Eyedropper – Modern GTK4 HEX, RGB, HSL Color Picker Tool for Linux

Last updated: September 13, 2022 — Leave a comment

Looking for a color picker tool for Linux? Try Eyedropper, a new GTK4 application that looks native in modern GNOME desktop.

It’s a free and open-source tool written in Rust programming language. Which, provides an easy to use interface to pick a color and display in HEX, RGB, HSV, HSL, CMYK, XYZ and CIE-Lab formats, as well as handy “Copy to clipboard” icons to quickly copy the values.

User can either use the header-bar picker icon, or click on color bar to open the template for choosing colors. And, edit color by changing the HEX value.

The preferences dialog has options to toggle which color values to display. By setting “Alpha-Value-Position”, it can enable the alpha channel (opacity of a color). However, it’s only available by editing the HEX value so far.

Depends on Alpha-Value-Position option you set, either the first 2 or last 2 values in HEX code applies the color opacity. Though, the alpha channel so far does not work for other color formats!

How to install Eyedropper

The app is available to install in most Linux via universal Flatpak package.

1. First, follow the setup guide to enable Flatpak support. Ubuntu 20.04 | 22.04 can simply press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal and run command to enable it:

sudo apt install flatpak

2. Then, go to the Github releases page. Click expand “Assets” section of the latest release and select download the .flatpak package.

Download Eyedropper

Finally, install the package via command:

cd ~/Downloads && flatpak install com.github.finefindus.eyedropper.flatpak

The app is also available in Flathub repository, so you can also run the command below in terminal to install the package:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.github.finefindus.eyedropper.flatpakref

After installation, search for and open it from ‘Activities’ overview just like native applications.

Uninstall Eyedropper

To remove the tool, open a terminal window and run command:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.github.finefindus.eyedropper

Also clean up useless run-time libraries (if any) via flatpak uninstall --unused.

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KeePass2 2.52 Released! PPA Updated for Ubuntu 22.04 | 20.04

Last updated: September 15, 2022 — 5 Comments

KeePass2 password manager released version 2.52 a day ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 20.04, & Ubuntu 18.04 via PPA.

The new release now allows importing 1Password 8.7 1PUX, and Key Folder 1.22 XML files, as well as groups and expiry dates when importing Sticky Password XML.

There are also other password manager files compatibility, such as support for the new encoding of double quotes when importing Steganos Password Manager CSV, and automatically convert time-based one-time password generator settings on Bitwarden JSON import.

KeePass2 2.52 also has some UI improvements, including ‘Copy Initial Password’ option in the tool menu of entry dialog; ‘Alt. item background color’ option that combines the previous ‘Use alternating item background colors’ and ‘Custom alt. item color’.

It now checks the ‘KeePass.exe.config’ file and shows a warning message when finding a problem. Which, causes the following pop-up on every start in my case. Though, it seems working without any issue.

I’m not user of KeePass, and don’t know what’s wrong with the default config file build from source tarball. If you know how to correct it, please leave comment below so I can fix it in the PPA package.

See more about KeePass 2.52 via the official release note.

UPDATE for the “/usr/lib/keepass2/KeePass.exe.config”:

Thanks to Ivan K and gilles, you may manually correct the version number to workaround the issue:

1. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to get the version number:

monodis --assembly /usr/lib/keepass2/KeePass.exe

2. Next, edit the config file via command:

sudo gedit /usr/lib/keepass2/KeePass.exe.config

Finally, change the “NewVersion” number to match the one you got in last command.

Install KeePass2 2.52 via PPA:

Though there are good native password managers such as KeePassXC for Linux, you can use KeePass2 for your choice. And, I uploaded the package into this unofficial PPA for easy installation.

1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Then run the command below to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/keepass2

2. For old Ubuntu 18.04 & Linux Mint, you need to manually refresh package cache though it’s done automatically in Ubuntu 20.04+:

sudo apt update

3. Finally, either run the apt command below to install the package:

sudo apt install keepass2

Or use Software Updater (Update Manager) to update the package if an old version was installed on your system.

Uninstall KeePass2:

To remove the software package, also open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove keepass2

And, remove the PPA, either by going to “Software & Updates -> Other Software” and remove the source line, or run the command below in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/keepass2
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Enable Wayland Support for Firefox/Chrome in Ubuntu 22.04 for Better Experience

Last updated: December 20, 2023 — 3 Comments

Running Ubuntu 22.04 with the default Wayland session? You can switch your web browser’s backend to get even faster and smoother experience.

Firefox, Google Chrome and Chromium based web browsers do have native Wayland support, but they still use X11 as backend in Ubuntu desktop.

Since Ubuntu 22.04 by default logs into Wayland session, user can also change the web browser’s backend to get faster and smoother browsing experiences. I didn’t run any benchmark. But after switching to Wayland, my browser now has:

  • obviously better touchpad scrolling
  • 2-finger spread/pinch gestures to zoom in/out

Enable Wayland for Chrome/Chromium

For Google Chrome, Chromium and their based web browsers, e.g., Edge, Vivaldi, just type chrome://flags/ in address bar and hit Enter.

When the page opens, search for Preferred Ozone platform and use the dropdown menu to set it value to “Wayland“. Finally, click “Relaunch” button to apply change by restarting the web browser.

Chrome enable wayland

Native Wayland for Firefox

Since Firefox 121.0, it uses Wayland by default if available, but NOT for pre-installed Firefox Snap package in my case.

To enable it for Snap package, either open terminal and start Firefox with Wayland from terminal:

env MOZ_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1 /snap/bin/firefox

Or, open “Files” (Nautilus file browser), press Ctrl+H then find out and edit the .profile file.

When the file opens in text editor, add the line below in the end and save it.

export MOZ_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1

To apply the change, you need to log out and back in.

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How to Install LXQt (1.4.0 Updated) in (L)Ubuntu 22.04 via PPA

Last updated: November 16, 2023 — Leave a comment

This simple tutorial shows how to install the latest LXQt desktop 1.4.0 in (L)Ubuntu 22.04 via its official PPA.

The light LXQt desktop environment released 1.4.0 for few weeks ago. While, LUbuntu 22.04 ships with 0.17 version by default, you can now upgrade to the latest through PPA.

Changes in LXQt 1.4.0 include:

  • use lxqt-menu-data to replace lxmenu-data anywhere needed.
  • The file manager now allow users to add terminal commands.
  • QTerminal supports audible bell as an option
  • Image viewer has a minimal support for color spaces now.
  • Add option to the custom command plugin for showing the output as an image.
  • Update the DBus activation environment
  • See more at the releases page.

Install LXQt 1.4.0 via PPA:

LUbuntu announced the official backports PPA last year, to provide the latest LXQt desktop stack. It now contains the new LXQt 1.4.0 packages for (L)Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

1. Add LUbuntu backports PPA

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T), and run the command below in terminal to add the official PPA instead:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:lubuntu-dev/backports

2. Update LXQt Desktop:

Finally, use the command below to update LXQt to v1.4.0:

sudo apt full-upgrade

NOTE: apt full-upgrade is required rather than apt upgrade, or some core libraries will be kept back.

For non-LUbuntu but Ubuntu 22.04 based systems, user can use the command below to install LXQt 1.4.0:

sudo apt install lubuntu-desktop

In case you want to restore your system later, it’s better to written down what packages it’s going to install via terminal output

Uninstall LXQt 1.4.0 in LUbuntu 22.04

To restore your LUbuntu desktop, run the command below in terminal to install ppa-purge and use the tool to purge the PPA repository:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:lubuntu-dev/backports

Finally, restart your system.

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Replace “Activities” with Current Workspace Name in Ubuntu 22.04 / Fedora 36

Last updated: September 4, 2022 — Leave a comment

This simple tutorial shows how to set custom names for your desktop workspaces, and replace “Activities” in the top-left with the current workspace name you specified.

Today’s desktop operating systems mostly have multiple desktops to group app windows in different screen. These virtual desktops in GNOME (default desktop environment in Ubuntu/Fedora Workstation) are called workspaces. And, each workspace can have its own name.

Step 1: Set custom names for your workspaces

1. First, search for and install “Dconf Editor” if you don’t have it from Ubuntu Software (or GNOME Software).

2. Next, search for and open the Dconf Editor tool from ‘Activities’ overview screen.

When it opens, navigate to “org/gnome/desktop/vm/preferences“. Scroll down and click on “workspace-names” to get into the setting page.

Finally, turn off the default value, and type your desired named in ‘custom value’ box.

