This simple tutorial is going to show you how to install and apply the latest Faenza icon theme in Ubuntu 14.04 while the PPA is not available yet.
It’s pretty easy to install an icon theme on Ubuntu Linux. Because Ubuntu stores icons in /usr/share/icons for global and user’s .icons folder for single use, all you need to do is put your icon theme folder into one of previous location and that’s it.
To install Faenza icons:
1. Download the latest package at Google Code. So far, it is Faenza 1.3.
2. Extract the package and you’ll see Faenza-Radiace, Faenza-Darkest, Faenza-Darker, Faenza-Dark, Faenza-Ambiance and Faenza packages.
3 Unpack all of them and move the result folders to:
For single use, move them to .icons folder. Under your home folder, press Ctrl+H to view/hide hidden folders. Create one if .icons is not exist.
For global use, move them to /usr/share/icons/ folder. You’ll need to press Alt+F2 and run gksudo nautilus to open file browser with root to do copy and paste things.
Haguichi is a graphical frontend for LogMeIn Hamachi on Linux. It is free and open source software licensed under GPLv2. Haguichi 1.0.23 has been released on January 11th, 2014.
Improved internet connection check by using netcat and web request as fallback if ping fails (fixes bug #1258361).
Wait for internet connection cycle is now using a separate thread.
Configuration folder is now always opened in the default file manager.
Added stock icons to open and save configuration menu items.
Added scrollbar policy to the commands editor in the preferences dialog.
Added complete Asturian translations (thanks to Tornes Llume).
Updated Bulgarian translation.
Other minor fixes, improvements and optimizations.
Install Haguichi:
Haguichi is available in Launchpad PPA for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 10.04, Linux Mint and their derivatives.
To add the PPA, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, paste below code and hit enter:
Nvidia Driver for Linux 331.38 has been released on January 13 with OpenGL promotion, bug fixes and other improvements. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 12.04 and Linux Mint.
Before getting started, let’s take a look at what’s new in Nvidia 331.38:
Fixed a bug that caused the X server to crash if video memory is exhausted and the GPU does not support rendering to system memory.
Updated nvidia-installer to make the –multiple-kernel-modules option imply the –no-unified-memory option: Unified memory is incompatible with multiple kernel modules.
Updated the behavior of the nvidia-settings PowerMizer Preferred Mode drop-down menu, to make the setting apply consistently across all GPUs in an SLI group.
Improved the robustness of the NVIDIA X driver in scenarios where GPU-accessible memory for allocating pixmaps was exhausted.
Added NV-CONTROL attributes to control the brightness of the illuminated logos on certain graphics boards.For example, to turn off the illumination of the “GEFORCE GTX” lettering on the GeForce GTX 780, use
nvidia-settings –assign GPULogoBrightness=0
Fixed a bug that prevented screen transformations from being applied properly when starting X.
GLX protocol for the following OpenGL extensions from OpenGL 2.1 and OpenGL 3.0 have been promoted from unofficial to ARB approved official status:
GL_ARB_pixel_buffer_object
GL_NV_conditional_render
GL_ARB_map_buffer_range
GL_EXT_texture_integer
GL_ARB_vertex_array_object
GL_ARB_pixel_buffer_object was the last piece of protocol needed to have official support for indirect rendering with all OpenGL 2.1 commands.
GLX Protocol for the miscellaneous OpenGL 3.0 commands not associated with specific extensions has also been promoted from unofficial to ARB approved status.
Deprecated display mask related configuration of display devices via NV-CONTROL and nvidia-settings.Display target specifications should be used instead – A display target is one of the display’s valid names, with an optional GPU or X screen qualifier.
