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Elementary OS 0.4 Loki Released, Based on Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: September 10, 2016

The best-looking Linux distro, Elementary OS, has reached the 0.4 release, code name “Loki” and base on Ubuntu 16.04 package system.

The Elementary OS team announced the stable release of Loki last night:

After a little over a year of development, elementary is proud to announce the stable release of elementary OS Loki!

Loki is the newest version of elementary OS, a design-oriented and open source Linux-based operating system for desktops and laptops. It succeeds Freya which was released in April of 2015.

…

What’s new in Elementary OS Loki:

Linux Kernel 4.4 and Ubuntu 16.04 base
redesigned indicators change to be dark or light depending on your wallpaper.
redesigned audio indicator with more compact set of controls and large icons
new network indicator and redesigned network settings, bluetooth indicator
A new lid close setting and related behavior
Notification center now caches notifications and offers Do Not Disturb toggle
use Epiphany as new default web browser.
new app store
various other improvements, see the release note.

Download Elementary OS Loki at: elementary.io. (pay any dollar amount, or type 0 for free)

In News Elementary OS, Loki, Ubuntu 16.04

Adobe Resurrect Flash for Linux via 23 Beta [Howto-install]

Last updated: December 15, 2016

By releasing the 23 Beta flash, Adobe announced that it starts supporting NPAPI Flash for Linux again.

Today we are updating the beta channel with Linux NPAPI Flash Player by moving it forward and in sync with the modern release branch (currently version 23). We have done this significant change to improve security and provide additional mitigation to the Linux community.

In the past, we communicated that NPAPI Linux releases would stop in 2017. This is no longer the case and once we have performed sufficient testing and received community feedback, we will release both NPAPI and PPAPI Linux builds with their major version numbers in sync and on a regular basis.

Adobe says it will release both the NPAPI and PPAPI (used in Chrome) versions of Flash Player for Linux. However, the NPAPI version will not support or add any advanced features and capabilities, like DRM, GPU acceleration, Stage 3D, etc.

Users who require this functionality are recommended to use Pepper (PPAPI) Flash for Linux.

Install Adobe Flash 23 Beta for Firefox in Ubuntu:

Flash sucks! But since many websites still use it, we have to use flash to view the content.

So far only 32-bit and 64-bit binaries of the 23 release are available for download at the link below:

Flash Player 23 Beta for Linux (NPAPI)

For Linux, the binary is just a file called: libflashplayer.so. To use it, do:

1. Install Flash Player 11.2 from Canonical Partners repository:

Launch Software & Updates, and enable Canonical Partners repository in Other Software tab. Then close it.
Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install Adobe-flashplugin:
```
sudo apt update; sudo apt install adobe-flashplugin
```

2. Move the libflashplayer.so file you just downloaded to /usr/lib/adobe-flashplugin/ folder by running the command:

sudo mv ~/Downloads/libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/adobe-flashplugin/

Finally restart Firefox browser and check your flash version:

In Howtos, News adobe flash

Twitter App Corebird 1.3.1 Released with some Fixes

Last updated: September 6, 2016

The open-source desktop twitter client Corebird has reached the 1.3.1 release with some fixes to 1.3 release. For those who prefer this modern twitter app, it’s available for upgrade in my PPA (unofficial) for Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 16.10.

Changes in Corebird 1.3.1:

Fix muted and/or blocked tweets still showing up in timelines
Fix accounts not getting saved when first created
Fix retweets of the authenticating user not getting theiry correct seen status
Fix profiles descriptions containing ampersand characters and links
Fix profile banner fade-in transition
Fix doubly-escaped ampersands in link tooltips
Fix missing underlines in @screen_names in the profile popover

Corebird with Numix GTK theme

How to install Corebird 1.3.1 in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 16.04, and/or Ubuntu 16.10, you can either download the .deb binary from the PPA file archive, or run the commands below one by one in terminal to add PPA and install Corebird:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/corebird

sudo apt update

sudo apt install corebird

Tip: The GetDeb repository also maintains Corebird packages for Ubuntu 16.04, now it contains Corebird 1.3 and the 1.3.1 release should be available soon.

With the PPA added, you can upgrade Corebird along with other system updates via Software Updater when a new release is out and uploaded into PPA.

And the PPA can be easily disabled or removed via Software & Updates utility under Other Software tab.

In Howtos, News corebird, twitter client

Batch Image Resizer and Converter ‘Converseen’ Ported to Qt5

Last updated: September 2, 2016

Converseen, a free and open-source batch image resizer and converter, has reached the 0.9.5 a few days ago.

Converseen 0.9.5 is the first Qt5 port release written in C++. It works on Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD. With Magick++ image libraries it supports more than 100 image formats.

