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Aptik – A Simple Backup Tool for PPA, Installed Apps, User’s Data

Last updated: January 20, 2017

Aptik backup tool

To simplify re-installation of software packages after upgrading or re-installing Ubuntu, aptik is a simple tool allows to backup software sources (PPA), installed software, and other user data with just a few clicks.

Aptik features:

  • Backup and restore Launchpad PPAs.
  • Backup and restore installed software.
  • Backup and restore downloaded packages (apt cache).
  • Backup and restore themes and icons from /usr/share directory.
  • Backup and restore application settings.
  • Backup and restore user home directory data (.config excluded)
  • One-click backup and restore user selected items.

While doing backup and restore (exclude one-click backup / restore), it lists available items and allows you to choose which to backup / restore. Some backups are encrypted with given passwords.

How to Install Aptik in Ubuntu:

To install the utility in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and derivatives, either run the commands below in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) to get it from the developer’s PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:teejee2008/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install aptik

or grab the DEB package (amd64 for 64bit, i386 for 32bit) from THIS PAGE.

Tip: The DEB packages for Ubuntu 16.04 also works on Ubuntu 16.10.

Uninstall:

To remove aptik, either use Synaptic Package Manager or run the following command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove aptik && sudo apt-get autoremove

The PPA can be removed by Software & Updates utility under Other Software tab.

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Disk Indicator – A System Tray Applet for Managing Devices

Last updated: January 17, 2017

Disk Indicator is a simple system tray indicator applet for managing devices in Ubuntu.

The simple tool allows you to quickly access disk partitions and mount points. It also allows mount / unmount devices, view disk usage, and mount ISO images.

The software is developed by Tony George, the man behind Timeshift (system restore app). You can easily get this applet by adding the developer’s PPA:

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:teejee2008/ppa

So far the PPA contains the packages for Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 16.10, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, and their derivatives.

2. Then update and install the disk indicator:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install indicator-diskman

For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab the DEB package from HERE.

How to uninstall:

To remove the applet, either use Synaptic Package Manager or run the command below in terminal:

sudo apt remove indicator-diskman && sudo apt autoremove

The PPA can be removed by going to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

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Telegram Desktop 1.0 Released! How to Install in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: January 15, 2017

The Telegram Desktop App finally reached the 1.0 release! Here’s how to install it via PPA or Snap in Ubuntu 16.10, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Linux Mint 17/18 and derivatives.

The popular instant messaging app, Telegram 1.0 for desktop, was released a few days ago with a fabulous new design. It features:

  • Consistent material design
  • Smooth animations
  • Support for custom themes
  • Auto sync messages from phone with computer using Telegram’s encrypted cloud.
  • Ability to start typing on phone, then continue on computer.

Install Telegram Desktop App via Snap in Ubuntu:

To install the Telegram snap package in Ubuntu 16.04 and higher, simply open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo snap install telegram-sergiusens

Type in password (no visual feedback) and hit Enter. It will automatically download the snap package and install it in your system.

Uninstall Telegram (Snap):

To uninstall it, simply run the snap command with remove option:

sudo snap remove telegram-sergiusens

Install Telegram Desktop via PPA in Ubuntu:

For all current Ubuntu releases, including Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, and derivatives, e.g., Linux Mint and Elementary OS, Telegram is also available as .deb package in an unofficial PPA.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/telegram

Type in password (no visual feedback) and hit Enter.

2. Then search for and install the app via Synaptic Package Manager:

or just run the commands below one by one:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install telegram

Uninstall:

To uninstall it, simply run apt command with remove option:

sudo apt remove telegram && sudo apt autoremove

And the PPA can be removed by launching Software & Updates and navigating the Other Software tab.

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Install The Chat Software for Gamers ‘Discord’ in Ubuntu

Last updated: January 12, 2017

Discord, a free proprietary voice and text chat app for gamers, now offers official Discord stable client for Linux 64-bit.

    Discord runs on Microsoft Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, and in a web browser, which all support fundamental chat-based text features. The Discord application for personal computers is designed for use while gaming, including features such as low-latency, free voice chat servers for users and a dedicated server infrastructure. Discord’s developers plan to add video calling and screen sharing. Direct calling was added in an update on July 28, 2016, with support for calls between two or more users. The company introduced its GameBridge API in December 2016 that allows game developers to directly support integration with Discord within games.

The first stable 0.0.1 release of Discord client for Linux is available for download one day ago. Just go to the official download link below, choose download .deb for Debian/Ubuntu or .tar.gz:

Then click install via Ubuntu Software or Gdebi package manager.

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Corebird Twitter Client 1.4 Released [Ubuntu PPA]

Last updated: January 6, 2017

Corebird, an open-source and native GTK+ twitter client, has reached the 1.4 release a few hours ago with some enhancements and bug-fixes.

The changes in Corebird 1.4 according to the release page:

  • Images in quoted tweets now look more like they actually belong to the quoted tweet instead of the quoting tweet.
  • Allow deleting tweets from the tweet info page and not just from timelines.
  • Fix the user completion not showing all possible results
  • Focus the already opened window for an account if the account gets selected in the accounts popover
  • Avoid window resizing when typing in the Direct Message text box
  • Add ‘q’ accelerator to tweet rows for quoting
  • Add spellchecking. This add a dependency to gspell
  • Increase gtk+ dependency to 3.18 to get rid of some workarounds.
  • Increase avatar size in profiles and slightly overlap them over the banner. Also, always show the full banner.
  • Fix completion popup positioning under Wayland
  • Add experimental meson build files
  • Fix some videos not playing correctly
  • Add a minimal video progress indicator to the video dialog
  • Fix the retweet/favorite count updating in the tweet info page

How to Install Corebird 1.4 in Ubuntu / Linux Mint:

The new release has been made into unofficial PPA, available for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, Linux Min 18 and derivatives. Spellcheck feature disabled due to build error.

Tip: The GetDeb repository also maintains the Corebird packages, see here.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/corebird

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

2. Then update and install Corebird 1.4 via commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install corebird

If you have a previous release installed, you can also launch Software Updater to upgrade the software after checking for updates:

Or grab the .deb package directly from PPA archive page.

How to Uninstall:

To remove Corebird, simply run the command below in terminal:

sudo apt remove corebird && sudo apt autoremove

The PPA can be removed by going to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

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How to Install Aria Maestosa Midi Tracker/Editor in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: January 4, 2017

The open source Aria Maestosa midi tracker/editor has reached the 1.4.13 release a few days ago with some bug-fixes. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, and Linux Mint 18.

Aria Maestosa lets you compose, edit and play midi files with a few clicks in a user-friendly interface offering score, keyboard, guitar, drum and controller views. It features:

  • Import and play MIDI files
  • Easily compose and edit music
  • See and use musical score notation, as well as piano roll, tablature and/or drum views
  • Print musical notation
  • Record from a MIDI instrument

How to Install Aria Maestosa in Ubuntu:

The GetDeb repository contains the latest packages of Aria Maestosa, available for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, and derivatives.

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

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu xenial-getdeb apps" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/getdeb.list'

You may replace xenial (for 16.04 and derivatives) in the code with yakkety for Ubuntu 16.10.

Then setup the keyring via command:

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

2. After adding the repository, either search for and install the software using Synaptic Package Manager, or run the commands below one by one in terminal:

sudo apt update 

sudo apt install ariamaestosa

Uninstall:

To remove the software, either use Synaptic Package Manager or simply run the command below in terminal:

sudo apt remove ariamaestosa && sudo apt autoremove

The getdeb repository can be removed by going to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

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DVDStyler 3.0.3 Released on New Year’s Day 2017 [PPA]

Last updated: January 2, 2017

DVDStyler 3.0.3, a cross-platform free DVD authoring tool, was released on New Year’s Day 2017. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu via PPA.

Changes in DVDStyler 3.0.3:

  • disabled copy option for non-MPEG2 video streams
  • added parameter “-pix_fmt yuv420p” to transcoder
  • fixed displaying first video frame in frame button
  • changed transcoding caching to allow put multiple equal video files on DVD (e.g. with different cut points)
  • added support of EXIF metadata in slideshow
  • added CBR option for menu and slideshow enoding settings (disabled by default)
  • added Bulgarian translation (thanks to Ivan Dobrev)
  • win32/win64: updated Manolito’s VBR plug-in

How to Install DVDStyler 3.0.3 via PPA:

DVDStyler does not offer official binary packages for Linux. An unofficial PPA is available with the latest packages for Ubuntu 16.10, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, and Linux Mint 17 / 18.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/dvdstyler

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

2. After that, search for and install dvdstyler via Synaptic (or other) Package Manager. Or run the commands below in terminal to update and install the tool:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install dvdstyler

With the PPA repository added, you can receive future updates via Software Updater once a new release is out and made into PPA.

How to Uninstall:

To remove DVDStyler, either use Synaptic Package Manager or run the command below in terminal:

sudo apt remove dvdstyler dvdstyler-data && sudo apt autoremove

And the PPA can be removed by going to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

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Avidemux 2.6.16 Released On The Last Day 2016

Last updated: April 4, 2019

The open-source Avidemux video editor has reached the 2.6.16 release today on the last day of 2016 with core updates, UI / x265 enhancement and some fixes.

  • Avidemux can be built with visual c++ 2015 (losing some ASM)
  • Initialize fontconfig so that subtitling works for OS X
  • Update ffmpeg to 3.0.5
  • Improved build scripts (euma)
  • x265: Enforce complicancy with most devices
  • vaapi : Add resizer
  • Redone UI, revamped contrast filter
  • Dont use too much CPU on playback when there is no audio track
  • Reenabled nvenc + Fixed keyframe detection
  • Fixed a crash when encoding starts very slowly (x265)
  • Allow use of system libass, liba52,libmad (euma)

How to Install Avidemux 2.6.16 in Ubuntu:

Avidemux now has Appimage available for download in its official webpage.

For traditional Ubuntu packages, it refers to the GetDeb repository (no ready at the moment, check the link), and you can follow the steps below to add the repo and install Avidemux 2.6 (qt):

1. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the command to add the repository for Ubuntu 16.04:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu xenial-getdeb apps" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/getdeb.list'

For Ubuntu 16.10 and derivatives, replace xenial in code with yakkety.

