1. Home/
    2. Archives /
  2. App Review

Archives For November 30, 1999

UKTools – Another Tool to Install the latest Linux Kernels in Ubuntu

Last updated: August 10, 2018

Linux Kernel

There’s already a graphical tool called Ukuu which make it easy to install the latest Linux Kernels in Ubuntu and Linux Mint.

Today I’m going to show you a new command line tool called UKTools which provides:

  • uktools-upgrade, one command to install the latest Linux kernel (stable) from kernel.ubuntu.com.

  • uktools-purge, one command to remove old kernels, the first and the last two are excluded.

The tools also support cron jobs to automatically run upgrade and/or purge scripts.

NOTE that the mainline kernels are provided by Ubuntu Kernel Team for testing and debugging purposes. They are not supported and are not appropriate for production use. You should only install these if they may fix a critical problem you’re having with the current kernel. Read more about mainline kernels.

How to Install UKTools in Ubuntu:

The application does not has any Ubuntu binary at the moment. However, it’s easy to compile it from the source.

1. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and clone the source via command:

git clone https://github.com/usbkey9/uktools && cd uktools

2. Then compile and install it via command:

make

The setup runs automatically if it’s installed successfully.

Uninstall:

Keep the uktools folder in your user root directory, so you can re-run UKTools setup, or remove the command line tool via command:

cd ~/uktools/ && make uninstall
In App Review, Howtos ,
 permalink

4 Best Automatic Wallpaper Changer For Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: July 14, 2018

Looking for how to create desktop slideshow in Ubuntu 18.04? Here I’ll show you some best wallpaper changing software for Ubuntu Linux.

1. Shotwell

For just the basic automatic wallpaper changing feature, you don’t need to install any software.

Just launch the pre-installed Shotwell photo manager, choose the pictures you need (you may need to import them first), then go to Files -> Set as Desktop Slideshow.

Finally set the time interval in next dialog and done!

2. Wallch

Wallch was my favorite wallpaper changing software though it’s not under active development. Besides changing local wallpapers, Wallch also features:

  • Display live earth as desktop background.
  • Download and display picture of the day (wikipedia).
  • Wallpaper clocks
  • Live website as desktop background.

Wallch can be easily installed in Ubuntu Software:

3. Variety

Variety is an open-source wallpaper changer that use local images or automatically download wallpapers from Unsplash and other online sources, allows you to rotate them on a regular interval, and provides easy ways to separate the great images from the junk. Variety can also display wise and funny quotations or a nice digital clock on the desktop.

Variety can be easily installed in Ubuntu Software. For the latest release, go to Variety website.

4. Wallpaper Downloader

This is a wallpaper downloading software that automatically downloads pictures from Devianart, Bing daily wallpaper, Wallhaven.cc, etc., with given keywords, resolution, time interval. And of course, it provides ability to change wallpaper every x minute.

Wallpaper Downloader can be installed easily in Ubuntu Software.

These are the applications that I’ve ever used to create desktop slideshows in Ubuntu desktop.

If you know any other great wallpaper changing software, feel free to tell me in the comment.

In App Review , ,
 permalink

Cronopete: Mac OS Time Machine-like Backup Tool for Linux

Last updated: July 10, 2018

For those looking for Time Machine like backup software, Cronopete is a Linux backup utility modeled after Apple’s time machine.

“The name comes from anacronopete (“who flies through time”), which is a time machine featured in the novel from Enrique Gaspar y Rimbaud, and published in 1887 (eight years before than H.G. Wells’Time Machine).”

Install Cronopete backup tool in Ubuntu:

The software project page so far offers packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and other Linux.

Download Cronopete

Grab the package for Ubuntu bionic (for Ubuntu 18.04), or package for Ubuntu artful (for Ubuntu 17.10).

Then install it via:

  1. Install Gdebi package installer from Ubuntu Software.
  2. Right-click on downloaded .deb package, then go to open with Other Application -> Gdebi package installer.
  3. Finally click install the Cronopete package.

Or open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the package:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/cronopete-*.deb; sudo apt-get -f install

Once installed, open the settings dialog from your system app launcher and enjoy!

Enable store backups in a folder:

When you click ‘Change destination’ button to choose a folder to save backups, you’ll be prompted to enable folder backend. And this can be done by:

  1. Install Dconf Editor via Ubuntu Software.
  2. Launch Dconf Editor and navigate to /org/rastersoft/cronopete
  3. Scroll down and enable enable-folder-backend

Uninstall:

To remove Cronopete backup tool, open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T and run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove cronopete
In App Review , ,
 permalink

Download and Change Wallpaper Automatically via ‘WallpaperDownload’

Last updated: February 25, 2018

Wallpaper Downloader is a java software to automatically download you favorite wallpapers from internet and set as desktop background every few minutes.