Features:

Convert an unlimited number of images
Create thumbnails to any of the most popular formats
Carry out a single or a multiple conversion
Resize, compress images.
Rotate and flip images.

How to install Converseen 0.9.5 in Ubuntu 16.04, 14.04

While Ubuntu offers the 0.9.2 release in its main repository, you can install or upgrade Converseen from an third-party PPA.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

2. To upgrade from a previous release, launch Software Updater and install available updates after checking for updates:

Or just run the commands below in terminal to install or upgrade the software:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install converseen

For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab the .deb package from the file archive.

3. (Optional) To remove converseen image processor, run:

sudo apt remove converseen && sudo apt autoremove

And the PPA can be disabled or removed via Software & Updates utility in Other Software tab.

In Howtos, News batch image converter

The First Beta of Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak Released

Last updated: September 29, 2017

The Ubuntu Team has announced the first beta release of Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak, feathers images for Lubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Studio.

This pre-release includes the v4.4 kernel, LibreOffice 5.2, and a number of software updates that are ready for wider testing. These images are still under development, so you should expect some bugs.

Ubuntu 16.10 Beta 1 Release Highlights:

Lubuntu still uses LXDE since LXQT is still in development.

Ubuntu GNOME 16.10:

includes GNOME 3.20
Select apps have been updated to their GNOME 3.22 Beta 1 (3.21.90) versions.
GTK 3 version of LibreOffice 5.2 by default.
GNOME’s Initial Setup utility is included and enabled.
Empathy is no longer installed by default for new installs.
The new Characters character map utility is installed by default.
The experimental wayland session is included.

Ubuntu Kylin 16.04 fixed many internationalization and localization bugs.

Ubuntu MATE 16.10:

Migrated to GTK 3.20
Updated to MATE Dock Applet 0.74
Updated many MATE packages for improved GTK 3.20 support
Removed MATE Heads-Up Display (HUD)

Ubuntu Studio 16.04 included dgedit, drumgizmo, gpick, calibre, pdf-shuffler, plume-creator. Replaced recordmydesktop with vokoscreen, and gnome-color-manager with dispcalgui. Also an updated list of packages included.

Future releases for Ubuntu 16.10:

September 22nd	Final Beta
October 6th	Final Freeze, Release Candicate
October 13th	Final release of Ubuntu 16.10

In News Ubuntu 16.10

PyCharm 2016.2.2 Released with Fixes and Performance Improvements

Last updated: August 27, 2016

The PyCharm Team announced the release of PyCharm 2016.2.2 on August 25. Now it’s available in PPA for upgrade in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and derivatives.

The new release fixed several major problems in the debugger and in the code analysis subsystem. It updates bundled JSHint version to 2.9.2, provides better exclude rules for indexing for Node.js, usability, UI, editing performance improvements, and various bug fixes. See the release note for details.

How to install PyCharm 2016.2.2 in Ubuntu / Linux Mint:

Both the professional and community version with Unity menu-bar integration are available in Mystic Mirage’s PPA for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and the old Ubuntu 15.10, 15.04.

GetDeb repository also contains the professional version of PyCharm IDE for Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 14.04.

1. Add the PPA

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mystic-mirage/pycharm

2. For those who have a previous release installed, launch Software Updater and upgrade the IDE:

Or install the PyCharm IDE professional via command in terminal:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install pycharm

Replace pycharm with pycharm-community in the code to install the community version.

3. (Optional) To remove PyCharm IDE, simply run command:

sudo apt remove pycharm pycharm-community

And the PPA repository can be removed via Software & Updates utility (Other Software tab).

In News IDE, PyCharm

How to Install Avidemux 2.6.13 in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: April 4, 2019

Avidemux video editor has reached the 2.6.13 release recently with lots of bug-fixes and improvements. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS via PPA.

Changes in Avidemux 2.6.13:

updated Toolchain for Win64 and OS X
Linux AppImage available (universal linux64 binaries)
Update to libav* 3.0.2
Improved copy mode for h264/h265 video
AAC/ADTS import/export
new video filter : ivtcDupeRemover to remove duplicate after 3:2 pulldown
Revamped refresh screen
ASS/SSA fixes
Improved logo filter with alpha channel
ShaderLoader, load your openGL shaders as filters
Compatibility with newer gcc
Partial filter available only for one in/one out video filters
Add go fwd/go backward 60 sec buttons

Install Avidemux 2.6.13 in Ubuntu 16.04:

The Qt and CLI version of Avidemux 2.6.13 has been made into the ~~GetDeb Apps repository~~, available for Ubuntu 16.04 and Linux Mint 18. To install it, do below steps:

For those prefer the GTK version, wait Avidemux 2.6.13 to be made into Thanh Tung Nguyen’s PPA

1. Add GetDeb repository by opening terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and running the command:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu xenial-getdeb apps" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/getdeb.list'

2. Install the key so to trust the packages from that repository:

wget -q -O- http://archive.getdeb.net/getdeb-archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

3. Finally update system package index and install Avidemux video editor:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install avidemux2.6-qt

4. (Optional) To remove Avidemux, use command:

sudo apt remove avidemux2.6-qt && sudo apt autoremove

And the GetDeb repository can be removed via Software & Updates utility (Other Software tab).

In Howtos, News avidemux video editor, video editor

Shotwell 0.23.5 Adds Hyperlinks on Tags, Remove Buttom Toolbar Option

Last updated: August 21, 2016

The Gnome photo management software, Shotwell 0.23.5, was released a few days ago with user experience improvements, bug fixes, and translation updates.

Shotwell 0.23.5 adds an option under View menu allows users to hide the bottom toolbar. Tags below the thumbnails now behave like hyperlinks, so that clicking it brings you to the page with all other photos with that tag.

Other changes in the 0.23.5 release:

Remove obsolete files
Plugins: Load icons and GtkBuilder files from GResource
Fix .desktop file generation
Use Gtk.MessageDialog’s printf-style API for strings
Add SQL indexes to PhotoTable
Add Language headers to po files
Update INSTALL file
Really remove reference to external hmac_sha1
Disambiguate strings for time ranges
Implement linked tags
Make it more clear that something failed if SSL conncetion was not possible
Add option to filter by saved search
Explicitly link plugins to their dependencies
Fix typo in GSettings schema
Re-add –disable-extra-plugins configure option
Fix settings migrator and thumbnailer path
Bump debian compat for proper –libexecdir parameter

How to install Shotwell 0.23.5 in Ubuntu 16.04:

For Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and derivatives, you can install or upgrade to Shotwell 0.23.5 using Jens Georg’s PPA.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yg-jensge/shotwell

2. Then updated package index and upgrade shotwell:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install shotwell

3. To restore the stock Shotwell 0.22 version, run command to purge the PPA:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:yg-jensge/shotwell

In Howtos, News photo manager, shotwell

Nvidia 370.23 Adds TITAN X Support, Over-clocking in GTX 1000 Series

Last updated: August 18, 2016

The Nvidia driver for Linux has reached the 370 series by releasing the 370.23 beta driver. TITAN X (Pascal) and GTX 1060 6GB are officially supported. Over- and under-clock GPUs feature added for GTX 1000 series and later.

Nvidia 370.23 also brings the “PixelShiftMode” MetaMode option, enabling support for 4K and 8K pixel shift displays.

Other changes include:

a Vulkan bug fix revolving around X11 swap chains
fix a mode-setting regression from 367.35
fix OpennGL / OpenGL ES driver crash and CUDA device querying crash
enable persistence mode by default for all GPUs when the daemon is started
See the official announcement for more details.

How to install Nvidia 370.23 in Ubuntu 16.04, 14.04:

The Graphics Driver Team has made the new 370 driver series into PPA, available for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and also the next Ubuntu 16.10.

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

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

Type in password when it asks and hit Enter.

2. Update system package index via:

sudo apt update

3. Finally launch Additional Drivers utility, select the nvidia-370 driver and click Apply changes.

After installing the new driver, restart your computer to take effect.

In Howtos, News Nvidia 370, Nvidia Linux

Oracle Virtualbox 5.1.4 Available for Upgrade

Last updated: August 17, 2016

The second maintain release for the Virtualbox 5.1 series, Virtualbox 5.1.4, now is available for upgrade in the official Virtualbox Linux repository.

Oracle has not yet announced the release of Virtualbox 5.1.4 at the moment. The changelog will be available once it’s ready in the wiki page, and Linux binaries will be available for download in the Linux download page.

Those who have enabled Virtualbox Linux repository, Virtualbox 5.1.4 is now available for upgrade in Software Updater:

How to install Virtualbox 5.1.4 in Ubuntu

The new release is ready for upgrade for all current Ubuntu releases, include Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04, and their derivatives.

1. For those who don’t have VBox Linux repository enabled, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian xenial contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

replace xenial with trusty or precise for Ubuntu 14.04 or Ubuntu 12.04 and their derivatives.

2. And setup the key via command:

wget -q -O - http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/oracle_vbox_2016.asc | sudo apt-key add -

For Ubuntu 15.10 and older, use the old key:

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

3. After adding the official Virtualbox Linux repository, launch Software Updater and you will be able to upgrade Virtualbox after checking for updates: