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fre:ac Audio Converter 1.1.2 Adds Dark Mode Support

Last updated: June 22, 2020

fre:ac audio converter

fre:ac audio converter 1.1.2 was released a few days ago. The new release features UI scaling to the system font size, theme colors and dark mode support on Linux, and many improvements and bug-fixes.

Fre:ac 1.1.2 release highlights:

  • Scale UI to adjust to system font size by default
  • Added support for theme colors and dark mode on Linux/FreeBSD
  • Improved handling of maximized window state on Linux/FreeBSD and macOS
  • Removed non-working option to not lock CD trays while ripping
  • Stop ripping before trying to eject a disc
  • Write audio data CRC to log files when ripping
  • Write MD5 checksums to log files when verifying files
  • Write log entries when replacing existing files

How to Install fre:ac in Ubuntu:

fre:ac is available in Snap, Flatpak, and Appimage package formats.

Snap package:

The software is available as snap package, which runs in sandbox. Simply search for and install it from Ubuntu Software.

You can alternatively install the snap by running command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

snap install freac

Flatpak package:

fre:ac is also available as flatpak package, runs in sandbox, in flathub repository.

You can run following commands one by one to setup flatpak and install fre:ac in Ubuntu:

sudo apt install flatpak

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

flatpak install flathub org.freac.freac

Appimage package:

There’s also single executable Appimage package available for download.

Grab “freac-x.x.x-linux-x86_64.AppImage” for 64-bit system, or “freac-x.x.x-linux-i686.AppImage” for 32-bit.

Make executable in file Properties > Permissions, then right-click and select “Run” to open the software.

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How to Install SMPlayer 20.6.0 via PPA in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: June 18, 2020

SMplayer

SMPlayer, complete front-end for MPlayer and mpv, released version 20.6.0 a day ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10, and Ubuntu 20.04.

SMPlayer 20.6.0 is a small release contains following changes:

  • The internal YouTube code has been removed. Now SMPlayer uses an external application to get the video URLs.
  • The shuffle option in the playlist does shuffle the items of the playlist.

SMPlayer with Mac skin

How to Install the latest SMPlayer via PPA in Ubuntu:

The official SMPlayer PPA contains the latest packages for all current Ubuntu releases, as well as Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 14.04.

1. Search for and launch “terminal” from ‘Show Applications’ menu. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rvm/smplayer

Type user password (no asterisk feedback while typing) when it asks and hit Enter.

Smplayer PPA

2. Then upgrade SMPlayer using Software Updater (or Update Manager):

upgrade smplayer

or run commands in terminal to install (or upgrade) the media player:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install smplayer smtube smplayer-themes

Uninstall:

To remove SMPlayer, run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove smplayer smtube smplayer-*

And remove the PPA via “Software & Updates” utility under “Other Software” tab.

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Arduino IDE 1.8.13 Released, How to Install in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: June 18, 2020

Install latest Arduino in Ubuntu

Arduino IDE 1.8.13 was released a day ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 19.10, Ubuntu 18.04.

Arduino 1.8.13 release highlights:

  • Fixed crash on MacOSX >=10.15 with multiple monitor setups.
  • The boards listed in the “Tools” menu are now grouped by platform.
  • Fixed save of proxy username/password settings in “manual proxy” section.
  • Allow baudrate/config change when the Serial Monitor/Plotter is disabled
  • Improve network board detection.
  • Any many other changes, see release note.

How to Install Arduino 1.8.13 in Ubuntu:

You can install either the snap package from Ubuntu Software or flatpak package from flathub repository.

1.) For the official Linux package, go to the link below:

Download Arduino

Scroll download and click download “Linux 64-bits” (or 32-bits if you’re sill running 32 bit system) package.

2.) Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to extract Arduino to /opt for global use:

cd ~/Downloads && sudo tar -Jxvf arduino-*.tar.xz -C /opt/

Type user password (no visual feedback) for sudo prompts when it asks and hit Enter.

3.) Run the installer.sh script to create app launcher:

sudo /opt/arduino-*/install.sh

Finally open the IDE from ‘Show Applications’ menu and enjoy!

Uninstall Arduino:

To uninstall the application shortcut, simply run command:

sudo /opt/arduino-*/uninstall.sh

And also remove the software directory via command:

sudo rm -r /opt/arduino-*
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VLC 3.0.11 Released with HLS, AAC Playback Improvements

Last updated: June 17, 2020

VLC media player 3.0.11 was released a day ago as the twelfth update of “Vetinari” branch.

