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Ubuntu 19.10 Eoan Ermine Reached End of Life

Last updated: July 19, 2020

Ubuntu 18.04

Ubuntu 19.10 Eoan Ermine reached end of life on July 17 2020. Users are recommended to upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

Ubuntu 19.10 was released 9 months ago, on October 17, 2019. As a non-LTS release, it has 9 months support. Now it is no longer supported by Canonical. No more security and package updates will be accepted to 19.10.

Users are argued to upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04, a LTS release with 5-year support. To get started, do following steps one by one:

  1. Disable third-party repositories by Software & Updates -> Other Software.
  2. Launch Software Updater and install all the updates after checking for updates.
  3. You may restart your computer to complete updates.
  4. Launch Software Updater again, and you’ll see option to upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04

Full instructions and caveats for the upgrade may be found at:

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

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VirtualBox 6.1.12 Released with New GLX Graphics Output

Last updated: July 15, 2020

Oracle Virtualbox 6.1.12 was released a day ago as the sixth maintenance release for the 6.1 series.

Oracle Virtualbox 6.1.12 release highlights:

  • UI fixes for Log-Viewer search-backward icon
  • Fixes and improvements for the BusLogic SCSI controller emulation
  • Regression fixes in FIFO data handling
  • Experimental new type of network attachment, allowing local VM to act as if it was run in cloud
  • Improved resource management in the guest control functionality
  • Fixed command option parsing for the “snapshot edit” sub-command
  • Fix crash of ‘VBoxManage internalcommands repairhd’ when processing invalid input.
  • Guest Additions:
    • New experimental 3D GLX graphics output
    • Fixed releasing texture objects, which could cause guest crashes
    • Fixed writes to a file on a shared folder not being reflected on the host when the file is mmap’ed and the used Linux kernel is between version 4.10.0 and 4.11.x
    • Fixed the shared folder driver on 32bit Windows 8 and newer returning an error when flushing writes to a file which is mapped into memory under rare circumstances
    • Improve resize coverage for VMSVGA graphics controller
    • Fix issues detecting guest additions ISO at runtime
    • Fixed German translation encoding for Windows GA installer

How to Install VirtualBox 6.1.12 in Ubuntu:

The official .deb packages are available for download at the link below:

If you’ve already added the Oracle apt repository for Linux, install the updates simply via Software Updater.

Or add the apt repository by running following commands one by one:

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

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -sc) contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

For Linux Mint, you HAVE to replace $(lsb_release -sc) in the command with bionic for Mint 19.x, or xenial for Mint 18.x, or focal for Linux Mint 20.

2. Then download and install the repository key via command:

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

3. Refresh system package cache via command:

sudo apt update

4. Finally install Virtualbox 6.1:

sudo apt install virtualbox-6.1

Uninstall:

To remove it, simply run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove virtualbox-6.1

And go to Software & Updates -> Other Software to remove apt repositories.

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Python 3.8.4 Released! How to Install in Ubuntu 18.04 / 16.04

Last updated: July 14, 2020

Python 3.8.4 was released a few days ago as the latest stable release of the Python language. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 16.04.

This is the first bugfix release that is considerably smaller than the previous three. There’s almost 20% fewer changes at 162 commits than the average of previous three bugfix releases. Detailed information about all changes made in version 3.8.4 specifically can be found in its change log. Note that compared to 3.8.3, version 3.8.4 also contains the changes introduced in 3.8.4rc1.

The deadsnakes team maintains unofficial Python packages for different Ubuntu releases. Note the PPA does not contain Python 3.8 for Ubuntu 20.04 as upstream ubuntu provides the package.

Install Python 3.8.4 in Ubuntu 18.04, 16.04:

1.) Open terminal either by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard, or by searching for ‘terminal’ from system application launcher.

When terminal opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes/ppa

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2.) Then run commands to refresh system package cache, and install Python 3.8:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install python3.8

3.) Once successfully installed, check your system Python versions (python –version):

4.) (Optional) To use Python 3.8 as the default python3, run commands:

sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/python3 python3 /usr/bin/python3.6 1

sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/python3 python3 /usr/bin/python3.8 2

For Ubuntu 16.04 replace python3.6 with python3.5. And you can then switch between the two Python3 versions via command:

sudo update-alternatives --config python3

NOTE: Due to known bug, terminal won’t open if you changed python3 symlink. An workaround is recreate a symlink via command (For Ubuntu 16.04 replace python3.6 with python3.5):

sudo rm /usr/bin/python3; sudo ln -s python3.6 /usr/bin/python3

Uninstall:

To uninstall the Python3.8 packages, run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove python3.8 python3.8-minimal

To remove the Deadsnakes PPA, launch Software & Updates and go to Other Software tab, then remove the repository line and close the window.

In Howtos, News
 

CopyQ Clipboard Manager 3.12.0 Released (Ubuntu PPA)

Last updated: July 13, 2020

Advanced clipboard manager CopyQ 3.12.0 was released yesterday with new script function, dark mode improvements, and various bug-fixes.

CopyQ is a free open-source clipboard editor with editing and scripting features. The latest version so far is CopyQ 3.12.0 that features:

  • Unsaved data are now saved whenever application is unfocused
  • Filter field in commands can now modify menu items.
  • Application icon will no longer automatically change when there is an ongoing
    operation.
  • New preview() script function shows/hides item preview.
  • Use brighter bar for pinned items with a dark theme
  • Improved notification text line wrapping
  • Improved layout when showing many shortcut buttons
  • Fix SSL/TLS errors on Windows.

How to Install Copyq 3.12.0 in Ubuntu:

The official PPA repository has made the latest packages for all current Ubuntu releases.

1. To add the PPA, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) from application menu and run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:hluk/copyq

Type user password (no asterisk feedback due to security reason) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then install CopyQ either via Synaptic package manager or by running commands in terminal:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install copyq

Once installed, start the clipboard manager from application menu and you’ll see the icon in system tray area.

Uninstall:

To remove the software, either use Synaptic package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove copyq

To remove PPA repositories, launch Software & Updates and navigate to Other Software tab.

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GScan2PDF 2.8.1 Released with Bug Fixes (Ubuntu PPA)

Last updated: July 12, 2020

GScan2PDF, graphical to produce PDFs or DjVus from scanned documents, released version 2.8.1 a day ago.

The previous program launching issue should be fixed in the release, though it didn’t happen in my machine. Gscan2pdf 2.8.1 release highlights:

  • Pass resolution to tesseract to avoid messages like “Warning! Invalid resolution 0 dpi. Using 70 instead”
  • Cope better if data model becomes corrupted
  • Add restart option to ‘device not found’ mini-wizard & if tmp directory changed.
  • When saving a session file, note that pages have been saved to avoid ‘Some pages have not been saved. Do you really want to quit?’ message.
  • Improvements to the Crashed sessions dialog to make it more intuitive.
  • Update position of OCR text when cropping
  • Create PS level 3 instead of 1.
  • Fix check for unpaper version. (Scan fails if unpaper is not installed but selected in post processing)
  • Fix check for tesseract version. Remove support for tesseract
  • Update translations.

How to Install gscan2pdf 2.8.1 in Ubuntu:

The official Gscan2PDF PPA has made the new release packages for all current Ubuntu releases, and their derivatives, including Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10, Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 18.x, 19.x, and 20.

1. Open terminal either by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or by searching for ‘terminal’ from application menu. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jeffreyratcliffe/ppa

Type user password (no asterisk feedback due to security reason) when it prompts and hit Enter.

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

Or run following command in terminal to install or upgrade the software:

sudo apt update && sudo apt 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.

In Howtos, News
 

Audacious 4.0.5 Released with Important Bug-Fixes (Ubuntu PPA)

Last updated: July 11, 2020

Audacious music player 4.0.5 was released a day ago with some important bug-fixes. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 19.10, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 16.04, and derivatives.

Audacious 4.0.5 release highlights:

  • Fixed UI freeze when asterisk key (Shift+8) was pressed.
  • Fixed an exception when reading a large APE (> 1M) tag
  • Fixed album artist not being displayed for .m4a files
  • Fixed a crash on exit with a plugin settings window open
  • Fixed a crash when scrobbling with curl 7.71.0
  • Changed the default CDDB server to gnudb.org

How to Install Audacious 4.0.5 in Ubuntu:

All users of current Ubuntu releases and Linux Mint 18.x, 19.x, 20 can install the new release via Ubuntu PPA by running following commands one by one.

1. Open terminal by either pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or searching for ‘terminal’ from application menu. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

Type your password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then run commands one by one in terminal to install or upgrade the audio player:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install audacious audacious-plugins

Uninstall:

You can easily remove the PPA either by going to Software & Updates utility -> Other Software tab, or by running command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

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

sudo apt remove --autoremove audacious audacious-plugins
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How to Install Game Chatting App Mumble 1.3.2 in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: July 11, 2020

Open source, low-latency, high quality voice chat software, Mumble 1.3.2, was released a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 16.04.

Mumble 1.3.2 is a maintenance release that fixed overlay not starting, and keychain-error on macOS for custom certificates.

There’s also known issues: overlay blocked by BattleEye, CS:GO Trusted Mode.

How to Install Mumble in Ubuntu:

Mumble is available as containerized Snap and Flatpak packages. You can install the Snap from Ubuntu Software, and install Flatpak from flathub repository.

For those prefer .deb package from apt repository, do following steps to install it from Mumble Team PPA.

1. Open terminal either from application menu or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, paste below command and hit Enter:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mumble/release

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue adding the PPA.

2. If an old release was installed, simply upgrade Mumble via Software Updater:

Or run commands one by one in terminal to check updates and install the chat utility for gamer:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install mumble mumble-server

Uninstall Mumble:

You can purge the PPA which also downgrade the VoIP chat app to the stock version via command:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:mumble/release

To simply remove mumble, either use system package manager or run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove mumble mumble-server
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How to Install KeePassXC 2.6.0 in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Last updated: July 10, 2020

KeePassXC, a cross-platform community-driven port of the Windows application “Keepass Password Safe”, released version 2.6.0 a few days ago.

KeePassXC 2.6.0 release highlights include:

  • Custom Light and Dark themes
  • Compact mode to use classic Group and Entry line height
  • New monochrome tray icons
  • View menu to quickly switch themes, compact mode, and toggle UI elements
  • Save Database Backup feature
  • Adds autostart option.
  • And many other new features, improvements. See here for details.

How to Install KeePassXC in Ubuntu:

The official upstream PPA has made the packages of the password manager for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10, Ubuntu 20.04, and derivatives.

1.) Open terminal either by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard, or by searching for ‘terminal’ from system application launcher.

When terminal opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:phoerious/keepassxc

Type your password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2.) Then either update the software package using Software Updater

or run command to install the software:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install keepassxc

Uninstall:

You can run the PPA repository simply by running command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:phoerious/keepassxc

And if you want, remove keepassxc password manger via command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove keepassxc
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How to Enable Remote Desktop Sharing in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: July 9, 2020

This quick tutorial shows how to enable remote desktop service in Ubuntu 20.04, so that you can access to Ubuntu desktop remotely via VNC viewer.

1.) Open System Settings utility, navigate to Sharing in the left pane, toggle on Sharing in the top-right, and finally click on “Screen Sharing”.

2.) In the pop-up dialog, turn on “Screen Sharing” and select:

  • Enable remote control by tick “Allow connections to control screen”.
  • Setup a password or select ask for access on each connection.

3.) As a workaround of TightVNC connection error: “No security types supported. Server sent security types, but we do not support any of them“.

NOTE: Instead of running following commands, you may use Dconf Editor and navigate to org/gnome/desktop/remote-access.

Run command in terminal (press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal):

gsettings set org.gnome.Vino require-encryption false

You may also run command to allow people not in local network to access using UPnP (if your router supports it):

gsettings set org.gnome.Vino use-upnp true

Finally, connect to this Ubuntu desktop remotely using either Computer name (as picture in step 1.) shows) or IP address via a VNC viewer / client and enjoy!

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Avidemux 2.7.6 Released with New Encoder/Decoder [How to Install]

Last updated: July 8, 2020

Avidemux video editor 2.7.6 was released a day ago with new video encoder / decoder, and many improvements. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 16.04.

Avidemux 2.7.6 release highlights according to the changelog file:

  • Detect and warn when cut points in HEVC video streams may result in grave playback issues despite being on keyframes
  • Add libaom-based AV1 decoder
  • Add libvpx-based VP9 encoder
  • Update to FFmpeg 4.2.3
  • Add hardware accelerated deinterlacer and resizer based on VA-API
  • Increase maximum supported resolution to 4096×4096
  • Add support for Vorbis audio, LPCM audio to the Mp4 muxer
  • Add HE-AAC and HE-AACv2 profiles to the FDK AAC encoder plugin
  • Numerous other improvements and fixes.

How to Install Avidemux 2.7.6 in Ubuntu:

Appimage:

The official non-install single executable .appimage package is available for downloading:

After downloaded the appimage, go to file Properties -> Permissions and make it executable, finally right-click and run the file to launch Avidemux video editor.

Flatpak:

The software is also as containerized Flatpak package.

You can run following commands one by one to setup flatpak, add flathub repository, and install Avidemux flatpak package:

sudo apt install flatpak

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

flatpak install flathub org.avidemux.Avidemux

Ubuntu PPA:

I’ve uploaded the .deb packages into the unofficial PPA, available for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10, Ubuntu 20.04, and derivatives.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/avidemux

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) and hit Enter to continue.

2.) Then refresh system package cache and install the editor:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install libavidemux2.7-6 libavidemux2.7-qt5-6 avidemux2.7-qt5 avidemux2.7-plugins-qt5 avidemux2.7-jobs-qt5

NOTE: Due to build failure, I changed names of some shared libraries. If you have problem launching the editor, try sudo apt upgrade to update your system packages.

Uninstall:

To uninstall the PPA, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/avidemux

To uninstall the video editing software, run:

sudo apt remove libavidemux2.7-6 avidemux2.7-qt5 avidemux2.7-plugins-qt5 avidemux2.7-jobs-qt5

And to uninstall the Flatpak package, use command:

flatpak uninstall org.avidemux.Avidemux
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