UbuntuHandbook

How to Install Faenza Icon Theme in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: June 26, 2016

Faenza is one of the most popular Gnome icon theme that provides light, dark, Faenza-Ambiance, and Faenza-Radiance themes to fit with light or dark panels / toolbars.

Since Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid, the icon theme was finally made into official Ubuntu repositories to make it easier to install.

For Ubuntu 16.04, while Ubuntu Software (Gnome Software) does not show applications without appdata (information about software description and screenshot etc.), use Synaptic or apt command:

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install Faenza Icons in Ubuntu 16.04:

sudo apt install faenza-icon-theme

Type in password and once it’s properly installed, launch Unity Tweak Tool (available in Ubuntu Software) or other tweak tool for your desktop and apply new icons in Appearance -> Icons.

A repacked version is also available that includes wireless mouse icon and the tiny calendar icon in time & date menu.

Faenza Theme with wireless mouse, calendar icon

In Howtos faenza icons, Ubuntu 16.04

Sigil ePub Editor 0.9.6 Released, PPA for Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: June 21, 2016

Sigil, an open-source and multi-platform ePub ebook editor, has reached the 0.9.6 release with some new features and various bug fixes.

New features added in Sigil 0.9.6:

create sgc-nav.css stylesheet for nav and allow templates in Prefs Dir for user to control it
add General Setting to allow user to set own temporary directory location
add Qt Stylesheet support – Recognize and load “qt_styles.qss” file if stored in Sigil Preferences folder
extend the plugin interface to add support for epub3 bindings elements
add option + forward delete shortcut to active Metadata Editor remove

It also brings a lot of bug-fixes in the release, see sigil website for details.

How to install Sigil 0.9.6 in Ubuntu:

There’s no official binary releases for Linux. While Ubuntu Software provides an old version, you may either build the latest release from source or use a third-party PPA.

And here are my personal builds of Sigil 0.9.6, available for Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 15.10:

Download sigil-data and sigil (.deb)

Download and install the .deb package for sigil-data and then sigil package (i386 for 32bit, amd64 for 64bit).

For those who prefer adding PPA, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the commands below one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/sigil

sudo apt update

sudo apt install sigil sigil-data

To manage PPAs, go to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software.

In Howtos, News sigil epub editor

Install Komodo Edit 10 with Ubuntu Integration via PPA

Last updated: June 19, 2016

Komodo Edit, Active State’s open source text editor, has reached the X (10) release. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 14.04, and Ubuntu 12.04 with Unity integration.

Komodo Edit X (10) Features:

new user interface that is skinnable using the color scheme editor
a start wizard on first launch
new default keybindings and other editors’ keybindings support including Atom, Eclipse, Emacs, IntelliJ, Sublime, Vi.
PHP and JavaScript codeintel and other improvements.
and much more …

Komodo start wizard

How to Install Komodo Edit 10 in Ubuntu:

The official download page provides non-install packages for Linux, but it lacks a shortcut icon for Ubuntu.

To install this editor with Ubuntu integration, use Mystic-Mirage’s PPA repository:

1. Add PPA.

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mystic-mirage/komodo-edit

Type your password when it asks, though there’s no visual feedback, and hit Enter to continue.

2. Now install the editor via your system package manager, or run commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install komodo-edit

For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab the .deb package from HERE (i386 for 32bit, amd64 for 64bit), and click install via Ubuntu Software.

In Howtos komodo edit

Oracle Virtualbox 5.0.22 Released with Various Fixes

Last updated: June 17, 2016

A new maintenance release for Virtualbox 5.0 series was announced a few days ago with various fixes and improvements.

Virtualbox 5.0.22 fixes build failure on Linux Kernel 4.7, mouse pointer offset in Linux client fullscreen mode, a potential Linux guest panic on AMD hosts, a potential hang with 32-bit EFI guests on Intel CPUs.

It also adds X.org 1.18 support for Solaris additions, brings fixes for certain Intel Atom hosts and certain 32-bit guest, adds a new I/O-APIC implementation fixing several bugs and improving the performance under certain conditions. For more details, go to the changelog page.