NOTE: GNOME by default has 2 workspaces. It adds/removes workspaces automatically to keep only one extra empty workspace. To set fixed number of workspaces, open “Settings” and navigate to “Multi-tasking > Workspaces”

For those familiar with Linux commands, this can be done simply by running the command below in terminal:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences workspace-names "['name1', 'name2', 'name3', 'name4']"

Step 2: Replace “Activities” with current workspace name

By replacing “Activities”, you can take a glance at top-left to make sure which workspace you’re working on. Though the name changes, it’s still working like before. By clicking on it will open the overview screen.

1.) First, search for and install “Extension Manager” from Ubuntu Software.

Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu 22.04

2.) Then, search for and launch the tool you just installed from overview screen:

3.) Finally, navigate to “Browse” tab, search for and install the “Activities Workspace Name” extension.

For Fedora 36 user, just go to the extension web page and use the ON/OFF switch to install it:

Activities Workspace Name extension

NOTE: If you set workspace names after installed the extension, restart GNOME Shell it required to make it work. To do so, press Alt+F2, type ‘r’ and hit Enter on Xorg session, or log out and back in on default Wayland.

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Ubuntu 20.04.5 Released with New Hardware Enablement Stacks

Last updated: September 2, 2022 — Leave a comment

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS just got a new point release with hardware enablement stacks for use on newer hardware.

The new Ubuntu 20.04.5 features Kernel 5.15 backported from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, which enables newer hardware support.

It also updates the NVIDIA 390, 470, 510 driver series, as well adds initial support of NVIDIA 515 driver. For HP machines, it adds mic mute key support for HP Elite x360 series, and adds more hp dmi to unblock intel-hid event. Also, add HP EliteBook 630/830 13 inch dmi string to intel-hid allowlist.

The system hangs and display mode switching issues when external HDMI is plugged have been fixed. Firefox should be possible to open downloads folder when AppArmor enabled. And, many OEM meta packages have been added for Lenovo Thinkpad laptops.

For more changes about Ubuntu 20.04.5, see the change summary in this page.

How to Get Ubuntu 20.04.5:

If you’re already running Ubuntu 20.04 in your machine, just check out the “About” page in System Settings, as you should have the new point release.

Or, run the single command in terminal to verify:

cat /etc/issue

To download Ubuntu 20.04.5 (though 22.04.1 is recommended now), go to:

Download Ubuntu 20.04.5
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OBS Studio 28.0 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu 22.04 | 20.04

Last updated: September 2, 2022 — Leave a comment

Free open-source video capturing, recording and live streaming software, OBS Studio, just got a big update with exciting new features!

It’s the 10th anniversary release that features 10-bit & HDR video encoding support! Thought, the new feature so far works only with AV1 and HEVC encoders, and 10-bit HEVC encoding requires NVIDIA 10-series, AMD 5000 series, or newer GPU.

OBS Studio 28.0 also adds native Apple Silicon support, many third-party plugins may not yet be ready for the native build.

The release is also porting to Qt6. Except for Ubuntu 20.04 PPA package, all others are now based on Qt6. Meaning many plugins may not work until the developers updated with Qt6 support. See most common plugins, that works with OBS Studio 28.0.

Ubuntu 18.04 is no longer officially supported though user may try the Flatpak package that run in sandbox.

OBS Studio HDR

Other changes in OBS Studio 28.0 include:

  • New, optimal AMD encoder for Windows.
  • Add support for CBR, CRF, and Simple Mode to Apple VT encoder
  • New default Theme “Yami”
  • Native SRT/RIST outputs
  • Send chat messages to YouTube from within OBS
  • See more in Github releases page.

How to Install OBS Studio 28.0 in Ubuntu & Other Linux:

The OBS Studio website offers the packages for Windows and macOS.

For Linux users, it offers the official packages via both Flatpak and Ubuntu PPA.

Option 1: Install OBS Studio Flatpak in most Linux

Flatpak is an universal Linux package runs in sandbox. In case you want to install the new release in Ubuntu 18.04, try the steps below.

1.) Setup Flatpak daemon

Some Linux, such as Linux Mint, Fedora, Pop! OS has Flatpak support out-of-the-box. But, most other does not, so you may first follow this setup guide to enable it for your Linux.

For Ubuntu 18.04, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal and run command to add the Flatpak PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:flatpak/stable

Then update system package cache via:

sudo apt update

Finally, run the apt command to install the daemon package:

sudo apt install flatpak

2.) Install OBS Studio as Flatpak

After setup the daemon, run the single command below will install this live streaming software:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.obsproject.Studio.flatpakref

As a containerized software packages, it may also install the run-time libraries that takes more disk spaces.

