First, you should know that the experts always knew Edge would run on Linux. Today's Microsoft Edge isn't the one that first shipped. This model, which went into beta on Windows last year, is built on the open-source Chromium codebase. Besides being the foundation for Google Chrome, Chromium is the bedrock that almost all web browsers, with the exception of Firefox, are built on these days. So, bringing Edge over to Linux isn't anything as difficult as, say, bringing on-premise Microsoft Office to Linux.
Now, the first beta of Edge on Linux is here. The new release comes ready to run on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and openSUSE Linux distributions. It should run on any Linux using DEB or RPM packaging. Microsoft is planning to release weekly builds, just as it does with the Dev Channel builds for other platforms.
This initial release is meant for developers who want to build and test their sites and apps on Linux. It's not meant for ordinary users. This preview does come with the key web platform and developer tools features. These include core rendering behaviors, extensions, browser DevTools, and test automation features. These should work just as they do with Edge on macOS and Windows.
Some end-user features and services aren't fully enabled. In particular, the initial release only supports local accounts. It doesn't support signing in to Microsoft Edge via a Microsoft Account or Azure Active Directory (AAD) account. Therefore, you also can use features such as syncing your settings and bookmarks, which require you to sign in to a Microsoft service. These features will appear in a future beta.
Since I've been benchmarking web browsers since Mosaic rolled off the bit assembly line, I benchmarked the first Edge browser and Chrome 86 and Firefox 81 on my main Linux production PC. This is a Dell Precision Tower 3431. It's powered by an 8-Core 3GHz Intel Core i7-9700. For graphics, it uses a built-in Intel UHD Graphics 630 chipset. On this, I run my favorite Linux desktop distribution, Linux Mint 20. For networking, the system uses a 100Mbps internet connection via a Gigabit Ethernet switch.
JETSTREAM 2
First up: JetStream 2.0, which is made up of 64 smaller tests. This JavaScript and WebAssembly benchmark suite focuses on advanced web applications. It rewards browsers that start up quickly, execute code quickly, and run smoothly. Higher scores are better on this benchmark.
JetStream's top-scorer -- drumroll please -- was Edge with 136.971. But, right behind it within the margin of error, was Chrome with a score of 132.413. This isn't too surprising. They are, after all, built on the same platform. Back in the back was Firefox with 102.131.
KRAKEN 1.1
Next up: Kraken 1.1. This benchmark, which is based on the long-obsolete SunSpider, measures JavaScript performance. To this basic JavaScript testing, it added typical use-case scenarios. Mozilla, Firefox's parent organization, created Kraken. With this benchmark, the lower the score, the better the result.
To no great surprise, Firefox took first place here with 810.1 milliseconds (ms). Following it was Chrome with 904.5ms and then Edge with 958.8ms.
OCTANE 2.0
Octane 2.0, Google's JavaScript benchmark, is no longer supported, but it's still a useful benchmark thanks to its scenario testing for interactive web applications. Octane is not Chrome-specific. For example, it tests how fast Microsoft's TypeScript compiles itself. In this benchmark, the higher the score, the better.
On this Google benchmark, Edge took the blue ribbon with a score of 52,149. Right behind it in second place was Chrome with 51,389. Then, way back in last place, you'll find Firefox at 37,405.
WEBXPRT 3.0
The latest version of WebXPRT is today's best browser benchmark. It's produced by the benchmark professionals at Principled Technology This company's executives were the founders of the Ziff Davis Benchmark Operation, the gold-standard of PC benchmarking.
WebXPRT uses scenarios created to mirror everyday tasks. These include Photo Enhancement, Organize Album, Stock Option Pricing, Local Notes, Sales Graphs, and DNA Sequencing. Here, the higher the score, the better the browser.
On this benchmark, Firefox shines. It was an easy winner with a score of 272. Chrome edges out Edge 233 to 230.
HTML 5 WEB STANDARD
You'd think by 2020, every browser would comply with the HTML 5 web standard, which became a standard in 2014. Nope. You'd be wrong. This "test" isn't a benchmark. It just shows how close each browser comes to being in sync with the HTML 5 standard. A perfect score, which none got, would have been 550.
Here, Chrome and Edge tied for first with 528. Firefox scored 511.
That said, I can't see myself moving to it. No, it's not because I'm still mad at what Microsoft did to Linux as revealed in the Halloween documents of 1998. It's that Chrome is more than fast enough for my purposes and I don't want my information tied into the Microsoft ecosystem. For better or worse, mine's already locked into the Googleverse and I can live with that.
Honestly, I don't see any compelling performance reasons to switch from Chrome or Firefox to Edge on Linux. I've been happily using Chrome for years now across platforms, and I won't be changing. If you're happy using Firefox or one of the others, go ahead and stick with it. There's no compelling reason to switch to Edge.
