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Upgrade to Firefox 40 in Ubuntu 15.04, 14.04

Last updated: August 12, 2015

Firefox 38

Mozilla Firefox 40 was released yesterday and available for upgrade in Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 15.04, Ubuntu 14.04 and Ubuntu 12.04 repositories.

Release highlights according to the official release note:

  • Support for Windows 10
  • Added protection against unwanted software downloads
  • User can receive suggested tiles in the new tab page based on categories Firefox matches to browsing history (en-US only).
  • Hello allows adding a link to conversations to provide context on what the conversation will be about
  • New style for add-on manager based on the in-content preferences style
  • Improved scrolling, graphics, and video playback performance with off main thread compositing (GNU/Linux only)
  • Graphic blocklist mechanism improved: Firefox version ranges can be specified, limiting the number of devices blocked
  • Add-on extensions that are not signed by Mozilla will display a warning
  • NPAPI Plug-in performance improved via asynchronous initialization
  • Smoother animation and scrolling with hardware vsync (Windows only)
  • JPEG images use less memory when scaled and can be painted faster
  • Sub-resources can no longer request HTTP authentication, thus protecting users from inadvertently disclosing login data
  • IndexedDB transactions are now non-durable by default
  • Implemented AudioBufferSourceNode.detune to modulate playback rate in cents, a logarithmic unit of measure used for musical intervals
  • Improved Performance tools in the developer tools: Waterfall view, Call Tree view and a Flame Chart view
  • New rules view tooltip in the Inspector to tweak CSS Filter values
  • Console API messages from SharedWorker and ServiceWorker are now displayed in web console
  • New page ruler highlighting tool that displays lightweight horizontal and vertical rules on a page
  • Inspector now searches across all content frames in a page
  • Fix that Kannada text does not display properly in built-in pdf viewer
  • security fixes.

How to upgrade:

The packages has been made into Ubuntu updates and security repositories. Just search for and launch Software Updater and install the updates after checking for updates:

upgrade-firefox40

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Second Alpha of Ubuntu 15.10 Wily Werewolf Released

Last updated: September 29, 2017

Ubuntu 15.10 Wily

The second alpha of Ubuntu 15.10 Wily Werewolf has been released yesterday afternoon, features images for Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, UbuntuKylin and the Ubuntu Cloud images.

Alpha 2 includes a number of software updates that are ready for wider testing. It’s based on Linux Kernel 4.1:

  • Kubuntu 15.10 Alpha 2: Plasma 5.3 desktop and KDE Applications 15.04.1.
  • LXQt is still in development, Lubuntu 15.10 Alpha 1 is set to be another bug fix release.
  • Ubuntu MATE 15.10 Alpha 1 added new wallpapers, Ubuntu MATE Welcome 1.0.1, updated boot splash and Mate Tweak 3.5.0.

For Ubuntu flavor developers and those who want to help in testing, reporting and fixing bugs, download Ubuntu 15.10 Alpha 2:

  • Kubuntu 15.10: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/releases/wily/
  • Lubuntu 15.10: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/wily/
  • Ubuntu MATE 15.10: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-mate/releases/wily/
  • UbuntuKylin 15.10: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntukylin/releases/wily/
  • Ubuntu Cloud 15.10: http://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/releases/wily/

Ubuntu 15.10 release schedule:

  • Alpha 1 – June 25th
  • Alpha 2 – July 30th
  • Feature Freeze — August 20th
  • Beta 1 – August 27th
  • UI Freeze — September 10th
  • Beta 2 – September 24th
  • Kernel Freeze — October 15th
  • Release Candidate – October 15th
  • Ubuntu 15.10 Final – October 22nd

via: fridge.ubuntu.com

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Nvidia Driver 352.30 Released with Various Fixes [PPA]

Last updated: August 29, 2015

nvidia-logo-1

Nvidia announced the 352.30 release of its Linux driver yesterday with GeForce 910M support and various important fixes.

