UbuntuHandbook

GnuCash 2.6.18 Released with Some Fixes (Ubuntu PPA)

Last updated: April 4, 2019

GnuCash

Free accounting software GnuCash got a new update recently for its 2.6 stable series.

GnuCash 2.6.18 is primarily comprised of bug fixes, including 2 bugs that are six years old. They are:

Calendar of upcoming SXes has various display issues.
Interdependent report options fail to change state after using apply for a limited number of times.
Set Invoice/Bill items date correctly from imported CSV.
unifying “Clear the entry.” tooltip on Loan Repayment Calculator.
Persian currency symbol is doubled.
Added Catalan Accounts for the New Account Assistant
Fixed errors from loading init.py.
Run the python bindings tests in a CMake build.
Implement dist, distcheck, and uninstall targets for CMake build.

How to Install GnuCash in Ubuntu:

The ~~GetDeb repository~~ contains the most recent GnuCash packages for Ubuntu 16.04, and Ubuntu 17.04, though the 2.6.18 is not available at the moment (Be patient, it will be available in a few days).

1. To add the repository, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu $(lsb_release -sc)-getdeb apps" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/getdeb.list'

For Linux Mint 18.x, replace $(lsb_release -sc) in the code with xenial.

2. Then install the key so to trust the updates from the repository via command:

wget -q -O - http://archive.getdeb.net/getdeb-archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

3. Once the new release is published in that repository, use Software Updater to upgrade it:

or install GnuCash for the first time via either system package manager or run commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gnucash

Uninstall:

To remove GnuCash financial-accounting software, either use system package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove gnucash

To remove GetDeb repository, launch “Software & Updates” utility and navigate to Other Software tab.

In Howtos, News Free Finance Software, GnuCash

Gscan2pdf 1.8.7 Released! How to install it in Ubuntu

Last updated: September 24, 2017

Gscan2pdf, a simple GUI tool to produce PDFs or DjVus from scanned documents, has reached the new 1.8.7 release that is primarily comprised of bug fixes and some improvements.

Gscan2pdf 1.8.7 release highlights:

Add units to scan and edit paper dialogues.
Remove unsupported libsane-perl offered as Frontend choice
Fixed support for Poppler (pdftops) as postscript backend.
Remove “reload recursion limit” option in Edit/Preferences. Set reload recursion limit as triangular number of number of scan options. i.e. if there are 5 scan options, the recursion limit is 5+4+3+2+1=15
Fixed crash with scanimage frontend due to empty cache
Ghost save button, rather than hiding save dialogue if all pages removed.
Fixed bug causing profile dropdown to be cleared after setting profile
Filter out integers from tool warnings, analogous to the hex warnings from unpaper.
Fixed visibility of options in save dialogue (again).
Right mouse click in thumbnail panel makes the page range (e.g. in save dialogue) default to “selected”.
Take filename of PDF to email from default filename settings (and therefore from metadata). If this produces a blank filename, use “document.pdf”.
Fixed bug requiring scan dialog to be requested twice after changing frontend
Update to Hungarian translation

How to Install Gscan2pdf 1.8.7 in Ubuntu:

The developer’s PPA offers the latest packages for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, and derivatives.

Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “terminal” from app launcher. When it opens, do following steps:

1. Add the PPA via command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jeffreyratcliffe/ppa

Type in your password (no visual feedback while typing 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

Stellarium 0.16.1 Released with Important Features (How-to Install)

Last updated: September 23, 2017

Stellarium, a planetarium software shows a 3D simulation of the night sky, has reached the 0.16.1 release. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and derivatives.

Stellarium 0.16.1 is a bug-fix release with some important new features:

Added moons of Saturn, Uranus and Pluto
Added improvements for AstroCalc tool
DSO catalog was updated to version 3.2:
- Added support ‘The Strasbourg-ESO Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae’ (Acker+, 1992)
- Added support ‘A catalogue of Galactic supernova remnants’ (Green, 2014)
- Added support ‘A Catalog of Rich Clusters of Galaxies’ (Abell+, 1989)
Added support asterisms and outlines for DSO
Added improvements for the GUI

How to Install Stellarium 0.16.1 in Ubuntu:

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

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.

In Howtos, News free planetarium software, Stellarium

Pitivi video editor 1.0 reached RC release [How-to Install]

Last updated: September 22, 2017

The open-source non-linear video editor, Pitivi 1.0, is finally near after thirteen years of development.

Pitivi 1.0 release candidate “Ocean Big Chair”, marked as version 0.99, has many bug-fixes and performance improvements. There are quite a few important fixes thanks to the students who contributed in Google Summer of Code.

The development is focused on bug fixing until Pitivi 1.0. A flatpak repository has been created so Ubuntu users can easily install the latest release of Pitivi via following steps.

How to Install Pitivi via Flatpak in Ubuntu:

1. For Ubuntu 16.04, first open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run following commands to install flatpak daemon while it’s not available by default:

Add the PPA repository for flatpak:
```
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexlarsson/flatpak
```
Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

Then install flatpak for Ubuntu 16.04 and derivatives:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install --install-recommends flatpak

2. Then run command to install Pitivi flatpak package:

flatpak install --user http://flatpak.pitivi.org/pitivi.flatpakref

Once installed, launch the video editor either from your application launcher or via command:

flatpak run org.pitivi.Pitivi

In addition, to update the Pitivi flatpak when a new release is available, run command:

flatpak --user update org.pitivi.Pitivi

And to uninstall the flatpak, run following command in terminal:

flatpak --user uninstall org.pitivi.Pitivi stable

In Howtos, News pitivi, video editor

Flight Simulator FlightGear 2017.3 Released [Ubuntu PPA]

Last updated: September 21, 2017

The FlightGear flight simulator has reached the 2017.3 release earlier today with a huge list of changes.

Though it’s not official announced at the moment, FlightGear 2017.3 features following changes according to the changelog:

Aircraft: detailed Carrier USS Harry Truman and escort group, with many animated elements, using experimental wave motion
Multiple flightplans fixed and is now possible to be controlled from Nasal.
Starting on carriers fixed
Enabling of display lists for random vegetation provides a massive performance boost for random vegetation.
More than 1000 screenshots now allowed
Support for AI wake turbulence added.
new Mediterranean tree textures, new desert shrub textures
See more in the changelog.

How to Install FlightGear in Ubuntu:

The official website refers to the PPA repository, which contains FlightGear packages for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, though the 2017.3 release is not made into PPA at the moment of writing.

1. Add the PPA by opening terminal, either via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching it from app launcher, and running command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:saiarcot895/flightgear

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

2. Then you can upgrade FlightGear via Software Updater once it’s published in the PPA repository.

Or install it for the first time via commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install flightgear

Uninstall:

To uninstall FlightGear, simply run following command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove flightgear

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

In Howtos, News flight simulator, flightgear

HPLIP 3.17.9 Released with New HP Printers Support

Last updated: September 19, 2017

HPLIP, an open-source HP developed Linux drivers for HP printers, has reached the 3.17.9 release hours ago with many new printers support and new Distro’s support.

New Linux Distro’s supported in HPLIP 3.17.9:

openSuse 42.3 (64-bit)
LinuxMint-18.2 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Fedora-26 (32-bit and 64-bit)
RHEL -7.3 (64-bit)

New printers supported in the release:

HP OfficeJet Pro 7720 Wide Format All-in-One
HP DeskJet AMP All-in-One Printer
HP OfficeJet 5220, 5230, 5232 All-in-One Printer
HP ENVY Photo 6220, 6230, 6232, 6234, 7120, 7130, 7134, 7155, 7164, 7800, 7820,7855 All-in-One Printer
HP ENVY 5020, 5032 All-in-One Printer
HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 3735 All-in-One
HP AMP 130 All-in-One Printer
HP OfficeJet Pro 7730 Wide Format All-in-One
HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 5075 All-in-One Printer
HP PageWide Enterprise Color 765dn
HP PageWide Managed Color E75160dn
HP PageWide Enterprise Color MFP 780dn
HP PageWide Enterprise Color Flow MFP 785f, 785zs, 785z+
HP PageWide Managed Color MFP E77650dn, E77650dns, E77660dn
HP PageWide Managed Color Flow MFP E77650z, E77650zs, E77650z+, E77660z, E77660zs, E77660z+
HP ENVY Photo 5030 All-in-One Printer

Download / Install HPLIP 3.17.9:

To install the software, download the package “hplip-3.17.9.run” from the link below:

Then open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or search for “terminal” from app launcher. When it opens, run command:

cd ~/Downloads/ && chmod +x hplip-3.17.9.run && ./hplip-3.17.9.run

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

Then follow terminal outputs, answer some questions to build and install HPLIP on your system. When everything is done, plug/re-plug your printers and enjoy!

