News, Tutorials, Howtos for Ubuntu Linux
Scrcpy, Android screen mirroring and controlling app, released version 2.7 few days ago.
Scrcpy is a popular free and open-source application for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It can mirror the Android screen on PC, and allows to control the device with keyboard and mouse.
With the new 2.7 release, user can now use game controllers (e.g., PS4/PS5, or XBox gamepad), which are connected into the computer, to play Android games.
Scrcpy on Ubuntu
Linux Kernel 6.11 was released! Linus Torvalds announced it 2 days ago on Sunday:
“I’m once again on the road and not in my normal timezone, but it’s Sunday afternoon here in Vienna, and 6.11 is out.
The last week was actually pretty quiet and calm, which is nice to see. The shortlog is below for anybody who wants to look at the details, but it really isn’t very many patches, and the patches are all pretty small. Nothing in particular stands out – the biggest patch in here is for Hyper-V Confidential Computing documentation. …”
This tutorial shows how to enable floating top panel in Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 40, Arch, Manjaro and other Linux with GNOME 46/47 Desktop.
Unlike traditional system panel which is usually stick to screen edge, floating bar (or panel) looks kinda like a desktop widget. It floats on the desktop, and usually has a small distance from the top or bottom edge.
Some systems, such as Windows 11, Zorin OS, Deepin Linux, include options to enable floating taskbar. The KDE Plasma 6 desktop even use it as default, which also automatically switches to solid panel style, when a window approaches or is maximized.
Ubuntu is working on a new desktop security center and prompting-client. Here’s how to try it out in current Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
It’s an experimental new feature that will land in next Ubuntu 24.10. Which, provides graphical interface to make it easier for users to control the file/folder access permission for Snap apps.
For example, when browsing web via Firefox (the preinstalled Firefox is a Snap package). You found a good image and want to save it to local folder, or you just want to download something. Before the downloading process starts, it will pop-up a dialog as the screenshot shows you, asking for user permission to allow writing to the file or folder.
Pop-up for file/folder access permission
Oracle finally announced the release of new major VirtualBox 7.1.0 after almost 2 years since the last feature release.
The release introduced a new logo icon with flat design, and re-fined the UI with modern look and feel. The Preferences and VM Settings dialog now include Basic and Expert tabs that will show/hide some extra settings.
It improved the font in Settings/Preferences to make the text more easy to read, as well it provides a “Search Box” in the dialog for searching settings. And, each VM now has new splash screen at very beginning of startup.
VirtualBox VM startup splash
This tutorial shows how to enable One Time PassWord in Ubuntu 24.04 for either local or remote SSH login.
One Time PassWord, OTPW in short, is a PAM module which is useful for allowing a user to login public or shared computer/server using a single-use password, that works only for one time.
By generating a list OTPW passwords, and configuring your system to allow OTPW logins, it will ask random one of the OTPW passwords on every login. And, that password will never work again once logged in successfully with it.
Audacity audio editor announced 3.6.2 release a week ago, then version 3.6.3 a day ago with a quick-fix.
As you may know, Audacity 3.6.0 introduced new compressor and limiter effects, replacing the old ones. For those who prefer the classic effects, the new point release added a “Legacy” effects section, under “Effects” menu, that contains the old Limiter, Compressor and Classic Filters.
This is a simple tutorial shows how to disable password authentication, and use SSH key instead for remote login to remote Ubuntu Server or Desktop.
SSH (Secure Shell) is a popular and secure way to login remote servers and/or transfer data between local and remote machines. When you try to SSH to a remote server, it usually asks for user password for authentication.
However, passwords are not the most secure. They are generally either not complex or long enough to protect from attacks, or hard to remember and type again and again on every connection.
To be more secure and also save your time, the secure key authentication is a good choice. And, here’s how to set it up step by step.
Continue Reading…
Ubuntu 24.10, code-name Oracular Oriole, is coming in next month. Now, the default as well as optional wallpapers are out!
As before, the default wallpaper for Ubuntu 24.10 is made up of mascot (a songbird this time) in center and gradient background. The file is always named “warty-final-ubuntu.png”, and features 4K (3840×2160) resolution.
NOTE: The images in this post are optimized for fast loading. Scroll down for the download link!
Ubuntu 24.10 Wallpaper (scroll down for download link)
This tutorial shows how to share your USB device, e.g., USB mouse/keyboard, USB drive, webcam, and speaker, in Ubuntu so you can access remotely from other computers/laptops.
Linux Kernel includes a command line tool called USB/IP, allowing to share USB devices between computers with their full functionality. So, a computer can use remote USB devices as if they were directly attached.
If you just want to share USB mouse & keyboard between computers, then Barrier is a good choice. But for webcam, usb drive, printer (through it usually has option to do the job), and other general USB devices, this tutorial will show you how.
