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The Tiling Terminal Emulator Tilix 1.9.5 Released

Last updated: February 23, 2022

Tilix, the popular tiling terminal emulator, released v1.9.5 with a few new features and some bug-fixes.

Tilix is a GTK+3 terminal emulator supports for splitting app window horizontally or vertically. It supports drag and drop re-arranging terminals, quake mode, custom hyperlinks, as well as many other features.

After a year of development, it finally announced the new 1.9.5 with only a few new features due to lack of maintainers.

New features in Tilix 1.9.5 include:

Disable advanced paste when there is no linebreak like iTerm2
Add environment variable when in quake mode
Add possibility to configure always enabled regex

Get Tilix 1.9.5 in Ubuntu:

There’s no binary package for current Ubuntu releases so far, though it’s proposed to be included in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS repository.

User may download the source code and build manually via the link below:

Download Tilix (Source)

In Howtos terminal

‘AppImage Pool’ – Software Center for Linux Apps as AppImage Packages

Last updated: February 24, 2022

Prefer running Linux apps via AppImage package format? ‘AppImage Pool’ is an app center for searching and downloading your favorite apps as AppImage.

More and more apps today publish Linux packages via universal Flatpak, Snap and AppImage. The former two are easy to install since they are well integrated in Ubuntu or other Linux. But, AppImage is a non-install portable package. It uses one file per application. Just run the file will launch the app.

To make it easy to find out and download an app as AppImage, the free libre and open-source software ‘AppImage Pool’ is created as a simple, modern AppImageHub client.

AppImage Pool

The tool uses Google’s flutter to provide a Gnome Software and Ubuntu Software look like user interface, allows user to browser, search for, and download AppImage packages. Though, it so far has sharp window borders that looks not native in GNOME.

Instead of using ‘Install‘ option, each app has a blue ‘Download‘ button. By clicking on it will pop up the dialog to choose package to download. Not only the latest, history packages are also available. And, it downloads from github directly, no extra-server involved

Downloaded packages are listed under ‘Installed‘ tab, with ability to click to launch app as well as delete buttons.

Other features include:

Dark / Light mode.
Store files by default in ‘Applications‘ folder in user home.
Multi download support.

How to Install AppImage Pool:

The app itself is available as AppImage package, which can be downloaded from the GitHub releases page (via Assets section):

Download AppImage Pool

It’s also available as universal Flatpak package. Ubuntu user may firstly press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal and run command to install Flatpak daemon:

sudo apt install flatpak

Then install the tool via command:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/io.github.prateekmedia.appimagepool.flatpakref

Uninstall AppImage Pool:

For the Flatpak package, run the command below in terminal to remove it:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data io.github.prateekmedia.appimagepool

And clear useless library via flatpak uninstall --unused.

In Howtos appimage

SF Tube – A Stylish YouTube App with Downloading Support

Last updated: February 21, 2022

There are quite a few YouTube apps for Linux today. SF Tube is a new one that has an elegant user interface with easy to use download options.

SF Tube, formerly FluTube, is a free libre and open-source app made using Google’s flutter. So far, it provides packages for Linux, Android, and Windows.

The app provides a beautiful user interface with Home, Like, Downloads, and Settings tabs. A ‘search‘ button is available in top-right corner, allows to search in YouTube. And, the results are displayed along with download buttons.

By clicking on download, it pop-up a dialog allows to choose download ‘Video + Audio‘, ‘Audio only‘, or ‘Video only‘ with quality options.

On the ‘⤓’ tab, it shows history downloads as well as current downloading process if any. As well, each video/audio has a delete button in the right.

In any page clicking on a video will open the detail page with descriptions, comments, as well as share, like, download buttons. Sadly, the video playback is not implemented at the moment of writing though the developer is now working on it!

SF Tube Dark Mode

Other features of SF Tube include:

Download via YouTube url via ‘+’ button.
Dark / Light mode.
Lightweight and fast.
No Login Required.
Playlists support.
Ads free forever.

Install SF Tube in Ubuntu & other Linux:

The app provides packages in the Github releases page under ‘Assets’ section:

Download SF Tube

Linux user may choose the non-install .Appimage package. Add executable permission via file’s ‘Properties’ dialog, and finally click run it to launch the app.

