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Archives For November 30, 1999

4 Tools / Extensions to Add Falling Snow Effect on Ubuntu 20.04 /21.10 Desktop

Last updated: December 24, 2021

Christmas is coming. It’s snowing lightly outside in my city! Let me show you the ways to enable falling snow animation effect on your Ubuntu or other Linux desktop!

1. XSnow

XSnow is till in active development. It enables falling snow effects in GNOME, XFCE, KDE, LXDE, OPENBOX, etc. Which means, user may run it in Ubuntu, XUbuntu, KUbuntu, Debian, and other based Linux distributions. It also works on RPM based Linux (e.g., Fedora) though the package from system’s own repositories.

Snow by default is falling on top of opened app windows and screen bottom. So, you won’t see snowflakes if there’s a window maximized.

XSnow provides an user interface to configure how many snowflakes, size, color, etc. And, it also may display Santa, Scenery, birds and more.

The app provides modern 64-bit (amd64), old 32-bit (i386), and arm64/armhf (e.g., for Raspberry Pi) deb packages for Debian and Ubuntu based systems. Just select download the latest package from the link below:

Download XSnow

Then double-click the ‘.deb’ package to install via your system package manager. You can finally launch it from start menu (Activities overview) and enjoy.

2. Snow Extension:

For Ubuntu, Fedora Workstation, and other Linux with GNOME desktop, user may enable falling snow effect via extension.

And ‘Snow’ is one of the Gnome extensions that just do the job! It adds an indicator applet in system tray, with option to turn on / off the animation. It just works, nothing else!

Install Snow Exentension

To install the extension, click the button above to open the extension web page and turn on the slider icon. If you don’t see the switch, install web browser extension (via link in that page) and refresh the page.

NOTE: Firefox as Snap (defaults in Ubuntu 21.10) does not support installing Gnome extensions so far. use another browser instead. And, Ubuntu user needs to first install “chrome-gnome-shell” package by running command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell

Let it Snow extension:

Similar to the previous extension, but with a few more features. This extension adds an indicate applet allows to control how much snow you want. It works with multiple monitors and will NOT fall over currently active window.

Sadly, the extension so far supports GNOME up to v3.38 though it works good in Ubuntu 20.04.

Let it Snow

DownFall:

The extension adds falling text animation in GNOME desktop. Though the author says it can simulate leaves, snow, fireworks, and ufos, but I don’t know how!

Via Gnome Extensions app, user may configure the TEXT to fall, color, font, direction, and a few other behaviors.

Configure DoenFall

Install DownFall extension

To configure this extension, user needs to install Gnome Extensions app via command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-prefs

For Fedora, use sudo dnf install gnome-extensions-app command to install it. Then search for open it from ‘Activities’ overview screen.

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GIMP 2.10.30 Released! Improved file format support, Prefer Freedesktop API

Last updated: December 21, 2021

GIMP image editor got a new bug-fix release for the current 2.10 stable series today. Here’s what’s new and how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04 & Ubuntu 21.10.

GIMP 2.10.30 improved several file format supports. PSD support received various types of improvements allowing it to load more sub-cases of PSD. And, AVIF export now favors AOM encoder.

Color picking from Colors dockable can now use the Freedesktop API when available. The screenshot plugin for GNOME 41 has been dropped due to restricted API. And, in KDE it uses in priority the Freedesktop API.

Other changes in GIMP 2.10.30 include:

  • Do not follow subpixel font rendering choice from system settings for text layer rendering.
  • Rewrite the core selection drawing logics so that it works on macOS Big Sur and over.
  • On Windows, move from GetICMProfile() to WcsGetDefaultColorProfile() API because the former is broken in Windows 11.
  • Extension .avif now associated to GIMP.
  • Various improvements to metadata support.

How to Install GIMP 2.10.30 in Ubuntu:

1. GIMP Flatpak:

The project team recommends the flatpak package, the universal Linux package format runs in sandbox. Flatpak works on most Linux though it takes more disk space.

The package is available at flathub.org. Users need to follow the setup guide and install the flatpak via the command in the bottom of the link page.

2. GIMP Snap:

The image editor is also available as Snap, another universal package format developed by Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu.

The snap version is not updated at the moment. It however will automatically update to the latest (once published) after installed it. And the snap is available in Ubuntu Software:

3. Ubuntu PPA

For those stick to the NATIVE .deb package, GIMP 2.10.30 is available to install via this unofficial PPA in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, and Ubuntu 21.10 for 64-bit PC and/or arm64/armhf devices (e.g., Raspberry Pi).

Ubuntu 18.04 is excluded due to outdated system library. For choice, user may use this PPA which depends updated FFmpeg library that may break other packages in your system.

1.) Firstly, either search for and open terminal from the Activities overview screen, or press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When terminal opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gimp

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

2.) Next, install GIMP 2.10.30 either by running apt command in terminal:

sudo apt install gimp gegl libgegl-0.4-0

or upgrade the editor using Software Updater (Update Manager):

Remove PPA and restore GIMP:

For any issue, you can purge the Ubuntu PPA which will downgrade the installed packages to the stock versions. To do so, firstly install the ppa-purge utility:

sudo apt install ppa-purge

Next run command to purge the Ubuntu PPA:

sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gimp
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HP’s Linux Imaging & Printing Software HPLIP 3.21.12 Adds Fedora 35, MX Linux 21 Support

Last updated: December 20, 2021

HPLIP, HP’s inkjet and laser printers drivers for Linux, released 3.21.12 a few days ago with new Linux Distros support.

The released added Fedora 35, MX Linux 21, and Elementary OS 6 support. Since HPLIP package in these Linux Distros’ own repositories is always old, users may now easily install the latest version via the official script by HP.

And, nothing else in the release except for the new systems support.

Download & Install HPLIP 3.21.12

To get the software package, download the “hplip-x.xx.x.run” file from the link page below:

Download HPLIP

Next, search for and open a terminal window from start menu. And, run command to grant executable permission, and run the installer script to install it:

cd ~/Downloads && chmod +x hplip-*.run && ./hplip-*.run

Just follow the terminal output and answer questions. It will build and install the software automatically.

Tip 1: For those still using Python 2 and getting into python-pyqt5 dependency issue, see this workaround.

Tip 2: For unsupported Linux systems, you may manually install dependencies and built from the tarball. For Ubuntu based systems, there’s a tutorial teaches how to compile.

How to Remove HPLIP:

Running the “hplip-x.xx.x.run” installer will generate a source folder in user Downloads directory. If you don’t see it, re-run it via command:

~/Downloads/hplip*.run --target ~/Downloads/hplip

Then in file manager, go to “Downloads”. Right-click on ‘hplip’ folder and select ‘Open in Terminal’, finally run the uninstall script in pop-up terminal window:

sudo python3 uninstall.py

That’s all. Enjoy!

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Side-scrolling Game SuperTux 0.6.3 Beta Adds Swimming, Wall Jumping, & More Features

Last updated: December 19, 2021

2D jump’n’run game SuperTux released 0.6.3 Beta recently with many exciting new features.

SuperTux is a free open-source side-scroller inspired from the Super Mario Bros. Player may control a penguin called Tux in game to run and jump through multiple worlds, fighting off enemies, and reclaim Penny.

By releasing the 0.6.3 Beta, the game supports for WASM compilation. So, it can be played directly in the browser. There are also many great new features introduced in the release, including:

  • Swimming
  • Wall jumping
  • Autotiles
  • New snow tiles, objects
  • Add-on creator
  • Optional integration with Discord
  • Official binaries for FreeBSD, Linux 32-bit and Ubuntu Touch
  • Custom particles, in-game progress statistics, skippable cutscenes.
  • Updated animations, rework of the Revenge in Redmond worldmap.

How to Get SuperTux:

The game works on Linux, Windows and macOS. Its website provides the binary packages as well as the source tarball for downloading:

Download SuperTux

For Ubuntu and other Linux, it’s available in the system repositories. Just search for and install it via your system app store (Ubuntu Software).

And the package for the latest 0.6.3 Beta is available to download in Github releases via Assets. For Linux user, download the ‘.Appimage’ package, add executable permission in file Properties dialog, and finally click run it to start the game.

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Enable Cool Burning Animation on Window Close in Ubuntu 20.04 / Higher

Last updated: December 18, 2021

A new Gnome extension was created a few days ago to revive the old fashioned ‘windows on fire’ compiz effect.

When you click to close an app window, it fires the window and burns it down quickly. This useless but cool feature is developed by Simon Schneegans, who also has a few other great projects including Fly-Pie, GNOME Pie, and Desktop Cube.

The extension so far supports for GNOME 40 & 41. Which means, you needs Ubuntu 21.10, Fedora 34+, and/or Arch Linux. It somehow works very well in my Ubuntu 20.04 with GNOME 3.36.

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 to manage extensions:

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, try closing an app window and enjoy the new effect!

Uninstall the Gnome Extension:

To remove the extension, either go to the web page again and turn off the toggle icon. Or, search for and open ‘Gnome Extensions’ app from activities overview screen:

Manage Gnome Extensions

When the app opens, click to expand the extension and select remove it.

That’s all. Enjoy!

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Deluge BitTorrent Client 2.0.5 Released with Automatic Clipboard Detection

Last updated: December 17, 2021

The Deluge BitTorrent client got an update after more than 2 years of development by releasing v2.0.4 and then v2.0.5 with a quick fix.

