UbuntuHandbook | Author Archives

Archives For November 30, 1999

Aptik – Simple Tool to Backup List of Installed Packages in Ubuntu

Last updated: February 1, 2016

Aptik is a new tool to simplify re-installation of packages after doing a clean installation of an Ubuntu-based distribution. It can be used while re-installing or upgrading to the next Ubuntu/Linux Mint release.

With this simple tool, you can backup & restore:

Software Sources (PPAs.)
Software selections (list of installed packages)
Downloaded Packages (APT Cache)
Themes and Icons

How to Use Aptik:

Plug-in your pen drive and create a new folder on it named ‘backups’. Start Aptik and select the new folder as the backup directory.

1. Backup PPAs:

Click on the Backup button and you’ll see a list of third-party PPAs as well as the installed packages from PPAs.

PPAs with a green icon are active and have some packages installed.
PPAs with a yellow icon are active but unused (no packages installed).

Select the PPAs to backup and click the Backup button. A file named ‘ppa.list’ will be created in the backup directory.

2. Backup Software Selections:

Click on the Backup button will display a list of installed top-level packages. These packages are top-level packages. Dependency packages will not be listed.

All packages that are a part of the Linux distribution are un-selected by default. For example, Firefox is a package that is installed by default on most Linux distributions. Since it came with the distribution, it will be un-selected by default. It can be selected if required.

A file named ‘packages.list’ will be created in the backup directory after you clicked no the backup button.

3. Click the Backup button for Downloaded Packages will paste packages from your system cache (/var/cache/apt/archives) to backup folder.

4. Similarly, all themes and icons from the directories /usr/share/themes and /usr/share/icons can be zipped and saved in the backup folder.

To restore backups:

Connect your pen drive to the new system. Install and then start Aptik and select the backup folder on the pen-drive as the backup directory. Click on the Restore buttons and select packages, PPAs, themes and restore them one by one.

About the “Fix Ownership of Home folder”:

The home folder can be manually copied to another location and then restored after doing a fresh install. However, it can sometimes cause problems if the user’s login name or UID is different from the previous one. Click the Take Ownership button to change ownership of files in your home directory to your current login ID. This is same as running the following command:

sudo chown username -R /home/username

How to Install Aptik:

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run below commands one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:teejee2008/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install aptik

Works for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04 and their derivatives.

via: teejee

In Howtos backup

Laptop Power Saving: Enable Laptop Mode in Ubuntu

Last updated: January 28, 2014

Laptop mode is a kernel “mode” that allows you to extend the battery life of your laptop. It does this by making disk write activity “bursty”, so that only reads of uncached data result in a disk spinup. It causes a significant improvement in battery life (for usage patterns that allow it).

Laptop Mode Tools is the primary way to enable the Laptop Mode feature of the Linux kernel, which lets your hard drive spin down. In addition, it allows you to tweak a number of other power-related settings using a simple configuration file.

Laptop Mode Tools was a command line only tool until version 1.64, which introduces a GUI that lets you toggle individual power saving modules.

At the moment the version 1.64 is only available in the Ubuntu 14.04 repository. For Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 13.04 and Ubuntu 12.04, you can install it from the Webupd8 PPA.

Install Laptop Mode Tools:

NOTE: Laptop Mode Tools is in conflict with TLP. Don’t use them in the same time!

For Ubuntu 14.04, search for and install laptop-mode-tools from Ubuntu Software Center.

For Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10 and Ubuntu 12.04, press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the commands below one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/unstable

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install laptop-mode-tools

If you don’t like the PPAs, you can manually download the deb from HERE.

Once installed, the Laptop Mode should be enabled by default. To launch the configuration tool, run the command below in terminal:

gksu lmt-config-gui

You can also find the configuration files in /etc/laptop-mode.

In Howtos Laptop Mode, Ubuntu Laptop Power Saving

Install QtWebKit browser QupZilla 1.6.1 in Ubuntu 14.04/13.10/12.04

Last updated: January 28, 2014

QupZilla is a lightweight and very fast QtWebKit browser. It has been originally started only for educational purposes. But from its start, QupZilla has grown into a feature-rich browser.

