Blender 3.5 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu 20.04

Blender 3.5, the popular 3D creation software, was released few days ago. Here are the new features and how to install guide for Ubuntu users.

The new release features 26 built-in hair assets, allows to drag and drop to use onto your setups. As well, it allows to do many actions on hair curves, such as generate, duplicate, deform, trim, rotate, roll up, and more.

It also added support for Vector Displacement Maps (VDM) brushes, new GPU-based 3D viewport compositor, many lights sampling for Cycles.

Other changes in Blender 3.5 include:

  • Use native Metal in macOS for 3D viewport.
  • New options and shortcuts for Pose Library.
  • New Ease operator in the Graph Editor
  • New Natural Drawing Speed timing mode in the Build modifier
  • Support for Importing and exporting USDZ files.

How to Install Blender 3.5 in Ubuntu

Option 1: Install Blender as Snap

For Ubuntu 20.04 and higher, it’s super easy to install the latest Blender package through the official Snap package.

Simply open Ubuntu Software, search for ‘Blender’ and click install it.

I’m not sure if Ubuntu software in 18.04 has added support for Snap, but user can just press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal and run command to install the daemon & Blender as snap:

sudo apt install snapd && sudo snap install blender --classic

Option 2: Install Blender via the Linux tarball

Some users do not like the snap package that runs in sandbox. For choice, Blender website offers the portable Linux tarball:

And here’s a step by step guide shows how to create app shortcut for the portable package.

Blender is also available to install as Flatpak package. For those prefer the classic .deb package, there’s a third-party PPA, though not updated at the moment of writing.

Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix Is Now Official Ubuntu Flavor

Last Updated on March 29, 2023 by itsubuntu

Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix Is Now Official Ubuntu Flavor

Canonical has now accepted the application of Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix for the approval of Official Ubuntu Flavor. If you are an Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix user then this might be good news for you as the Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix distribution has officially become an official Ubuntu flavor. The Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix project was started in 2019 by the Ubuntu community members, who were interested in bringing the Cinnamon desktop environment to Ubuntu. The project is now an official Ubuntu flavor and is maintained by the Ubuntu community. It will be available as an official flavor from the upcoming Ubuntu 23.04 (Lunar Lobster) release.

List of Official Ubuntu Flavor

  • Kubuntu
  • Lubuntu
  • Ubuntu Budgie
  • Ubuntu Kylin
  • Ubuntu MATE
  • Ubuntu Studio
  • Ubuntu Unity
  • Xubuntu
  • Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix

The first stable release of Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix was based on Ubuntu 19.10 Eoan Ermine. You can find the full announcement regarding Ubuntu official flavor acceptance here.

Install & Try out Ubuntu’s New Fonts in Ubuntu 22.04 | 20.04

The Ubuntu design team is working on new Ubuntu fonts and proposes to use as default in the upcoming Ubuntu 23.04.

For testing purpose, the team posted the .deb packages for the new fonts in this thread. User can try it out by installing in all current Ubuntu releases and report any issue in this page.

I’ve tried out the new fonts in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. The text in system menu and application window becomes a bit thin and compact than before.

And, the document text in text editor looks enlarged, that I even doubted if the font size was changed mistakenly.

How to Install the New Fonts

First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open a terminal window. When it opens, run single command to download the 2 font packages:

wget https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/fonts-ubuntu/0.862-0ubuntu2/+build/25677616/+files/fonts-ubuntu_0.862-0ubuntu2_all.deb https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/fonts-ubuntu/0.862-0ubuntu2/+build/25677616/+files/fonts-ubuntu-console_0.862-0ubuntu2_all.deb

Install wget via sudo apt install wget if it says command not found.

After downloaded the packages, use command to install them:

sudo dpkg -i fonts-ubuntu-console_0.862-0ubuntu2_all.deb fonts-ubuntu_0.862-0ubuntu2_all.deb

You can then remove the 2 packages in user home folder. And restart computer to apply changes after installation.