That said, Edge is a good, fast browser on Linux. If you're a Windows user coming over to Linux or you're doing development work aimed at Edge, then by all means try Edge on Linux. It works and it works well.
I got to try the recently released Linux Lite 5.2 based on Ubuntu 20.04. It uses an XFCE desktop and has a great set of themes, wallpapers, LibreOffice suite, and new user add-ins. The developers succeeded in making it look a lot different than the standard XFCE desktop. It reminds me of the Budgie desktop in some ways. It features a Welcome screen with shortcuts to update and add software. It also has the Synaptic package manager, LibreOffice, Gimp, VLC, firewall, and conky installed out of the box. It also features a Help File for new users. To the standard build, I added OnlyOffice office suite, Audacious and Rhythmbox music players, Deluge torrent client, Nemo and Caja file managers, and Chrome and Edge web browsers. Because it is uses the XFCE desktop, it only uses only 577 MB memory. Below is the release announcement from www.DistroWatch.com, and a link where you can get it. This is a great distro to enjoy on any PC. Enjoy.
Jerry Bezencon has announced the release of Linux Lite 5.2. The project's latest release is based on Ubuntu 20.04.1 and introduces a number of small changes and improvements. The firewall can now be managed through a module in the settings panel, old GTK2 software and themes have been removed, Adobe Flash is no longer included in the distribution, and new packages have been added to the Lite Software package manager. The distribution also includes some package updates: "Details: kernel: 5.4.0-52 ( custom kernels also available via our Repository for versions 3.13 - 5.9); Firefox: 82.0; Thunderbird: 68.10.0; LibreOffice: 6.4.6.2; VLC: 3.0.9.2; GIMP: 2.10.18; Base: 20.04.1. Known Issues: No prompt to eject Media at the end of the Legacy install, prompt is available at the end of the UEFI install. Release Notes - not working on first installer slide. Desktop icons - English support only. GRUB - holding shift down whilst booting in UEFI mode does not bring up the GRUB menu (works in Legacy mode), waiting for Ubuntu fix. GRUB menu shows Linux Lite as 'Ubuntu'. After you install Linux Lite, you can change GRUB to show 'Linux Lite'." Further information and screenshots can be found in the project's release
You can download Linux Lite 5.2 here: https://www.linuxliteos.com/download.php
We all love listening to music. Well, at least most of us do. Whether it’s just listening to cool ambient music as we work on our PC or unwinding after a long day’s work, music plays a crucial role in our everyday lives.
In this article, we have put together a list of some of the most popular music players that you can install on your system and play your favorite music as you blow off some steam.
1. Rhythmbox Audio Player
Rhythmbox is an opensource and easy-to-use audio player that ships by default with Linux systems running the GNOME desktop environment. It comes with a neat UI and helps you organize your audio files into playlists for better user experience.
Users can make a few tweaks such as repeating or shuffling music and changing the appearance of the music player using the ‘Party mode’ option which scales the window to full screen.
In addition to playing audio files, you can stream a wide array of internet radio stations and listen to podcasts from around the world. You can also link to last.fm online platform that will create a profile of your most listened to music either locally or streaming online radio. And to extend its functionality, it packs with 50 third-party plugins and many more official plugins.
Written in Qt, Clementine is a cross-platform feature-rich music player that lets you do so much more than just playing audio files. The audio player comes with a tree-navigation menu that makes searching for audio files a walk in the part.
Under the hood, the player is replete with a sea of advanced options. You can get almost everything: from a visual and equalizer to a built-in music transcoding tool that allows you to convert your audio files to 7 audio formats. Clementine also allows you to search and play music files backed up on cloud platforms such as OneDrive, Google Drive, and DropBox for music on online
If you are an online-streaming enthusiast, listening to online radio stations and podcasts is on a whole new level. Clementine accords you the luxury of streaming up to 5 internet radio platforms such as Jamendo, Sky FM, Soma FM, Jazzradio.com Icecast, Rockradio.com and even stream from Spotify and SoundCloud.
Other features include desktop notifications, playing and ripping audio CDs, editing playlists and ability to import music from external drives.
Audacious is yet another free and opensource audio player that is especially recommended for Linux systems with low CPU and RAM specifications. The reason is simple: Audacious is resource-friendly while at the same time producing high and satisfactory audio quality. Unlike Clementine, It lacks advanced features & functionalities.
Nevertheless, it comes with a simple and intuitive user interface which is just okay if you are looking into playing your saved audio files. You can perform basic tasks like creating playlists, importing audio files or folders into the player, shuffling music, and playing music from CDs.
