Got app windows that do not show their icons on left (or bottom) dock panel? This tutorial may help to fix the issue in Ubuntu 24.04.

App icons that you see in system app launcher are handled by .desktop files. This kind of config file usually include a line Icon=app-icon-name, so Ubuntu and many other Linux can find and display the icon image for the app in start menu (or application menu).

If the icon file is missing from both system icons directory (usually /usr/share/icons and /usr/share/pixmaps) and user’s local icons folder (.local/share/icons), then it shows universal executable icon (the gear icon with gray square background, see the image above) instead.

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After doing a fresh install of Ubuntu system, users usually have to do a list of configurations before the system is ready for use. And, here are a list of the top things I can tell for the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

1. Install back some default apps

If you didn’t choose “Extended selection” option while installing Ubuntu 24.04, then you’ll find that many apps are missing!

There’s no office suite, no video/music player, no email app … If you need some of them, then just launch the new App Center from left panel, then search and install any of them back.
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This is a step by step beginner’s guide shows how to install Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Desktop Edition, in PC or laptop using an USB stick.

Ubuntu 24.04 is a long term support release with 5 years support (and other 7 years security updates via Ubuntu Pro). It features a new desktop installer. So, I re-write about this how to guide for beginners, with Windows 10/11 dual boot support.

NOTE: The new installer so far does NOT allow encryption for manually added partitions! Meaning encryption ONLY works when using entire disk for Ubuntu. See the bug reports here and here.
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Ubuntu 24.04, code-name Noble Numbat, is finally released!

It’s a new Long Term Support (LTS) release with 5 years of support until 2029, and another 7 years of support through ‘Ubuntu Pro’ (can be enabled in welcome or Software & Updates dialog).

Meaning users of Ubuntu 24.04 can keep receiving security updates until 2036!

Ubuntu 24.04 features Linux Kernel 6.8, and it will keep updating to new kernel series in next point releases. The new kernel introduced Intel Shadow Stack, and stable Intel Meteor Lake graphics support. KVM now allows up to 4096 vCPUs. And, there are many other new features as well as hardware support, see this page for details.

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Audacity, the popular free open-source audio editor, release version 3.5.0 (then 3.5.1 with quick-fixes) few days ago.

Audacity 3.5.0 is a major release with new features. They include a new cloud-saving feature. By going to menu ‘File -> Save To Cloud …’, user can save Audacity project to audio.com via a free account. So, user can access the project from any other devices, and/or share and collaborate with others.

NOTE: this feature does NOT work in my PPA package, since it’s built with Debian upstream rule that disables network access! If you do prefer this feature, please leave comment below, or use the official AppImage package instead.


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This tutorial shows how to install the most recent VokoscreenNG screen recording app in all current Ubuntu releases, including Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04.

VokoscreenNG is a free and open-source application for recording your desktop, window, or an area in Linux and Windows desktop. It can record sound from multiple sources, and record from built-in webcam or camera. For Linux, the app works on both Wayland (however with limited features) and classic Xorg sessions.
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This is a step by step guide shows how to install JDownloader 2 in Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and Ubuntu 20.04.

JDownloader is a free open-source (partly closed-source) download manager for Linux, Windows, and MacOS. It allows to automatically download groups of files from one-click hosting sites

Key features of JDownloader include:
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Boring with the default startup animation in Ubuntu? Here’s step by step guide shows you how to install and change the theme in Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 20.04.

The startup (and shutdown, reboot) animation screen is handled by Plymouth. Plymouth supports themes, and the default is bgrt in Ubuntu.

If you just want to replace or disable the manufacturer logo, then I’ve written a how to guide in this page. While, here I’m going to show you how to completely replace it with another one.

Ubuntu default boot animation screen


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This tutorial shows how to change the MAC Address, aka hardware address, for your network interface in Ubuntu 24.04. Though the title said for Ubuntu 24.04, it should work in all current Ubuntu releases, including Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu 22.04.

MAC address, stands for Media Access Control address, is a unique identifier primarily assigned by device manufacturers. Therefore, it’s often referred to hardware address or physical address. However, many network interfaces support changing their MAC addresses. And, here’s how to do the trick in Ubuntu.
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Want to run an operating system in virtual machine using VMware Workstation Pro? Here I’m going to show you how to install and use it in Ubuntu 24.04 and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

Personally, I use Oracle Virtualbox for trying out different operating systems in as virtual machines (VMs). Some however prefer VMware workstation, which is available free for non-commercial use.


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