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Archives For November 30, 1999

Different Launcher Icons for each Workspace in Ubuntu Unity

Last updated: May 2, 2015

lswitcher_icon

For the default Unity desktop, there’s now a new tool, LSwitcher, which allows Ubuntu users to set different left launcher icons (pinned) for each workspace.

LSwitcher (Unity LauncherSwitcher) is a script running silently on the background. It automatically remembers the pinned applications’ icons on the Unity Launcher for each workspace and changes the Launcher when you switch between workspaces.

The tool is still at a very early stage， it only changes pinned icons when you switch between workspaces. Not work for unpinned icons even though there are opened on different workspaces.

LSwitcher settings window

Install and Use LSwitcher:

The tool is available in Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 14.10, and Ubuntu 15.04 Unity Desktop, and you have to enable workspaces at System Settings -> Appearances -> behavior tab.

To install the tool from PPA, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run below commands one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:vlijm/lswitcher

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install lswitcher

Depends on your OS type, 32-bit (i386) or 64-bit (amd64), you can alternatively download & install the .deb installer from the launchpad page.

To use the tool, open LSwitcher from the Unity Dash. When it opens, do:

  1. Turn on the script by clicking on the toggle and you may enable the start at login feature.
  2. Open Unity Dash, drag and drop some apps to the left Launcher.
  3. Switch to other workspaces, and drop some other apps to the Launcher.
  4. Finally check out the Launchers on different workspaces

For more, go to launchpad.net/lswitcher

In Howtos
 

Install uGet Download Manager 2.0 in Ubuntu, Linux Mint

Last updated: May 1, 2015

uGet 2.0, a new major release of the powerful and light-weight download manager, finally was released after more than 7 months beta testing!

uGet is a VERY Powerful download manager application with a large inventory of features but is still very light-weight and low on resources. It allows you to classify download, and allows you to import download from HTML files. Every category has an independent configuration that can be inherited by each download in that category.

uGet 2.0 in Ubuntu 15.04

uGet 2.0, a new stable release since version 1.10.4, was released earlier today. Changes according to the README file:

curl plug-in:

  • support multi-thread downloading.
  • support mirrors.
  • support aria2 control file format ver 1 (aria2 v1.4.1).
  • It can allocate file by its size before downloading.
  • uGet1’s downloaded file can’t be resumed by uGet2. It is not compatiable.

aria2 plug-in:

  • better BitTorrent and metalink support.
  • support JSON-RPC batch request to improve remote aria2 downloading.
  • support aria2 “–out” argument to set output filename.
  • support RPC authorization secret token (Aria2 v1.8.4 new feature)
  • add “split” option to avoid less connections if user specify mirrors.

Application:

  • Every category has it’s data file. (file format is JSON)
  • Program can set priority for each download in global speed limit mode.
  • Auto classifier by file extension, host, and scheme.
  • User can change category order.
  • All data files use JSON format. (not compatiable with uGet 1)
  • Global speed control can affect all plug-ins.
  • Skip existing URLs from clipboard and command-line.

GTK+ User interface:

  • New setting dialog.
  • Adjust category selector in main window for touch screen.
  • Remember category selection and paned position.
  • Program can sort all downloads by status.
  • Program can launch custom command when download complete.
  • Remove feature: launching app for specified file types.
  • Don’t notify completed if error occurs. It will notify error.
  • Banner can show uGet RSS message.
  • provide uget-1to2 (or uget-gtk-1to2) to convert setting from old uGet files.

How to Install or Upgrade to uGet 2.0

The 2.0 release is available in its official PPA for Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 14.10, Ubuntu 15.04, Linux Mint 17, and Elementary OS Freya.

1. To add the PPA, open terminal from the Dash, Menu or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command:

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

2. After that, upgrade uGet through Software Updater (or Update Manager):

If you don’t have a previous version installed, directly install uGet from Ubuntu Software Center after checking for updates via Software Updater (or Update Manager).

For other Linux and Windows, download uGet 2.0 from this page.

