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Archives For November 30, 1999

Top 8 User Friendly Linux Distributions for Beginners

Last updated: April 1, 2024

Totally new to Linux, and want to give a try? Here are some of the Linux Distributions friendly to beginners.

Linux is a family of open-source operating systems based on Linux Kernel. As there are so many distributions available, I’ll list the top 8 that are easy to use for beginners.

NOTE: Ranking and opinions expressed here are solely my own! As an Ubuntu user for more than 15 years, I’m not new to Linux but may be new to those in the list. So this could be a Linux review via a beginner!

8. Solus

Solus, formerly known as Evolve OS, is an independently developed OS for 64-bit processor. The system provides 4 desktop editions: Budgie, GNOME, MATE (abandoned), XFCE, and KDE Plasma.

Its own Budgie Desktop provides the classic Windows look-like desktop appearance, along with settings utility to change themes, fonts, and manage panel items. And it also has a Gnome style ‘System Settings’ to configure many other settings.

Solus ships with a variety of software out of the box. Besides its own package repository, it also support Snap and Flatpak with more choices.

7. Pop!_OS

Pop!_OS is a free open-source Linux Distribution based on Ubuntu. It’s powered by American Linux computer manufacturer System76, for computers built by System76, but also free to download and install on other machines.

Pop!_OS features customized GNOME Desktop Environment named COSMIC. It comes with a few built-in themes for better desktop and window management. Without Snap, the system focuses on native Deb and Flatpak packages support out-of-the-box.

As well, it has out-of-the-box support for AMD and NVIDIA GPUs, provides default disk encryption, and the most recent release also have packages that allow for easy setup for TensorFlow machine learning and NVIDIA CUDA.

6. Zorin OS

Zorin OS is another Ubuntu based system designed especially for those new to Linux.

The system has 4 editions in the download page. While “Ultimate” need to play for downloading, the core, lite, and education editions are free.

It features a customized GNOME desktop, aims to be the alternative to Windows and macOS. Zorin OS is clean and polished. And it has an appearance dialog to change the desktop layout with single click.

Thanks to Wine and PlayOnLinux, many Windows applications can be easily installed on Zorin OS via simply a few clicks.

5. Deepin Linux

Deepin is a Debian based Linux distribution that focuses much of its attention on intuitive design.

Deepin is the most beautiful Linux system as far as I can see. It features Deepin Desktop Environments with its core applications.

Deepin Linux is developed by a company from China. It ships with its own WPS Office with full MS Office file support, as well as CodeWeavers’ CrossOver, the paid, commercialized version of Wine.

Installing Windows apps, e.g., WeChat, QQ, is quite easy in Deepin. It’s the best Linux OS for users from China.

4. Fedora

Fedora is a Linux distribution developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and owned by Red Hat, a subsidiary of IBM.

Same to Ubuntu, Fedora announces new releases every year in April and October. However, each release has only 9-month support. And Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux, uses Fedora as his main Linux Distro.

Due to the close relationship between Gnome and Fedora, Fedora Workstation (the desktop edition) is always the first to benefit from the latest Gnome Shell releases.

Fedora Workstation is bleeding edge. It’s always the first to get the new technologies, drivers and package updates. And the desktop appearance is easy to configure via System Settings, Gnome Tweaks, Dconf Editor, as well as Gnome Shell Extensions. However, installing proprietary drivers is not easy for beginners.

3. Manjaro

Manjaro is a Linux Distro based on Arch Linux. It focuses on user-friendliness and accessibility.

Different to other Linux, Arch Linux and Manjaro uses a “rolling release” system. Which means you don’t have to re-install or upgrade the whole system again and again.

It features three desktop editions with XFCE, KDE, and GNOME. The system looks modern and works out-of-the-box with a variety of pre-installed software.

The XFCE and KDE editions has the classic Windows like style layout. And Gnome defaults to top panel with left dock. It however has a settings dialog to the UI layout.

The package manager ‘pamac’ is great, it enables ability to get the latest software packages from either main repository, AUR (Arch User Repository), flathub, or snap store all in one. As well, it has built-in utilities to install the latest Kernels, and proprietary NVIDIA drivers.

2. Ubuntu:

Ubuntu is the top popular Linux Distribution ranked by Google Trends. Not only for the Desktop, but also popular as Linux Server and for clouding computing.

