Archives For November 30, 1999

Ubuntu 22.04, code-name “Jammy Jellyfish”, is out! See what’s new in this Long Term Support (LTS) release!

Ubuntu 22.04 features Linux Kernel 5.15, GNOME 42 Desktop, New Logo, and tool-chain updates!

New Logo:

Ubuntu’s logo, the Circle of Friends, has been updated with new design more than a months ago. You’ll see the new logo in system startup, shutdown, and ‘About’ settings page of Ubuntu 22.04.

Gnome 42:

The release ships customized version of GNOME 42 desktop, which was released in last month. With the power of the new desktop environment, you may take screenshots and record desktop via its built-in UI (press PrintScreen to get it).

New Screenshot UI

The “Appearance” settings page now provides option to switch Full Dark Mode. Not only app windows, but also make dark for system menus, notifications, context menu, etc.

There are also 10 accent colors available under ‘light/dark’ switch. The color will apply in slide bar, check-box, on/off switch, input box, highlight text background, and even folder icon!

As you see in picture, some basic desktop icons settings (e.g., icon size, position, toggle display home icon) has been merged in “Appearance” page. As well, more dock settings (shorten height, hide trash/mounted volumes) has been added.

Desktop icons and Dock settings

For those need to share Ubuntu desktop for remote access, you’ll see Ubuntu 22.04 now defaults to use Microsoft’s RDP protocol, though the legacy VNC is still available. You can find it by going to “Sharing” in system settings.

Changes compare to Ubuntu 20.04 Desktop:

If you’re still using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, there will be even more changes which have already introduced in Ubuntu 21.10/21.04.

It now makes easy to change your laptop power mode, either in system settings or upper right system tray menu.

A new “Multitasking” settings page is added to control hot corner (top-left only), screen edges, workspaces and app switching.

For laptop users, there are 3-finger touchpad gestures introduced in GNOME 40. They are:

  • 3-finger up to trigger ‘Activities’ overview.
  • 3-finger down to go back desktop.
  • 3-finger left/right to switch workspaces.

Gnome Wayland has been the default session since Ubuntu 21.04. In Ubuntu 22.04, Wayland support also works for NVIDIA driver user. The legacy Xorg session is still available to choose in login screen in case your apps are not working properly.

Other changes in Ubuntu 22.04 include:

  • Switch Firefox to Snap package (See how to install the .deb back).
  • nftables as default firewall backend
  • GTK4 + GTK3, so you’ll see apps with 4 rounded corners while others not.
  • Firefox 99, LibreOffice 7.3, Thunderbird 91.
  • Python 3.10, GCC 11.2.0, Perl 5.34, golang 1.18, OpenSSL 3.0.
  • And see here for more.

Download Ubuntu 22.04:

The desktop and server iso images are available to download at the link below:

For clould, Ubuntu flavor and others go to https://ubuntu.com/download.

For notepad++ fans, there’s a free open-source project that reimplement the text editor with native Linux support!

It’s Notepad Next, a C++ application uses Qt5 toolkit for its user interface. Compare to Notepadqq (another Notepad++ like editor), this app looks almost same to Notepad++.

And it’s a cross-platform app that not only supports for Linux, but also works Windows and MacOS.

Install Notepad Next:

I’m not a programmer and don’t even use Notepad++, so I can’t tell how it different to this original Windows app. Just try it out yourself:

NOTE: Though the application overall is stable and usable, it should not be considered safe for critically important work.

For Linux, just grab the .AppImage package, add executable permission and run to launch the app.

You may alternatively install the app as Flatpak package. Setup the Flatpak daemon first and then install it by running command:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.github.dail8859.NotepadNext.flatpakref

This simple tutorial shows how to replace the default Snap Store (Ubuntu Software or App Center) with Gnome Software with Flatpak support in Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

Many applications today publish Linux packages via Flatpak. However, Ubuntu’s software center (aka Snap Store, now renamed to App Center in 24.04) does not support this universal package format.

If you like, Gnome Software can be a good alternative which has both Snap and Flatpak as well as Deb packages support.

Install Flatpak apps via Gnome Software

(Optional) Step 1: Remove Snap Store

If you don’t need the default snap store, removing it will free up more than 100 MB memory.

To do so, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal, and run command:

sudo snap remove --purge snap-store

You may also follow this guide to completely remove Snap and prevent Ubuntu from automatically installing them back.