In Howtos
 

Install Weather Indicator & Desktop Widget in Ubuntu 15.04

Last updated: March 27, 2016

Weather App “My Weather Indicator” was finally made into PPA with Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid support.

My-weather-indicator is a small indicator displays your weather formation on Unity panel system tray area. It features:

  • support two locations, select location with OpenStreetMap
  • desktop widget with a few themes.
  • up to 7 day weather forecast, and forecast map.
  • support: Open Weather Map, Yahoo Weather, wunderground.com, World weather online.

How to install my-weather-indicator:

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run below commands one by one to install it from the developer’s PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/atareao

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install my-weather-indicator

Or grab the .deb installer (“my-weather-indicator_0.6.9-0extras14.04.2_all.deb”) from the launchpad page

After installing the software, launch it from the Dash and set your location, widget, weather service, display units, refresh frequency, etc.

Finally click the OK button and enjoy!

In Howtos ,
 

How to Install Latest Wayland in Ubuntu 14.04 Gnome via PPA

Last updated: April 28, 2015

Daily builds of Wayland and Weston are now available in PPA for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 14.10, and Ubuntu 15.04.

Thanks to Bryce Harrington, a former Canonical developer who continues to be heavily involved in Wayland development, he has created an automatic builds PPA to make it easy to try out the newest Wayland/Weston code on Ubuntu.

To get started, open terminal from the Dash, App launcher, or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, do below steps:

1. To add the PPA, paste below command in terminal and run:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:wayland.admin/daily-builds

2. After that, install the package weston and XWayland via Synaptic Package Manager or by running below commands one by one:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install weston xwayland

3. Now you should be able to start Weston within X by running command weston, which provides a Terminal along with a basic window manager functionality.

If you want you can create & edit weston.ini file via below command:

gedit ~/.config/weston.ini

Change its appearances by adding some settings like this page. Finally the weston window looks like:

4. To running Gnome Shell session on Wayland, run command:

sudo apt-get install gnome-session-wayland

Then log out and select “Gnome on Wayland” in gdm login screen:

If you’re using the default LightDM display manager, you may have to do :

  1. Install Gnome Shell if don’t have Gnome session: 
    sudo apt-get install gnome-shell
  2. If you’ve installed Gnome-Shell but still using LightDM, run command to select gdm: 
    sudo dpkg-reconfigure lightdm
  3. Finally restart your computer and you should see the gdm login screen as above picture shows.
In Howtos ,
 

PPA for Ubuntu 15.04: Scribus 1.4.5, Pragha, Liferea

Last updated: April 25, 2015

The latest desktop publishing software Scribus 1.4.5, Pragha music player 1.3.2, Liferea RSS reader 1.10.15, and Hotshots screenshot tool 2.2.0 are ready in PPAs for Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid.

Scribus is a desktop publishing (DTP) application based on the free Qt toolkit. It is designed for layout, typesetting and to prepare files for professional quality image setting equipment. It can also create animated and interactive PDF presentations and forms.

While Ubuntu repositories provide an old version, you can install the latest Scribus 1.4.5 via below commands one by one in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install scribus

Or you can grab the .deb installer for Vivid from this page.

Pragha is a Lightweight Music Player for GNU/Linux, based on Gtk, sqlite, and completely written in C, constructed to be fast, light, and simultaneously tries to be complete without obstructing the daily work.

To install it, run below commands one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/pragha

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install pragha

Or download the .deb installer at launchpad page.

Liferea is an open source feed reader and news aggregator with an embedded graphical browser (supports playing video, audio).

While Ubuntu repositories provide an old version, you can install the latest for Ubuntu 15.04 via:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install liferea
In Howtos , ,
 

Ubuntu 15.04: Install Media Codecs & Enable DVD Playback

Last updated: April 25, 2016

After installing the new Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet, one of the top things to do is to install audio/video codecs and enable DVD playback.

Due to legal constraints in many countries, Ubuntu does not include these codecs to play mp3, movies, and DVDs out-of-the-box. But we can easily get them from the default repositories through Ubuntu Software Center.

1. Install the codecs to play common audio and video file formats:

Open Ubuntu Software Center, search for and install ubuntu-restricted-extras package. After that, you should be able to play your musics and movies through the default multi-players.

2 The previous step also installs libdvdread4, library to read DVDs. If not, install it from Ubuntu Software Center.

3. To play encrypted DVDs, you also need the libdvdcss2 library by installing it via below command in terminal:

sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

You may need to set the region code for DVD drive if it is still not working, by running below command in terminal:

sudo apt-get install regionset && sudo regionset
In Howtos
 

Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet (Final) Available for Download

Last updated: September 29, 2017

The final release of Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet and its flavors, e.g., Xubuntu 15.04, Lubuntu 15.04, Ubuntu Gnome 15.04, UbuntuKylin 15.04, Ubuntu MATE 15.04, Ubuntu Studio 15.04, and Kubuntu 15.04 are available for download now!

Ubuntu 15.04 will be supported for 9 months for Desktop, Server, and all its official flavors. It features:

  • Linux Kernel 3.19
  • Updated packages
  • systemd has replaced Upstart as the standard boot and service manager on all Ubuntu flavors except Touch.
  • Unity 7.3
  • Kubuntu 15.04 comes with Plasma 5 and KDE Applications 14.12 as the default
  • Gnome 3.14 for Ubuntu Gnome 15.04
  • Xfce 4.12 for Xubuntu 15.04

Download Ubuntu 15.04 and its flavors

Ubuntu 15.04 Desktop (Unity) and Sever:

http://releases.ubuntu.com/vivid/

Xubuntu 15.04, a lightweight Xfce Desktop based flavor:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/15.04/

Lubuntu 15.04, based on the lightweight LXDE desktop environment:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/15.04/

Ubuntu Gnome 15.04, based on Gnome-shell desktop environment:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-gnome/releases/15.04/

UbuntuKylin 15.04, an official flavor for Chinese users:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntukylin/releases/15.04/release/

Ubuntu MATE 15.04, a new official flavor based on MATE desktop, the continuation of classic GNOME 2:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-mate/releases/15.04/

Ubuntu Studio 15.04, for multimedia production:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntustudio/releases/15.04/

Kubuntu 15.04, based on KDE:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/releases/15.04/

For the official release note and how to upgrade instruction, refer to the Ubuntu wiki page.

In News
 

Double-Click to open a File/Folder in Elementary OS Freya

Last updated: April 23, 2015

The default file browser in Elementary OS Freya uses single-click to open files and folders, though there’s no option to change this preference.

For those who would like to use double-click to open an item in the file browser, there’s a graphical configuration tool called Elementary Tweaks that may help.

1. Install Elementary Tweaks in Freya

The developer is maintaining a PPA with the latest packages for this tool.

Though the 14.04 build is failed at the moment of writing this tutorial, we can download an earlier version at PPA’s ftp download page:

Download Elementary Tweaks (.DEB)

Depends on your OS type, select download:

  • For 64-bit eOS Freya, download:
    • elementary-tweaks-dbg_x.x.x~ubuntu14.04.1_amd64.deb
    • elementary-tweaks_x.x.x~ubuntu14.04.1_amd64.deb
  • For 32-bit eOS Freya, download:
    • elementary-tweaks-dbg_x.x.x~ubuntu14.04.1_i386.deb
    • elementary-tweaks_x.x.x~ubuntu14.04.1_i386.deb

Then install them one by one, in below order, by opening the .deb package with Software Center:

  • elementary-tweaks_x.x.x~ubuntu14.04.1_i386/amd64.deb
  • elementary-tweaks-dbg_x.x.x~ubuntu14.04.1_i386/amd64.deb

2. Disable single-click and enable double-click

After installing Elementary Tweaks, open System Settings from the dock at the bottom of your screen and then click the Tweaks icon.

In the next page, select Files from left pane, and finally disable Single Click by clicking the toggle.

In Howtos ,
 

Install Kart Racing Game SuperTuxKart 0.9 in Ubuntu 14.04

Last updated: July 2, 2016

SuperTuxKart, an open-source kart racing game, finally gets a new stable release after nearly one and a half year since the last release.

SuperTuxKart 0.9 comes with a new rendering engine that’s fully shader-based, two completely new tracks, online log-in support, different Kart physics, an achievement system, and numerous other improvements. With now needing OpenGL3.1+, SuperTuxKart developers recommend at least having one of below graphics for playing the game:

  • AMD Radeon HD 3650
  • Intel HD Graphics 3000
  • NVIDIA GeForce 8600

Highlights of SuperTuxKart 0.9:

  • Fully shader-based rendering engine
    •  New tracks Cocoa Temple and Gran Paradiso
    • Graphical improvements to many other tracks
    • New karts Amanda, Gavroche, Sara (as wizard and racer)
    • Improved tux, adiumy, Suzanne and Xue.
  • Online login which allows to:
    • connect with friends and see when they are playing
    • vote for addons
    • collect online achievements
  • Different kart physics
  • In-game Grand Prix editor
  • Random Grand Prix generation
  • Achievement system

How to Install SuperTuxKart 0.9 in Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Elementary OS Freya:

1. For all Linux users, select download “supertuxkart-0.9-linux.tar.gz or “supertuxkart-0.9-linux.tar.xz” from the link below:

Download SuperTuxKart 0.9

2. Install the required library libopenal1 via Ubuntu Software Center, or by running below command in terminal:

sudo apt-get install libopenal1

3. Unpack the downloaded archive and run the run_game.sh script from in the result folder to start the game:

For those who don’t see the Run option, go to Nautilus file browser’s menu Edit -> Preferences -> Behavior -> select “Run executable text files when they are opened”, and re-open the file browser.

To Create a launcher for the game, so you can launch it from Application Menu or the Unity Dash.

In below steps, I assume that you’ve extracted the game to your user Downloads folder.

1. Open terminal from menu or the Dash. When it opens, run command to edit the .desktop file:

gedit ~/Downloads/supertuxkart-*-linux/data/supertuxkart.desktop

When the file opens, replace values of Icon and Exec with file path to the icon and run_game.sh script.

In below picture, you may replace “handbook” (without quotes) with your username.

2. Finally copy or move this file to user’s Home .local/share/applications/ folder (press Ctrl+H to view hidden folder), so that your system can read it.

Do it in your file browser, or just run below command in terminal:

mv ~/Downloads/supertuxkart-*-linux/data/supertuxkart.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/
In Howtos ,
 

Install Podcast App ‘Vocal’ 1.0 via PPA in Ubuntu 14.04/15.04

Last updated: July 31, 2015

The first stable release of Vocal, a simple and beautiful podcast app for Linux desktop, was released a few days ago. Official installers for Ubuntu, Elementary OS, Fedora, openSUSE are available.

Vocal is a beautiful and easy to use podcast app designed for elementary OS and other GTK-based Linux desktops. Since the 1.0 release, it features:

  • Audio and video podcast support
  • Built-in video playback
  • Automatic checking for new episodes
  • Episode position saving
  • Streaming and downloading support (works offline)
  • Smart library management
  • Automatic downloads
  • Full system integration
  • Library importing and exporting
  • and much more!

Screenshots in eOS freya:

How to Install Vocal:

For Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 15.04, Elementary OS Freya, and Linux Mint 17, you can install this podcast app either from its official PPA or by using the .deb binaries.

To install Vocal from PPA and receive future updates, open terminal from the Dash or App Menu, and run below commands one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nathandyer/vocal-stable

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install vocal

To grab the .deb (or .rpm) package, go to the sourceforge page.

UPDATE: For transparent background issue (but with Unity’s overlay scrollbar), run below command to edit its desktop file:

gksudo gedit /usr/share/applications/vocal.desktop

and change the line Exec=vocal to Exec=env LIBOVERLAY_SCROLLBAR=0 vocal and finally save the file. This will disable overlay scrollbar for Vocal.

In Howtos ,