Archives For November 30, 1999

Time & Date format

This quick tutorial is going to show you how to customize your Time & Date indicator in Ubuntu panel, though there are already a few options available in the settings page.

To get started, search for and install dconf Editor in Ubuntu Software Center. Then launch the software and follow below steps:

1. When dconf Editor launches, navigate to com -> canonical -> indicator -> datetime. Set the value of time-format to custom.

You can also do this via a command in terminal:

gsettings set com.canonical.indicator.datetime time-format 'custom'

2. Now you can customize the Time & Date format by editing the value of custom-time-format.

You can also do this via command:

gsettings set com.canonical.indicator.datetime custom-time-format 'FORMAT_VALUE_HERE'

Interpreted sequences are:

  • %a = abbreviated weekday name
  • %A = full weekday name
  • %b = abbreviated month name
  • %B = full month name
  • %d = day of month
  • %l = hour ( 1..12), %I = hour (01..12)
  • %k = hour ( 1..23), %H = hour (01..23)
  • %M = minute (00..59)
  • %p = AM or PM, %P = am or pm.
  • %S = second (00..59)
  • open terminal and run command man date to get more details.

Some examples:

custom time format value: %a %H:%M %m/%d/%Y

%a %r %b %d or %a %I:%M:%S %p %b %d

%a %-d %b %l:%M %P %z

OBS-Studio is a free and open-source software for video recording and live streaming. The software features:

  • Encoding using H264 (x264) and AAC.
  • Support for Intel Quick Sync Video (QSV) and NVENC.
  • Unlimited number of scenes and sources.
  • Live RTMP streaming to Twitch, YouTube, DailyMotion, Hitbox and more.
  • File output to MP4 or FLV.
  • GPU-based game capture for high performance game streaming.
  • DirectShow capture device support (webcams, capture cards, etc).
  • Windows 8 high speed monitor capture support.
  • Bilinear or lanczos3 resampling.

The current release is OBS Multiplatform 0.12.3, which added m3u8 file format for recording and fixed a few bugs.

Sorry that OBS doesn’t work for my laptop’s integrated graphics card. Picture from linux distro community forum

Install OBS-Studio in Ubuntu via PPA:

The software is available in a PPA repository for Ubuntu and derivatives users. Ubuntu 15.10 and Ubuntu 14.04 LTS are supported so far.

1. Add the PPA

Open terminal from Unity Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut keys. When it opens, paste below command and hit enter:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:obsproject/obs-studio

Type in your password when it asks, no visual feedback so just type in mind, and hit Enter to continue.

2. For Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and derivatives only.

The Software requires ffmpeg which is not included in 14.04’s official repositories. If you don’t have ffmpeg installed, add below PPA via command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kirillshkrogalev/ffmpeg-next

3. After that, search for and install obs-studio via Synaptic Package Manager after clicking the Refresh button.

Or run below commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install obs-studio

How to Uninstall:

You may remove both PPAs by launching Software & Updates and navigating to Other Software tab, and remove the broadcaster software via Synaptic Package Manager or by running below command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove obs-studio && sudo apt-get autoremove

Install Enlightenment e20 in Ubuntu 15.10, 14.04

Last updated: December 2, 2015

The Enlightenment 0.20 was released two days ago. Here’s how to install it via PPA in Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and derivatives.

The E20 development cycle has come to a close, with 1890 patches submitted by over 50 developers in the course of 441 days.
25+ reported Coverity analyzer issues and 165 tickets were addressed during this time (based on commit message tagging).
I’d like to personally thank everyone who contributed, whether by submitting patches, writing documentation, reporting bugs, or simply providing feedback on IRC.

Enlightenment E20 features:

  • Full Wayland support
  • New screen management infrastructure and dialog
  • New audio mixer infrastructure and gadget
  • Many internal widgets replaced with Elementary
  • Improved FreeBSD support
  • Geolocation module

How to Install Enlightenment E20 in Ubuntu:

There’s a PPA repository contains stable version of e20 packages for Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 15.04, Ubuntu 14.04, and Ubuntu 12.04.

1. Add PPA

Open terminal from Unity Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut key. When it opens, paste below command and hit Enter:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:niko2040/e19

Type in your password when it asks, no visual feedback just type in mind, and hit Enter to continue.

2. After that, install enlightenment via Synaptic Package Manager. Or run below commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install enlightenment

You may also install Rage video player and Terminology terminal emulator via:

sudo apt-get install rage terminology

Once installed, log out and log in back with Enlightenment session.

Quick tutorial shows you how to the latest Arduino IDE, so far its version 1.6.6, in all current Ubuntu releases.

The open-source Arduino IDE has reached the 1.6.6 release recently with lots of changes. The new release has switched to Java 8, which is now both bundled and needed for compiling the IDE. See the RELEASE NOTE for details.