Ubuntu, Debian and Linux Mint based systems may just download the ‘.deb‘ package and double-click on file to install the app.

As well, a Linux tarball is available. Grab and then extract the package, then user may run the executable from extracted folder to launch the YouTube app.

That’s all. Enjoy!

In Howtos youtube

Re-Enable Tab/Arrow Key Navigation in Overview & App Grid in GNOME 40/41

Last updated: February 19, 2022

Can not navigate in Activities overview and app grid screen using Tab or arrow keys? Here’s how to re-enable the feature via extension in GNOME 40 & 41.

In GNOME 3.x, user may press Tab or down arrow and then left/right keys to navigate between app windows in the overview screen. Also, the keys can be used to navigate in ‘Show Applications’ app grid.

Navigation via Tab/Arrow keys in overview screen

However, in Ubuntu 21.10, Fedora 35 or other Linux with recent GNOME 40/41 desktop, you’ll find the keys no longer navigate unless you first hover over an app window in overview.

This is a GNOME bug will be fixed in the next GNOME 42. In current releases, an extension is available to re-enable the function so you can:

use Arrow keys to navigate app windows in overview. However, Tab key does not work in my case.
use Tab and/or Arrow keys to navigate app icons in ‘Show Applications’ app grid.

Install the Extension to Fix Overview Keyboard navigation:

1. Firstly, install chrome-gnome-shell package if you’re running Ubuntu. To do so, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard and run the command below:

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell

2. Next go to the extension web page and switch on the toggle button to install it:

GS 40/41 Overview Keyboard Navigation Fix

If you’re first time installing a GNOME Shell extension via browser, you may not see the on/off switch until clicking the link to install browser extension.

NOTE for Ubuntu 21.10: the pre-installed Firefox is Snap package so far does not support installing Gnome Shell extension, use another browser or install Firefox as classic deb package.

The extension should work immediately after installation, just press Super (Windows) key or click on upper-left ‘Activities’ to bring up overview and try out the shortcut keys.

In Howtos Gnome

How to Install FFmpeg 5.0 in Ubuntu 20.04 or Ubuntu 18.04 via PPA

Last updated: February 18, 2022

The popular FFmpeg multi-media library released version 5.0 recently. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 18.04 and/or Ubuntu 16.04 via PPA.

FFmpeg 5.0, codename “Lorentz”, is a new major release that features:

remove the old encode/decode APIs and replace them with an N:M-based API.
new easy to use AVframe-based API for libswscale.
remove the entire libavresample library.
Many new filters.
ADPCM IMA Westwood encoder, Apple Graphics (SMC) encoder, VideoToolbox ProRes encoder
ADPCM IMA Acorn Replay decoder, GEM Raster image decoder.
DoVi support, and more in ffmpeg.org.

Install FFmpeg 5.0 in Ubuntu:

IMPORTANT: Upgrading FFmpeg is not recommended for beginners! It may conflict with other packages in your system. Use it at your own risk!

Rob Savoury has built the FFmpeg 5.0 packages into PPA for all the current Ubuntu LTS releases. Though the updates is suspend due to lack of donations. The PPA still works, and if you find it’s useful you may help by making donations (see the previous link).

1.) Add the PPAs

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:savoury1/ffmpeg5

Also add the FFmpeg4 PPA which contains the dependency libraries:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/ffmpeg4

2.) Update package cache:

If you’re running Ubuntu 18.04 or Ubuntu 16.04, you need to manually refresh the system package cache by running command:

sudo apt update

3.) Upgrade FFmpeg to 5.0:

Finally, run the command below to install all the available updates including FFmpeg 5:

sudo apt full-upgrade

NOTE: This command may remove some apps on your system due to package conflict! DO CHECK the terminal output before typing ‘y‘ to confirm installation!

When everything’s done successfully, verify via ffmpeg -version command.

How to Restore:

You may purge the two PPAs which also downgrade all the installed packages. Firstly, install the ppa-purge tool via command:

sudo apt install ppa-purge

Then purge the PPAs via the commands below one by one:

sudo ppa-purge ppa:savoury1/ffmpeg5

sudo ppa-purge ppa:savoury1/ffmpeg4

NOTE: The downgrade process may also remove some other apps. Keep an eye on terminal output before performing the action!

In Howtos media codec

Ubuntu 22.04 Adds Apparent Options to Hide Mounted Drives / Trash from Dock

Last updated: September 25, 2023

Boring with the external disk partitions, USB drive, as well as Trash icons displayed on the left panel (aka, Ubuntu Dock)? Ubuntu 22.04 now has the options in system settings to toggle display these icons.

It’s not hard to do the tweaks in previous Ubuntu editions. Usually, we just need to run single command in terminal (press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal):

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock show-mounts false

Or, install and use the advanced ‘Dconf Editor‘ configuration tool to look for and change the key values.

Hide Mounted Drives & Trash from left panel in Ubuntu 22.04

In the daily build of the next Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, it now includes the options in the ‘Appearance‘ tab of system settings. So, users don’t have to search for the commands or look through the keys to do the trick.

1.) Firstly, open ‘Settings‘ either from start menu or top-right corner system tray menu. When it opens, navigate to ‘Appearance’ tab and click on ‘Configure dock behavior‘ in the right.

2.) In will pop-up a small dialog with toggle icons and check-boxes to show/hide the volumes and trash icon on Ubuntu Dock.

Just change the settings as you wish. The change will take effect immediately.

~~NOTE: Ubuntu 22.04 is not officially released at the moment, things can be changed and even removed in the final freeze.~~

In Howtos Dock

How to Install OBS Studio 27.2 in Ubuntu 20.04 / 21.10

Last updated: February 16, 2022

The popular open-source live streaming app OBS Studio released v27.2 with exciting new features! Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu via different ways.

What’s New in OBS Studio 27.2:

Release highlights in OBS Studio 27.2 include:

Add AJA source for AJA devices
Add AJA output to tools menu for AJA devices
AOM AV1 and SVT-AV1 encoding support.
Hotkey filter search
Hotkey duplicate detection
Support for the RIST protocol
Official Flatpak support for Linux
Many other changes and bug-fixes.

Install OBS Studio 27.2 in Ubuntu:

The software package is available in Ubuntu default repositories, but old. For the most recent version, there are official Ubuntu PPA, Official Flatpak package, and community maintained Snap package.

Option 1: Install OBS Studio via Ubuntu PPA:

The official PPA may be the most favorite method, since it installs the app as the classic .deb. So far, the PPA contains 64-bit package for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and Ubuntu 21.10.

1.) Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Next, paste the command below and hit Enter 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.) After adding the PPA, Ubuntu 18.04 user need to manually refresh system package cache via command:

sudo apt update

3.) Finally, either install the app via command:

sudo apt install obs-studio

Or update the software package using ‘Software Updater’ utility:

Option 2: Install OBS Studio via Flatpak:

The Fluthub repository offers the official 64-bit and 32-bit packages available to install in most Linux systems.

The Flatpak package updates automatically and use the latest dependency libraries for best performance. However, it takes hundreds more megabytes disk space!

1.) Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal and run command to install Flatpak daemon:

sudo apt install flatpak

2.) Next, install OBS Studio as Flatpak using command:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.obsproject.Studio.flatpakref

Option 3: Install OBS Studio via Snap:

Snap is another universal package format runs in most Linux. It’s developed by Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu. It updates automatically and takes more disk space too. However, OBS Studio as Snap is NOT official package so far.

Ubuntu user may install the Snap package easily from Ubuntu Software. Though, it’s v27.1.3 at the moment.

NOTE: Snap, Flatpak, and Deb packages can be installed alongside with each other. So you may have duplicated app icons if more than one installed.

Uninstall OBS Studio:

To remove the Ubuntu PPA, open terminal and run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:obsproject/obs-studio

And remove the live streaming app .deb package using command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove obs-studio

To remove the Flatpak package, run command in terminal:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.obsproject.Studio

And clean up disk space via flatpak uninstall --unused.

For the Snap package, simply use Ubuntu Software.

In Howtos OBS Studio

How to Customize the Orange Dots in the Dock of Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04

Last updated: February 14, 2022

Ubuntu by default shows orange dots under app icons in the dock panel, indicate the apps have running windows. They are called ‘running dots‘. And, Ubuntu provides hidden settings to change the style as well as colors if you don’t like the default look and feel.

Option 1: Change the Orange Dots via Dconf Editor

1.) The advanced ‘Dconf Editor‘ provides a graphical interface to configure hidden settings in Ubuntu. You may firstly install it either via the apt command below:

sudo apt install dconf-editor

or use Ubuntu Software:

2.) Next, search for and open ‘Dconf Editor’ from the Activities overview screen. When it opens, navigate to ‘/org/gnome/shell/extensions/dash-to-dock/‘.

3.) Scroll down, find out and click to configure the key ‘running-indicator-style‘. By selecting another value will replace the dots with dashes, square dots, or lines.

4. After changing the style, you may also specify another color, by changing the value of ‘custom-theme-running-dots-color‘:

As you see, it also supports border color though disabled by default since border width set to 0.

In addition, you may enable different colors for running dots (dashes or lines) on per app basis by disabling ‘custom-theme-customize-running-dots‘ and then enabling ‘running-indicator-dominant-color‘.

Option 2: Customize the Orange Dots via gsettings command:

For those familiar with Linux commands, the previous things can be done by running the commands below in terminal.

Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run the commands below accordingly.

1.) Replace the dots with square dots, dashes, or vertical lines by running command:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock running-indicator-style 'DASHES'

Here the value ‘DASHES’ can be replaced with: ‘DOTS’, ‘SQUARES’, ‘SOLID’, ‘METRO’, ‘CILIORA’, and ‘SAGMENTED’.

Also, set it to ‘DEFAULT’ will reset to default and override the settings below.

2.) Specify a color to use for ‘running dots’ (change the color value as you prefer):

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock custom-theme-running-dots-color '#F2F1F0'

3.) To have color on per app basis, first disable ‘custom-theme-customize-running-dots’ key via:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock custom-theme-customize-running-dots false

then enable ‘running-indicator-dominant-color’ via command:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock running-indicator-dominant-color true

That’s all. Enjoy!

In Howtos dash to dock

Display User Avatar in Top-right System Menu in Ubuntu 20.04/21.10

Last updated: February 13, 2022

Want to display your avatar icon in the top-right corner system menu? Here’s an extension to do the job for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.10, and Debian 11 with GNOME desktop.

You know, many Linux desktops (e.g., KDE Plasma and Cinnamon) display the icon/figure of user account in the system start menu.

GNOME however does not have the classic style ‘start menu’ by default. Instead, user may add the avatar icon into upper-right corner system tray drop-down menu (aka system menu).

Install Avatar Extension:

The function is implemented by a small extension called ‘Big Avatar‘. It so far supports GNOME version from v3.36 to 40.

1. Install ‘chrome-gnome-shell’

Firstly, make sure you have installed the chrome-gnome-shell package, which is required for installing Gnome Extensions in Ubuntu from web browser.

To install it as well as extension management tool, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Then, run command:

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell gnome-shell-extension-prefs

2. Install Big Avatar Extension:

NOTE: Firefox as Snap (pre-installed in Ubuntu 21.10) so far (Feb, 2022) does not support for installing Gnome Extensions! Use another browser or install Firefox as classic DEB.

Now, go to the link button below in web browser and turn on the toggle icon to install the extension:

Install Big Avatar

If you don’t see the toggle icon, try installing browser extension via ‘Click here to install browser extension’ link and refresh the web page.

3. Configure Avatar icon size:

The icon should appear immediately after installation. However, the icon size is NOT looking good.

To adjust it, search for and open ‘Gnome Extensions‘ app from Activities overview screen. When it opens, click on the gear button and change the value accordingly.

That’s all. Enjoy!

In Howtos Gnome

How to Install Signal Private Messenger App in Ubuntu 24.04, 22.04 & Debian 12

Last updated: June 17, 2024

This simple tutorial shows how to install the desktop app of the Signal private messenger in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and Debian in 2 official ways. It should also work on their based systems, e.g., Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Kali Linux, and more.

Signal Desktop app is available to install in Ubuntu through 3 different ways. They include:

Native .deb package. official, Intel/AMD only, NOT easy to install for beginners.
Snap package. unofficial, for Intel/AMD and RAM (e.g., Raspi), very easy to install but run in sandbox.
Flatpak package. unofficial, Intel/AMD only, easy to install but run in sandbox.