UbuntuHandbook

Wine 6.6 Released with Updated Mono, Improved Plug & Play Driver Support

Last updated: April 11, 2021

Wine 6.6 was released a few days ago as the latest development release of the Windows compatibility layer.

In the new release the Mono engine is updated to version 6.1.1 with upstream updates. DWrite and DnsApi libraries are now converted to PE. And it improved plug & play driver support.

Other changes in Wine 6.6 include various bug-fixes to Windows applications and games, e.g., Evil Twin, Half-life, Breath of Fire IV, Google drive, Legends of Runeterra, and more.

How to Install Wine 6.6 in Ubuntu:

The official Wine apt repository now provides the new release package for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and Ubuntu 20.10

Open terminal either by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard, or by searching for ‘terminal’ from system application menu. When it opens, run following steps one by one.

1.) Run command to enable 32 bit architecture (if you don’t have it):

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

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

2.) Install the repository key by running command:

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

3.) Add wine repository via command:

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

IMPORTANT: In this command, you have to replace focal with:

focal for Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 20.x
groovy for Ubuntu 20.10.
bionic for Ubuntu 18.04 and Linux Mint 19.x

Don’t know your system edition? Run lsb_release -a command in terminal to check out.

4.) For Ubuntu 18.04 and Linux Mint 19.x only, libfaudio0 library is required to install from a third-party repository by running command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cybermax-dexter/sdl2-backport

5.) Finally install Wine 6.6 via command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-devel

If you get unmet dependency issue, try aptitude command instead:

sudo apt install aptitude && sudo aptitude install winehq-devel

Uninstall wine:

You may remove the PPA by launching Software & Updates utility and navigating to Other Software tab.

To remove wine 6.6, run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove winehq-devel

In News

Internet Radio App Shortwave 2.0.0 Released with Mini Player Mode

Last updated: April 10, 2021

Shortwave, free and open-source internet radio player for Gnome, released version 2.0.0 today.

The new release introduces a mini player mode. It is a super compact window widget with a few control buttons, and displays the current radio station and playing song name.

Other changes in Shortwave 2.0.0 include:

Show system notification when start playing a new song.
Redesign the station details window, and add ability to copy the stream URL.
Improved keyboard navigation of the user interface.
Prevent system from going suspend or hibernate during audio playback.

And Shortwave now is built as GTK4 application. For the UI, you’ll see the bottom corners rounded.

How to Install Shortwave 2.0.0 in Ubuntu:

The radio player is available in Ubuntu Software as Snap package, it is however not updated at the moment of writing.

Besides building from source（impossible as it depends GTK4), so far the only way is installing the containerised Flatpak package.

1.) Open terminal either from system application menu or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to install the flatpak daemon if you don’t have it:

sudo apt install flatpak

2.) Add the flathub repository which hosts the flatpak package:

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

Then install Shortwave flatpak package via command:

flatpak install flathub de.haeckerfelix.Shortwave

Once installed, launch the internet radio player from your system application menu and enjoy!

(Optional) To remove Shortwave, simply run command in terminal:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data de.haeckerfelix.Shortwave

In News internet radio

Myxer – A Modern GTK Volume Mixer for PulseAudio

Last updated: April 8, 2021

Myxer is a modern new volume mixer application for the PulseAudio sound server. It’s a lightweight and powerful replacement for your system Volume Mixer written in Rust with GTK toolkit.

Myxer can manage audio devices, streams, and even card profiles. And it offers option to show individual audio channels.

As a GTK tool, the software adapts to your selected app theme so that it fits seamlessly into your stock applications.

How to Get Myxer in Ubuntu:

The app so far offers only single executable file, along with the source tarball, which can be downloaded from the link below:

Just grab the file, and add executable permission in file’s Properties dialog.

And finally run command to launch the tool (In the case, the file is saved in user’s Downloads folder).

./Downloads/Myxer

If you like Myxer, you can move the file to system bin folder, so that you can simply run Myxer command anywhere to launcher it.

sudo mv ~/Downloads/Myxer /usr/local/bin/

(Optional) To remove it,simply run command:

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/Myxer

In App Review volume mixer

Warzone 2100 4.0.0 Released with New “Factions” for Multiplayer

Last updated: April 7, 2021

Warzone 2100, real-time tactics hybrid computer game, released version 4.0.0 a few days ago with tons of changes.