For those who don’t want to use the old 1.0.5 version available in Software Center, you can always follow below steps to install Arduino in all Ubuntu releases:

1. Download the latest packages, Linux 32-bit or Linux 64-bit, from the official link below:

www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software

Don’t know your OS type? Go and check out System Settings -> Details -> Overview.

2. Open terminal from Unity Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T keys. When it opens, run below commands one by one:

Navigate to your downloads folder:

cd ~/Downloads

Decompress the downloaded archive with tar command:

tar -xvf arduino-1.6.6-*.tar.xz

Move the result folder to /opt/ directory for global use:

sudo mv arduino-1.6.6 /opt

3. Now the IDE is ready for use with bundled Java. But it would be good to create desktop icon/launcher for the application:

Navigate to install folder:

cd /opt/arduino-1.6.6/

Give executable permission to install.sh script in that folder:

chmod +x install.sh

Finally run the script to install both desktop shortcut and launcher icon:

./install.sh

In below picture I’ve combined 3 commands into one via “&&”:

Finally, launch Arduino IDE from Unity Dash, Application Launcher, or via Desktop shorcut.

The nineteenth alpha version of 0 A.D., a free, open-source game of ancient warfare, was released yesterday. PPA’s ready for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 14.04, and Ubuntu 12.04.

0 A.D. Alpha 19 named ‘Syllepsis’. It features new victory modes, a ceasefire game mode, attack coordination, 3 new skirmish maps, new animals, visual replay, and eight times maximum map height support. See release note.

Install 0 A.D. from PPA:

There’s an official PPA repository for all current Ubuntu releases and derivatives. Follow below steps to add PPA and install the game.

1. Add 0 A.D. PPA

Open terminal from Unity Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut key. When it opens, paste below commands and hit Enter:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:wfg/0ad

Type in your password when it asks, no visual feedback so just type in mind, and hit Enter to continue.

2. Install or Upgrade the game.

If you have a previous version installed on your system, upgrade the game by launching Software Updater and installing available updates after checking for updates:

Or you may run below commands one by one in terminal to refresh system cache and install (or upgrade) the game:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install 0ad

3. (Optional) Uninstall

remove the PPA via Software & Updates -> Other Software tab and remove the 0 A.D. using Software Center.

GIMP image editor 2.8.16 was released on its 20th birthday. Here’s how to install or upgrade in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04 and their derivatives, e.g., Linux Mint 17.x/13, Elementary OS Freya.

GIMP 2.8.16 features support for layer groups in OpenRaster files, fixes for layer groups support in PSD, various user inrterface improvements, OSX build system fixes, translation updates, and more changes. Read the official announcement.

How to Install or Upgrade:

Thanks to Otto Meier, an Ubuntu PPA with latest GIMP packages is available for all current Ubuntu releases and derivatives.

1. Add GIMP PPA

Open terminal from Unity Dash, App launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut key. When it opens, paste below command and hit Enter:

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

Type in your password when it asks, no visual feedback so just type in mind, and hit enter to continue.

2. Install or Upgrade the editor.

After added the PPA, launch Software Updater (or Software Manager in Mint). After checking for updates, you’ll see GIMP in the update list. Click “Install Now” to upgrade it.

For those who prefer Linux commands, run below commands one by one to refresh your repository caches and install GIMP:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gimp

3. (Optional) Uninstall.

Just in case you want to uninstall or downgrade GIMP image editor. Use Software Center to remove it, or run below commands one by one to purge PPA as well as downgrade the software:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge

sudo ppa-purge ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp

That’s it. Enjoy!

How to Install Wireshark 2.0 in Ubuntu 15.10 Wily

Last updated: November 24, 2015

Wireshark has reached the new table 2.0 release recently and it has been made into Ubuntu 16.04’s official repositories. Here’s how to install Wireshark 2.0 in Ubuntu 15.10 using a PPA.

Wireshark 2.0 features a completely new user interface that provides a smoother, faster user experience. It has been fully rewritten in Qt5. It also has new protocol support, new file format decoding support, new dialogs, capture options, and many other improvements. See the release note.

Install Wireshark 2.0 in Ubuntu 15.10:

UPDATE: The official Wireshark PPA just updated with the 2.0 packages, available for not only Ubuntu 15.10, but also Ubuntu 15.04, Ubuntu 14.04 and Ubuntu 12.04.

1. Add PPA.

Open terminal from Unity Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T key combination. When it opens, paste below command and hit enter:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:wireshark-dev/stable

Type in your password when it asks, no visual feedback so just type in mind, and hit Enter to continue.

2. Install / Upgrade Wireshark.

If you have a previous installed, launch Software Updater. After checking for updates, you’ll see this popular network protocol analyzer in the list. Install the updates and done.

