Now you just need to click on Flathub repository file. Open the downloaded file with the Software Install application.
Flathub repository file button on flatpak.org/setup/Fedora
The GNOME Software application opens. Next, click on the Install button. This action needs sudo permissions, because it installs the Flathub repository for use by the whole system.
Install button in GNOME Software
Install the Steam flatpak
You can now search for the Steam flatpak in GNOME Software. If you can’t find it, try rebooting — or logout and login — in case GNOME Software didn’t read the metadata. That happens automatically when you next login.
Searching for Steam
Click on the Steam row and the Steam page opens in GNOME Software. Next, click on Install.
Steam page in GNOME Software
And now you have installed Steam flatpak on your system.
Enable Steam Play in Steam
Now that you have Steam installed, launch it and log in. To play Windows games too, you need to enable Steam Play in Steam. To enable it, choose Steam > Settings from the menu in the main window.
Settings button in Steam
Navigate to the Steam Play section. You should see the option Enable Steam Play for supported titles is already ticked, but it’s recommended you also tick the Enable Steam Play option for all other titles. There are plenty of games that are actually playable, but not whitelisted yet on Steam. To see which games are playable, visit ProtonDB and search for your favorite game. Or just look for the games with the most platinum reports.
Steam Play settings menu on Steam
If you want to know more about Steam Play, you can read the article about it here on Fedora Magazine:
You’re now ready to play plenty of games on Linux. Please remember to share your experience with others using the Contribute button on ProtonDB and report bugs you find on GitHub, because sharing is nice.
The Fedora OS is comfortable and easy for lots of users. It has a stunning desktop that makes it easy to get everyday tasks done. Under the hood is all the power of a Linux system, and the terminal is the easiest way for power users to harness it. By default terminals are simple and somewhat limited. However, a terminal multiplexer allows you to turn your terminal into an even more incredible powerhouse. This article shows off some popular terminal multiplexers and how to install them.
Why would you want to use one? Well, for one thing, it lets you logout of your system while leaving your terminal session undisturbed. It’s incredibly useful to logout of your console, secure it, travel somewhere else, then remotely login with SSH and continue where you left off. Here are some utilities to check out.
One of the oldest and most well-known terminal multiplexers is screen. However, because the code is no longer maintained, this article focuses on more recent apps. (“Recent” is relative — some of these have been around for years!)
Tmux
The tmux utility is one of the most widely used replacements for screen. It has a highly configurable interface. You can program tmux to start up specific kinds of sessions based on your needs. You’ll find a lot more about tmux in this article published earlier:
To install tmux, use the sudo command along with dnf, since you’re probably in a terminal already:
$ sudo dnf install tmux
To start learning, run the tmux command. A single pane window starts with your default shell. Tmux uses a modifier key to signal that a command is coming next. This key is Ctrl+B by default. If you enter Ctrl+B, C you’ll create a new window with a shell in it.
Here’s a hint: Use Ctrl+B, ? to enter a help mode that lists all the keys you can use. To keep things simple, look for the lines starting with bind-key -T prefix at first. These are keys you can use right after the modifier key to configure your tmux session. You can hit Ctrl+C to exit the help mode back to tmux.
To completely exit tmux, use the standard exit command or Ctrl+D keystroke to exit all the shells.
Dvtm
You might have recently seen the Magazine article on dwm, a dynamic window manager. Like dwm, dvtm is for tiling window management — but in a terminal. It’s designed to adhere to the legacy UNIX philosophy of “do one thing well” — in this case managing windows in a terminal.
Installing dvtm is easy as well. However, if you want the logout functionality mentioned earlier, you’ll also need the abduco package which handles session management for dvtm.
$ sudo dnf install dvtm abduco
The dvtm utility has many keystrokes already mapped to allow you to manage windows in the terminal. By default, it uses Ctrl+G as its modifier key. This keystroke tells dvtm that the following character is going to be a command it should process. For instance, Ctrl+G, C creates a new window and Ctrl+G, X removes it.
For more information on using dvtm, check out the dvtm home page which includes numerous tips and get-started information.
Byobu
While byobu isn’t truly a multiplexer on its own — it wraps tmux or even the older screen to add functions — it’s worth covering here too. Byobu makes terminal multiplexers better for novices, by adding a help menu and window tabs that are slightly easier to navigate.
Of course it’s available in the Fedora repos as well. To install, use this command:
$ sudo dnf install byobu
By default the byobu command runs screen underneath, so you might want to run byobu-tmux to wrap tmux instead. You can then use the F9 key to open up a help menu for more information to help you get started.
Mtm
The mtm utility is one of the smallest multiplexers you’ll find. In fact, it’s only about 1000 lines of code! You might find it helpful if you’re in a limited environment such as old hardware, a minimal container, and so forth. To get started, you’ll need a couple packages.
$ sudo dnf install git ncurses-devel make gcc
Then clone the repository where mtm lives:
$ git clone https://github.com/deadpixi/mtm.git
Change directory into the mtm folder and build the program:
$ make
You might receive a few warnings, but when you’re done, you’ll have the very small mtm utility. Run it with this command:
These are just some of the terminal multiplexers out there. Got one you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment below with your tips and enjoy building windows in your terminal!
If you like efficiency and minimalism, and are looking for a new window manager for your Linux desktop, you should try dwm — dynamic window manager. Written in under 2000 standard lines of code, dwm is extremely fast yet powerful and highly customizable window manager.
You can dynamically choose between tiling, monocle and floating layouts, organize your windows into multiple workspaces using tags, and quickly navigate through using keyboard shortcuts. This article helps you get started using dwm.
