Want to change the position of top-bar items, e.g., Activities button, app menu, date and time, and system tray icons?
A Top Bar Organizer extension now is available for Ubuntu 21.04 Gnome 40. With it, you can drag and drop to re-order top panel items as you prefer. For example, moving the Activities button or date & time clock menu to right corner.
Install Top Bar Organizer:
1.) Firstly open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When terminal opens, run command to install Gnome extension integration for web browser, as well as Gnome Extension management tool:
Need the most recent HPLIP to get your HP printer or scanner working in Ubuntu? Here’s how to install guide as well as workaround to fix the python-pyqt5 dependency issue.
HPLIP is an open-source Linux drivers for HP’s inkjet and laser printers. The project is initiated and led by HP Inc. While the package in Ubuntu repositories is always old, you can install the official binary to get new devices support.
However, the most recent releases refuse to install in my Ubuntu 20.04 due to python-pyqt5 dependency issue. If you’re facing with the similar issue, then this tutorial may help!
Download & Install HPLIP in Ubuntu 20.04
1.) Firstly, download the latest binary from the link below. It’s ‘hplip-3.21.10.run‘ at the moment.
2.) Next, add executable permission by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Then run command:
chmod u+x ~/Downloads/hplip*.run
And try to install it via command:
~/Downloads/hplip*.run
Follow the terminal output and answer some questions to start installing the driver.
3.) Fix python-pyqt5 dependency issue.
As I said, it refuse to install in Ubuntu 20.04 because it tries to install old Python 2 binding for Qt5 as dependency in my case.
Thanks to Christoph Mueller, I found it has something to do with python symbolic links.
As you may know, python2 and python3 in /usr/bin are symbolic links. While python2 is python2.7, python3 links to python3.8 (or 3.9 depends on Ubuntu edition), python is not exist out-of-the-box. However, it will be created in some cases and links to either python2 or python3.
And the point is when Python links to Python2, HPLIP will mistakenly try to install Python 2 libraries as dependency.
Until HPLIP fixed the issue, the solution is either remove /usr/bin/python if you don’t need it or make it link to Python3.
Make Python to be Python3:
There are two choices to create symlink for python: install python-is-python3 or use update-alternatives command.
Option 1. Open terminal and run command to install ‘python-is-python3’:
sudo apt install python-is-python3
Option 2. Use ‘update-alternatives’ to choose which to link to. Firstly, add both python2 and python3 as alternatives:
Want to access your Ubuntu desktop remotely from a Windows 11 computer? It’s easy to do the job with built-in screen sharing function.
Ubuntu uses Vino as default VNC server to share your existing desktop. With it, users can access Ubuntu remotely either in or out of local network via a VNC client.
Enable Vino VNC in Ubuntu:
1. Firstly, click on ‘Activities’ in top bar, search for and open terminal from system app launcher. When it opens, run commands:
Make sure Vino is installed by running command:
sudo apt install vino
To allow computer outside of local network to access, enable upnp is your router support it:
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino use-upnp true
Vino requires encryption by default. However, VNC clients from Windows computer does not support the encryption type. So you may disable the feature via command:
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino require-encryption false
There are more settings, e.g., change listening port, disable background, lock on disconnect. And you can control them via Dconf Editor (install from Ubuntu Software), by going to ‘org -> gnome -> desktop -> remote access’.
2. Secondly, open System Settings and go to Sharing in the left pane. Toggle on the slider icon on header, and then click ‘Screen Sharing’ to go to its settings page.
3. Finally, turn on ‘Screen Sharing’ function, and do:
Allow remote control by enabling “Allow connections to control the screen”
Set ‘New connections must ask for access’ if you’re sitting at Ubuntu computer.
Or set a hard-to-guess password for choice.
If you have both wired / wireless network connected, choose one to share with.
Remove Access Ubuntu from Windows 11:
Windows uses need a VNC client to get access remote computers. And I use TigerVNC which is available to download at the link below:
The open-source video transcoder HandBrake released new 1.4.0 version with exciting new features.
HandBrake 1.4.0 adds native 10 and 12-bit encoding support. Though it has limitations that some filters (e.g., Detelecine, Chroma Smooth, and more) do not currently support higher than 8-bit. With these filters enabled, you won’t benefit from the new feature.
You can select the new 10-bit / 12-bit encoder from the “Video codec” drop-down on the Video tab. For hardware encoders, the option will only be shown if the system supports it.
The release also adds new filters including Chroma Smooth and Colourspace Selection. New Media Foundation encoder for Windows based ARM64 devices powered by Qualcomm Chipsets.
For those sticking to the open-source graphics driver, the latest Mesa 3D graphics library is easy to install via an Ubuntu PPA.
Mesa is an open-source software implementation of OpenGL, Vulkan, VDPAU, VA-API, and other graphics API specifications.
Ubuntu uses Mesa as OpenGL implementation if no proprietary driver is in use. It is however always old. For users want to play some games with the open-source RadeonSI, RADV, Intel, or Nouveau drivers, you may try the latest Mesa via PPA.
Install Mesa via Ubuntu PPA:
A trustworthy Ubuntu PPA is available that contains the latest stable Mesa packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and Ubuntu 24.10 on amd64, armhf/arm64, and i386 CPU platforms.
1. Add the PPA:
Search for and open terminal from system app launcher. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kisak/kisak-mesa
Type user password, no visual feedback, when it asks. Read the PPA description as you want and hit Enter to continue.
2. Install Mesa packages:
For, Linux Mint, you need to update package cache though it’d done automatically in Ubuntu while adding PPA.
sudo apt update
Finally install available upgrades of all packages including Mesa library via command:
sudo apt full-upgrade
3. Check mesa version:
To find out the package version, use command:
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version"
Restore Original Mesa packages:
To restore your graphics driver to the original status, firstly install ppa-purge via command:
sudo apt install ppa-purge
Next purge the Ubuntu PPA which will downgrade all the installed packages:
sudo ppa-purge ppa:kisak/kisak-mesa
For Linux Mint 21/22, it’s recommended to add -d jammy or -d noble flag to work safely:
sudo ppa-purge -d jammy ppa:kisak/kisak-mesa
Here jammy and noble is the code-name of Ubuntu that Linux Mint is based on. If you don’t know which to use, run cat /etc/os-release to tell.
By releasing recent update, the popular Arc Menu Gnome Shell extension finally adds Gnome 40 and Windows 11 layout support.
Arc Menu is a free open-source app menu extension for Gnome. It provides various menu layouts to choose from, as well as many options to customize the appearance. For users new to GNOME and looking for a Windows style start menu, this extension will be perfect for you!
If you don’t see the toggle icon, install browser extension via “Click here to install browser extension” link and refresh the web page.
Once installed, you can toggle on / off Arc Menu by opening Extensions from system app menu.
To select Windows 11 style start menu, right-click on start icon and go to settings. Then navigate to “Menu Layout -> Modern Menu Layouts”, choose ‘Eleven’ and click on Apply button.
Arc Menu follows your system theme. For dark mode menu, set Gnome Shell theme to dark.
Since Ubuntu 20.04, it shows your computer manufacturer logo on startup. It’s however easy to remove it, as well display the blank and white boot text message.
The Grub boot-loader offers option to toggle the settings in its configuration file. You can either manually edit the file or using a graphical tool called Grub Customizer.
NOTE: This tutorial will replace startup animation with blank while text message! If you still want the animation screen, see this new tutorial instead.
Option 1. Manually configure Grub bootloader:
Firstly, search for and open terminal from system app launcher. When it opens, run command to edit the Grub configuration file:
sudo gnome-text-editor /etc/default/grub
For Ubuntu 22.04 and earlier, replace gnome-text-editor with gedit in command. Or, use nano instead that works in all other Desktop environments.
When the files opens, do:
Remove quiet and splash from line ‘GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet splash”‘. Keep other parameters if any. In my case, it will be GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=””.
(Optional) Enable GRUB_TERMINAL=”console” by removing # at the beginning. NOTE this will disable the boot-menu theme if any.
