1. Home/
    2. Archives /
  2. Howtos

Archives For Howtos

How to Install / Upgrade Banshee in Ubuntu, Linux Mint via PPA

Last updated: August 7, 2013

banshee media playerWant to install or upgrade the latest version of Banshee Music Player? Well, here I’ll show you how to do it in Ubuntu and Linux Mint via its PPA repository.

At the moment of writing this tutorial, the latest release is Banshee 2.6.1 and it’s available for Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, Ubuntu 13.04 Raring, Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal, Ubuntu 12.04 Precise, Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric, and Linux Mint 15, 14, 13, 12.

Add Banshee PPA:

Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal window for running commands. When it opens, copy below command and paste in terminal (Ctrl+Shift+V) and hit enter:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:banshee-team/ppa

It will add the Banshee PPA repository to your system so that you can install and receive updates via package manager or apt-get command.

Install / Upgrade Banshee

For Linux Mint users (and Ubuntu users with Synaptic installed), open Synaptic Package Manager from the start menu. Click Reload to update package lists, search banshee and mark for installation or upgrade by right-clicking on result. Finally click Apply to install / upgrade.

install / upgrade banshee synaptic

Both Linux Mint and Ubuntu can run below commands instead:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install banshee

Enjoy!

In Howtos , , ,
 permalink

How to Change Hostname (Computer Name) in Ubuntu 13.04

Last updated: August 6, 2013

Here’s a beginners’ guide to change your hostname or computer name in Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail. The default PC name was set when you were installing Ubuntu. You can easily change it to whatever you want both in Ubuntu Server and Desktop with this tutorial. To check your current name, go to top-right corner “gear” button -> About This Computer.

ubuntu hostname

Change Hostname in graphical way:

There’s a graphical tool called gnome-network-admin, it provides a simple way to change your computer name in Ubuntu Desktop.

change hostname in gui

You can search for and install this tool from Ubuntu Software Center. Or click the link below to launch it:

click to install gnome-network-admin

Change Hostname in Command Line:

If you’re comfortable with editing a configuration file and running some terminal commands it’s not difficult to change your PC name manually.

To check current hostname, run below commands:

hostname

To set a hostname until you restart, run:

sudo hostname YOUR_NEW_NAME

To change your computer name permanently, edit both /etc/hostname and /etc/hosts with your favorite editor and change your previous name to whatever you want.

In Howtos ,
 permalink

Install / Upgrade Scribus 1.4.3 in Ubuntu 13.04, 12.04, Linux Mint

Last updated: October 12, 2014

The desktop publishing app Scribus has reached version 1.4.3, this tutorial will show you how to install it in Ubuntu 13.04, 12.04, 12.10, 10.04, Linux Mint via its official repository.

Scribus Ubuntu

UPDATE: Latest Stable Scribus 1.4.4 Now is available in PPA for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, and Ubuntu 12.04.

Like the previous version, this is mostly a bugfixing release, but there are also some important enhancements:

  • Scribus has been ported to the Haiku operating system. For more information see: Installing_Scribus_on_Haiku
  • The Barcode Writer has been updated and supports many more barcodes, including QR.
  • The Galaxy Gauge™ color matching system and color tools have been included.
  • New color palettes from government agencies (Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, United Kingdom) have been included.
  • More Open Source color palettes have been included.
  • Improvements to the build system.
  • Improvements to the Preflight Verifier.
  • The A4 page size limit of TeX-rendered graphics in Render Frames has been removed.
  • The Short Words plug-in now supports Danish.
  • Many updates to the Online Manual.

Most important bugfixes:

  • Disabled hyphenation on some Linux distributions is working again.
  • Some unit conversion issues have been fixed.
  • Display issues related to Ubuntu’s Unity interface have been fixed.
  • Some fixes to wrong or irritating UI behavior.
  • Memory management in connection with the new Hyphenator has been optimized.
  • Issues with the Clang compiler have been fixed.
  • Scribus now supports Pillow as an alternative to the Python Imaging Library.
  • Many translation updates.

Install Scribus from Official Repository:

Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal for running commands. When it opens, follow below steps:

1.) Run command to add the Scribus repository:

sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://debian.scribus.net/debian/ $(lsb_release -cs) main non-free"

2.) Get the key:

gpg --keyserver wwwkeys.pgp.net --recv-keys EEF818CF

Export the key and add it to the apt keyring:

gpg --armor --export EEF818CF | sudo apt-key add -

3.) update and install the packages:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install scribus

That’s it! After this tutorial, you can redo step 3.) to receive updates when a new release comes out.

In Howtos , , ,
 permalink

Enable DVD playback and install multimedia codecs in Ubuntu 13.10

Last updated: August 4, 2013

This simple tutorial shows you how to enable DVD playback and install multimedia codecs in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, so that you can play encrypted DVDs, wmv, mpeg, mp3, divx, and more with the default player.

All you need to to is run below commands in terminal one by one and then restart your computer to take effect.

To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands to install multi-media codecs:

sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg libxine1-ffmpeg gxine mencoder libdvdread4 totem-mozilla icedax tagtool easytag id3tool lame nautilus-script-audio-convert libmad0 mpg321 gstreamer1.0-libav

install multi-media codecs

Then run command to install libdvdcss2 to enable DVD playback:

sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

Done.

In Howtos , ,
 permalink

How to Install Latest Pinta in Ubuntu 13.10, 13.04, 12.04 via PPA

Last updated: August 4, 2013

As you may know, Pinta is a Paint.NET-like image drawing and editing program which is free and open-source. It is lighter and simpler than popular open-source image editor GIMP.

pinta ubuntu

Pinta is available in Ubuntu Softare Center by default, but it’s a little old. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to install the latest stable and development version of Pinta in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, Ubuntu 13.04 Raring, 12.10 Quantal, 12.04 Precise and Linux Mint via PPA repository.

To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands:

To install the latest development version, run following 3 commands one by one in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pinta-maintainers/pinta-daily

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install pinta

To install the latest stable version (support Ubuntu 12.10, 12.04, 11.10), run below commands instead:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pinta-maintainers/pinta-stable

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install pinta
In Howtos , , ,
 permalink

How to Install Sigil Epub Editor For Ubuntu via PPA

Last updated: December 1, 2014

This simple tutorial shows you how to install Sigil WYSIWYG epub editor on Ubuntu 13.04 Raring, 12.04 Precise via Sigil PPA repository.

sigil epub editor for ubuntu

Sigil is a free and open-source EPUB ebook editor. It runs on Linux, Windows and Mac with full EPUB 2 spec and UTF-16 support.

  • Multiple Views: Book View, Code View and Preview View
  • WYSIWYG editing in Book View
  • Complete control over directly editing EPUB syntax in Code View
  • Table of Contents generator with multi-level heading support
  • Metadata editor with full support for all possible metadata entries (more than 200) with full descriptions for each
  • User interface translated into many languages
  • Spell checking with default and user configurable dictionaries
  • Full Regular Expression (PCRE) support for Find & Replace
  • Supports import of EPUB and HTML files, images, and style sheets,
  • Documents can be validated for EPUB compliance with the integrated FlightCrew EPUB validator
  • Embedded HTML Tidy: all imported files have their formatting corrected, and your editing can be optionally cleaned

Install Sigil Epub Editor:

There is only a personal Sigil PPA for Ubuntu users. Now supports Ubuntu 14.10 and Ubuntu 14.04. Supports Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 12.10. Use it at your own risk!

