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Archives For November 30, 1999

Dippi – Tells if the Laptop/External Monitor Best Choice (HiDPI or LoDPI)

Last updated: January 25, 2023 — Leave a comment

Going to buy a new monitor or laptop, or want to calculate whether it’s a HiDPI display? Here’s a handy app can help!

I previously thought that 4K and 8K displays are HiDPI, but 720p that I’m being using is LoDPI. It’s 100% wrong! HiDPI, stands for High Dots Per Inch, also known by Apple’s “Retina Display”. Meaning screens with a high resolution in a relatively small format.

A HiDPI monitor may be good for displaying photo images or playing FPS games, but not all software behaves well in high-resolution mode yet. If you’re going to buy a monitor or calculate existing display DPI, then here’s a good app for choice.

It’s ‘Dippi’, a free and open-source GTK4 application developed by a GNOME Foundation member.

With it, you just need to tell: laptop or desktop, monitor size (inches), and screen resolution. Then, it shows you aspect ratio and DPI value, as well as display’s density.

They include:

  • Very Low DPI,
  • Fairly Low DPI,
  • Ideal for LoDPI,
  • Potentially Problematic,
  • Ideal for HiDPI,
  • Fairly High for HiDPI, or
  • Too High DPI

Each value has some texts below to tell the text and UI feeling (too small or too large) at typical viewing distances. As a GTK4 app, it looks good in Ubuntu, Fedora and other Linux with GNOME desktop. And, it automatically changes the UI color between light and dark mode, to follow system color scheme.

How to Install Dippi

Dippi is also available as an online service, you can visit this page to analyze your display.

For most Linux users, it’s available to install as universal flatpak package in Flathub.org.

Ubuntu user can do following steps one by one to install the package:

  1. Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to make sure Flatpak is enabled: 
    sudo apt install flatpak

    For the old Ubuntu 18.04, add this PPA repository before running apt install command.

  2. Then, install the application by running command: 
    flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.github.cassidyjames.dippi.flatpakref

    Like normal apps, you can search for and launch it from either start menu or ‘Activities’ overview depends on your desktop environment.

How to Remove Dippi

To remove the app installed as Flatpak, open terminal and run command:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.github.cassidyjames.dippi

Also clear useless runtime via flatpak uninstall --unused.

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Stupid Easy Way to Transfer Small Files to or from Ubuntu 22.04

Last updated: September 5, 2024 — 6 Comments

There are quite a few ways to transfer files between different machines. For Ubuntu and most other Linux, here’s an easy way for choice.

Usually, I use a USB cable or a messenger app for transferring photo images between my personal PC and mobile devices.

However, my USB cable is always NOT near at hand and I hate to scan QR code again and again on PC for logging 3rd app. In this case, creating a temporary http file server with Python is an easy and good choice.

Upside and downside

Python is pre-installed in most Linux Distros. So this is an universal method for Linux. It also works in Windows and macOS with Python programming language installed.

As a simply http server, any devices with a web browser can download (or upload) files from/to the server side either over local network or internet.

However, http is NOT designed for transferring files. It’s OK to handle small files (e.g., photo images and short videos less than a few hundred MB). But for large files with a few GB or more file size, it may not work! As well, it’s NOT secure for accessing important files outside from local network.

Single command to create a Python http server:

For those who are new to Linux, user may first open file manager, navigate to the folder that contains the files to share with other device, right-click on blank area and select “Open in Terminal”.

It will open a terminal window and automatically navigate to that folder as working directory.

Or, you can also open terminal from start menu and run cd command to navigate directory. For example, run the command below to navigate to user’s Pictures folder:

cd ~/Pictures

Then, run the single command to start a http file server (For some Linux, replace python3 with python in command):

python3 -m http.server

By default, it listens to port 8000. If the port is already in use, use python3 -m http.server 9090 to set another port number (change number 9090 as you want).

After that, visit http://ip-address:8000 (change number 8000 if you set another port) in any device via a web browser. You can then open and/or right-click save as to download any file from that folder.

Create python http server with upload support

1. If you want to send files from any device to Ubuntu Linux, open terminal and run command:

python3 -m pip install --user uploadserver

Install pip first via sudo apt install python3-pip if the command above does not work. This command will install a Python module uploadserver.

NOTE: For Ubuntu 24.04, this pip install command does NOT work due to policy change. You may either follow this tutorial for workaround, or use the command below instead:

python3 -m pip install --user uploadserver --break-system-packages

2. Then open or navigate to your desired folder in terminal window, and run command to create simple http file server with both download and upload support:

python3 -m uploadserver

Also specify port number if you want, for example, python3 -m uploadserver 9990

3. Finally, visit http://ip-address:8000 in any device via web browser can access and download files. Or, go to http://ip-address:8000/upload for uploading files.

For security reason, you may add a token authentication so client machines need to verify before being able to upload a file. To do so, run the command below instead in Ubuntu Linux:

python3 -m uploadserver -t password_here
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This Extension Can Save & Restore All Open App Windows in Ubuntu 22.04

Last updated: January 21, 2023 — 1 Comment

I don’t remember when’s the last time auto-save session feature works correctly in my Ubuntu machine. While, enabling hibernation could be the best choice now to save and restore all open app windows in Ubuntu.

But for those who really like the auto-save session feature, here’s an Gnome Shell extension can do the job partially.

It’s ‘Another Window Session Manager’, an extension which adds an indicator icon on top panel system tray area. It provides an option to manually save all open windows, then allows to restore either manually via menu button or automatically at login.

Save open windows

Not only for classic Xorg, but it also supports Wayland session. Also, it remembers window size, position, and workspace. The downsides are that it does not restore the window workspace correctly sometimes, and restores some apps in empty window rather than last open files or URLs.

The extension is not perfect so far, but anyhow it’s better than nothing!

How to Install this session restore extension:

The extension so far support for Gnome 40, 41, 42 and 43. Meaning not only for Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 22.10, it also works in Fedora 35/36/37 workstation, Rocky Linux 9, Arch, and other Linux with recent GNOME desktop.

For Ubuntu 22.04+, first search for and install “Extension Manager” app from Ubuntu Software.

Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu 22.04+

Then, use the tool to search and install “Another Window Session Manager” under Browse tab.

For Fedora 35/36/37 and other Linux with GNOME, visit the extension web page and use ON/OFF switch to install it.

Enable Restore open windows at login

The feature to restore all open app windows on startup after user login is not enabled by default.

You can need to do following steps one by one to enable the function:

    1. First, go to ‘Installed’ tab in Extension Manager. Then open the configuration dialog for the extension, by clicking on the gear button. (or install Gnome Extensions app and use the tool to open the settings).
    2. Next, navigate to “Restore Sessions” tab and:
      • enable ‘Restore at startup’ toggle option.
      • enable ‘Restore at startup without asking’ to skip the confirm dialog on each login (optional)

Finally, open the indicator menu, and turn on the ON/OFF switch for your saved session, so it will restore automatically at next login.

That’s all. Enjoy!

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How to Disable Welcome Screen (First Login Dialog) in Ubuntu 24.04/22.04

Last updated: May 5, 2024 — 5 Comments

When first time logging in a user account, it always pop-up an initial setup dialog to setup online account, livepath, privacy, etc in Ubuntu.

It’s quite annoying if you create new user accounts regularly, since all options in that dialog are also available in system settings. In this case, you can follow this tutorial to disable this function in Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 24.04.

Tip: run /usr/libexec/gnome-initial-setup --existing-user command in terminal can manually launch Welcome dialog if need in Ubuntu.

Welcome dialog in user first login

Here I’ll show you how to disable the initial setup dialog in 3 ways. Choose one of below methods that your prefer:

  • Method 1: Remove the software package.
  • Method 2: Add a rule in the service file, so it will never meet the condition to pop-up the dialog.
  • Method 3: Auto-generate gnome-initial-setup-done file, so it think you’re already done the initial setup

Method 1: Remove the Welcome package

The Welcome to Ubuntu dialog is handled by the gnome-initial-setup package. It’s safe to remove the package, as no other packages depend on it.

So, the most stupid and simple way to disable this feature is press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal, and run command to remove the package:

sudo apt remove --autoremove gnome-initial-setup

Method 2: Disable welcome by editing the service (NOT Work for 24.04)

Without removing the package, you may also disable the feature by adding a rule into the systemd user service.

The old method by editing the “gnome-initial-setup-first-login.desktop” file under auto-start config folder (‘/etc/xdg/autostart‘) does no longer work in Ubuntu 22.04, due to rule X-GNOME-HiddenUnderSystemd=true. Meaning, the XDG Autostart config is overridden by a systemd service.

The key is the systemd service “gnome-initial-setup-first-login.service“. However, it’s running in per user level automatically at login. It’s easy to disable or mask the service for current user by running command:

systemctl --user --now mask gnome-initial-setup-first-login.service

Or, specify which user to disable/mask the service for via command:

systemctl --user --now --machine=USER_NAME_HERE@ mask gnome-initial-setup-first-login.service.service

But, I can’t figure out how to disable the service for all users, especially for non-exist user before you creating it, because you know it runs only on first login for new user (exactly until you done the welcome dialog that auto-generates gnome-initial-setup-done file in user’s .config folder.).

As a workaround, you can add a rule into the service file to skip Welcome dialog automatically for all users:

1. Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open a terminal window. When terminal opens, copy the service file into “/etc” directory.

sudo cp /usr/lib/systemd/user/gnome-initial-setup-first-login.service /etc/systemd/user/

It works by editing the service file under ‘/usr/lib’, but changes will be overridden once Ubuntu published an update for it. So, it’s better to copy and paste it into ‘/etc’ which has higher priority.

2. Then, run command to edit the service file:

sudo gedit /etc/systemd/user/gnome-initial-setup-first-login.service

3. When the file opens, add following lines under [unit] section:

# Only run when ‘file-name-never-use’ file exist, meaning disable this service
ConditionPathExists=%E/file-name-never-use

It means only start the service when “file-name-never-use” file exist in user’s .config folder, while the first line started with # is description line.

Finally, save the file. For nano command line text editor, press Ctrl+S to save, then Ctrl+X to exit.

4. (skip this step if you’ve never edited the file) In case you’ve changed the XDG auto-start for gnome-initial-setup, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo gedit /etc/xdg/autostart/gnome-initial-setup-first-login.desktop

When file opens, make sure there’s a line X-GNOME-HiddenUnderSystemd=true, so it won’t run because of the service you configured in previous steps.

That’s all, you can now try creating a user account and logging in to see the magic!

Method 3: Generate ‘gnome-initial-setup-done’ file on user creation

As you see in the last screenshot, the first login service contains a line ConditionPathExists=!%/gnome-initial-setup-done. Meaning it only launches the initial setup dialog when ‘gnome-initial-setup-done‘ file does NOT exist in user .config folder.

And, on user creation, Ubuntu and many other Linux automatically copy all the files in /etc/skel directory to the home directory of new user account. They are usually hidden .bashrc, bash_logout, .profile files run automatically at login (or log out) to setup PATH variable, command aliases, tab completion, etc.

By creating a .config sub-folder, that includes gnome-initial-setup-done file, under /etc/skel, will make all new created users include that sub-folder as well as that file in their home directory. So, at every login it thinks the initial setup has done and won’t pop-up the dialog.

To so do, simply press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Then, run commands (thanks to @smart caraxabill):

  • First, create the .config sub-folder under /etc/skel: 
    sudo mkdir -p /etc/skel/.config
  • Then, create the gnome-initial-setup-done file and input yes as it content. 
    printf yes | sudo tee /etc/skel/.config/gnome-initial-setup-done >/dev/null

Restore the Initial Setup Dialog

Depends on which method you chose, undo the change by:

For method 1, just install the package back by running command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo apt install gnome-initial-setup

For the method 2, just remove the service file under /etc so the original one will be in use:

sudo rm /etc/systemd/user/gnome-initial-setup-first-login.service

And for the last method, remove the .config sub-folder from /etc/skel directory to undo the change:

sudo rm -R /etc/skel/.config

That’s all. Enjoy!

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Kernel 6.1 (6.1.6) Available to Install in Ubuntu 22.04 via Mainline PPA

Last updated: January 17, 2023 — Leave a comment

For those who want to try out the latest Linux Kernel 6.1.x, the Mainline Kernel PPA finally works again.

Ubuntu developer team maintains the Mainline Kernel PPA with latest Kernel packages. It however failed to build for all the Kernel releases since v6.0.10.

After more than a month until the release of Kernel 6.1.4, the maintainers finally fixed the issue and built the kernel packages correctly for Ubuntu 22.04 +.

How to Install Kernel 6.1.x in Ubuntu 22.04

NOTE: Mainline Kernels are built for testing purpose! They are not supported and are not appropriate for production use. Use them at your own risk

Unlike normal Ubuntu PPAs, there’s no need to add the Mainline PPA into system repository. Just download the .deb packages from the repository page and install them.

1. At the moment of writing, the latest version is Kernel 6.1.6, available to download at the link below. For other versions, go to this page.

Download Kernel 6.1.6

For modern 64-bit computer/laptop, select download the top 4 amd64/build packages. For arm64 devices, download the 3 of next 6 packages (either with or without 64k). There are as well the packages for armhf, ppc64el, and s390x available to download.

Or, user can run commands below one by one in terminal to download the packages (64-bit only):

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.1.6/amd64/linux-headers-6.1.6-060106-generic_6.1.6-060106.202301141035_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.1.6/amd64/linux-headers-6.1.6-060106_6.1.6-060106.202301141035_all.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.1.6/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-6.1.6-060106-generic_6.1.6-060106.202301141035_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.1.6/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-6.1.6-060106-generic_6.1.6-060106.202301141035_amd64.deb

2. After downloading the packages, install them via apt command.

If you downloaded the packages via web browser link, you may first open the Downloads folder in file manager. Then, right-click on blank area and select “Open in Terminal” first to open that folder as working directory in terminal.

Finally, run command to install all .deb packages in the folder:

sudo apt install ./*.deb

3. When done, restart your machine and verify your kernel via command:

uname -a

NOTE: Mainline Kernels are not signed. You may need to disable Secure Boot in BIOS to make it work.

Uninstall Kernel 6.1.x

For any reason, you can easily remove the Kernel by doing following steps.

1. Firstly, reboot and select the old Kernel in boot menu under “Advanced Options for Ubuntu”.

2. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T), and run command to remove Kernel you just installed (change version number accordingly):

sudo apt remove --autoremove linux-modules-6.1.6-060106-generic linux-headers-6.1.6-060106

Tip: you may type linux-modules-6 and hit Tab key to auto-complete the package name. Also type linux-headers-6 and hit Tab for the second.

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How to Install Kodi 20 “Nexus” in Ubuntu 22.04 | 20.04

Last updated: February 18, 2024 — 3 Comments

Kodi media center finally announced the new major 20.0 release! Here are the new features and how to install guide for Ubuntu/Linux Mint based systems.

Kodi 20, code-name ‘Nexus’, is a big release with 4,600 commits since the last v19. It features AV1 media decoding support for several platforms. As well, it allows add-ons using inputsream.adaptive to play AV1 streams.

For Windows user, the release has implemented the full HDR support, though it’s not available in non-Desktop, i.e. UWP Store (Xbox) versions. As well, Kodi v20 has implemented NFSv4 support.

Other changes in Kodi 20.0 include:

  • Ability to load multiple instances of a binary add-on
  • Rework subtitles with option to change border and background colors, subtitle position.
  • Save game state at any time, even if games do not provide native savestate features themselves.
  • Improved right-click/long-press context menu
  • stability, performance improvements, and more.

There are so far 2 official ways to install Kodi in Ubuntu Linux. They are Ubuntu PPA contains the native .deb packages and Flatpak package works in most Linux.

Option 1: Install Kodi via Ubuntu PPA

Kodi website provides the downloads for all supported platforms.

For Ubuntu and Linux Mint users, the official PPA repository is one of the best choices to install the media player. So far, it supports Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Linux Mint 20/21 on Intel/AMD platforms.

UPDATE: The Ubuntu PPA packages lag behind a bit. It contains Kodi 20.2, while the latest so far has reached v20.4. And only a few plugins have ported to v20.x. 

1. First, open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/ppa

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

2. Software Updater may not upgrade the media center if an old version was installed in Ubuntu 22.04. Instead it show ‘Partial Updates’ issue.

As a workaround, either run apt install command below:

sudo apt install kodi kodi-bin

Or run sudo apt full-upgrade to install all available updates (you may still need to install kodi-bin manually). For Linux Mint, run sudo apt update before doing updates!

Option 2: Install Kodi using Flatpak package

For most Linux on amd64 (Intel/AMD), and arm64 (Apple Silicon, Raspberry Pi, etc), Kodi also is available to install as Flatpak package, though runs in sandbox.

Fedora 38/39 (with 3rd repository enabled) and Linux Mint 21 can directly search for and install it from either GNOME Software or Software Manager.

While, Ubuntu users can press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal, and run 2 commands one by one to get it:

  • First, run command to enable Flatpak support: 
    sudo apt install flatpak

    For other Linux, see the official setup guide to enable Flatpak.

  • Then, install Kodi as Flatpak package by running command: 
    flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/tv.kodi.Kodi.flatpakref

First time installing an app as Flatpak package needs log out and back in to make app icon visible.

As the Flatpak app runs in sandbox, you may also run command to install Flatseal:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.github.tchx84.Flatseal.flatpakref

Which, provides a graphical interface to manage the permissions.

How to Uninstall:

For the Ubuntu PPA package, you can either run command in terminal to purge the PPA, which will downgrade Kodi to stock version in system repository:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && ppa:team-xbmc/ppa

Or manually remove the software package via command:

sudo apt remove kodi kodi-bin --autoremove

And remove the PPA via command as you prefer:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:team-xbmc/ppa

For the Flatpak package, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to uninstall:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data tv.kodi.Kodi

Also, run command flatpak uninstall --unused will free up some disk space by removing useless runtime libraries.

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Kid3 Autio Tagger Celebrate Its 20th Birthday by Releasing v3.9.3

Last updated: January 14, 2023 — Leave a comment

Kid3, the free and open-source Qt app for editing audio tags, now is 20 years old!

It was January 12, 2003, exactly 20 years ago, when the first version 0.1 of Kid3 was released. And, it’s the first app that I used to edit music tags in Ubuntu when in 2008.

To celebrate it, the developer team announced the new 3.9.3 release, but with only following changes:

  • Add user action script to fix ID3v2 standard violations.
  • Accept letters in track numbers when setting tags from filename.
  • Embed lyrics: Use letras.com instead of lyrics.wikia.com.
  • Fix crash upon termination when qml and qmlview actions have been used
  • Abort when invalid keys are used for FLAC Vorbis comments.
  • Use of non-BMP Unicode characters with TagLib.
  • Fix error description when saving files fails.
  • Fix Discogs import.
  • Windows: Handling of common path in multiple command line arguments.

How to Install Kid3 via PPA in Ubuntu:

The software offers official binary packages available to download at the sourceforge page.

For all current Ubuntu releases (Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 22.10), there’s an official PPA repository contains the latest package.

1. First, open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ufleisch/kid3

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

2. For the old Ubuntu 18.04 and Linux Mint, you have to manually update the package cache by running command in terminal:

sudo apt update

3. Finally, either update Kid3 using Software Updater (Update Manager) if an old package installed on your system.

Or, run command in terminal to install the tag editor.

sudo apt install kid3-qt

Uninstall Kid3

To remove the PPA repository, either open ‘Software & Updates‘ and remove the source line under ‘Other Software’ tab:

Or, open terminal and run the command instead to remove the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ufleisch/kid3

To remove the audio tag editor, run command:

sudo apt remove kid3 kid3-qt kid3-core

That’s all. Enjoy!

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KeePass2 2.53 Added FIPS Mode, Improved History Entry [Ubuntu PPA]

Last updated: January 13, 2023 — 2 Comments

KeePass password manager released new 2.53 version a few days ago. Here are the new features as well as PPA packages for Ubuntu users.

The new release enhanced the History tab in Edit Entry. When editing an entry, the History tab contains the ‘Dialog (unsaved)’ to represent all data entered in the current dialog, and ‘Current (TIME)’, for currently stored in the database.

As you see in the screenshot above, when selecting 2 history entries, user can click “Compare” button to get a detailed comparison between them in a new “Compare Entries” dialog.

As well, there’s now a ‘History’ option in the ‘Find’ main menu, allows to get a overview of all edit histories.

The release also added filter box, Print and Export buttons to most report dialogs (see the last 2 screenshots), including last modified entries, history, large entries, similar password clusters, password quality, history entry comparison, database file search.

Other changes in KeePass 2.53 inlcude:

  • Support for running KeePass in FIPS mode.
  • Add access keys in the ‘View’ -> ‘Sort By’ menu, entry templates menu, ‘Perform Auto-Type’ menu, and
  • Ctrl+T for the ‘Copy Time-Based OTP’, and Ctrl+Shift+T for the ‘Show Time-Based OTP’ entry data command
  • Enhance Password Depot XML import module to support the new format
  • Improvements to integrate with Edge browser.

How to Install KeePass 2.53 in Ubuntu:

For native Linux password manager, I would recommend KeePassXC. Though, it’s always good to have more choices!

There’s an unofficial PPA maintains the software package, for all current Ubuntu releases (Ubuntu 18.04, 20.04, 22.04, and 22.10) and their based systems.

1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Then run the command below to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/keepass2

2. For old Ubuntu 18.04 & Linux Mint, you need to manually refresh package cache though it’s done automatically in Ubuntu 20.04+:

sudo apt update

3. Finally, either run the apt command below to install the package:

sudo apt install keepass2

Or use Software Updater (Update Manager) to update the package if an old version was installed on your system.

4. Since KeePass 2.52, it checks ‘KeePass.exe.config’ file on every app startup. And, it will pop-up a warning dialog due to version mis-match. The exe version number (the last 5 numbers in 2.53.0.13788) auto-generates depends on when you build the package. It cannot be totally same to the one in KeePass.exe.config file, unless it happened to build at exact same time when the official KeePass team compiled the package.

  1. I can’t figure out this issue due to poor bash scripting skill, but you can workaround the issue by checking version number via command: 
    monodis --assembly /usr/lib/keepass2/KeePass.exe
  2. Then edit the KeePass.exe.config file via command: 
    sudo gedit /usr/lib/keepass2/KeePass.exe.config

    Replace gedit depends on your DE, or use nano that works in most Linux.

  3. In the pop-up text editor, replace “newVersion” value with the one you got in the monodis command out.

Finally, save the file and enjoy! For nano text editor, press Ctrl+X, type y and hit Enter to save.

Uninstall:

To remove the software package, also open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove keepass2

And, remove the PPA, either by going to “Software & Updates -> Other Software” and remove the source line, or run the command below in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/keepass2
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Converseen batch image converter adds option to Remove Metadata

Last updated: January 12, 2023 — Leave a comment

Converseen image converter announced 0.9.10.0 release few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu via PPA.

Converseen is a free and open-source tool for converting or resizing a large quantity of photo images to another format with a few mouse clicks.

The new 0.9.10.0 release redesigned the Images Settings dialog. Previously, it automatically removes the metadata (information including date & time, device, and even location you capture the photo image) in output images, and replaces with only modified date and other non-sensitive data.

Now, it provides a “Remove image’s metadata” check-box. So, user can manually choose to either to remove the metadata information about the photo images in output files.

As you can see in the screenshot above, it now supports configuring the compression level and image quality for WebP images. As well, it fixes a bug that inhibits the overwrite feature when the Rename option is checked.

How to install the new Converseen 0.9.10.0 in Ubuntu

The image converter is available to install in different package formats: AppImage, Snap, and Deb. Choose either one that you prefer.

1. AppImage

The software website provides the universal AppImage for downloading via the link button below:

Download Converseen (AppImage)

It’s a non-install package. Just grab it, right-click and go to ‘Properties’ dialog to add executable permission. Finally, click run the AppImage will launch the tool.

2. Snap

For Ubuntu 20.04+, the snap package is the easiest way to get converseen, though it runs in sandbox. Just open Ubuntu Software, search for and install the package marked as ‘Snap Store (snap)’.

3. Ubuntu PPA (.deb)

For those who prefer the classic .deb package format, there’s unofficial PPA that contains the package for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 22.10.

1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then, install the software package by running command:

sudo apt install converseen

Linux Mint user may have to run sudo apt update first to update cache.

Uninstall:

The PPA also contains some other software packages, so you may remove it immediately after installed Liferea.

To do so, either run the command below in terminal, or remove the source line under “Other Software” tab in Software & Updates tool.

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

To remove the feed reader package, simply run command:

sudo apt remove converseen

That’s all. Enjoy!

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Liferea Feed Reader finally Released 1.14.0 Stable [Ubuntu PPA]

Last updated: January 11, 2023 — Leave a comment

Liferea, Linux Feed Reader, finally announced the new stable 1.14 release series! Here’s how to install it via PPA in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 22.10.

Liferea is a news aggregator that brings together all of the content from your favorite subscriptions into a simple interface for easy organizing and browsing. It features offline reading, HTML 5 support, sync with Google Reader API, Reedah, and TinyTinyRSS.

The new 1.14.0 was released today as a new stable release, after more than 2 years of v1.13 series unstable development.

New Features in Liferea 1.14.0

For the built-in browser, it has finally implemented support for Webkits Intelligent Tracking Protection. Youtube videos from media:video can be embedded now with a click on the video preview picture. And, there’s a new ‘Reader mode’ preference that allows stripping all web content.

The UI now is adaptive, that switches automatically between ‘Normal’ and ‘Wide’ mode when resizing the window width. Though, I personally prefer the old layout a bit more.

Other changes in Liferea 1.14.0 include:

  • New GTK dark theme logic.
  • Make several plugins support gettext
  • Export a feed to XML file
  • Allow converting TinyTinyRSS subscriptions to local subscriptions
  • Add generic Google Reader API support
  • New plugin: ‘add-bookmark-site’ and ‘getfocus’.
  • New search folder rules.
  • New hot keys.
  • Remove support for CDF channel, Atom 0.2/0.3 (aka Pie), blogChannel namespace, photo namespace.

How to Install Liferea 1.14.0 in Ubuntu:

For most Linux, Liferea is available to install as Flatpak package, though NOT updated at the moment of writing.

Ubuntu users can also use the unofficial PPA, which so far supports for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 22.10, Linux Mint 20/21, and their based systems.

1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then, install the Liferea package by running command:

sudo apt install liferea

Linux Mint user may have to run sudo apt update first to update cache.

Uninstall:

The PPA also contains some other software packages, so you may remove it immediately after installed Liferea.

To do so, either run the command below in terminal, or remove the source line under “Other Software” tab in Software & Updates tool.

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

To remove the feed reader package, simply run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove liferea-data liferea

That’s all. Enjoy!

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