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gThumb 3.12.0 Released! How to Install via PPA in Ubuntu 20.04

September 20, 2021 — Leave a comment

gThumb image viewer and organizer announced version 3.12.0 as the new stable release series!

gThumb 3.12.0 is the new stable series since the last 3.10.x, while the 3.11.x is the development release.

What’s New in gThumb 3.12.0:

The new release includes many new features compare to the previous stable 3.10.x. They are all introduced in the 3.11 development releases, so you may already enjoy using them for a period of time.

With libheif library, gThumb now opens AVIF, HEIF (include Apple’s HEIC) images, and allows to save images as AVIF. And it supports JPEG XL images using the jpeg-xl library. A template editor is available to edit text values with special codes, for use in script commands, rename templates, print header and footer, etc.

Besides that, it improved file navigation for directory contains thousands of images. The file list now starts more thumbnailers in parallel, status bar has button to show the progress dialog. And the color picker tool shows colors in two more formats: rgb in % and hsl. Others include:

Allow to set shortcuts to activate filters.
Allow to mount unmounted volumes.
Add file actions to the viewer context menu.
Read color profiles from png files as well.
Option to show/hide the status bar.

For those already running gThumb 3.11.4, there are only bug-fixes and translation updates.

How to Install gThumb 3.12.0 in Ubuntu:

The software does not provide official binary package. Besides building from the source tarball, you may install it via the unofficial Ubuntu PPA.

1. Add the Ubuntu PPA.

The PPA so far provides packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, Ubuntu 21.10, and Linux Mint 20. It contains package for Ubuntu 18.04 but lacks JPEG XL support.

Firstly open terminal either from start menu or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, paste the command below into terminal and hit run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

2. Update system package cache.

Adding PPA will automatically refresh the package cache in Ubuntu 20.04 and higher. However old versions and some Ubuntu based systems does not. To do it manually, simply run command in terminal:

sudo apt update

3. Install / Upgrade gThumb.

Finally, either run the apt install command in a terminal window to install the image viewer:

sudo apt install gthumb

Or use the Software Updater (Update Manager) utility to receive package updates. Un-check other packages from the PPA if you don’t want them.

Uninstall / Restore gThumb:

You can restore to the stock version of the image viewer and organizer by purging the PPA repository. To do so, simply run command:

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

You may also keep the gThumb package but remove the Ubuntu PPA, since it contains many other software packages that you don’t prefer. To do so, either run command in terminal:

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

Or remove the repository line under ‘Other Software’ tab via Software & Updates utility.

In Howtos, News image viewer

The Six Point Release Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS is Out!

September 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

The Ubuntu team announced the six point release for Ubuntu 18.04 today for the Desktop and Server.

Ubuntu 18.04.6 refreshed the disc images for the amd64 and arm64 architecture, re-enabling the usage on Secure Boot enabled systems due to the key revocation related to the BootHole vulnerability.

In August 2020, a set of security vulnerabilities in GRUB2 (the GRand Unified Bootloader version 2) collectively known as BootHole were disclosed. Today, another set of vulnerabilities in GRUB2 were disclosed, with similar implications.

See more in this blog post.

The release also includes many other security updates for additional high-impact bug fixes, with a focus on maintaining stability and compatibility with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.

Download Ubuntu 18.04.6:

Ubuntu 18.04 has 5 year standard security support, and additional 5 year Extended Security Maintenance (esm) free for personal use.

To download Ubuntu 18.04.6, go the the link below:

Download Ubuntu

For Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, it’s able to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04.6 using the Update Manger. See the documentation for more.

In News

Darktable 3.6.1 Released with New Camera Support & Various Bug-fixes

September 16, 2021 — Leave a comment

The free open-source Lightroom alternative, Darktable release version 3.6.1. Here’s what’s new and how to install it in Ubuntu.

Darktable 3.6.1 comes with stability improvements and bug-fixes. No new features, but has new camera support, including base support for Leica C-Lux (3:2), Sony ILCE-7RM3A, Sony ILCE-7RM4A, Nikon D6 (12bit and 14bit), and Nikon Z fc (12bit- and 14bit-compressed). The release also adds noise profile for Ricoh GR III.

And here are the bug-fixes according to the release note:

Fix module expand on quick access panel when enabling/disabling module.
Fix a possible crash in color calibration module.
Fix an inconsistency between the CPU & GPU path in color calibration module.
Fix possible issue in OpenCL Bradford non-linear code in color calibration which leads to wrong color rendering.
Fix Windows paths handling and encoding.
Fix possible issue in exiv2 when trying to write empty strings.
Fix by-scale button in export module.
Fix crash when renaming a drawn mask.
Minor UI fix in duplicate module.
Fix possible wrong rendering of the color picker tooltip.
Fix filename variable used when importing new pictures.
Fix noise profile for RICOH GR III.
Fix some memory leaks.

How to Install Darktable 3.6.1 in Ubuntu:

The raw development tool has official Linux repository with native packages for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE. Darktable is also available to install via the universal Flatpak package.

For choice, I’ve uploaded the package into the unofficial PPA with Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, and Ubuntu 21.10 support. And 32-bit Ubuntu 18.04 is also supported.

1.) Add the PPA.

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal for running commands. When it opens, paste the command below into it and hit Enter.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/darktable

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

2.) Install / upgrade Darktable

Next either run command in terminal to install the photography software:

sudo apt install darktable

Or upgrade the package using Software Updater (Update Manager) utility.

Uninstall Darktable:

To remove the software package, you may simply run apt command with remove flag in terminal:

sudo apt remove darktable --autoremove

And remove the PPA via command:

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

The Software & Updates also provides option to manage PPAs. Open it and navigate to “Other Software” tab, select the repository and click remove it.

In News photo

Oracle Java 17 Released as New LTS, Here’s How to Install it in Ubuntu

September 15, 2021 — 1 Comment

Oracle announced the release of Java 17 as the new Long-Term Support (LTS) release.

Java 17 LTS comes with thousands of performance, stability, and security updates, as well as 14 JEPs (JDK Enhancement Proposals). And Oracle will provide 8-year support for the release with security, performance, and bug-fix updates until 2029.

According to the release note, the next LTS will be Java 21 planned for September 2023, which changes the LTS release circle for every three years to two years.

What’s New in Oracle Java 17:

JDK 17 includes new language enhancements, updates to the libraries, support for new Apple computers, removals and deprecations of legacy features, and work to ensure Java code written today will continue working without change in future JDK versions. It also offers a language feature preview and incubating APIs to gather feedback from the Java community.

Updates in the release include:

Sealed classes and interfaces restrict which other classes or interfaces may extend or implement them.
Restore Always-Strict Floating-Point Semantics
New interface types and implementations for Pseudo-Random Number Generators (PRNGs), including jumpable PRNGs and an additional class of splittable PRNG algorithms (LXM).
Implement a Java 2D pipeline for macOS using the Apple Metal API.
New Arm 64-based Apple Silicon computers support.
Deprecate the Applet API for removal
Remove the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) Activation mechanism
Remove the Experimental AOT and JIT Compiler
Deprecate the Security Manager for removal
Strongly encapsulate all internal elements of the JDK, except for critical internal APIs such as sun.misc.Unsafe.
Pattern matching for switch expressions and statements, along with extensions to the language of patterns.
Improves Foreign Function and Memory API and Vector API.

How to Install Oracle Java 17 in Ubuntu:

Thanks to the “Linux Uprising” team ppa, an installer script has been created to automatically downloads and installs Oracle JDK 17 package, and sets Java 17 as the default Java version (setting JAVA_HOME, etc.) on 64-bit PC and arm64 devices, e.g., Rasperry Pi and Microsoft HoloLens 2.

1.) Firstly, open terminal either from system start menu or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:linuxuprising/java

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

2.) Refresh system package cache. The PPA provides packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, Ubuntu 21.10, as well as two old Ubuntu LTS (14.04 and 16.04). And old Ubuntu releases need to manually update system cache by running the command below in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

3.) Finally install the script package via command:

sudo apt-get install oracle-java17-installer

Once the script starts, it brings you to the screen for the license. Press Tab key on keyboard to select OK and hit Enter.

Then answer “Yes” via arrow keys and hit Enter to start downloading Java 17 package from oracle website.

Terminal will indicate the downloading and installing process for you. When everything’s done successfully, use java --version or javac --version command to verify the installation.

That’s all. Enjoy!

In News java

Firefox 92.0 Released with More Secure HTTPS Connection / Full-range Color

September 7, 2021 — Leave a comment

Mozilla Firefox 92.0 was released today with new features and various security fixes.

The release will use HTTPS resource record (HTTPS RR) as Alt-Svc headers to make connections more secure.

The full-range color (0-255) levels are now supported for video playback. Though the limited color range (16-235) is ideal for movies and TV, the source can be switched to full-range color to match PC monitor.

For Mac, users can now access the macOS share options from the Firefox File menu. And it enables support for images containing ICC v4 profiles.

Other changes include:

Firefox performance with screen readers and other accessibility tools is no longer severely degraded if Mozilla Thunderbird is installed or updated after Firefox.
macOS VoiceOver now correctly reports buttons and links marked as ‘expanded’ using the aria-expanded attribute.
An open alert in a tab no longer causes performance issues in other tabs using the same process.
The bookmark toolbar menus on macOS now follow Firefox visual styles.
Certificate error pages have been redesigned for a better user experience.