Or, paste below commands one by one and run to update repository cache and install/upgrade the software:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install wireshark

3. Remove PPA.

The PPA also contains many other applications for 15.10 Wily, check HERE. You can keep the PPA or select remove it via below command once Wireshark 2.0 is installed.

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:nicola-onorata/desktop && sudo apt-get update

NVIDIA 358.16, the first stable release in NVIDIA 358 series, has been announced with some fixes to 358.09 (Beta) and other small features.

NVIDIA 358 added a new nvidia-modeset.ko kernel module that works in conjunction with the nvidia.ko kernel module to program the display engine of the GPU. In a later driver release, the nvidia-modeset.ko kernel driver will be used as a basis for the mode-setting interface provided by the kernel’s direct rendering manager (DRM).

Thew new driver also has new GLX protocol extensions and a new system memory allocation mechanism for large allocations in the OpenGL driver. New GPUs GeForce 805A and GeForce GTX 960A are supported. NVIDIA 358.16 also supports X.Org Server 1.18 and OpenGL 4.3

How to Install NVIDIA 358.16 in Ubuntu:

For the official binaries, please go to nvidia.com/object/unix.html.

For those who prefer an Ubuntu PPA, I’d recommend the Graphics Drivers PPA. So far, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 15.04, Ubuntu 14.04 are supported.

1. Add PPA.

Open terminal from Unity Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut key. When it opens, paste below command and hit enter:

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

Type your password when it asks. No visual feedback, just type in mind and hit Enter to continue.

2. Refresh and install new driver.

After adding PPA, run below commands one by one to refresh repository cache and install new driver packages:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install nvidia-358 nvidia-settings

(Optional) Uninstall:

Boot into the recovery mode from the grub menu, and drop into root console. Then run below commands one by one:

Remount the file system as writable:

mount -o remount,rw /

Remove all nvidia packages:

apt-get purge nvidia*

Finally back to menu and reboot:

reboot

To disable/remove the graphics driver PPA, launch Software & Updates and navigate to Other Software tab.

Install Intel Graphics Installer in Ubuntu 15.10

Last updated: November 20, 2015

Intel has announced a new release of its Linux graphics installer recently. Ubuntu 15.10 Wily is required and support for Ubuntu 15.04 is deprecated in the new release.

The Intel® Graphics Installer for Linux* allows you to easily install the latest graphics and video drivers for your Intel graphics hardware. This allows you to stay current with the latest enhancements, optimizations, and fixes to the Intel® Graphics Stack to ensure the best user experience with your Intel® graphics hardware. The Intel® Graphics Installer for Linux* is available for the latest version of Ubuntu*.

How to Install:

1. Download the installer from the link page. The current is version 1.2.1 for Ubuntu 15.10. Check your OS type, 32-bit or 64-bit, via System Settings -> Details.

2. Once the download process finished, go to your Download folder and click open the .deb package with Ubuntu Software Center and finally click the install button.

3. In order to trust the Intel Graphics Installer, you will need to add keys via below commands.

Open terminal from Unity Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut key. When it opens, paste below commands and run one by one:

wget --no-check-certificate https://download.01.org/gfx/RPM-GPG-KEY-ilg -O - | sudo apt-key add -

wget --no-check-certificate https://download.01.org/gfx/RPM-GPG-KEY-ilg-2 -O - | sudo apt-key add -

NOTE: While running the first command, if the cursor is stuck and blinking after downloading the key, as above picture shows, type your password (no visual feedback) and hit enter to continue.

Finally launch Intel Graphics Installer via Unity Dash or Application launcher.

FeedReader is a modern desktop client for popular RSS-Web-Services such as TinyTinyRSS, ownCloud News or Feedly.

The application features:

  • Desktop notifications
  • Fast search and filters
  • Full articles instead of previews for known sites
  • Tagging (plugin needed for Tiny Tiny RSS)
  • Sharing to “read-it-later” services like Pocket and Instapaper
  • Handy keyboard short-cuts
  • Keep all your old articles as long as you like
  • Consistent formating of articles
  • automatically saved state of the UI

The application requires at least GTK+ 3.12. So only elementary OS Freya or Ubuntu 15.04 and higher are supported at the moment.

The most recent release is FeedReader 1.4, features ownCloud News support, memory leaks fixes, sync and other improvements.

How to Install FeedReader via PPA:

Open terminal from App Launcher. When it opens, run below command to add PPA:

add-apt-repository ppa:eviltwin1/feedreader-stable

After that, refresh your system repository cache and install the client by running below commands one by one:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install feedreader

For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab the the .deb package in Trusty series from the PPA web page.

Project page:launchpad.net/feedreader