Deprecated the following NV-CONTROL attributes:
NV_CTRL_CONNECTED_DISPLAYS
NV_CTRL_ENABLED_DISPLAYS
NV_CTRL_ASSOCIATED_DISPLAYS
NV_CTRL_NOTEBOOK_INTERNAL_LCD
NV_CTRL_FRAMELOCK_MASTER
NV_CTRL_FRAMELOCK_SLAVES
NV_CTRL_FRAMELOCK_MASTERABLE
NV_CTRL_FRAMELOCK_SLAVEABLE
Also, although NV_CTRL_PROBE_DISPLAYS is still operational, the return value has been deprecated and should not be used.
Added deprecation warning messages in nvidia-settings when deprecated attributes are used.This also includes display mask usage.
Download & Install Nvidia Driver 331.38
The official installer is available for downloading at this page.
If you’re not sure your system type, press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal and run:
uname -m
You can also run below command to download the Nvidia installer:
For 32 bit (x86):
cd && wget us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/331.38/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-331.38.run
For 64 bit (x86_64):
cd && wget us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/331.38/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-331.38.run
Now start the installer via below steps:
0. Remove previous proprietary driver if any:
sudo apt-get purge nvidia-current
1. Press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to switch to command console. Login with your username and password.
2. Stop the graphic session by:
sudo service lightdm stop
You may change the lightdm to gdm or mdm if you’re using Ubuntu Gnome or Linux Mint.
3. Make the installer executable:
chmod +x NVIDIA-Linux-*-331.38.run
4. Finally start the installer and follow the on screen prompts:
sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-*-331.38.run
You may keep the installer file so that you can remove this driver via below command if for some reason this driver does not work properly:
sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-*-331.38.run --uninstall
You may also add blacklist nouveau to a file in /etc/modprobe.d/ if you get blank screen after installed the new driver.
Rekonq is a web browser for KDE based on WebKit. Rekonq 2.4.2 has been released recently and here’s how to install it in Ubuntu, Linux Mint and their derivatives while the Kubuntu Backports PPA still has version 2.3.2.
Recently changes in rekonq:
rekonq 2.4.2
clear urlbar action added
global zoom settings added
faster suggestions in the urlbar
work around favicons
default tab width changed
doc update
bugfixes
rekonq 2.4.0:
added a simple ssh sync handler
adblock improvements
work on startup settings: load important things before, UI and then last things in the background
Install Rekonq:
Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below command to add the PPA for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps
Ubuntu 12.04 and Ubuntu 12.10 users also need the KUbuntu Backports PPA:
The G’MIC plug-in for GIMP proposes a set of various filters to apply on your images, including artistic effects, image denoising and enhancement algorithms, 3D renderers, etc. It is a quite large plug-in, integrating a lot of different effects.
This plug-in is able to :
Propose an image preview window for each available filter.
Manage multi-layers inputs and outputs. G’MIC defines filters to compose layers or create animations from static images.
Update his list of filter definitions from the Internet, so it is able to improve itself over time.
Allow any user to add its own custom filters in it, written in the G’MIC language interpreted by the internal image processing engine.
Install G’MIC Plugin in Ubuntu:
Thanks to Otto Meier, the GIMP PPA maintainer has built this plugin and standalone app into PPA, available for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint and their derivatives.
To get started installing it, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:
Hugin is an easy to use panoramic imaging toolchain based on Panorama Tools. With Hugin you can assemble a mosaic of photographs into a complete immersive panorama, stitch any series of overlapping pictures and much more.
The first beta of Hugin 2014 has been released. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint and their derivatives.