How to Restore original fonts

The stock fonts package version varies on different Ubuntu editions, so I would recommend to first install Synaptic package manager in Ubuntu Software.

Then, open “Synaptic” and do:

  1. Search and highlight “fonts-ubuntu” package.
  2. Go to menu “Package -> Force Version”.
  3. Select the old stock version from pop-up dialog, then click “Force Version” button.
  4. Finally, click “Apply”.
  5. Also, do the previous steps one by one for “fonts-ubuntu-console” package.

Also, restart computer to apply changes and done!

How to Install Budgie Desktop 10.7.1 in Ubuntu Budgie 22.04

This simple tutorial shows how to install the latest Budgie Desktop 10.7.1 in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

Ubuntu Budgie is one of the official Ubuntu flavors features the Budgie desktop. While Ubuntu Budgie 22.04 ships with Budgie Desktop 10.6.1, the latest version has reached v10.7.1.

For those who want to get the latest features, but don’t want to upgrade to or install the upcoming Ubuntu 23.04. The developers team maintains an Ubuntu PPA contains the latest desktop packages  for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

NOTE: The PPA is marked as unstable, though it’s working good in my case. Don’t use it in production machine!

1. First, search for and open “terminal” from application menu. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntubudgie-dev/backports-budgie-unstable

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

2. After adding the PPA, install all available package updates by running command in Ubuntu Budgie 22.04:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Ubuntu 22.04 and other flavors can also install this desktop environment by running command:

sudo apt install budgie-desktop-environment

How to restore:

To revert back to the original Budgie 10.6.1, open terminal and run command to install ppa-purge tool:

sudo apt install ppa-purge

Then, purge the PPA via the tool which also downgrade all install packages:

sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntubudgie-dev/backports-budgie-unstable

Finally, restart your computer and enjoy!

Ubuntu 20.04.6 Released! Fix Secure Boot & Integrate Ubuntu Pro

The Ubuntu team announced the 6th point release for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. According to the release note, Ubuntu 20.04.6 fixed the Secure Boot issue for the amd64 installer:

Unlike previous point releases, 20.04.6 is a refresh of the amd64 installer media after recent key revocations, re-enabling their usage on Secure Boot enabled systems.

The release also includes many security updates, and backports from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. The “Software & Updates” has been updated to replace Livepatch tab with Ubuntu Pro.

Other changes include:

  • add meta package to improve support for Lenovo ThinkCentre M70t/M80t Gen 3, Lenovo ThinkPad P14s/T14 Gen 2a, Lenovo ThinkPad T14s/X13 Gen 2a, etc devices.
  • fix slow refresh rate with AMD GPU Screen output in reverse prime mode.
  • add GSettings power management keys for AD SYStem integration.
  • fix samba interoperability with Windows 22H2 client.
  • fix issue that starting a salted session fails when using an RSA key in FIPS mode
  • add support for open kernel module or driver in nvidia-515
  • support EM120/160 firmware update
  • add sdio firmware for qca9377 wifi module

See the changelog for more changes in Ubuntu 20.04.6.

Download Ubuntu 20.04.6

For earlier version of Ubuntu 20.04, just open Software Updater and install all available updates will bring you to the new Ubuntu 20.04.6. For the .iso image, just go to this page.

How To Clear Apt Cache In Ubuntu, Debian, And Linux Mint

Last Updated on March 22, 2023 by itsubuntu

How To Clear Apt Cache In Ubuntu, Debian, And Linux Mint

In this tutorial, we will show you the easy way to clear Apt Cache in Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint. apt (Advanced Package Tool) is a command-line package manager used in Debian-based Linux distributions?  It is used to manage software packages on a Linux operating system. apt is used to install, update, upgrade, and remove packages from the system with a simple command-line interface.

Generally, packages are stored in the Cache folder being installed on the system. Most of the packages are stored in the Cache directory which is located at ‘/var/cache/apt/archives’. Apt stored packages in the cache for future usage as the other software might need to use it.

But as the system gets older, a lot of packages get stored in the Cache occupying the space. So, it’s better to practice clearing Apt Cache and clearing the storage.