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands to add the ppa:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sunab/sigil-release

For Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, you’ll need the Ubuntu SDK PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-sdk-team/ppa

After adding the ppa repository, you’re able to install the editor via below commands:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install sigil

sigil epub editor for ubunt unity

In Howtos , , ,
 permalink

Connect to Ubuntu 13.04 From Windows 7 via RDP Protocol

Last updated: August 1, 2013

Here I’ll show you how to connect to Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail from Windows 7 via Remote Desktop Connection. All you need to do is install xRDP server in Ubuntu, then use Windows RDP to connect to Ubuntu without any configuration.

xRDP is a rdesktop project which uses the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to make it easy to connect Ubuntu from remote client especially not having to log into Ubuntu first.

xRDP is available in the universe repository, just search for and install it from Ubuntu Software Center.

rdp server

Or you can install it via below command in terminal:

sudo apt-get install xrdp

After that, open Windows 7’s Remote Desktop Connection and type in Ubuntu hoastname or IP address.

windows rdp

Then type in Ubuntu username and password to login to xrdp:

xrdp login

You’re done. Enjoy!

In Howtos , , ,
 permalink

How to Install Cool Reader 3 in Ubuntu 13.10

Last updated: July 31, 2013

This simple and brief tutorial shows you how to install Cool Reader 3 in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander.

As you may know, CoolReader is fast and small cross-platform XML/CSS based E-Book reader for desktops and handheld devices. Supported formats: FB2, TXT, RTF, DOC, TCR, HTML, EPUB, CHM, PDB, MOBI. Platforms: Win32, Linux, Android. Ported on some eInk based devices.

CoolReader3

Without adding a ppa repository, we can directly download and install the Deb package to get Cool Reader on your Ubuntu system. To do so, first open System Settings -> Details to check out your OS type (32-bit or 64-bit).

Then press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands to download the reader:

For 32-bit system:

wget https://launchpad.net/~vovansrnd/+archive/coolreader/+files/cr3_3.0.59.2-1_i386.deb

For 64-bit system:

wget https://launchpad.net/~vovansrnd/+archive/coolreader/+files/cr3_3.0.59.2-1_amd64.deb

Once the downloading process finished, both 32-bit & 64-bit run below command to install Cool Reader 3:

sudo dpkg -i cr3_3.0.59.2-1_*.deb; sudo apt-get -f install

cool reader ubuntu 13.04 dash

In Howtos ,
 permalink

Install QupZilla Web Browser in Ubuntu 13.04 via PPA

Last updated: July 30, 2013

This simple tutorial will show you how to install the QupZilla Web Browser from its ppa repository in Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail.

As you may know, QupZilla is a new and very fast QtWebKit browser. It aims to be a lightweight web browser available through all major platforms. This project has been originally started only for educational purposes. But from its start, QupZilla has grown into a feature-rich browser.

qupzilla web browser

News:QupZilla will be available in upcoming Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy’s default repository. Just search for and install it from Ubuntu Software Center

Install QupZilla:

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below command to add the ppa repository:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nowrep/qupzilla

add qupzilla ppa

Update package lists and install the browser:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install qupzilla

install qupzilla web browser

Once installed, you’ll be able to open it from Unity Dash.

qupzilla in ubuntu

In Howtos ,
 permalink

How to Install Zipwhip Text Messaging app in Ubuntu

Last updated: July 30, 2013

This simple and brief tutorial is going to show you how to install Zipwhip text messaging app in Ubuntu. As you may know, Zipwhip is a small utility that allows you to text anyone from PC, Android tablet, or web browser using your existing mobile number.

Zipwhip-starting

Tutorial Objectives:

  • Install Zipwhip Text Messaging app in Ubuntu
  • Enjoy!

To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands to download the app:

For 32-bit system:

wget http://zipwhip.cachefly.net/zipwhip-desktop-i586.deb

For 64-bit system:

wget http://zipwhip.cachefly.net/zipwhip-desktop-amd64.deb

Both 32-bit & 64-bit run below command to install the package:

sudo dpkg -i zipwhip-desktop*.deb

Once installed, you may need a restart to be able to open this tool from Unity Dash. Then input your phone number and a password (register for free):

Zipwhip-phone

In Howtos
 permalink