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Opera 53 Released with Tab, Address Bar Improvements

Last updated: May 10, 2018

opera web browser

Opera web browser 53 stable was released earlier today with improvements to tab’s display and the address bar.

Opera 53 optimized and made the tabs’ favicons more visible when a plenty of tabs are open. And click on a tab will make it more visible and easier to manage.

Also there’s some fresh, sharpened coloring done to the address bar.

How to Install Opera 53 in Ubuntu:

The opera website offers official .deb binaries for Ubuntu Linux, available for download at the link below:

If you have a previous release installed, and enabled the official Opera Linux repository, upgrade it via Software Updater:

To manually add the Opera for Linux repository, open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or from app launcher, when it opens, run commands:

1. 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 your system package manager or upgrade the browser via Software Updater.

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FireFox 60 Released with YubiKey Support

Last updated: May 9, 2018

Mozilla Firefox 60 was released a few hours ago with new enterprise features, Web Authentication / YubiKey support, and new tab enhancements.

“Firefox 60 offers something for everyone and a little something extra for everyone who deploys Firefox in an enterprise environment. This release includes changes that give you more content and more ways to customize your New Tab/Firefox Home. It also introduces support for the Web Authentication API, which means you can log in to websites in Firefox with USB tokens like YubiKey.”

Firefox 60 release highlights:

  • Added a policy engine that allows customized Firefox deployments in enterprise environments.
  • Enhancements to New Tab / Firefox Home.
  • Redesigned Cookies and Site Storage section in Preferences
  • Added support for Web Authentication API.
  • Applied Quantum CSS to render browser UI
  • Added an option for Linux users to show or hide page titles in a bar at the top of the browser.
  • Improved WebRTC audio performance and playback for Linux users
  • Enhanced camera privacy indicators.
  • And various security fixes.

Install / Upgrade in Ubuntu:

Ubuntu offers the latest Firefox packages though the updates and security repositories.

Once Firefox 60 packages (check the build page) are published in the repositories, you can install or upgrade it via Software Updater:

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How to Install qBittorrent 4.1 in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: May 28, 2018

qBittorrent reached the new major 4.1.0 release a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 17.10, Ubuntu 16.04.

qBittorrent 4.1.0 release highlights:

  • Add “Coalesce reads & writes” checkbox in advanced options
  • Smart Filter for RSS
  • Possibility to configure at which speed a torrent is considered slow.
  • When creating a torrent you can choose to preserve the file order
  • A new, redesigned and refactored WebAPI
  • Switch built-in Web UI html to HTML5
  • Allow to disable Stacktrace support
  • Various other Web UI improvements.
  • Various code optimizations and bug-fixes. Read NEWS page for details.

How to Install qBittorrent 4.1 in Ubuntu:

The official qBittorrent PPA contains the latest packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.10, Ubuntu 18.04, and derivatives.

1. To add the PPA, open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T or searching “Terminal” from app launcher. When it opens, run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:qbittorrent-team/qbittorrent-stable

Type in your password (no visual feedback while typing due to security reason) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. To upgrade from a previous release, launch Software Updater and you’ll see qBittorrent available for upgrade after checking for updates.

Or run commands below to install /upgrade it from terminal:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install qbittorrent

3. (Optional) To uninstall the 4.1 release and revert to the stock version of qBittorrent in Ubuntu repository, do:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:qbittorrent-team/qbittorrent-stable
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How to Install Transmission 2.94 in Ubuntu 18.04/17.10

Last updated: May 6, 2018

Transmission, the default BitTorrent client, reached the 2.94 release a few days ago. Now you can install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.10, Ubuntu 18.04 easily via PPA.

Transmission 2.94 is a bug-fix release with following changes:

  • Fix building against LibreSSL
  • Fix building against mbedTLS
  • Fix torrents ETA calculation
  • Fix cross-compilation issues caused by miniupnpc configuration test
  • Fix bad downloaded percentage in DetailsDialog for Qt client
  • Fix tracker error XSS in inspector for web client
  • Fix torrent name HTML-escaping in trackers inspector tab for web client.

How to Upgrade Transmission in Ubuntu:

Transmission has a stable PPA that so far maintains the latest packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and Ubuntu 18.04.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:transmissionbt/ppa

Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then launch Software Updater (update manager) and install updates for Transmission to upgrade the software:

How to Restore:

To restore to the default transmission installed by default, run command to purge the PPA as well as downgrade the software:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:transmissionbt/ppa
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VS Code 1.23 Released, How to Install it in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: May 5, 2018

Visual Studio Code IDE 1.23 was released a day ago. This new release focuses on API work to support extension authors as well as plenty of updates.

