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Free open-source software updates and Linux news

HP Linux Imaging and Printing

HPLIP, HP print, scan, and fax drivers for Linux, released 3.20.5 a few days ago with new printers and Linux distributions support.

HPLIP 3.20.5 added following new devices support:

  • HP DeskJet 1200, Ink Advantage 1200
  • HP DeskJet 2300 All-in-One, Ink Advantage 2300 All-in-One
  • HP ENVY 6000 series, Pro 6400 series.
  • HP DeskJet Plus 6000, 6400 series
  • HP DeskJet 2700 and Ink Advantage 2700 All-in-One Printer series
  • HP DeskJet Plus 4100, Ink Advantage 4100 All-in-One Printer series
  • HP LaserJet Enterprise M610dn, M611dn, M611x, M612dn, M612x
  • HP LaserJet Enterprise MFP M634dn, M634z, M635h, M635fht, M636fh
  • HP LaserJet Enterprise Flow MFP M634h, M635z, M636z

The new release also added support for Debian 10.3, and Manjaro 19.0.

There’s also known issues that USB print and scan will not work on Vasari and Taccola on Ubuntu 20.04, please refer to link: manpages.ubuntu.com.

How to Install HPLIP 3.20.5 in Ubuntu:

Due to requirement of old legacy python 2 libraries, HPLIP 3.20.5 does not install on Ubuntu 20.04.

1. To install the software, download the package “hplip-3.20.5.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-3.20.5.run

3. Finally run command to start installing the driver:

./Downloads/hplip-3.20.5.run

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

SuperTux 0.4.0

SuperTux, classic 2D jump’n run video game inspired by Super Mario Bros, released 0.6.2 a few days ago to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

SuperTux 0.6.2 features reworked graphics and levels, release highlights include:

  • A new worldmap, “Revenge In Redmond”, which includes new enemies and sprites !!!
  • New and improved backgrounds and sprites
  • Improvements to many levels in the Icy Island and forest world
  • Speed improvements for levels using a huge amount of lava tiles
  • An issue causing the bridge in the forest world to not be shown in certain cases was fixed

How to Install SuperTux 0.6.2 in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 18.04 and higher, SuperTux Snap package (runs in sandbox) can be installed directly from Ubuntu Software Center.

If you prefer Ubuntu .deb package, I’ve uploaded the packages into the unofficial PPA for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10, and Ubuntu 20.04.

1. Open terminal either from system application menu or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/supertux

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

2. If an old version of the .deb package was installed, upgrade it via Software Updater:

or run commands to install Supertux 0.6.2:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install supertux

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA, either go to Software & Updates -> Other Software or run command:

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

To remove the game, run command:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove supertux supertux-data

Kid3 audio tag editor released new version 3.8.3 today. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 19.10, Ubuntu 18.04, and Ubuntu 16.04.

Kid3 3.8.3 comes with new keyboard shortcuts to navigate between the file and tag sections, 2 new scripts to apply English title capitalization to tags and transliterate ID3v1 tags to ASCII.

Other changes include:

  • Korean and Swedish translations.
  • Dark mode and custom themes improvements.
  • Support dragging multiple header rows in import table
  • Rename read-only files
  • Handbook updates and many bug-fixes.

How to Install Kid3 3.8.3 in Ubuntu:

The official Kid3 PPA has been updated with the new packages for all current Ubuntu releases, Linux Mint and derivatives.

1. Open terminal either from application launcher or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ufleisch/kid3

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

2. If an old version was installed, upgrade Kid3 using Software Updater:

upgrade kid3 via software updater

or run commands one by one in terminal to install or upgrade to the latest tag editor:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install kid3-qt

You may replace kid3-qt with kid3 in the code for KDE integration, or with kid3-cli for the command-line interface

Uninstall

To remove the PPA repository, either open Software & Updates -> Other Software tab, or run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ufleisch/kid3

To remove the audio tag editor, either use your system package manager or run command:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove kid3 kid3-*

Mozilla Firefox 76 was released today with improved online account protections and Zoom support.

Firefox 76 features Lockwise password manager improvements, including protection to saved passwords in “Logins and Passwords” page, display vulnerable password alert and website breach alert, and automatically generate secure, complex passwords to more sites.

Other changes include:

  • Picture-in-picture: double-click to go full-screen, again to reduce the video size.
  • Audio Worklets support: allow audio processing like VR and gaming, join Zoom calls without additional downloads
  • WebRender now available by default on modern Intel laptops with a small screen for Windows.
  • And various security fixes. See release note for more.

Download / Install Firefox 76 in Ubuntu:

If you prefer upgrading the pre-installed Firefox package, v76 package will be available in a few days for all current Ubuntu releases. At that time, upgrade Firefox via Software Updater (Update Manager):

And Firefox snap and flatpak packages, both run in sandbox, are now updated for Ubuntu 18.04 and higher.

HandBrake video transcoder 1.3.2 was released a day ago with many improvements and bug-fixes.

According to the release note, HandBrake 1.3.2 release highlights include:

  • Improve support for H.265 video in AVI container
  • Fix point to point end detection
  • Fix QSV HEVC encoder on older Intel hardware.
  • Fix upstream FFmpeg issue where passing through AAC ADTS audio could produce invalid MKV output in rare cases
  • And many fixes for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

How to Install HandBrake in Ubuntu:

HandBrake has an official Ubuntu PPA. It is however not updated timely, and Ubuntu 18.04 is no longer supported due to old system libraries.

The github release page offers official flatpak packages that work on 64-bit Ubuntu 18.04 and higher.

HandBrake Flatpak

Grab the .flatpak and install it via command:

flatpak install /path/to/package_name.flatpak

NOTE: flatpak runs in sandbox and HandBrake flatpak package requires Gnome 3.36 runtime platform. See more at this page.

Qmmp Qt-based multimedia player

Qmmp, qt-based audio player with winamp like user interface, released version 1.4.0 last night with lots of changes.

Qmmp 1.4.0 is a big release that features YouTube plugin, sleep mode inhibition plugin, socks5 proxy support, and much more other changes including:

  • add feature to auto-hide empty service menus.
  • add option to disable two passes for equalizer.
  • add fast mute function for most output plugins.
  • add shared CUE parser.
  • added feature to transit between playlists.
  • add SOCKS5 proxy support.
  • added Ogg Opus support in the ReplayGain scanner.
  • improve qsui plugin, ffmpeg plugin, lyrics, cdaudio plugin, m3u support.

Qmmp

How to Install Qmmp 1.4.0 in Ubuntu:

The official Qmmp PPA has made the packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 19.10, Ubuntu 18.04, and Ubuntu 16.04.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:forkotov02/ppa

Input your password (no asterisk feedback while typing) and hit Enter to continue.

2. If an old version exists on your system, upgrade Qmmp using Software Updater:

Or run commands to install or upgrade Qmmp and its plugins:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install qmmp qmmp-plugin-pack

Uninstall:

You can manage the PPA repository via Software & Updates utility, under Other Software tab.

To remove Qmmp music player, either use your system package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove qmmp qmmp-*

Opera 68 was released today as the new stable version of the popular web browser. The new release features built-in messenger Instagram support.

Opera 68 release highlights:

  • Built-in Instagram support in the left sidebar.
  • Search in open tabs (Ctrl+Space).
  • Improved duplicate tabs highlighter
  • Improved workspaces feature.
  • Display grey padlock or warning sign for secure (https) or insecure pages.

How to Install Opera 68 in Ubuntu:

The Opera team offers snap package (runs in sandbox), available to install in Ubuntu Software:

Also the native Ubuntu .deb package is available for downloading at the link below:

Download Opera for Linux

Grab the .deb package, and double-click to install it.

If you installed Opera via the .deb package, you may also add the official apt repository via following steps to receive future software updates.

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

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://deb.opera.com/opera-stable/ stable non-free" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera.list'

2. Get the key:

wget -O - http://deb.opera.com/archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

Finally either install Opera via following command or upgrade the browser via Software Updater:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install opera-stable

Uninstall:

For the Opera snap package, simply remove it from Ubuntu Software.

For the Opera apt repository, launch Software & Updates and navigate to Other Software tab.

To remove traditional opera package, either use your system package manager or run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove opera-stable

Free open-source system cleaning tool BleachBit 4.0.0 was released a few days ago. Now it’s running on Python 3 instead of Python 2.

Changes in BleachBit 4.0.0 include:

  • Add cleaner for Discord.
  • Clean more of Google Chrome: IndexDB.
  • Clean more of Firefox: cookies, history.
  • Clean much more of Opera.
  • Clean much more of gPodder.
  • Improve responsiveness of application window while cleaning.
  • Fix cleaning VLC.
  • Support for Python 3.
  • Clean dnf autoremove
  • Other improvements and many bug-fixes.

Install BleachBit 4.0.0 in Ubuntu:

While BleachBit in Ubuntu universe repositories is old. You can download the latest version from the link below:

BleachBit for Linux

Grab the .deb for your Ubuntu edition, Ubuntu 20.04 is not supported at the moment, then click install via Ubuntu Software or Gdebi.

Audacious music player

The second bug-fix release for Audacious 4.0 was released a day ago. Here’s how to install it in all current Ubuntu releases.

While the first bug-fix release brings KDE Plasma 5.18 compatibility, Audacious audio player 4.0.2 includes mainly bug fixes and tweaks for the Qt interface:

  • Fixed a regression where the Enter key did not work in the playlist.
  • Fixed the seek bar changing width as the time counter increments.
  • Fixed the title bar getting stuck showing “Buffering”.
  • Added a workaround to ensure that the toolbar is not hidden on startup.
  • Fixed the Composer field not being saved when updating ID3v2 tags.

How to Install Audacious 4.0.2 in Ubuntu:

The unofficial PPA contains the latest packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10, and Ubuntu 20.04.

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:

The PPA repository also contains some other applications. You may remove the PPA either by going to Software & Updates utility -> Other Software tab, or by running command in terminal:

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

Celluloid, a GTK+ frontend for mpv formerly called Gnome MPV, released version 0.19 a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10, and Ubuntu 20.04.

Celluloid 0.19 release highlights include:

  • Retain window maximization state across sessions.
  • Retain loop state across sessions.
  • Implement playlist search.
  • Update the list of shortcuts in Keyboard Shortcuts dialog.
  • Deprecate --mpv-options.
  • Add support for configuring dead zone
  • Make window sizing work correctly with HiDPI displays.
  • Translation updates and other changes.

How to Install Celluloid in Ubuntu via PPA:

Celluloid media player is available to install via Flatpak package in Flathub repository.

For those prefer native Ubuntu .deb package, the formerly Gnome MPV PPA now maintains the Celluloid packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10, and Ubuntu 20.04.

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:xuzhen666/gnome-mpv

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

2.) Then install the MPV frontend via command:

sudo apt install celluloid

For Ubuntu derivatives, you may need to run sudo apt update to refresh package cache first.

Uninstall Celluloid:

To remove the media player, open terminal and run command:

sudo apt remove celluloid

And remove the PPA repository via command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:xuzhen666/gnome-mpv