Written in C++, Amarok is yet another cross-platform and opensource audio player with a few striking features. First off, the audio player detected duplicate entries in the playlist and give you an option to ignore adding the duplicate files. It comes with a visually-appealing UI that easy to use and navigate.
Another thing that stands out with Amarok is its ability to pull cover art and artistes’ bio from Wikipedia as shown in the attached screenshot. The application scores highly in the high-quality music output and underlying nifty features such as creating playlists, viewing music lyrics, creating custom shortcuts, and changing the application language. Given its features, it’s by the greatest music player that you can install and reap from its war chest of features.
DeaDBeef is a compact and efficient audio player that is written in C++ and comes with a native GTK3 GUI. IT supports a wide range of media formats and packs with multiple plugins.
It’s stripped down in terms of any advanced features and users will have to make do with playlist-based music and basic tasks such as shuffling, repeating music, and editing metadata to mention a few.
The audio players we have covered to far have a graphical user interface with menus, buttons, and panels. As you might have observed, CMUS is devoid of any GUI tools and is basically a command-line media player.
Install CMUS in Ubuntu and Linux Mint
To install CMUS, simply run the commands:
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install cmus
To start cmus, simply run the command cmus on the terminal and press 5 on the keyboard to display a hierarchical list of your directories. From there, you can navigate to your destination folder that contains audio files and select the file you want to play.
CMUS – Console Music Player
7. Sayonara Audio Player
Another application worth mentioning is Sayonara. The application ships with a cool looking UI with features and functionalities that are more or less what you’d find in Rhythmbox. You can add files and create playlists, listen to online radio ( SomaFM, and Soundcloud), and make numerous other tweaks such as changing the default theme.
Sayonara, however, is stripped of overblown advanced features, and just like Rhythmbox, users are restricted to only a few online streams and listening to music saved on their PC.
Just like CMUS, MOC is another lightweight and terminal-based music player. Surprisingly, it’s quite efficient with features including key mapping, a mixer, internet streams, and the ability to create playlists and search for music in the directories. Additionally, it supports output types such as JACK, ALSA, and OSS.
MOC – Terminal Music Player
Install MOC in Ubuntu and Linux Mint
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install moc moc-ffmpeg-plugin
9. Exaile Music Player
Exaile is an opensource and cross-platform music player that is written in Python and GTK+. It comes with a simple interface and is replete with powerful music management functionalities.
Exaile enables you to create and organize your playlists, fetch album art, stream online radio stations such as Soma FM and Icecast and so much more.
Museeks is another cross-platform simple and clean audio player that is lean on advanced features but still provides the simplicity in playing your music and creating playlists.
You can still perform simple tasks like changing the theme to dark theme, repeating, and shuffling music. This is by far the simplest of all the audio players in terms of features and functionality.
Lollypop is an opensource and free-to-use graphical music player that is very user-friendly and also does quite a good job of organizing your music. It’s tailored for GTK-based desktop environments such as GNOME and intuitively organizes your music collection into categories such as music genres, year released, and artist names. It’s super easy to navigate the application and get what you want.
It supports a vast array of file formats including MP3, MP4, and OGG audio files. You can stream online radio, and perform other application tweaks such as configuring keyboard shortcuts, changing theme appearance, enabling cover art & smooth transitions and importing playlists to mention a few.
Written in Python, Quod Libet is a GTK-based music player that uses the Mutagen tagging library. It comes with a clean and simple UI, completely stripped off any fancy features.
The player is plugin-rich and supports tag editing, replay gain, album art, library browsing & internet radio with hundreds of stations to tune into. It also supports mainstream audio formats such as MP3, MPEG4 AAC, WMA, MOD, and MIDI to mention a few.
Spotify is arguably the most popular streaming service with millions of active users from across the globe. What strikes me the most about this application is its beautifully-designed UI that lets you navigate easily and browse your music genres. You can search and listen to different music genres from thousands of artists across the world.
You can install the Spotify application on Ubuntu & Linux and enjoy your favorite music. Be cautious though, the application is resource-intensive and hogs a lot of memory & CPU and may not be ideal for older PCs.
Strawberry is an open-source music player for enjoying large collections of music, that supports almost all common audio formats and comes with more advanced features like metadata tag editing, fetch album art and song lyric, audio analyzer, and equalizer, transfer music to devices, streaming support and more.
Strawberry is a fork of most popular Clementine player which was based on Qt4. Strawberry was developed in C++ using a more modern Qt5 toolkit for its graphical interface.
VLC is a free, open-source, and cross-platform portable media player software and streaming media server created by the VideoLAN team. It supports almost all video and audio file formats, compression methods, steaming protocols to stream media over networks, and transcode multimedia files.