Finally, launch it either by searching from “Show Applications” screen or via command below:

flatpak run com.obsproject.Studio

Option 2: Install OBS Studio via Ubuntu PPA

The official PPA has updated the packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Linux Mint 20/21 based systems.

1.) First open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:obsproject/obs-studio

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

2.) Linux Mint and maybe some other Linux do not update the package cache automatically while adding PPA. So, you need to run the command below instead to do it manually:

sudo apt update

3.) Finally, either update the package via “Software Updater” (Update Manager), or run the command below to install it:

sudo apt install obs-studio

Uninstall OBS Studio:

For the Flatpak package, open terminal (press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard) and run command to uninstall the package:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.obsproject.Studio

For the Ubuntu PPA package, either install PPA purge tool and purge the PPA, which also downgrade all installed package:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:obsproject/obs-studio

Or, remove the PPA package via apt command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove obs-studio

As well as removing the PPA repository via:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:obsproject/obs-studio
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Pano – Manage Clipboard History in Ubuntu 24.04/22.04 in New Style

Last updated: June 12, 2024 — Leave a comment

Need to access your copy & paste history quickly? Forget about GPaste or CopyQ, try Pano if your on default GNOME Desktop.

It’s a cool new clipboard manager for Ubuntu, Fedora, and other Linux with GNOME Desktop, such as Arch and Manjaro.

No system tray indicator or app window, just press your custom keyboard shortcut will bring up the bottom bar with all recent clipboard histories. And, it supports exclusions, and by default blocks tracking apps such as KeePassXC, 1Password, Gnome Secrets, etc.

The histories are displayed in blocks with different colors. It supports:

  • Code blocks with syntax highlighting.
  • Color codes (hex/rgb)
  • Images with size and resolution information.
  • Links with previews.
  • Texts
  • File Operations (Cut/Copy)

And, each block has a title indicates when it was created, as well as a little close button to delete it from the history.

As the screenshot shows, there’s a input box to search through the history. Or, you may use either left/right keyboard key or 2-finger swipe left/right gestures to browse through them.

Once you click on an item from the list, it copies the content into clipboard and close the bottom bar automatically. You may then paste it to anywhere as you prefer.

Install Pano:

1. Install Dependencies

Before installing the extension, you need to first press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open up a terminal window, and run command to install dependency libraries:

sudo apt install gir1.2-gda-5.0 gir1.2-gsound-1.0

Type user password (no visual feedback, just type in mind) when it asks and hit Enter.

2. Install Pano via Extension Manager

Pano is available as an extension which so far supports GNOME 42 ~ 45. Which means you needs either Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 23.10 users can do following steps to install:

1. Firstly, search for and install “Extension Manager” from Ubuntu Software or App Center (filtered by “Debian Package”).

Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu 22.04

2. Then, launch the tool by searching from ‘Activities’ overview screen.

3. Finally, search for and install the extension from the ‘Browse’ tab.

For Ubuntu 24.04 with GNOME 46

The extension in EGO (extensions.gnome.org) so far does NOT support GNOME 46, though the developer is working on it.

Before GNOME 46 support added to EGO, you may manually download the source from the Github project page:

Download Pano (under Assets)

Then, extract and move (or copy) the extracted folder into .local/share/gnome-shell/extensions folder.

Finally, log out and back in to apply change.

Configure Pano:

After installed the extension, go back to “Installed” tab in Extension Manager.

Then enable the extension and click on the gear button to open the configuration dialog. Finally, set the global shortcut, how many history items to remember and where to store them, etc as you want

NOTE: for loading error, try log out and back in to restart GNOME Shell.

For Fedora user, go to the extension web page in the link below and use the ON/OFF switch to install it:

Pano Extension

And, install ‘Gnome Extensions’ app from Gnome Software for accessing the preference dialog.

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How to Set Different Wallpaper for Each Workspace in Ubuntu 22.04

Last updated: May 11, 2024 — 7 Comments

UPDATE May 2024: The Extension support stuck at GNOME 42, meaning Ubuntu 22.04 only!

Want to set different wallpaper for each desktop workspace? You can now do this in Ubuntu and Fedora via a GNOME extension.