The latest version 1.6.1 added option to enable tab switching using the mouse scroll wheel; a toggle to disable inline URL completion in the address bar; and the ability to launch full-screen mode using the command line.

There are also other changes and a few bug fixes in QupZilla 1.6.1:

added undo/redo context menu actions in editable web elements
speedup loading rules from subscriptions in AdBlock dialog
fixed speed dial with disabled javascript
fixed showing tooltips on tabs when tab previews are disabled
fixed search shortcuts longer than one character in locationbar
fixed building issues on OS X and OS/2
fixed disabling tab previews from preferences
fixed building new Gnome/KDE keyring passwords
fixed building StatusBarIcons plugin on Windows
win: add new jumplist option to open private window

Install QupZilla in Ubuntu:

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the commands below one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nowrep/qupzilla

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install qupzilla

These commands will install the QupZilla from its official PPA. Supports Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint and their derivatives.

BTW: The developer announced in the release note that:

QupZilla will in future be ported to QtWebEngine, which will (amongst other improvements) bring multi-process architecture.
With QtWebEngine comes dependency on Qt 5, which means older platforms may not be supported.
QupZilla on QtWebEngine will be new major version 2.x.x and I hope it will be ready with Qt 5.3 (or Qt 5.4), depending on Qt devs.

In Howtos Qupzilla web browser, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 14.04

Clementine OS – The Continuation of Pear Linux OS

Last updated: June 10, 2014

Hello dear readers. As you may know, Pear Linux OS, the Ubuntu based distribution that mimics Apple’s OS X completely, is discontinued because the developer David Tavares has sold this distribution to an undisclosed company that will develop the Linux-based operating system for its own products.

All the download links have been removed from the official website, which is no longer active. Fortunately, a new team will continue the Pear OS by developing a new OS called Clementine OS.

Clementine OS 10.8 will start development in April of 2014 based on the upcoming Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. The official website is out and now provides iso images for Pear OS 8.

Clementine OS WebSite:clementineos.hj.cx.

UPDATE 1: The developer received a letter from an American company that forced him to abandon the project. He later said that it was not Apple, but another major company. He could not disclose its name, however.

UPDATE: ~~I found that the website is down after I spread this news around.~~ If you’re interested in this OS, you can follow the developer on Google +

In News Clementine OS, Pear OS, Ubuntu 14.04

How to Install / Upgrade Kernel 3.12.9 in Ubuntu Linux Mint

Last updated: January 26, 2014

The Linux Kernel 3.12 series now is at its 9th updates. All users of the 3.12 kernel series must upgrade. Here’s how to do it in Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint and their derivatives.

Linux Kernel 3.12.9 is a small release which brings improvements to arm and x86, updated driver including i915, as well as other fixes. See the announcement for details.

1. Download the .deb packages for this kernel from Ubuntu Kernel Page, or use below commands in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

For 32-bit:

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12.9-trusty/linux-headers-3.12.9-031209-generic_3.12.9-031209.201401251255_i386.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12.9-trusty/linux-headers-3.12.9-031209_3.12.9-031209.201401251255_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12.9-trusty/linux-image-3.12.9-031209-generic_3.12.9-031209.201401251255_i386.deb

For 64-bit:

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12.9-trusty/linux-headers-3.12.9-031209-generic_3.12.9-031209.201401251255_amd64.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12.9-trusty/linux-headers-3.12.9-031209_3.12.9-031209.201401251255_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12.9-trusty/linux-image-3.12.9-031209-generic_3.12.9-031209.201401251255_amd64.deb

2. Install these debs:

sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-3.12.9-*.deb linux-image-3.12.9-*.deb

Restart your computer and done.

If you’re using a proprietary video driver, you may need to re-build or re-install to get it work with the new kernel.

If for some reason this kernel release doesn’t work properly for you, reboot into previous kernel (Grub -> Advanced -> select previous kernel) and run commands to remove Linux Kernel 3.12.9:

sudo apt-get remove linux-headers-3.12.9-* linux-image-3.12.9-*

In Howtos Linux Kernel, Linux Kernel 3.12 series

How to Install Kernel 3.10.28 LTS on Ubuntu & Linux Mint

Last updated: January 26, 2014

The latest Long Term Support Linux Kernel 3.10.28 has been released a few hours ago. This is a small release which brings improvements to ARM and x86 architectures, updated i915 driver as well as other fixes. See the announcement.