VS Code 1.23 release highlights:

  • VS Code can now highlight the active indent guide
  • Run Code Actions on save
  • NPM script explorer – Quickly find, run, and debug NPM scripts in your project.
  • Problems view filtering – Choose which files will display errors and warnings.
  • Middle mouse button column selection – Middle mouse button with drag for fast column selection.
  • CSS region folding – Create regions in your CSS/SCSS/Less code for helpful code folding.
  • Improved CSS new property support – Smart suggestions for CSS experimental properties.
  • Markdown header search – Search for Markdown headers across your entire workspace.
  • Custom Activity Bar views – Extension authors can create their own Activity Bar items.
  • New deploy website tutorial – Learn how to deploy a static website to Azure Storage.

How to Install VS Code 1.23 in Ubuntu:

The official .deb package for Debian/Ubuntu is available for download at the link below:

Grab the deb and install it via either Gdebi package manager or command (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/code_*.deb; sudo apt -f install

For those who want to receive updates for VS Code via Software Updater utility, add the Microsoft repository via following steps (64bit only):

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

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/vscode stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list'

2. Download and install the repository key via commands:

curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > microsoft.gpg

sudo mv microsoft.gpg /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/microsoft.gpg

Uninstall Visual Studio Code:

To remove the code editor, either use Synaptic Package Manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove code

And remove the Microsoft repository by launching Software & Updates utility and navigating to Other Software tab.

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Liferea 1.12.3 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: May 2, 2018

The Liferea feed reader reached the 1.12.3 release earlier today with various bug fixes. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 17.10, Ubuntu 16.04.

“Today sees a new 1.12 release which addresses some long-standing user concerns. One being accidentally marking all your headlines as read, we have no a confirmation dialog. Another issue addressed is that of custom download tools. The list provided is not always sufficient so we now provide a CLI command you can enter to use you favorite downloader. A lot of refactoring also allowed us to provide a GTK headerbar plugin for all fans of GNOME style window decorations.”

Liferea 1.12.3 release highlights:

  • Added setting for custom download commands
  • GTK Headerbar support via plugin
  • Refactoring UI code to switch to GAction and GtkBuilder
  • Item list view column order rework as a preparation for possible real column drag&drop. Introduces a new DConf setting for the column order.
  • Mark read toolbar button always disabled for search folders
  • Please add a safety question when “marking all read”
  • Avoid exception in trayicon.py
  • GnomeKeyring plugin fails to activate when keyring doesn’t exist
  • Fix feed list selection after DnD
  • Big Memory leak in date code

How to Install Liferea 1.12.3 in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.10, Ubuntu 18.04, and derivatives, the new release is available in a third-party PPA repository.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

Type your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it asks and hit Enter.

2. Then upgrade Liferea via Software Updater utility:

or run commands one by one to install the Linux feed reader:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install liferea

Finally launch the news reader from your application launcher and enjoy! (Log out and log back if you don’t see the icon).

Uninstall Liferea:

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

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove liferea

To remove the PPA repository, open “Software & Updates” utility and navigate to Other Software tab.

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SMPlayer 18.4 Released with Ability to Change OSD Bar Position

Last updated: April 30, 2018

SMPlayer media player 18.4.0 was released a few days ago with new feature to change the position of OSD bar.

Other than that, the time displayed by a tooltip when the mouse is over the seekbar is now much more accurate. And now it’s possible to turn off the use of the system native file dialog in Preferences -> Interface.

How to Install SMPlayer 18.4 in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.10, Ubuntu 18.04, and derivatives, do following steps to install or upgrade SMPlayer via its PPA repository.

1. Search for and launch “terminal” from application launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rvm/smplayer

Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it asks and hit Enter.

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

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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HPLIP 3.18.4 Released with Ubuntu 18.04 Support

Last updated: April 29, 2018

HPLIP 3.18.4, an HP developed Linux drivers for HP inkjet and laser based printers, was released recently with Ubuntu 18.04 beta support and new printers support.

HPLIP 3.18.4 adds support for following new devices:

  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M28a
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M29a
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M30a
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M31a
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M30c
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M31c
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M28w
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M29w
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M30w
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M31w
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M30cw
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M31cw
  • HP LaserJet Pro M14a
  • HP LaserJet Pro M15a
  • HP LaserJet Pro M16a
  • HP LaserJet Pro M17a
  • HP LaserJet Pro M14c
  • HP LaserJet Pro M17c
  • HP LaserJet Pro M14w
  • HP LaserJet Pro M15w
  • HP LaserJet Pro M16w
  • HP LaserJet Pro M17w
  • HP LaserJet Pro M14cw
  • HP LaserJet Pro M17cw

HPLIP 3.18.4 also adds support for Ubuntu 18.04, Debian 9.2, 9.3, and 9.4.

Download / Install HPLIP 3.18.4:

To install the software, download the package “hplip-3.18.4.run” from the link below:

Then open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or search for “terminal” from app launcher. When it opens, run command:

cd ~/Downloads/ && chmod +x hplip-3.18.4.run && ./hplip-3.18.4.run

Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

Then follow the terminal outputs, answer some questions to build and install HPLIP on your system. When everything is done, plug/re-plug your printers and enjoy!

