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Fix Broken Pip for Python 3.12 in Ubuntu 22.04/20.04

Last updated: October 4, 2023 — Leave a comment

This simple tutorial shows how to fix broken pip installer after installing Python 3.12 from Deadsnakes PPA in Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 20.04.

Due to removal of long deprecated pkgutil.ImpImporter class, pip command may not work for Python 3.12 in your Linux with old setuptools. It either just does not work or outputs following error, when installing anything via pip install:

ERROR: Exception:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip/_internal/cli/base_command.py", line 165, in exc_logging_wrapper
    status = run_func(*args)
             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip/_internal/cli/req_command.py", line 205, in wrapper
    return func(self, options, args)
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip/_internal/commands/install.py", line 285, in run
    session = self.get_default_session(options)
              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip/_internal/cli/req_command.py", line 75, in get_default_session
    self._session = self.enter_context(self._build_session(options))
                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip/_internal/cli/req_command.py", line 89, in _build_session
    session = PipSession(
              ^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip/_internal/network/session.py", line 282, in __init__
    self.headers["User-Agent"] = user_agent()
                                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip/_internal/network/session.py", line 157, in user_agent
    setuptools_dist = get_default_environment().get_distribution("setuptools")
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip/_internal/metadata/__init__.py", line 24, in get_default_environment
    from .pkg_resources import Environment
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip/_internal/metadata/pkg_resources.py", line 9, in 
    from pip._vendor import pkg_resources
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip/_vendor/pkg_resources/__init__.py", line 2164, in 
    register_finder(pkgutil.ImpImporter, find_on_path)
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
AttributeError: module 'pkgutil' has no attribute 'ImpImporter'. Did you mean: 'zipimporter'?

To fix the issue, you just have to manually install pip for Python 3.12. And, here’s how to do the job in 2 ways.

Method 1: Install pip via ensurepip

Python has a built-in module ensurepip, to provide support for bootstrapping the pip installer into an existing Python installation.

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

python3.12 -m ensurepip --upgrade

After that, you should be able to use the pip installer for Python 3.12 by either pip3.12 or python3.12 -m pip command.

Method 2: Install pip via get-pip.py

In case the previous method does not work for you, Pypa.io provides a script that can do the same job.

First, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to download the script via wget command:

wget https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py

Then, just run the script to download & install pip:

python3.12 get-pip.py

After installation, you may run python3.12 -m pip command to use the pip installer. To bind it to pip3.12, just run alias pip3.12="python3.12 -m pip".

That’s all. Enjoy!

In Howtos python

Install GDM Settings in Ubuntu 24.04 | 22.04 to Configure Login Screen

Last updated: May 29, 2025 — 7 Comments

This simple tutorial shows how to install GDM Settings tool to configure the Gnome Login Screen in Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

GDM Settings, aka Login Screen Manager, is a graphical configuration tool for GNOME Login Screen. With it, user can easily configure following things for the login screen:

Background image or color.
Theme, icons, and cursor.
font and scaling factor.
top bar text color and background color.
Mouse and touchpad settings.
Disable user list.
Sound, night light, logo, etc.

In Howtos Gnome

Single Command to Change CPU Power Mode in Ubuntu 24.04 | 22.04

Last updated: January 28, 2025 — 2 Comments

This simple tutorial shows how to switch CPU power mode between ‘Performance’, ‘Balanced’, and ‘Power Saver’ using Linux command in Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.10, and Ubuntu 24.04.

GNOME has options in both ‘Settings’ and top-right system status menu to change CPU frequency by switching between ‘Performance’, ‘Balanced’, and ‘Power Saver’.

It’s useful for saving battery life while being able to get better performance when gaming or doing heavy work.

For users who want to bind the options to keyboard shortcuts, or make the function into script or even application, here’s the single command to switch the power mode.

Single command to change Power Mode in Ubuntu

NOTE: This tutorial is only tested in Ubuntu (GNOME ONLY) with Intel CPU, though it should also work in Fedora workstation and Debian 12 with GNOME desktop.

The power mode setting option is handled by the power-profiles-daemon. It has a command line tool powerprofilesctl to check current and switch power profile.

To switch power mode to ‘power-saver’ for example, just press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal and run command:

powerprofilesctl set power-saver

In command, replace power-saver with balanced or performance as you want.