In Howtos, News HP printer driver, HPLIP

How to Install Pandora Client ‘Pithos’ 1.4 in Ubuntu 16.04 & Higher

Last updated: September 18, 2017

Pithos 1.4, an open-source Pandora radio client, was released more than one week ago. While it’s official PPA does not contain the 1.4 binaries so far, here’s how to install it via Flatpak in Ubuntu 16.04 and higher.

1. Install Flatpak via PPA in Ubuntu 16.04.

The Flatpak daemon is not included in Ubuntu 16.04 by default. You need to install it via the PPA repository.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexlarsson/flatpak

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

Then check updates and install flatpak via commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install --install-recommends flatpak

2. Then install Pithos Flatpak package via following commands:

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

flatpak install flathub io.github.Pithos

The commands will install Gnome platform and then Pithos package.

3. Once installed, launch it either from your application launcher or by running command:

flatpak run io.github.Pithos

For future releases, you can update Pithos flatpak package via command:

flatpak --user update io.github.Pithos

Uninstall:

To remove the flatpak, simply run command in terminal:

flatpak uninstall io.github.Pithos

In Howtos Pandora Radio Client, pithos

Install Ubuntu Touch Icon Theme ‘Suru’ in Ubuntu Desktop

Last updated: September 17, 2017

Suru is an open-source icon theme intends to revive the now-defunct Ubuntu Mobile icon set by bringing the Suru design to a desktop icon set.

The Suru icon theme is only a few weeks old and still heavily in-development, as such there are plenty of icons that are “missing” or incomplete.

You can first take a look at the Suru icon on Gnome Desktop with Dash-to-Dock extension:

How to Install the Suru Icon in Ubuntu:

First download the source from the link below:

Then extract and open source folder in terminal from its context menu:

When the terminal opens, run make install to install the icon theme for your single user usage.

To apply the icon set, run following command in terminal:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface icon-theme Suru

Uninstall:

To remove the icon theme, open the source folder in terminal (see the previous picture), and run command:

make uninstall

In Howtos icons, Suru

Install PDF crop tool ‘Krop’ easily via Snap in Ubuntu

Last updated: September 16, 2017

Krop, a simple graphical tool to crop the pages for PDF files, now can be easily installed via Snap in Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, and higher.

Krop is a simple graphical tool to crop the pages of PDF files. It is written in Python and relies on PyQT, python-poppler-qt4 and pyPDF for its functionality.

A unique feature of krop is its ability to automatically split pages into subpages to fit the limited screen size of devices such as eReaders. This is particularly useful, if your eReader does not support convenient scrolling.

Krop is available as Snap app in Ubuntu for amd64 and armhf architectures, so you can easily installed it by opening terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo snap install krop

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

Once installed, launch the tool form your application launcher and enjoy!

Tip for Ubuntu 14.04, install snapd daemon first if you don’t have it:

sudo apt-get install snapd snapd-xdg-open

Uninstall:

To remove Krop snap package, simply run command in terminal:

sudo snap remove krop

In Howtos krop, PDF crop tool

Install MKVToolNix 15.0.0 Easily via Snap in Ubuntu

Last updated: September 14, 2017

MKVToolNix now is available as Snap app. You can now run the latest 15.0.0 in all current Ubuntu releases, including Ubuntu 14.04, while the official MKVToolNix apt repository only provides packages for Ubuntu 16.04 and higher.

Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “terminal” from your application launcher. When it opens, simply run command:

sudo snap install mkvtoolnix-jz

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

The snap includes almost all required dependency libraries. Once you installed it, launch the software from your application launcher and enjoy.

For Ubuntu 14.04, you may first install the snapd daemon while it’s not installed by default:

sudo apt-get install snapd snapd-xdg-open

The snap application can co-exist with the traditional packages. If you installed both version of MKVToolNix, and can’t find out which is the snap app from your application launcher, launch the tools via command in terminal: