xsnow and kde4
 

Just installed xsnow on my sisters Ubuntu pc and it runs ok, however it seems not to work properly with the desktop icons. When a snowflake falls over the icon it kind of cuts a jagged line through it. The icon is then restored when you hover over it.
Anyone any ideas?!

KDE4 have a native snow plugin, just go in desktop effects config to activate it.

Open a terminal and enter:or and you will see that you can configure xsnows behavior.

phil

I know I can configure the behaviour but I haven't found a way around this problem using the standard config options in the man page.

I'd be interested to know if there is a workaround anyway because having run it on mine, it seems to have a similar effect on conky. I am running fvwm2.

Here is a working xsnow for KDE: https://sourceforge.net/projects/xsnow/

4 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
Screenshot of the Geary Email Client for Linux
Like the majority of Gmail users I tend to read, write, and send e-mail in a browser because 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 over and use a dedicated desktop email 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 incredibly quickly through its handy first-run account wizard.

Once things sync’d up you’ll find that Geary offers a clean, modern look for your mail, and offers good integration with the GNOME Shell desktop (which is what Ubuntu uses).

Powerful (and fast) mail search features, a comprehensive email composer, and many other thoughtful features — like its “conversation” based email threading — stand out too.

And the best bit? You can install Geary on Ubuntu easily (just be aware that some features differ depending on which Linux distro you’re using).

Install Geary from Ubuntu Software

If you want to use the most up-to-date version of Geary possible you will need to install the app from Flathub (see our guide on how to install Flatpak if you need it).

2. Lollypop Music Player
Screenshot of the Lollypop Music Player
Lollypop is a feature-packed GTK music player and manager for Linux and is 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 might need, i.e. it’s easy to add music, browse music, play music, create playlists, and so on.

Lollypop also offers a built-in party mode; can fetch lyrics, album artwork, and artist biographies from online sources; and is able to “scrobble” track plays to music tracking sites like like Last.FM and ListenBrainz.

Traditional music player apps like Lollypop might seem a bit old fashioned in the era of music streaming services like Spotify and Amazon Prime Music, but they’re not obsolete just yet. And as this app shows they’re far from looking dated too.



3. Google Chrome
Screenshot of the Google Chrome web browser on Ubuntu
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!

Logging in to Chrome with your Google account to sync bookmarks, extensions, passwords, and even apps between Linux and other devices you use the browser on, such as a Windows device or an Android tablet.

If you’re Google fan, an avid Android user, or someone who just dang-well likes the way Chrome does things, have at it; it’s easy to install Chrome on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and related distros.





4. The GIMP

If you’re on the hunt for a viable Photoshop alternative you need look no further than The GIMP.

Odd name aside, The GIMP is a powerful open source image editor freely available for Linux, Windows and macOS systems. Like Photoshop it’s a raster graphics editor and, also like Photoshop, it’s based heavily around the concept of layers.

While GIMP lacks a few of Adobe’s fancier flourishes it is more than a match for its pricey rival for most needs — which is a pretty amazing feature when you remember that it is entirely free software.

Whether you want to flip a selfie, fix a photographic flaw, or create a majestic multi-layered masterpiece to share online, The GIMP is probably up the task.