Changes in VLC 3.0.11 according to the release note:

  • Fixes HLS regressions
  • Fixes a potential crash on startup on macOS
  • Fixes imprecise seeking in m4a files
  • Fixes resampling on Android
  • Fixes a crash when listing bluray mountpoints on macOS
  • Avoid unnecessary permission warnings on macOS
  • Fixes permanent silence on macOS after pausing playback
  • Fixes AAC playback regression
  • And a security issue

How to Install VLC 3.0.11 in Ubuntu:

The official Snap package (runs in sandbox) has been updated. You can install it from Ubuntu Software.

Already installed the Snap package? It will be updated to the latest automatically.

VLC is also available as flatpak in Flathub repository, which is not updated at the moment.

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HPLIP 3.20.6 Released with New Printers, Fedora 32 Support

Last updated: June 16, 2020

HP Linux Imaging and Printing

HPLIP, HP print, scan, and fax drivers for Linux, released 3.20.6 today with new printers and Linux distributions support, though it still does not install on Ubuntu 20.04.

HPLIP 3.20.6 added following new printers support:

  • HP Color LaserJet Managed MFP E78223a, MFP E78223dv, MFP E78223dn.
  • HP Color LaserJet Mngd MFP E78223dn Plus, MFP E78223dn CN
  • HP Color LaserJet Managed MFP E78228dn, MFP E78228dn Plus, MFP E78228dn CN
  • HP Color LaserJet Managed Flow MFP E78330z Plus, Flow MFP E78330z CN
  • HP Color LaserJet Managed MFP E78330dn, E78330dn Plus, E78330dn CN, MFP E78330z
  • HP Color LaserJet Managed Flow MFP E78325z Plus, Flow MFP E78325dn CN, Flow MFP E78325z CN
  • HP Color LaserJet Managed MFP E78325dn, MFP E78325z
  • HP Color LaserJet Managed Flow MFP E78323z
  • HP Color LaserJet Mgd Flw MFPE78323Z Plus, Flw MFPE78323z CN
  • HP Color LaserJet Managed MFP E78323dn
  • HP Color LaserJet Mngd MFP E78323dn Plus, MFP E78323dn CN

The new release also added support for Fedora 32, Manjaro 20.0, RHEL 8.2.

How to Install HPLIP 3.20.6 in Ubuntu:

HPLIP 3.20.6 still does not install on Ubuntu 20.04 due to requirement of python-pyqt5 library.

1. To install the software, download the package “hplip-3.20.6.run” from the link below:

HPLIP Download Page

2. Then open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “terminal” from app launcher. When it opens, run command to give executable permission:

chmod +x ~/Downloads/hplip-3.20.6.run

3. Finally run command to start installing the driver:

./Downloads/hplip-3.20.6.run

Follow the terminal output and answer some questions. If everything goes OK, plug or re-plug your HP devices and enjoy!

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GScan2PDF 2.8.0 Released, How to Install in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: June 15, 2020

GScan2PDF, GUI to produce PDFs or DjVus from scanned documents, released version 2.8.0 a few days ago.

Changes in GScan2PDF 2.8.0 include:

  • Interpolate colours according to OCR confidence in HSV space.
  • Limit zoom to 100 to avoid errors
  • Update text position and rectangle when updating bounding box.
  • Add button to add to text layer
  • Add preference to disable device list cache
  • Add mini-wizard if device not found
  • Fix save as PS.
  • And translation updates.

How to Install gscan2pdf 2.8.0 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 and 19.x

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:

upgrade gscan2pdf

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.

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Battle for Wesnoth 1.14.13 Fixed 2 Major Long-standing Bugs

Last updated: June 14, 2020

Battle For Wesnoth in Ubuntu

Battle for Wesnoth 1.14.13 was released today as the new maintenance release for the turn-based strategy game.

The new release fixed two major long-standing issues affecting all Wesnoth players, with effects varying from the innocuous to the game-breaking depending on the game content being played as well as the system configuration.

Wesnoth 1.14.13 release highlights:

  • Graphics engine memory leak fix
  • WML/Lua engine reliability fix
  • Campaign changes and fixes
  • See full list of changes.

How to Install Wesnoth 1.14.13 in Ubuntu:

The latest Wesnoth package so far is only available as Flatpak. You can install it in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher by running following commands one by one.

1.) If you’re first time installing a Flatpak package in Ubuntu, setup your system by running commands in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

  • Install flatpak framework via command: 
    sudo apt install flatpak

  • Add Flathub repository via command: 
    flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

2.) Then you can install Battle for Wesnoth flatpak package by running command:

flatpak install flathub org.wesnoth.Wesnoth

You can then keep it updated by running flatpak update org.wesnoth.Wesnoth command.

Uninstall Wesnoth:

To remove the flatpak package, simply run command in terminal:

flatpak uninstall org.wesnoth.Wesnoth
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HandBrake 1.3.3 Released with Improved Intel QSV Support

Last updated: February 23, 2021

HandBrake video transcoder 1.3.3 was released today with a number of bug-fixes and improvements.

Changes in HandBrake 1.3.3 include:

  • Fixed ISO 639-2/B language codes in MKV
  • Improved support for sources where pixel format cannot be quickly identified
  • Improved Intel QSV memory footprint
  • Improved Intel QSV H.265 memory buffer size
  • Improved support for out-of-order SSA subtitles
  • Improved flatpak package support
  • Updated libraries: FFmpeg 4.2.3
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements

How to Install HandBrake in Ubuntu:

HandBrake has an official PPA which so far supports for Ubuntu 19.10 and Ubuntu 20.04.

NOTE the PPA is not updated at the moment of writing. The new release packages should be available in a few days, check the previous PPA link before getting started.

1.) Open terminal either by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or by searching for ‘terminal’ from ‘Show Applications’ menu. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stebbins/handbrake-releases

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

2.) Once the PPA is updated with the new release packages, you can run following commands one by one to install it on your system:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install handbrake-gtk

(Optional) To remove the handbrake PPA repository, either go to Software & Updates -> Other Software, or run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:stebbins/handbrake-releases

In addition, HandBrake also available to install in Ubuntu via Flatpak package.

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GIMP 2.10.20 Released with Better PSD Support

Last updated: June 13, 2020

GIMP extra color palettes

GIMP image editor 2.10.20 was released a few days ago with some new features as well as important bug-fixes.

GIMP 2.10.20 release highlights according to the release note:

  • Tool-group menus can now expand on hover
  • Non-destructive cropping now available by cropping the canvas rather than actual pixels
  • Better PSD support: exporting of 16-bit files now available, reading/writing channels in the right order
  • On-canvas controls for the Vignette filter
  • New filters: Bloom, Focus Blur, Lens Blur, Variable Blur
  • Blending options now built into filter dialogs
  • Over 30 bugfixes

How to Install GIMP 2.10.20 in Ubuntu:

Ubuntu PPA:

It seems that the otto’s PPA is not being updated, while it’s still at v2.10.14.

Snap package:

The community maintained GIMP Snap package is still v2.10.18 at the moment. If you’ve installed it on your system, it will be auto-updated once the new package published.

Flatpak package:

GIMP 2.10.20 Flatpak package was made into flathub repository on June 7 once the source tarball was available. You can install it by running following commands one by one in terminal:

1.) Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install flatpak:

sudo apt install flatpak

2.) Add the flathub repository by running command:

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

3.) Finally install GIMP flatpak via command:

flatpak install flathub org.gimp.GIMP

(Optional) To update installed GIMP Flatpak package, run command:

flatpak update org.gimp.GIMP

To remove GIMP flatpak package, run command:

flatpak uninstall org.gimp.GIMP
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Vivaldi 3.1 Released with Built-in Note-Taking Tool

Last updated: June 11, 2020

Vivaldi web browser 3.1 was released today with full-page notes manager, configurable menus, and speed improvements.

The new release ships with a note-taking tool with a full-blown notes editor. It’s available both in left-sidebar and start page.

The note manager features:

  • Text formatting, Markdown support
  • WYSIWYG Editor
  • Find text, undo / redo, full-screen editing
  • automatically attach screenshots, web url.
  • sync notes across devices.

Vivaldi 3.1 also features configurable menus. Go to Settings → Appearance → Menu, there you can drag and drop to add, remove, rearrange menu items. Also the new release includes faster startup and better handling of tabs.

Download / Install Vivaldi in Ubuntu:

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

Download Vivaldi (DEB)

Grab the deb matches your OS type, then install it via either Ubuntu Software or Gdebi package manager. Or run command in terminal:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/vivaldi-stable_3.1*.deb

You may also add the official Vivaldi apt repository to your system, to be able to receive the browser package updates via Software Updater utility.

Open terminal by either pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or searching for terminal from application menu. When it opens, run following commands one by one:

1. Download and install the repository keyring:

wget -qO- https://repo.vivaldi.com/archive/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add -

Typer user password when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. Add Vivaldi repository via command:

sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://repo.vivaldi.com/archive/deb/ stable main'

3. Finally check updates and install the web browser via command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install vivaldi-stable

Or upgrade from an old version via Software Updater utility.

(Optional): To remove Vivaldi apt repository from you system, launch Software & Updates and navigate to Other Software tab.

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