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Snow on Gnome Desktop with Gsnow Extension

Last updated: December 23, 2017

gnome shell

Since the command line tool xsnow does not work any longer, Gnome 3 users can use an extension called ‘gsnow’ to make desktop snow.

Never installed a Gnome extension? You may first read this how to install tutorial.

After installed required libraries, you can either install ‘gsnow’ from extensions.gnome.org/extension/1156/gsnow/,

or search for and install it via Ubuntu Software:

To start or stop snowing on desktop:

Once installed the extension, start or stop snowing by clicking on the little snowflake icon on top-right system tray.

Turn On/Off gsnow extension:

Search for and install ‘Gnome Tweaks’ in Ubuntu Software. The tool offers a tab for managing installed Gnome extensions.

In Howtos, News
 

SMPlayer 17.12 Released with Some New Actions (PPA)

Last updated: December 22, 2017

SMPlayer media player reached the 17.12.0 release earlier today with enhancements. Here’s how to install it in all current Ubuntu releases via PPA.

SMPlayer 17.12.0 release highlights:

  • Two new actions to take screenshots with or without subtitles (only work when using mpv). Assigned by default to Ctrl+Shift+S and Ctrl+Alt+S.
  • New action which displays the filename in the OSD for 2 seconds. Assigned by default to Shift+O.
  • New option osd_bar_pos for smplayer.ini. It specifies the position of the OSD bar (0 = top, 100 = bottom).
  • The support for DVD menus has been removed. It never worked well and also mpv already removed support for it a long time ago.
  • The option to open an informative page after an upgrade has been removed.

How to Install SMPlayer 17.12.0 in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and derivatives, the latest SMPlayer packages are available in the PPA repository.

1. Search for and launch “terminal” from application launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rvm/smplayer

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

2. Then upgrade SMPlayer using Software Updater (or Update Manager):

or run commands in terminal to install (or upgrade) the media player:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install smplayer smtube smplayer-themes

Uninstall:

To remove SMPlayer, run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove smplayer smtube smplayer-*

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

In Howtos, News
 

Install Spotify Easily via Snap in Ubuntu 16.04, 17.10 & Higher

Last updated: December 21, 2017

Installing Spotify desktop client in Ubuntu now is quite easy via the Snap universal binary package.

A snap is an universal Linux application with all its dependencies bundled. It runs in sandbox and is isolated from other system software.

Spotify has an official apt repository contains traditional .deb packages for Ubuntu.

Now the snap of Spotify client is available, and you can simply search for and install it in Ubuntu Software:

For those who don’t want to login with Ubuntu One account, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and install the snap via command:

snap install spotify

The snap co-exists with traditional Spotify .deb package. You can either launch it from application launcher or run command:

/snap/bin/spotify

For any snap issue, you may refer to forum.snapcraft.io.

Uninstall:

To remove Spotify snap package, either use Ubuntu Software or run command in terminal:

sudo snap remove spotify
In Howtos, News ,
 

Virtualbox 5.2.4 Fixed Gnome Login & Improved High Resolution Display

Last updated: December 20, 2017

Oracle Virtualbox reached 5.2.4, the second maintenance release for the 5.2 series with various high resolution display improvements, Gnome shell login issue fixed, and various audio fixes.

Virtualbox 5.2.4 release highlights:

  • Adjusting desktop file for X11 window managers
  • arious high resolution display adjustments
  • Audio: fixed SB16 volume handling
  • various audio fixes
  • fixed a problem where OHCI emulation might sporadically drop data transfers
  • fixed screen corruption when the Linux host screen changes and a virtual machine window is maximized
  • Fixed a hang at the GNOME Shell login screen with 3D enabled

How to Install Virtualbox 5.2.4 in Ubuntu:

1. If you’re still running with VirtualBox 5.1.x, open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or from application launcher. Remove old Virtualbox via command:

sudo apt-get remove virtualbox virtualbox-5.1

2. Download & install the latest Virtualbox package from the link below:

3. If you’ve added the Oracle VBox repository, you can directly install the 5.2 release from Synaptic Package Manager or via apt command, after removing the old version.

To add the repository, do:

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to add the repository:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian xenial contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

Depends your Ubuntu edition, replace xenial (for Ubuntu 16.04) with trusty (for 14.04, Mint 17.x, eOS 0.3), or artful (for Ubuntu 17.10).

Setup the keyring so to trust the updates from the repository:

wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Finally install virtualbox 5.2 via commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-5.2

With the repository added, you can simply install the future 5.2 series updates via Software Updater.

In News
 

MKVToolNix 19.0.0 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu

Last updated: January 4, 2019

MKVToolNix 19.0.0 “Brave Captain” was released a few days ago. The source code repository, bug tracker and wiki have been moved to GitLab.

MKVToolNix 19.0.0 release highlights:

  • mkvmerge will now consider the first key frame within 1ms of the requested value to be eligible for splitting.
  • the GUI will now save and restore the widths of columns in tree and list views.
  • when closing or reloading a modified file, the GUI will now focus the first element that’s been modified before asking the user for confirmation regarding discarding unsaved changes.
  • See the news page for more details.

How to Install MKVToolNix 19.0.0 in Ubuntu:

The tool has an official Linux repository offers the latest packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10 so far.

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

1. Run command to add the repository:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb https://mkvtoolnix.download/ubuntu/ $(lsb_release -sc) main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/bunkus.org.list'

Replace $(lsb_release -sc) with xenial for Linux Mint 18.x. And input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then install the key:

wget -q -O - https://mkvtoolnix.download/gpg-pub-moritzbunkus.txt | sudo apt-key add -

3. Finally either upgrade the software via Software Updater (Update Manager):

or run command to install the software packages:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install mkvtoolnix mkvtoolnix-gui

Uninstall:

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

To remove MKVToolNix, use Synaptic Package Manager or run following command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove mkvtoolnix mkvtoolnix-gui
In News ,
 

GnuCash 2.6.19 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu

Last updated: December 18, 2017

The nineteenth maintenance release of GnuCash 2.6 stable series was announced 2 days ago. Here’s how to install it in all current Ubuntu releases.

Bugs fixed in GnuCash 2.6.19:

  • Disabling OFX, AqBanking or python-bindings support cripples the dist build target
  • FTBFS with libdbi 0.9.0-5 on Debian: DBI error
  • Set Invoice/Bill items date correctly from imported CSV
  • A better way to handle MySQL’s 0000-00-00 invalid date indicator.
  • Fix python build and test errors on Mac.
  • Add translator hint comments to C and glade files.
  • Improve type of bank accounts in SKR03
  • Stop testing GObject’s handling of invalid parameters

How to Install GnuCash 2.6.19 via Snap in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 16.04 and higher, GnuCash now is available as Snap package (run in sandbox).

Simply search for and install it from Ubuntu Software (need login with Ubuntu One account).

Or open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the snap:

snap install gnucash-jz

The snapped package co-exists with traditional application. To remove it, run command:

sudo snap remove gnucash-jz

How to Install GnuCash 2.6.19 via PPA in Ubuntu:

For those who prefer traditional packages, you can install GnuCash 2.6.19 from the unofficial PPA, since the getdeb repository has not been updated for a period of time.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gnucash

Input your password (no visual feedback) when it prompts. Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and Ubuntu 18.04 are supported.

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

or simply run commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gnucash

Uninstall:

To remove the financial-accounting software, open terminal and run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove gnucash

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

In Howtos, News ,
 

MuPDF 1.12.0 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu

Last updated: December 15, 2017

MuPDF, a lightweight PDF, XPS, and E-book viewer, reached 1.12.0 release recently. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and their derivatives.

MuPDF 1.12.0 release highlights:

  • LCMS2 library for color management.
  • CMYK rendering with overprint simulation.
  • Spot color rendering.
  • Reworked structured text API.
  • Faster text searching.
  • New semantic XHTML output format.
  • New layout preserving HTML output format.
  • Improved non-AA rendering with new scan converter.
  • Improved support for LARGEFILE and TIFF
  • Add PCLm, and PSD output.
  • New “mutool trace” tool.
  • New “mutool sign” tool (work in progress).
  • And lots of bug fixes, See NEWS for details.

How to Install MuPDF 1.12.0 in Ubuntu / Linux Mint:

Besides building the tool from source, there’s an unofficial PPA with the packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and their derivatives.

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:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

Type in password (no visual feedback due to security reason) when it asks and hit Enter.

2. Then install mupdf and mupdf-tools packages either via Synaptic Package Manager or by running following commands in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install mupdf mupdf-tools

If you have a previous release installed, simply launch Software Updater to upgrade the tool after checking for updates.

To use the PDF/XPS viewer, right-click on your file and select open with MuPDF. You can also set MuPDF as default in the Properties window.

Uninstall:

To restore MuPDF to the stock version available in your Ubuntu’s main archive, run command in terminal to purge the PPA:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps
In Howtos, News ,
 

IntelliJ IDEA 2017.3.1 Released with Few Fixes (Howto Install)

Last updated: December 14, 2017

The first update for IntelliJ IDEA 2017.3 series was release a day ago with few bug fixes.

IntelliJ IDEA 2017.3.1 fixed:

  • Groovy: Intellisence does not work in Groovy code
  • JavaScript.Frameworks: Freezes when switching git branches

How to Install IntelliJ IDEA 2017.3.1 in Ubuntu:

There are a few ways to run the latest release of the Java IDE in Ubuntu desktop. And here are 3 of them:

method 1: Download official Linux package (NON-INSTALL), extract and run the executable to launch the IDE:

method 2: Install the Snap package (runs in sandbox) for Ubuntu 16.04 and higher:

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

sudo snap install intellij-idea-community --classic

Replace intellij-idea-community with intellij-idea-ultimate for ultimate edition. And type your password (no visual feedback) when it asks.

method 3: Install the traditional .deb package via PPA to get the official Linux package and install the application shortcut automatically.

To do so, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run following commands one by one to add the PPA and install the .deb packages:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install intellij-idea-community

Also replace intellij-idea-community in the code with intellij-idea-ultimate for ultimate edition.

Uninstall:

For the snap packages, you can either remove them from Ubuntu Software, or by running command in terminal:

sudo snap remove intellij-idea-community intellij-idea-ultimate

For the PPA packages, remove them either via Synaptic package manager, or by running command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove intellij-idea-community intellij-idea-ultimate

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

In Howtos, News ,
 

GIMP 2.9.8 Released with On-Canvas Gradient Editing (How to Install)

Last updated: December 13, 2017

GIMP 2.9.8, a new unstable release, an intermediate state on the way to the next GIMP 2.10, was released.

GIMP 2.9.8 introduces on-canvas gradient editing and various enhancements while focusing on bugfixing and stability.

  • Blend tool now features on-canvas gradient editing: adding, shifting, removing color stops, shifting midpoints and converting them to color stops, assignging colors to color stops, changing blending type for midpoints.
    Faster color library
  • ‘Clip Warning’ in Display Filters
  • The default brush is now “Hardness 050”.
  • OpenCL disabled by default
  • Statusbar will blink on warnings, errors
  • Screenshot for KDE/Wayland has been implemented
  • Color Picker now works on KDE/Wayland.
  • For more details, see the News page.

How to Install GIMP 2.9.x in Ubuntu:

There’s a PPA repository contains the latest development GIMP packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, and Ubuntu 17.10.

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

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

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

2. Then upgrade GIMP from an existing release via Software Updater utility:

or simply run commands to check updates and install GIMP:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install gimp

How to Restore:

You can easily restore GIMP image editor to the stock version (distribution build) in your Ubuntu by purging the PPA via command:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp-edge

And if you want to re-install the latest stable GIMP (2.8.22 so far), see this tutorial after purging the previous PPA.

In Howtos, News ,
 

How to Install Wireshark 2.4.3 in Ubuntu 17.10 via PPA

Last updated: December 11, 2017

The open-source network analyzer Wireshark 2.4.3 was released days ago on Nov 30. The stable PPA finally built the packages for all current Ubuntu releases.

Wireshark 2.4.3 is a bug-fix release. Following bugs has been fixed in the release:

  • The IWARP_MPA dissector could crash.
  • The NetBIOS dissector could crash.
  • The CIP Safety dissector could crash.
  • “tshark -G ?” doesn’t provide expected help.
  • File loading is very slow with TRANSUM dissector enabled.
  • SSL Dissection bug.
  • Wireshark crashes when exporting various files to .csv, txt and other ‘non-capture file’ formats.
  • RLC reassembly doesn’t work for RLC over UDP heuristic dissector.
  • HTTP Object export fails with long extension (possibly query string).
  • 3GPP Civic Address not displayed in Packet Details.
  • PEEKREMOTE dissector does not decode 11ac MCS rates properly.
  • Wireshark Crash when trying to use Preferences | Advanced.
  • Read the release note for more.

How to Install Wireshark 2.4.3 in Ubuntu:

Wireshark has a stable PPA with the latest packages for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, and Ubuntu 17.10, though the title says only Ubuntu 17.10.

1. To add the PPA, open terminal from Unity Dash / App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut keys, and then run command:

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

Type in your password (no visual feedback due to security reason) when it asks and hit Enter.

2. For those who have a previous release installed, launch Software Updater (or Update Manager) to upgrade it to the latest:

Or run the commands below in terminal to install / upgrade wireshark:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install wireshark

How to restore:

To restore to the stock version of Wireshark in Ubuntu main repositories, purge the PPA via ppa-purge tool:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:wireshark-dev/stable
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