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How to Install GIMP 2.10 in Ubuntu 18.04, 17.10 via PPA

Last updated: April 29, 2018

GIMP 2.10, a new major release of the most popular Linux image editing software, was announced a day ago with huge list of changes.

The most notable changes in GIMP 2.10 include:

  • Nearly fully ported to GEGL, allowing high bit depth processing, multi-threaded and hardware accelerated pixel processing, and more.
  • Color management is a core feature now, most widgets and preview areas are color-managed.
  • Many improved tools, and several new and exciting tools, such as the Warp transform, the Unified transform and the Handle transform tools.
  • On-canvas preview for all filters ported to GEGL.
  • Improved digital painting with canvas rotation and flipping, symmetry MyPaint brush support…
  • Support for several new image formats added (OpenEXR, RGBE, WebP, HGT), as well as improved support for many existing formats (in particular more robust PSD importing).
  • Metadata viewing and editing for Exif, XMP, IPTC, and DICOM.
  • Basic HiDPI support: automatic or user-selected icon size.
  • New themes for GIMP (Light, Gray, Dark, and System) and new symbolic icons meant to somewhat dim the environment and shift the focus towards content.
  • And more, better, more, and even more awesome! See the release note.

How to Install GIMP 2.10 via PPA in Ubuntu:

The new release has been made into PPA repository for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 17.10.

Ubuntu 16.04 is not supported at the moment due to inextricably Glib dependencies.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp

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

2. After added the PPA, you can upgrade to GIMP 2.10 from an existing release using Software Updater (Update Manager):

or run commands one by one in terminal to install or upgrade GIMP:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gimp

Tip: apt update command is not required for Ubuntu 18.04 since it automatically refresh repository caches after adding PPA.

How to Restore:

For any reason, you can restore to the old GIMP 2.8.22 by running following command in terminal to purge the PPA:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp
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VLC 3.0.2 Released with 150+ Bug Fixes (How to Install)

Last updated: April 25, 2018

VLC media player 3.0.2 was released a few days ago. The release fixed more than 150 bugs since the 3.0.0 release, and improves decoding speed on macOS.

Changes in VLC 3.0.2 include:

  • Fix snapshotting with subtitles when using hardware acceleration
  • Fix green/missing line/column when the picture dimensions are odd
  • Important improvements in hardware decoding for macOS, notably faster, supporting more samples and removing crashes/deadlocks
  • Improve compatibility for DxVA2 and D3D11 decoding, fix crashes when seeking and fix blacklisting of broken drivers
  • Fix SSA subtitles forced alignment
  • Fix E-AC-3 stuttering
  • Fix MIDI playback on macOS
  • Add playback support for ProRes 4444 XQ
  • Fix IFO files playback to start DVDs
  • Fix a crash with missing/invalid MPEG SDT
  • Update VP8/9/10 ISOBMFF bindings and improve HDR for those cases
  • Fix TTML inside MP4
  • Fix flac seeking and improve flac parsing
  • Improve mkv opening & seeking speed
  • Miscellaneous MKV crash fixes
  • Fix crash with multi-region DVDs
  • Fix audio being muted on DVD chapter change
  • Fix audio being muted when seeking in a BluRay disc
  • Avoid a crash/assert in FTP after seeking
  • Fix “reset audio volume” being forcefully deactivated
  • Improve resampling and latency computation for CoreAudio
  • Fix audio stutter after unpausing with headphones
  • Fix OpenGL crashes or bad display with semi-planar chromas
  • Fix OpenGL interop (zero-copy) disabled for tvOS
  • Fix transform filters with hardware decoding
  • Fix snapshot and filters with HEVC hardware decoding
  • Fix a buffer overrun during GPU/CPU image copy
  • Fix last folder used in open dialogs
  • Allow to customize the seek jump when using the mousewheel
  • Fix pasted URLs not being trimmed
  • Fix jump size not being configurable
  • Fix playback speed slider not accepting 1.0x value
  • Fix raw input dump
  • Fix window size after a fullscreen playback
  • Fix crashes when searching for renderers
  • Fix VDPAU GLX usage on Linux
  • Fix libvlc_media_list not going to next media
  • Miscellaneous chromecast improvements
  • Fix missing OSD navigation feedback

How to Install VLC 3.0.2 in Ubuntu:

The VideoLAN team offers official snap package, so Ubuntu users can easily install the latest VLC package from Ubuntu Software.

or you can run command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) to install the snap:

snap install vlc --classic

NOTE for Ubuntu 16.04 uses who never installed a snap package, first run command in terminal to install snapd daemon via command:

sudo apt-get install snapd snapd-xdg-open

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