The new release of the open-source 3D real-time strategy game features new graphics backend support:

New support for Vulkan 1.0+, OpenGL ES 3.0 / 2.0, DirectX (via libANGLE, OpenGL ES -> DirectX), Metal (via MoltenVK, Vulkan -> Metal)
In addition to the existing support for OpenGL 3.0+ Core Profile, OpenGL 2.1 Compatibility Profile

Other features include:

New “Factions” for multiplayer / skirmish
Higher-res terrain textures, backdrops
New Music Manager, + Lupus-Mechanicus’s new soundtrack album
Support for “script-generated” / “random” maps (and two new built-in maps that take advantage of this: 6p-Entropy and 10p-Waterloop)
Scrollable room chat, and many other UI / widget improvements
Updated / smarter AI bots (Bonecrusher, Cobra)
New “headless” mode (for --autogame, --autohost, --skirmish)
JS API enhancements, + a new “Script Debugger”
Removal of Qt as a dependency, + a new embedded JS engine: QuickJS
Quality-of-Life / smoothness improvements
Hundreds of bug fixes

For more details, see the ChangeLog file in the github project page.

How to Install Warzone 2100 4.0.0 in Ubuntu:

The game offers official Snap package, which can be easily installed from Ubuntu Software:

Don’t like the containerized software package? For Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 19/20, and based systems, grab the classic DEB package from the link below:

Then open terminal from system app launcher, and run command to install the deb package:

sudo apt install ./Downloads/warzone2100*.deb

In News game

Add Google Suggestions to System Search in Ubuntu 20.04 via Extension

Last updated: April 6, 2021

Want to get Google search suggestions in your system search results? There’s now an extension to enable the feature in Gnome Desktop.

Google Search Provider is the extension inspired by DuckDuckGo Search Provider. With it, typing any keyword in the Activities overview or ‘Show Applications’ search box will display Google search suggestions. And you can click to open the result in your favorite web browser.

How to Install the Extension in Ubuntu:

The Gnome Shell extension so far supports Gnome 3.36 & 3.38, so it should work in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, and the upcoming Ubuntu 21.04.

1.) Firstly open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the chrome-gnome-shell package if you don’t have it:

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell

2.) Next go to the extension web page in web browser, and turn on the toggle icon to install it.

If you don’t see the toggle icon, click the link “Click here to install browser extension” and refresh the web page afterward.

Uninstall Gnome Shell Extension

To remove the extension, either go to the web page again or use Extensions tool, which can be installed via sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-prefs command.

In Howtos Gnome

CPUFetch – Simple CLI Tool To Fetch CPU Information in Linux

Last updated: April 4, 2021

CPUFetch is a simple command line tool, a bit similar to Neofetch, but for fetching CPU architecture in Linux, Windows, macOS, and Android.

The tool outputs the manufacturer logo (e.g., Intel, AMD) along with basic CPU info, including:

CPU name.
Micro-architecture.
The semiconductor technology in nanometer (nm).
Max frequency.
Number of cores and threads.
Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX)
Fused-Multiply-Add (FMA)
L1, L2, L3 cache sizes.
Peak performance.

It supports custom colors and offers a few styles (themes). With it, you can easily take screenshot of the CPU information and share with your friends.

How to Install CPUFetch in Ubuntu:

CPUFetch so far do not offer an Ubuntu binary package. However, it’s easy to compile it in Linux.

1.) Firstly open terminal from system app launcher. When it opens, run command to clone the source:

git clone https://github.com/Dr-Noob/cpufetch

Install git via sudo apt install git command if you don’t have it.

2.) Then navigate to the source folder via cd command, and compile it via make:

cd cpufetch && make

3.) You are finally be able to run the tool via ./cpufetch command in this directory!

To be able to run via cpufetch command anywhere in terminal, copy the executable file to /usr/local/bin:

sudo mv ~/cpufetch/cpufetch /usr/local/bin/

Uninstall:

To remove the source folder, run command:

rm ~/cpufetch -rf

And remove the executable file via command:

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/cpufetch

In App Review

How to Install Gnome 40 in Ubuntu 21.04 (For Testing Only)

Last updated: April 3, 2021

Want to try out the new Gnome 40 Desktop? You can install it in Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute Hippo via PPA.

Gnome 40 was released more than a week ago with new features including new design for the overview screen, a horizontal workspace switcher, Dock at the bottom, new gestures, and more.

While Ubuntu 21.04 includes Gnome 3.38.x with some Gnome 40 core applications, you can get the new desktop environment via this third-party PPA.

1.) Firstly open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:shemgp/gnome-40

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

2.) After adding the PPA, run command to upgrade the mutter window manager:

sudo apt install mutter

You can follow the command in the PPA description, which adds the package version in the code. It however just works with the package name only.

3.) Then install Gnome Shell 40 via command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell

4.) As the default Yaru theme is not updated for Gnome 40, you have to install and use Gnome Session instead of the Ubuntu Session. To install it, run command:

sudo apt install gnome-session

5.) And run command for the rest packages:

sudo apt upgrade

Finally reboot your machine. When you’re in login screen, DO SELECT “Gnome” or “Gnome on Xorg” before logging in. To do so, select your user and then click the gear button in the bottom-right and select Gnome in popup menu.

How to Uninstall Gnome 40:

To remove the new Gnome Desktop and revert back to the original v3.38.x, run command to purge the Ubuntu PPA:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:shemgp/gnome-40

And if you no longer use the Gnome Session from login screen, remove it via command:

sudo apt remove gnome-session

In Howtos Gnome

Enable Light Mode Menus (System Menu, Notifications) in Ubuntu 21.04

Last updated: April 2, 2021

Prefer the light mode appearance? Here’s how to change the system tray menu, date & time menu, notifications, and other top panel drop-down menus from dark to light in Ubuntu 21.04.

Different to previous Ubuntu releases, Ubuntu 21.04 now has top-panel menus in dark mode. It’s good for those prefer the dark themes. However, light mode fans need to change the Gnome Shell theme to get better experience.

Before:

After:

1. Install User Themes Extension:

To get started, you have to first install the User Themes Gnome Shell extension, which enables ability to change the Gnome Shell Theme.

Method 1: Install the extension via single command:

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to bring up a terminal window and run the command below will install a dozen of extensions, including User Themes, in Ubuntu:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extensions

Once installed, log out and back in.

Method 2: Install the extension from extensions.gnome.org:

For clean freak just need the single extension, firstly install chrome-gnome-shell package via command:

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell

Then click to go to the extension web page and turn on the toggle icon to install the extension.

Don’t see the toggle icon? Click ‘Click here to install browser extension’ to install browser extension, and then refresh the web page.

2. Change Gnome Shell Theme:

After installed User Themes extension, launch Gnome Tweaks (install it from Ubuntu Software) and go to Extensions tab.

There scroll down, find out and turn on the extension, click the gear button to get into settings. And finally select Yaru-light or gnome classic for even light top panel.

That’s it. Enjoy!

In Howtos Gnome

Ubuntu 21.04 “Hirsute Hippo” Beta Released

Last updated: April 2, 2021

Ubuntu 21.04 final beta was officially released. Features images for the Ubuntu Desktop, Server, and Cloud products, and also the Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, UbuntuKylin, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Studio, and Xubuntu flavors.

Ubuntu 21.04 code name “Hirsute Hippo”. As a non-LTS release, it has only 9-month support.

The new Ubuntu edition comes with Linux Kernel 5.11 and GNOME 3.38.x, along with some GNOME 40 core applications, e.g, GNOME Calculator, Gnome Clocks, Gnome Disk Utility.

And it by default logins to Wayland session. If your applications are not so far updated with Wayland support, you can easily switch back to X11 session by clicking the gear button when you’re at the login screen.

Another change is that the time & date menu, system tray menu, notifications, and other top-panel drop-down menus are now in Dark Mode. For those prefer either the standard or light mode, you have to install the User Themes Gnome Shell Extension to change the default theme to light. For details, see this tutorial.

Other changes include:

Use nftables as default backend for the firewall.
Add support for smartcard authentication
Desktop icons now handled by Desktop Icons NG extension with drag’n’drop support.
Pipewire support is now enabled.
Updated toolchain, applications, and more.

For more details, read the full release note.

And you can download the ISO image from:

In News

Deepin 20.2 Released with Linux 5.10 & 5.11 Dual Kernels

Last updated: April 1, 2021

Deepin, a beautiful Linux distribution based on Debian stable, released version 20.2 a day ago.

Deepin 20.2 features the LTS Kernel 5.10 and stable Kernel 5.11. In Grub boot menu, you can select to boot either Kernel as you want.

The new release now integrates the Debian 10.8 stable package repository. Thanks to code optimization, you will get less memory occupation for core apps, faster response, enhanced system performance, and smoother user experiences.

Also, Deepin 20.2 introduced a Downloader app with multiple download protocols support, including HTTP(s), FTP(s), BT, magnet link, etc. And the downloads are extremely fast.

Other changes in Deepin 20.2 include:

Improved multi-display support.
NTP configuration via a graphical interface.
Full-text search support for the File Manager.
The movie player now supports Avs2 format.
The image viewer now supports TIF and TIFF formats.
The System Installer now supports for integrating NVIDIA drivers for notebooks during the installation.
Other core apps updates and improvements.