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Vivaldi Browser 2.2 Released with More Configurable Toolbars

Last updated: December 14, 2018

Vivaldi web browser released version 2.2 yesterday with more tabs management functionality, more configurable toolbars, and other new features.

Vivaldi 2.2 release highlights:

  • Add ‘Save select tabs as Session’ in context menu.
  • Add numbered accelerators to elements in main Window menu
  • Middle clicking in Back/Forward history drop-down should open the page in new tab
  • Add search box in speed dial.
  • Show a list of closed tabs using Quick Commands by typing “Show Closed Tabs”
  • Enable pop out video (Picture in Picture)
  • Better ‘Netflix’ support for Linux
  • Add a new ‘Customize’ context menu for any button on the toolbar.
  • Mute all other tabs via the tab context menu
  • For more, see the relese note.

How to Install Vivaldi 2.2 in Ubuntu:

The official Ubuntu .DEB packages are available for download at the link below:

Grab the deb matches your OS, then install it via Ubuntu Software or Gdebi package manager. Or run command in terminal:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/vivaldi-stable_2.2*.deb

In addition, after installed the .deb package, you can enable Vivaldi apt repository (Softare & Updates -> Other Software) to receive future updates through Software Updater:

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Install Blender 2.80 Beta in Ubuntu 18.04, 16.04, 18.10

Last updated: December 12, 2018

While the next Blender 2.80 stable is scheduled to be released on early 2019, Blender 2.80 Beta package now is available for testing.

What’s new in Blender 2.80:

  • A revamped user interface
  • A new physically based realtime renderer: EEVEE
  • A new, modern 3D viewport.
  • Blender’s 2D drawing capabilities has been greatly improved
  • A new collection system, and more

Download / Install Blender 2.80 Beta in Ubuntu:

To help testing Blender 2.80, you can either download the official Linux package from the link below:

After downloaded the Linux package, simply extract and run the executable to launch the program.

Or install the Blender snap package maintained by Gustavo Niemeyer.

Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut and run command to install the Blender snap beta package:

snap install blender --channel=beta --classic

The snap package auto-updates itself once a new release package published by maintainer, though the current package is a few days older than the official Linux package.

To remove the Blender snap package, run command:

snap remove blender
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Star Ruler 2 Now Available to Install via Snap in Ubuntu

Last updated: December 10, 2018

Star Ruler 2, a space 4X / RTS hybrid developed by Blind Mind Studios, now can easily installed in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04 and higher via Snap package.

Explore dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of systems in a galaxy of your choosing, expand across its planets, exploit the resources you find, and ultimately exterminate any who stand in your way. The fate of your empire depends on your ability to master the economy, field a military, influence galactic politics, and learn what you can about the universe.

Star Ruler 2 Snap is a containerised software packages runs in most Linux desktop. It bundles most dependency libraries and auto-updates itself once a new release package published.

To install Star Ruler 2 snap package in Ubuntu 18.04 & higher, simple open Ubuntu Software, search for and install the game package:

For Ubuntu 16.04, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install snapd first:

sudo apt install snapd snapd-xdg-open

then install the snap via command:

sudo snap install starruler2

Uninstall:

To remove the software package, either use Ubuntu Software or run command:

sudo snap remove starruler2
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[Quick Tip] How to Change Animation Speed in Ubuntu 18.04 & Higher

Last updated: December 9, 2018

This quick tutorial is going to show you how to increase or decrease the default Gnome Shell animation speed in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.04, and higher.

There is a Gnome Shell extension called impatience can do the job. It can be easily installed in Ubuntu via Ubuntu Software.

After installed the extension, go to its settings via Gnome Tweaks (available in Ubuntu Software).

Then change the speed scaling value 1 to slow down desktop animation.

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How to Install Brave web browser in Ubuntu / Linux Mint (Updated)

Last updated: August 4, 2021

This simple tutorial shows how to install the latest Brave web browser in Ubuntu 21.10, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Linux Mint 20.

Brave is a free and open-source web browser based on Chromium. It features faster page loading speed, and blocks ads and trackers by default.

The browser offers an official apt repository. So Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint based systems can easily install the software and receive updates via built-in update manager utility.

1. Firstly, search for and open “terminal” from your system start menu. When it opens, paste the command below into terminal and hit Enter:

sudo apt install apt-transport-https curl

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) and hit Enter. It will add https support for apt package manager and install curl to grab the GPG key.

2. Next copy and paste the command below, and run to download & install the GPG key:

sudo curl -fsSLo /usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg

And run command to add the apt repository to your system. So far, only 64-bit PC / laptop is supported.

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg arch=amd64] https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/ stable main"|sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list

3. Finally refresh system cache and install the web browser by running the commands one by one:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install brave-browser

Uninstall Brave & Apt Repository:

To remove the Brave web browser, run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove brave-browser

Unlike PPA, Brave’s apt repository does not list in Software & Updates utility under Other Software tab. However, you can remove the config file easily by running command in terminal:

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list
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PyCharm 2018.3.1 Released with Various Bug Fixes

Last updated: December 6, 2018

PyCharm IDE released version 2018.3.1 one day ago with various bug fixes. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04 and higher.

PyCharm 2018.3.1 release highlights:

  • A fix for the recently added WSL support in PyCharm 2018.3
  • An issue where PyCharm couldn’t correctly authenticate over SSH using a passphrase-protected private key has been resolved.
  • A few fixes for Docker and Docker Compose
  • Fixes for the embedded terminal
  • Many fixes coming from WebStorm, DataGrip and IntelliJ IDEA

How to Install PyCharm 2018.3.1 in Ubuntu:

Jetbrains offers official Snap package for Linux desktop, which keeps the IDE always up-to-date.