VLC is cross-platform, which means it available for desktop and mobile platforms, such as Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.
That was a round-up of what we consider to be the best media players that you can install on your system to help you enjoy your music. There could be others out there, no doubt, but feel free to reach out and share with us if you feel we have left out any audio player worth mentioning.
I have been spending time with Onlyoffice for Linux, and found it a better alternative to other Linux office suites. It looks and runs much like the Microsoft Office suite. Onlyoffice is free. Below are my screen shots, a review done recently on it, and a link where to download it. Onlyoffice is now my new favorite office suite. WPS is also a very good alternative to try. Enjoy.
You can download Onlyoffice here: https://www.onlyoffice.com/
I tried the new Linuxfx 10.5 and have been impressed so far. It is based on Ubuntu Cinnamon. Below are my screenshots and information from DistroWatch.com. It was very polished and used 3.2GB memory. It also had lots of themes to download and try. The Windows 10 theme is a little sparse, but certainly familiar. It should make the transition from Windows-7 to Linuxfx very easy for Windows users. It also comes with a great Office suite called Onlyoffice. It even found my Brother wireless laser printer on my local network, which is amazing.
From DistroWatch.com Rafael Rachid has announced the release of Linuxfx
10.5, the latest stable version of the project's Ubuntu-based
distribution with a look and feel that emulates Windows 10 and with
useful tools designed to help users migrate from Windows to Linux. This
version is based on Ubuntu 20.04 and it features a highly customised
Cinnamon desktop called "WX Desktop". Some of the improvements in
Linuxfx 10.5 include: support for older computers; a re-worked Wine
compatibility layer with better support for Windows games as well as
*.exe and *.msi files which can now be launched by double-clicking them
in the file manager; inclusion of OnlyOffice 5.6.0 "Desktop" edition at
the expense of LibreOffice; updated desktop theme and control panel;
re-designed login and logout screens; improvements to file sharing. The
Linux kernel has been updated to version 5.7.15. Here is the brief release announcement (in Portuguese). This new version of Linuxfx, which supports English, Portuguese and Spanish languages, is available from SourceForge; here is the download link: linuxfx10.5-wx-lts.iso (2,048MB, pkglist).
WebRender promises to deliver a buttery smooth web for all.
A quick and easy way to improve the performance of Firefox on Linux is to force enable WebRender.
At some point in the near future Firefox will make web render the new
rendering engine for all users of the browser, on as many systems as
possible. But until that happens you can force enable WebRender on Linux
to get the benefits (like reduced CPU usage) ahead of time.
“WebRender […] will replace Gecko’s existing compositor,
interfacing with Gecko’s main-thread layout code. As WebRender is
written in Rust and uses a very different design approach, we expect to
get stability and performance benefits from this switch.”
To be (intentionally) reductive: the feature leverages a system’s GPU to render web content rather than the CPU.
It’s a switch that will improved the performance of Firefox on most
systems — we’re talking ‘buttery smooth performance at up to 60
frames-per-second’ improvements. KDE’s Nate Graham reports
on the performance gains he felt when using web render on his Wayland
system, including better overall battery life from reduced CPU usage.
Mozilla began to enable WebRender in Firefox by default on compatible
Windows systems starting September 2018. Since then the tech has slowly
rolled out to more users on more systems and across more
configurations, including macOS.
But WebRender is not yet default on most Linux systems, regardless of whether it is Wayland or Xorg, using closed source or open source graphics drivers, and so on.
To enable WebRender in Firefox on Linux manually:
Open about:config in a new tab (and okay any warnings)
Search for gfx.webrender.all
Set the value to True to enable WebRender (or false to disable it)
Your own milage will vary when using this feature. You may encounter edge cases
or introduce issues after turning it on. But as it’s easy to turn off
should any hiccups emerge, the probable performance benefits it offers
are worth the hassle of trying it out.
Like it or not, Microsoft Office is the de facto standard in most work
environments, educational institutions, and government offices. As such,
all MS Office alternatives for Linux are automatically measured against
it and evaluated based on their compatibility with the file formats
created by Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
As a Linux user in 2020, you can choose from multiple mature
alternatives to MS Office. Most MS Office alternatives for Linux can be
downloaded and used free of charge to open, edit, and create documents
in a variety of file formats, including .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx.
LibreOffice is easily the most popular alternative to MS Office for Linux in 2020. It was first released in 2011 as a fork of OpenOffice.org,
another MS Office alternative featured in this article. Because
LibreOffice has always embraced a collaborative development process,
inviting developers from around the world to join the project and
contribute, it quickly gained enormous momentum, and the rest is
history.
LibreOffice consists of the following applications:
Writer: A word processor with the ability to create anything from a five-paragraph essay to a novel.
