Since Ubuntu 23.10 with default GNOME 45 desktop, there’s no longer app menu indicator in top-panel next to workspace indicator (previously ‘Activities’).
It’s an indicator menu for current running app window in focus, which has few basic options such as “New Window” and “Quit”.
GNOME has proposed to replace the app menu with a new way for indicating window focus. GNOME 45 takes the first step by removing it from top-panel.
For those who prefer the top panel app menu, it’s easy to get it back by using an extension. And, here’s how to do the trick step by step.
Get back App Menu Indicator in GNOME 45/46
NOTE: This tutorial should work in Ubuntu 23.10, Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 39, Manjaro, Arch, and other Linux with GNOME 45/46.
For Ubuntu 23.10 and Ubuntu 24.04, firstly launch App Center, then search for and install “Extension Manager” app.
Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu Software/App Center
Next, launch “Extension Manager”, and use it to search & install the “App menu is back” extension, under Browse tab.
After installing the extension, the app menu should be back in top-panel, next to the ‘pill and dot’ workspace indicator once you selected any app window.
For Fedora 39 and other Linux, just launch web browser and go to the extension page in EGO via the link below:
Then, use the ON/OFF switch in the page to install the extension. In case you don’t see the toggle switch, install web browser extension via the link it prompted and refresh the page.
FFmpeg multi-media library updated to version 6.1, code-name “Heaviside”, few days ago!
According to the FFmpeg release page, the new 6.1 release features new libaribcaption decoder, RivaTuner video decoder, Playdate video decoder and demuxer, vMix video decoder, OSQ demuxer and decoder, as well as Microsoft RLE video encoder and VAAPI AV1 encoder.
The release also includes some new filters, including arls filter, afireqsrc audio source filter, color_vulkan filter, bwdif_vulkan filter, nlmeans_vulkan filter, zoneplate video source filter, xfade_vulkan filter, apsnr and asisdr audio filters, bwdif_cuda filter.
Other changes include:
CRI USM demuxer
Raw AC-4 muxer and demuxer
Raw VVC bitstream parser, muxer and demuxer
Extend VAAPI support for libva-win32 on Windows
ffmpeg CLI new option: -readrate_initial_burst
command support in the setpts and asetpts filters
Vulkan decode hwaccel, supporting H264, HEVC and AV1
Essential Video Coding parser, muxer and demuxer
Essential Video Coding frame merge bsf
Bitstream filter for editing metadata in VVC streams
Bitstream filter for converting VVC from MP4 to Annex B
scale_vt filter for videotoolbox
transpose_vt filter for videotoolbox
support for the P_SKIP hinting to speed up libx264 encoding
Support HEVC,VP9,AV1 codec in enhanced flv format
Support HEVC,VP9,AV1 codec fourcclist in enhanced rtmp protocol
ffmpeg CLI ‘-top’ option deprecated in favor of the setfield filter
ffprobe XML output schema changed to account for multiple variable-fields elements within the same parent element
ffprobe -output_format option added as an alias of -of
Install FFmpeg 6.1 in Ubuntu 22.04
NOTE: FFmpeg is an important media library that many apps depend on it. Install newer FFmpeg in Ubuntu may cause dependency issues (or even break your system). Use it at your own risk!!
I’ve made the new release package into this unofficial PPA for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS only, with x86_64, and 32/64-bit Arm architectures support.
1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open a terminal window. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:
NOTE: Keep an eye in terminal output before answering yes to confirm! It MAY remove some other useful app packages, though it should be able to install them back later.
For those who want to install the most recent Kernel 6.6 with new hardware support or compatibility fixes, it’s now available in the zabbly repository for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Debian 12.
Linux 6.6 was released few weeks ago as the latest Kernel series. It features PSR power saving for Intel 4th/5th CPU, initial PECI support for 4th Gen Xeon, initial support for the Intel Lunar Lake VPU4, Dynamic Boost Control support for AMD Ryzen laptops, as well as various new hardware support. See HERE for more.
As Ubuntu Mainline Kernel PPA is stuck at old RC5 for unknown reason, there’s NO official package for the new Kernel release.
For choice, the Zabbly repository maintained by Ubuntu core developer (quit a few months ago) has updated the new kernel package for Ubuntu 22.04 & 20.04.
