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Firefox 57 Released! Over 2x Faster Than Before

Last updated: November 14, 2017

Firefox 55

Mozilla Firefox reached the 57.0 release earlier today. The new release, Firefox Quantum, features a completely new browsing engine makes it over twice as fast as before.

Mozilla Firefox 57.0 release highlights:

  • A completely new browsing engine.
  • A redesigned interface, and optimizations for touch screens
  • A unified address and search bar.
  • A revamped new tab page that includes top visited sites, recently visited pages, and recommendations from Pocket
  • An updated product tour to orient new and returning Firefox users
  • AMD VP9 hardware video decoder support for improved video playback with lower power consumption
  • An expanded section in preferences to manage all website permissions
  • Also various security fixes and other changes. See release note.

How to install Firefox 57 in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, the latest Firefox 57 will be published through Ubuntu security & updates repository.

Once it’s published (check Firefox in launchpad), you can upgrade Firefox via Software Updater:

upgrade firefox

Can’t wait? Mozilla offers non-install Linux packages (select i686 for 32-bit, x86_64 for 64-bit os):

Download Firefox (non-install)

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How to Install Linux Kernel 4.14 in Ubuntu, Linux Mint

Last updated: November 13, 2017

Linux Kernel

Linux Kernel 4.14 stable was released yesterday. Linus Torvalds announced that:

No surprises this week, although it is probably worth pointing out how the 0day robot has been getting even better (it was very useful before, but Fengguang has been working on making it even better, and reporting the problems it has found).

Sure, some of the new reports turned out to be just 0day doing things that just don’t work (ie KASAN with old gcc versions, but also doing things like loading old ISA drivers in situations that just don’t make sense – remember when you couldn’t even ask if the hardware existed or not, and just had to know), but even then it’s been all good.

The appended shortlog is obviously only for the (small) haul since rc8, and it really is tiny. Not very many commits, and they are small. The biggest thing that stands out in the diffstat is the “leaking_addresses” perl script, which is actually under active development, but I put the first version in for 4.14 just so that people could see that initial state and start looking at the end result and perhaps ask themselves “should my code make these kernel addresses visible to user space”.

…

How to Install Kernel 4.14 in Ubuntu / Linux Mint:

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 PPA has made the new kernel binaries for Ubuntu, available for download at the link below:

Download Kernel 4.14 (.deb)

Depends on your OS type, download and install the packages in turns:

  1. linux-headers-4.14.0-xxxxxx_all.deb
  2. linux-headers-4.14.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64(/i386).deb
  3. linux-image-4.14.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64(/i386).deb

Select generic for common system, and lowlatency for a low latency system (e.g. for recording audio), amd64 for 64bit system, i386 for 32bit system, or armhf, arm64, etc for other OS types.

To get the Kernel 4.14 from the command console, run the commands below one by one:

For 64-bit OS:

cd /tmp/

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.14/linux-headers-4.14.0-041400_4.14.0-041400.201711122031_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.14/linux-headers-4.14.0-041400-generic_4.14.0-041400.201711122031_amd64.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.14/linux-image-4.14.0-041400-generic_4.14.0-041400.201711122031_amd64.deb

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

for 32-bit OS:

cd /tmp/

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.14/linux-headers-4.14.0-041400_4.14.0-041400.201711122031_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.14/linux-headers-4.14.0-041400-generic_4.14.0-041400.201711122031_i386.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.14/linux-image-4.14.0-041400-generic_4.14.0-041400.201711122031_i386.deb

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

After installed these .debs, restart and enjoy!

For those who prefer a graphical tool, try Ukuu.

Uninstall Linux Kernel 4.13:

Start/restart your machine and select boot with the previous kernel in Grub2 -> Advanced menu. Then use Ubuntu Tweak, or other system tool to remove the Kernel 4.14, or you may see this how to remove old kernels tutorial.

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Visual Studio Code 1.18 Released (Howto Install)

Last updated: November 9, 2017

Visual Studio Code IDE

Visual studio code reached the 1.17 release. Here’s the release highlights and how to install it in Ubuntu.

VS Code 1.18 features:

  • Support for multi-root workspaces enabled by default.
  • Support vertical panel layout.
  • File Explorer shows modified, added, conflicting, and ignored files in a different color and with a badge.
  • Faster Windows start-up and editor performance tuning.
  • Speed up your coding with auto imports for JavaScript and TypeScript.
  • Install missing @types for TypeScript.
  • For more, see the release note.