Download & install Virtualbox 5.0.22 in Ubuntu:

1. Download the pre-compiled package for your Ubuntu release from (i386 for 32-bit, amd64 for 64bit):

Virtualbox Linux Downloads

2. If you installed the stock version of VBOX from official Ubuntu repository, you have to remove it first via Ubuntu Software, or by running the command below in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo apt remove virtualbox virutalbox-*

3. Finally install the new version by opening the package via Ubuntu Software, or run the dpkg command in terminal:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/virtualbox-5.0_5.0.22-*.deb

4. (Optional) For those who’d like to receive future updates of VBox along with other software updates via Software Updater utility, paste the 2 commands below and run one by one in terminal to add Virtualbox Linux repository:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -cs) contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

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

You can manage the PPA later via System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software.

In News Virtualbox, Virtualbox 5.0

Install SMPlayer 16.6 in Ubuntu with High-DPI Support

Last updated: June 15, 2016

SMPlayer, open-source Qt front-end for MPlayer and MPV, has reached the 16.6 release with some great new features including a tablet mode and high-DPI support.

High DPI screens are supported now in SMPlayer. You can turn on/off this feature and manually adjust the scale factor by navigating to Preferences -> Interface -> High DPI.

There’s a new ‘tablet mode’, available in menu Options, that brings support for 2 in 1 computers with touch screens.

SMPlayer 16.6 also brings:

Option to send video to an external screen.
Global shortcuts support, enable it in Preferences -> Keyboard and mouse
Settings are remembered for online streams.
built with Qt 5 by default.

How Install /Upgrade SMPlayer in Ubuntu:

For all current Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and Ubuntu 16.10, the most recent build can be installed from the PPA by following the steps below one by one:

1. Add PPA.

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and paste the command below and hit run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rvm/smplayer

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

2. If you have a previous release installed, you can upgrade it by launching Software Updater:

Or run the commands below one by one to do update and install in terminal:

sudo apt update

sudo apt-get install smplayer smtube smplayer-themes

3. (Optional) To revert back to the stock version of SMPlayer in your Ubuntu release, purge the PPA via ppa-purge by running command:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:rvm/smplayer

In Howtos, News SMPlayer

Change Hostname in Ubuntu 16.04 Without Restart

Last updated: June 13, 2016

Quick tutorial for those who want to change the Hostname (Computer name) in Ubuntu 16.04 Server or Desktop without a restart.

1. To change hostname temporarily so it works until you reboot the machine:

In terminal / command console, run the command:

sudo hostname NEW_NAME_HERE

2. To permanently change your computer name, you may edit the “/etc/hostname” and “/etc/hosts” files.

Open terminal and run command:

gksudo gedit /etc/hostname /etc/hosts

You may need to install gksu first via command sudo apt install gksu.

For Ubuntu Server, use two nano commands instead (Press Ctrl+X, followed by Y, and then Enter to save changes):

sudo nano /etc/hostname
sudo nano /etc/hosts

When the files open, set the new hostname:

/etc/hostname is a simple one line file, change the name to whatever your want.
/etc/hosts maps IP addresses to host names, change the name in second line and make it SAME to the name in /etc/hostname.

Without restarting your machine, just run the command below to restart hostname service to apply changes:

systemctl restart systemd-logind.service

3. There’s also hostnamectl command with set-hostname flag, which will alter the pretty, the static, and the transient hostname alike:

hostnamectl set-hostname NEW_NAME_HERE

ISSUE: After changing hostname, gedit and other graphical apps use X11/Mir protocol won’t launch from terminal via gksudo, you’ll get something like below:

Failed to connect to Mir: Failed to connect to server socket: No such file or directory
Unable to init server: Could not connect: Connection refused

(gedit:20511): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display: :0

To fix it:

run xauth list command to check authentication cookie.
add a matching cookie for the new hostname:

xauth add "NEW_HOSTNAME/unix:0" MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 cookie-id-here

In Howtos computer name, hostname

Opera 38 Released with New Power-Saving Mode

Last updated: June 8, 2016

Opera browser 38 was released earlier today with new power-saving mode, which offers up to 50 longer battery life and avoids overheating.

By reducing background tabs activity and frame rate, using hardware accelerated video codecs in video-playback, pausing themes’ animations, auto-pausing unused plugins, including ad blocker, the new power-saving mode increases as much as 50% battery life comparing to other browser, and keeps your laptop over 3 degrees °C cooler.

This feature can be easily enabled from the top-right corner in Opera browser window.

