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Replace Left Panel with Mac OS Style Dock Launcher in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: January 26, 2019

gnome shell

For those who want to change the look and feel of the left panel “Ubuntu Dock” in Ubuntu 18.04, Dash to Dock is a Gnome extension that replaces left panel with Mac OS style Dock application launcher.

Dash to Dock is a popular Gnome extension that Ubuntu Dock (the default left panel) is forked from. With it, you can get Ubuntu 18.04 desktop looks like:

You can now install the extension from Ubuntu Software:

1. First time to install a Gnome extension? Then you need to install an add-on for your web browser:

click install add-on for Google Chrome, Chromium, Vivaldi

click install add-on for Firefox

click install add-on for Opera

Then open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install native connector get the add-ons to work.

sudo apt-get install chrome-gnome-shell

2. Then go to Dash to Dock extension page in your browser, and turn on the toggle to install it.

The left panel changes to dock launcher once you installed the extension.

To change its appearance, right-click on Show Applications icon or use Gnome Tweak Tool to go to the settings.

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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:

Download Opera for Linux

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

Firefox 55

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:

upgrade firefox

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How to Install qBittorrent 4.1 in Ubuntu 18.04

Last updated: May 28, 2018

qBittorrent

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.

upgrade qBittorrent

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 BitTorrent

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

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:

Download VS Code (.deb)

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

Liferea Feed Reader

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:

upgrade Liferea via Software Updater

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

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.

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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HPLIP 3.18.4 Released with Ubuntu 18.04 Support

Last updated: April 29, 2018

HP Linux Imaging and Printing

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:

HPLIP Download Page

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 extra color palettes

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.

GIMP 2.10 Splash

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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