Calc: A spreadsheet software application with
professional features, multiple-user support, built-in integrations with
corporate databases.
Impress: A presentation program that makes it easy
to create slides with text, images, animations, bullet points, drawings,
and other elements.
Draw: A diagraming and flowcharting tool with a maximum page size of 300 cm by 300 cm.
Math: A formula editor that integrates with other
LibreOffice applications and makes it possible for users to insert
perfectly formatted mathematical and scientific formulas into documents,
spreadsheets, and presentations.
Base: A desktop database front-end with native support for MySQL/MariaDB, Adabas D, MS Access, and PostgreSQL
All LibreOffice applications should be instantly familiar to all
users of Microsoft Office 2003. If you like the ribbon in newer versions
of MS Office, LibreOffice will most likely seem somewhat outdated to
you, but give it a few days, and you’ll get used to it.
What makes absolutely no time is getting used to is the fact that LibreOffice is completely free in both senses of the word. Pros:
Previously known as Kingsoft Office, this MS Office alternative for
Linux is developed by Zhuhai-based Chinese software developer Kingsoft.
If you want to use WPS Office for personal purposes, you don’t have to
pay any money for it. Online business customers are required to purchase
a commercial license.
For a free alternative to MS Office, WPS Office delivers an
exceptional level of polish. Its user interface leaves LibreOffice in
the dust, and many of its features are so innovative that you won’t find
them anywhere else.
WPS Office 2019 introduced all-in-one mode, which supports opening
different types of files within a single application window. This mode
is especially great for people who use WPS Office on laptops with
limited screen real estate.
The latest version of WPS Office also comes with a comprehensive
suite of PDF tools that let you comment, annotate, and edit your PDF
files. Just like the rest of WPS Office, you can use these tools free of
charge for personal purposes. Pros:
Not long after Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems in 2010,
most developers who worked on OpenOffice.org left the company. A year
later, Oracle halted the development of OpenOffice.org and laid off the
remaining development team. Fortunately, the company also decided to
contribute the source code and relevant trademarks to the Apache
Software Foundation, which is how Apache OpenOffice came to life.
Today, Apache OpenOffice is in version 4, available in 41 languages
for Linux, Windows, and macOS. It shares many similarities with
LibreOffice (after all, they are both forks of the same MS Office
alternative), but OpenOffice lacks some important features and
capabilities, namely the ability to save .docx Word documents.
It also uses the Apache license, whereas LibreOffice uses a dual
LGPLv3 / MPL license. Because Apache OpenOffice uses the Apache license,
LibreOffice can freely “borrow” its features, but Apache OpenOffice
developers can’t do the same.
Even though the popularity of Apache OpenOffice has been steadily
declining since 2013, it still remains a great alternative to MS Office
for all Linux users who avoid proprietary software like a plague. Pros:
This open source alternative to MS Office is developed by Ascensio
System SIA, a company with headquarters in Riga, Latvia. It includes
everything home users and small businesses need to be productive and
grow.
With its advanced document management capabilities, ONLYOFFICE makes
it easy to go paperless and stay highly organized. Users can share
documents with a simple click, collaborate on them online, and manage
access levels to keep sensitive information under control.
As a complete MS Office alternative, ONLYOFFICE includes an
easy-to-use email management tool that you can use to access any email
account. There’s also a complete toolkit for sales managers, a project
management solution, a full-featured calendar app, and a community
platform with blogs, forums, and chat.
ONLYOFFICE boasts the highest compatibility with MS Office formats,
and you can verify this claim by installing ONLYOFFICE on your own
server or desktop computer. Pros:
SoftMaker is a German software company, and FreeOffice is its
flagship product. The latest version of this multi-platform MS Office
alternative consists of the word processor TextMaker, the spreadsheet
PlanMaker, the presentation software application SoftMaker
Presentations, the scripting language BasicMaker, and a modified version
of Thunderbird.
The greatest strength of FreeOffice is its great compatibility with
MS Office file formats, but the list of features to enjoy doesn’t end
there. With FreeOffice, it doesn’t matter if you prefer traditional
menus and toolbars or modern ribbons because you can switch between them
at any time. A dedicated touch mode optimizes the user interface of
FreeOffice for touch devices, so you can do more on your 2-in-1
convertible.
Unfortunately, FreeOffice is a proprietary MS Office alternative, and
you have to register online to use it. If you’re willing to spend some
money, you can upgrade to the Professional edition and enjoy a better
spell checker with multiple dictionaries and support for Windows Group
Policy. Pros:
Solid compatibility with MS Office file formats.
Feels like an MS Office product.
Special touchscreen mode.
Cons:
Requires an online license activation.
CONCLUSION
With these various options you should be able to find a suitable alternative to MS Office to get your work done on Linux.
