Howtos | UbuntuHandbook

How to Install Liferea Feed Reader 1.3.2 in Ubuntu 20.04 (PPA)

Last updated: August 29, 2020

This simple tutorial shows how to install Liferea feed reader 1.3.2 via PPA in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 18.04, and Linux Mint 20.

Liferea, stands for Linux Feed Reader, is a news reader for Gnome. The software is available in Ubuntu universe repository, but it’s old.

And here’s the PPA for the latest 1.3 development serious, which so far features:

New “Reader mode”.
Embed YouTube videos from MediaRSS feeds
Add support for subscribing to HTML5 websites without RSS/Atom feeds
Add MediaRSS support (e.g. Youtube feeds) to display descriptions and thumbnails
Many UI improvements, bug-fixes.

Install Liferea 1.3.2 via PPA:

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

Type your password when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2.) Then check updates and install the news reader via commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install liferea

or update the old package (if installed) via Software Updater utility:

Uninstall:

As the PPA also contains many other applications, you may remove the PPA either via Software & Updates > Other Software, or by running command:

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

And remove the feed reader if want via command:

sudo apt remove liferea

In Howtos Feed Reader

3D Arcade Racer SuperTuxKart 1.2 Released [How to Install]

Last updated: August 28, 2020

SuperTuxKart 1.2, free and open-source kart racing game, was officially released a day ago.

What’s new in SuperTuxkart 1.2:

Support gamepad hotplugging
Use SDL2 for window creation
New “Cartoon” theme
Haiku support
Add support for IPv6 LAN servers
Team chat for team games
A new Kiki kart and improved Pidgin and Puffy karts
Fixed most gamepad related bugs
New settings to customize the game’s camera
And many many enhancements and fixes

How to Get SuperTuxKart 1.2:

Source code as well as packages for Android, Linux (portable), Mac OS, and Windows are available for download at the link below:

SuperTuxKart in Github

Also, there’s an Ubuntu PPA that contains .deb packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 20 / 19.x.

The PPA so far contains SuperTuxKart 1.2 RC1 package. It should be updated to v1.2 in days. Check the PPA link before getting started.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stk/dev

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

2.) After adding the PPA, either upgrade from an old version via Software Updater, or run commands in terminal to install the game:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install supertuxkart

Uninstall SuperTuxKart:

To remove the PPA, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:stk/dev

To remove the racing game, run:

sudo apt remove --autoremove supertuxkart supertuxkart-data

In Howtos, News racing game

4 Nifty Grub Themes for Your Linux Boot Menu

Last updated: April 24, 2024

Boring with the default boot menu in purple? Try installing some themes for this Grub boot-loader.

There’s an open-source project maintains 4 modern design themes for Grub2. They are Vimix, Stylish, Tela, and Slaze.

First take a look at the screenshots:

It’s easy to install the themes as the maintainer offers an installer script. First go to link below and download the source code:

Download Source Code

Then do following steps to install the grub themes:

1. Go to Downloads folder, extract the source tarball, and go into source folder.

2. Right click on blank area and select ‘Open in Terminal’

3. When terminal opens, run command to install a theme:

sudo ./install.sh --boot --vimix

For another theme, replace --vimix in command with --stylish, --tela, or --slaze.

You may use more flags, e.g.,

--white, install white color icons.
--ultrawide, install 2560×1080 background image – not available for slaze theme
--2k, install 2k(2560×1440) background image
--4k, install 4k(3840×2160) background image

Once installed, restart your machine and enjoy!

(Optional) To remove the Grub theme, re-do the first 2 steps and run command:

sudo ./install.sh --remove --vimix

You may replace --vimix in command with --stylish, --tela, or --slaze to remove one of them.

In Howtos grub theme

KeePassXC 2.6.1 Released with Xfce Screensaver Support [PPA]

Last updated: August 20, 2020

KeePassXC, a community fork of KeePassX password manager, released version 2.6.1 today with some new features, improvements, and various fixes.

KeePassXC 2.6.1 release highlights:

Add option to Auto-Type just the username or password
Automatic database locking with Xfce screensaver.
Add command for retrieving current TOTP
Add OARS metadata
Substitute tilde with USERPROFILE on Windows
Change actions for F1, F2, and F3 keys
Improve man page, and password generator UI / UX
And various bug-fixes, see here for more details.

How to Install KeePassXC 2.6.1 in Ubuntu:

The official upstream PPA has made the packages of the password manager for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and derivatives.

1.) Open terminal either by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard, or by searching for ‘terminal’ from system application launcher.

When terminal opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:phoerious/keepassxc

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

2.) Then either update the software package using Software Updater

or run command to install the software:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install keepassxc

Uninstall:

You can run the PPA repository simply by running command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:phoerious/keepassxc

And if you want, remove keepassxc password manger via command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove keepassxc

In Howtos KeePassXC

Display Current Weather in Clock Menu in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: April 24, 2024

Want to get more information in the clock menu underneath the calendar? You can get the current weather condition via an extension.

Weather in the clock is a simple extension based on Gnome Weather that adds an icon representing the current weather condition and the current actual temperature to the clock in the panel.

If you like it, do following steps one by one to install it on Ubuntu 20.04.

1.) First open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to install Gnome Weather:

sudo apt install gnome-weather

2.) Then search for and launch weather from ‘Show Applications’ menu and setup your location:

3.) Finally install the gnome shell extension.

Run command to install chrome-gnome-shell if it’s not installed:
```
sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell
```
Then go to extensions.gnome.org, turn on the toggle and install the extension.
If you don’t see the toggle on icon, follow the link to install browser extension, then refresh the web page.

In Howtos weather in clock

Mainline – Another Tool to Install Latest Kernel in Ubuntu / Linux Mint

Last updated: August 20, 2024

Mainline is a graphical tool to install the latest mainline Kernel in Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and derivatives.

Mainline (Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer) is an open-source fork of ukuu, which now is pay for use. It offers a simple interface with updated list of the “mainline” Kernels, allows to one-click install, remove, or purge Kernels in Ubuntu-based distributions.

Mainline features:

Fetches list of available kernels from Ubuntu Mainline PPA
Optionally watches and displays notifications when a new kernel update is available
Downloads and installs packages automatically
Display available and installed kernels conveniently
Install/remove kernels from gui
For each kernel, the related packages (headers & modules) are installed or removed at the same time

How to install Mainline in Ubuntu:

NOTE: The mainline kernels are provided by Ubuntu Kernel Team for testing and debugging purposes. They are not supported and are not appropriate for production use. You should only install these if they may fix a critical problem you’re having with the current kernel.

The software has an official PPA so far contains packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and derivatives.

1.) To add the PPA, open terminal from system application launcher and run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cappelikan/ppa

2.) Then check updates and install the tool via commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install mainline

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:cappelikan/ppa

To remove the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer, run command:

sudo apt remove mainline

In Howtos Ubuntu Kernel Upgrade Utility

LibreOffice 7.0 Ready to Install via PPA in Ubuntu 20.04/18.04

Last updated: August 10, 2020

LibreOffice

LibreOffice office suite 7.0 was released a few days ago. For those sticking to the PPA .deb packages, you can now install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 19.x, and 20.

LibreOffice 7.0 release highlights:

ODF 1.3 document support
Skia graphics engine + Vulkan support.
Better Microsoft Office DOCX / XLSX / PPTX support.
remove Adobe Flash export support
HiDPI, import/export, and other improvements.

How to Install LibreOffice 7.0 via PPA:

1. Add the PPA.

LibreOffice 7.0.x specific PPA has been created hours ago contains the latest deb packages. You can add it to your system by launching terminal and run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-7-0

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

You may alternatively add the LibreOffice Fresh PPA and wait it to be updated via command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa

2. Install LibreOffice 7.0.

Software Updater utility will keep back the new PPA packages. So you have to run command in terminal to install / upgrade to LibreOffice 7.0:

sudo apt full-upgrade

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA repository, either go to Software & Updates -> Other Software or run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-7-0

For any reason you want to revert back to the Ubuntu stock LibreOffice version, instead of removing the PPA, run command to purge it which also downgrade all installed packages:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-7-0

In Howtos LibreOffice

Pinta 1.7 Released! How to Install in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: August 6, 2020

Open source painting software Pinta 1.7 was released a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu 18.04.

Pinta 1.7 is the first release in over 5 years. Release highlights include:

Added a tab view to switch between images.
Rotate / Zoom dialog now supports zooming and panning
Added a Smooth Erase tool
The Pencil tool can switch between different blend modes.
Added support for JASC PaintShop Pro palette files.
The transform tools can now rotate in fixed increments by holding Shift.
The Move Selected tool can now scale by holding Ctrl.
Dragging and dropping a URL (e.g. image from a web browser) to download and open the image
Rewritten user guide.
See release note for details.

How to Install Pinta 1.7 in Ubuntu:

The Pinta official PPA has made the packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 19,x and 20.

1. Open terminal from system application menu, and run command to add the PPA:

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

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

2. Then you can upgrade Pinta from an old release via Software Updater (Update Manager):

or run apt command in terminal to install or upgrade the software:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install pinta

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA repository, either use Software & Updates -> Other Software, or run command:

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

And remove Pinta if you want via command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove pinta

In Howtos, News pinta

How to Install Linux Kernel 5.8 in Ubuntu

Last updated: August 4, 2020

Linus Torvalds announced the release of Linux kernel 5.8 two days ago on Sunday. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu and / or Linux Mint.

New features in Linux Kernel 5.8 include:

Qualcomm Adreno 405 / 640 / 650 open-source support.
AMDGPU TMZ support.
Intel Tiger Lake SAGV support.
New Arm SoC and platform support.
AMD Energy Driver.
Initial support for booting POWER10 processors.
Intel Tiger Lake Thunderbolt support for Intel’s Gateway SoCs.
And many other new features and improvements.

How to Install Linux Kernel 5.8 in Ubuntu:

The mainline kernels do not include any Ubuntu-provided drivers or patches. They are not supported and are not appropriate for production use

The mainline kernel packages for Linux 5.8 (64-bit) are now available for download at the link below:

Download Kernel 5.8

Select generic for common system, and lowlatency for a low latency system (e.g. for recording audio):

linux-headers-5.8.0-xxxxxx_all.deb
linux-headers-5.8.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb
linux-modules-5.8.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb
linux-image-xxx-5.8.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb

Alternatively you can download and install the kernel binaries via terminal commands ( open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T):

cd /tmp/

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8/amd64/linux-headers-5.8.0-050800_5.8.0-050800.202008022230_all.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8/amd64/linux-headers-5.8.0-050800-generic_5.8.0-050800.202008022230_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-5.8.0-050800-generic_5.8.0-050800.202008022230_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8/amd64/linux-modules-5.8.0-050800-generic_5.8.0-050800.202008022230_amd64.deb

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

Once installed, restart your computer and enjoy!

Uninstall Linux Kernel 5.8:

Restart your machine and select boot with the previous kernel in boot menu ‘Grub2 -> Advanced Option for Ubuntu’. Then run command to remove Linux Kernel 5.8:

sudo dpkg --purge linux-image-unsigned-5.8.0-050800-generic

In Howtos, News Linux Kernel

How to Install Faenza Icon Theme in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: August 3, 2020

This simple tutorial shows how to install and apply Faenza Icons in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

Faenza is a set of icons for Gnome provides monochromatic icons for panels, toolbars and buttons and colorful squared icons for devices, applications, folder, files and Gnome menu items. Four themes are included to fit with light or dark themes/panels.

faenza icons 1.3.1 ubuntu 14.10

1.) Install Faenza icons

To install the icon theme, simply open terminal from your system application launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo apt install faenza-icon-theme

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) for sudo prompt and hit Enter.

2.) Apply the icon theme in Ubuntu 20.04:

The icon theme offers Faenza, Faenza-Ambiance, Faenza-Radiance, Faenza-dark, darker, darkest. You can choose one of them in Gnome shell via Gnome Tweaks.

Install Gnome Tweaks either via sudo apt install gnome-tweaks command or from Software utility (if you don’t have it).