Release highlights of Nvidia 352.30:

  • Fixed a bug that caused poor video post-processing performance in VDPAU when operating on a large number of video streams simultaneously.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause an Xid error when terminating a video playback application using the overlay presentation queue in VDPAU.
  • Updated nvidia-installer to avoid recursing too deeply into kernel source trees under /usr/lib/modules, mirroring an existing restriction on recursion under /lib/modules.
  • Fixed a rare deadlock condition when running applications that use OpenGL in multiple threads on a Quadro GPU.
  • Fixed a kernel memory leak that occurred when looping hardware – accelerated video decoding with VDPAU on Maxwell-based GPUs.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the X server to crash if a RandR 1.4 output provided by a Sink Output provider was selected as the primary output on X.Org xserver 1.17 and higher.
  • Fixed a bug that caused waiting on X Sync Fence objects in OpenGL to hang indefinitely in some cases.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented OpenGL from properly recovering from hardware errors or sync object waits that had timed out.

Install Nvidia 352.30 from PPA:

For Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 15.04, Ubuntu 14.04 and derivatives (e.g., Linux Mint 17.x, and Elementary OS Freya), the new driver can be easily installed from an PPA repository:

1. To add the PPA, open terminal from the Dash/Launcher/Ctrl+Alt+T. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa

nvidia-ppa

2. After adding the PPA, install nvidia-352 package via Synaptic Package Manager or upgrade from previous release through Software Updater. Or run below commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install nvidia-352 nvidia-352-uvm nvidia-settings

For the official binaries, go to www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html

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Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Reached the End of Its Life

Last updated: July 26, 2015

Ubuntu 14.10 logo

Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn finally reached the end of its life on July 23, 2015. No more package updates will be accepted to 14.10. That means 14.10 users won’t get latest software (e.g, Firefox, Thunderbird), security notices/fixes through Software Updater. And Launchpad PPAs will no longer update for 14.10.

Ubuntu 14.10 was released 9 months ago, on October 23, 2014. As a non-LTS release, it has a 9-month month support cycle and, as such, the support reached the end of life on last Thursday. Users of Ubuntu 14.10 may upgrade to Ubuntu 15.04 (ends on January 2016), or install Ubuntu 14.04 LTS which has a 5-year support (until 2019).

To upgrade to Ubuntu 15.04, see:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VividUpgrades

To download Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, go to:

http://releases.ubuntu.com/trusty/

Here’s the support period of the current Ubuntu releases includes the next Ubuntu 15.10 Wily:

Version Code name Release Date End of Life Date
Ubuntu 15.10 Wily Werewolf October 22, 2015 July, 2016
Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet April 23, 2015 January 2016
Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Trusty Tahr April 17, 2014 April, 2019
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin April 26, 2012 April, 2017
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Ubuntu 15.10 Wily Werewolf Alpha 1 Available for Download

Last updated: September 29, 2017

Ubuntu 15.10 Wily

The first alpha release of Ubuntu 15.10 Wily Werewolf was released a few hours ago, which features images for Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, UbuntuKylin and the Ubuntu Cloud images.

Alpha 1 includes a number of software updates that are ready for wider testing. All releases are based on Linux Kernel 3.19.

  • Kubuntu 15.10 Alpha 1 features Plasma 5.3 desktop and KDE Applications 15.04.1.
  • LXQt is still in development, Lubuntu 15.10 Alpha 1 is set to be another bug fix release.
  • Ubuntu MATE 15.10 Alpha 1 features TLP for improved laptop battery endurance, xdg-utils support, more options in MATE Tweak tool, artwork updates, and some fixes.

