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Sigil ePub Editor 0.9.6 Released, PPA for Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: June 21, 2016

Sigil, an open-source and multi-platform ePub ebook editor, has reached the 0.9.6 release with some new features and various bug fixes.

New features added in Sigil 0.9.6:

create sgc-nav.css stylesheet for nav and allow templates in Prefs Dir for user to control it
add General Setting to allow user to set own temporary directory location
add Qt Stylesheet support – Recognize and load “qt_styles.qss” file if stored in Sigil Preferences folder
extend the plugin interface to add support for epub3 bindings elements
add option + forward delete shortcut to active Metadata Editor remove

It also brings a lot of bug-fixes in the release, see sigil website for details.

How to install Sigil 0.9.6 in Ubuntu:

There’s no official binary releases for Linux. While Ubuntu Software provides an old version, you may either build the latest release from source or use a third-party PPA.

And here are my personal builds of Sigil 0.9.6, available for Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 15.10:

Download sigil-data and sigil (.deb)

Download and install the .deb package for sigil-data and then sigil package (i386 for 32bit, amd64 for 64bit).

For those who prefer adding PPA, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the commands below one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/sigil

sudo apt update

sudo apt install sigil sigil-data

To manage PPAs, go to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software.

In Howtos, News sigil epub editor

Oracle Virtualbox 5.0.22 Released with Various Fixes

Last updated: June 17, 2016

A new maintenance release for Virtualbox 5.0 series was announced a few days ago with various fixes and improvements.

Virtualbox 5.0.22 fixes build failure on Linux Kernel 4.7, mouse pointer offset in Linux client fullscreen mode, a potential Linux guest panic on AMD hosts, a potential hang with 32-bit EFI guests on Intel CPUs.

It also adds X.org 1.18 support for Solaris additions, brings fixes for certain Intel Atom hosts and certain 32-bit guest, adds a new I/O-APIC implementation fixing several bugs and improving the performance under certain conditions. For more details, go to the changelog page.

Download & install Virtualbox 5.0.22 in Ubuntu:

1. Download the pre-compiled package for your Ubuntu release from (i386 for 32-bit, amd64 for 64bit):

Virtualbox Linux Downloads

2. If you installed the stock version of VBOX from official Ubuntu repository, you have to remove it first via Ubuntu Software, or by running the command below in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo apt remove virtualbox virutalbox-*

3. Finally install the new version by opening the package via Ubuntu Software, or run the dpkg command in terminal:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/virtualbox-5.0_5.0.22-*.deb

4. (Optional) For those who’d like to receive future updates of VBox along with other software updates via Software Updater utility, paste the 2 commands below and run one by one in terminal to add Virtualbox Linux repository:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -cs) contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

You can manage the PPA later via System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software.

In News Virtualbox, Virtualbox 5.0

Install SMPlayer 16.6 in Ubuntu with High-DPI Support

Last updated: June 15, 2016

SMPlayer, open-source Qt front-end for MPlayer and MPV, has reached the 16.6 release with some great new features including a tablet mode and high-DPI support.

High DPI screens are supported now in SMPlayer. You can turn on/off this feature and manually adjust the scale factor by navigating to Preferences -> Interface -> High DPI.

There’s a new ‘tablet mode’, available in menu Options, that brings support for 2 in 1 computers with touch screens.

SMPlayer 16.6 also brings:

Option to send video to an external screen.
Global shortcuts support, enable it in Preferences -> Keyboard and mouse
Settings are remembered for online streams.
built with Qt 5 by default.

How Install /Upgrade SMPlayer in Ubuntu:

For all current Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and Ubuntu 16.10, the most recent build can be installed from the PPA by following the steps below one by one:

1. Add PPA.

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and paste the command below and hit run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rvm/smplayer

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

2. If you have a previous release installed, you can upgrade it by launching Software Updater:

Or run the commands below one by one to do update and install in terminal:

sudo apt update

sudo apt-get install smplayer smtube smplayer-themes

3. (Optional) To revert back to the stock version of SMPlayer in your Ubuntu release, purge the PPA via ppa-purge by running command:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:rvm/smplayer

In Howtos, News SMPlayer

Ubuntu Tweak Officially Discontinued

Last updated: May 5, 2016

Ubuntu Tweak, one of the most popular Ubuntu configuration tools, now is officially discontinued!

Tualatrix Chou, the creator and maintainer, finally announced the discontinuation of Ubuntu Tweak in his Chinese blog a few days ago, though the last software update was more than one year ago.

The website Ubuntu-Teak.com has been redirected, and it will be shut off one year later, though it’s still getting 4000+ visits per day. Moreover, the Github and Launchpad page has been added a line said “This project is no long under maintenance”.

Ubuntu Tweak Alternative:

The best alternatives are Unity Tweak Tool for Unity Desktop and Gnome Tweak Tool for Gnome Shell. Both can be installed via Ubuntu Software App.

Unity Tweak Tool for Unity

Gnome Tweak Tool for Gnome Shell

In News ubuntu tweak

Firefox 46 Released With GTK3 Integration, Upgrade in Ubuntu

Last updated: April 27, 2016

Mozilla Firefox has reached the 46 release, which features GTK3 integration for GNU/Linux, security improvement for the JavaScript, and some fixes:

Correct rendering for scaled SVGs that use a clip and a mask
Various security fixes
Screen reader behavior with blank spaces in Google Docs corrected
WebRTC fixes to improve performance and stability

For details, see the release note.

Upgrade Firefox in Ubuntu:

The new release has been made into universe repositories of all current Ubuntu releases and derivatives. Just run Software Updater and install the available update for Firefox after checking for updates.

In News Firefox

Clementine 1.3 Released, How to Install it in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: April 15, 2016

Clementine Music Player has just reached the new stable 1.3 release. Official Linux binary adds support for Ubuntu 16.04.

After two years of development, Clementine 1.3 was finally released earlier today. It brings so many new features and a large number of bug-fixes.

Main feature in Clementine 1.3:

Vk.com support
Seafile support (server >= 4.4.1)
Add Ampache compatibility (through Subsonic service)
Add new analyzer “Rainbow Dash”
Answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything
Add “Psychedelic Colour” mode to all analyzers

There are also some other features such as m4b support for non-drm files, HipHop and Kuduro equalizers, IDv3 tag lyrics support, lyrics from AZLyrics, bollywoodlyrics.com, hindilyrics.net, lololyrics.com, Musixmatch, Tekstowo.pl, and more and more.

See other improvements and bug fixes in the full changelog page.

How to Install Clementine 1.3 in Ubuntu:

Select download the official binary for your Ubuntu release (Check System Settings -> Details) from:

Clementine Download Page

You can also install Clementine 1.3 from its official PPA, which allows you to receive future Clementine updates along with other system updates via Software Updater utility.

1. Add PPA.

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and paste below command and hit run to add PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:me-davidsansome/clementine

Type in your password when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

2. Update package cache and install Clementine. You can use Synaptic Package Manager instead if installed.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install clementine

In Howtos, News Clementine

Rhythmbox 3.3.1 Released, Ported to WebKit2, Better Handle Locked Android Devices

Last updated: April 4, 2016

Rhythmbox, Gnome’s default music player, has reached the 3.3.1 release with a few improvements, bug fixes, and translation updates.

According to the changelog, Rhythmbox 3.3.1 features:

Better handling of locked Android devices
Simplified ReplayGain processing that might crash less
Switched to webkit2 API, except for the context plugin which is disabled
Notifications behave better when actions aren’t available

And a few reported bugs has been solved in this release:

Rhythmbox segfaults when trying to access Android 4.0 MTP device already mounted by Nautilus
Rhythmbox crashes when trying to access Android device.
Port to WebKit2
CD playing with cross fading on crashes rhythmbox
Display notifications about playing song when pausing
RhythmDB-CRITICAL **: rhythmdb_entry_get_entry_type: assertion ‘entry != NULL’ failed
Gtk-WARNING **: Drawing a gadget with negative dimensions. Did you forget to allocate a size? (node grid owner RBHeader)
Rework logic of Python support option

How to Install/upgrade Rhythmbox 3.3.1 in Ubuntu:

Besides building from the source, fossfreedom is maintaining a PPA to make it easy to install the latest Rhythmbox music player for all current Ubuntu releases.

Check out the PPA page before doing following steps since there may be a small delay for the latest packages to be made into PPA.

1. Launch terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run below command to add PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:fossfreedom/rhythmbox

Type in your password (no visual feedback just type in mind) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

2. After that, launch Software Updater and install updates for Rhythmbox, or just run below commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install rhythmbox

3. (Optional) To downgrade to the stock version of Rhythmbox in your Ubuntu release, use ppa-purge:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge

sudo ppa-purge ppa:fossfreedom/rhythmbox

In Howtos, News rhythmbox

Final Beta of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Available for Download

Last updated: March 25, 2016

The final beta of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, codenamed “Xenial Xerus”, has been released today!

The beta release features images for not only the Ubuntu Desktop, Server, Cloud, and Core products, but also the Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Mythbuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Studio, and Xubuntu flavours.

New Features in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS:

based on Linux Kernel 4.4
python has been upgraded to the 3.5 series
golang toolchain was upgraded to the 1.6 series, and gcc-go was upgraded to the GCC6 branch.
includes a new port to 64-bit z/Architecture for IBM mainframe computers.
GNOME is mostly upgraded to 3.18. GLib upgraded to to 2.48 (corresponding to GNOME 3.20)
Ubuntu Software Center is replaced by Gnome Software.
Improved HiDPI support
Unity online searches disabled by default.
Unity Launcher can be moved to bottom
Chromium 48, Firefox 45, LibreOffice 5.1
See the release note for more

There is, however, one bug in this beta serious, and will be fixed before release:

In some cases, attempts to install to a hard drive that already contains a swap partition may fail in the partitioning phase. If you encounter this, the simplest workaround is to boot to the live session, start a terminal (Ctrl-Alt-T) and type “sudo swapoff -a”. You can then start the installation from the icon on the desktop and it should proceed successfully.

Download Ubuntu 16.04 Beta 2:

Ubuntu Desktop and Server: releases.ubuntu.com/16.04/

Cloud Images: cloud-images.ubuntu.com/releases/16.04/

Core: cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-core/releases/16.04/

Flavors and others: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/

The final release of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS expected on April 21st, 2016.

via: fridge.ubuntu.com

In News Ubuntu 16.04

Mozilla Firefox 45 Released, Upgrade Available In Ubuntu Repositories

Last updated: March 9, 2016

Mozilla Firefox web browser has reached version 45. Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and their derivatives can now upgrade it via Software Updater.

Firefox 45 comes with following changes:

Instant browser tab sharing through Hello
Tabs synced via Firefox Accounts from other devices are now shown in dropdown area of Awesome Bar when searching
Synced Tabs button in button bar
a new preference (network.dns.blockDotOnion) to allow blocking .onion at the DNS level
Tab Groups (Panorama) feature removed
HTML5 improvements with ES6 classes, a Web Speech synthesis API, and Push API support
For more, see the release notes

Upgrade to Firefox 45 in Ubuntu:

Ubuntu Team has made the new release into updates/security repositories for all current Ubuntu releases.

So just launch Software Updater, and you’ll see Firefox 45 available in update list after checking for updates:

If you don’t see it, please launch Software & Updates and do:

switch to “Main Sever” after “Download from” drop-box in first tab.
make sure the “important security updates” and “recommended updates” are enabled in Updates tab

Finally, relaunch Software Updater to upgrade Firefox web browser.

In News Firefox

Variety Wallpaper Changer 0.6.0 Adds New Slideshow Feature

Last updated: March 6, 2016

The open-source Variety wallpaper changer has reached the 0.6.0 release with a major new feature – Variety Slideshow.

Variety Slideshow allows you to create a slideshow as desktop background, fullscreen screensaver, or in a normal window with given wallpapers, time interval, and other parameters.

The slideshow can be installed as a standalone application, but the options are command-line only. Variety provides the configuration GUI in its Preferences.

The 0.6.0 release also brings other small updates, and i3, openbox, Awesome WM support.

How to Install Variety 0.6.0 in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, Variety has been made into the universe repositories. Just search for and install it via Software Center.

For Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and derivatives, launch terminal and run below commands one by one to get it from PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:peterlevi/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install variety variety-slideshow

For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab both .deb packages from the PPA packages page.

via: peterlevi.com

In Howtos, News variety, wallpaper changer

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