How to Install Firefox Nightly in Ubuntu 22.04, 23.04 & 23.10

Last updated: September 9, 2023 — Leave a comment

This simple tutorial shows how to install the latest Firefox Nightly in all current Ubuntu releases!

Firefox Nightly is the bleeding edge version of the web browser that updates twice a day. It contains features that are still in developments months or even years before they become mainstream.

The Nightly build is more likely to crash than the stable release. For testing purpose or power-user who prefer the very latest features, here you can install Firefox Nightly via 2 ways!

 

Method 1: Install Firefox Nightly via Snap package

The easiest way to get Firefox Nightly is using the Snap package. It receives updates automatically, however, will override the pre-installed Firefox, by updating it to the latest edge channel.

Ubuntu 22.04 and higher users, can simply open Ubuntu Software (or App Center). Search Firefox and switch channel/source to “latest/edge”.

Or, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When terminal opens, run the command below instead to install Firefox Nightly:

snap refresh firefox --channel=latest/edge

NOTE: The Snap package will take use the previous profile. In the case, you can open about:profiles page, then create a new profile and set it as default.

Method 2: Install Firefox Nightly via Ubuntu PPA

For choice, there’ a daily build PPA maintained by Ubuntu members. Which, so far supports Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.04, and Ubuntu 23.10.

The PPA is a good choice, since it contains native .deb package. It will NOT override any other Firefox Stable package (neither deb nor snap), and uses its own profile for storing user data.

1. To add the PPA, first press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-mozilla-daily/ppa

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

2. Linux Mint user needs to manually update the system package cache after adding PPA, though its done automatically in Ubuntu 20.04 and higher:

sudo apt update

3. Finally, install the Firefox Nightly build by running command:

sudo apt install firefox-trunk

After installing the package, launch it from ‘Activities’ overview screen or app menu depends on your desktop environments. And, you can use “Software Updater” (or Update Manager) every day to keep the package up-to-date.

Uninstall Firefox Nightly

For the Snap package, just open terminal and run command will restore to the pre-installed Firefox package:

snap refresh firefox --channel=latest/stable

However, the restored Firefox Snap will create a new user profile instead of using the original one, though you can manually backup and restore your important data.

For the PPA package, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to remove it:

sudo apt remove --autoremove firefox-trunk

Also remove the Ubuntu PPA by either running command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntu-mozilla-daily/ppa

or use “Software & Updates” utility under ‘Other Software’ tab by removing the source line.

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How to Install PyCharm 2023.2 in Ubuntu 22.04 / 23.10

Last updated: September 8, 2023 — Leave a comment

This simple tutorial shows how to install the latest PyCharm IDE in Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.04, and Ubuntu 23.10.

PyCharm is available to install in Ubuntu via different ways. They include Snap, Flatpak, official tarball, and Ubuntu PPA. Choose either one that you prefer.

Method 1: Install PyCharm via Snap package

JetBrains provides official Linux package through both Snap and tarball. Which is super easy to install for Ubuntu users.

The Snap package Features:

  • Official package by JetBrains.
  • Run in sandbox.
  • amd64 (x86_64) only.

For all current Ubuntu releases, just launch Ubuntu Software (or App Center), then search and install pycharm-community or pycharm-professional.

Method 2: Install PyCharm via Flatpak package

Another easy way to install PyCharm is using Flatpak package. Which works in most Linux, though run in sandbox.

The Flatpak package Features:

  • Community maintained.
  • Run in sandbox.
  • amd64 (x86_64) and arm64 support.

Ubuntu users just need to press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Then run the 2 commands below one by one to install the package.

  • First, run command to install the Flatpak daemon: 
    sudo apt install flatpak

  • Then, run the command below to install PyCharm as Flatpak: 
    flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.jetbrains.PyCharm-Community.flatpakref

    You may replace Community in command with Professional to install the professional edition.

And, if you’re first time installing app as Flatpak, log out and back in for the app icon visible in system app launcher.

Method 3: Install PyCharm via Official Tarball

If you don’t like or have issue for the IDE running in sandbox, then use the official Linux tarball instead!

The Linux Tarball Features:

  • Official package by JetBrains.
  • Portable, no installation required.
  • amd64 (x86_64) and arm64 support.

1. First, go to the official download page via the link below:

Download PyCharm (tar.gz)

Depends on you needs, either download the Professional, or scroll down and select the Community edition. For ARM64, click the down arrow (▿) icon to select from drop-down menu.

2. After downloaded the tarball, just extract and move the source folder to any location that you want for long time use.

In my case, I created a “Apps” folder in user home, and put PyCharm source folder into it as sub-directory.

3. Without installation, you can now go to the ‘bin‘ sub-folder, right-click on “pycharm.sh” and select “Run as Program” to launch the IDE.

4. Create app shortcut, so to launch from start/application menu.

  • First, press Ctrl+H in file manager and navigate to .local/share/applications directory. Then, create a new document and re-name to ‘pycharm.desktop’.For choice, you may open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to create the file instead: 
    gedit ~/.local/share/applications/pycharm.desktop

    Replace gedit with gnome-text-editor or other text editor according to your Ubuntu edition and desktop environment.