For Ubuntu 18.04 and higher, simply open Ubuntu Software, search for and install pycharm packages:

For Ubuntu 16.04, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and install snapd daemon via command:

sudo apt install snapd snapd-xdg-open

Then install PyCharm snap package via command:

sudo snap install pycharm-community --classic

In the command replace pycharm-community with pycharm-professional for the professional edition.

Uninstall:

To remove the PyCharm snap package, either use Ubuntu Software or run command in terminal:

sudo snap remove pycharm-professional pycharm-community
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Liferea News Reader 1.12.6 Released (Ubuntu PPA)

Last updated: December 4, 2018

Liferea (Linux Feed Reader) 1.12.6 was released day. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.10.

Liferea 1.12.6 is a new bug-fix release which resolves several usability problems.

  • Add confirmation dialog when adding duplicate subscription
  • Fix that when resuming from sleep feeds were being fetched before Wifi came up
  • Fix Headerbar plugin “Mark All Read” button is not feed-specific
  • Fix scrollbars not always present in the headline area
  • Fix that Next update overrides HTML5 enrichment
  • Fix overly wide label in enclosure preferences dialog
  • Dropped unencrypted warning from auth dialog (not true anymore)
  • Adding translatable tooltips for the headerbar plugin

How to Install Liferea 1.12.6 in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, and derivatives, the new release packages are available in an unofficial PPA repository.

1. Open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for ‘terminal’ from app launcher. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

Type your password (no asterisks feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then upgrade Liferea via Software Updater utility:

or run commands one by one to install the Linux feed reader:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install liferea

Finally launch the news reader from your application launcher and enjoy! (Log out and log back if you don’t see the icon).

Uninstall Liferea:

As the PPA also contains many other software packages, you may remove it by launching Software & Updates and navigating to Other Software tab.

If you want to remove the Liferea news reader software, either use your system package manager or run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove liferea liferea-data
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HPLIP 3.18.12 Released with Ubuntu 18.04 64-bit Support

Last updated: December 3, 2018

HPLIP, HP developed Linux drivers for HP inkjet and laser based printers, released version 3.18.12 a few hours ago with new devices and Linux Distros support.

According to the release note, HPLIP 3.18.12 adds support for 64-bit Ubuntu 18.10 and Debian 9.6.

Also following new devices are supported:

  • HP Tango
  • HP Tango X
  • HP Scanjet Pro 2000 S1

Download / Install HPLIP 3.18.12 in Ubuntu:

To install the software, download the package “hplip-3.18.12.run” from the link below:

Then open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T or search for “terminal” from app launcher. When it opens, run command:

cd ~/Downloads/ && chmod +x hplip-3.18.12.run && ./hplip-3.18.12.run

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

Then follow the terminal prompts, answer some questions to build and install HPLIP on your system. When everything is done, plug/re-plug your printers and enjoy!

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Gscan2PDF 2.2.0 Released, How to Install it in Ubuntu

Last updated: December 1, 2018

Gscan2pdf, GTK tool to produce PDF / DjVu from scanned document, released version 2.2.0 recently. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.10, Ubuntu 18.04, and Ubuntu 16.04.

Gscan2pdf 2.2.0 release highlights according to the changelog:

  • Check validity of device blacklist regex when applying preferences
  • Modify preference “Force new scan job between pages” to only take effect when scanning from flatbed.
  • Fixed crash switching frontend option in Edit/Preferences between libimage-sane-perl and scanimage.
  • Fixed visibility of scan widgets when switching from libimage-sane-perl to scanimage.
  • Collect all warning and error messages in one dialog.
  • Be more tolerant of errors whilst fetching options.
  • Use default text if the title of a group of scan options is empty.
  • Lock panning of image and OCR output views
  • Translation updates.

How to Install gscan2pdf 2.2.0 in Ubuntu:

The official Ubuntu PPA has made the new release packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, and their derivatives.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jeffreyratcliffe/ppa

Type user password (no asterisks feedback due to security reason) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. For those who have a previous release installed, upgrade it through Software Updater:

For the first time, you can either install it via Synaptic Package Manager or by running following commands in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gscan2pdf

How to Remove:

To remove gscan2pdf, either use your system package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove gscan2pdf

And the PPA can be removed via Software & Updates utility, under Other Software tab.

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Wine 3.0.4 Released with Lots of Bug Fixes

Last updated: January 25, 2019

Wine, an open-source compatibility layer allows to run Windows apps on Linux, released the new stable version 3.0.4 a day ago with lots of bug-fixes.

Wine 3.0.4 added a lot of icons in Shell32, and fixed 47 bugs affecting Total Commander, SuperPower 2, ODB++ Viewer, Wechat, World of Warcraft, Total War, Wargaming Game Center, Overwatch, and more.

How to Install Wine 3.0.4 in Ubuntu:

The new release packages will be made into official Wine apt repository in a few days.

At that time, you can do following steps to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, and derivatives.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching it from app launcher. When it opens, run command to add the repository key:

wget -nc https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key && sudo apt-key add winehq.key

Type your password (no asterisks feedback due to security reason) when it asks and hit Enter.

2. Add wine repository via command:

sudo apt-add-repository https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/

For Linux Mint 19, use following command instead (replace bionic with xenial for 18.x):

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

3. Finally check updates and install wine stable packages:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install --install-recommends winehq-stable

NOTE: If you get the unmet dependencies issue while installing Wine, try aptitude instead via command:

sudo apt install aptitude; sudo aptitude install winehq-stable

For more details, see the official documentation.

Uninstall:

To remove wine-stable package, run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove wine-stable wine-stable-amd64

To remove Wine repository, launch Software & Updates utility and navigate to Other Software tab.

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