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Install VDrift Racing Simulator in Ubuntu 24.04 | 22.04 | 20.04

Last updated: March 12, 2025

VDrift is an open source driving simulation made with drift racing in mind. It was available for Ubuntu and Linux Mint users from PlayDeb repository.

Vdrift

For recent Ubuntu releases, there’s a popular xtradeb games PPA contains the game package for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and Linux Mint 21/22. Not only for amd64 (Intel/AMD CPUs), it also support arm64/armhf (e.g., raspberry pi) platforms.

Objectives:

  • Install VDrift on Ubuntu and Linux Mint
  • Enjoy!

To get started, first press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open up a terminal window. Then run command below to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xtradeb/play

It will automatically refresh cache after adding PPA in Ubuntu, though Linux Mint user needs to do it manually by running command:

sudo apt update

Finally, install the game package by running command:

sudo apt install vdrift

(Optional) To uninstall the car racing game, use command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove vdrift vdrift-data

Then, use command below to remove the PPA repository:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:xtradeb/play
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Easy Way to Change Tooltip Background & Foreground on Unity

Last updated: July 19, 2013

Tooltips on Ubuntu Unity by default is white on black. This tutorial shows how to easily change the both background and foreground colors.

Objectives:

  • Change default tooltip background and foreground colors
  • Enjoy!

To get started, install the simple tool Gnome Color Chooser from Ubuntu Software Center.

gnome-color-chooser

Open it from the Unity Dash. Navigate to Specific tab, there you’ll find the option to tweak the tooltips colors.

tooltips-color

That’s it. Enjoy!

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How to Install Google Sketchup 2013 Ubuntu 13.04

Last updated: June 2, 2014

Want to install and use Google Sketchup on Ubuntu 13.04 Raring? Well, this simple tutorial will show you how to do it. With the help of Wine software, you can install and use Windows software easily in Ubuntu.

Wine is a compatibility layer capable of running Windows applications on several POSIX-compliant operating systems, including Ubuntu Linux. It’s free and open-source software. Wine now is getting a lot better at handling Windows software on Linux systems.

To get started with installing Sketchup 2013 in Ubuntu, download the lastest version of wine. To do that, press Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the commands below to add its PPA.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa

Then run below command to update package lists and install wine1.5 (Now the latest wine1.7 is recommended):

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install wine1.5

Once wine is installed, run below command to configure it so that Sketchup could be installed. You may need to log out and log back:

winecfg

Next, navigate to Libraries tab, then select ‘Riched20’ library from the drop-down list and add it. When done, click OK

wine-configuration

Download Google Sketchup from http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/download/gsu.html. Then navigate to the Downloads folder and right-click on the EXE to ‘Open with Wine Windows Program Loader’.

open-with-wine

Follow the setup wizard and finally you’ll get the shortcut on the desktop and Unity dash.

sketchup

That’s it. Enjoy!

UPDATE: If Sketchup hangs after choosing a template, try launching it with /DisableRubyAPI as a workaround. Or read the new post about install Sketchup 2014 in Ubuntu 14.04.

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How to Change Screen Dimming Timeout on Ubuntu 13.04 Laptop

Last updated: July 18, 2013

When you’re running your laptop on battery, Ubuntu dims the screen after a few seconds of inactivity. It annoying and here’s how to increase the timeout.

Objectives:

  • Increase Ubuntu screen dimming timeout on your laptop
  • Enjoy!

To get started, open dconf Editor from the dash search results.

dconf editor in unity dash

In next window, navigate to org -> gnome -> settings-daemon -> plugins -> power. You’ll find the key which says “idle-dim-time”, change its value to what you want.

change idle screen timeout

Enjoy!

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Turn off Screen Dimming on Ubuntu 13.04 Laptop

Last updated: July 18, 2013

When your Ubuntu laptop is on battery, the screen dims after about a few seconds of inactivity. It’s annoying and here’s how to turn if off.

Objectives:

  • Disable Screen Dimming on Ubuntu 13.04 Laptop
  • Enjoy!

To get started, open Brightness & Lock utility from Unity Dash search results or from System Settings.

brightness and lock utility

Un-check the box where it says “Dim screen to save power”

disable dim screen

That’s it!

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How to Flush DNS Cache on Ubuntu 13.04, 12.10

Last updated: July 18, 2013

This simple tutorial will show you how to flush or clear your system’s DNS records on Ubuntu 13.04 Raring and 12.10 Quantal.

Objectives:

  • Flush DNS records on Ubuntu 13.04 or Ubuntu 12.10
  • Enjoy!

To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T to open a terminal window.