Deluge is a lightweight, free and open-source, and cross-platform BitTorrent client written in Python. It uses libtorrent library and features full encryption, GTK, Web and console UI. And, it has a daemon package to run as a system service, allowing user to control remotely over the web.

The latest Deluge 2.0.5 was released a few days ago, introduced automatic detection of clipboard for the GTK UI. When you copied torrent URL or magnet link, the app will automatically open the link on focus, allowing to start downloading with a single mouse click.

Automatic detect URL from clipboard and open the dialog to start downloading

It also added menu option “View -> Tabs -> Position” to change the tabs (e.g., Status, Details, Options, Tracker) to top, left, right, or left side of window bottom.

Other changes in Deluge 2.0.5 (and 2.0.4) include:

  • Hide pygame community banner in console.
  • Add menu option to copy magnet URI for Web UI.
  • Add country flag alt/title for accessibility for Web UI.
  • Add workaround libtorrent 2.0 file_progress error
  • Fix Python 3.8 compatibility
  • Various bug-fixes.

How to Install Deluge 2.0.5 in Ubuntu via PPA:

The app provides source tarball, Windows, macOS, and Linux packages available to download at its website.

For Ubuntu / Linux Mint based systems, an official Ubuntu PPA is available with supports for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, Ubuntu 21.10, and next Ubuntu 22.04.

1.) Add the Deluge PPA

Either press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or search for and open terminal from start menu. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deluge-team/stable

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

2.) Install or upgrade Deluge BitTorrent Client:

If you’ve an old version installed on your system, use ‘Software Updater’ or Update Manager to upgrade the package to the latest:

Or, run command in terminal to check updates and install the client:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install deluge

The command will install the app with GTK user interface. For daemon (run as service), web UI, or console UI, install deluged, deluge-web, deluge-console package instead.

Uninstall / Downgrade Deluge:

For any reason, you may purge the Ubuntu PPA which also downgrade installed packages to the stock version in Ubuntu universe repository:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:deluge-team/stable

Or remote the BitTorrent client by running command:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove deluge*

Without purging the PPA, you may manage it via “Software & Updates” tool under “Other Software” tab.

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How to Change Airplane Mode Disable Behavior in Ubuntu 22.04 | 20.04

Last updated: April 14, 2023

For those running Ubuntu on laptop or notebook, there’s an ‘Airplane Mode’ option available in Wi-Fi settings page. When it enabled, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile broadband are turned off to disable wireless signal transmissions.

It’s usually good when to turn on the airplane mode. But, when disable this mode, Bluetooth gets turned on while user may only need Wi-Fi. So, a Gnome Extension ‘Sane Airplane Mode’ is created and allows to choose which devices to re-enable when disable the airplane mode.

Configure Airplane disable behavior

Note this extension changes the behavior only when you disable the Airplane mode. It does not support broadband so far. And, it has an issue that no way to automatically enable Bluetooth when turning off the airplane mode. User needs one more click in Bluetooth setting to enable the devices if want.

Install Sane Airplane Mode extension

The extension so far supports for GNOME version range from 3.36 to 43. Meaning, it works on Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 22.10.

Install the Extension for Ubuntu 22.04 & higher

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

Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu 22.04+

Then launch “Extension Manager”, and use it to search and install the “Sane Airplane Mode” extension under ‘Browse’ tab.

Once installed, switch back to ‘Installed’ tab. Then open the configuration page for that extension, and use the ON/OFF switches to configure the airplane mode behavior.

Install the Extension for Ubuntu 20.04

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

And ‘gnome-shell-extension-prefs’ package is also required to install the app to manage Gnome Extensions.

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

Sane Airplane Mode

 

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

Once installed, search for and open ‘Gnome Extensions’ app from activities overview:

Manage Gnome Extensions

Click on the gear button in the right of the extension to open settings and change the options status as you want.

That’s all. Enjoy!

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Control Keyboard Backlight Brightness via System Menu Slider Bar in Ubuntu

Last updated: December 14, 2021

Has a backlit keyboard in your PC? This extension makes possible to control the backlight brightness by adding a slider bar into upper right corner system tray menu in GNOME desktop.

Under system volume and screen brightness sliders, it adds a third slider bar allows to easily control the keyboard backlight.

The extension so far supports for GNOME 40 and GNOME 41. Which means, you need Ubuntu 21.10, Fedora 34 / 35, Arch Linux, or Manjaro Linux, etc. And, of course you must have a backlit keyboard that’s already properly working in your system.

The extension just provides easy way to control backlight brightness, so user does no longer need to open Gnome control center (aka ‘Settings’) every time or even edit any config file. It does NOT provide any Linux driver in case your backlit keyboard is not working properly.

Install Keyboard Backlight Slider Extension:

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

Here ‘gnome-shell-extension-prefs’ package is also recommended to install the app to manage Gnome Extensions.