Remove the default Ubuntu Software (Snap Store)

Step 2: Install Gnome Software

Also in terminal window (press Ctrl+Alt+T to open one), run the command below to install Gnome Software as well as Flatpak support:

sudo apt install --install-suggests gnome-software

Ubuntu seems to be a little bit self-centered. Without --install-suggests flag, it installs with Canonical’s Snap support but not for Flatpak.

Install Gnome Software

Step 3: Add Flathub repository

The previous command will also install the Flatpak daemon package if you don’t have it. But, it does not add the Flathub.org repository, the best place to get Flatpak apps.

To add it, run command:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

(Optional) Step 4: Change the app icon

Now you may press Windows (Super) key on keyboard, then search for and open Gnome Software to install apps in Deb, Snap, Flatpak, and use “Software Install” context menu option to install local files in the 3 formats.

Gnome Software original app icon

The app window looks almost same to the Ubuntu Software (Snap Store) but the icon does not.

If you want, edit the app shortcut file by running command in terminal:

sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/org.gnome.Software.desktop

For Ubuntu 24.04, replace gedit with gnome-text editor. When the file opens, set software-center (or app-center for Ubuntu 24.04)as value for “Icon“. You may also change the value of “Name” which displays as text in search result.

After saving the file, re-search it again from the overview screen to see the magic:

How to Restore:

For any reason, you can easily remove the Gnome Software app using command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove gnome-software

And install back the original Ubuntu Software via command:

sudo snap install snap-store

That’s all. Enjoy!

Ubuntu is distributing more applications as the universal Snap package, but some users don’t like them. So I’m writing this tutorial for those want to completely get rid of Snap and prevent it from being installed back.

NOTE 1: Before getting started, please backup your app data, e.g., Firefox bookmarks. Attention that Ubuntu Software and App Center will also be removed after following this tutorial.
NOTE 2: This tutorial is tested and works in Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 24.04. It should also work on official flavors, e.g, XUbuntu, KUbuntu, etc.

Step 1. Remove Snap apps and the Daemon

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

1.) List all installed snap applications:

snap list

They are by default Snap Store (Ubuntu Software), Firefox, default theme, and few core packages.

2.) Remove the apps one by one, Firefox and Snap-store go first, then theme package, gnome platform (in sandbox), and finally base packages and snapd daemon. NOTE: the package names may vary depends on “snap list” output.

sudo snap remove --purge firefox
sudo snap remove --purge snap-store
sudo snap remove --purge gnome-3-38-2004

Also run snap remove command to remove “gtk-common-themes”, “snapd-desktop-integration”, “bare”, “core20”, and finally “snapd”.

3.) Finally remove the Snap daemon package via apt:

sudo apt remove --autoremove snapd

Step 2. Block Snap package

After completely removed snap packages, you may prevent Ubuntu from installing them back by settings low priority for the Snapd package. Here’s how to do the trick inspired by the way Linux Mint 20 did.

1.) Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run the command below to create and open a configuration file:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/preferences.d/nosnap.pref

For Ubuntu 24.04, replace gedit with gnome-text-editor. For non-GNOME desktop, use your system text editor or nano (Ctrl+S to save, and Ctrl+X to exit) that works for all.
When the file opens, paste lines below to tell refuse snapd from any repository:

# To prevent repository packages from triggering the installation of snap,
# this file forbids snapd from being installed by APT.

Package: snapd
Pin: release a=*
Pin-Priority: -10

2. After save the file, refresh package cache via command:

sudo apt update

Now, whenever you try to installed a Snap package or the daemon, it outputs either unmet dependencies (snapd) or package has no installation candidate.

How to Restore:

If you change your mind, run the commands below at any time will install back the Snap apps.

Firstly, run command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) to unblock the daemon:

sudo rm /etc/apt/preferences.d/nosnap.pref

Then, install Ubuntu Software via command:

sudo snap install snap-store

And install Firefox as snap if you want by running command:

sudo apt install firefox

To run Microsoft Windows applications in Ubuntu Linux, Wine or CrossOver (paid version) is a good choice. And here’s how to install and use Wine in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 24.04, and Ubuntu 20.04

In this tutorial, you’ll see 2 ways to install Wine in Ubuntu. Choose either one that you prefer.

NOTE: NOT all Windows apps can install & run through Wine. See this page for the list of apps compatible with Wine.

Option 1: Install Wine from Ubuntu repository:

Ubuntu included Wine package in its own repository, though it’s old. User may simply press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal and run command to install it:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 && sudo apt install wine

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) and hit Enter to authentication for sudo.

