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Archives For November 30, 1999

Firefox 92.0 Released with More Secure HTTPS Connection / Full-range Color

Last updated: September 7, 2021

Mozilla Firefox 92.0 was released today with new features and various security fixes.

The release will use HTTPS resource record (HTTPS RR) as Alt-Svc headers to make connections more secure.

The full-range color (0-255) levels are now supported for video playback. Though the limited color range (16-235) is ideal for movies and TV, the source can be switched to full-range color to match PC monitor.

For Mac, users can now access the macOS share options from the Firefox File menu. And it enables support for images containing ICC v4 profiles.

Other changes include:

  • Firefox performance with screen readers and other accessibility tools is no longer severely degraded if Mozilla Thunderbird is installed or updated after Firefox.
  • macOS VoiceOver now correctly reports buttons and links marked as ‘expanded’ using the aria-expanded attribute.
  • An open alert in a tab no longer causes performance issues in other tabs using the same process.
  • The bookmark toolbar menus on macOS now follow Firefox visual styles.
  • Certificate error pages have been redesigned for a better user experience.

How to Install Firefox 92:

Usually, Ubuntu will publish the new Firefox package in next few days. The best choice is just wait!

You’ll see the packages in Software Updater once published:

Or see the release note & download the Linux portable package from this page.

In News
 

How to Install Virtualbox Guest Additions in Ubuntu 21.10 [Quick Fix]

Last updated: September 6, 2021

This simple tutorial shows how to install Virtualbox Guest Additions in Ubuntu based systems, e.g., Linux Mint, Zorin OS and Elementary OS, with fix or workaround for common issues.

Guest Additions is a set of device drivers and system applications to install in Guest OS. It’s useful when you try to share folder and/or clipboard between guest and host, enable USB support etc. Installing the software suite is easy via a menu option. However, it might not function in some cases.

Install Guest Additions in the Normal Way

Firstly, start and login the Guest OS. Then go to VM menu “Devices -> Insert Guest Additions CD image“.

Usually, a pop-up dialog will open and prompt whether to run autorun script or not. Just click “Run” and it starts to install the guest additions after you typing user password in authentication dialog.

After installation, the additions will function in next boot of the Guest OS.

[Workaround] Unable to insert the virtual optical disk:

Sometimes it outputs an error “Unable to insert the virtual optical disk … into the machine …” when you click on the menu option in VM (VirtualBox Machine).

It happens in my case when trying to install the additions in Elementary OS 6. And it will pop-up an error dialog:

Don’t know why but do following steps will fix the issue in next Guest boot:

1.) Power off the Guest OS, then go to its Settings page. Under the Storage settings, remove the attached iso under Controller:IDE.

2.) Next add new optical drive, and click “Leave Empty” in the select dialog.

After saving the changes, start the Guest OS and try to install the additions again.

Manually Download & Install Guest Additions:

Nothing happens when clicking ‘Insert Guest Additions CD image’ option? You can download the iso, mount it, and install the Guest Additions manually.

1.) Firstly start the VirtualBox Machine, download the iso image for your VirtualBox edition, usually “VBoxGuestAdditions_x.x.xx.iso”, from the link button below:

Download VBoxGuestAdditions

2.) Next open the Downloads folder, right-click or (double-click) on the file and select to mount the iso image.

The dialog should pop-up allows you to select “Run” to install the additions. If not, go to the mounted folder from the left pane in file manager. Right-click on blank area and select ‘Open in Terminal‘ to open a terminal window and navigate to the directory automatically.

When terminal opens, run the .run installer manually via command:

sudo ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

That’s all. Enjoy!

In Howtos
 

HPLIP 3.21.8 Released with RHEL 8.4, Linux Mint 20.2 & More Printers Support

Last updated: September 6, 2021

HPLIP, Hewlett-Packard’s Linux imaging and printing software, released version 3.21.8 with new printers support.

The open-source HP printer and scanner driver add some new devices support. They are:

  • HP Smart Tank 500 series
  • HP Smart Tank 530 series
  • HP Smart Tank Plus 570 series
  • HP Smart Tank 7600
  • HP Smart Tank 750
  • HP Smart Tank 790
  • HP Smart Tank Plus 710-720
  • HP Smart Tank Plus 7000
  • HP Smart Tank Plus 660-670
  • HP Smart Tank Plus 6000
  • HP DeskJet Ink Advantage Ultra 4800 All-in-One Printer series

And Linux Mint 20.2, RHEL 8.4 and Manjaro 21.0.7 are officially supported according to the release note.