After making change, verify by running command:

powerprofilesctl

In the output, the one with an asterisk ‘*’ in the beginning is the power profile currently in use.

For those who want to do the job through D-Bus interface, run the single command below instead:

gdbus call --system --dest net.hadess.PowerProfiles --object-path /net/hadess/PowerProfiles --method org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties.Set 'net.hadess.PowerProfiles' 'ActiveProfile' "<'power-saver'>"

Also, change power-saver in command with balanced or performance as need.

View CPU Speed / frequency in Real Time

As mentioned, you can verify CPU power mode by simply running powerprofilesctl command.

For choice, you may also see CPU frequency (aka clock speed) in real-time by running command in terminal:

watch -n 1 "grep \"^[c]pu MHz\" /proc/cpuinfo"

It will show you the speed for all CPU cores, and update every 1 second. As you want, you may replace number 1 in seconds (e.g., 2 for 2 s, or 0.5 for 500 ms).

In Howtos power saving

How to Update Whisker Menu (App Launcher) to 2.8.0 in XUbuntu 22.04

Last updated: September 29, 2023 — Leave a comment

This simple tutorial shows how to install the latest Whisker Menu, the main menu for launching apps, in XUbuntu 22.04, Linux Lite 6.6, and Linux Mint 21 XFCE Edition.

The default main menu (aka applications menu, or start menu) in Debian and Ubuntu with XFCE Desktop is Whisker Menu. It’s a free and open-source project being developed by gottcode.org.

XUbuntu 22.04 includes Whisker Menu 2.7.1, while the latest version has now reached v2.8.0. For users who want to try out new features and receive bug-fixes, here’s how to install it step by step.

What’s New in Whisker Menu 2.8.0

For multiple monitors, you may have more than one instances of the menu in panel. In the case, the default Super shortcut key always open the menu in primary monitor.

To trigger the Whisker Menu in other monitors, user can bind xfce4-popup-whiskermenu -i ID-number to a keyboard shortcut. To get the ID-number, open ‘Panel Preferences -> Items’ and move mouse over the Whisker Menu applet to see the tooltip. It’s NOT the PID, but seems to be applet sequence number.

Also for keyboard users, the new release can trigger the menu in screen center by binding xfce4-popup-whiskermenu -c to a shortcut key.

The appearance settings menu has been redesigned in the release. There’s a new “Position profile on buttom” option. With it, user can put the user figure, Settings, Logout buttons in either top or bottom of the menu.

There’s also a “downside” in the release. User can no longer drag menu border to resize it. Instead, there are new “Menu width” and “Menu height” setting options to resize the menu. For more about the new release changes, see its official page.

Install Whisker Menu 2.8.0 via its Official PPA

The software developer has an official PPA contains the latest Whisker Menu packages for Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.04, Ubuntu 23.10, and their derivatives.

(X)Ubuntu, Linux Mint XFCE Edition, and Linux Lite users can follow the steps below one by one to install it:

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gottcode/gcppa

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

2. Then, Linux Mint users need to manually refresh the system package cache, by running command:

sudo apt update

3. Finally, install the latest version of Whisker Menu by running command:

sudo apt install xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin

After installing the package, log out and back in. Then, right click on the menu and go to ‘About‘ to verify its version!

For Debian 12 with XFCE Desktop, user can download and install the .deb package directly from the PPA packages page.

How to Uninstall

To restore the original Whisker Menu, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install ppa-purge tool:

sudo apt install ppa-purge

Then, purge the PPA which will also downgrade the menu to the original version:

sudo ppa-purge ppa:gottcode/gcppa

In case the command above failed for you, you may manually remove the PPA by running command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:gottcode/gcppa

Then, remove the Whisker Menu package by running command:

sudo apt remove xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin

And, install back the original version via command:

sudo apt install --reinstall xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin

In Howtos Whisker Menu

How to Set Custom Shortcut to Tile Windows in Ubuntu 24.04

Last updated: May 4, 2024 — Leave a comment

This is a beginner’s guide shows how to set custom keyboard shortcut to tile windows in Ubuntu 24.04 Noble Numbat

Ubuntu (since 23.10) introduced enhanced tiling window support with a new system extension. With it, user can easily arrange all opened windows side by side by either mouse dragging or keyboard shortcuts.

The extension supports both “edge tiling” to automatically resize and fill a window to left, right, top, or bottom screen half, and “corner tiling” to tile a window to top-left, top-right, bottom-left, and bottom-right screen quarter.

The default keyboard shortcuts use “Super + number pad key” combination. But, some laptop and PC don’t even have a number pad. In the case, you have to set custom shortcuts. And, here’s how to do the job in 2 ways.

Method 1: Use Extension Manager

Firstly, press Super (Windows Logo) key to open overview screen. Search for and launch the new “App Center”.

When it opens, search and install “Extension Manager” app.

Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu Software/App Center

Next, launch “Extension Manager” by searching from the overview screen.

When the tool opens, scroll down and find out “Ubuntu Tiling Assistant“. Finally, click its setting icon to open the configuration dialog.

In the pop-up dialog, navigate to “Keybindings” tab, scroll down and click your desired tile action under “Edge Tiling” and “Corner Tiling” and press a key combination on keyboard to set as new shortcut.

Method 2: Use single command to set custom tiling shortcut

For those who are familiar with Linux command, the thing can be done by running gsettings command.

Firstly, search for and launch a terminal window from the overview screen.

When terminal opens, run command to set custom shortcut (Alt + q for example) for tiling to top-left quarter:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.tiling-assistant tile-topleft-quarter "['<Alt>q']"

In command you may replace tile-topleft-quarter with one of the tile actions below:

tile-left-half
tile-right-half
tile-top-half
tile-bottom-half
tile-topright-quarter
tile-bottomleft-quarter
tile-bottomright-quarter

For the shortcut value, there must be quotation marks both inside and outside of bracket. And, the commonly used functions keys include <Control>, <Alt>, <Super> and <Shift>.

For example, set Ctrl + Alt + E to tile window to top-right corner by running command:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.tiling-assistant tile-topright-quarter "['<Control><Alt>e']"

One tiling action can have 2 or more shortcut keys, for example, set both Alt+a and Ctrl + Left Arrow to tile a window to left half:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.tiling-assistant tile-left-half "['<Alt>a', '<Control>Left']"

In Gnome Shell, Howtos

Install Clang 20, 19, or old versions in Ubuntu 24.04 | 22.04

Last updated: May 4, 2025 — 7 Comments

This simple tutorial shows how to install the Clang compiler 20, 19, or the old version 18, 17 in current Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and correct the deprecated repository settings.

Ubuntu by default includes Clang package in its system repositories. But as time goes on, the Clang package in Ubuntu repository is getting old.

For those who need the most recent Clang compiler (so far v20), it’s easy to install and keep it up-to-date from the developer team’s official repository.

Step 1: Download the Automatic installation script

The official Clang repository, so far supports Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and Ubuntu 24.10. It has a script to make adding repository and installing Clang as easy as few Linux commands.

1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When terminal opens, run command to download the official installation script:

wget https://apt.llvm.org/llvm.sh

You may also use the script in Debian stable, though you may need to install wget first.

2. After downloading the script, add executable permission by running command:

chmod u+x llvm.sh

Step 2: Use the script to install Clang

The script automate the process of adding the official apt repository, updating package cache, and installing specific Clang version into your system.

All this can be done by running a single command. For example, install Clang-20:

sudo ./llvm.sh 20

Replace 20 with 19 for installing Clang-19, or even 18, 17 for old versions.

NOTE: Ubuntu 24.04 has Clang version from 14 – 19, Ubuntu 22.04 has Clang 11 ~ 15 in system repositories!! Don’t use the script to install Clang that’s already in your system repository.

During the process, it will ask to hit Enter to confirm adding the apt repository. Then, you may just wait until the process done.

Step 3: Modify Clang repository

The command you run in step 2 will automatically download the key file and add Clang apt repository into your system.

However, it still uses the old method that’s deprecated due to security reason! It’s recommended to do following steps to modify it to follow the new Debian policy.

NOTE: If you installed multiple Clang versions from the commands above in Step 2, then you need to do this step multiple times.

1. First, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run commands below one by one to first make sure /etc/apt/keyrings directory exist, then move the key file from the deprecated /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/ to that location:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings

sudo mv /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/apt.llvm.org.asc /etc/apt/keyrings/

2. Next, run command to edit the source file for the clang repository:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/archive_uri-http_apt_llvm_org_noble_*.list

When file opens in terminal window, add following in between “deb” and “http://apt.llvm.org/…”:

[arch=amd64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/apt.llvm.org.asc]

Here:

arch=amd64, tells your OS type is amd64 (Intel/AMD). For non-Intel/AMD platform, run dpkg --print-architecture command tell OS type, and replace amd64 with the output. So far, arm64 and s390x are also supported
signed-by=/path/to/key-file, specify the key file.

If you installed multiple Clang versions via the script, then you’ll have more lines in this file start with “deb”. Just add the “signed-by” section in each line and finally press Ctrl+S to save file, and Ctrl+X to exit.

3. Finally, run sudo apt update to apply change by refreshing package cache.

And, you may manually install/update the Clang packages by running command (replace number 20 according to which version you want to install):

sudo apt install clang-20 lldb-20 lld-20 clangd-20

Or, if you want to install everything, use the command below instead:

sudo apt install clang-tidy-20 clang-format-20 clang-tools-20 llvm-20-dev lld-20 lldb-20 llvm-20-tools libomp-20-dev libc++-20-dev libc++abi-20-dev libclang-common-20-dev libclang-20-dev libclang-cpp20-dev liblldb-20-dev libunwind-20-dev

Step 4: Verify

If everything’s done successfully, just run clang-xx --version and/or locate clang-xx to verify.

Uninstall

To remove the repository added by the script, just open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to remove the corresponding source file:

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/archive_uri-http_apt_llvm_org_*.list

And, remove the repository key file via command:

sudo rm /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/apt.llvm.org.asc

Or, launch “Software & Updates” and remove source line and key from “Other Software” and “Authentication” tabs.

To remove Clang packages (replace 20 accordingly), just run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove clang-20 lldb-20 lld-20 clangd-20

In Howtos programming

Add ‘Show Desktop’ to Top Panel in Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 Wayland

Last updated: May 4, 2024 — 1 Comment

This simple tutorial shows how to add a “Show Desktop” icon to the top panel in Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 24.04 with default Wayland session.

I’ve written about how to add ‘Show Desktop’ to the left dock panel, however, it works for the class Xorg session only. Since 22.04, Ubuntu switched to Wayland as its default display server. If you switched back to Xorg (via the gear icon in login screen), then this tutorial still works.

For GNOME (the default desktop) on Wayland, the thing can be done via a simple extension. And, here’s how to do it step by step.

Step 1: Install Extension Manager

Ubuntu has an “Extension Manager” tool in system repository, which allows to easily install and manage Gnome Shell extensions.

First, search for and install the tool from either Ubuntu Software or App Center, depends on your Ubuntu edition.

Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu Software/App Center

Or, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal, and run single command to install the tool:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-manager

Step 2: Install the ‘Show Desktop’ button extension

After installing the Extension Manager, search for and launch it from the overview screen.

When the tool opens, navigate to ‘Browse’ tab, finally search and install the “Show Desktop Button” extension.

A ‘Home’ icon should appear immediately on the top-panel after installed the extension. By clicking on it, will hide (or show) all open app windows.

For choice, you can switch back “Installed” tab in Extension Manager, and open the preferences dialog for the extension. In which, you can choose to place the ‘Show Desktop’ icon in left, far left, center, right, or far right corner.

In addition, you may also install “Just Perfection” extension using Extension Manager. Which provides an Panel Button Padding Size option under Customize tab, to make the top-right panel icons look more compact.

That’s all. Enjoy!

In Howtos show desktop

How to Install 24.04’s New App Center in Ubuntu 22.04

Last updated: March 31, 2025 — 5 Comments

For those who prefer the new ‘App Center’ in Ubuntu 23.10 and Ubuntu 24.04, it’s easy to install it in Ubuntu 22.04 and here’s how!

The new App Center is also the snap-store but re-built with Google’s Flutter UI toolkit. It’s fast and always works!

With it, the software app will never stuck at “Downloading Software catalog” or the spinning loading circle.

The App Center supports both Snap and native Debian (.deb) packages in Ubuntu 23.10/24.04, however, in my tests, searching Debian package always show me “No results found” in 22.04. If you know how to fix the issue, please leave a comment here.

App Center dark mode

App Center light mode

How to Install the new App Center in Ubuntu 22.04

NOTE: The NEW App Center so far lacks ability to install local .deb package!!

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

snap refresh snap-store --channel=2/stable

This command may fail and output something look like: snap ‘snap-store’ has running apps, pids: 2205. In the case, just kill snap-store using the ID number (replace 2205 to yours):

sudo kill -9 2205

Then, re-run the snap refresh command.

2. After that, just press Super (windows logo) key to open overview screen, search and launch “App Center”.

How to Restore

To revert back the previous ‘Ubuntu Software’, also press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal and run command:

snap refresh snap-store --channel=1/stable

In Howtos ubuntu 23.10

Ubuntu 23.10 Adds a New Package to Restore Old Classic Font

Last updated: September 20, 2023 — 3 Comments

For those who prefer the old system font, now it’s easy to get it in Ubuntu 23.10 via a new package!

Since Ubuntu 23.04, Ubuntu takes use a new slim font for the text in system menus, documents, and app windows.

Some users do NOT like the change, because the new font is thin and hard to focus on. And, I’ve written about how to get the previous font back in Ubuntu 23.04.

Now, Ubuntu 23.10 includes a new package fonts-ubuntu-classic in system repository. Make it easy to do the job even without a system restart.

Install the Classic Font in Ubuntu 23.10

To install the font, simply press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal.

When terminal opens, run command:

sudo apt install fonts-ubuntu-classic

Run sudo apt update to update package cache if it says package not found.

After installation, your system font change without restart! For opened app windows, you need to close and re-open them. For ‘Files’, just run nautilus -q to reload.

(Optional) Install ‘fonts-ubuntu-console’

The package above does not install the old font for the command console.

For choice, you may download the package for Ubuntu 22.04:

wget https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+archive/primary/+files/fonts-ubuntu-console_0.83-6ubuntu1_all.deb

Then, install it via:

sudo apt install ./fonts-ubuntu-console_0.83-6ubuntu1_all.deb

How to Uninstall

To restore the system default fonts, just open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the stock font packages back:

sudo apt install fonts-ubuntu fonts-ubuntu-console

In Howtos font

How to Reset Ubuntu Dock (the Left Panel) to Factory Settings

Last updated: September 20, 2023 — Leave a comment

This simple tutorial shows how to reset Ubuntu Dock, the left panel, to its original status in Ubuntu 22.04 & Ubuntu 23.10.

As you may know, Ubuntu Dock (aka Dash-to-Dock) is an extension to the GNOME Desktop. It has many configure options, however most of them are hidden.

In Ubuntu 23.10, it finally provides a preference dialog to configure its appearance with full options. See HERE for how to get it.

Ubuntu Dock preference dialog

The preference dialog so far does not have ‘Reset’ buttons. If you messed thing up or want to restore Ubuntu Dock to factory setting, then this tutorial may help!

Reset Ubuntu Dock

The steps below should work in all current Ubuntu releases, include other Gnome-based Linux (such as Manjaro) using Dash-to-dock extension.

Option 1: Single command to reset Ubuntu Dock

Without installing anything, running a single command in terminal window can do the job.

First, open terminal either by searching from the overview screen, or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut key on keyboard.

When terminal opens, copy and paste the command below and hit Enter.

dconf reset -f /org/gnome/shell/extensions/dash-to-dock/

The command above resets Ubuntu Dock, but leaves your favorite apps (pinned app icons) unchanged.

If you want to also reset the app icons on the Dock, run command:

gsettings reset org.gnome.shell favorite-apps

Option 2: Use Dconf Editor (graphical way)

For a graphical way, the advanced ‘Dconf Editor’ configuration tool can do the job.

First, either search for and install ‘Dconf Editor‘ from Ubuntu Software:

Or, install it by running a command in terminal:

sudo apt install dconf-editor

Then, launch Dconf Editor by searching from the overview screen.

When it opens, navigate to ‘org/gnome/shell/extensions/dash-to-dock‘. Finally, click on ‘≡’ menu, select “Reset visible keys“, and click “Apply” button in bottom.