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HPLIP 3.18.9 Released with Linux Mint 19, Debian 9.5 Support

Last updated: September 26, 2018

HP Linux Imaging and Printing

HPLIP 3.18.9, HP developed Linux drivers for HP inkjet and laser based printers, was released today with new Linux Distros and new printers support.

HPLIP 3.18.9 added support for Linux Mint 19 and Debian 9.5. Also there are new supported printers:

  • HP PageWide 755dn
  • HP PageWide MFP 774dns
  • HP PageWide MFP 774dn
  • HP PageWide MFP 779dns
  • HP PageWide MFP 779dn
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M148dw
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M149dw
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M148fdw
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M149fdw
  • HP LaserJet Pro M118dw
  • HP LaserJet Pro M119dw
  • HP Scanjet Ent Flow 7500

Download / Install HPLIP 3.18.9 in Ubuntu:

To install the software, download the package “hplip-3.18.9.run” from the link below:

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

cd ~/Downloads/ && chmod +x hplip-3.18.9.run && ./hplip-3.18.9.run

Type your user password (no asterisks feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter.

Then follow the terminal prompts, 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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Opera 56 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu

Last updated: September 25, 2018

Opera web browser 56 stable was released today multitask improvements and more customizable browsing experience.

Opera 56 release highlights:

  • Add volume control for video pop out.
  • Hover over the title of pop out video and click back to tab.
  • Add new option in Settings > Advanced > Browser > User interface for the scroll to the top of the page feature
  • Add a page zoom indicator in the address and search bar when the zoom level for a page changed.
  • Easy bug reporting via O menu > Help > Report an issue.
  • Redesigned about page, and tidied up the settings.

How to Install Opera 56 in Ubuntu:

The Opera team offers snap package (containerised software package), which is always up-to-date (auto-updates itself). And you can simply install it in Ubuntu Software:

Also traditional Opera binary package for Ubuntu is available for download at the link below:

To receive future updates through Software Updater, add the official Opera apt repository via following steps:

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
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OpenShot 2.4.3 Released, How to Install it in Ubuntu

Last updated: March 23, 2019

OpenShot video editor 2.4.3 was released a few days ago with animated Masks, nudge, zoom fixes, improved stability, and more.

OpenShot 2.4.3 release highlights:

  • Masks and transitions can now be modified at any time, and can now use an image or video! This utilizes the grayscale of each frame and converts it into a mask, and can be used to create some really amazing effects.
  • Threading improvements help prevent crashing around effects (including masks and transitions), and improve performance on many systems.
  • Save frame button for quickly saving the current preview frame
  • Huge improvement to language translations (Thanks to Frank Dana – ferdnyc)
  • Animated Masks: New “reader” property type, initially used by the Mask effect to change the image/video used by transitions and the Mask effect
  • Add Save Current Frame button.
  • New translation & language infrastructure and logic.
  • And many other changes. See the release note.

How to Install OpenShot 2.4.3 in Ubuntu:

The Ubuntu binary packages now is in testing stage. It will be published in the stable PPA (check the link before getting started) in 2 or 3 days.

At that time, you can install OpenShot 2.4.3 in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 14.04, and Linux Mint 19/18 via following steps:

1. Open terminal from software launcher (or press Ctrl+Alt+T), when it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:openshot.developers/ppa

Type your user password (no asterisks feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then run following commands one by one to refresh repository cache and install OpenShot:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install openshot-qt

Uninstall:

To uninstall openshot video editor, run following command in terminal:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove openshot-qt

And remove the PPA by launching “Software & Updates” and navigating to Other Software tab.

In Howtos, News
 

Clipboard Manager CopyQ 3.6.0 Released with Animated App Icon

Last updated: September 23, 2018

CopyQ clipboard manager 3.6.0 was released today with some new features, performance improvements, and various bug-fixes.

CopyQ 3.6.0 release highlights:

  • Invoking search with a shortcut reuses last search expression
  • Exiting from search (ESC) doesn’t unselect found item
  • COPYQ_SETTINGS_PATH environment variable overrides default config path
  • Merge top item with same new clipboard text
  • Check clipboard after start
  • Animate app icon when a clipboard changes or a client calls some functions
  • Use gpg for encryption if gpg2 is unavailable
  • Faster tray and context menu updates
  • Close dialog() after client process exits
  • Display system, arch and compiler info when using version()
  • Tests are about 2x faster
  • Updated icons (Font Awesome 5.3.1)
  • And various bug-fixes.