What are the best Ubuntu apps? It’s a question I’m often asked. But rather than reply individually I decided to put together a list of the top Ubuntu software so everyone can read it.
So behold this selection of the best Ubuntu apps. This list has something to offer everyone, from those new to or considering a switch to Ubuntu right through to long-time Linux gurus and self-confessed power users.
This list isn’t set in stone either. I keep it updated to include new apps and retire discontinued ones. Do share your favourite Linux apps down in the comments section at the bottom of the article to give me some suggestions.
Ready to discover some great Linux software?
Let’s go!
21 Best Ubuntu Linux Apps
To make this list of tip-top software a tad more interesting I have
chosen NOT to include apps that Ubuntu ships with by default.
What does this mean? Well-known software like Mozilla Firefox, LibreOffice and Thunderbird is NOT listed below. Why? Because you already have it!
I also tried to pick Linux apps which are available to install from
the Ubuntu archive (though, as you’ll see, there are a few exceptions).
This is to cut down on the need for third-party PPAs and external
repositories, which often come with drawbacks.
1. Geary E-mail Client
Like the majority of Gmail users I tend to read, write, and send e-mail in a browser. It’s simple, fast, and works the same across most systems. But the Geary e-mail client, pictured above, comes close to convincing me to swap to a dedicated desktop app.
A fully-featured IMAP email client, Geary gets you set-up to send and receive mail from popular webmail providers, including Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Outlook quickly through its account wizard.
Once things sync’d up, you’ll find Geary offers a clean, modern look with good integration with the GNOME Shell desktop (which is what Ubuntu uses).
It has powerful (and fast) mail search features, a comprehensive
email composer, and many other thoughtful features — like its
“conversation” based email threading.
You can install Geary on Ubuntu very easily, just be aware that some features differ depending on which Linux distro you’re using.
Lollypop is a feature-packed GTK music player and manager for Linux and a fantastic alternative to Rhythmbox, Ubuntu’s stock music app.
The player integrates flawlessly with the GNOME Shell desktop, and
has all the essential features you need, i.e. add music, browse music,
play music, create playlists, and so on. Lollypop also offers a party mode; is able fetch lyrics,
album artwork, and artist biographies from online sources; and it can
“scrobble” track plays to music tracking sites like like Last.FM and
ListenBrainz.
While traditional music player apps like Lollypop might seem
old fashioned in the era of music streaming services like Spotify and
Amazon Prime Music, they’re not obsolete just yet — and as this app
shows, far from looking dated!
To use the very latest version you will need to add the official Lollypop PPA or install the app from Flathub. Alternatively, you can install Lollypop on Ubuntu from the Ubuntu Software store:
No list of top Linux apps would be complete if it failed to mention the world’s most popular web browser, Google Chrome.
You probably know all you need (or in some cases want) to know about Chrome, suffice to say it’s capable, well supported, feature-packed, and works just as well on Linux desktops as Mac and Windows ones!
You can log in with your Google account to sync bookmarks,
extensions, passwords, and even apps between Linux and other devices you
use Chrome on, such as a Windows device.
So if you’re Google fan, an avid Android user, or just someone who prefers the way Chrome does things, you can easily install Chrome on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and related distros.
Head to the official Chrome website page to snag a 64-bit
Ubuntu installer, then double-click on it once it’s finished downloaded.
Follow the prompts shown on your screen and et voila: installed.
If you’re on the hunt for a viable Photoshop alternative you need look no further than The GIMP.
Odd name aside, GIMP is a powerful open source image editor that’s freely available for Linux, Windows and macOS.
Though the app lacks a few of Adobe’s fancier flourishes it’s more
than a match for the pricey rival, which is pretty amazing when you
remember that it is entirely free software.
So whether you want to flip a selfie, fix a photographic flaw, or create a majestic multi-layered masterpiece to share online, The GIMP can do it.
You can install GIMP on Ubuntu, Linux Mint and other similar Linux distros from the repos:
5. Kdenlive Video Editor
Need to trim a video clip before you upload it to YouTube? Try
Kdenlive. Want to work on a multi-cam video podcast with slick
transitions and cool video effects? Try Kdenlive.
Why? Because Kdenlive is by far and away the best open source video editing software for Linux distros, Ubuntu or otherwise.
This non-linear video editor offers a solid balance of basic and
advanced video editing features, including keying, rotoscoping, keyframe
editing, cool transitions, and useful export profiles.
If you use the popular Telegram messaging service on your smartphone do check out the official Telegram Desktop app too.
The cross-platform client boasts a user-friendly layout, encrypted
chats, and enhanced privacy. Alls messages you send, read, and receive
are perfectly synced with your mobile, too.
I should note that, to sign use Telegram you will need a (valid)
mobile number. But after that you’re good to go. Check out our post on how to install Telegram on Ubuntu, or grab it right away from the Snap Store:
There are a number of ebook reader apps for Linux desktops, but Foliate is far and away the most engrossing of them all.
The GTK-based Foliate boasts a clean, thoughtful, and
clutter-free UI; provides a stack of font sizing, spacing and page
layout options; and supports text notes, dictionary lookups, bookmarks,
and tracks your page progress.
Foliate is available from both Flathub and the Snap Store, or you can download an installer package for the latest version of Foliate direct from its GitHub page:
If all of that sounds like a page turner to you, you can grab a copy from the shelves of the Snap Store, on Flathub, or direct from GitHub:
Caffeine is a small app with one purpose: to stop your screen locking (or screensaver, if you use one) from kicking in.
Why would you want to do that? If you’ve ever tried to watch a video
and had the lock screen kick in, you’ll know why. For situation where I
don’t want the lock-screen to interrupt me so I use Caffeine.
A veritable software stimulant, Caffeine works as a small tray applet
that you can toggle on to keep your computer ‘awake’ (and toggle off
when you don’t mind it taking a snooze!
Ubuntu comes with a decent terminal emulator by default. But if you’re looking for something more advanced, check out the Tilix tiling terminal emulator.
Tilix lets you tile multiple terminal sessions inside a single
unified window (or more, if you’d rather) both horizontally and
vertically. The app also supports custom titles, custom links, and
custom backgrounds.
Rounding out the Tilix feature set is drag and drop rearranging,
support for persistent layouts (e.g., open same CLI tools in the same
position again) and notifications (handy for when a task completes).
OnlyOffice is a free, open source set of productivity apps
for Windows, macOS and Linux. It’s developed in the open, and the app
gets regular updates.
This open source Microsoft Office lookalike is picking up plaudits
from productivity fans seeking a free, open source software client that
more closely resembles Microsoft Office — and works very well with files
made for it
If there’s a downside it’s that the app uses its own toolkit, meaning
it doesn’t blend in with your other apps. But it’s functionality not
form that counts, and OnlyOffice delivers that in buckets.
Etcher
is a free, open source USB image writer for Windows, macOS and Linux. I
included it in my list of the best Electron apps but couldn’t resist
giving it another plug here — it’s just so dang good at what it does.
If you regularly try out new Linux distributions then you’l know how important it is to have a reliable flashing tool — and Etcher is just that.
Just run the app, select a valid .iso or .img file, pick a drive to flash it to, and away you go! Bootable USB or SD card in super quick time. Etcher is available to download from the project website in both 64-bit and 32-bit .appimage format.
If Twitter is your social media thang check in with Cawbird, a continuation of the excellent (but discontinued) Corebird Twitter client. Cawbird wraps a traditional twitter experience (meaning:
reverse chronological feed of recent ‘tweets’, not algorithm ranked
ones) in a gorgeous GTK UI.
All the essential tweet-related tasks are catered for, including
liking, retweeting, and replying to tweets; notification on new
mentions; the ability to follow/unfollow accounts; and the ability to
send, read, and receive direct messages.
You’ll find a few innovative features tucked up under its wing too,
including the ability to text expand phrases and emoji; auto-saving of
tweets in the composer box; and (mercifully) the ability to mute
specific accounts or terms.
The versatile VLC media player needs no introduction. Like
Firefox and LibreOffice, it’s one of the most famous pieces of cross
platform and open source software there is. VLC will play almost any media format you throw at it,
video, audio or something in between! As well as playing DVDs, VLC can
access DLNA shares and online streams, and even transcode video from one
format to another.
So while there are a glut of Linux video players available (Celluloid being a personal fave) I still recommend VLC over all of them because of its broad support, huge feature set, and dependable nature.
GNOME Tweaks is a Swiss army knife for the modern Ubuntu
desktop. It has toggles, sliders, and switches that control a host of
behaviours and settings. So useful is Tweaks that I include it on my list of things to do after installing Ubuntu.
Whether you want to change GTK theme on Ubuntu, swap icon set, adjust the desktop font, show battery percentage in the top bar, move window buttons to the opposite side…
Whatever the task it’s worth checking to see if this tool can do it first!
RSS feeds are a convenient way to stay on top of latest news, posts, and podcasts from sites that you like.
But to start using RSS feeds you need an RSS client. I like Feeds (formerly known as GNOME Feeds). It’s both a well made and superbly designed GTK RSS reader for the Linux desktop.
Admittedly it lacks any kind of “cloud” integration (so you can’t sync you reader items through a RSS service like Feedly or The Old Reader), but the app does let you import and export feed lists easily.