How To Clear Apt Cache In Ubuntu, Debian, And Linux Mint

There are multiple ways to clear Apt Cache in Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint-based operating systems.

Apt Autoclean Command

Run the following command to remove the packages from Cache.

sudo apt autoclean

Apt Clean Command

Run the following command to delete the apt-cache.

sudo apt clean

 

If you run ‘apt clean‘ with a parameter called ‘–dry-run‘, then it will show you the directories from which packages will be deleted, and will not actually delete the packages.

 sudo apt clean --dry-run

Configure Logitech or SteelSeries Headset in Ubuntu via This App

Got a Logitech or SteelSeries headset? This app may help to adjust sidetone, get battery state, toggle LED, and set inactive time in Ubuntu Linux.

It’s HeadsetControl, a free and open-source application that supports:

  • Logitech G430, G432, G433, G533, G535, G633, G635, G733, G930, G933, G935, G Pro.
  • Logitech Zone Wired/Zone 750
  • SteelSeries Arctis 1, Arctis 1 for XBox, Arctis (7 and Pro), Arctis 7+, Arctis Nova 7, Arctis 9, Arctis Pro wireless.
  • HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless
  • Corsair Void (Every void-version*, regardless whether Elite, Pro, HS70 Wireless)
  • Roccat Elo 7.1 Air

The application is a command line tool, though it has a graphical interface for GNOME 42+ (Ubuntu 22.04 / Fedora 35 and higher).

Image borrowed from extension web page, as I don’t have a headset at hand

How to Install the HeadsetControl app

The app so far does not have binary package for Ubuntu Linux, though it’s not hard to build it from source. The following steps is tested and works in my case in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open a terminal window. When it opens, run command to install build dependencies:

sudo apt install build-essential git cmake libhidapi-dev

2. Then, clone the source by running the git command in terminal, and then navigate to the source folder:

git clone https://github.com/Sapd/HeadsetControl && cd HeadsetControl

3. Create ‘build’ sub-folder, navigate to that sub-folder and start building it:

mkdir build && cd build && cmake ../

4. Finally, run make and then make install to build and install the tool:

make -j4
sudo make install

Once successfully installed, it will output that ‘/usr/local/bin/headsetcontrol‘ and ‘/usr/local/lib/udev/rules.d/70-headsets.rules‘ installed.

How to Install the Extension for graphical UI

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

Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu 22.04+

Then, use “Extension Manager” to search and install the ‘HeadsetControl’ extension under ‘Browse’ tab.

Once installed, it should show the indicator applet in system tray area immediately with menu options to control your headset! Other Linux can go to this page to use ON/OFF switch to install the extension.

Uninstall:

To remove the extension, either go to the link page above and use ON/OFF switch, or use “Extension Manager” or Gnome Extensions tool.

To remove the command line application, open terminal and run command:

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/headsetcontrol /usr/local/lib/udev/rules.d/70-headsets.rules

How To Setup UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) On Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Last Updated on March 21, 2023 by itsubuntu

How To Setup UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) On Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

In this tutorial, we are going to show you the method to set up UFW on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.  UFW or Uncomplicated Firewall is an application that manages iptables-based firewalls on Ubuntu. UFW is a user-friendly tool to configure the firewall.

How To Setup UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) On Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Let’s have a look at the step-by-step method to set up UFW on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

UFW  is already installed on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS By default. You can run the following command to see whether the UFW is installed or not.

which ufw

If it does not return the path to the command then run the following command to install UFW on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

sudo apt install ufw

and run the following command to enable UFW:

sudo ufw enable

You can verify that UFW is running by running the following command:

sudo ufw status verbose

Run the following command to turn off or disable the UFW.

sudo ufw disable

UFW Allow Command To Allow Incoming Connections.

Run the following command to allow SSH access.

sudo ufw allow 22

Run the following command to deny the connection from port 80:

sudo ufw deny 80

Allow a specific IP Address

Run the following command to allow the specific IP address on Linux. The command below will allow the IP 192.168.1.115 to access all ports on the server:

sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.115

Disable and Reset UFW on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Run the following command to turn off or disable UFW on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

sudo ufw disable

Deleting a UFW Firewall Rule On Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Run the following command to delete a UFW firewall rule on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

sudo ufw delete allow ssh

How to Install Latest Battle for Wesnoth 1.16.x via PPA in Ubuntu 22.04 | 20.04

This simple tutorial is going to show beginners how to install the latest stable Battle for Wesnoth (so far 1.16.8) via PPA in Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 20/21.

The Battle for Wesnoth is an open source, turn-based strategy game features both single player and online multiplayer combat.

Ubuntu includes the game package in its system repository but always old. User can choose to install the official Flatpak package, by running 2 commands one by one in a terminal window.

sudo apt install flatpak
flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/org.wesnoth.Wesnoth.flatpakref

Though, it’s universal Linux package format that runs in sandbox.

For users who prefer the classic .deb package format, The Debian/Ubuntu Games Team maintains an Ubuntu PPA with the latest stable/devel release (1.16.x stable at the moment) of the game packages. Which, so far supports Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 22.10, and their derivatives.

1. First, either search for and open a terminal from start menu or press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal.

2. When terminal opens, paste the command below and hit Enter to add the PPA repository.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pkg-games/wesnoth-devel

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

3. If a previous 1.16.x version of the game package was installed on your system, launch “Software Updater” (or Update Manager) to upgrade the game:

Or, run command in terminal to install/upgrade the game package:

sudo apt instatll wesnoth-1.16

NOTE: Linux Mint user may first run sudo apt update to refresh package index.

Once installed, search for and launch the game either from start menu or ‘Activities’ overview depends on your DE and enjoy!

Uninstall:

To download the game to the stock version available in system repository, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:pkg-games/wesnoth-devel

This command will install ppa-purge tool and purge the PPA, which also downgrade installed packages.

To simply uninstall the game package, use command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove wesnoth-1.16

Also remove the PPA, either via “Software & Updates” under Other Software tab in Ubuntu, or use “Software Sources” tool in Linux Mint, or run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:pkg-games/wesnoth-devel

That’s all. Enjoy!

Show Live Scores in Ubuntu Panel for NBA, EPL, or Other Sports Teams

For sports fans who want to keep a watchful eye on live scores for favorite teams, here’s an indicator applet for Ubuntu, Fedora, and other Linux with GNOME.

It’s colosseum, which displays an indicator in top-panel system tray area. By clicking on it will show the menu with live scores for your favorite sports teams.

So far, it supports 12 sports leagues:

  • Bundesliga
  • 2. Bundesliga
  • English Premier League
  • La Liga
  • Ligue 1
  • Major League Baseball
  • National Basketball Association
  • National Football League
  • National Hockey League
  • Serie A
  • UEFA Champions League
  • Women’s National Basketball Association

There are also 5 supported tournaments, including

  • CONCACAF Gold Cup
  • Copa America
  • FIFA World Cup
  • UEFA Champions League
  • UEFA European Championship

How to Install this live scores indicator

This indicator is available as an extension, which so far supports GNOME v40, 41, 42 and 43. Meaning, you can install and use it in Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 35+, Arch, Manjaro, Rocky Linux, etc with GNOME desktop.

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

Install Extension Manager in Ubuntu 22.04+

2. Then open the extension manager tool, navigate to “Browse” tab. Finally, search and install “colosseum” extension.

3. Once installed, switch back to “Installed” tab, and click on gear icon for that extension to open the configuration page.

There, set the refresh time interval, turn on the toggle buttons for your favorite sports leagues and/or tournaments. New configuration tabs will appear, where you can follow your favorite teams.

TIP: If the indicator applet does not appear in panel, try to turn off and then turn on again the extension, or just log out and log back to restart Gnome Shell.

For other Linux, go to this page and use ON/OFF switch to install the extension. And, install and use “Gnome Extensions” app to manager extensions’ configurations.