a PPA repository is available for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and higher.

Usage / examples:

  • List all TV programmes with long descriptions:
    get_iplayer --long ".*"
  • List all radio programmes:
    get_iplayer --type=radio ".*"
  • List all TV and radio programmes with “doctor who” in the name:
    get_iplayer --type tv,radio "doctor who"
  • List all BBC One programmes:
    get_iplayer --channel="BBC One" ".*"
  • List Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra programmes with “Book at Bedtime” in the title:
    get_iplayer --type=radio --channel="Radio 4" "Book at Bedtime"
  • Record TV programme number 208 (index from search results) in HD, with SD fallback if HD not available:
    get_iplayer --get 208

     [default is to download best available]

    OR

    get_iplayer --get 208 --tvmode=best
  • Record TV programme number 208 and download subtitles in SubRip (SRT) format:
    get_iplayer --get 208 --subtitles
  • Record multiple TV programmes (using index numbers from search results):
    get_iplayer --get 208 209 210
  • Record a TV or radio programme using its iPlayer URL:
    get_iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01sc0wf/Doctors_Series_15_Perfect/
  • Record a TV or radio programme using the PID (b01sc0wf) from its iPlayer URL:
    get_iplayer --pid=b01sc0wf

Heard about Meltdown and Spectre, two severe hardware bugs that affect billions of devices?

Besides updating the Ubuntu Kernel via “Software Updater”, Intel has released an update processor microcode patch for Linux based operating systems to address the security vulnerabilities.

1. Download the Intel Processor patch from the link below:

Extract the file and you’ll get a new file folder with microcode.dat and intel-ucode directory.

2. To install the patch, open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “terminal” from application launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo cp -r ~/Downloads/microcode-*/intel-ucode /lib/firmware/

Then run:

sudo -i && echo 1 > /sys/devices/system/cpu/microcode/reload

Finally you need to reboot your machine to apply changes.

FileZilla Client 3.30.0 Released, How to Install

Last updated: January 9, 2018

The FileZilla ftp client reached the 3.30.0 release a day ago with two new features and a few bug-fixes. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10.

Changes in Filezilla 3.30.0 include:

  • In the search dialog local files can now be deleted or opened
  • The root node in the remote directory tree is now expanded by default
  • Fix uploading from search dialog
  • Fix formatting of filename in rename dialog
  • Fix Windows installer crash if an update installation is started with the updated version having been installed
  • Add additional logging if autoupdate mechanism fails

How to Install Filezilla 3.30.0 in Ubuntu:

So far the only to install the latest Filezilla client in Ubuntu is using the Flatpak package. And following steps will tell you how:

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for ‘terminal’ from app launcher. When it opens, do:

  • Run command to add the flatpak PPA:
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexlarsson/flatpak

    Input your password (no visual feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

  • Then run commands one by one to get the latest flatpak daemon:
    sudo apt-get update
    
    sudo apt-get install flatpak

2. After installed Flatpak, run following single command to install FileZilla client along with required Gnome platform.

flatpak install --from https://flathub.org/repo/appstream/org.filezillaproject.Filezilla.flatpakref

Uninstall:

To remove Filezilla installed via flatpak, run command:

flatpak uninstall org.filezillaproject.Filezilla

To remove flatpak, run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove flatpak

To remove the PPA, open “Software & Updates” utility and navigate to “Other Software” tab.

This is quick tutorial shows you how to prevent Ubuntu desktop from being automatic turned off (or locked up) while you’re watching videos.

Although the “System Settings” utility offers “Power” page to change screen dimming, blank screen inactive time, etc, it will be convenient to have a panel indicator applet to toggle the settings.

And Caffeine shows an applet in system tray area allows to temporarily prevent the activation of both the screensaver and the “sleep” powersaving mode.

To install Caffeine in Unity or Other Desktops:

For non-Gnome users in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and higher, just search for and install “caffeine” in Ubuntu Software:

Once installed, you can launch it from app launcher or let it launch automatically in next login.

To install Caffeine extension in Gnome Shell:

For Gnome Desktop, there’s an Caffeine extension available for install.