Add Zabbly Repository & install latest Kernel
Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Then, run the commands below one by one to add the repository and install latest Kernel:
Download & install the key:
sudo wget -O - https://pkgs.zabbly.com/key.asc |sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/zabbly.asc
Setup the repository via single command:
sh -c 'cat <<EOF > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/zabbly-kernel-stable.sources
Enabled: yes
Types: deb
URIs: https://pkgs.zabbly.com/kernel/stable
Suites: $(. /etc/os-release && echo ${VERSION_CODENAME})
Components: main
Architectures: $(dpkg --print-architecture)
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/zabbly.asc
EOF'
This is a single command for Ubuntu/Debian. For their based systems, you have to replace $(. /etc/os-release && echo ${VERSION_CODENAME}) with jammy (for 22.04 base), focal (for 20.04 base), or bookworm for Debian 12 base.
Finally, update & install the new kernel:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install linux-zabbly
In case the previous steps are not clear enough, or it broke things up, see this step by step detailed guide instead.
OBS Studio, the popular live streaming software, announced new 30.0 release yesterday. Here are the new features and how to install guide for Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.04/23.10, and Linux Mint 21.
OBS-Studio 30.0 is a big release with many new features. They include WHIP/WebRTC output, support for Intel QSV H264, HEVC, AV1 on Linux, “Safe Mode” that runs without scripting, and websockets, 10-bit capture and HDR playback support for Decklink devices.
Other changes include:
Redesigned the status bar
Full-Height docks option in the “Docks” menu
Add shader cache to improve startup time on Windows
Add application audio capture on macOS
Rework the virtual camera on macOS
Add YouTube Live Control Room Panel when streaming to YouTube
Option to hide OBS windows from macOS Screen Capture’s “Display Capture”
Arrange filters via drag & drop
Ability to set FFmpeg Options for VAAPI
And, there are tons of other changes and bug-fixes, see the release page for details.
How to Install OBS Studio 30.0 in Ubuntu
The release page (see the link above) provides Windows .exe, Mac OS .dmg, and Ubuntu .deb packages for downloading under ‘Assets’ section.
For Ubuntu and Linux Mint, there’s also an official PPA available to make it easy to keep the software up-to-date.
The PPA supports the new release for Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.04, Ubuntu 23.10, and their based systems. While, Ubuntu 20.04 does not longer supported due to FFmpeg version mis-match.
1. Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open a terminal window. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:obsproject/obs-studio
Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.
2. Then, either use Software Updater to update the software package (if an old version was installed).
Or, use apt command to install/upgrade the software package:
sudo apt install obs-studio
NOTE: Linux Mint may need to run sudo apt update first to update package cache.
Once installed, search for and launch OBS Studio from ‘Activities’ overview or start menu depends on your desktop environment and enjoy!
NOTE: OBS Studio in Ubuntu 22.04 and higher with Wayland, looks kinda borderless, due to Qt theming issue. If you prefer the classic header-bar and window border, see this tutorial to enable xcb plugin
Uninstall OBS Studio
To downgrade the software to the stock version that your system repository provides, run command:
PTBatcherGUI can now also queue user defined assistant and user defined output sequences.
PTBatcherGUI: Added option to generate panorama sequences from an existing pto template.
Assistant: Added option to select different output options like projection, FOV or canvas size depending on different variables (e.g. image count, field of view, lens type).
Allow building with epoxy instead of GLEW for OpenGL pointer management.
Several improvements to crop tool (outside crop, aspect ratio, …).
For all current Ubuntu releases, including Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.10, and their based systems, I’ve made the unofficial package into this PPA repository, not only for x86_64 but also 32-bit/64-bit ARM support!
I also sync the packages into the apps PPA, use either one as you prefer.
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:ubuntuhandbook1/hugin
Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.
2. Update system package cache for Ubuntu 18.04 and Linux Mint, though it’s done automatically while adding PPA in Ubuntu 20.04+:
sudo apt update
3. Finally, either run the command below in terminal to install the panorama photo stitcher:
sudo apt install hugin
Or, upgrade the software (if an old version was installed) via Software Updater (Update Manager) app:
Uninstall hugin:
To remove the software package, simply run command:
sudo apt remove --autoremove hugin hugin-data
And, remove the PPA either by running command in terminal:
Tilix terminal emulator released version 1.9.6 few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.04, and Ubuntu 23.10.
Tilix is a tiling terminal emulator, which uses the VTE GTK+ 3 widget for various features, such as split horizontally or vertically, transparent background, background images, quake mode support, custom hyperlinks, experimental trigger and badge support.
The development of Tilix is moving slowly now due to lack of maintainers. The new 1.9.6 is released more than 20 months after the last stable. And, it only includes minor new features and bug-fixes:
Add close button to search box.
Replace variables in custom link commands
Follow system color-scheme for default theme-variant
Add compatibility with Nautilus 43
Avoid shell injection in open-tilix plugin
Fix GLib critical warnings on startup
Update to GtkD 3.10.0
Tilix search box has close button.
How to Install Tilix 1.9.6 in Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.10
The new release provides prebuild package for Linux, which is available to download at the link below:
It’s ‘tilix-1.9.6_x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz‘ for 64-bit modern PC and laptop. Just download the package, extract, and run the executable to launch the terminal emulator.
Ubuntu PPA
The official tarball does NOT include run-time libraries. You have to manually figure out “error while loading shared libraries …” errors.
To make the life easy, I’ve upload the new packages into this unofficial PPA, build against the rules from Debian Unstable. So far, it supports Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.04, Ubuntu 23.10, on both x86_64 and AArch64(arm64).
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:ubuntuhandbook1/tilix
Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.
2. Linux Mint 21 users need to refresh system package cache manually, by either running the command below or using “Refresh” button in Update Manager:
sudo apt update
3. Finally, either run command to install the terminal emulator:
sudo apt install tilix
Or, update it through Software Updater (Update Manager) utility.
NOTE: Upgrading from v1.9.5 may cause following error pop-up at launch, but I don’t know how to correct the issue.
Thanks to @oswald_c, you may fix the issue by enabling ‘Run command as a login shell’ to enable it‘ option under default profile of “Preferences” dialog. See the screenshot below:
Uninstall Tilix
To downgrade Tilix to stock version in your system repository, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to purge the PPA:
GIMP image editor announced a new stable release for the 2.10 series few days ago. Here’s how you can install it in Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and Ubuntu 23.10.
First of all, GIMP 2.10.38 includes Windows Ink drivers support for better tablets support on Windows. It also backports some small features from GTK3 to GTK2, with some improvements for Windows users. They include:
Use native Windows API for converting keystrokes to characters,
Fix keyboard input when using IMEs,
Fix mouse events in presence of transparent windows on the desktop,
Win32 IME Fixes, and more.
Besides the improvements for Windows users, the release also includes various bug-fixes, including that GIMP crashes every time on exit in my case in Ubuntu 24.04. See release note for more about GIMP 2.10.38.
(Old content for GIMP 2.10.36) The new release also has some new features. They include Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE) and Adobe Color Book (ACB) palettes support.
Gradient Tool now has an “FG to Transparent (Hardedge)” option, to generate a gradient from the foreground color to transparency, with hard-edge transitions between the 2 colors. Which, as well includes a “Repeat” option to alternate repetitive colored shapes.
If you already installed an old version of the Flatpak package, try to update it by running command:
flatpak update org.gimp.GIMP
Option 2: Snap package
Like Flatpak, Snap is also an universal Linux package format runs in sandbox environment. It’s easy to install by simply search & click installing in App Center (or Ubuntu Software for 22.04 & earlier).
Option 3: Ubuntu PPA
For those who prefer native .deb package format, I’ve upload the new release package into this unofficial PPA for Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and Ubuntu 23.10, with amd64, arm64 and armhf support.
1. First, open terminal (press Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to add PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gimp
Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.
2. Linux Mint users need to manually refresh system package cache, though, it’s done automatically in Ubuntu while adding PPA. To do so, run command:
sudo apt update
3. Finally, either run command to install GIMP 2.10.38:
sudo apt install gimp gegl libgexiv2-2
For Ubuntu 20.04, also run sudo apt install libgexiv2-2 to update the runtime library. Or run sudo apt upgrade if GIMP refused to run after installation.
Or, use “Software Updater” (Update Manager) to upgrade your current GIMP to the latest.
Uninstall GIMP
If you installed GIMP via the official Flatpak package, run command below in terminal to uninstall it:
flatpak uninstall --delete-data org.gimp.GIMP
Also run flatpak uninstall --unused to remove useless runtimes.
For the Snap package, simply use Ubuntu Software or App Center to uninstall it.
For the PPA package, either run command to purge PPA and downgrade to the stock version:
Have multiple monitors connected to your Ubuntu 22.04 machine? There’s now an indicator to dim all or individual monitor screen brightness with sliders.
You can dim external monitor brightness with either physical buttons or ddcutil utility. However, an indicator applet in system tray can be more effective, and here’s one for Ubuntu 22.04 with default GNOME 42.
It’s a Gnome Shell extension, that adds a light bulb to top-right corner in panel. By clicking on it, will show you the slider to dim all the connected monitors, as well as individual sliders to dim certain screens.
And, by moving the slider to far right will make the screen totally dark, just like being turned off.