Like Fedora, Ubuntu announces new releases every 6 months. Versions released in April of even-year (e.g., 16.04, 18.04, 20.04) are LTS with 5-year support. All others has only 9-month support.

Ubuntu is based on Debian, and uses GNOME as the default Desktop Environment. The Desktop is not perfect out of the box, the Software Center sucks, media codec is not pre-installed, clicking app icon on dock does not minimize the opened window, and more and more.

However, there are tons of tutorials and answers on the web shows you how to tweak Ubuntu. And you can ask on https://askubuntu.com/.

Ubuntu contains a wide range of software packages. Though the packages in default repositories are always old, many software developers (e.g., LibreOffice, Inkscape) and third-party maintainers maintain PPAs (Personal Package Archive) with most recent packages for Ubuntu users. And Flatpak and Snap is also available for choice.

Ubuntu is not the best for those totally new to Linux, but it has the largest community base actively participates and provides support to its users.

1. Linux Mint

Linux Mint is the most friendly Linux system for beginners in my own opinion.

It is based on Ubuntu LTS, and feature three desktop editions: Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce. Linux Mint includes a variety of pre-installed software and it’s ready to use out-of-the-box.

All the settings for desktop users are easy to access via all-in-one ‘System Settings‘ tool, including desktop appearances, account, privacy, display, power management, printers, driver, firewall, and more.

Along with Ubuntu package base, Linux Mint also has its own package repository. Apps are easy to install either via Synaptic or System package manager. Kernels are easy to install via its update manager. PPAs and apt repositories are easy to manage via its ‘Software Sources’ utility. Thanks to Ubuntu, the latest NVIDIA drivers are also easy to apply.

As a fast growing Linux Distribution, Linux Mint is a stable, safe, reliable, and extremely easy to use.

At Last

Since there are so many Linux Distributions, I can’t try all of them one by one. Feel free to leave comment if you found a better one.

In App Review

Inkscape 1.1 Released! How to Install in Ubuntu 20.04 & Higher

Last updated: May 26, 2021

Inkscape, free open-source vector graphics editor, release new major version 1.1 a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, Linux Mint 20.x.

Inkscape 1.1 features a new welcome screen with ability to choose canvas colors, keyboard shortcut style, and toggle dark mode.

By different tabs, it also shows you how to contribute, and options to open recent files, set size of documents.

The release also introduced a new display mode, outline overlay, made by Jabier Arraiza.

It displays a muted view (opacity) of your drawing behind the object outlines that are click-sensitive, so you can make sure everything is in order.

Other changes in Inkscape 1.1 include:

New “Command Palette”, open it by pressing ? on keyboard.
Revamped Dialog Docking System
Copy, cut and paste a selection of nodes with the Node tool
New ‘Export PNG Image’ dialog to export JPG, WebP and TIFF, optimized PNG.
New ‘Extension Manager’ in beta.

How to Install Inkscape 1.1 in Ubuntu:

The easiest way to install the editor is using the official Snap package.

Also, non-install Appimage is available in official download page. Download it, make executable via file’s “Properties -> Permissions” dialog, finally click run to launch the program.

For those prefer the classic apt method, Inkscape team has official Ubuntu PPAs.

1. Open terminal either by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or by searching for ‘terminal’ from system application menu. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:inkscape.dev/stable

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then run command to install or upgrade the vector graphics editor:

sudo apt install inkscape

or upgrade it via Software Updater

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA repository, open Software & Updates and navigate to Other Software tab. Then remove the relevant repository line:

To remove Inkscape, either use Synaptic package manager or run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove inkscape

In News Inkscape

How to Install Chromium Browser via PPA in Ubuntu 20.04, 20.10

Last updated: May 24, 2021

Since Ubuntu replaced Chromium in its universe repository with Snap package, users are looking for deb package or apt method to install the browser.

The Linux Mint team has been maintaining the chromium deb package for a while. You can install the package in Ubuntu and keep updated. It’s stable and trustworthy, however the installing process is not as easy as an Ubuntu PPA does.

Another Ubuntu PPA now contains the latest packages (90.0.4430.212 at the moment) for Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu 20.10. The PPA also contains most recent versions of other useful apps, e.g., avidemux, filezilla, youtube-dl, and more. And it’s also trusty.

Chromium package in the PPA is backported from Debian Unstable repository. So it’s marked as ‘Developer build’. If you don’t want to add Linux Mint repository, the PPA can be a good alternative.

1.) Add the Ubuntu PPA:

Firstly open terminal from system app launcher. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xtradeb/apps

2.) Install Chromium:

Same to Linux Mint, the package name has changed from chromium-browser to chromium. Simply run apt command in terminal to install it:

sudo apt install chromium

Add --install-suggests flag in the command if you want to enable minimal shell and WebDriver support.

Remove the PPA:

To remove the Ubuntu PPA, either open Software & Updates -> Other Software and remove the relevant line:

or run command:

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

In Howtos chromium browser

The Shutter Screenshot Tool Finally Ported to GTK3

Last updated: May 23, 2021

By releasing version 0.96, the feature-rich screenshot application is finally ported to GTK3, making first step to get back to Ubuntu universe repository.

Shutter 0.96 does no longer depends on goocanvas, Gnome wnck, GTK2 version of image viewer widget, unique and appindicator module. Instead, it now requires GTK3 version of image viewer widget, GooCanvas2, and libwnck-3.

The release also remove the option “Captures only a section of the window”. because it didn’t work with the way how modern Qt and Gtk were drawing their windows anyway.

There are also possible issues including:

Multiple screens might or might not be broken
HiDPI screens might do screenshot of a nested menu in a wrong place

Get Shutter 0.96:

At the moment of writing no binary package is available to install, but only source tarball which is available in the link below:

Shutter in Github

For Ubuntu and Linux Mint users who like this screenshot tool, keep an eye on linuxupring PPA and xtradeb PPA, both maintains most recent Shutter packages.

In News screenshot tool

Sublime Text 4 Released! How to Install it via Official Repository

Last updated: May 21, 2021

Sublime Text 4 was officially released a day ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 21.04, Ubuntu 20.04 via apt repository.

Sublime Text 4 (Build 4107) feature multi-select tabs. Press and hold Ctrl (or Shift), then you can select tabs to view them side by side.

And now it supports for auto-switching between dark and light themes to follow system appearance.

Other release highlights include:

Context-aware auto complete
ARM64 support for Linux and macOS (Apple Silicon)
Python 3.8 support for plugins
Built-in TypeScript, JSX and TSX support
GPU rendering, disabled by default in Windows and Linux.
Wayland support for Linux.

There are also tons of other changes, see the announcement for details.

How to Install Sublime Text 4 in Ubuntu:

Open terminal from system application menu, then run following commands one by one to install Sublime Text 4 from its official apt repository.

1.) Download and install the GPG key by running command:

wget -qO - https://download.sublimetext.com/sublimehq-pub.gpg | sudo apt-key add -

Type user password when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

Make sure https is supported by running command:

sudo apt install apt-transport-https

2.) Add the official Sublime Text repository via command:

echo "deb https://download.sublimetext.com/ apt/stable/" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sublime-text.list

3.) Finally refresh system package cache and install the text editor via commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install sublime-text

And you’ll receive future updates along with system updates through Software Updater (Update Manager).

How to Uninstall Sublime Text:

To remove the apt repository, launch Software & Updates and go to Other Software tab, there remove the repository line.

And to remove the Sublime Text editor, simply run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove sublime-text

In News Sublime Text

How to Create Schedule Tasks in Ubuntu for Daily / Weekly / Monthly Job

Last updated: May 20, 2021

Want to run a command or a script daily, weekly, monthly, or on other given schedule? It’s easy to do this in Ubuntu via cron job.

Cron is a time-based job scheduler to run command or script periodically at fixed times, dates, or intervals. It’s typically used for system maintenance or administration, though it can be useful for general purpose, e.g., downloading file from internet at regular intervals.

