News | UbuntuHandbook

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIdPUFziZHc

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

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS: Default Desktop Wallpaper Unveiled

Last updated: February 29, 2016

The default desktop wallpaper for Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial Xerus, the next LTS release, has been unveiled. Grayscale versions are in progress.

The new default wallpapers from Grazina in the design team looks not all that different from the previous 15.10 and 15.04’s wallpapers.

Ubuntu 16.04 default wallpaper

Here are the default wallpapers for Ubuntu 15.10 and Ubuntu 15.04:

Ubuntu 15.10 default wallpaper

Ubuntu 15.04 default wallpaper

Download the wallpapers from link below:

Ubuntu 16.04 Default Wallpaper

In News default, Ubuntu 16.04, wallpaper

Ubuntu 16.04 Beta 1 Download Available for Opt-in Flavors

Last updated: February 26, 2016

Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial Xerus, the next LTS (Long-Term Support) release, has reached the first Beta release. Features image for opt-in flavors: Lubuntu, Ubuntu Cloud, Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu MATE, UbuntuKylin, Ubuntu Studio and Xubuntu.

Beta 1 includes the Linux Kernel 4.4 (final release will ship with this kernel) and a number of software updates. As an Beta pre-release, it is only recommended for developers and those who want to test by finding, reporting, and/or fixing bugs.

Release Highlights:

Ubuntu Gnome:

GNOME Shell 3.18
GNOME Software has replaced Ubuntu Software Center
Experimental wayland session available

Xubuntu 16.04:

won’t have a default media manager installed

Ubuntu Kylin:

Kylin style lightdm greeter based on unity-greeter

Download Ubuntu 16.04 Beta 1:

LUbuntu 16.04: cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/xenial/
Ubuntu MATE 16.04: cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-mate/releases/xenial/
UbuntuKylin 16.04: cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntukylin/releases/xenial/
Ubuntu Cloud 16.04: cloud-images.ubuntu.com/releases/xenial/
XUbuntu 16.04: cdimages.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/xenial/
UbuntuStudio 16.04: cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntustudio/releases/xenial/
Ubuntu Gnome 16.04: cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-gnome/releases/xenial/

For a reminder of upcoming Ubuntu 16.04 release dates see the table:

March 24th	Final Beta
April 14th	FinalFreeze, ReleaseCandidate
April 21st	Final release of Ubuntu 16.04

via: fridge.ubuntu.com

In News Ubuntu 16.04

Opera 35 Released! Features Tab Muting, 32bit Linux Build

Last updated: February 3, 2016

Opera web browser for computers has reached version 35, the first stable release for 2016, which features mute tabs, refreshed downloads page, new basic section in setting page, and 32-bit DEB/RPM for Linux users.

Opera 35 lets you mute the sound from a website easily via an option from the tab’s context menu. There’s also an option to mute all other tabs.

The download page has been redesigned. There are quick links in left pane for most used file formats: documents, PDFs, images, music, videos, archives and others.

The settings page brings a new basic section with simple settings for start-up behavior, downloads, bookmarks bar, themes, and cookies.

And finally Opera Team made 32-bit DEB and RPM binaries for Linux users, available for download at the link below:

Download Opera for Linux

In Howtos, News Opera

Free Video Editor and VJ Tool LiVES 2.6.0 Released

Last updated: February 2, 2016

LiVES, free and open-source video editing system and VJ tool, has reached the 2.6.0 release. It features h264/aac, wmv2, ffv1 and mjpeg encodings support to ffmpeg_encoder and a few important fixes.

LiVES is upgrading continually in recent months. The first release in 2.6 series was released yesterday, one week after the 2.4.8 release. And here’s the changelog:

Fix crash when applying rendered effects to virtual clips.
Add h264/aac, wmv2, ffv1 and mjpeg encodings to ffmpeg_encoder.
Fix memory leak in new style gdkpixbuf converter.
Fix frame seek bug in avformat decoder with non-zero start time.
Autoscroll “Show details” when encoding.
Work around a gtk+ crash bug in GtkTextView with lots of text.
Show missing libraries in ffmpeg_encoder.
Show time remaining estimate for encoding for most encoder formats.
OK / Cancel in the file chooser should immediately cancel any preview (regression).
Add “Use current clip values” button when entering multitrack.
Fix memory leak in pulseaudio input analysis.
Minor GUI improvements.

How to Install LiVES 2.6.0 in Ubuntu:

Besides building from the source code, here’s a unofficial PPA available for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 14.04 and their derivatives.

Follow below steps to add PPA and install the video editor:

1. Launch terminal from Unity Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T key. When it opens, paste below command and run to add PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/lives

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

2. Have a previous installed? Launch Software Updater and upgrade LiVES after checking for updates.

Or, run below commands one by one in terminal to check updates and install the new release:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install lives

3. (Optional) You may disable/remove PPAs after installation by launching Software & Updates and going to Other Software tab.

In Howtos, News LiVES, video editor

Ubuntu 16.04 Flavors: Aplha 2 Available for Download

Last updated: January 30, 2016

The second alpha of Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial Xerus LTS has been announced one day after its scheduled release date. This release features images for Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Kylin and the Ubuntu Cloud images.

This Xenial Xerus snapshot includes the v4.3 kernel. 16.04 will ship with the 4.4 kernel which is available for testing. As an alpha pre-release, it is only recommended for developers and those who want to test by finding, reporting, and/or fixing bugs.

Download links:

LUbuntu 16.04: cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/xenial/
Ubuntu MATE 16.04: cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-mate/releases/xenial/
UbuntuKylin 16.04: cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntukylin/releases/xenial/

Ubuntu Cloud 16.04: cloud-images.ubuntu.com/releases/xenial/

For a reminder of upcoming Ubuntu release dates see the table:

February 25th	Beta 1 (for opt-in flavors)
March 24th	Final Beta
April 14th	FinalFreeze, ReleaseCandidate
April 21st	Final release of Ubuntu 16.04

via: fridge.ubuntu.com

In News Ubuntu 16.04

Mozilla Firefox 44.0 Released

Last updated: January 27, 2016

Mozilla announced the release of Firefox 44.0 yesterday on January 26, which will be soon available for upgrade in Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04 and their derivatives.

Firefix 44 brings several security improvements, bug fixes, and new features include:

Redesigned warning pages for certificate errors and untrusted connections
Enable H.264 if system decoder is available
Enable WebM/VP9 video support on systems that don’t support MP4/H.264
Support the brotli compression format via HTTPS content-encoding
Screenshot commands allow user choice of pixel ratio in Developer Tools
In the animation-inspector timeline, lightning bolt icon next to animations running on the compositor thread

In addition, starting with version 44, Firefox lets you choose to receive push notifications from websites even when they aren’t loaded. This is super useful for websites like email, weather, social networks and shopping, which you might check frequently for updates.

Install Firefox 44 for Ubuntu:

Ubuntu Mozilla Team will made the new release into security & updates repository for Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 14.04, and Ubuntu 12.04. Once available, launch Software Updater and install/upgrade to Firefox 44 after checking for updates.

In News Firefox