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Shotwell 0.15.1 Fixed Tumblr plugin, Install / Upgrade in Ubuntu

Last updated: July 25, 2014

Shotwell 0.15.1 has been released recently with important bug fixes. Here are the details and how to install or upgrade it in Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Linux Mint 15, 14.

Shotwell 0.15.1 fixes:

Install Tumblr plugin resources (Tumblr plugin failed to work without them)
Fix crash when video thumbnails are being inspected and created

Yorba strongly recommends all users upgrade to this release.

For Ubuntu 13.04 Raring, Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal and their derivatives, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run commands below one by one to upgrade from Yorba PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:yorba/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install -y shotwell

The tarball for Shotwell 0.15.1 is available at github page.

For Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, due to the dependencies has updated to libgphoto2-6 while the Shotwell required version libgphoto2-2. Yorba team wrote in the announcement:

We hope that a version for Saucy will be available soon in Ubuntu’s repositories.

shotwell 0.15.1 in pear os 8

In Howtos shotwell, Tumblr plugin issue

How to Convert VCD to mp3 in Ubuntu Linux

Last updated: November 20, 2013

This simple tutorial shows how to rip your Video CD to mp3 in Ubuntu, it also works on other Linux include Debian, OpenSUSE, Fedora.

Here I use the K3b burning tool to rip VCD to video files and SoundConverter to convert video files to mp3 files.

1. Rip Video CD to mpeg videos

First install K3b CD/DVD burning tool which is available in most Linux distributions. For Ubuntu, install K3b from Ubuntu Software Center.

Insert your VCD and then open K3b, double click on the Video CD listed in the burning tool and click Start Ripping

ripping VCD to mpeg in Ubuntu

Once done, you’ll see video files in the target folder:

mpg videos from VCD

2. Convert mpeg to mp3

Install SoundConverter, which is available in Debian repository. For Ubuntu and its derivatives, we can install SoundConverter from getdeb repository, see this tutorial for details.

Once installed, start the app and click on Add file button. Press Ctrl+A to select all videos and click Open to add them.

Click Preferences to choose the result folder and result format, quality, etc.

Finally click on Convert to start the process:

When done, you’ll see all music files in result folder:

In Howtos K3b CD/DVD burning, SoundConverter, VCD to mp3

How to install SupertuxKart 0.8.1 RC1 in Ubuntu Linux Mint

Last updated: November 19, 2013

SuperTuxKart is a Free 3D kart racing game with many tracks and characters. The latest SuperTuxKart 0.8.1 RC1 has been released and here are the new features and how to install it in Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.04 and Linux Mint.

What’s New in SuperTuxKart 0.8.1 RC1:

A new track called the “STK Enterprise” has been added;
The tracks “The Old Mines,” “Lighthouse,” and “Zen Garden” have been updated;
A new Soccer mode has been added;
A new Egg Hunt mode has been added;
Two new karts, Xue and Sara, have been implemented.

SuperTuxKart 0.8.1 new karts

SuperTuxKart 0.8.1 egg hunt

SuperTuxKart 0.8.1 Ubuntu 13.10

Download & Install SuperTuxKart 0.8.1:

1. Download the package from sourceforge page. Choose to download:

supertuxkart-0.8.1-rc1-linux-glibc2.7-i386.tar.bz2 for 32 bit system and supertuxkart-0.8.1-rc1-linux-glibc2.11-x86-64.tar.bz2 for 64 bit system

2. Uncompress the packages in Nautilus file browser by right-clicking on the package and select ‘Extract Here’.

3. Rename the result folder name to SuperTuxKart. You can move this folder to /opt/ for global use.

4. Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run commands below one by one to create a launcher for SuperTuxKart:

sudo apt-get install gnome-panel --no-install-recommends

sudo gnome-desktop-item-edit /usr/share/applications/ --create-new

in pop up window, type:

Name: SuperTuxKart-portable
Command: /home/YOURUSERNAME/Downloads/SuperTuxKart/bin/supertuxkart ### The path to extracted folder executabe file
Icon: choose from /home/YOURUSERNAME/Downloads/SuperTuxKart/data/ folder.

Once done, you can launcher the game from Unity Dash.

In Howtos SuperTuxKart

How to easily install DraftSight CAD in 64 bit Ubuntu 13.10

Last updated: March 13, 2014

As you may know, DraftSight is a professional-grade 2D CAD software, it lets users create, edit and view .dwg and AutoCAD DXF files.

DraftSight website only provides 32 bit version installer for Ubuntu users and this quick tutorial show how to easily install it on 64 bit Ubuntu 13.10 (Also works on Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.04).

Tutorial Objectives:

Install DraftSight CAD on 64 bit Ubuntu
Enjoy!

To get started, frist install Gdebi from Ubuntu Software Center. Gdebi is a lightweight DEB package installer which was the default in Ubuntu, it will automatically resolve and install the package dependencies.

Gdebi DEB installer in Ubuntu

Download the DraftSight from its webpage or from the official link below:

Download DraftSight

Right click on the package and select to “open with Gdebi package installer”.

Click Install Package button. Once done, you can open DraftSight from Unity Dash. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Thanks to Quazaban and isabag, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the command below if your DraftSight CAD does not work after this tutorial.

sudo apt-get install libcanberra-gtk-module:i386 libcanberra-gtk0:i386 libglu1-mesa:i386

In Howtos DraftSight CAD, Easy Install DraftSight 64 bit Ubuntu

SoundConverter 2.1.2 released, Install it in Ubuntu 13.10, 12.04

Last updated: April 4, 2019

SoundConverter, a simple Gnome sound converter app recently released version 2.1.2 with various bugfixes.

As you may know, SoundConverter aims to be simple to use, and very fast. Thanks to its multithreaded design, it will use as many cores as possible to speed up the conversion. It reads anything the GStreamer library can read, and writes WAV, FLAC, MP3, AAC and Ogg Vorbis files.

Changes in SoundConverter 2.1.2:

Fix original files deleted when encoding failed.
“Same folder as the input file” fix when “Create folders” is active.
Reset plugin install cancellation after conversion batch.
“Replace all messy characters” based on a black list instead of a white list. This means that only really problematic characters are replaced now.
Added appdata for gnome-software.
Translation updates.

Install SoundConverter 2.1.2:

The Getdeb has made this release into its app repository for Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 12.04 and Linux Mint 13/16.

1. Add the getdeb repository by running commands below in terminal one by one (For Linux Mint, there’s an option in Software Sources -> Additional repoository to enable getdeb):

wget http://archive.getdeb.net/install_deb/getdeb-repository_0.1-1~getdeb1_all.deb

sudo dpkg -i getdeb-repository_0.1-1~getdeb1_all.deb

2. Install SoundConverter after checking for updates:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install soundconverter

If you’re on Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10 or you just don’t want to add the PPA, download and install the ~~DEB packages~~

In Howtos Sound Converter, SoundConverter

TypeCatcher 0.1.2 Fixed Google Fonts Can Not Be Previewed Problem

Last updated: November 16, 2013

TypeCatcher, the Google webfonts downloader recently released 0.1.2 with important bugfixes. Here’s how to install / upgrade it in Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04 and their derivatives.

Due to a change in Google’s javascript webfont loader, fonts can not be previewed in previous version of TypeCatcher. While you can actually still download and install fonts, without being able to preview them the app is pretty much useless for the casual user.

TypeCatcher 0.1.2 fixed this important bug and the developer announced in launchpad page:

TypeCatcher uses an API wrapper served by ajax.googleapis.com to load the font previews. Google recently updated this to a new version. This bug only occurs with the new version. At this time it’s unclear if the new version exposes a bug in how I use it or if my usage exposes a bug in the API wrapper itself. I’m trying to get a clarification from upstream on the issue:

https://github.com/typekit/webfontloader/issues/166

TypeCatcher used to load the wrapper from ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/webfont/1/webfont.js which always provides the newest version. Luckily, Google continues to serve old versions if you use their explicit version number rather than just “1”This bug fix release using the last know “good” version, 1.4.10.

To install or upgrade TypeCatcher, press Ctrl+Alt+T and run commands below one by one in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:andrewsomething/typecatcher

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install typecatcher

In Howtos Google Fonts preview, TypeCatcher

Install Bombono DVD 1.2.2 via PPA in Ubuntu 13.10, 13.04

Last updated: November 15, 2013

Bombono DVD is a DVD authoring program for personal computers. It is made easy to use and has nice and clean GUI (Gtk).

The main features of Bombono DVD are:

Excellent video viewer: Timeline and Monitor
Real WYSIWYG Menu Editor with live thumbnails
Comfortable Drag-n-Drop support
Transcoding, if necessary (from AVI/MKV/MOV/MPEG4…)
Motion menus
Subtitles support
You can author to folder, make ISO-image or burn directly to DVD
Reauthoring: you can import video from DVD discs

The latest Bombono DVD 1.2.2 has been made into Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty. Here’s how to install or upgrade it in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, Ubuntu 13.04 Raring via PPA.

To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command below to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:jacob/media

After that, search for and install bombono-dvd package in Ubuntu Software Center after checking for updates. Or, run commands instead:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install bombono-dvd

In Howtos bombono-dvd, DVD authoring tool

Install Recoll 1.19 Full Text Search via PPA in Ubuntu Linux Mint

Last updated: November 14, 2013

Recoll is a full text search tool for Linux Desktops. It is based on the very strong Xapian search engine library, for which it provides a powerful text extraction layer and a complete, yet easy to use, Qt graphical interface.

Recoll finds keywords inside documents as well as file names:

It can search any document format.
It can reach any storage place: files, archive members, email attachments, transparently handling decompression.
One click will open the document inside a native editor or display an even quicker text preview.
The software is free, open source, and licensed under the GPL.

This tutorial shows how to install the latest Recoll (so far it’s 1.19.9) via PPA in Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 10.04 and Linux Mint.

Recoll 1.19.8 in Ubuntu 13.10 Unity

To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, copy and paste and run command below to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:recoll-backports/recoll-1.15-on

After that, we can search for and install recoll from Ubuntu Software Center after checking for updates. Or, run commands instead:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install recoll

You can install kio-recoll, a Recoll slave for KDE 4 or recoll-lens (does not support Ubuntu 13.10), Unity Lens for searching the Recoll index in Ubuntu Software Center. Or run command below:

sudo apt-get install kio-recoll recoll-lens

In Howtos Full text search tool, Recoll

Install ExMplayer (MPlayer GUI with thumbnail seeking) in Ubuntu

Last updated: December 3, 2013

ExMplayer (Extended Mplayer) is a beautiful MPlayer GUI with powerful features, such as flow view, media cutter, audio converter / extractor and 3D videos.

It plays any files with out any codec,199 audio and 416 video built-in external codecs. So ExMplayer can play any media format. Supports network streaming and subtitles.

ExMplayer in Ubuntu 13.10

Under Tools menu, there are Audio Converter supports more than 10 different audio file format conversions, Audio Extractor supports high quality audio extraction without losing audio quality, and Media Cutter with media quality preserved.

Since v3.0, ExMplayer can play 3D videos (Side by Side or Above-Below format).

Full list of ExMplayer Features:

3D video playback support
Volume booster
Seekview
Audio extractor
Audio converter
Media cutter
10 band audio equalizer
video equalizer
Winamp dsp plugins support
8 Audio effect filters
17 Video effect filters
Configurable keyboard shortcuts and mouse

Install ExMplayer:

So far, ExMplayer PPA ~~only~~ contains packages for Ubuntu 12.04 Precise, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 10.04. ~~But it works good in my Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy 64 bit.~~

To get started installing ExMplayer in Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint, Elementary OS, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command below to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:exmplayer-dev/exmplayer

Then go to Software & Updates (or Software Sources) -> Other Software tab. Find & edit the line which says “http://ppa.launchpad.net/exmplayer-dev/exmplayer/ubuntu xxxx main”, change the Distribution to precise

Finally check for updates and install the player:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install exmplayer

You can download ExMplayer Debs from launchpad page if you don’t want to add the PPA.

In Howtos ExMplayer, Mplayer GUI with thumbnail seeking

Kernel 3.10.19 LTS released, Install / Upgrade in Ubuntu Linux Mint

Last updated: November 13, 2013

The latest Linux Kernel LTS 3.10.19 has been released today. All users of Kernel 3.10 series are urged to upgrade as soon as possible.

Linux Kernel 3.10.19 brings a few driver updates and fixes. See the official announcement for more details.

If you’re using Kernel 3.10 on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or Debian based system, you can follow the steps below to install or upgrade to Linux Kernel 3.10.19:

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run commands below one by one to download the DEBs:

For 32 bit system:

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.19-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.19-031019-generic_3.10.19-031019.201311122235_i386.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.19-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.19-031019_3.10.19-031019.201311122235_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.19-saucy/linux-image-3.10.19-031019-generic_3.10.19-031019.201311122235_i386.deb

For 64 bit system:

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.19-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.19-031019-generic_3.10.19-031019.201311122235_amd64.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.19-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.19-031019_3.10.19-031019.201311122235_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.19-saucy/linux-image-3.10.19-031019-generic_3.10.19-031019.201311122235_amd64.deb

2. Run commands to install the DEBs:

sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-3.10.19-*.deb linux-image-3.10.19-*.deb

Restart your computer and done.

If for some reason, this kernel does not work properly on your machine. Boot into previous kernel from Grub and run command to remove Linux Kernel 3.10.19:

sudo apt-get purge linux-headers-3.10.19-* linux-image-3.10.19-*

You can also download & install the Kernel Debs from Ubuntu Kernel page if you’re not comfortable with command line.

In Howtos kernel 3.10 series, Linux Kernel