After installed package run winecfg in terminal to generate configuration file. And, run command to make link the .desktop file:

sudo ln -s /usr/share/doc/wine/examples/wine.desktop /usr/share/applications/

Finally, you may right-click on an EXE file to run via “Wine Windows Program Loader” option:

Option 2: Install Latest Wine 10.0 from its official repository:

The Wine developer team provides an official apt repository for Debian/Ubuntu based systems. Now the repository contains Wine 10.0 stable, and the new Dev versions.

The repository so far supports Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 24.04! It also works for Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 18.04, but old versions will be installed (Wine 5.0.3 for 16.04, and Wine 8.0.1 for 18.04).

1. Install Wine key

The repository now has updated with new method to install the key to follow Debian policy, as apt-key is deprecated. However, it’s still ASCII-armored key so far.

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, create the directory for storing the keys:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings

Then, run the single command to download the key, dearmor, and move to “/etc/apt/keyrings” directory:

wget -qO - https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/winehq-archive.key

Type user password (no visual feedback) when it asks. And, the command should output unreadable text as the screenshot below shows you:

2. Add Wine repository:

Next run the commands below one by one to download the repository setup file and move to “/etc/apt/sources.list.d” directory.

sudo wget -NP /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/dists/$(lsb_release -sc)/winehq-$(lsb_release -sc).sources

NOTE: This command is for Ubuntu only. “$(lsb_release -sc)” returns system’s code-name. For Linux Mint and other Ubuntu based system, replace it with jammy (22.04), focal (20.04), or noble (24.04) depends on which Ubuntu edition your system is based on.

If you don’t know which Ubuntu edition your system is based on, run cat /etc/os-release to tell through UBUNTU_CODENAME section.

3. Update cache

Before installing any package from that repository, you need to refresh system cache by running command in terminal:

sudo apt update

4. Install Wine:

The Wine repository provides three Wine packages:

  • winehq-stable – the stable version (v10.0 so far)
  • winehq-devel – the latest development release.
  • winehq-staging – the testing version with patches applied on top of the corresponding wine-devel

Select install one of the packages by running command below in terminal:

  • To install the stable edition use command:
    sudo apt install winehq-stable
  • Install wine development release via:
    sudo apt install winehq-devel
  • Or install wine-staging via command:
    sudo apt install winehq-staging

NOTE: It does not re-build old packages for new Linux systems. winehq-stable so far is not available for Ubuntu 22.04, since the new LTS is released after wine stable 7.0. User may wait for the next stable release (v7.0.1 or v8.0).

After installation, right-click on your EXE file and start it via Wine program loader option. See if your app works with wine.

How to Remove Wine:

1. To remove the Wine package, simply open terminal and run commands:

sudo apt remove wine winehq-stable winehq-staging winehq-devel

There will be local configuration files and app data left under .wine and .local/share/applications. They are hidden folders, press Ctrl+H in file manager to toggle display and remove them as you want.

2. To remove the Wine repository, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/winehq-*.sources

And remove the repository key via command:

sudo rm /etc/apt/keyrings/winehq-archive.key

Finally apply changes by running sudo apt update to refresh system package cache.

As you may know, GNOME 42 adopted Microsoft RDP protocol for its built-in remote desktop feature. Ubuntu 22.04 Beta previously excluded it because of the bug due to mixed Gnome-control-center and Gnome-remote-desktop versions.

In recent updates, this feature is finally back. Users may now easily remote access to Ubuntu 22.04 desktop with the more secure and MS Windows friendly protocol.

Remote Ubuntu 22.04 desktop from Windows 11

Enable Remote Desktop in Ubuntu 22.04

1. Firstly, open system settings (Gnome Control Center) from the system tray menu.

2. Then navigate to ‘Sharing’ from left, and turn on the toggle icon on right-corner of app header. You can finally click “Remote Desktop” to enable the function and configure user, password, etc.

In my case, the first connection does not work until I re-start the remote-desktop service by running command (press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal):

systemctl --user restart gnome-remote-desktop.service

Connect to Ubuntu 22.04 from Windows 10/11

With RDP protocol, Windows user can simply search for and open the built-in ‘Remote Desktop Connection’ app from start menu.

Then type the computer name or IP address of Ubuntu 22.04 to connect.

In the authentication dialog, make sure the username and password you typed are correct and finally hit Enter to connect.

Connect from another Ubuntu or other Linux PC:

From another Ubuntu/Linux PC, search for and open ‘Remmina‘ (or Connections for Fedora) from the Activities overview screen.