You can follow this tutorial to install the extension. Since Ubuntu 17.10 artful you can search for and install the extension via Ubuntu Software:

skip caffeine for xscreensaver which it not updated for a lone time.

Once installed, you should see the applet in system tray. And you can manage gnome extensions via “Gnome Tweaks” utility (Install it via Ubuntu Software if you don’t have it).

Sayonara, a Qt music player aims to be intuitive, easy usablility, and organizes even big music collections, reached the 1.0 release a few days ago.

Changes in Sayonara 1.0 include:

  • Choose covers between Google, Discogs and Last.fm servers.
  • Cover view: Reload covers, zoom and sorting
  • Multiple library support for Directories, Library.
  • Move/Copy/Rename operations and show Song info in Directories.
  • Removed date filter support
  • Add “Clear selection” button
  • Ability to choose system icons
  • Fast preference access
  • Lyric server updates
  • Removed MTP device support
  • Moved load/save to playlist tabs instead of plugin
  • Added proxy support
  • Set custom paths for stream recorder.
  • Added preferences options for Streams/Podcast

How to Install Sayonara 1.0 in Ubuntu:

To install the latest Sayonara 0.9.1 in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and their derivatives, do:

1. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and add the official Sayonara PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:lucioc/sayonara

2. Update and install the player via commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install sayonara

For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab .deb package from the PPA file archive.

3. (Optional) If you dislike the player, simply remove it via command:

sudo apt remove sayonara && sudo apt autoremove

And the PPA can be removed via Software & Updates utility under Other Software tab.

The latest packages for Avidemux video editor 2.7.0 is available in GetDeb.net. However, the GetDeb repository is not updated for a few months, and there’s no packages for Ubuntu 17.10.

For those who don’t prefer the official Appimage (non-install) binary, I’ve uploaded Avidemux 2.7.0 packages into launchpad PPA (unofficial) to make it available for Ubuntu 17.10, Ubuntu 18.04. It also contains packages for Ubuntu 16.04, and Ubuntu 17.04.

UPDATE 201805: Rebuilt Ubuntu 18.04 packages due to updated system library. The plugin package now can be installed without dependencies issue.

1. To add the PPA, open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for ‘terminal’ from app launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/avidemux

Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then install avidemux2.7-qt5 package either via Synaptic Package Manager or by running commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install avidemux2.7-qt5 avidemux2.7-plugins-qt5

It’s avidemux 2.7 though it contains ‘2.6’ in its name.

Uninstall:

For any reason remove the software via command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove avidemux2.7-qt5

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

Stellarium, a free planetarium software, reached the 0.17.0 release with many new features, bug-fixes, and other changes.

The major changes in Stellarium 0.17.0:

  • Added support for nomenclature of planetary surface (SOCIS 2017 project)
  • Added improvements for AstroCalc tool
  • Added improvements for Oculars plugin
  • Added improvements for Exoplanets plugin
  • Added INDI support for Telescope Control plugin
  • Updated code and data

For the full changes, see the release note.

How to Install Stellarium 0.17.0 in Ubuntu:

The official Stellarium PPA has built the packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and Ubuntu 18.04.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stellarium/stellarium-releases

Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then upgrade Stellarium from an existing release with Software Updater utility:

Or run following commands to install the software for the first time:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install stellarium

Uninstall:

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

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove stellarium

And remove the PPA via “Software & Updates” utility under Other Software tab.

RetroArch game emulator reached the 1.7.0 release a few days ago with tons of changes. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10 via PPA.

RetroArch 1.7.0 release highlights:

  • Integrated Bliss-box 4-Play support
  • Badges for achievements
  • Improved lightgun support
  • Windows 95/Windows 98 (non-SE) support
  • Many important improvements for PlayStation3 port
  • New menu shader effects
  • PSP port works again
  • Wii U port works again
  • Automatic scanning of content
  • See the release note for more.

How to Install RetroArch 1.7.0 in Ubuntu:

There’s a stable PPA repository that contains the latest packages for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and their derivatives.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libretro/stable

Type your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. After that, you can install RetroArch and a list of games either via Synaptic Package Manager, or by running commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install retroarch libretro-*

Uninstall:

To remove the software, run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove retroarch libretro-*

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