The Budgie desktop environment 10.3 was released a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, and/or Ubuntu 17.04.
The Ubuntu Budgie team announced the release of Budgie 10.3 as the final release of the 10.x series. And the Qt 5-based Budgie Desktop 11 is now under development.
Budgie 10.3 features:
Supports the downloading of artwork for the MprisClient.
New and improved Alt-Tab keyboard app switcher.
Adds a couple of customization options for the Clock Applet.
Option to choose a left or right window button layout.
Various Budgie applets bug fixes and more.
How to Install Budgie 10.3 in Ubuntu:
For Ubuntu 16.04 & Ubuntu 16.10:
The budgie-remix PPA contains the Budgie Desktop 10.3 for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10 and derivatives.
1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “Terminal” from start menu. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:budgie-remix/ppa
Type in your password (no visual feedback due to security reason) when prompts and hit enter.
2. Then check updates and install the desktop environment via commands:
3. After that, you may remove the PPA repository because it contains a newer version of Nautilus for Ubuntu 16.04. To do so, go to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.
Luminance, a complete workflow for HDR imaging, finally got a new release more than three years after the last.
Luminance HDR is a graphical user interface (based on the Qt5 toolkit) that provides a complete workflow for HDR imaging. It supports following HDR formats: OpenEXR (exr), Radiance RGBE (hdr), Tiff formats: 16bit, 32bit (float) and LogLuv (tiff), Raw image formats (various), PFS native format (pfs). And it supports JPEG, PNG, PPM, PBM, TIFF, FITS LDR formats.
The latest Luminance HDR 2.5.0 features:
Two brand new tonemapping operators: ferradans and mai
Optional automatic adjustment of LDRs levels
Greater EV values range in HDR Creation Wizard
Restore load/save curves in HDR Creation Wizard
Better HiDPI support
Better CLI interface
Fix various crashes
“Fast Export”, which renders current image in full size
List version of supported cameras for RAW files (and some libraw info)
Export to HTML (Create a webpage with embedded HDR viewer)
Better printing support and print preview in Help Browser
A new “Dark Theme” (beta) and native platform icons support
Switch UI full screen (F11), show LDRs and HDRs images full screen (F10)
Portuguese (Brazilian) translation
Other small impovements and bugfixing as usual
For Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, Ubuntu 17.04, and their derivatives, the 2.5.0 release is available via the PPA repository.
To install it, open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching “Terminal” from start menu, and then do following steps:
1. Run command to add the PPA repository:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:dhor/myway
Type in your password (no visual feedback due to security reason) when prompts and hit Enter.
2. If you have a previous release installed, now launch Software Updater (Update Manager) to upgrade it:
Or run following commands to check updates and install Luminance HDR:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install luminance-hdr
How to Uninstall:
The PPA repository can be removed by going to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab. To remove the software, either use your system package manager or run command:
MPV, an open-source MPlayer and MPlayer2 based media player, has reached the 0.25 release two days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS.
MPV 0.25 drops support for OS X 10.7 and earlier. Support for some optical media functionality (DVD/CD) is now disabled by default. More parts of the player are now licensed under LGPL. New features include:
TOOLS: add acompressor.lua script for runtime acompressor ffmpeg filter control
dvb: add support for DVB-T2
lavfi: support hwdec filters for –lavfi-complex
macOS: initial Touch Bar support
osc: add volume button (mouse wheel to change volume)
sub: add SDH subtitle filter
vo_opengl: add experimental vdpauglx backend
vo_opengl: implement videotoolbox hwdec on iOS
There are also lots of bug-fixes, minor enhancements, and other changes in this release. See the release note for details.
How to Install MPV 0.25 in Ubuntu 16.04:
MPV does not provide official Linux binaries, but it refers to a third-party PPA which so far offers the 0.25 release for Ubuntu 16.04, Linux Mint 18, and derivatives.
To install it, open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “Terminal” from start menu. When it opens, do:
1. add the PPA repository via command:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mc3man/mpv-tests
Type in your password (no visual feedback due to security reason) when prompts and hit Enter.
2. If you have a previous release installed, you can now launch Software Updater and upgrade the software after checking for updates:
Or just run commands to install it for the first time:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install mpv
Uninstall:
For any reason, you can remove the PPA easily by going to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab. And remove the player via command:
This quick tutorial is going to show you how to install the latest Google Earth in Ubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zapus by adding the Google Earth Linux repository.
Although you can download Google Earth, Google Earth Pro, or Google Earth Enterprise Client packages from their direct web pages, here’s how to add the single Linux repository, select install one of them, and receive automatic updates via update manager.
Open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T or searching for “Terminal” from the start menu. When it opens, run following commands one by one:
1. Run command to download and install the Google keyring:
The new release will be made into official Ubuntu repository soon, available for Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, Ubuntu 17.04, and derivatives.
Just keep your Ubuntu up-to-date by installing regular updates via Software Updater, and you’ll get Firefox 53 once it’s published in THIS PAGE.
For non-install version, go to the official FTP download page:
Grab the Linux package, extract and run executable file to launch Firefox 53.
Wire, an open source, encrypted instant messaging client created by Wire Swiss, finally gets an official APT repository for Debian-based distributions to make it easy to install and receive automatic updates to the app.
Today we’re happy to take a big step forward — Debian-based distributions (like Ubuntu or Mint) can now get Wire Desktop via APT. You can receive updates of Wire through the update mechanism of your own package management system. Updates are automatic and more secure as we sign the repositories with a PGP key.
Open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T, and get started by following steps to add Wire repository and install Wire for Desktop:
1. If you already installed Wire, uninstall it (don’t worry, your history will be kept):
sudo apt-get remove wire
2. Install apt-transport-https to receive the package via HTTPS
sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https
3. Import the PGP signing key to be able to verify the downloaded package:
Your preferred screen resolution is not available in the Display settings? Well, here I’m going to show you how to add a custom screen resolution in your Ubuntu desktop.
On my Ubuntu Desktop, the default 1920X1080 (16:9) resolution is kinda high for me. Though there are options to scale for menu, title bars, and text, I prefer 1400X900 (3:2) which however is not available to choose from display setting panel.
To do the job, I found 2 solutions that work in all current Ubuntu releases:
add Kernel parameter at startup, which works in both Wayland and Xorg sessions.
use xrandr, but it works for X11/Xorg session only.
And they are tested and work in my case in Ubuntu 18.04, 20.04, 22.04, 24.04, and 25.04.
Method 1: Add custom screen resolution as Kernel parameter
1. Find out display device name.
Before getting started, you need to find out the device name of your displays.
For X11/Xorg session, simply press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal. Then, run the command below:
xrandr
It will output all connected displays as well as available screen resolutions. Here you need to find out and remember the display names. In my case as the screenshot shows, it’s DP-1.
For Wayland, which is the default session since Ubuntu 22.04, open terminal and run the command below instead:
for p in /sys/class/drm/*/status; do con=${p%/status}; echo -n "${con#*/card?-}: "; cat $p; done
This command will look for all devices under /sys/class/drm directory, print the names and their status (connected or not). In my case, I have 2 displays connected. They are eDP-1 laptop built-in display, and DP-1 external display.
2. Add Kernel Parameter.
For Ubuntu booted with its built-in Grub boot-loader, user can edit the /etc/default/grub file to add kernel parameters.
First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal, and run command to edit that file:
sudo gnome-text-editor /etc/default/grub
For non-GNOME desktop, replace gnome-text-editor with your desktop text editor, or use nano cli tool that works in most Linux
When file opens, add video=DP-1:1400×900@60 value for GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT. And, here:
DP-1 is the device name of target display.
1400×900 is the desired screen resolution.
60 is the refresh rate.
NOTE: You can’t set a resolution higher than the one your physical display can handle.
And, for multiple display, add either:
video=1400x900@60 (skip device name) that works for all connected displays,
or video=eDP-1:1360x700@60 video=DP-1:1600x900@60 to set video size separately.
3. Update Grub to apply change
After edited the file, save it (for nano press Ctrl+S to save, then Ctrl+X to exit), and run the command below to apply change:
sudo update-grub
Finally, restart computer and go “Display” setting page for the new screen resolution.
Tips: For users who have Grub Customizer installed, then just launch the tool and navigate to General Settings page to add kernel parameters.
Method 2: Use xrandr command
For the classic X11/Xorg session, that’s default in current MATE, XFCE, etc desktop environments, there’s a built-in xrandr command line tool to set screen size.
1. First open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T key combination on keyboard. When it opens, run command:
xrandr
As mentioned above, this command output all connected displays as well as their screen resolutions. You need to find out and remember the target display name
2. Run command to calculate VESA CVT mode lines by given resolution:
cvt 1400 900 60
Here replace 1400 900 with your desired screen resolution. The refresh rate 60 is optional, though you may replace it with yours.