2. Install the key so to trust the packages from that repository:

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

3. Finally update system package index and install Avidemux video editor:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install avidemux2.6-qt

Uninstall:

To remove Avidemux, use the command below in a terminal window:

sudo apt remove avidemux2.6-qt && sudo apt autoremove

And the GetDeb repository can be removed via Software & Updates utility (Other Software tab).

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Install the latest Kid3 Tag Editor 3.4.4 in Ubuntu 16.04, 16.10

Last updated: December 30, 2016

For those sticking to the latest Kid3 audio tag editor, here’s how to install / upgrade it (version 3.4.4 so far) via PPA in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and Linux Mint 17 / 18.

Kid3 is an open-source cross-platform audio tag editor for many audio file formats. It supports DSF, MP3, Ogg, FLAC, MPC, MPEG-4 (mp4/m4a/m4b), AAC, Opus, SPX, TrueAudio, APE, WavPack, WMA, WAV, AIFF, tracker modules.

The latest version so far is Kid3 3.4.4 that brings new features include a portable mode storing the configuration file in the application folder, copying of images to the clipboard and an MPRIS D-Bus interface for the audio player on Linux. Also it fixes the import of durations when importing from file or clipboard, and building with Chromaprint 1.4.

How to Install / Upgrade Kid3 in Ubuntu / Linux Mint:

The editor has an official PPA repository that so far offers the latest packages for Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, and their derivatives.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ufleisch/kid3

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

2. After that, search for and install kid3 via your package manager, or run the commands below in terminal to install it for the first time:

sudo apt update 

sudo apt install kid3

For Qt version (without KDE libraries), use sudo apt install kid3-qt instead. There’s also command line version kid3-cli available.

For those who have a previous release installed, launch Software Updater (or Update Manager) to upgrade Kid3 after checking for updates:

How to Uninstall:

To uninstall Kid3 audio tagger, either use your package manager or run the command below in terminal:

sudo apt remove kid3 kid3-qt kid3-cli && sudo apt autoremove

The PPA repository can be removed by going to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

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How to Install Wireless/USB Webcam App ‘DroidCam’ in Ubuntu 22.04

Last updated: December 26, 2023

 

Don’t have a built-in webcam in your Ubuntu PC? You can use your Android or iPhone as wireless or USB webcam.

By installing a free open-source ‘DroidCam‘ app in both your phone and Linux Desktop, then you can use the Android/iOS phone just like built-in webcam, through either wireless network or USB cable.

It also works with OBS/XSplit/etc for streaming to Twitch or YouTube. You can also use DroidCam as an IP webcam (or Surveillance Camera) via a Internet browser virtually on all networks. Use it as a simple pet cam, spy cam, or a security camera.

Features:

  • Chat using “DroidCam Webcam” on your computer, including Sound and Picture.
  • Connect over WiFi or USB cable.
  • Use other apps with DroidCam in background (Android).
  • Surveillance/IP webcam MJPEG access

my iPhone camera screen in OBS Studio

Step 1: Install DroidCam in Ubuntu:

To install the app in Ubuntu & other Linux, first go to the Github release page to download the latest package:

Download DroidCam (under ‘Assets’)

Then, in user Downloads folder extract the package. Right-click on new generated folder, and select “Open in Terminal” (or Open Terminal Here).

In the pop-up terminal, finally run command to install Droidcam:

  • First, run command to install the client: 
    sudo ./install-client
  • Then, install the DKMS kernel model: 
    sudo ./install-dkms

    It defaults to 640×480 resolution. To change it, use sudo ./install-dkms 1920 1080 for example to set 1920×1080.

Once installed, you can start “DroidCam” from start menu or ‘Activities’ overview depends on your desktop environment.

Step 2: (optional) Install usbmuxd

If you would like to connect through USB cable, then you have to install and enable usbmuxd service in Ubuntu Linux.

First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When terminal opens, run command to install usbmuxd:

sudo apt install usbmuxd

Then, start the service by running command:

systemctl start usbmuxd

And verify by running systemctl status usbmuxd.service

Step 3: Install DroidCam in your Phone

The app is available for Android and iPhone either from Google Play or App Store:

DroidCam in Google Play
DroidCam in Apple Store

Step 4: Start connecting

Finally, either connect both phone and Ubuntu PC into same local network, or connect through USB.

Open the app in both devices, and select either WiFi or USB in Ubuntu client app, try phone IP address if required and click “Connect”.

Once successfully connected, open up a V4L2 compatible program (e.g., VLC player, Skype, OBS Studio) and you should see DroidCam listed as a video device.

In addition, as you see in last screen, the app has a few buttons to configure white-balance, exposure-locked, zoom in/out, flip/mirror, and toggle LED flash, etc.

As well as screen resolution, user can edit the .config/droidcam (press Ctrl+H to view in Files) file for the configurations.

Uninstall:

To remove DroidCam client in Ubuntu, simply open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to run uninstall script:

sudo /opt/droidcam-uninstall

Merry Christmas to all my dear readers!

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