With the software, you can:

  • Automatically download wallpapers from:
    • Wallhaven.cc
    • Devianart
    • Bing daily wallpaper
    • Social Wallpapering
    • WallpaperFusion
    • DualMonitorBackgrounds.
  • Download wallpapers with given keywords.
  • Download wallpapers with given time interval
  • Changes desktop wallpaper with given time interval.
  • Single click to move favorite wallpapers to another directory.

How to Install Wallpaper Downloader in Ubuntu:

1. For users (Ubuntu 16.04 only) never installed a snap package, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install snapd:

sudo apt-get install snapd snapd-xdg-open

2. As a snap package, you can search for and install the package in Ubuntu Software:

or run single command to install the snap package:

snap install wallpaperdownloader

(Optional) If you don’t like the software, simply run command to remove the snap:

snap remove wallpaperdownloader

In addition, the software also has an official PPA with traditional deb packages for all current Ubuntu releases.

In App Review, Howtos ,
 permalink

PyRadio – Command Line Internet Radio Player for Ubuntu

Last updated: January 18, 2018

PyRadio is an open-source curses based internet radio player that runs in command console. The software is implemented in Python, and uses mplayer or VLC for media playback.

The community has recently made the snap package for PyRadio to make it easy to install the tool in Ubuntu 16.04 and higher either via Ubuntu Software:

or by running command in terminal:

snap install pyradio

Since snap app contains most required libraries and dependencies, the installation file is kinda large.

To start the radio player, run command:

pyradio --play

And here are keyboard shortcuts:

  • Up/Down/j/k/PgUp/PgDown Change station selection
  • Enter Play selected station
  • -/+ Change volume
  • m Mute
  • r Select and play a random station
  • g Jump to first station
  • <n>G Jump to n-th station
  • Space Stop/start playing selected station
  • Esc/q Quit
In App Review ,
 permalink

Download TV/Radio from BBC iPlayer via get-iplayer in Ubuntu

Last updated: November 16, 2024

Get-iplayer is a command line tool for downloading TV and radio programmes from BBC iPlayer. The tool features:

  • Downloads TV and radio programmes from BBC iPlayer
  • Allows multiple programmes to be downloaded using a single command
  • Indexing of most available iPlayer catch-up programmes (not BBC Three, Red Button or iPlayer Exclusive)
  • Caching of index with automatic updating
  • Regex search on programme name
  • Regex search on programme description and episode title
  • Filter search results by channel
  • Direct download via programme ID or URL
  • PVR capability (may be used with cron or Task Scheduler)
  • HTTP proxy support
  • Perl 5.10.1+ required, plus LWP, LWP::Protocol::https, XML::LibXML and Mojolicious modules
  • Requires ffmpeg for conversion to MP4 and AtomicParsley for metadata tagging
  • Runs on Linux/BSD (Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenBSD and others), macOS (10.10+), Windows (7/8/10 – XP/Vista not supported)

Install get-iplayer

There are so far 2 ways to install the software package in Ubuntu. They include:

  • Snap package – runs in sandbox environment.
  • Native .deb package through Ubuntu PPA.

Choose either one that you prefer.

Option 1: Snap package

For the latest get-iplayer Snap package, either launch Ubuntu Software or App Center, then search & click install it.

get-iplayer in App Center

Or, you may also open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the following command instead to install the snap package:

snap install get-iplayer

Option 2: Ubuntu PPA

For those who prefer the native .deb package, there’s an PPA repository that contains the most recent package for Ubuntu 24.10, Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 20.04. Even the old Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 18.04 are also supported.

1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:m-grant-prg/utils

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

2. Then, install the .deb package via command:

sudo apt install get-iplayer

Linux Mint users may need to run sudo apt update first to manually refresh package cache, while this is done automatically while adding PPA in Ubuntu.

3. The PPA also contains many other software packages. You may run the command below to remove the PPA after installed get-iplayer in case of any package conflict.

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:m-grant-prg/utils

For Linux Mint, also run sudo apt update to update cache.

Usage / examples:

As mentioned, this is a command line tool. You need to open terminal and run any command below to use it.

  • List all TV programmes with long descriptions: 
    get_iplayer --long ".*"
  • List all radio programmes: 
    get_iplayer --type=radio ".*"
  • List all TV and radio programmes with “doctor who” in the name: 
    get_iplayer --type tv,radio "doctor who"
  • List all BBC One programmes: 
    get_iplayer --channel="BBC One" ".*"
  • List Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra programmes with “Book at Bedtime” in the title: 
    get_iplayer --type=radio --channel="Radio 4" "Book at Bedtime"
  • Record TV programme number 208 (index from search results) in HD, with SD fallback if HD not available: 
    get_iplayer --get 208

    [default is to download best available]

    OR

    get_iplayer --get 208 --tvmode=best
  • Record TV programme number 208 and download subtitles in SubRip (SRT) format: 
    get_iplayer --get 208 --subtitles
  • Record multiple TV programmes (using index numbers from search results): 
    get_iplayer --get 208 209 210
  • Record a TV or radio programme using its iPlayer URL: 
    get_iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01sc0wf/Doctors_Series_15_Perfect/
  • Record a TV or radio programme using the PID (b01sc0wf) from its iPlayer URL: 
    get_iplayer --pid=b01sc0wf

Uninstall get-iplayer

For any reason, you may remove the get-iplayer .deb package by running command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove get-iplayer

Or, remove the Snap package using either Ubuntu Software / App Center, or the snap remove get-iplayer command.