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

Keyboard Backlight Slider

NOTE: Ubuntu 21.10 has Firefox as Snap package, 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.

Once installed, you should see the slider bar in system tray menu as the top picture shows. To turn it off or remove the extension, search for and open ‘Gnome Extensions’ app from activities overview:

Manage Gnome Extensions

The app lists all available Gnome Extensions as well as options to toggle on/off and uninstall.

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Kdenlive 21.12 Adds Slip Editing & Multicam Editing Support [Ubuntu PPA]

Last updated: December 14, 2021

The Kdenlive video editor 21.12 was released this Monday with exciting new features!

As the last release in 2021, it introduced Slip trimming mode support. By selecting a clip in the timeline, use may use menu “Tool -> Slip tool” to drag moving the clip. This will change the start and end points of the clip simultaneously while keeping the original duration.

Another big new feature is Multicam Editing. It allows to edit the multiple cameras’ footage. By adding video clips in different tracks but at the same position, user may enable it via “Tool -> Multicam tool“. Then, either press corresponding numbers (e.g., 1 for track v1 and 2 for track v2) or click in monitor to trim the clips in the desired track.

Kdenlive Slip Tool

Other changes in Kdenlive 21.12 include:

  • Initial Ripple edit implementation.
  • DaSiamRPN visual tracking algorithm.
  • New object obscure: Pixelate and Opaque Fill.
  • Multiple project Bins and speaking of Bins support.
  • User manual via Sphinx.
  • Stable for macOS with Intel.
  • Update code base license to GPLv3.

How to Install Kdenlive 21.12 in Ubuntu / Linux Mint:

The Kdenlive official PPA has been updated with the latest packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, Ubuntu 21.10, and their derivatives, e.g, Linux Mint 20, Elementary OS 6, and Zorin OS 16.

1.) Add Ubuntu PPA:

Open ‘terminal’ from your system application menu, then run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kdenlive/kdenlive-stable

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

2. ) Install or Upgrade Kdenlive:

If an old version of kdenlive was installed, you can upgrade it via Update Manager:

Or simply run command in terminal to install the video editor:

sudo apt install kdenlive

NOTE for Linux Mint or may be other Ubuntu based systems, you need to update the package cache manually by running sudo apt update command before installing the software.

Uninstall:

To purge the PPA as well as downgrade Kdenlive package, run command in terminal:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:kdenlive/kdenlive-stable

To remove the PPA only, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:kdenlive/kdenlive-stable

And to remove Kdenlive, run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove kdenlive kdenlive-data
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Liferea Feed Reader Can Now Convert TinyTinyRSS Sources to Local Subscriptions

Last updated: December 10, 2021

Liferea feed reader and news aggregator released version 1.13.7 a few days ago as the latest development release.

Liferea is a GTK+3 news reader with an embedded web browser. It supports for reading articles offline, force fetch full article text using HTML5 extraction, and subscribing to HTML5 websites that do not even have a feed.

It may also permanently save headlines in news bins, and supports for synchronizing with “TinyTinyRSS”, “TheOldReader”, and “Reedah”.

The 1.13.7 release continues working on the ‘Reader mode’. User now can toggle on/off Reader mode by right-clicking on lower right HTML view area via context menu option. And, it now allows to convert TinyTinyRSS subscriptions to local scriptions.

Other changes in Liferea 1.13.7 include:

  • Support for user-agent string customization and anonymization.
  • Add ‘Always show in Reduced Feed List’ option in news bin properties.
  • Execute feed pipe/filter commands asynchronously.
  • Fix HTML view blanking when following links by left click
  • Fix UI blocking when using command pipes or feed filters
  • Fix truncated content after Youtube embeds
  • Fix wrong (doubled) number of unread items
  • And other fixes, translation and documentation updates.

How to Install Liferea in Ubuntu Linux:

The RSS feed reader is available to install via universal Flatpak package.

Some users stick to the native deb package, so I uploaded it into may personal PPA for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, Ubuntu 21.10 and derivatives, e.g., Linux Mint 20. Due to outdated dependency library, Ubuntu 18.04 is not supported in this PPA.

1. Add the Ubuntu PPA:

First, either search for and open terminal from start menu, or simply press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When terminal opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

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

2. Install / Upgrade Liferea:

Since Ubuntu 20.04+ checks package updates automatically while adding PPA, you can now run command to install the feed reader:

sudo apt install liferea

or launch ‘Software Updater’ and upgrade the package from an old release. NOTE: some Ubuntu based systems may require to manually update cache via sudo apt update command first.

How to Remove Liferea and the Ubuntu PPA:

The PPA also contains some other software packages, so you may remove it after installing Liferea, by either running command:

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

or using “Software & Updates” utility under “Other Software” tab to manage all third-party repositories.

And to remove Liferea feed reader, use command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove liferea
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