How to Install VS Code 1.18 in Ubuntu:

The official .deb package for Debian/Ubuntu is available for download at the link below:

Download VS Code (.deb)

Then install it via either Gdebi package manager or command (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/code_*.deb; sudo apt -f install

For those who want to receive updates for VS Code via Software Updater utility, add the Microsoft repository via following steps (64bit only):

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

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/vscode stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list'

2. Download and install the repository key via commands:

curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > microsoft.gpg

sudo mv microsoft.gpg /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/microsoft.gpg

Uninstall Visual Studio Code:

To remove the code editor, either use Synaptic Package Manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove code

And remove the Microsoft repository by launching Software & Updates utility and navigating to Other Software tab.

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Opera 49 Released with built-in VR Player (Howto Install)

Last updated: November 8, 2017

The new stable Opera 49 was released earlier today with built-in VR playback system, feature improvements, and more.

Opera 49 release highlights:

  • VR playback system that supports 360-degree vedios, 2D movies or standard 180-degree videos.
  • Integrate VK Messenger into browser sidebar.
  • Add editing tools and selfie mode in Snapshot tool.
  • Add five new currencies for the currency converter.
  • Ability to rearrange extension icons
  • Refined private mode, O-Menu and History panel improvements
  • See release note for details.

How to Install Opera 49 in Ubuntu:

The opera website offers official .deb binaries for Ubuntu Linux, available for download at the link below:

Download Opera for Linux

If you have a previous release installed, and enabled the official Opera Linux repository, upgrade it via Software Updater:

To manually add the Opera for Linux repository, open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or from app launcher, when it opens, run commands:

1. Add the opera repository:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://deb.opera.com/opera-stable/ stable non-free" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera.list'

2. Get the key:

wget -O - http://deb.opera.com/archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

Finally either install Opera via your system package manager or upgrade the browser via Software Updater.

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How to Install Audacity 2.2.0 via PPA in Ubuntu 17.10, 16.04

Last updated: November 5, 2017

Audacity, free and open-source audio editing and recording software, reached the new major 2.2.0 release a few days ago with great new features and tons of bug-fixes.

Audacity 2.2.0 release highlights:

  • Four supplied user interface themes, and customizability of themes for advanced users.
  • Playback of MIDI files (requires cooperating software synthesizer programs on macOs or Linux)
  • Better organized menus
  • Help link buttons in many dialogs lead to the relevant manual pages
  • 198 bugs/annoyances in 2.1.3 fixed, most importantly
  • Improved recovery from full file system errors
  • Thorough update of the manual with new images, more hover texts, and more cross-references.
  • Complete support for macOS 10.12 (Sierra) and 10.13 (High Sierra)

How to Install Audacity 2.2.0 in Ubuntu:

The Audacity team does not offer pre-compiled Linux binaries. Besides building from source, a third-party PPA is available with Audacity 2.2.0 for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, and Ubuntu 17.10.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for ‘terminal’ from app launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/audacity

Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter to add the PPA.

audacity ppa

2. If you have a previous version installed, you can upgrade Audacity via Software Updater after adding the PPA.

upgrade audacity

or run following commands one by one to check updates and install (or upgrade) audacity 2.2:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install audacity

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA repository, launch Software & Updates utility and navigate to ‘Other Software’ tab.

To remove Audacity audio software, either use system package manager or run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove audacity audacity-data
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SMPlayer 17.11 Released with Small Fixes (How-to Install)

Last updated: November 3, 2017

SMplayer

The SMPlayer media player reached the 17.11.0 release earlier today. The new release features a few small bug-fixes and improvements.

Changes in SMPlayer 17.11 include:

  • The video equalizer by software has been fixed.
  • The thumbnail generator is now more precise with short videos.
  • The audio quality of the audio equalizer has been improved.
  • The option “add black borders on fullscreen” has been fixed.
  • The option “AC3/DTS passthrough over S/PDIF” has been fixed.

SMPlayer with Mac skin

How to Install SMPlayer 17.11 in Ubuntu via PPA:

The new release has made into the official PPA, available for Ubuntu 17.10, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and their derivatives.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rvm/smplayer

Smplayer PPA

For those who prefer Qt4 version, use the another PPA instead:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rvm/smplayer-qt4

2. Then you can upgrade SMPlayer from a previous release via Software Updater (Update Manager) after checking for updates:

upgrade smplayer

Or you can run the commands below in terminal to do install or upgrade SMPlayer:

sudo apt-get update 

sudo apt-get install smplayer smtube

How to Restore:

For any reason, you can easily restore the installation to the stock version via the ppa-purge tool:

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

For the qt4 ppa, replace ppa:rvm/smplayer with ppa:rvm/smplayer-qt4 in the code.

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MuseScore 2.1 Available as Snap for Ubuntu 16.04 & Higher

Last updated: November 1, 2017

MuseScore, free music composition and notation software, reached the 2.1 release months ago. However, it can’t be built in Ubuntu 16.04 due to old system Qt libraries.

Besides using non-install Appimage, MuseScore 2.1 is finally available as Snap package for Ubuntu 16.04 and higher after a few months of testing in beta channel.

1. Simply open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “terminal” from application launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo snap install musescore

Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

Or install it via Ubuntu Software (need sign in with your Ubuntu account).

2. Some interfaces need to be connected manually via commands:

sudo snap connect musescore:cups-control
sudo snap connect musescore:network-manager
sudo snap connect musescore:alsa

Once installed, launch MuseScore from application launcher and enjoy!

Uninstall:

To remove the snap version of MuseScore, either use Ubuntu Software or run command:

sudo snap remove musescore
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Kid3 Audio Editor 3.5.1 Improved High-DPI Support (How to Install)

Last updated: October 31, 2017

Kid3 audio tag editor got an update by releasing v3.5.1 earlier today with performance improvements and a few fixes.

Changes in Kid3 3.5.1 include:

  • Compatibility of imported and exported CSV files with cells containing new line characters.
  • Do not show unknown frames for ID3v2.3 TDAT, TIME, TYER, TRDA frames.
  • Enable high-DPI scaling for Qt >= 5.6.
  • Change AppStream directory from appdata to metainfo.
  • Fix crash with DSF files having sample rates other than 2822400 or 5644800.

Kid3 Audio Tagger

How to Install Kid3 3.5.1 in Ubuntu:

The software has an official PPA that so far offers most recent packages for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and derivatives.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching ‘terminal’ from app launcher. Then run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ufleisch/kid3

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

Kid3 PPA

2. Then upgrade Kid3 from an existing release via Software Updater:

upgrade kid3 via software updater

or run following commands to install or upgrade the audio editor:

sudo apt update 

sudo apt install kid3

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA, launch Software & Updates and navigate to ‘Other Software’ tab.

To remove Kid3 tag editor, either use system package manger or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove kid3 kid3-*
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Gscan2pdf reached 1.8.8 with some fixes (Ubuntu PPA)

Last updated: October 30, 2017

Gscan2pdf, a simple GUI tool to produce PDFs or DjVus from scanned documents, reached the new 1.8.8 release a few hours ago with some bug-fixes and translation updates.

Changes in Gscan2pdf 1.8.8 include:

  • Filter out 1 and 2 digit integers from tool warnings. Show original message, not filtered message.
  • Add option to profile only after successfully applying it
  • Fix default value for unpaper script direction.
  • Fix race condition updating widgets before they can be created after cycling device handle.
  • Fix 16-bit PNM parsing
  • Fix Perl warning about redundant argument in sprintf
  • Update to Hungarian translation

How to Install Gscan2pdf 1.8.8 in Ubuntu:

The developer’s PPA offers the latest packages for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, Ubuntu 18.04, and derivatives.

Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “terminal” from app launcher. When it opens, do following steps:

1. Add the PPA via command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jeffreyratcliffe/ppa

Type in your password (no visual feedback while typing due to security reason) when it prompts and hit Enter.

gscan2pdf ppa

2. For those who have a previous release installed, upgrade it through Software Updater:

upgrade gscan2pdf

For the first time, you can either install it via Synaptic Package Manager or by running following commands in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gscan2pdf

How to Remove:

To remove gscan2pdf, either use your system package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove gscan2pdf

And the PPA can be removed via Software & Updates utility, under Other Software tab.

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Supertuxkart 0.9.3 rc1 Released! How to Install via PPA

Last updated: October 29, 2017

Supertuxkart, open-source arcade racing game, got a big update by releasing 0.9.3 rc1 yesterday. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04 via PPA.

Supertuxkart 0.9.3, code name ‘Halloween Update’, includes following changes:

  • Android support! Get it from Google Play store, or download apk from its website.
  • Completely redesigned the old Mansion and made two brand new arenas
  • New tracks: Candela City, Las Dunas Stadium, Cornfield Crossing
  • Karts now have headlights that are automatically turned on during night time.
  • Built-in screen recorder.
  • HSV colorization for some scenery
  • various other bug-fixes and performance improvements.
  • See the release note for more details.

How to Install Supertuxkart 0.9.3 in Ubuntu:

There’s a stable PPA contains the new 0.9.3 release for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, and next Ubuntu 18.04.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching it from app launcher. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stk/dev

Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. If you have a previous release installed, just upgrade it via Software Updater.

Or run commands in terminal to install or upgrade to Supertuxkart 0.9.3:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install supertuxkart

While the PPA does not support Ubuntu 17.10 so far, you may download the linux tarball, extract, and directly run the executable file (“run_game.sh”) to launch the game.

Uninstall:

You can launch Software & Updates utility and navigate to ‘Other Software’ tab to disable or remove the PPA.

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

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove supertuxkart
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