How to Install HPLIP 3.21.8 in Ubuntu:

The official installer package, “hplip-3.21.8.run“, is available to download at the link below:

Download HPLIP

After downloaded the file, open the Downloads folder in terminal by right-clicking on blank area in that directory and choose ‘Open in Terminal.’

Open Downloads folder in terminal

When terminal opens, add executable permission to the file by running command:

chmod u+x hplip-3.21.8.run

Then run the installer and follow terminal output to start installing the driver:

./hplip-3.21.8.run

For the python-pyqt5 dependency issue, see this how to tutorial. Or, you can manually install the dependencies via command:

sudo apt-get install libcups2 cups libcups2-dev cups-bsd cups-client libcupsimage2-dev libdbus-1-dev build-essential ghostscript openssl libjpeg-dev libsnmp-dev libtool-bin libusb-1.0-0-dev wget python3-pil policykit-1 policykit-1-gnome python3-pyqt5 python3-dbus.mainloop.pyqt5 python-gi-dev python3-dev python3-notify2 python3 python3-reportlab libsane libsane-dev sane-utils xsane libavahi-client-dev libavahi-core-dev

And compile it from source folder (generated automatically once you run the .run file) via configure, make, sudo make install.

Uninstall HPLIP 3.21.8:

While installing the driver, it creates a source folder that contains an uninstall script. Until you remove that folder, you can run the script to remove HPLIP:

cd ~/Downloads/hplip-3.21.8/ && sudo ./uninstall.py
In News
 

Add ‘Open File/Folder as Root / Administrator’ in Elementary OS 6 [Update 2021]

Last updated: September 4, 2021

This is a step by step tutorial shows how to add “open as root (or administrator)” option in Pantheon file browser in Elementary OS 6 Odin.

Elementary OS now is at version 6.0 based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. For those looking for the “Open as Administrator” function to open system file via root user permission, or do copy & paste things outside of user’s home directory, things have changed.

The executable command for the file manager now is io.elementary.files, and the command to start text editor is io.elementary.code. Both are named in Flatpak app style. Gksu has gnone, and “pkexec” takes the place to allow an authorized user to execute program as root.

Add Open as Admin action in Elementary OS 6:

1. ) Firstly, search for and open “terminal” from the top-left corner Applications menu.

2. When terminal opens, run command to create (& edit via nano) the configuration file for option to edit file as root user privilege:

sudo nano /usr/share/contractor/io.elementary.code.open-as-root.contract

When the file opens in terminal, paste following lines and save via Ctrl+X, type y and hit Enter.

[Contractor Entry]
Name=Edit as Administrator
Icon=io.elementary.code
Description=Edit file via root user privilege
MimeType=text/plain;
Exec=pkexec io.elementary.code %U
Gettext-Domain=code

3. And create another config file for an option to open folder as root permission:

sudo nano /usr/share/contractor/io.elementary.files.open-as-root.contract

Then paste the following lines and save it (Ctrl+X, type y, and hit Enter):

[Contractor Entry]
Name=Open as Administrator
Icon=system-file-manager
Description=Open a folder via root user privilege
MimeType=inode/directory;
Exec=pkexec io.elementary.files %U
Gettext-Domain=file manager

After creating the two files, “Edit as Administrator” and “Open as Administrator” context menu option appear when right-clicking a file or folder immediately without restart.

As you see, you can create more actions by creating files with “.contract” extension under /usr/share/contractor directory. The name will be displayed as menu option, and you can find value of icon, MineType and Exec by checking the app shortcut file (.desktop) under /usr/share/applications directory.

That’s all. Enjoy!

In Howtos ,
 

Gtkeddit – GTK4 Reddit App Designed for Linux Mobile Such as Pinephone

Last updated: September 3, 2021

For Reddit users, Gtkeddit is another GTK app for Linux desktop and mobile.

It’s a free and open-source app written in C++. With the libadwaita library (formerly libhandy), it has an adaptive UI that works on Linux phones such as the Pinephone.

The software has dark mode for working at night, though I don’t find how to enable it in Ubuntu using the Flatpak package. And it allows you to browser without an account.

Compare to Giara, another Reddit App written in Python with GTK4, the UI navigation feels good and smoother in Gtkeddit. Though it freezes every time during loading new content, maybe due to my poor VPN network connection.

All functions including new post, rely and comment work in new navigation page instead of a pop-over dialog. And the developer promoted that it works better on Pinephone, boots and runs faster on slow hardware.

Other features in Gtkeddit:

  • Browse home feed
  • Search subreddits/users/posts
  • Submit Text/Url/Images/Videos
  • View images, galleries
  • Watch Reddit/Youtube videos in app
  • View and reply to posts/comments
  • Save posts / comments
  • Browse user Saved/Upvoted/Downvoted/Hidden/Gilded posts
  • Browse user Subreddits

How to Install Gtkeddit:

Most Linux can install the app via the Flatpak package from the flathub page. For Ubuntu users, there’s a step by step guide for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04 and higer.

1.) Firstly, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the daemon if you don’t have it:

sudo apt install flatpak

Flatpak supports Ubuntu 18.04 and even Ubuntu 16.04, you have to add the Ubuntu PPA first!

2.) Then add the flathub repository, the preferred place to get Flatpak apps.

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

3.) Finally, install the Reddit App via command:

flatpak install flathub io.gitlab.caveman250.gtkeddit

Like normal apps, open it by searching from start menu and enjoy!

Uninstall Gtkeddit:

To remove the app, simply use command:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data io.gitlab.caveman250.gtkeddit

Remove the --delete-data if you want to keep the personal data for the app. And run command to run unused runtime which may free up more disk spaces.

flatpak uninstall --unused
In App Review
 

Apostrophe – An Elegant Markdown Editor You Should Try in Ubuntu Linux

Last updated: September 2, 2021

For Gnome fans, Apostrophe is a clean and intuitive Markdown editor you should try!

Apostrophe is one of the Gnome Circle Apps that provides a modern and distraction-free writing environment for Linux.

The editor supports for inputting via Pandoc’s Markdown, CommonMark, GitHub Flavored Markdown, MultiMarkdown and Plan Markdown formats.

The app has Light, Dark, and Gray (maybe) UI appearance. The ‘Hemingway Mode’ is available which will disable the backspace key. And ‘Focus Mode’ will highlight the current line, remove header and bottom bar to provide a zen-like environment when writing.

With inline preview, it formats your text automagically for you. By Ctrl+Clicking on anything, it shows popover preview, links, footnotes, equations.

Live Preview can be set to full window, right / bottom part, or a separate window. In bottom right it indicates how many words you wrote. It also counts characters, sentences, paragraphs, and read time.

And you can save you work as PDF, HTML, ODT. An advanced export dialog allows exporting to more formats including:

  • LibreOffice Text Document.
  • Microsoft Word(docx).
  • EPUB v3.
  • HTML5 Slideshow (reveal.js, DZSlides)
  • LaTeX (tex)
  • LaTeX Beamer Slideshow (tex, pdf)
  • Textile, Texinfo, and more.

How to Install Apostrophe in Ubuntu Linux:

The software is available as universal Flatpak package. You can install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04 and higher via following steps:

1.) Open terminal from start menu, and run command to add the Flatpak PPA for Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 18.04:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:flatpak/stable

And run sudo apt-get update command to update cache afterwards.

2.) Install the Flatpak daemon if you don’t have it:

sudo apt install flatpak

3.) Add Flathub repository (considered official) that hosts the package:

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

4.) Finally install Apostrophe Markdown editor:

flatpak install flathub org.gnome.gitlab.somas.Apostrophe

Uninstall:

To remove the editor as well as your personal app data, run command in terminal:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data org.gnome.gitlab.somas.Apostrophe
In App Review
 

Kart Racing Game SuperTuxKart 1.3 Adds Nintendo Switch Support

Last updated: October 2, 2021

The popular kart racing game SuperTuxKart 1.3 finally goes stable! Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and Ubuntu 21.04.

After a year of development, the game now is ported to Switch though you need to have Homebrew installed. So the 3D open-source arcade racer now works on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS (beta), and Nintendo Switch.

photo via erik mclean (edited)

Thanks to SDL2 and Mary, there’s an option to enable force feedback. You can find it in ‘Options -> Controls’ if you have a controller that support the feature.

The graphics settings now provides “render resolution” option. With it, the resolution can be lowered by up to 50% to get better frame rates.

Other changes in SuperTuxKart 1.3 include:

  • URLs in text on STK UI are now clickable.
  • Lap line extensions to make sure the lap counting still takes place even if you drive a little bit off the road.
  • New high scores selection screen
  • updated SuperTuxKart Blender scripts
  • New Arenas and Karts:
    • Ancient Colosseum Labyrinth – new battle arena in a dark environment inspired by the Rome colosseum.
    • Alien Signal – arena based on a real location of the SETI program.
    • Sara the Racer replaced by the cute Pepper from Pepper&Carrot.
    • Gnu has got a new look, Adiumy and Emule also got a makeover.

See SuperTuxKart 1.3 in video:

https://trailer.supertuxkart.net/1.3/trailer.mp4?_=1

How to Get SuperTuxKart 1.3 RC:

Linux Tarball:

Users can grab the Linux tar bar from the github release page (under assets):

SuperTuxKart Releases

Then extract, right-click on the “run_game.sh” file and select Run to launch the game.

Ubuntu PPA:

The racing game has an official Ubuntu PPA that contains packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, Ubuntu 21.10, and their based systems, e.g., Linux Mint 20 and Zorin OS 16.

1.) To add the PPA. Open terminal by either pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or searching from the activities overview screen. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stk/dev

2.) Next, update the system package cache. This is done automatically in Ubuntu 20.04 and higher, though Ubuntu 18.04 and some Ubuntu based systems need to run this command manually:

sudo apt update

3.) Finally, install the game package via apt command:

sudo apt install supertuxkart

How to Remove SuperTuxkart:

To remove kart racing game, simply run the apt command with remove flag in terminal window:

sudo apt remove --autoremove supertuxkart supertuxkart-data

And remove the Ubuntu PPA using command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:stk/dev
In News
 

Giara 1.0 Released – Reddit App for Linux Desktop & Smart Phone

Last updated: August 31, 2021

Giara, the Reddit app for Gnome, released version 1.0. It’s now based on GTK4.

Giara is a free and open-source client for Reddit that runs on Linux. The software is written in Python 3 programming language. With GTK framework and libadwaita (formerly libhandy), it has a modern and adaptive user interface works on both desktop and Linux mobile devices.

What’s New in Giara 1.0:

The new release moves to GTK4 and libadwaita (the GTK 4 port of libhandy), makes the UI more modern. However, due to outdated system libraries the PPA package (unofficial) will not update until Ubuntu 22.04 (maybe).

With built-in image viewer, the 1.0 release has new and improved picture view, adds support for picture galleries. The NSFW (not safe for work) images that involve nudity, sexual content, and so forth are now blurred.

Other changes include optimized post lists based on ListView, custom emojis in post flairs, many improvements and bug-fixes.

How to Install Giara:

For Arch Linux only, an AUR repository is available, while other Linux can install the app via Flatpak package.

Flatpak is an universal Linux package format runs in sandbox. It’s supported out-of-the-box in some distributins, e.g., CentOS, Fedora, Linux Mint, though it needs a separate daemon for running the apps.

And below will show you how to install Giara Flatpak in Ubuntu 20.04 and higher:

1.) Firstly, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the daemon if you don’t have it:

sudo apt install flatpak

Flatpak supports Ubuntu 18.04 and even Ubuntu 16.04, though you have to add the Ubuntu PPA first!

2.) Then add the flathub repository, the preferred place to get Flatpak apps.

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

3.) Finally, install the Reddit App via command:

flatpak install flathub org.gabmus.giara

Like normal apps, open it by searching from start menu and enjoy!

Uninstall Giara:

To remove the app, simply use command:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data org.gabmus.giara

Remove the --delete-data if you want to keep the personal data for the app. And run command to run unused runtime which may free up more disk spaces.

flatpak uninstall --unused
In News
 

Linux Kernel 5.14 Released! How to Install in Ubuntu

Last updated: August 30, 2021

Linux Kernel 5.14 was released with latest features and new hardware support. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu.

Linus Torvalds announced the release of Kernel 5.14 this Sunday:

So I realize you must all still be busy with all the galas and fancy balls and all the other 30th anniversary events, but at some point you must be getting tired of the constant glitz, the fireworks, and the champagne. That ball gown or tailcoat isn’t the most comfortable thing, either. The celebrations will go on for a few more weeks yet, but you all may just need a breather from them.

And when that happens, I have just the thing for you – a new kernel release to test and enjoy. Because 5.14 is out there, just waiting for you to kick the tires and remind yourself what all the festivities are about.
…

What’s New in Kernel 5.14:

The new Kernel introduced Core Scheduling to reduce SMT/HT information leak risks, new graphics support including AMD Yellow Carp, AMD Beige Goby, and Intel Alder Lake P.

There are also new or improved hardware support, including:

  • AMD Smart Shift laptops.
  • AMD SFH support for light sensor and human presence detection with newer AMD Ryzen laptops.
  • Dell Hardware Privacy laptop support.
  • Raspberry Pi 400 support.
  • Microsoft Xbox One Controller select/share button support.

How to Install Kernel 5.13 in Ubuntu:

The Mainline Kernel PPA provides packages for Ubuntu 21.04 and Ubuntu 21.10. However, it does not include any Ubuntu-provided drivers or patches, and NOT supported and are not appropriate for production use.

The .deb packages for amd64, arm64, ppc64el and s390x are available to download at the link below:

Download Kernel 5.13

For personal computers, select generic for common system, or lowlatency for a low latency system (e.g. for recording audio):

  • linux-headers-5.14.0-xxxxxx_all.deb
  • linux-headers-5.14.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb
  • linux-modules-5.14.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb
  • linux-image-xxx-5.14.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb

A graphical tool, Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer, is available to make life easier.

For those familiar with Linux command, open terminal and run commands one by one to download & install the packages:

cd /tmp/

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.14/amd64/linux-headers-5.14.0-051400_5.14.0-051400.202108292331_all.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.14/amd64/linux-headers-5.14.0-051400-generic_5.14.0-051400.202108292331_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.14/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-5.14.0-051400-generic_5.14.0-051400.202108292331_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.14/amd64/linux-modules-5.14.0-051400-generic_5.14.0-051400.202108292331_amd64.deb

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

Once installed, restart your computer and enjoy!

Since the previous packages needs Ubuntu 21.04+, you may keep an eye on this third-party PPA which re-build the Kernel with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS support.

Uninstall Linux Kernel 5.14:

Restart your machine and select boot with the previous kernel in boot menu ‘Grub2 -> Advanced Option for Ubuntu’. Then run command to remove Linux Kernel 5.14:

sudo dpkg --purge linux-image-unsigned-5.14.0-051400-generic
In News
 

How to Install MATE Desktop 1.26 in Ubuntu 20.04 via PPA

Last updated: May 8, 2024

The MATE desktop 1.26 now is available to install via the official Ubuntu PPA!

UPDATE 2024: This PPA is so far only for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, since Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 has MATE 1.26 in system repository.
The lightweight MATE desktop environment 1.26 was released a week ago. It features initial wayland support, do not disturb applet, and many core applications updates!

The Ubuntu MATE developer team finally made a new Ubuntu PPA contains the packages for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, MATE 1.26 will be there in the main repositories.

Install MATE 1.26 via PPA:

Firstly, search for and open terminal from start menu, or simply press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When terminal opens, run following commands one by one.

1. Add MATE PPA.

To add the official PPA, copy and paste the command below into terminal and hit Enter.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-mate-dev/fresh-mate

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

Install / Upgrade to MATE 1.26:

If you’re running MATE 1.24, simply run command in terminal to upgrade it:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

or launch Software Updater and install all the available system updates:

For non-mate users, it’s possible to run this command to get the desktop environment:

sudo apt install mate-desktop-environment

Uninstall MATE 1.26:

For any reason, it easy to downgrade the desktop to the stock version by purging the Ubuntu PPA. To do so, run command:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntu-mate-dev/fresh-mate
In Howtos