3. Copy the Modeline in the last command output, and run command to add new mode:
While Ubuntu 17.04 includes the latest GNU Emacs 25.1 in its main repository, here’s how to install the editor in Ubuntu 16.10, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, and Ubuntu 12.04 via PPA.
Emacs 25.1 was released months ago with a wide variety of new features. I’ve written about how to build it from the source. However, a PPA repository will make things easier.
Kevin Kelley has created a PPA with Emacs 25 packages for all current Ubuntu releases. A patch was made into the packages to fix for an `xinput`-related bug that, when triggered, causes `emacs` to enter an infinite loop; the process will then be unresponsive and will consume 100% of a single CPU core until you kill it.
1. Open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T or searching for “Terminal” from start menu. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kelleyk/emacs
Type in your password (no visual feedback due to security reason) when prompts and hit Enter.
2. Then update and install Emacs 25 via commands:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install emacs25
For text-only interface, replace emacs25 with emacs25-nox in the last command.
Don’t know why, but I need to log out and back in to be able to launch Emacs 25 from the Dash.
How to Remove:
To remove Emacs25, open terminal and run commands:
It’s 2024 now! Ubuntu is still lacking the option to create new documents in the default Nautilus file manager. Though, the GNOME developer team is working on this function.
It’s easy to enable the option in Nautilus context menu. As it prompts in Templates folder, simply create an empty document under Templates folder, the file name will be displayed as sub-menu option of ‘New Document’ menu.
Meaning all you need to do is create an empty file and save it under user’s “Template” folder. The file-name will be displayed as sub-menu option of “New Documents” context menu.
Method 1: Use Text editor
First, press Super (the Windows logo) key on keyboard to open ‘Activities’ overview. Then search for and open text editor.
When the text editor opens, you don’t have to input anything, just leave it blank, then press Ctrl+Shift+S to open the “save as” dialog and do:
Type filename, which will display as sub-menu option for ‘New Documents’ menu.
Choose location – Templates folder.
Finally, click Save.
Method 2: Run a single command
For those familiar with Linux command, this can also be done by running a single command.
Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open a terminal window. When it opens, run command:
touch ~/Templates/Untitled\ Document
This command creates an empty file called ‘Untitled Document‘ in the Templates folder.
Tip: the backslash in the code tells that the space following it is part of the filename since the shell treats whatever comes after a space as a separate argument.
Finally, right-click on blank area in your file manager and see the magic!
The final release of Ubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zapus was available for download earlier today on April 13.
After installing the new fresh Ubuntu Desktop, you may have some top things to do before it’s ready to use. And here are some of what I did.
1. Check for updates
First of first, check for updates via Software Updater and install kernel patches, security updates, and other system updates.
2. Install Media Codecs
Due to legal reasons, Ubuntu does not include some media codecs to play video and audio files via the default Totem media player and Rhythmbox music player.
Besides installing VLC, mplayer, MPV, or other media player that come with built-in codecs, you can manually install the multimedia codecs via command (open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T):
sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras
3. Enable DVD Playback
The previous codecs will enable playing normal DVDs. To play encrypted DVDs via VLC, run command to automatically download and install libdvdcss2 library:
Unity Tweak Tool is the best and easy to use Unity Desktop configuration tool. It’s one of the must install applications available in Ubuntu Software App.
5. Some Unity Desktop Tweaks
Disable recording file and application usage.
Go to System Settings -> Security & Privacy. At Files & Applications tab, switch off the option to record file and application usage, which will be available in the search dash.
Minimize Application when click on its icon in the Left launcher.
Go to Unity Tweak Tool -> Launcher, check the box says “Minimize single window applications on click”
Move the Left Launcher to Bottom.
Since Ubuntu 16.10, the Unity launcher can be moved from Left to Bottom. Also do this in Unity Tweak Tool -> Launcher:
6. Disable Guest Session from Login Screen
For my personal computer, I don’t need the Guest account. Simply remove it via command (open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T):
Paste following lines when the command opens an empty file and save it. Restart to apply changes.
[SeatDefaults]
allow-guest=false
7. Auto power off when laptop lid is closed
There’s only “Suspend” and “Do nothing” options for laptop close actions. I’m always want to shutdown Ubuntu when I close the lid, so I edited the logind.conf file via command:
