Ubuntu / Linux news and application reviews.

`Fedora Utils` Adds Fedora 17 Support


Fedora Utils is a tool to tweak Fedora and easily install packages which are not available in the main Fedora repositories.

Since our last Fedora Utils post, there have been quite a few changes, including support for the latest Fedora 17 and many bug fixes. Also, Fedora Utils now supports plugins so everyone can write one. Other new features include options to install TeamViewer, Arista Transcoder or Cinnamon, support for Fedora remixes and more.

Install Mint Display Manager (MDM) In Ubuntu 12.04

Linux Mint 13 has introduced a new display manager called MDM, that supports themes just like the old GDM 2.20 (which has been used as the base for MDM. If you want to use it in Ubuntu, here's how to install it.

Before proceeding with the installation, here are some screenshots of GDM themes used with MDM:


Install Ambiance Theme Fixed For Classic GNOME Session [Ubuntu 12.04]

Ambiance, the default Ubuntu theme, has some bugs when using the classic (fallback) GNOME session in Ubuntu 12.04 and a fix is available in a branch on Launchpad, but it hasn't been merged yet, so it's not available in the official Ubuntu 12.04 repositories.

Pinguy OS 12.04 Beta Available For Download

pinguy os 12.04 beta

Pinguy OS is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu that comes with many default applications and tweaks or fixes, trying to get everything to work out of the box.

Pinguy OS 12.04 beta, based on Ubuntu 12.04, is now available for download. Unlike the previous 11.10 release which never reached a stable state (because Pinguy didn't consider GNOME Shell 3.2 stable), Pinguy OS 12.04 will have a stable release.

Linux Mint 13 Released, 2 Editions Available: MATE And Cinnamon

Linux Mint 13 LTS "Maya", based on Ubuntu 12.04, has been released today and is available for download in two editions: one running the latest MATE 1.2 (GNOME 2.3.x fork) and another one using Cinnamon 1.4 (GNOME Shell fork).

Linux Mint 13 MATE edition:

linux mint 13 maya mate
Mint Menu now works with MATE Desktop

Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon edition:

linux mint 13 maya cinnamon

Grive: Open Source Google Drive Client For Linux

Update: grive was abandoned and no longer works. You may want to take a look at Grive2 instead.

grive google drive linux client

The Google Drive client isn't yet available for Linux and the old Google Docs FS doesn't work too well with Google Drive, so besides the web interface, the best solution to get Google Drive on Linux right now is using Grive, an unofficial, open source, command line Linux client for Google Drive.

Selene: A Cool, "Almost Dark" GTK3 Theme Based On elementary

Selene is an "almost dark" theme based on elementary GTK theme, inspired by the old Atolm GTK2 theme.

The pack comes with both GTK2 and GTK3 themes and optionally, a GNOME Shell theme. According to its author, the GTK2 theme isn't completely finished and you may find some minor bugs, but an improved version should be available soon.

ownCloud 4 Released With File Encryption And Versioning, More

owncloud 4

ownCloud is a free software alternative to some proprietary web services that you can install on your own computer or server, which includes file management with built-in file sharing (like Dropbox), music streaming, calendar, contacts and more.

ownCloud 4 has been released today, getting some much requested features like file encryption, file versioning, a new TODO app and more!

2 Ways To Temporarily Disable The Screensaver While Watching Videos

The screensaver / lock screen isn't temporarily disabled when playing videos in some applications or in a web browser which can be very annoying, so here are two ways to inhibit the screensaver while watching videos.

Download GIMP 2.8 Script-FUs Pack (More Than 100 Effects And Filters)

gimp 2.8 script fu

GIMP 2.8 Script-FUs is a collection of more than 100 scripts, initially created for GIMP 2.4, that have been fixed/updated recently to work with the latest GIMP 2.8. Besides filters and effects, there are also some scripts that allow you to easily create a calendar, create a CD label, add watermark and more.

MK802: New USB Thumb Drive-Sized Android Computer

MK802 usb thumb drive sized computer

MK802, a new USB thumb drive-sized computer is available for purchase. The mini computer has an AllWinner A10 single-core 1.5Ghz ARM CPU, 512 MB of RAM, a Mali 400 GPU and can play high definition videos.

Open Source RTS Game 0 A.D. Alpha 10 Released

0 ad alpha 10

Wildfire Games has released the tenth alpha version of 0 A.D., an open source, historical real-time strategy game which features excellent graphics and sound. The new alpha brings Hellenic factions, basic technologies, civilization phases, click-and-drag wall building functionality, healing and more.

Add PDF, Audio And EXIF Metadata To Nautilus (3.4 To 3.10) List View [Nautilus Columns]

Nautilus Columns is a Nautilus extension that displays PDF and audio (mp3, WAV and FLAC) tags as well as EXIF metadata to the Nautilus List View. The extension has been updated recently by WebUpd8 reader Arun to work with Nautilus 3.4 so you can use it in the latest Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. Update: it also works with Nautilus 3.10 / Ubuntu 14.04 and 14.10.

Window Buttons Extension Available For GNOME Shell 3.4 [Ubuntu 12.04]

gnome shell window buttons

The GNOME Shell Window Buttons extension has been updated for GNOME Shell 3.4 and is now available in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA.

Window Buttons is an extension that displays the minimize, maximize and close window buttons on the top GNOME Shell bar, like in Unity. The buttons order or theme can be customize and the extension comes with 5 built-in themes: Ambiance, Radiance, Zukitwo, Zukitwo Dark and a generic (default) theme.

Ubuntu Tweak 0.7.1 Available For Download

ubuntu tweak 0.7.1

Ubuntu Tweak 0.7.1 has been released today, the new version bringing some important bug fixes as well as some small new features.

How To Remove Media Players From The Ubuntu Sound Menu [Ubuntu 12.04]

The Ubuntu Sound Menu can get very crowded because many applications are automatically added the first time you run them. Here's a quick way to remove / blacklist applications from the Ubuntu Sound Menu (for Ubuntu 12.04 only).

GNOME Shell Extensions Updater

With GNOME Shell Extensions Updater, you can update all the extensions installed from extensions.gnome.org with a single click. This extension checks for updated extensions every 5 days and displays a notification in the GNOME Shell Message Tray with all the available updates:

Install Xfce 4.10 In Xubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin Via PPA

xfce 4.10 xubuntu 12.04

Xfce 4.10 was released about two weeks ago, too late to be included in Xubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin. But you can install the latest XFCE 4.10 in Xubuntu 12.04 using a PPA.

UDS-Q News: Unity 2D Might Go Away, More [Ubuntu 12.10]

uds-q logo

The Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS-Q) has started a couple of days ago and in the "GNOME Plans Review" review session which took place yesterday, it was discussed which GNOME version will be used by Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal, if Clutter is to be included by default and more.

Install GIMP Plugin Registry For GIMP 2.8 In Ubuntu [PPA]

gimp plugin registry

A quick update for those of you who are using GIMP 2.8 under Ubuntu 12.04 or 11.10: Otto's PPA which you've probably used to install GIMP 2.8 has been updated recently and it now includes GIMP Plugin Registry, recompiled to work with GIMP 2.8 (see how to install GIMP 2.8 in Ubuntu, HERE).

How To Get Dodge Windows And Minimize On Click For Unity In Ubuntu 12.04


A few days ago, a post on the Ubuntu Forums was announcing a PPA for Ubuntu 12.04 that adds two patches for Unity: 'Dodge windows' and minimize/unminimize on click for the Unity launcher, but initially, the patches had a few bugs (including a bug that prevented minimize from working with multiple windows) which have been fixed recently.

Autohide Top Bar For GNOME Shell 3.4, More [Ubuntu PPA]


"Autohide Top Bar", a GNOME Shell extension that lets you toggle the GNOME Shell Top Bar autohide on/off by double clicking it, is now available for GNOME Shell 3.4 and Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin.

Help Test Audience Media Player

audience media player

Audience, a Gstreamer-based media player for Linux written in Vala is getting closer to its first public release. But firstly, it needs testing so if you want to help, install Audience and submit any bugs you find @ Launchpad (before you do, try the videos in Totem to make sure the bugs are Audience-specific).

GIMP 2.8 (Stable) Finally Available For Download

gimp 2.8 single window screenshot

After more than three years of development, GIMP 2.8 stable is finally available for download. The new version brings the long-awaited single-window mode (optional; you can still use multiple windows) as well as some other cool new features like on-canvas text editing, multi-column dock windows, a new set of brushes and many other features and improvements.

There's no official announcement for the latest GIMP 2.8 yet, but you can download the source from its FTP servers. Update: GIMP 2.8 has been officially released.

ownCloud Android App Available For Download

ownCloud, the complete, open source cloud file sync tool (includes music streaming, file management which supports sharing, calendar, contacts and more) is now available for Android.

How To Install Ubuntu 12.04 On Non-PAE Capable Hardware

Physical Address Extension (PAE) is a feature to allow (32-bit) x86 processors to access a physical address space (including random access memory and memory mapped devices) larger than 4 gigabytes.

Ubuntu 12.04 (as well as Kubuntu 12.04 and newer Ubuntu versions) uses the PAE Linux kernel by default for 32bit ISOs so old computers that don't support PAE can't boot the latest Ubuntu version. But there is a way to install Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin on computers without PAE support: using the non-PAE netboot Minimal ISO (there are also some alternatives, see below).