Archives For Howtos

Linux Mint introduced a Web App Manager app since v20.1, allowing users to turn any web pages into desktop applications. Like a normal application, web app has its own window, its own icon, and can be launched from system app menu.

Ubuntu used to have web apps integration when it was Ubuntu 14.04. The project was however discontinued.

For those want to try out the new Web App Manager from Linux Mint, here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 24.04.

Option 1: Download & Install the DEB binary via direct link:

If you just want to try it out, the DEB binary package is available to download via Linux Mint ftp download page:

Grab it and install the package either via Gdebi package installer or by running command in terminal (press Ctrl+Alt+T to open one):

sudo apt install ~/Downloads/webapp-manager*.deb

After that, you may search for and launch ‘Web Apps’ from your system app launcher and enjoy!

Option 2: Install the Web App Manager using Ubuntu PPA

Previously I wrote an optional way to install the app by adding Linux Mint’s repository in Ubuntu. For better choice, there’s an Ubuntu PPA contains the Linux Mint packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 24.04

First, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kelebek333/mint-tools

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

Then, run command to install the webapp manager package:

sudo apt install webapp-manager

The PPA also contains some other Linux Mint’ apps. You may re-run the last command and replace webapp-manager with one of below to install:

  • warpinator – local network file sharing app.
  • sticky – sticky notes app.
  • hypnotix – IPTV player.

Fix app running slow issue:

Thanks to Oscar, the app may run very slow due to lack of certain Python libraries. By running it from terminal will output something like below:

TypeError: Couldn't find foreign struct converter for 'cairo.Surface'
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/webapp-manager/webapp-manager.py", line 222, in data_func_surface
    surface = Gdk.cairo_surface_create_from_pixbuf(pixbuf, self.window.get_scale_factor())
              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In the case, simply install the python3-gi-cairo package by the running command below should fix the issue:

sudo apt install python3-gi-cairo

How to Remove Web App Manager:

To remove the application, simply open terminal and run command:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove webapp-manager

To remove the Ubuntu PPA, use command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:kelebek333/mint-tools

Want to install PHP 8.0 as well as many PECL extensions in your Ubuntu Server? Well there’s a well trusted PPA that contains the packages for all current Ubuntu releases.

Ondřej Surý, a Debian Developer who maintains the official PHP packages in Debian, is maintaining an Ubuntu PPA that contains the latest PHP 5.6, PHP 7.0, PHP 7.1, PHP 7.2, PHP 7.3, PHP 7.4, and PHP 8.0 packages as well as PECL extensions for all current Ubuntu releases.

1.) Simply open terminal or connect to your remote Ubuntu server, and run command to make sure software-properties-common is installed:

sudo apt install software-properties-common

2.) Then run command to add the php PPA repository by running command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

For non-UTF-8 locales, run LC_ALL=C.UTF-8 add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

3.) If you are using php-gearman, you need to run command to add the gearman PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/pkg-gearman

I’m using Nginx web server, and it’s recommended to add the Nginx stable PPA instead:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/nginx

If you’re using Apache2, adding the apache2 PPA is recommended:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/apache2

4.) Finally refresh system package cache and install php 8.0 packages via command:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install php8.0-fpm libapache2-mod-php8.0 php8.0-mysql php8.0-xml

There are also many other packages available, e.g., php8.0-amqp, php8.0-apcu, php8.0-memcache, php8.0-memcached, and more. Just add or remove package names after “sudo apt install” depends what you need.

In all previous commands, you can replace php8.0 with php7.4, php7.3, php7.2, php7.0, or php5.6 to install a specify version of PHP packages

Uninstall PHP:

To remove an Ubuntu PPA, add --remove flag in adding PPA command. For instance, remove php PPA via command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ondrej/php

Instead of removing Ubuntu PPA, you can also purge PPA which also downgrade installed packages to the stock version in Ubuntu repositories.

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:ondrej/php

To remove a php package, simply run command:

sudo apt remove Package_Name_Here

qBittorrent

The qBittorrent 4.3.3 was released a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, Ubuntu 18.04, and Linux Mint 19.x / 20.

This release contains mainly bug-fixes. Because Xcode doesn’t support C++17, Mac OS 10.13 (High Sierra) is no longer supported. And Ubuntu 18.04 is highly to be dropped in the next release.

qBittorrent 4.3.3 release highlights:

  • New languages Azerbaijani, Estonian support.
  • Unify global speed dialogs for normal/alternative speeds.
  • Increase maximum global speed limits ~2 GiB/s.
  • Save fastresume when setting torrent speed limits.
  • Group several torrent options into one dialog.
  • Capitalize locale names.
  • Improve content file/folder names handling.
  • Drop notification about move storage finished or failed.
  • Reload “missing files” torrent instead of re-checking.
  • Remember dialog sizes.
  • Improve detection of file extension string.
  • WEBUI: Don’t call non-existent elements.
  • Update “Keep top-level folder” in WebUI options.
  • LINUX: Use legacy ‘data’ directory only as a fallback.
  • Bump project requirement to C++17.

How to Install qBittorrent 4.3.3 via PPA:

The official qBittorrent PPA has built the new release packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and Ubuntu 20.10.

1. To add the PPA, open terminal by either pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or searching for “Terminal” from application menu. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:qbittorrent-team/qbittorrent-stable

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. If an old version was installed on your system, upgrade it via Software Updater,

upgrade qBittorrent

or run following commands to install /upgrade qBittorrent in terminal:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install qbittorrent

Uninstall:

To remove qBittorrent PPA, either go to Software & Updates -> Other Software, or run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:qbittorrent-team/qbittorrent-stable

To remove the bittorrent client, either use your system package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove qbittorrent

Running Ubuntu with high refresh rate monitor? You may found that the Firefox web browser does not match with your monitor’s native refresh rate.

This is a simple tip shows how to change the refresh rate of Firefox, though you have to first set the system refresh rate (Settings -> Displays) to match your monitor.

1.) Open Firefox and type about:config in address bar and hit Enter. And click the button which says ‘Accept the Risk and Continue’.

2.) Next in the filter box, type layout.frame_rate and click edit the key value to your monitor’s native refresh rate (144 in the case).

That’s it. Restart Firefox and enjoy!

via: reddit

GIMP extra color palettes

For Ubuntu 18.04 users sticking to the PPA build of GIMP image editor 2.10.22, now the Python Script support is back.

Since old GTK2 and Python 2 libraries being removed from Ubuntu universe repositories, the Python script support was excluded due to lack of dependencies when I was uploading the GIMP packages into PPA.

Ubuntu 18.04 was neglected, though. It meets all the dependencies to build the requested feature. So I added it back. Hope it’s not too late for you :). And the package was totally built via the rules from otto-kesselgulasch’s PPA.

Install GIMP 2.10.22 via PPA in Ubuntu 18.04:

NOTE I do only basic image editing with GIMP, and I can’t go further test for the function though it seems working.

1.) Open terminal from system application launcher. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gimp

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) for sudo prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2.) If an old version of GIMP .deb package was installed, upgrade it via Software Updater (need to install gimp-python manually) utility.

or run apt commands in terminal to install GIMP:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install gimp gimp-gmic gimp-python

If an old version was installed, it’s recommended to run sudo apt upgrade which will also update the required babl, gegl libraries.

How to Restore:

To restore GIMP to the stock version in main Ubuntu repository, run command to purge the PPA:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gimp

For those prefer installing applications via apt method, the desktop publishing software Scribus 1.5.6 is finally made into PPA available for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, and Linux Mint 20.

Scribus 1.5.6 was released a few months ago as the latest development release for the next major version 1.6.0. It features:

  • Introduce a context-sensitive Content Palette
  • A new PDF-based output preview
  • Improved dark UI themes support.
  • Support for PDF 1.6 export, including embedded OpenType fonts.
  • And much more.

How to Install Scribus 1.5.6.1 via PPA:

Besides non-install Appimage and community maintained flatpak package, the official PPA now contains the packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10.

1.) Open terminal from system application launcher. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:scribus/ppa

2.) Then run command to install the software package:

sudo apt install scribus-ng

Uninstall Scribus:

To remove the scribus package, simply run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove scribus-ng

To remove the Ubuntu PPA, either run command in step 1.) with --remove flag, or open Software & Updates and remove relevant line under Other Software tab.

Want to try out the Cinnamon Desktop Environment? Without installing Linux Mint, you can get the desktop packages in Ubuntu via a few commands.

Cinnamon is available in Ubuntu main repositories, though the package version is however a little old. You can simply run the command in step 2 to install it if you don’t stick to the latest features.

The Wasta Linux team maintains an Ubuntu PPA that contains Cinnamon 4.8 packages for Ubuntu 20.04.

1.) Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to add the Ubuntu PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:wasta-linux/cinnamon-4-8

2.) After adding the PPA and updating package cache, run command to install the desktop:

sudo apt install cinnamon-desktop-environment

There will be a large list of packages (about 400 MB download) and more disk space usage for installing the DE.

Once installed, log out and select log back with Cinnamon session.

How to Remove Cinnamon Desktop:

If something goes wrong or you just want to remove Cinnamon, paste and run the command below will remove most the components.

sudo apt remove --autoremove blueman brasero brasero-cdrkit cinnamon '~ncinnamon*' cjs desktop-base  five-or-more fonts-noto '~nfonts-noto*' fonts-quicksand four-in-a-row gedit-plugins-common gnome-chess gnome-backgrounds gnome-games gnome-klotski gnome-nibbles gnome-robots gnome-taquin gnome-tetravex gnote hexchat-common hitori hoichess hwdata iagno iso-flags-png-320x240 '~nlibcinnamon*' mate-icon-theme mate-themes muffin muffin-common nautilus-extension-brasero nemo nemo-data nemo-fileroller pidgin-data quadrapassel sound-juicer swell-foop tali vinagre wodim xapps-common

And remove the PPA either via Software & Updates under Other Software tab, or run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:wasta-linux/cinnamon-4-8

wifi hotspot

Miss Realtek rtlwifi drivers or get ‘No WiFi Adapter Found‘ issue? There’s now an Ubuntu PPA that contains the most recent rtlwifi drivers for Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and derivatives.

Without building from the source code, the “Linux Mint Türkiye” team maintains a PPA that contains the most recent wireless drivers with DKMS support for rtl8723bu, rtl8822bu, rtl8188eu, rtl8188fu, rtl8192cu, rtl8192du, rtl8192ee, rtl8192eu, rtl8192fu, rtl8723au, rtl8723bu, rtl8723de, rtl8723ds, rtl8723du, rtl8812au, rtl8814au, rtl8821ce, rtl8821cu, rtl8822bu devices.

If you have a RealTek USB WiFi Adapter or a laptop / notebook with built-in chipset in the previous list, do following steps may help you install the drivers in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, Linux Mint 20/21/22.

1.) First open terminal either from the system application launcher or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard.

2.) Then run command to add the Ubuntu PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kelebek333/kablosuz

3.) Then open Synaptic package manager, click Reload button refresh package cache, search either rtl or dkms.

Scroll down to find out the list of driver packages, then right-click on the one for your chipset and select ‘Mark for Installation’, finally click on Apply button to install it.

Or you can run command in terminal to install the driver (replace rtl8723de-dkms in the code):

sudo apt install rtl8723de-dkms

4.) The wireless network should work immediately after you installed the driver. You can manually unload and re-load the kernel module via commands (replace rtl8723de-dkms in the code):

sudo modprobe -r rtl8723de

sudo modprobe rtl8723de

Uninstall the RealTek Wifi Driver:

To remove the driver, either use Synaptic package manager or run apt command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove rtl8723de-dkms

And remove the Ubuntu PPA via command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:linuxmint-tr/wireless-ppa

How to Install gThumb 3.11.2 in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: April 24, 2024

Gnome photo manager and image viewer gThumb 3.11.2 was released a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, Linux Mint 20, Pop!_OS 20.04 via PPA.

gThumb 3.11.2 features minor UI improvements including:

  • a proportional zoom increment in image viewer
  • keep the same pixel under the pointer after zooming
  • read color profiles from png files as well.
  • Media viewer: use accurate seeking when clicking on the progress bar.
  • Media viewer: show the pointed time when hovering over the progress bar.
  • Browser: added support for back and forward mouse buttons.
  • Preferences: added option to show/hide the statusbar.
  • Rename files: added a button to revert to the last used template.

And there are some bug-fixes, new or updates translations in the release.

How to Install gThumb via PPA in Ubuntu:

The Dariusz Duma’s PPA seems not being updated except for auto-build packages. So again… I uploaded the gThumb 3.11.2 packages into the unofficial PPA, available for Ubuntu 18.04 (not tested), Ubuntu 20.04, and Ubuntu 20.10.

The packages were backported from the Debian Unstable / Ubuntu 21.04 build from this page.

NOTICE: I offer no warranty for any package in this PPA. While they may work for me, you use them at your own risk.

1.) To add the PPA, open terminal and run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

2.) You can then either upgrade photo manager from an old version via Update Manager (Software Updater), or run command in terminal:

sudo apt install gthumb

Uninstall gThumb & the Ubuntu PPA

To remove gThumb photo manager and image viewer, run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove gthumb gthumb-data

To remove the Ubuntu PPA, either run the apt-add-repository command with --remove flag, or use Software & Updates -> Other Software.

KeePass2

KeePass password manager 2.47 was released user interface and integration enhancements and minor new features and improvements.

KeePass 2.47 release highlights:

  • Save search parameters as profiles, access via menu ‘Find’->’Search Profiles’.
  • Add ‘XPath expression’ search mode.
  • Add ‘Histop’ option in Find dialog.
  • Add ‘Help’ button in Find dialog.
  • Add auto-type matching option ‘Consider similar dashes as identical’.
  • Add commands ‘Copy Group (Encrypted)’, ‘Copy Group (Unencrypted)’ and ‘Paste Group’.
  • Added {TIMEOTP} placeholder, generates a time-based one-time password.
  • Enhanced XML key file format.
  • Add command ‘Print Key File Backup’.
  • Add command ‘Create Key File’.
  • Add Argon2id key derivation function.
  • Add support for importing Dashlane 6.2039.0 JSON files.
  • Add a few more options in the import/export dialog.
  • Plugins can now disable/enable specific Mono workarounds.

How to Install KeePass 2.47 in Ubuntu via PPA:

Although there’s a Linux native community fork KeePassXC available, KeePass2 is still available to install via an Ubuntu PPA. So far, the PPA supports for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and Ubuntu 20.04.

1.) Open terminal and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/keepass2

2.) Then refresh system package cache via command:

sudo apt update

3.) Finally install the mono based password safe package:

sudo apt install keepass2

Uninstall KeePass2:

To remove the software package, run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove keepass2

And remove the Ubuntu PPA via command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/keepass2