All users of the 3.10 kernel series must upgrade. Here’s how to do it in Ubuntu, Linux Mint and their derivatives.

1. Download the .deb packages for this kernel from Ubuntu Kernel Page, or via below commands in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

For 32-bit:

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.28-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.28-031028-generic_3.10.28-031028.201401251235_i386.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.28-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.28-031028_3.10.28-031028.201401251235_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.28-saucy/linux-image-3.10.28-031028-generic_3.10.28-031028.201401251235_i386.deb

For 64-bit:

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.28-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.28-031028-generic_3.10.28-031028.201401251235_amd64.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.28-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.28-031028_3.10.28-031028.201401251235_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.28-saucy/linux-image-3.10.28-031028-generic_3.10.28-031028.201401251235_amd64.deb

2. Install these debs:

sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-3.10.28-*.deb linux-image-3.10.28-*.deb

Restart your computer and done.

If you’re using a proprietary video driver, you may need to re-build or re-install to get it work with the new kernel.

If for some reason this kernel release doesn’t work properly for you, reboot into previous kernel (Grub -> Advanced -> select previous kernel) and run commands to remove Linux Kernel 3.10.28:

sudo apt-get remove linux-headers-3.10.28-* linux-image-3.10.28-*

In Howtos kernel 3.10 series, Linux Kernel

How to Install HotShots Screen Capture 2.0.1 in Ubuntu via PPA

Last updated: January 25, 2014

HotShots is a Qt based screen capture software available for Windows, Linux and FreeBSD. It allows to capture screens and save them in a variety of image formats as well as add annotations and graphical data (arrows, lines, texts, …).

It is kinda similar to Shutter, but HotShots has few dependencies and takes small memory usage. The current release 2.0.1 brings below changes:

Features:

Enhanced shortcut editor
Add portable settings support (–portable option)
Add valid debian package files

Bugs:

Correct invalid freehand and region grabbing on linux (multi monitor)

Install:

If you would like to try this screen capture tool, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install hotshots

Works for Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10 and Ubuntu 12.04. Download the .deb from launchpad page if you don’t like PPAs.

Uninstall:

sudo add-apt-repository -r ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get remove hotshots

In Howtos hotshots screenshot, screen capture tool

Enable Radeon Dynamic Power Management in Ubuntu 12.04/13.10

Last updated: January 25, 2014

Since Linux Kernel 3.11, the open source AMD Radeon driver got dynamic power management (DPM) feature support. If you have already installed the Kernel 3.11 or higher and have a Radeon HD 2000 (R600) series or newer graphics card, you may wish to enable DPM feature by below steps (DRM will probably be enabled by default in Ubuntu 14.04).

1. Download the updated firmware from this directory. You need the *_smc.bin files, choose the one that matches your graphics card codename.e

The *_smc.bin files can be installed by running below command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

cd ~/Downloads/ && ./FILENAME_smc.bin

2. If you have Linux Kernel 3.11 or higher installed, now you can enable DPM by adding the radeon.dpm=1 parameter.

In terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T), run command to edit grub:

sudo gedit /etc/default/grub

Find the line that says “GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet splash”. Add the parameter so that it will look like:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet splash radeon.dpm=1″

3. Save the file. Update the grub:

sudo update-grub

4. You can further configure DPM by opening /etc/rc.local and adding the following line:

echo parameter > /sys/class/drm/card0/device/power_dpm_state

Where “parameter” can be:

battery (a set of performance levels targeted for optimal operation on battery)
balanced (a set of performance levels targeted for optimal every day use)
performance (a set of performance levels targeted for the highest GPU performance)

via: AskUbuntu

In Howtos Radeon Dynamic Power Management

Light Table IDE 0.6.2 Brings Various Bug Fixes & Improvements

Last updated: January 25, 2014

Both Light Table IDE 0.6.1 and 0.6.2 were released yesterday which bring various bug fixes and a few improvements.

Light Table is a new interactive IDE developed by Chris Granger, it lets you modify running programs and embed anything from websites to games. It provides the real time feedback we need to not only answer questions about our code, but to understand how our programs really work.

Light Table IDE is now open source since version 0.6.0. The current releases are the first updates and below is the changelog:

##0.6.2

FIX: styling bug that caused light themes to be unusable

##0.6.1

FIX: build instructions for all platforms. Add in build scripts for each.
FIX: active line in solarized theme (Gozala)
FIX: re-enable workspace behavior diffs
FIX: Plugins should not say they need an update if there’s no version available on the server
FIX: Read keymaps safely so that errors are reported.
FIX: remove readlink -f from the mac startup script
FIX: provide skin/theme shold work correctly now (joshuafcole)
FIX: Catch errors while walking the file system (zoranzaric)
FIX: look in 64bit dirs first in the linux64 run script and add other dirs to fix openSUSE (wesleywiser)
FIX: line-endings were not being added correctly to the ends of files.
FIX: set the default screen size to be smaller so that LT doesn’t open off screen
FIX: type in plugin dialog (rmunn)
FIX: Add SQL file type back in
FIX: External browsers don’t disconnect correctly
FIX: remove inconsistencies in the plugin manager
FIX: pmeta in :- keymaps didn’t work
FIX: better error handling in the local client
FIX: make functions return correctly from external browser connections
FIX: add LightTable.app to .gitignore (DomKM)
FIX: dramatically better line numbering styles for the default theme
FIX: line numbers now correctly size and stay right-aligned.
FIX: remove use of rtl that causes very weird file name display behavior in navigator.
CHANGE: Auto-complete is now auto-show by default
ADDED: lt.objs.plugins/find-plugin for use in finding the current plugin dir
ADDED: `Console: set buffer size`
ADDED: Code folding with `Editor: fold code at cursor` command (efuquen)
ADDED: travis-ci (sieben)
ADDED: set the save dialog’s first location to a sensible path (can3p and ndr-qef)
ADDED: .zsh and .zshrc file extensions
ADDED: `App: Disable metrics` behavior
ADDED: LiveScript file type
ADDED: platform specific startup scripts
ADDED: typing : in a keymap or behavior file will now complete based on the command/behavior id
ADDED: `Editor: Toggle line wrapping` command for one off wrapping
ADDED: Tabsets are now styled as active
ADDED: The body gets an “active” class when the window is focused
UPDATED: Latest codemirror
UPDATED: CLJS 2138

Install:

1. Download the IDE at lighttable.com. You may check out your OS type by going to System Settings -> Details

2. Extract the Linux package in your file browser and you’ll see the result folder LightTable in Downloads directory.

3. Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below command to move LightTable to /opt/:

sudo mv ~/Downloads/LightTable /opt/

4. Now launch the IDE via:

/opt/LightTable/LightTable

5. To create a launcher, run:

sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/LightTable.desktop

Paste below section into the file and save it.

[Desktop Entry]
Name=LightTable IDE
Comment=
Exec=/opt/LightTable/LightTable
Type=Application
Icon=/opt/LightTable/core/img/lticon.png

In News IDE, Light Table

Ubuntu 14.04 Alpha 2 Released, Download Links Included

Last updated: July 25, 2014

Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr, the next Long Term Support hits alpha 2 release. Though regular Ubuntu doesn’t take part in the alphas , the following flavours are participating in this second round of alphas:

Edubuntu
Kubuntu
Ubuntu GNOME
Ubuntu Kylin
Xubuntu
Ubuntu Cloud

Download Links: releases.ubuntu.com

~~Ubuntu Gnome 14.04 Alpha2~~
~~Kubuntu 14.04 Alpha2~~
~~Edubuntu 14.04 Alpha2~~
~~Ubuntu Cloud 14.04 Alpha2~~
~~Xubuntu 14.04 Alpha2~~
~~Ubuntu Kylin Alph2~~

If you’re on Ubuntu 13.10, you can also upgrade to Ubuntu 14.04 Alpha to help testing this development release via this post. Note that don’t do this on production machines.

The Ubuntu 14.04 will hit its first beta release at next month, see the release schedule: