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Archives For November 30, 1999

How to Disable Printing of Documents & Files in Ubuntu 20.04 /22.04

Last updated: January 30, 2022 — Leave a comment

For security reason, user may disable printing of documents & files in Linux to prevent them from being photocopied and then shared. Here’s how to do the trick in Ubuntu or other Linux with GNOME desktop.

NOTE: after running steps below ALL applications’ “Print” dialog will no longer accessible either via keyboard shortcut or menu button. Though, this ONLY affect the current user in system!

After this tutorial, ‘Print’ dialog no longer available

Option 1: Single command to disable printing:

A single command is always the most efficient way to toggle a hidden option in Linux.

Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open a terminal window. When it opens, run command:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.lockdown disable-printing true

That’s it. The change takes effect immediately!

At any time, you may re-enable the ‘Print’ function by running command in terminal:

gsettings reset org.gnome.desktop.lockdown disable-printing

Option 2: Disable printing via Dconf Editor:

For those hate Linux commands, the advanced ‘Dconf Editor’ offers an option to toggle on/off the feature.

Firstly, search for and install ‘Dconf Editor‘ from Ubuntu Software:

Next, launch the tool and then navigate to ‘org/gnome/desktop/lockdown‘. Scroll down and find out the key “disable-printing“.

Finally TURN ON the slider for this key will disable printing for all apps for this user! As you see, there’s another key ‘disable-print-setup‘. With it enabled, print settings is no longer available for this user.

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Wine 7.1 Released with Vulkan 1.3 Support & Various Bug-fixes

Last updated: January 29, 2022 — Leave a comment

The first development release after Wine stable 7.0 was out. Here’s what’s new and how to install in Ubuntu Linux.

Wine 7.1 comes with the latest Vulkan 3D graphics v1.3 support for running high-performance real-time 3D graphics applications. The new driver features dynamic rendering, additional dynamic state, improved synchronization API, and device profiles.

Other changes include:

  • A number of theming fixes.
  • WebSocket improvements.
  • Improved cursor clipping on macOS.
  • IDL compiler fixes for C++.

There are as well a total of 42 bug-fixes for Windows apps including Siemens SIMATIC STEP 7, Final fantasy 7, Arx Fatalis, Rising Kingdoms, Far Cry 5, Age of Empires 3, and more!

Wine 7.1 configuration

How to install Wine 7.1 in Ubuntu:

The official Wine repository provides the packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, Ubuntu 21.10, Linux Mint 20, and their derivatives.

NOTE: Installing Wine Dev release will replace the stable package (if installed from same repository) in your system if any.

1. Enable 32 bit architecture

For modern 64-bit systems, you may first make sure the ability to install 32-bit app packages has been enabled.

To do so, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

2. Install the key:

To make your system trust the package from Wine repository, you have to download & install the key.

It’s can be done simply by running the command below in terminal:

wget -O - https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key | sudo apt-key add -

Though the apt-key command is deprecated, it’s still working and the most efficient so far.

NOTE: The command may stuck with blinking cursor after downloading the key, if you run this command in another window or a few minutes after the last. It’s waiting for you to type password for ‘sudo’ authentication. Just type your password (no visual feedback) in mind and hit Enter.

3. Add Wine Repository:

Now in terminal window, run command to add the Wine repository:

sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ focal main'

NOTE: the command above is for ‘Ubuntu 20.04’ and ‘Linux Mint 20’ only!!! For other Ubuntu edition (check via lsb_release -a command), do change focal in the code with:

  • bionic for Ubuntu 18.04.
  • hirsute for Ubuntu 21.04.
  • impish for Ubuntu 21.10.

Say you’re running on Ubuntu 21.10, the command will be:

sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ impish main'

4. Install Wine 7.1:

Finally, refresh system package cache by running command:

sudo apt update

And, install Wine 7.1 via:

sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-devel

Unmet dependency is a common issue while installing Wine in Ubuntu. In my Ubuntu 20.04, I never had the issue after manually installing the following packages: 

sudo apt-get install libgnutls30:i386 libldap-2.4-2:i386 libgpg-error0:i386 libxml2:i386 libasound2-plugins:i386 libsdl2-2.0-0:i386 libfreetype6:i386 libdbus-1-3:i386 libsqlite3-0:i386

Also, you may use aptitude (install it via sudo apt install aptitude) instead to print workarounds:

sudo aptitude install winehq-devel

Uninstall Wine 7.1:

To remove the wine packages, use command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove winehq-devel

And remove the Wine repository using ‘Software & Updates‘ utility at Other Software tab.

That’s all. Enjoy!

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What to do when App Window is larger than Screen Height in Ubuntu

Last updated: January 28, 2022 — 1 Comment

For Ubuntu PC or laptop with a low resolution monitor, some app windows may be bigger than screen height, thus it’s NOT fully accessible especially for the bottom part.

This usually happens in some Qt apps and Gnome Extension settings dialog in my Ubuntu laptop with 1366×768 screen resolution. A workaround is moving the app window above the top of the screen. Here’s how to do the trick in Ubuntu!

Move app window above screen top

Option 1: Super + Drag

Normally, dragging an app window will maximize it when hitting top bar in Ubuntu Linux.

However, by press and holding Super (aka Windows) key on keyboard, it supports for clicking down anywhere of an app window and moving the pointer to drag it above the screen top.

Option 2: Alt + F7

Without holding any keyboard and/or mouse key, there’s also Alt+F7 keyboard shortcut can do the trick.

Once you press the key combination on keyboard, the current window will be caught via a little hand icon (🤚) in center. Then, just move the mouse pointer will move the app window to anywhere, even above the top of the screen. To release it, just do a single click afterwards.

That’s all. If you know any other method to deal with the issue that app height is bigger than screen size, tell me by leaving a comment here!

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‘Burn My Windows’ Added Some More Cool Animations on App Close

Last updated: January 27, 2022 — 1 Comment

Want some cool desktop animations? the ‘Burn My Windows’ extension added some more animation effects for Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora workstation, and other Linux with GNOME 3.36+.

Previously when user clicks to close an app window, the extension applies a burning window down effect.

Now, more effects have been added to disintegrate your apps in Ubuntu Linux with style. They are: ‘Energize’, ‘TV Effect’, ‘Wisps’, ‘Matrix’, and ‘T-Rex-Attack’.

See the short videos for new effects when closing app windows:

There’s also new “Broken Glass” effect in upcoming release to shatter your windows into a shower sharp shards!

For each animation, there’s a setting page to change the animation speed, scale, color, etc.

Burn My Windows settings (via Gnome Extensions App)

Install Burn Windows Effect:

1. Ubuntu user needs to first press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal, and run command to install the ‘chrome-gnome-shell’ package:

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell gnome-shell-extension-prefs

Also install ‘gnome-shell-extension-prefs’ package for the settings dialog:

2. In your web browser, go to the extension web page and turn on the toggle icon to install it:

Burn My Windows

NOTE: Ubuntu 21.10 has Firefox as Snap package by default, which does not support installing Gnome Extensions so far. Use another browser or install Firefox as native DEB.

Don’t see the toggle icon? Use the ‘Click here to install browser extension‘ link to install browser extension and refresh the page.

After installation, search for and open ‘Gnome Extensions‘ app from activities overview screen:

Manage Gnome Extensions

When the app opens, click the gear button for ‘Burn My Windows’ and select your favorite animation!

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‘Gamebuntu’ Make it Super Easy to Setup Your Ubuntu for Gaming

Last updated: February 21, 2022 — 2 Comments

Want to play some games in Ubuntu desktop? Gamebuntu is a new project to make life easier for beginners!

Without searching for how to tutorials and struggling with Linux commands, Gamebuntu is an all-in-one app makes it possible to single click to install Steam, Heroic / Epic Game launcher, Minigalaxy GOG client, and/or Lutris game clients.

Install Game Clients via Single clicks!

The app also offer buttons to easily install other useful apps for setting up Ubuntu for gaming. They include:

  • OBS Studio for streaming purpose
  • Discord for chatting
  • MangoHUD for system details, frame time and FPS counter.
  • GameMode to optimize game performance,
  • OpenRGB to configure coolers and RAM modules with RGB.
  • Piper to configure gaming peripharals.
  • Polychomatic to configure Razer devices.
  • Noise Torch – real-time microphone noise suppresstion.
  • Low latency / xanmode kernel for critical runtime applications

And if the NVIDA proprietary drivers installed, it will offer shortcut for configuring Nvidia driver settings.

Install Gamebuntu:

Gamebuntu is a free open-source project in earlier stage. It’s so far recommended for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS only. The source code is hosted in gitlab page.

The developer used to provide the .AppImage package, so the app itself may run without installation.

Sadly, it makes itself NOT easy to beginners to install. See installation instructions in the project page:

Gamebuntu in Gitlab

And to keep track of the project, you may get in touch with the software developer by visiting this thread.

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How to Install Enlightenment Desktop 0.25.1 in Ubuntu 20.04, 21.10, 18.04

Last updated: January 25, 2022 — 1 Comment

For Ubuntu and Linux Mint users, the latest Enlightenment DR 0.25 now is easy to install via an unofficial Ubuntu PPA.

Enlightenment (aka, E) released version 0.25 (then v0.25.1) as well as Enlightenment Foundation Libraries (EFL) 1.26 a few weeks ago. Here’s how to install them in Ubuntu via PPA.

E 0.25 series comes with lots of minor bug fixes, flat look to match new flat theme, new touchpad gesture recognition bindings, new Procstats module can show mem/CPU usage in titlebar, and many more other changes.

Install Enlightenment 0.25.1 via PPA:

The trustworthy, but unofficial Niko2040’s PPA is back almost 4 years after the last update!!!

Thanks to the maintainer, user may now do following steps to install the latest Enlightenment while Ubuntu repositories always provide old versions.

1. Add Enlightenment PPA

Firstly, either press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or search for and open terminal from start menu (‘Activities’ overview).

When terminal opens, run the command below to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:niko2040/e19

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

2. Update package cache:

Ubuntu 18.04 and some old Ubuntu based systems may need to manually refresh the package cache after adding PPA. To do so, simply run command in terminal:

sudo apt update

3. Install Enlightenment:

Finally run command in terminal to install the desktop and EFL libraries:

sudo apt install enlightenment

For choice, the latest terminology package is also available to install via the PPA.

After installation, log out and click on the bottom-right corner gear button to choose login via ‘Enlightenment’ session.

Uninstall Enlightenment:

To remove the Ubuntu PPA as well as downgrade the Enlightement package to its original version, use command below to purge it:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:niko2040/e19

Or, remove the desktop package as well as dependencies via command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove enlightenment

And remove the Ubuntu PPA either via ‘Software & Updates’ utility or by running command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:niko2040/e19

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How to Change Default Torrent Client for Magnet Links in Ubuntu 20.04/22.04

Last updated: December 18, 2023 — 10 Comments

When clicking a magnet link in Chrome browser, it pops-up with “Open xdg-open” option allows to launch the default app to start the downloading.

Unlike Firefox, Google Chrome does not offer an option to choose which app to handle the link. Instead, it launches the default app directly. For those want to change this default app to handle magnet links, here’s how to do the trick in Ubuntu.

Click “Open xdg-open” to open link via default app

Step 1: Tell the default app for magnet links:

Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open a terminal window. When it opens, run the command below will tell the default app for magnet links:

xdg-mime query default x-scheme-handler/magnet

Here xdg-mime is the standard wrapper. User may also run this command instead, which will also output the registered applications:

gio mime x-scheme-handler/magnet

Tell the default app for magnet

Step 2: Set/Change the default app for magnet links:

As the previous steps shows, the both command also support for changing the default app. Say set “QBittorrent” as default app for magnet link, use command:

xdg-mime default org.qbittorrent.qBittorrent.desktop x-scheme-handler/magnet

Or use command:

gio mime x-scheme-handler/magnet org.qbittorrent.qBittorrent.desktop

For any other app, replace org.qbittorrent.qBittorrent.desktop in the previous commands via the .desktop file. You may even set an un-registered app as default, and gio command will register it automatically.

In addition, in case you don’t know the filename of the .desktop file for your app, try running following commands one by one to find it out:

  • First, open terminal and run command to install mlocate (or plocate for 22.04 & higher): 
    sudo apt install mlocate plocate
  • Then, update the database: 
    sudo updatedb
  • Finally, search the .desktop file for your torrent app: 
    locate "*ransmission*desktop"

    In command, replace ransmission with the keyboard for yours. Its case sensitive! I skipped the first letter because which one (‘T’ or ‘t’) is in use for the file-name.

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Single click to Open Magnet Link from Clipboard via KTorrent / qBittorrent in KUbuntu

Last updated: January 22, 2022 — Leave a comment

Most torrent clients today have ability to detect clipboard for magnet links. However, after copied an URL link, user has to manually open the downloading app and then click ‘Open URL’ (or ‘Add Torrent Link’) option to let it paste the link automatically.

Instead of using web browser pop-up to choose app to open an URL, KDE desktop has a built-in feature ‘Klipper Actions‘ that detects clipboard contents and automatically pops-up a menu allows to open link with desired app.

Picture 1: Click the pop-up option will automatically launch the app and open the link from clipboard

So just copy a magnet link. It opens the previous context menu (see the picture above) automatically, allows to click the menu option to launch your desired app and open the URL.

Setup the Klipper Actions for Magnet link in KDE:

1.) Firstly, find out the ‘Clipboard’ indicator in system tray on panel (or click the ‘triangle‘ icon). Then right-click on the icon and choose ‘Configure Clipboard‘.

Open Klipper settings

2.) When the settings dialog opens, go to ‘Actions‘ in left pane and click on ‘Add Actions‘ button.

Add a Klipper action

3.) In next dialog, do:

  • input regular expression ^magnet:.*. It means any content started with ‘magnet:‘ (without quotes). See more about regular extension.
  • Add description (optional).
  • Click ‘Add Command’ and use qbittorrent %s or ktorrent %s. Use any torrent client as you prefer.
  • Type description for command (will display as text in pop-up menu).

4.) After adding an action, the settings dialog will look like the screenshot below. Here I added two actions to handle magnet link and url ends with torrent with qBittorrent client.

Actions for magnet links and url ends with .torrent

After clicking Apply (OK), copy a magnet link and the menu should pop-up automatically, allows to single click launching qBittorrent and open the download.

And, there are keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+Alt+X to enable/disable Klipper actions, and Ctrl+Alt+R to trigger the menu (Picture 1) manually.

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This Extension Adds Transparent Clock & Date Desktop Widget in Ubuntu 20.04+

Last updated: January 19, 2022 — 1 Comment

Want to display time and date on your Ubuntu Desktop as widget? Without Conky or any other app, there’s now Gnome extension can do the trick by adding a live clock on your wallpaper.

It’s ‘Showtime’, an extension based on the Budgie Desktop widget. It displays transparent live digital lock, weekday, as well as date on the background wallpaper. And, it shows date and time in both vertical and horizontal styles.

Wallpaper clock

Wallpaper clock vertical style

User may change the display position by press and holding Super (Windows) key, and dragging to move it.

As well, it offers preference settings via “Gnome Extensions” app that allows to configure:

  • 12-hour or 24-hour format.
  • The display color.
  • Date and clock display format.
  • Date and clock font family and size.
  • Shadow transparency.

How to Install the Extension in Ubuntu:

The ‘Showtime’ extension so far supports Gnome 3.36, 3.38 and 40. So it will work in Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu 21.10.

1. Install ‘chrome-gnome-shell’:

Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to install the ‘chrome-gnome-shell’ and Gnome Extensions packages if you don’t have it:

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell gnome-shell-extension-prefs

This package enables ability to install Gnome Extensions via a web browser.

2. Install the Extension:

Next, click the link button below to go to the extension web page and turn on the slider icon to install it:

Showtime Horizontal

For the vertical style, install this one instead.

If you don’t see the toggle icon, install the browser extension via the link in that page and refresh it.

NOTE: The pre-installed Firefox in Ubuntu 21.10 is a Snap package that does NOT support for installing Gnome Extensions so far. Use another browser or install Firefox as deb.

The widget should appear immediately after installation. After that, press Super (Windows) key and drag to move its position, and open ‘Gnome Extensions‘ from overview screen to configure it’s appearance.

Manage Gnome Extensions

That’s all. Enjoy!

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This Indicator Shows Laptop’s Battery Health in Ubuntu 20.04, 21.10

Last updated: January 18, 2022 — Leave a comment

Want to check your laptop battery status in Ubuntu or other Linux? There’s a small indicator applet that can do the job in GNOME desktop.

“Battery Status” is the free and open-source indicator applet developed by Lorenzo Carbonell, a software developer behind touchpad-indicator and my weather indicator.

It displays an icon on GNOME top bar in system tray area, along with the battery remaining time. By clicking on the applet, it shows battery percentage based on both current and original maximum capacities.

As well, it shows battery health via current and original maximum capacities, and the original and current Voltages.

Battery Health

A setting dialog is also available to configure the refresh time, warning, and colors, etc.

Battery Status Settings

How to Install ‘Battery Status’ in Ubuntu:

The app is available to install as GNOME Extension. At the moment, it supports for Gnome 3.36 and Gnome 40. Which means, user may install it in Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu 21.10 via following steps.

1. Install ‘chrome-gnome-shell’:

Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to install the ‘chrome-gnome-shell’ package if you don’t have it:

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell

This package enables ability to install Gnome Extensions via a web browser.

2. Install the Extension:

Next, click the link button below to go to the extension web page and turn on the slider icon to install it:

Install Battery Status

If you don’t see the toggle icon, install the browser extension via the link in that page and refresh it.

NOTE: The pre-installed Firefox in Ubuntu 21.10 is a Snap package that does NOT support for installing Gnome Extensions so far. Use another browser or install Firefox as deb.

The indicator should appear immediately after installation. If not, try to enable it via “Gnome Extensions” app, which can be installed via command: 

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-prefs

That’s all. Enjoy!

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