Install Copyq 3.6.0 in Ubuntu:

The official PPA repository has made the latest packages for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, and their derivatives..

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:hluk/copyq

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

2. After added the PPA repository, install CopyQ either via Synaptic package manager or by running commands in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install copyq

Once installed, start the clipboard manager from application launcher 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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Qt-based Audio Player Qmmp 1.2.4 Released (Howto Install)

Last updated: September 22, 2018

Qmmp 1.2.4, qt-based audio player with winamp or xmms look like user interface, and Qmmp 0.11.3 for Qt4 were released earlier today.

The new releases added equalizer optimization, improved PCM WAVE support, updated translation list, and fixed following bugs:

  • fixed segmentation fault
  • fixed tag reading in the archive plugin
  • fixed seeking in the archive plugin
  • fixed issue with multiscreen configuration

How to Install Qmmp 1.2.4 in Ubuntu 18.04/16.04:

The PPA repository has made the new releases packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.10, and Ubuntu 18.04.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:forkotov02/ppa

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

2. If a previous version exists, 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

For qt4 version, use qmmp-qt4 and qmmp-plugin-pack-qt4 instead in the last command.

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-*
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Gscan2PDF 2.1.6 Released with Fix for Starting OCR

Last updated: September 21, 2018

Gscan2pdf 2.1.6, a GTK tool to produce PDF / DjVu from scanned document, was released today with few quick fixes.

According to the changelog, Gscan2pdf 2.1.6 fixed the issue that application exits on pressing “Start OCR” for Tesseract. In the release, it also fixed opening UDT and unpaper dialog windows.

How to Install gscan2pdf 2.1.6 in Ubuntu:

The official Ubuntu PPA has made the new release packages for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, and their derivatives.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jeffreyratcliffe/ppa

Type your password (no asterisks 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:

For the first time, you can either install it via Synaptic Package Manager or by running following commands in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get 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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qBittorrent 4.1.3 Released with Improvements and Bug Fixes

Last updated: September 19, 2018

The third bug-fix release for qBittorrent 4.1 was released a day ago with new features, some bug-fixes, web UI and search improvements.

qBittorrent 4.1.3 release highlights:

  • Preselect name without extension when renaming files
  • Allow setting seq & first/last from context menu without metadata
  • Show “N/A” if there is no scrape
  • Save option about tracker favicons under correct key
  • When file data are unreachable pause torrent and show “Missing Files” status
  • Don’t disable DHT when using force proxy
  • Correctly save torrent queue position/state/priority changes in fastresume
  • Fix icon height/width ratio
  • Fix values sorted wrong in “Last Activity” column
  • Replace png icons with svg
  • Various Web UI improvements
  • Refactor in searchjob to always color visited entries
  • Set “enter” as shortcut to download the selected torrents in search job
  • Add regex option in the search filter’s context menu
  • Fix GUI scaling issue on Linux

How to Install qBittorrent 4.1.2 in Ubuntu:

The official qBittorrent PPA maintains qBittorrent binary packages for Ubuntu 16.04, 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

Uninstall:

To remove qBittorrent PPA, go to Software & Updates -> Other Software, or run command in terminal:

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

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

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove qbittorrent
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Battle for Wesnoth 1.14.5 Released (How to Install)

Last updated: September 17, 2018

Battle for Wesnoth 1.14.5, an open source, turn-based strategy game, was released a day ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 16.04.

Changes in Battle for Wesnoth 1.14.5 include:

  • Fix AI ignoring teleport locations when moving leader to leader goals.
  • Heir to the Throne:
    • S6: Allow canceling an attack when a move+attack spawns enemy units
    • S6: Change the trigger for spawning undead reinforcements
    • S17: Add dialog explaining the lava game mechanic and an easter egg
  • Liberty, S3: Add story and war drums music
  • Northern Rebirth:
    • S12: empty sides are hidden
    • S13: allied leaders whose death causes defeat won’t leave their keep and
      the lich brothers and Krash got more gold
  • Sceptre of Fire:
    • S4: a cave entrance has been added.
    • S5: Gryphon Riders are now available starting form S5 (formerly S3).
    • S7: it’s now impossible to kill all pursuers.
  • Secrets of the Ancients: Fix dialog said by wrong unit & revert previous fix
  • The Hammer of Thursagan: S10: Fix objectives requiring too much of the player
  • The South Guard:
    • S2: the case where Deoran is not sent to the Citadel is handled better.
    • S2: enemy units will no longer neutralize villages instead of capturing or burning them. This also means certain units will no longer be hidden in the Game Stats list.
    • S4: bodyguards are never spawned next to other units, and always in forest.
    • S5: zombies have now one castle with two leaders.
    • S6a: mermen leave after this scenario and will no longer be available.
    • S7a & S8a: a certain hero may now die.
  • Under the Burning Suns: New graphics for Eloh.
  • And various other changes and bug-fixes

How to Install Battle for Wesnoth 1.14.5 in Ubuntu:

The flathub repository contains the Flatpak package of the game. You can install it in Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04 via following steps:

1. (For Ubuntu 16.04 only), open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or by searching for ‘terminal’ from app launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexlarsson/flatpak

sudo apt-get update

2. Install flatpak framework via command:

sudo apt-get install flatpak

3. Add flathub repository:

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

4. Finally install the flatpak package of Battle for Wesnoth:

flatpak install flathub org.wesnoth.Wesnoth

Once installed, launch the game either from software launcher, or by running command flatpak run org.wesnoth.Wesnoth

(Optional) 5. To remove the game, run command:

flatpak uninstall org.wesnoth.Wesnoth

In Howtos, News
 

KeePass Password Safe 2.40 Released with New Features

Last updated: January 10, 2021

KeePass Password Safe 2.40 was released a few days ago with some new features and various improvements.

KeePass 2.4.0 release highlights:

  • Added automatic completion support for the user name box and the auto-type sequence boxes in the entry editing dialogs
  • Added automatic completion support for the URL and user name boxes in the ‘Open From URL’ dialog
  • Added option ‘Group path’ in the ‘Find’ dialog
  • Added read-only mode for the entry string dialog
  • The internal data viewer now supports zooming images via Ctrl+Add, Ctrl+Subtract, and the mouse wheel with Ctrl.
  • Added option ‘Remember master password (in encrypted form) of a database while it is open’
  • Enhanced compatibility check for DLL plugins.
  • Added URL opening event for plugins.
  • On Unix-like systems: added support for opening the local help file with KChmViewer.
  • Added workaround for initial input focus problem in the master key prompt dialog.
  • Added workaround for Mono not always raising the FormClosed event properly.
  • TrlUtil now remembers the last translation file directory.
  • There are also various bug-fixes and code optimizations.

How to Install the Latest KeePass in Ubuntu:

The software package has been made into an Ubuntu PPA available for all current Ubuntu releases and derivatives.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “Terminal” from app launcher. When it opens, run following commands to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/keepass2

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

2. Then upgrade KeePass password safe via Software Updater if you have a previous version installed:

Or run commands to install / upgrade the software:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install keepass2

Uninstall:

The PPA repository can be removed via Software & Updates utility under Other Software tab. To remove KeePass password safe, simply run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove keepass2
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Shutter 0.94.2 Released with Some Bug Fixes (Ubuntu PPA)

Last updated: September 11, 2018

Shutter screenshot tool got a maintenance release a day ago with some bugs fixed. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 16.04.

Shutter 0.94.2 includes following changes since the 0.94 release:

  • Remove ITmages, Minus, TwitPic upload plugins since the services down.
  • Fix error in vygme plugin
  • Add support for Gyazo uploads
  • Fix insecure perl system calls
  • Use reverse-DNS style AppStream ID
  • Convert all JSON modules to JSON::MaybeXS instead of discouraged JSON modules
  • Fix the issue that right click > “show in folder” results in “There was an error executing xdg-open”

How to Install Shutter 0.94.2 in Ubuntu:

It seems the official Shutter PPA won’t update for the new release packages. So I uploaded the packages into an unofficial PPA with support for Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 16.04.

1. Open terminal either from app launcher or via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/shutter

Type your password (no asterisks feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then upgrade Shutter via Software Updater utility:

or run commands one by one in terminal to install or upgrade the tool:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install shutter

For Ubuntu 18.04, the PPA also includes libgoo-canvas-perl to fix the ‘Edit’ option. And for system tray icon, run command:

sudo apt install libappindicator-dev && sudo cpan -i Gtk2::AppIndicator

Unintall

For any issue, you can revert back to Ubuntu build of Shutter by purging the PPA via command:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/shutter
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