For Ubuntu flavor developers and those who want to help in testing, reporting and fixing bugs, download Ubuntu 15.10 Alpha 1 from:

  • Kubuntu 15.10: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/releases/wily/
  • Lubuntu 15.10: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/wily/
  • Ubuntu MATE 15.10: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-mate/releases/wily/
  • UbuntuKylin 15.10: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntukylin/releases/wily/
  • Ubuntu Cloud 15.10: http://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/releases/wily/

Ubuntu 15.10 release schedule:

  • Alpha 1 – June 25th
  • Alpha 2 – July 30th
  • Feature Freeze — August 20th
  • Beta 1 – August 27th
  • UI Freeze — September 10th
  • Beta 2 – September 24th
  • Kernel Freeze — October 15th
  • Release Candidate – October 15th
  • Ubuntu 15.10 Final – October 22nd

via: fridge.ubuntu.com

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Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet (Final) Available for Download

Last updated: September 29, 2017

Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid

The final release of Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet and its flavors, e.g., Xubuntu 15.04, Lubuntu 15.04, Ubuntu Gnome 15.04, UbuntuKylin 15.04, Ubuntu MATE 15.04, Ubuntu Studio 15.04, and Kubuntu 15.04 are available for download now!

Ubuntu 15.04 will be supported for 9 months for Desktop, Server, and all its official flavors. It features:

  • Linux Kernel 3.19
  • Updated packages
  • systemd has replaced Upstart as the standard boot and service manager on all Ubuntu flavors except Touch.
  • Unity 7.3
  • Kubuntu 15.04 comes with Plasma 5 and KDE Applications 14.12 as the default
  • Gnome 3.14 for Ubuntu Gnome 15.04
  • Xfce 4.12 for Xubuntu 15.04

Download Ubuntu 15.04 and its flavors

Ubuntu 15.04 Desktop (Unity) and Sever:

http://releases.ubuntu.com/vivid/

Xubuntu 15.04, a lightweight Xfce Desktop based flavor:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/15.04/

Lubuntu 15.04, based on the lightweight LXDE desktop environment:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/15.04/

Ubuntu Gnome 15.04, based on Gnome-shell desktop environment:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-gnome/releases/15.04/

UbuntuKylin 15.04, an official flavor for Chinese users:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntukylin/releases/15.04/release/

Ubuntu MATE 15.04, a new official flavor based on MATE desktop, the continuation of classic GNOME 2:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-mate/releases/15.04/

Ubuntu Studio 15.04, for multimedia production:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntustudio/releases/15.04/

Kubuntu 15.04, based on KDE:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/releases/15.04/

For the official release note and how to upgrade instruction, refer to the Ubuntu wiki page.

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HPLIP 3.15.4 Adds New Printers, Ubuntu 15.04, Linux Mint 17.1 Support

Last updated: April 17, 2015

HP Printer Drivers for Linux

HPLIP, an HP developed Linux solution for printing, scanning, and faxing with HP inkjet and laser printers, reached 3.15.4 release with new printers and most recent Linux Distros support.

According to the release note, Ubuntu 15.04 Beta, Debian 8.0 RC, Linux Mint 17.1 are supported in this release. Also below new printers are supported now:

  • HP Color LaserJet Pro M252dw
  • HP Color LaserJet Pro M252n
  • HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M277n
  • HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M277dw
  • HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M553n
  • HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M553dn
  • HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M553x
  • HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M553dh
  • HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M552dn
  • HP LaserJet Enterprise M604n
  • HP LaserJet Enterprise M604dn
  • HP LaserJet Enterprise M605dn
  • HP LaserJet Enterprise M605n
  • HP LaserJet Enterprise M605x
  • HP LaserJet Enterprise M606x
  • HP LaserJet Enterprise M606dn

There’s also a significant changes: HPLIP Plugin support for ARMv6,ARMv7 and aarch64 architectures. For more, see the release page.

Install HPLIP in Ubuntu/Linux Mint:

1. download HPLIP .run installer from:

Download HPLIP

2. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to give executable permission to the installer:

cd ~/Downloads/ && chmod +x hplip-*.run

3. Finally start the installer and follow the terminal prompts:

cd ~/Downloads/ && ./hplip-*.run

HPLIP on launchpad: https://launchpad.net/hplip

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Elementary OS Freya (Stable) Available for Download

Last updated: April 11, 2015

Elementary OS Freya

Elementary OS 0.3 Freya is out! The beautiful desktop Linux distribution is now based on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, uses GTK+ 3.14 and supports UEFI.

After a few days of countdown in Elementary website, the developer team finally announced the release of Elementary OS 0.3 Freya, via a Live Youtube video. Here are some of the great new features in the Elementary OS 0.3:

  • Linux Kernel 3.16.
  • GTK+ 3.14, which will be default in Ubuntu 15.04 (Ubuntu 14.04 comes with GTK 3.10)
  • new, unified, app-focused design
  • Math calculations and Quicklist support in Application Launcher
  • Vala 0.26 and UEFI support.

See the video for more:

Download Elementary OS Freya:

Download Elementary OS Freya ISO

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Nitrux Icon Theme 3.5 Brings Several New Software Icons

Last updated: April 6, 2015

blank-logo

Nitrux is a simple, clean and hand crafted icon set for GTK based environments (Gnome, Cinnamon, Mate, XFCE, LXDE), KDE (Plasma, Plasma 5) and Android.

This icon theme just got a new release a few hours ago which fixed misnamed Bygfoot icon, added back Synaptic package status icons, made icon for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

nitrux-icons-desktop

nitrux-folders

Nitrux 3.5.0 also adds some new icons for:

  • fault milestone one
  • Fading Hearts
  • Narcissu 1st & 2nd
  • Sakura Spirit
  • Serious Sam 3:BFE
  • garry’s mod
  • Team Fortress 2
  • Half-Life Blue Shift
  • Counter Strike-Condition-Zero
  • Ricochet
  • Opposing Force
  • Team Fortress
  • and several action icons for Plasma.

Install Nitrux Icon Theme:

First grab the latest .DEB binary (nitrux-icon-theme_x.x.x_all.deb) from link below:

Download Nitrux Icon DEB

For KDE user, download the below version instead:

Download Nitrux Icon for KDE

Then click open the .deb with Ubuntu Software Center and install the theme.

To apply the theme, you may use Unity Tweak Tool, Gnome Tweak Tool, Ubuntu Tweak, etc.

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Firefox 37 Released with User Rating System [How-to-Upgrade]

Last updated: March 31, 2015

Mozilla Firefox 37

A new stable release of Mozilla’s web browser, Firefox 37, was released today at the end of March.

Heartbeatflow1According to the release note, Firefox 37 brings a heartbeat user rating system to get user feedback about Firefox. Every day a random subset of users are offered a rating widget. After rating Firefox, an ENGAGEMENT page may open in a background tab.

Users can disable this feature by going to about:config, search browser.selfsupport.url in filter box and set value to “”.

disable-rating

Besides that, Firefox 37 comes with below changes:

  • Yandex set as default search provider for the Turkish locale
  • Bing search now uses HTTPS for secure searching
  • Improved protection against site impersonation via OneCRL centralized certificate revocation
  • Opportunistically encrypt HTTP traffic where the server supports HTTP/2 AltSvc
  • Disabled insecure TLS version fallback for site security
  • Extended SSL error reporting for reporting non-certificate errors
  • TLS False Start optimization now requires a cipher suite using AEAD construction
  • Improved certificate and TLS communication security by removing support for DSA
  • Improved performance of WebGL rendering on Windows
  • Implemented a subset of the Media Source Extensions (MSE) API to allow native HTML5 playback on YouTube (Windows only)
  • Added support for CSS display:contents
  • IndexedDB now accessible from worker threads
  • New SDP/JSEP implementation in WebRT

See the release note for details.

How to upgrade Firefox in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, and Ubuntu 14.10, Firefox 37 will be available for upgrade very soon through Ubuntu official repositories.

Once the official build of Firefox 37 is available, you can open Software Updater and install available updates after checking for updates.

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