And with “unread only” and “mark all as read” buttons; the ability to
save articles for offline reading; and a baked-in reader mode it’s
nigh-on-perfect for perusing posts from your preferred publishing
outlets — ahem, like this one?
Want to start gaming on Linux? Then you’re going to need Steam from Valve. It is the de-facto games distribution platform for Windows, macOS and Linux.
I’ve lost track of how many native Linux games Steam boasts but we’re
talking many thousands, ranging from indie hits and retro flavoured
favourites through to blockbuster and AAA titles likeShadow of the Tomb Raider, DiRT4, and the various Warhammer entries.
Better yet, when you buy a game from Steam you can access versions on
any platform — so if you already have a tidy library of Windows games
then you’ll be able to play any native Linux ports automatically!
To install Steam on Ubuntu just download the official installer package from the Steam website:
Ulauncher is the star attraction in our roundup of the best app launchers for Ubuntu & Linux Mint thanks, in part, to its broad feature set and great looking UI.
A ctrl + spacebar productivity bar, Ulauncher is inspired by Alfred for macOS and similar semantic search tools that followed in its wake.
The app lets you launch applications on your system using nothing but
your keyboard… but Ulauncher can do a lot more than launch apps thanks
to extensions.
Adding Ulauncher extensions
enables you to extend the capabilities available from the launcher,
e.g., look up dictionary definitions; find and copy emoji to the
clipboard; launch web searches, and more.
A surfeit of code editors are available for Linux, with Gedit, Atom,
Sublime Text and even Notepad++ among them — but the best code editor is
Visual Studio Code.
VScode (despite being made by Microsoft) is a free, powerful code
editor available for Linux as well as macOS and Windows systems.
It features built-in support for a crop of languages, including
TypeScript, JavaScript, and Node.js. It also has a ‘smart’ autocomplete
feature, and can be extended and tailored to specific workflows through
plugins.
You can install VSCode on Ubuntu as a Snap app:
If you want to take screenshots on Ubuntu or Linux Mint, and want to
annotate them with text, call outs, arrows and other icons, you’re going
to love Flameshot.
This snaptastic app is rammed full of features (too many to even
mention here) but all are within easy reach. Simply select a region of
the screen to want to capture, add some markup, highlights, or obscure
some sensitive data, then hit the Enter key to take the snap.
If you’re a fan of Shutter (a GTK screenshot taking and editing app that no longer works properly in newer version of Ubuntu) Flameshot is the next best thing.
Looking for a fancy way to learn more about your system? Such as what window manager, GTK theme, desktop environment, kernel version you’re running? You could click through a glut of menus to find out, or you could use Neofetch.
Although not a GUI app (meaning you won’t find a launcher for it
added to your app launcher) it’s deliciously simple to use: just run the
command neofetch!
You can even set up Neofetch to take a screenshot the instant you run it making it ideal for times you want to show off your slick looking desktop setup!
Shortwave is a GTK internet radio app that makes it easy to
find and listen to internet radio stations – heck, it can even record
them too!
Sporting a simple, straightforward UI, Shortwave‘s singular
focus make it a finely-tuned alternative to more general purpose media
players, and it boasts tight integration with the GNOME Shell desktop
(including media control support).
Sealing the deal is built-in support for Google Chromecast, should you fancy sending your favourite radio stations from your Linux system to a big-screen TV.
Highly recommended.
Like I said at the start: this list could easily have been “101” apps
longer rather than 21 but, mindful that you probably don’t want to be
scrolling all day, I’ve limited myself to showcasing just 21 apps — an
self-imposed limit.
Still, there are a few other apps I’ll give shout outs to.
First off, a stack of big name cross-platform software, like Blender, Spotify, Skype, Slack, Audacity and VirtualBox is freely available on Linux, as are some lesser known pro-tools like Lightworks (video editor) and Waveform Free (digital audio workstation).
On the GUI front, Peek is a great animated GIF screen recorder for Linux desktops built using GTK; Olive is a promising (if a touch unstable) new video editor; and Drawing is sort of like a Microsoft Paint alternative for Linux.
If you’re an Android smartphone users then check out Scrpy (a great tool that lets you mirror your Android phone on your Linux desktop to interact and control it), as well as either KDE Connect or GSconnect.
I didn’t list many CLI based tools above (intentional) but there are a few I can’t resist shouting out, including: ncdu (disk utility); rainbowstream (CLI Twitter client), cmus (music player), and top top alternative htop (system monitor) .
For more app goodness check over out out lists of the best weather apps for Ubuntu, the best Linux music players, and the best app launchers. And check out my pick of the best Electron apps, most of which can be run on Windows, macOS or Linux.