Open Terminal to run commands

Then run command to flush dns:

sudo /etc/init.d/dns-clean restart

You can also use this command:

sudo /etc/init.d/networking force-reload

In addition, to flush nscd dns cache:

sudo /etc/init.d/nscd restart

To flush dnsmasq dns cache:

sudo /etc/init.d/dnsmasq restart
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How to Enable GetDeb, PlayDeb Repository on Linux Mint

Last updated: August 9, 2013

Getdeb is an unofficial project which provides the latest open-source and freeware applications for Ubuntu Linux, and PlayDeb provides games. As Ubuntu based Linux distribution, Linux Mint users are available to install software from this repository.

Objectives:

  • Install / add / enable GetDeb & PlayDeb repository on Linux Mint
  • Enjoy!

To get started, go to Start menu, search and open Software Sources

software-sources

Navigate to Additional repositories, check the box where it says ‘archive getdeb.net’. Click ‘update the cache’ button to update package lists.

enable getdeb repository

That’s it!

If it is not there in your Linux Mint edition, click ‘Add a new repository’ and type in 

deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu raring-getdeb apps games

In the line, change raring to yours based Ubuntu release code name.

Linux Mint 14 Nadia based on Ubuntu 12.10 quantal
Linux Mint 13 Maya based on Ubuntu 12.04 precise
Linux Mint 12 Lisa based on Ubuntu 11.10 oneiric
Linux Mint 11 Katya based on Ubuntu 11.04 natty
Linux Mint 10 Julia based on Ubuntu 10.10 maverick
Linux Mint 9 Isadora based on Ubuntu 10.04 lucid

And get the key by running below commands in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

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

Enjoy!

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How to Install UltraStar Deluxe on Ubuntu 13.04

Last updated: July 17, 2013

ultrastardeluxe

UltraStar Deluxe is a free video singing game. It allows up to six players to sing along with music using microphones in order to score points, depending on the pitch of the voice and the rhythm of singing.

The UltraStar Deluxe official ppa repository is not available for Ubuntu 13.04. You can install the DEBs for Ubuntu 12.04 and it runs well on my laptop with 32-bit system.

To download the DEBs, you may check 32-bit or 64-bit by going to top-right shutdown menu and choose ‘About This Computer’.

Then download UltraStar Deluxe Deb for 32-bit or 64-bit, and date package.

After that, press Ctrl+Alt+T to open a terminal window:

Open Terminal to run commands

Install downloaded package via below command:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/ultrastar-deluxe*.deb; sudo apt-get -f install

Enjoy!

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How to Install UltraStar Deluxe on Ubuntu & Linux Mint

Last updated: March 12, 2025

UltraStar Deluxe is a free and open-source singing game. It allows up to six players to sing along with music using microphones in order to score points, depending on the pitch of the voice and the rhythm of singing.

Objectives:

  • Install UltraStar Deluxe on Ubuntuor Linux Mint
  • Enjoy!

There used to be a PPA repository maintains the game packages for Ubuntu & Linux Mint users, which however has no longer been updated for years.

For the most recent 2025.2.1 release, it can be installed by using Flatpak package which runs in sandbox environment.

Tips: Linux Mint 21/22 may simply launch Software Updater, then search & install the UltraStar Deluxe package.

While, Ubuntu users may run the 2 commands below one by one to install:

  • First, install the flatpak daemon package: 
    sudo apt install flatpak

    For old Ubuntu 18.04, add this PPA first for the updated Flatpak package.

  • Then, run command to install the game package: 
    flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/eu.usdx.UltraStarDeluxe.flatpakref

After installation, either search & launch the game from system application launcher (may need a log out and back in), or run the command below in terminal instead:

flatpak run eu.usdx.UltraStarDeluxe

(Optional) To uninstall the package, use command (Ctrl+Alt+T):

flatpak uninstall --delete-data eu.usdx.UltraStarDeluxe
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Install Cuckoo Alarm Clock on Ubuntu 13.04

Last updated: July 17, 2013

Cuckoo is a simple alarm application that is designed specifically for Ubuntu. It supports the Ubuntu Unity Launcher, HUD, and Indicator interfaces which allows for you to control Cuckoo faster.

Objectives:

  • Install Cuckoo Alarm Clock app on Ubuntu
  • Enjoy!

Since cuckoo is no longer available in Ubuntu Software Center, you can install it from the ppa repository. Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal.

Open Terminal to run commands

Then run below 3 commands one by one to install cuckoo:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:john.vrbanac/cuckoo

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install cuckoo

If you don’t want to add the ppa, download the DEB from the link below:

cuckoo_1.0.8-1~raring_all.deb

Then install it via:

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

cuckoo-alarm

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