There’s also some other features added in Opera 38:

add your own lists in add blocker
add your own photo as theme
extension button visible in the Speed Dial side panel
Speed Dial improvements.

To get the latest Opera for Linux, go to:

Download Opera for Linux

In Howtos Opera

How to Install The Latest HexChat IRC Client in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: June 7, 2016

This tutorial is going to show you how to install the latest HexChat GTK+ IRC client and receive future software updates along with other system updates.

HexChat is a XChat based IRC client that’s completely free for Windows and Unix-like systems. It features Python and Perl scripting support, a plugin API, multiple server/channel windows, spell checking, multiple authentication methods including SASL, and customizable notifications.

HexChat is available in official Ubuntu repositories, but Canonical does not provide future updates for this software. While Ubuntu 16.04 provides the old 2.10.2 release, the HexChat website refers to Gwendal LE BIHAN’s PPA (unofficial) for the latest release.

1. Add PPA.

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the command below:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gwendal-lebihan-dev/hexchat-stable

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

2. Update system package index by either launching Software Updater and wait checking for updates, or running command:

sudo apt update

3. If you don’t a previous release installed, you can now install HexChat from Ubuntu Software, or via command:

sudo apt install hexchat

or upgrade the client via Software Updater:

4. (Optional) To remove the PPA, launch System Settings and navigate to Software & Updates -> Other Software.

In Howtos HexChat, IRC client, xchat

[Quick Tip] View Recent Notifications in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: June 5, 2016

This is quick tutorial for those who want to view the desktop notifications history in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS.

It can be done by either enabling logging notifications for Notify-OSD, or using Recent Notifications, a simple system panel applet.

View recent notifications via an indicator applet:

There’s a GNOME applet that displays a list of recent notifications on system panel.

To install the applet, go to:

Download indicator-notifications GTK 3

Select install the latest version of:

indicator-notifications_x.x.x~xenial_amd64.deb for 64-bit Ubuntu 16.04
indicator-notifications_x.x.x~xenial_i386.deb for 32-bit Ubuntu 16.04

There’s also a GTK2 version available for download at this page.

Once installed, log out and log in back to see the applet on panel.

Tips:

1. The applet displays up to 5 messages, to change the number of visible items, edit the config file: ‘usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/net.launchpad.indicator.notifications.gschema.xml’

2. To remove the applet, use Synaptic Package Manager or run command sudo apt remove indicator-notifications in terminal

Enable Logging notifications:

Another way is to log notifications history into a file. Here’s how to do it for single user in Ubuntu 16.04:

1. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T), run command to open (or create if not exist) a user-local script:

gedit ~/.pam_environment

When the file opens, paste the line below and save it.

LOG DEFAULT=1

2. After restart your computer, a new file “notify-osd.log” will be created in user’s Home -> .cache folder that logs notifications history.

In Howtos notification history, recent notifications

Install WhatsApp Desktop App ‘Whatsie’ in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: July 14, 2017

Whatsie is a simple & beautiful desktop client (unofficial) for WhatsApp Web. It’s and open-source, cross-platform software works on OS X, Windows, and Linux.

Besides all the WhatsApp Web features, it also features:

Themes & Mini Mode
Native Notifications (with reply on OS X)
Spell Checker & Auto Correct (English)
Keyboard Shortcuts

How to Install Whatsie in Ubuntu:

The project has gone. The tutorial won’t work any more

Pre-compiled binary packages are available for download in its release page (see the link below), select download:

whatsie-x.x.x-linux-amd64.deb for 64-bit Ubuntu
whatsie-x.x.x-linux-i386.deb for 32-bit Ubuntu

from:

Download the latest Whatsie (.deb)

Then click install via Ubuntu Software, or run command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/whatsie*.deb; sudo apt -f install

Once the software is successfully installed, launch it from Unity Dash (App Launcher), scan the QR code via WhatsApp in your mobile phone, and enjoy chatting with your friends.

If you like Whatsie and want to receive future updates along with other system updates via Software Updater, add the Linux repository by running the commands below one by one in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

gpg --keyserver pool.sks-keyservers.net --recv-keys 1537994D

gpg --export --armor 1537994D | sudo apt-key add -

echo "deb https://dl.bintray.com/aluxian/deb stable main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list

(Optional) To remove the software, use Synaptic Package Manager (available in Ubuntu Software), or run apt command in terminal via remove flag: