Archives For November 30, 1999

Kxstitch cross stitch

KXStitch, KDE software to create cross stitch pattern and chart, released version 2.2.0. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, Ubuntu 19.04.

KXStitch is a program that lets you create cross stitch patterns and charts. Patterns can be created from scratch on a user defined size of grid, which can be enlarged or reduced in size as your pattern progresses. Alternatively you can import images from many graphics file formats which will allow you to reduce the number of colors and to restrict the conversion to full stitches or optionally use fractional stitches. You may also use images as backgrounds allowing you to trace over them. These imported images can then be modified using the supplied tools to produce your final design.

KXStitch 2.2.0 was released silently. No release note, no changelog. According to the project commits, it’s a bug-fix release with fixes for Qt 5.11 compile issue, importing images for V6 of ImageMagick, and many other issues.

KX Stitch PPA for Ubuntu

How to Install KXStitch 2.2.0 in Ubuntu:

1. Open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or by searching for ‘terminal’ from application menu. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/kxstitch

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

2. Then check updates and install the software either via Synaptic Package Manager or by running commands:

sudo apt install kxstitch

Uninstall:

To remove KXStitch cross stitch software, either use Synaptic or run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove kxstitch

The PPA can be removed via “Software & Updates” utility under “Other Software” tab.

KeePassX 2 YubiKey support

KeePassXC, cross-platform community fork of KeePassX, released version 2.4.2 a few days ago with many improvements and security fixes.

KeePassXC 2.4.2 release highlights:

  • Introduce a memory wiping feature to reduce the risk of secrets.
  • Prevent infinite save loop when location is unavailable.
  • Fix opening URL’s with non-http schemes.
  • Fix data loss due to not reading all database attachments if duplicates exist
  • Update group in preview widget when focused
  • Remove non-functional apply button in application settings
  • Linux Snap package fixes and improvements.
  • And fixes to Mac OS, web browser, and others

How to Install KeePassXC in Ubuntu via Snap:

The official snap package (runs in sandbox and auto-updates itself) is available in Ubuntu Software for Ubuntu 18.04 and higher, though it’s not updated to v2.4.2 at the moment.

For Ubuntu 16.04, run command to install snapd daemon first:

sudo apt-get install snapd

Then install the snap package via command:

sudo snap install keepassxc

How to Install KeePassXC in Ubuntu via PPA:

For those who don’t prefer snap packages, the official KeePassXC PPA contains the most recent .deb packages for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, and Ubuntu 19.04.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:phoerious/keepassxc

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

2. Then upgrade KeePassXC via Software Updater:

or run commands one by one in terminal to install the latest package:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install keepassxc

Uninstall:

To remove the PPA, open Software & Updates and navigate to Other Software tab.

To remove KeePassXC .deb package, run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove keepassxc

Scrn, formerly known as iTeleport, is a remote desktop control software that support accessing your computor from anywhere via phone, tablet, other computer, or web browser.

Scrn is on a mission to help you quickly, easily, and securely access your computer from anywhere. Our patented interface makes it incredibly simple to navigate your computer from your iPhone/iPad, using the touchscreen as a giant trackpad, with intuitive gestures for clicking, dragging, double-clicking and even triple-clicking. Try it out (it’s free!) to see what we mean.

Scrn is built upon WebRTC (a web standard for live video-conferencing and screen sharing), which we’ve optimized for remote desktop. It blows VNC/RDP out of the water. You’ll enjoy a fast (30 frames per second), HD-quality view of your screen, with a user interface that is far superior to anything on the market. You can even control your computer from a browser, no mobile app required: https://scrn.app

The official Scrn snap package now is available in snap store for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, and higher.

For Ubuntu 18.04 and higher, simply open Ubuntu Software, search for and install Scrn.

For Ubuntu 16.04, first open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install snapd daemon:

sudo apt-get install snapd

Then install Scrn snap via command:

sudo snap install scrn

Once installed, launch if from your system application launcher and enjoy!

(Optional) To remove the Scrn snap package, either use Ubuntu Software or run command in terminal window:

sudo snap remove scrn

The open-source music notation software MuseScore 3.1 was released today with new features and significant improvements. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu.

MuseScore 3.1 release highlights:

  • Single-note dynamics.
  • Ignificant improvements to automatic placement and layout
  • Automatic placement no longer prevent user from moving elements
  • Fretboard diagrams improvements including:
    • Multiple dots per string
    • Partial and multiple barres
    • Different dot shapes (especially useful for Ted Greene diagrams)
    • Ability to not show nut
    • Customizable distance between strings and frets
    • Chord symbols for diagrams
  • New commands Edit > Paste Half Duration and Edit > Paste Double Duration
  • New command Tools > Unroll Repeats

How to Install MuseScore 3.1 in Ubuntu:

Appimage:

For non-install, single executable appimage, it’s available at the link below:

MuseScore Appimage (64-bit)

Right-click the Appimage, go to Properties -> Permissions -> tick the box says ‘Allow executing file as program’, finally run it to launch MuseScore 3.1:

Install MuseScore via PPA:

The official MuseScore3 PPA maintains the latest packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, Ubuntu 19.04, and derivatives.

The 3.1 release package will usually available in 2 or 3 days.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mscore-ubuntu/mscore3-stable

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

2. Then install MuseScore 3 via command:

sudo apt install musescore3

Linux Mint 19 may need to refresh package cache by running command sudo apt update first.

Once installed, launch the software from application menu and enjoy!

Uninstall:

To remove the software, run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove musescore3

To remove the PPA, go to Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

uGet download manager

uGet download manager 2.2.2 was released a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, and Ubuntu 19.04.

It has been one year and two months since the last release, though version 2.2.2 is a small release with following changes:

  • use quicksort to sort downloads.
  • backup torrent and metalink files.
  • curl plug-in: handle duplicate files with double extensions.

How to Install uGet 2.2.2 in Ubuntu:

The new release package has been made into uGet Stable PPA, available for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, and Ubuntu 19.04.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or from app launcher, and then run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:plushuang-tw/uget-stable

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

uGet Stable PPA

2. Then upgrade the download manager from an existing release via Software Updater:

or you can run following 2 commands to check updates and install / upgrade uGet:

sudo apt-get update 

sudo apt-get install uget

How to Remove:

Run following command in terminal will remove the PPA and also downgrade to the stock version of uGet in your Ubuntu system:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:plushuang-tw/uget-stable

If you want to remove uGet download manager, simply search for and remove it via “Ubuntu Software” utility.

KTorrent, full-featured BitTorrent application by KDE, now is officially available as Snap package. Which means you can now easily install the latest KTorrent in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, and higher, and keep it always updated.

KTorrent features:

  • Queuing of torrents
  • Previewing of certain file types, build in (video and audio)
  • Importing of partially or fully downloaded files
  • File prioritization for multi-file torrents
  • Selective downloading for multi-file torrents
  • Kick/ban peers with an additional IP Filter dialog for list/edit purposes
  • UDP tracker support
  • Support for private trackers and torrents
  • Support for µTorrent’s peer exchange
  • Support for protocol encryption (compatible with Azureus)
  • Support for creating trackerless torrents
  • Support for distributed hash tables (DHT, the Mainline version)
  • Support for UPnP to automatically forward ports on a LAN with dynamic assigned hosts
  • Support for webseeds
  • Scripting support via Kross, and interprocess control via D-Bus interface
  • Tracker authentication support
  • Connection through a proxy

How to Install KTorrent Snap in Ubuntu 18.04 & Higher:

Open Ubuntu Software and search for ktorrent. There will be two packages available:

  • KTorrent snap maintained by KDE.
  • Stock KTorrent package offered by Ubuntu.

For Ubuntu 16.04, run following command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) to install snapd first.

sudo apt-get install snapd

Then install the KTorrent snap package via command (it’s in --candidate channel at the moment):

snap install ktorrent --candidate

The snap package co-exists with stock Ubuntu package, you’ll see two KTorrent icons in application menu if both installed.

(Optional) To remove the snap package, run command in terminal:

sudo snap remove ktorrent

Many popular applications (e.g., PyCharm, Blender and even Firefox) provide Linux tarball that include executable files can be run directly to launch the apps.

However, we need to manually create app launcher, to make it possible to launch them by searching the apps from start menu (‘Activities‘ overview). And, ‘Arronax’ is the app to do the job easily.

The .desktop files

App launchers in Linux are handled by files via .desktop extension. Each app you can see in system start menu has an associated .desktop file in either ‘/usr/share/applications‘ or ‘.local/share/applications‘ directory.

For portable Linux tarball, or appimage that does not have an app launcher, user may manually create a .desktop file in either directory to link app into system start menu.

Arronax:

KDE, Cinnamon, and XFCE now have built-in utility to create desktop app launcher. But, GNOME does not!

Arronax is the simple tool started almost 10 years ago, with ability to create and edit .desktop file.

With it, user may either right-click on the executable file and select ‘Create a Starter’, or open the app by searching from start menu (‘Activities’ overview):

For basic function, just type name to display in start menu, select executable file for ‘Command’ box, and choose an icon! Save it to the right location, and that’s all!!

All other options are optional! Though, you may move cursor over an option to get tool-tip tells what it does, and enable it as need.

Finally, click on “Save” button. In the bottom of file save dialog, user may choose the standard location to save the .desktop file.

  • “User app folder” – stores app launcher files for current user only.
  • “System app folder” – stores app launcher files for all system user.
  • “User / System Autostart folder” – store app launchers start automatically on start up.

NOTE: save to system folder needs to run Arronax as root (run sudo arronax in terminal).

How to Install Arronax in Ubuntu:

The app is available to install via an official PPA for all current Ubuntu releases, including Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.10, and Ubuntu 22.04.

1. Firstly, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to add the software PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:diesch/stable

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

UPDATE for Ubuntu 23.10: the app seems to be no longer updated! If you do need it, run command to add this unofficial PPA instead of 23.10.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/arronax

2. Then install the tool as well as file manager integration via command:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install arronax arronax-nautilus

You may replace arronax-nautilus with arronax-nemo, arronax-caja for other file manager integration.

Once installed, either launch Arronax via system application menu, or by right-clicking on executable file in file browser.

Uninstall:

To remove the software, open terminal and run command:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove arronax

And remove the PPA via Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

ICQ, the popular chat application, is available for Linux as an official Snap package.

ICQ is a cross-platform instant messaging and VoIP client that features:

  • securely encrypted calls
  • high-quality video calls
  • speech-to-text for voice messages
  • ability to create your own stickers
  • animated 3D masks and video calls
  • groups and channels
  • chat synchronization across all devices

Image via twitter.com/snapcraftio

To install ICQ Snap in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher:

Simply open Ubuntu Software, search for and install the ICQ package (it’s beta at the moment):

To install ICQ snap in Ubuntu 16.04:

Ubuntu 16.04 can install the snap package after installed the snapd daemon.

Open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or by searching for ‘terminal’ from application menu. When it opens, run command to install snapd:

sudo apt-get install snapd

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

Then install ICQ snap package via command:

sudo snap install icq-im --beta

(Optional) To uninstall the snap package, run command:

sudo snap remove icq-im

Firefox 55

Mozilla Firefox 67.0 was released today with performance improvements and some new features.

Firefox 67.0 release highlights according to the release note:

  • Page load and start up improvements.
  • Suspend unused tabs when memory is running low (400M).
  • Toolbar and toolbar overflow menu are both fully keyboard accessible.
  • Ability to run different Firefox installs side by side by default
  • Usability and security improvements for private browsing.
  • Firefox will protect you against running older versions of the browser.
  • Upgrading to AV1 decoder known as ‘dav1d’
  • Enable FIDO U2F API, and permit registrations for Google Accounts

Upgrade to Firefox 67 in Ubuntu:

Firefox 67 will be made into Ubuntu universe repositories in 2 or 3 days. Check HERE, and do following to upgrade it once available.

For all current Ubuntu releases, simply open Software Updater and install the updates after checking for updates.

If you don’t see the Firefox updates, go to Software & Updates and make sure the security and updates repositories are enabled in Updates tab.

Full featured LaTeX editor TexStudio 2.12.16 was released a few hours ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, Ubuntu 19.04, and their derivatives.

TexStudio 2.12.16 is a small release with only bug-fixex, including some fixes for tool-tip preview by MeanSquaredError.

How to Install TexStudio 2.12.16 in Ubuntu:

There’s a PPA repository that contains the latest packages for all current Ubuntu releases and derivatives.

1. Open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or by searching for ‘terminal’ from software launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sunderme/texstudio

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) from sudo prompt and hit Enter to add the PPA.

2. If an old version was installed in your system, remove the texstudio-doc, texstudio-l10n (if any) package before upgrading the software:

sudo apt-get remove texstudio-doc texstudio-l10n

3. After adding the PPA, you can either upgrade the editor via Software Updater:

or run commands in terminal to install or upgrade the software:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install texstudio

Uninstall:

To remove the LaTeX editor, run command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove texstudio

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