When it opens, select ‘RDP’ and type the IP address to connection.

For laptop user, there could be a quite annoying issue that the ‘Airplane Mode’ automatically turns on when lid closed, or when the screen is tilted sideways.

For HP laptops running Ubuntu, Fedora, or other Linux using systemd, there’s a workaround by mapping the HP e057 and e058 scancodes to 240 (no-op key). So it won’t automatically turn on Airplane Mode, while the option in ‘Wi-Fi’ settings and fn + F12 key combination still function.

NOTE: This tutorial is tested and works in my Ubuntu 22.04 on HP 246 laptop. It may or may not work in your machine.

1. Create service to remap the scancode:

1.) Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to create a service file and edit via Gedit text editor:

sudo gedit /etc/systemd/system/hp-keycodes.service

Depends on your desktop environment, replace gedit in command with your system text editor (e.g., gnome-text-editor for Ubuntu 22.10+/Fedora workstation), or use nano command line editor that works in most Linux. When file opens, paste below lines and save it.

[Unit]
Description=HP setkeycodes fix

[Service]
Type=oneshot
Restart=no
RemainAfterExit=no
ExecStart=/usr/bin/setkeycodes e057 240 e058 240

[Install]
WantedBy=rescue.target
WantedBy=multi-user.target
WantedBy=graphical.target

As mentioned, this service will map e057 and e058 scancodes to no operation keycode 240.

2. Enable the service

2.) After saving the file (for nano, press Ctrl+X, type y and hit Enter), reload and enable the service by running commands below one by one:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable hp-keycodes.service

And finally restart your computer and check the result!

Undo the changes:

If the method does not work for you, simply run the command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) to disable the service:

sudo systemctl disable hp-keycodes.service

Next remove the file:

sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/hp-keycodes.service

Finally restart your machine to apply change.

JetBrains announced the 2022.1 release of its PyCharm IDE few days ago. Here’s how to install in Ubuntu in different ways.

What’s New in PyCharm 2022.1

This is the first release of the IDE in 2022. Release highlights include (see release note for details):

  • Basic http authentication support for custom package repositories
  • Enhanced code completion for TypedDict
  • Improved TypedDict per-key warnings
  • Run commands directly from Markdown files
  • New Copy code snippet for Markdown.
  • Code cells remain in Edit mode after execution (Pro)
  • Optimized cell copy-pasting (Pro)
  • MongoDB: Editing fields in results (Pro)
  • New Services UI for Docker (Pro)

How to Install PyCharm 2022.1 in Ubuntu Linux

Method 1: Snap package

JetBrains provides official package for Ubuntu users through the Snap which runs in sandbox. Ubuntu user may just search for and install it from Ubuntu Software:

For choice, you may also press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard and run commands below to install it:

sudo snap install pycharm-community --classic

And you may replace pycharm-community with pycharm-professional in command for pro edition.

Method 2: Flatpak package

The IDE is also available to install as Flatpak, another universal package runs in sandbox.

1. First press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard and run command to install Flatpak daemon:

sudo apt install flatpak

2. Next, install the Python IDE as Flatpak using command:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.jetbrains.PyCharm-Community.flatpakref

For the Professional edition, use command:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.jetbrains.PyCharm-Professional.flatpakref

Method 3: Linux Tarball

For those don’t like the Snap and/or Flatpak, there’s no official .deb package available though you may keep an eye on this unofficial PPA.

There’s however Linux tarball available to download in its website:

After downloaded the package, extract and run the “pycharm.sh” file under ‘bin’ sub-folder will launch the IDE.

Create app shortcut so to launch PyCharm IDE from start menu

The Linux tarball lacks app shortcut integration. Here’s how to create one manually.

1.) For current user only, I’d recommend to move the source folder into “.local/bin” folder.

Open ‘Files’, press Ctrl+H, and then navigate to “.local -> bin (create if not exist)”. Then, move the source folder from Downloads to that directory.

2.) Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal, and verify by running command:

~/.local/bin/pycharm-*/bin/pycharm.sh

If the IDE launches, you can now create app shortcuts via the next step.

3.) In terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T), run command to create a shortcut file and edit via Gedit text editor:

gedit ~/.local/share/applications/pycharm-community.desktop

When the file opens, add following lines:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=PyCharm Community
Exec=/home/ji/.local/bin/pycharm-community-2022.1/bin/pycharm.sh
Icon=/home/ji/.local/bin/pycharm-community-2022.1/bin/pycharm.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Application;Development;
Keywords=ide;python;charm;
StartupWMClass=jetbrains-pycharm-ce

NOTE: you need to change the value of “Exec” and “Icon” by replacing ji with your username, and community with professional for Pro edition.

Tip: you may just Press Ctrl+L in file manager to copy the PATH to current folder quickly. And then paste in the previous text editor.

NOTE: If you write wrong value for ‘Exec’, the app won’t appear in system start menu (Show Applications) search results.

Remove PyCharm:

To remove the IDE, run the command below accordingly. Replace community to professional, or Community to Professional for Pro edition.

Remove the Snap package via command:

sudo snap remove pycharm-community

To remove the Flatpak package:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.jetbrains.PyCharm-Community

And, remove the tarball package via command:

rm -R ~/.local/bin/pycharm-* ~/.local/share/applications/pycharm-*.desktop

Want to play some nature sounds or ambient noise on Linux? Blanket is a really good choice with a stylish user interface.

As far as know, there are 2 good open-source applications in Linux for playing ambient sounds. They are ‘Blanket‘ who has a good design on its UI, and ‘Anoise‘ which has many more cool sounds but looks ugly.

For Ubuntu 22.04, Fedora 36 or Arch Linux user with GNOME 42, Blanket looks more native because of the dark mode support and GTK4 + libadwaita port.

As you see in the picture, it can play some nature sounds including Rain, Storm, Wind, Waves, Stream, Birdsong, Summer Night, as well as a few travels, coffee shop, and other noises.

The app starts playing either by clicking on a sound icon or moving the volume control slider. It supports multiple sounds playback. All playing sound icons are highlighted. By clicking on the icons can mute/un-mute them, though there’s a global start/stop button in the top-left.

Though it has only more than a dozen of sounds, there’s “Add Custom Sounds” button in the bottom to add your own sounds. And, it supports presets and can run in background and control via the Clock menu button.

Install Blanket in Ubuntu & other Linux:

Method 1: Install Blanket via universal Flatpak

The app is available to install as Flatpak for most Linux. Just follow the official setup guide.

For Ubuntu, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal and run command to install the daemon:

sudo apt install flatpak

Then install Blanket as Flatpak via command:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.rafaelmardojai.Blanket.flatpakref

Method 2: Install Blanket via Ubuntu PPA

For those prefer the classic .deb package, there’s an official Ubuntu PPA. Though the package there may not be the latest due to dependency issue.

To add the PPA, press Ctrl+Alt+T and run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:apandada1/blanket

To install the Blanket via deb package, run command:

sudo apt install blanket

How to Remove Blanket:

For the Flatpak package, remove it via command:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.rafaelmardojai.Blanket

To remove the package from PPA, use command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove blanket

And remove the Ubuntu PPA by running command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:apandada1/blanket

This simple tutorial shows how to install Google Earth Pro or Enterprise Client in Ubuntu 22.04 step by step.

Today we can use Google Earth easily in web browser or mobile phone. For those still need a desktop app, Google’s official apt repository provides the .deb packages for Debian/Ubuntu Linux.

1. Setup the key:

To add the Google Earth repository, you need to first install the key so your Ubuntu will trust the package from that repository.

To do so, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal and run the command below:

wget -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/earth.gpg

This is a single command that download the key file, dearmor it, and install as ‘earth.gpg’ file under ‘/etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d’ to follow the new Debian policy.

In case the command STUCK at blinking cursor, type user password (no visual feedback) and hit Enter for sudo authentication. And it should finally output un-readable messy code.

2. Add Google Earth repository:

After setup the key, run the command below will add the Google Earth apt repository into your system:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/earth/deb/ stable main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list'

This command will create google.list file under ‘/etc/apt/sources.list.d’ directory, and write the line “deb [arch=amd64] http://… main” (without quotes) into that file.

3. Install Google Earth

Finally, refresh system package cache via command:

sudo apt update

And, then install the application by running command:

sudo apt install google-earth-pro-stable

You may replace google-earth-pro with google-earth-ec for Enterprise Client

After installation, search for and launch it from ‘Activities’ overview screen and enjoy!

Remove Google Earth and its repository

After installed the package, it setup the apt repository again so you’ll get duplicated warning next time you run apt update.

To fix it, launch “Software & Updates” and remove one of the sources under “Other Software” tab.

Or remove all of them if you don’t want to get updates from the repository any more.

And to remove the Google Earth package, run the command below in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo apt remove google-earth-*-stable

That’s all. Enjoy!