  • Then, paste following lines into the file you just created and save it. 
    [Desktop Entry]
Name=PyCharm Community
Exec=/path/to/pycharm-executable-file
Icon=/path/to/pycharm-icon-file
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Application;Development;
Keywords=ide;python;charm;
StartupWMClass=jetbrains-pycharm-ce

    Here, you need to replace the values of ‘Exec‘ and ‘Icon‘ according where you put the source folder. And, change ‘Name’ value for Professional edition.

If done correctly, you can now search for and launch PyCharm from app launcher or the overview screen depends on your DE:

Method 4: Install PyCharm via Ubuntu PPA

Another choice to avoid Snap and Flatpak, is using an Ubuntu PPA. However, there are only third-party maintained PPAs.

The PPA features:

  • Third-party maintained.
  • PyCharm Community only so far.
  • amd64 (x86_64) only so far.
  • supports Ubuntu 22.04, 23.04 only so far.

As far as I know, the xtradeb PPA is keeping updated with the most recent packages including PyCharm Community.

To install PyCharm from the PPA, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. And, run commands below one by one:

  • Add the PPA by running command: 
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xtradeb/apps

  • Then install the IDE: 
    sudo apt install pycharm-community

NOTE: Linux Mint user needs to run sudo apt update after adding PPA to manually refresh system package cache.

Uninstall PyCharm

For the Snap package, just remove it from Ubuntu Software or App Center.

For the Flatpak package, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to remove it:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.jetbrains.PyCharm-Community

And, run flatpak uninstall --unused to remove useless run-time libraries.

For PyCharm installed via the official Tarball, just remove the source folder as well as .desktop file under .local/share/applications directory.

For the Ubuntu PPA package, open terminal and run command to remove it:

sudo apt remove --autoremove pycharm-community

Also remove the Ubuntu PPA by running command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:xtradeb/apps
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How to Install Intellij IDEA 2023.2 in Ubuntu 22.04 / 23.10

Last updated: September 8, 2023 — Leave a comment

This simple tutorial shows how to install the latest Intellij IDEA 2023.2 in Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.04, and Ubuntu 23.10.

Intellij IDEA is available to install in Ubuntu via different ways. They include Snap, Flatpak, official tarball, and Ubuntu PPA. Choose either one that you prefer.

Method 1: Install Intellij IDEA via Snap package

JetBrains provides official Linux package through both Snap and tarball. Which is super easy to install for Ubuntu users.

The Snap package Features:

  • Official package by JetBrains.
  • Run in sandbox.
  • amd64 (x86_64) only.

For all current Ubuntu releases, just launch Ubuntu Software (or App Center), then search and install ‘Intellij IDE Community, Ultimate, or Educational.

Method 2: Install Intellij IDEA via Flatpak package

Another easy way to install the IDE is using Flatpak package. Which works in most Linux, though run in sandbox.

The Flatpak package Features:

  • Community maintained.
  • Run in sandbox.
  • amd64 (x86_64) and arm64 support.

Ubuntu users just need to press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Then run the 2 commands below one by one to install the package.

  • First, run command to install the Flatpak daemon: 
    sudo apt install flatpak

  • Then, run the command below to install IDEA as Flatpak: 
    flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.jetbrains.IntelliJ-IDEA-Community.flatpakref

    You may replace Community in command with Ultimate to install the Ultimate edition.

And, if you’re first time installing app as Flatpak, log out and back in for the app icon visible in system app launcher.

Method 3: Install IntelliJ IDEA via Official Tarball

If you don’t like or have issue for the IDE running in sandbox, then use the official Linux tarball instead!

The Linux Tarball Features:

  • Official package by JetBrains.
  • Portable, no installation required.
  • amd64 (x86_64) and arm64 support.

1. First, go to the official download page via the link below:

Download IntelliJ IDEA (tar.gz)

Depends on you needs, either download the Ultimate, or scroll down and select the Community edition. For ARM64, click the down arrow (▿) icon to select from drop-down menu.

2. After downloaded the tarball, just extract and move the source folder to any location that you want for long time use.

In my case, I created a “Apps” folder in user home, and put IDEA source folder into it as sub-directory.

3. Without installation, you can now go to the ‘bin‘ sub-folder, right-click on “idea.sh” and select “Run as Program” to launch the IDE.

4. Create app shortcut, so to launch from start/application menu.

  • First, press Ctrl+H in file manager and navigate to .local/share/applications directory. Then, create a new document and re-name to ‘idea.desktop’.For choice, you may open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to create the file instead: 
    gedit ~/.local/share/applications/idea.desktop

    Replace gedit with gnome-text-editor or other text editor according to your Ubuntu edition and desktop environment.

  • Then, paste following lines into the file you just created and save it. 
    [Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition
Comment=Develop with pleasure!
Exec=/PATH/TO/IDEA/EXECUTABLE
Icon=/PATH/TO/IDEA/ICON-FILE
Terminal=false
StartupNotify=true
StartupWMClass=jetbrains-idea-ce
Categories=Development;IDE;Java;

    Here, you need to replace the values of ‘Exec‘ and ‘Icon‘ according where you put the source folder. And, change ‘Name’ value for Ultimate edition.

If done correctly, you can now search for and launch the IDE from app launcher or the overview screen depends on your DE:

Method 4: Install IntelliJ IDEA via Ubuntu PPA

Another choice to avoid Snap and Flatpak, is using an Ubuntu PPA. However, there are only third-party maintained PPAs.

The PPA features:

  • Third-party maintained.
  • IDEA Community only so far.
  • amd64 (x86_64) only so far.
  • supports Ubuntu 22.04, 23.04 only so far.

As far as I know, the xtradeb PPA is keeping updated with the most recent packages including the IDEA Community.

To install the IDE from the PPA, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. And, run commands below one by one:

  • Add the PPA by running command: 
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xtradeb/apps

  • Then install the IDE: 
    sudo apt install intellij-idea-community

NOTE: Linux Mint user needs to run sudo apt update after adding PPA to manually refresh system package cache.

Uninstall IntelliJ IDEA

For the Snap package, just remove it from Ubuntu Software or App Center.

For the Flatpak package, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to remove it:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.jetbrains.IntelliJ-IDEA-Community

And, run flatpak uninstall --unused to remove useless run-time libraries.

For IDEA installed via the official Tarball, just remove the source folder as well as .desktop file under .local/share/applications directory.

For the Ubuntu PPA package, open terminal and run command to remove it:

sudo apt remove --autoremove intellij-idea-community

Also remove the Ubuntu PPA by running command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:xtradeb/apps
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How to Make File Chooser Dialog default to Current Working Directory

Last updated: September 7, 2023 — Leave a comment

This simple tutorial shows how to replace ‘Recent Used‘ with current working directory as default in GTK file chooser in Ubuntu.

Many apps use “Recent Used” as default in their “Open File” dialog. It’s great, but there’s a choice to make it default to the directory of current editing files.

GTK4 File Chooser

This is quite useful when working with many files in same directory. For example, when editing image via GIMP, press Ctrl+O (or Ctrl+Alt+O) will open file chooser and automatically open the directory of current image, instead of always ‘Recently Used’.

For GTK2 Apps

There are still some popular applications, such as GIMP, use GTK2 toolkit for their user interface.

1. First, open ‘Files’ (the file browser), press Ctrl+H to show hidden files/folders. Then navigate to .config -> gtk-2.0.

2. In that folder, click edit the ‘gtkfilechooser.ini‘ file. When file opens, change StartupMode=recent to StartupMode=cwd and save the file.

For GTK3/GTK4 Apps

GTK3 file chooser in Ubuntu 22.04/23.10 by default selects current working directory, but GTK4 chooses recent files as default. And, they have hidden option to configure this behavior.

Option 1: Use gsettings command

For those who are OK with Linux commands, just press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open a terminal window.

When terminal opens, run command to set current working directory as default for GTK3 file chooser:

gsettings set org.gtk.Settings.FileChooser startup-mode 'cwd'

For GTK4 applications, run this command instead in terminal window:

gsettings set org.gtk.gtk4.Settings.FileChooser startup-mode 'cwd'

Option 2: Use Dconf Editor (Graphical)

For graphical way, first search for and install ‘Dconf Editor‘ in Ubuntu Software:

or run command in terminal to install the tool, in case the Software App does not work for you:

sudo apt install dconf-editor

Then, search for and launch the ‘Dconf Editor’ tool:

When it opens, navigate to ‘org.gtk.Settings.FileChooser’. Finally, click ‘startup-mode’,turn off ‘Use default value’ and set custom value to ‘cwd’.

Also, navigate to ‘org.gtk.gtk4.Settings.FileChooser’ and change the value of ‘startup-mode’ to ‘cwd’ for GTK4 file chooser.

After making the changes, all your GTK file chooser dialog should use current working directory as default instead of ‘Recently Used’ immediately!

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Enable Mouse Scroll Switching Workspaces in Ubuntu 23.10

Last updated: September 5, 2023 — Leave a comment

Ubuntu 23.10 with GNOME 45 has replaced the top-left ‘Activities’ with a workspace indicator. By hovering over it, you can use mouse scroll to switch workspaces.

This is done by a simple extension called “Workspace Scroll”. Like the volume icon, with that extension, you can move mouse cursor over the top-left indicator, then scroll the middle mouse button to switch workspaces (aka Windows’ Virtual Desktop).

This can be useful for mouse heavily users, since it saves you a few mouse clicks!

How to Install Workspace Scroll

To install the extension for this feature, firstly press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal.

Then, run command to install “Extension Manager” app:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-manager


Next, click on top-left button to open overview, search for and launch “Extension Manager”.

Finally, use the tool to search and install the “Workspace Scroll” extension under ‘Browse’ tab.

For other Linux with GNOME 45, such as the upcoming Fedora 39, Arch/Manjaro etc, just open the link below:

Workspace Scroll

Then use the ON/OFF switch to install that extension. If you don’t see the switch, install browser extension via the link in the page and refresh.

After installed the extension, just move your cursor to top-left indicator button, and scroll the middle wheel to verify.

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