In App Review
 permalink

‘Komorebi’ Display Clock & Animations on Ubuntu Desktop

Last updated: June 15, 2017

Komorebi is a Linux wallpaper manager that provides fully customizable backgrounds, e,g., show date and time on desktop.

Wallpapers included by default range from animated ones, still, and gradients! See screenshots below.

A settings dialog is available to launch by right-clicking on desktop and choose what to display.

Wallpapers are located in /System/Resources/Komorebi/, you can create your own wallpapers easily by following this tutorial.

Starting by opening terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T and run command to open the wallpaper folder:

gksudo nautilus /System/Resources/Komorebi/

Install Komorebi:

Download the .deb package from the link below, then click install via Ubuntu Software or Gdebi:

Komorebi Release Page

(Optional) To uninstall Komorebi, either use you system package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove komorebi

In addition, the software so far is in beta stage. I’ve tested on Ubuntu 16.04. The configuration dialog works on launch, but changing wallpaper sometimes not work a few minutes later.

In App Review
 permalink

‘Ubuntu Cleaner’ – Ubuntu Tweak Alternative for Computer Janitor

Last updated: December 9, 2016

ubuntu cleaner

Ubuntu Cleaner is an open-source tool makes it easy to clean up your Ubuntu system. It’s a Ubuntu Tweak fork for the Computer Janitor feature.

The tool offers a similar interface to Ubuntu Tweak, allows to clean up:

  • App (browser) caches.
  • Thumbnail cache.
  • Old kernels.
  • Apt cache
  • Package configs and unneeded packages

Ubuntu Cleaner

How to Install Ubuntu Cleaner in Ubuntu:

The developer offers .deb packages in a PPA repository, available for download at the link below:

Download Ubuntu Cleaner (.deb)

Download the latest package and click install via Ubuntu Software.

For those want to add the PPA for Ubuntu 16.04 and 14.04, run the commands below one by one in terminal (Ctr+Alt+T):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gerardpuig/ppa

sudo apt update

sudo apt install ubuntu-cleaner

Uninstall:

To remove Ubuntu Cleaner, simply run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove ubuntu-cleaner && sudo apt autoremove

The PPA can be removed by going to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

In App Review , ,
 permalink

EME – A New Elegant Markdown Editor for Ubuntu Linux

Last updated: August 19, 2016

EME markdown editor

EME is an open-source markdown editor developed with Node.js and Electron framework. Works on Linux, OS X, and Windows.

The editor provides a simple user interface with editor only, preview only, or both editor and preview mode as you wish. A Focus Mode allows to focus right on the paragraph you are writing. Vim Mode offers the powerful vim key bindings support for the editor.

EME Markdown Editor with Numix GTK theme

EME Markdown Editor with Numix GTK theme

Other Features:

  • Export to HTML/PDF
  • Supporting math typesetting
  • Developer Tools, and Chrome based.
  • Key bindings support

As a one month old project, request new features and report bugs at its project page.

Download EME Markdown Editor:

Pre-compiled 64-bit DEB binary for Ubuntu is available for download at the link below:

Download EME_xxx_amd64.deb

Grab the latest .deb package and then click install it via Ubuntu Software. Finally launch the markdown editor from Unity Dash / App Launcher and enjoy!

(Optional) To remove the editor, use Synaptic Package Manager, or run apt remove command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo apt remove eme
In App Review ,
 permalink

Gradio – A GTK3 App Finding & Listening to Internet Radios

Last updated: July 28, 2016

Gradio

There are a few applications available for listening internet radio stations in Ubuntu Desktop. Gradio is new one that allows users to find radio stations by typing a keyword in the search box, and then listen to one internet radio by clicking on it.

The simple tool requires GTK3 >= 3.18, so it works on Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, and their derivatives, e.g., Linux Mint 18 and Elementary OS 0.4 Loki.

Gradio Internet Radio App

How to install Gradio in Ubuntu 16.04:

The pre-compiled binary packages are available for download at the link below:

Download Gradio (.deb)

Choose amd64.deb for 64-bit system and i386.deb for 32-bit system, and then click install the package via Ubuntu Software.

For those who want to add the PPA and receive future updates via Software Updater, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run commands to add the PPA repository (so far supports for Ubuntu 16.04 and 16.10):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:haecker-felix/gradio-daily

sudo apt update

sudo apt install gradio

(Optional) To remove the software, simply run apt command with remove flag:

sudo apt remove gradio

And the PPA can be remove by launching Software & Updates utility and navigating to Other Software tab.

In App Review, Howtos ,
 permalink