Besides dimming monitor screens, it can also change the colors with RGB sliders, which also can apply to either all or individual monitors.
As my laptop’s external HDMI port is broken, I can’t try out the multi-monitor support. But, the dimming and RGB color (need to at least move dim slider a bit to right) functions are working very well in my case in Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop PC.
My test without multi-monitors
How to Install the Dimming Control Indicator
First, launch Ubuntu Software, then search for and install “Extension Manager” app.
Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu 22.04+
Then, click on top-left ‘Activities’ button to open overview screen, search for and launch ‘Extension Manager’.
When the tool opens, navigate to ‘Browse‘ tab, and finally search and install “VividShade: Multi-Monitor RGB Dimming Control” extension.
The indicator applet will appear on panel immediately after installation.
Uninstall:
To uninstall this extension, also launch “Extension Manager“. Click expand it under first tab, finally click on red “Remove” button.
This simple tutorial shows how to display live earth as desktop wallpaper in Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 24.04.
Ubuntu has Wallch wallpaper changer in system repository, which has option to show live earth as wallpaper. However, the app is no longer updated and the feature is broken for all current Ubuntu releases.
If you’re interested in viewing high-resolution 3d real-time image of the earth in your desktop, then there’s another free open-source tool can do the job.
It’s liewa (Live Earth Wallpapers), that supports all known geostationary satellites for the high resolution sentinel images, Nasa Solar Dynamics Observatory images and NASA astronomy picture of the day (Apod)!
By default, it uses GEOS-16 satellite for the earth image, that display a small earth in center of your screen. Though, the app has setting options to add or edit satellites.
Add, configure satellites
So, you can have more than one real-time images of the earth from different satellites displayed on your screen at the same time, in different size, with either natural color or geocolor.
How to Install Live Earth Wallpapers (Liewa)
The tool provides .deb package for downloading in its Github releases page:
After downloaded the .deb package, right-click on ‘Downloads’ folder and select “Open in Terminal”. Finally, run command to install it in pop-up terminal window:
sudo apt install ./liewa.deb
Finally, launch it from either start/applications menu or the overview screen depends on your desktop environment.
When the app window opens, configure canvas size, satellites, etc in first tab, then click on “Create New Scheduler” in Scheduler tab should start the live earth wallpaper.
Though, it takes quite a few seconds to apply, waiting for automatically start the service. If you can’t wait, try to open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to manually start the service:
systemctl status --user liewa
Uninstall:
You can stop the live earth wallpaper by clicking on “Delete Scheduler” button in app window, then set another wallpaper via ‘Background’ settings.
To remove the software, simply open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:
This simple tutorial shows how to do stress test on your CPU in Ubuntu or Debian Linux, either Desktop or Server.
Got a new CPU /CPU cooler, or changed your computer environment? You can perform a stress test to find out if it’s working good! And, here’s how to do the trick in Debian, Ubuntu, and their based systems.
Step 1: Install stress/stress-ng & s-tui
In all current Ubuntu (20.04, 22.04, 24.04) and Debian releases, there are few command line and TUI tools to do the job.
First, open terminal either from start/application menu or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard.
When it opens, run command:
sudo apt install --install-suggests s-tui
Type user password (no asterisk feedback) for sudo authentication and hit Enter.
The command will install s-tui, with TUI interface to start, stop, configure stress test, and monitor your CPU status in terminal.
With --install-suggests option, it also installs the stress or stress-ng package as the backend for the testing.
Step 2: Perform Stress Test
After installing the tool, simply run the command below in terminal to start s-tui:
s-tui
Then, you’ll see something look like the screenshot below shows you.
In left, it shows some options, as well as summaries of core temperatures, and frequencies. In right, it shows information about the temperature, utilization rate,etc in graphs.
To start stress test, just left click on ( )Stress in the top-left corner of terminal, or use arrow key to highlight it and hit Enter. To stop it, just click to switch back ( )Monitor.
By clicking Stress Options in left, it will show you option to set a timeout to automatically stop stress testing in given seconds. You can also change Sqrt() worker count and Sync() worker count to specify how many cores to run for stress test.
Tips 1 : For GNOME, Ubuntu’s default desktop environment, open “Power” settings and change CPU power mode to ‘Performance’ before performing stress test, or your CPU may not run in full speed.
Tips 2: While stress testing, you may also monitor the temperature of other devices (e.g., SSD) in your machine. To do so, you may install ‘hardinfo’ by running command in terminal:
sudo apt install hardinfo
Then open it and navigate to ‘sensors’ tab in left.