This is one of my favorite features when Ubuntu was using Unity as default desktop. After switched back to GNOME, I didn’t find an alternative method to re-implement this feature until I met this extension.

However, this method does not display different wallpapers in overview. Wallpaper applies only when you switched to that desktop (workspace). So, it may be called change wallpaper automatically when switching desktop.

Install the Extension & Set wallpapers in Ubuntu 22.04:

For Ubuntu 22.04, first search for and install “Extension Manager” from Ubuntu Software.

Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu 22.04

Next, press Super (Windows logo) key to open overview, search for and open the tool you just installed.

When it opens, navigate to “Browse” tab, search for and install “Walkpaper2” extension.

Finally, switch back to “Installed” tab, click the gear icon for the extension. In pop-up window, just click on the previous image to open dialog to set new wallpaper.

NOTE: GNOME by default has 2 desktops, and adds more dynamically. To set fixed number of desktop workspaces, go to “Settings -> Multitasking -> Workspaces”.

Set different wallpaper in other GNOME based Linux

For Fedora Workstation 36, Arch and Manjaro with GNOME, simply go the to link below and turn on the ON/OFF switch to install the extension:

Install Walkpaper2

In case you don’t see the ON/OFF switch, follow the link in that page to install web browser extension and refresh it.

To get the settings dialog, install and use “Gnome Extensions” app, either from Gnome Software or via pamac package manager.

There’s another extension with old GNOME support, however lack of versions support for Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 20.04.

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Kdenlive 22.08 Released! How to Install in (K)Ubuntu 22.04 | 20.04

Last updated: August 25, 2022 — 1 Comment

Kdenlive video editor released version 22.08 with exciting new features. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu via PPA.

Kdenlive 22.08 introduced initial support for styling subtitles, allows to modify the font, font size, font and outline colors, add shadows, set position and background color of subtitles.

The release also adds many new effects, including Shear, Scroll, Photosensitivity, Monochrome, Median, Kirsch, Exposure, EPX Scaler, Color Temperature, Color Overlay, Color Correct, Color Contrast, Chroma Noise Reduction, Contrast Adaptive Sharpen, Bilateral and VR360 Equirectangular to Stereo.

Styling subtitles

The audio recording interface has been overhauled. User can either use the record button in the track head or press Space-bar on keyboard to start recording. Space-bar can be also used to pause and resume recording, while Esc key is for exiting recording mode.

Other changes in Kdenlive 22.08 include:

  • Fix for NVENC and VAAPI proxy clip encoding support.
  • Faster render speeds with experimental Parallel Processing feature
  • Support AVIF, HEIF, HEIC and JPEG XL image formats, LOTTIE and RAWR animations, as well as VTT (Web Video Text Tracks) and SBV (YouTube) subtitle files.
  • Export guides as chapters for YouTube/PeerTube/Vimeo
  • Integration with Glaxnimate vector graphics animation program
  • Luma composition now supports video matte files.
  • Main effects tab now displays all audio and video effects
  • Improved clip-tagging system to easily add, edit and reorder tags in the project bin.
  • Added the ability to change the subtitle framerate.

How to Install Kdenlive 22.08 in Ubuntu:

The video editor has an official PPA contains the updated software packages for Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and their based systems, such as Linux Mint 20/21, Pop! OS 22.04, Zorin OS 16.

Add the PPA

To add the Ubuntu PPA, either press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard or search for and open terminal (konsole) from start menu.

When terminal opens, run command to add PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kdenlive/kdenlive-stable

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

Install / Update Kdenlive

After adding PPA, user can either open Software Updater (or Update Manager) to update the software package from an installed version:

Or run the command below to install or update the video editor:

sudo apt install kdenlive

NOTE: Linux Mint user has to run sudo apt update first to manually refresh package cache

And, if you got overwriting files issue due to the old dependencies: libmlt-data and melt, run command to remove them and then re-run the apt command above:

sudo dpkg -r melt libmlt-data

Once installed, press Super (Windows logo key) to open ‘Activities’ overview or start menu, and search for and open Kdenlive.

Uninstall Kdenlive

To remove Kdenlive, either use your system package manager or run the command below in a terminal window:

sudo apt remove --autoremove kdenlive

And remove the Ubuntu PPA either by running command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:kdenlive/kdenlive-stable

Or use “Software & Updates” utility to remove the source line under “Other Software” tab.

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