What’s New in Hugin 2014.0:
inherit many of the libpano improvements (of version 2.9.19)
the translation plane variables Tpy and Tpp have been added to the GUI (better support for translation parameters, e.g. for nadir images. A pano with translation parameters can now be rotated)
improvement of the GPU remapping code (bug fixes in the glue code, added some missing GPU transformations. Now fisheye lenses are supported by GPU code as well)
better support for line control point in Control points tab (it still requires that the same image is displayed left and right for full features, but also better support for line control points above several images)
obsolete programs matchpoint, nona_gui and PTBatcher have been removed
outdated translations have been removed from the default install
initialize the colour balance values during loading with EXIF values (this information is only stored and decoded by some cameras (mainly models by Panasonic, Pentax, Olympus, Nikon))
improved the assistant
allow customization of exiftool command used to copy metadata to output images
New tools added:
pto_mask: manipulate mask in project file
pto_template: apply template to project file
pto_move: move or copy project files with all associated images
Install Hugin:
The current stable version is available in Ubuntu universe repository, just search for and install it in Ubuntu Software Center.
If you’d like to try the Hugin 2014.0 beta, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens run below commands one by one:
mkvmerge GUI has been updated to version 6.7 recently with enhancements and various bug fixes. This simple tutorial shows you how to install or upgrade it in Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04 from its official repository.
Changes in mkvmerge GUI:
fixed faulty timing informations for H264/AVC
fixed mapping of MKV elements
support for muxing OPUS/WEBM
reading of DTS audio tracks for MP4 video files
improved AAC, AC3 and MP3 header decoding
enhanced reading of uncompressed PCM audio tracks from QUICKTIME and MP4
RawTherapee, a cross-platform raw image processing program now is at version 4.0.12. The new release brings many new tools, a whole bunch of speed improvements and bug fixes.
RawTherapee 4.0.12 should be considered a release candidate for version 4.1. That will be the first officially stable version which will be released later this month if no major issues are found with 4.0.12.
What’s New in RawTherapee 4.0.12:
Graduated Filter
Post-crop Vignette Filter
Powerful Black-and-White tool
New curves:
Luminance according to hue (LH)
Chromaticity according to hue (CH)
Hue according to hue (HH)
Chromaticity according to luminance (CL)
Contrast by Detail Levels tool (wavelet decompose) now has 5 levels
Auto Levels improved
Image dimensions added to (i) info
White Balance slider non-linear for easier control of low and high values
Noise Reduction tool allows targetting of specific colors (e.g. remove yellow blotches)
Pre-demosaic automatic removal of chromatic aberration improved
New output queue template variables %s(0-9)
New File Browser shortcuts, revision of existing shortcuts (refer to RawPedia)
New Custom Profile Builder parameters
Bundled and user profiles in separate submenus
camconst.json for immediate addition or correction of raw file format support
White and black levels
Color matrix
Crop coordinates
dcraw 9.19
The main histogram now shows color levels using the Output Profile
Enhanced lens info and filter possibilities for manual Nikon lenses
Added support for
Kodak DCS 760 and 760s
Various medium-format backs
New DCP profiles for
Canon PowerShot S110
Fujifilm FinePix S9500
Pentax K-5
Pentax K-5 II
Pentax K-r
Support for Capture One ICC profiles
All Bundled Processing Profiles (PP3) revised
There’s also a notable change that Ctrl+q is used to (q)uit RawTherapee and Ctrl+b is used to send the currently open image in the Editor tab to the (b)atch Queue since this release.
Install / Upgrade RawTherapee in Ubuntu:
Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04 and Linux Mint users can install / upgrade RawTherapee via PPA.
To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands one by one:
HPLIP, an HP-developed solution for printing, scanning, and faxing with HP inkjet and laser based printers in Linux now is at version 3.14.1. This release mainly fixed two security fixes and added digital signature validation in upgrade feature.
As you may know, HPLIP is free, open source software distributed under the MIT, BSD, and GPL license. provides printing support for 2,295 printer models, including Deskjet, Officejet, Photosmart, PSC (Print Scan Copy), Business Inkjet, LaserJet, Edgeline MFP, and LaserJet MFP. (Note: Not all models are currently supported. See Supported Printers for more information.)
HPLIP 3.14.1 fixed below issues:
CVE-2013-6427: hplip: insecure auto update feature
CVE-2013-6402: hplip: insecure temporary file handling in pkit.py