Finally apply changes by running command:
sudo update-grub
Option 2. Configure Grub via Grub Customizer:
The popular graphical configuration tool offers ability to change the boot parameters.
NOTE: Since Ubuntu 22.04, Grub Customizer is removed from system repository. You need to run command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) to add the developer’s PPA first:
Finally, install Grub Customizer either in Ubuntu Software (for 20.04 & earlier) or by running command in terminal:
sudo apt install grub-customizer
Next, launch the tool and navigate to ‘General settings‘ tab. There you can easily remove the ‘quiet’ and ‘splash’ boot parameters. And optionally enable ‘GRUB_TERMINAL=”console”‘.
Click on Save button. Changes will take effect at next boot!
Missing the classic Dukto file transfer tool? The tool now is ported to Qt6 and easy to install in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 24.04 via PPA.
For those never heard about Dukto, it’s a free open-source file transfer tool for LAN (Local Network) use. With the clean elegant user interface, you can drag and drop to transfer files from one PC to anther, without worrying about users, permissions, operating systems, protocols, clients, servers and so on…
Dukto works on Mac OS, Windows, and Linux. Though it’s not being developed for years, the tool still works well and available to download at:
However, the deb package does not install in Ubuntu since it requires old Qt4 libraries!
Thanks to community, the Qt5/Qt6 port is available and can be installed from the developer’s PPA. So far, it supports Ubuntu 18.04 (stuck at v6.0), Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 24.04.
Install Dukto 6 via Ubuntu PPA:
Firstly, search for and open terminal from system app launcher. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xuzhen666/dukto
Type user password, no asterisk feedback, when it asks and hit Enter to continue.
Next, update package cache though it’s done automatically in Ubuntu 20.04 & higher:
sudo apt update
Finally, install the Qt5 version of Dukto via command:
sudo apt install dukto
Once installed, open the tool from system app launcher. It will automatic find other machines that have the tool opens.
Uninstall Dukto:
To remove Dukto, simply open terminal and run command:
Want to remap your keyboard or gamepad keys in Ubuntu Linux? It’s easy to do this via Input Remapper.
Input Remapper is a free and open-source tool written in Python 3. With it, you can change the mapping for input devices, including mouse, keyboard, and gamepad.
It works on both X11 and Wayland, and supports for mapping to combined buttons (e.g., Control+A) and programmable macros.
The software has an easy to use interface. Simply start the app, choose the device (e.g., keyboard) to you want to remap, then click add new preset and do:
Click ‘Add’ button in left to add an item.
Click the pencil icon and type a name.
Use “Record” button to record the original keyboard key or key combination.
Choose device to map the input key to.
Finally, type the output key, e.g., letter (a, b, …, z), number (1, 2, …, 9), and/or function keys (Alt_L Control_L Control_R Shift_L Shift_R)
Presets are saved in user’s .config/input-remapper-2/presets folder. You can use them in another machine that can read these “.json” files.
How to Install Input Remapper in Ubuntu:
The software offers official .deb package for Ubuntu / Debian based systems.
For dark mode fans, you may found the color scheme in Gedit Text Editor is not so good! Focused line is not even readable due to the light text on light line background.
There’s already an upstream fix, though it’s not made into current Ubuntu releases. There are however workarounds and I’m going to show you how!
Option 1.) Use another color scheme:
There are a few other built-in color schemes available in the default Gedit text editor.
Firstly, open the editor and go to ‘Preferences’ in the hamburger menu. While Ubuntu defaults to the ‘Classic’ colors, you can then choose another from Font & Colors tab.
And new colors take places immediately!
Option 2.) Hack the current line background color:
Sticking to the default color scheme? It’s easy to hack the xml config file to change the current line background.
1.) Firstly, open terminal either from system app launcher or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard.
2.) When terminal opens, run command to edit the xml:
Type user password (no visual feedback) when it asks and hit Enter. When file opens, scroll down to find out and change the background value of ‘current-line’ and ‘current-line-number’.
NOTE: If you stick to dark mode, color #181818 is great! However, it’s not good in light mode. So if you switch between light and dark mode regularly, use another color value, such as #99999c.
After saving the changes, the color will take place in new app window.