1. Edit crontab files:

Users can set up a cron job easily by configuring crontab file by crontab command. It’s pre-installed in Ubuntu based systems. And each user has its own crontab config file.

b.) Schedule task for current user:

To run command or script by current user, simply open terminal from system app launcher and run command:

crontab -e

For the first time, it will prompt to select an editor to edit the config file. Choose one you prefer or press Enter to use the default nano text editor.

b.) If need root or sudo privilege:

For command or script need sudo or root user privilege, you may run following command instead:

sudo crontab -e

It will create (if not exit) or open the configuration file for root user.

c.) Specify a user to run the schedule task:

You can add -u <user_name> flag to specify the user, ji for instance.

sudo crontab -u ji -e

User can be root, so it will do the same to sudo crontab -e:

sudo crontab -u root -e

2. Set time interval, command or script to run periodically:

After running a command in step 1, it opens the configuration file in the terminal window (or command console).

Now scroll down and add a new line:

* * * * * <command or script>

The first 5 asterisks “*” specify the time and date, change them accordingly.

Examples:

a.) For example, to run a python3 script under my Documents folder at midnight (00:00) every Sunday, use:

0 0 * * 0 python3 /home/ji/Documents/script.py

Here:

the first 0 specifies the minute, use * for every minute.
the second 0 specifies the hour, use * for every hour.
the third flag * specifies the day of month, every day if week day not specified.
the forth flag * says every month.
the fifth flag (third 0) specifies the week day. From 0 to 6 mean Sunday to Saturday.

b.) Run echo "hello world!" command everyday at 16:30, add this line:

30 16 * * * echo "hello world!"

c.) You can use */n to run for every n-th interval of time. And use multiple specific time intervals with commas.

For instance, run the command every Friday at first, second, an third hour every 5th minute (01:00, 01:05, 01:10, …, 02:00, 02:05, 02:10, …, 03:55).

*/5 1,2,3 * * 5 echo "hello world!"

Finally, save the configuration file. If edited via nano, press Ctrl+X on keyboard, type y, and hit Enter to save it.

In Howtos schedule task

How to Install 1Password in Ubuntu via Its Official Repository

Last updated: May 19, 2021

The 1Password password manager now adds officially Linux support. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04 via its apt repository.

1Password is a password manager developed by AgileBits Inc. It provides a place for users to store various passwords, software licenses, and other sensitive information in a virtual vault that is locked with a PBKDF2-guarded master password. By default, this encrypted vault is stored on the company’s servers for a monthly fee.

1Password is available as the containerised Snap package. If you feel OK with snap, skip this tutorial and install the password manager from Ubuntu Software.

Download & install DEB package:

1Password for Linux was available for test last year. Now it’s finally goes stable. The .deb binary is available to download at the link below:

Download 1Password for Linux

Just grab the .deb for Ubuntu based systems, and double-click to install it.

Manually add 1password apt repository:

Installing the .deb package should add its apt repository automatically. If not, you can run following commands one by one to add it manually.

1.) Firstly open terminal from system app launcher:

2.) When terminal opens, run command to install curl tool:

sudo apt install curl

3.) Then run curl command to install the key for the apt repository:

curl -sS https://downloads.1password.com/linux/keys/1password.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor --output /usr/share/keyrings/1password-archive-keyring.gpg

4.) And add the apt repository via command:

echo 'deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/1password-archive-keyring.gpg] https://downloads.1password.com/linux/debian/amd64 stable main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/1password.list

5.) Add the debsig-verify policy to verify signatures for the deb package:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/debsig/policies/AC2D62742012EA22/

curl -sS https://downloads.1password.com/linux/debian/debsig/1password.pol | sudo tee /etc/debsig/policies/AC2D62742012EA22/1password.pol

sudo mkdir -p /usr/share/debsig/keyrings/AC2D62742012EA22

curl -sS https://downloads.1password.com/linux/keys/1password.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor --output /usr/share/debsig/keyrings/AC2D62742012EA22/debsig.gpg

6.) Finally refresh package cache and install 1password:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install 1password

Uninstall 1password:

To remove 1password password manager, run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove 1password

To remove the apt repository, simply remove the config file via command:

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/1password.list

In Howtos password manager

Kdenlive 21.04.1 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu 21.04, 20.04

Last updated: May 18, 2021

Kdenlive 21.04.1, the first update for the 21.04 release is out. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 21.04, Ubuntu 20.10, Ubuntu 20.04 via PPA.

The new release of KDE’s video editor contains mainly bug fixes and improvements. Changelog in the release include:

Invalidate preview render on subtitle actions.
Fix timecode validation on settings dialog.
Fix proxied clip cannot be dragged from monitor to timeline.
Fix incorrect speed cycling with j/l keys.
Ensure render widget is displayed again after being minimized.
Fix playback speed not reset on pause.
Update effect zones on effect deletion.
Render presets: load default values properly to ui.
Fix spacer tool not workin on single clips (without groups).
Improve naming of newely created profile. Commit.
Archiver: Fix more bugs and crashes. Commit.
Archiver: Block UI while job is running.
Archiver: Don’t miss lumas,… on “timline only” mode, prettify code.
Fix several archiving issues with mlt files.
Archive LUT files too.
Appimage: use mlt v6 branch.

Install Kdenlive 21.04.1 in Ubuntu via PPA:

The kdenlive team ppa has made the latest packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, Ubuntu 21.04, Linux Mint 20.

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 non-KDE users, Kdenlive will be installed along with a large list of KDE libraries.

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

In News KDE Video Editor

Get Terminal Integrated into File Manager in Ubuntu 20.04 / Ubuntu 21.04

Last updated: May 17, 2021

Want to embed a terminal in the Files, Nautilus file manager, in Ubuntu? Nautilus Terminal is the project to do the job.

Nautilus Terminal is an open-source project started in 2010. It’s now at version 4.x that supports up to Nautilus 40.

With it, you have an integrated terminal in each file window and tab. The terminal follows the navigation, without running cd command, the terminal automatically go to the directory when you navigate to a folder in file manager.

The terminal placement can be at top (default) or bottom. You can press F4 on keyboard to show or hide it. And it supports drag & drop of file on the terminal.

By right-click on terminal area, you can do copy & paste actions, and go to its Preferences.

The “Preferences” indeed opens Dconf Editor (you need to firstly install it in Ubuntu Software) and navigate to “/org/flozz/nautilus-terminal” settings page. There you can configure:

Background color.
Text color.
Font.
Focus by default.
Toggle shortcut.
Terminal placement.
Custom command.

How to Install Nautilus Terminal in Ubuntu 20.04 & Higher:

The project developer used to maintain an Ubuntu PPA, which is however no longer updated. Ubuntu 20.04 and higher users can now run following commands to install it from PyPi.

1.) Open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, firstly run command to install required libraries:

sudo apt install python3-nautilus python3-psutil python3-pip libglib2.0-bin dconf-editor

2.) Then install Nautilus Terminal via command:

sudo pip3 install nautilus-terminal

3.) And install it for system wide by running command:

sudo nautilus-terminal --install-system

4.) Finally restart Nautilus to apply changes. To do so, run command:

nautilus -q

NOTE: Ubuntu 18.04 users, can run the previous commands one by one by replacing python3 with python to get integrated terminal in Files.

How to Remove Nautilus Terminal:

To remove the integrated terminal, simply run pip command with uninstall flag in terminal:

sudo pip3 uninstall nautilus-terminal -y

And restart Nautilus via step 4.) to apply changes.

For Arch Linux, Fedora, and other details, go to Nautilus Terminal project page.

In App Review nautilus

Gnome Tweaks 40 No Longer Manage Extensions, Use This Tool Instead

Last updated: May 16, 2021

Gnome Tweaks, one of the must have apps for configuring Ubuntu, removes GNOME Shell Extensions support by releasing version 40.

Which means in next Ubuntu release which will ship with Gnome 40+, you have to use another tool to manage Gnome Shell Extensions.

If you have tried out Fedora 34, you should already see the prompt at first launch of Gnome Tweaks: “Extensions management has been moved to GNOME Extensions”.

The “new” tool “GNOME Extensions” is available in Ubuntu universe repositories since Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. If you don’t have it, open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard, and run command to install it:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-prefs

Then you can open it from system app launcher.

Different to the extensions tab in Gnome Tweaks, the GNOME Extensions tool displays built-in Gnome Shell extensions and user installed extensions separately.

Besides the slider icons to toggle on/off extensions and gear buttons to change extension settings, there’s a triangle icon after each extension. Clicking on the icon will expand the extension with a brief description as well as the website and remove buttons.

In addition, Fedora users can get the tool by installing gnome-extensions-app package. Other Linux with Gnome Desktop can install the flatpak package.

In Gnome Shell Gnome Shell Extension