Installation
To install dwm on Fedora, run:
$ sudo dnf install dwm dwm-user
The dwm package installs the window manager itself, and the dwm-user package significantly simplifies configuration which will be explained later in this article.
Additionally, to be able to lock the screen when needed, we’ll also install slock — a simple X display locker.
$ sudo dnf install slock
However, you can use a different one based on your personal preference.
Quick start
To start dwm, choose the dwm-user option on the login screen.
After you log in, you’ll see a very simple desktop. In fact, the only thing there will be a bar at the top listing our nine tags that represent workspaces and a []= symbol that represents the layout of your windows.
Launching applications
Before looking into the layouts, first launch some applications so you can play with the layouts as you go. Apps can be started by pressing Alt+p and typing the name of the app followed by Enter. There’s also a shortcut Alt+Shift+Enter for opening a terminal.
Now that some apps are running, have a look at the layouts.
Layouts
There are three layouts available by default: the tiling layout, the monocle layout, and the floating layout.
The tiling layout, represented by []= on the bar, organizes windows into two main areas: master on the left, and stack on the right. You can activate the tiling layout by pressing Alt+t.
The idea behind the tiling layout is that you have your primary window in the master area while still seeing the other ones in the stack. You can quickly switch between them as needed.
To swap windows between the two areas, hover your mouse over one in the stack area and press Alt+Enter to swap it with the one in the master area.
The monocle layout, represented by [N] on the top bar, makes your primary window take the whole screen. You can switch to it by pressing Alt+m.
Finally, the floating layout lets you move and resize your windows freely. The shortcut for it is Alt+f and the symbol on the top bar is ><>.
Workspaces and tags
Each window is assigned to a tag (1-9) listed at the top bar. To view a specific tag, either click on its number using your mouse or press Alt+1..9. You can even view multiple tags at once by clicking on their number using the secondary mouse button.
Windows can be moved between different tags by highlighting them using your mouse, and pressing Alt+Shift+1..9.Â
Configuration
To make dwm as minimalistic as possible, it doesn’t use typical configuration files. Instead, you modify a C header file representing the configuration, and recompile it. But don’t worry, in Fedora it’s as simple as just editing one file in your home directory and everything else happens in the background thanks to the dwm-user package provided by the maintainer in Fedora.
First, you need to copy the file into your home directory using a command similar to the following:
Finally, just log out by pressing Alt+Shift+q and log in again. The scripts provided by the dwm-user package will recognize that you have changed the config.h file in your home directory and recompile dwm on login. And becuse dwm is so tiny, it’s fast enough you won’t even notice it.
You can try locking your screen now by pressing Alt+Shift+L, and then logging back in again by typing your password and pressing enter.
Conclusion
If you like minimalism and want a very fast yet powerful window manager, dwm might be just what you’ve been looking for. However, it probably isn’t for beginners. There might be a lot of additional configuration you’ll need to do in order to make it just as you like it.
The release of the GNOME desktop is the default desktop environment in the upcoming release of Fedora 30 Workstation. GNOME 3.32 includes a wide range of enhancements, including: new default application icons, a new emoji chooser in the on screen keyboard, and improved per-app permissions control.
GNOME 3.32
New Icons
GNOME 3.32 features a range of UI tweaks and improvements. Notably, the entire default icon library has been updated and refreshed, featuring more vibrant colours.
Some of the new icons in GNOME 3.32
Additionally, the colours of the desktop are tweaked to the brighter colour palette to match the new icons.
App Menus deprecated
In GNOME 3. the App Menu is the dropdown that appeared in the top left of the panel next to the Activities hotspot. As of GNOME 3.32, this UI feature is deprecated, and all core GNOME default applications now no longer have App Menus.
Fractional Scaling
Previously, the GNOME UI could only scale in increments of 1. With the wide range of different DPI screens available this may cause a strange middle ground on some displays, where the UI is either too small or too large when scaled. GNOME 3.32 provides experimental support for scaling the UI by more granular amounts.
Better emoji input
GNOME 3.32 features an updated on-screen keyboard implementation. Most notably, this includes the ability to easily “type” emoji with the on-screen keyboard
Emoji on-screen keyboard in GNOME 3.32
Improved App permissions control
The new “Application Permissions” in the main settings dialog allows users to view and change permissions for applications.
Read more about this release
There are many more changes and enhancements in this major version of GNOME. Check out the release announcement and the release notes from the GNOME Project for more information.
Libravatar is a free and open source service that anyone can use to host and share an avatar (profile picture) to other websites. Read on for some news about the service and its relevance to the Fedora Project.
As defined in the project’s blog, The Libravatar project is part of a movement working to give control back to people, away from centralized services and the organizations running them. It addresses a simple problem: putting a face on an email address.
The project originated from the will to have a free, as in freedom, service alternative to Gravatar, giving the users the possibility to use a hosted service or to run their own instance of the service and have full control of their data.
In April 2018 the Libravatar project announced that the service will be shutting down. The service is/was being used by many communities like Fedora, Mozilla and the Linux Kernel to name a few. The announcement triggered a big response from the community, of people interested and willing to help to keep it running.
After some coordination, and a complete rewrite of the application the launch of the new service was announced Tuesday 19th February 2019. The Fedora Project is proud to sponsor Libravatar by providing the infrastructure needed to run the service.
Are you new to using Fedora, or have a question about using Fedora? Got a story or helpful hint for Fedora that you want to share? You want to check out Fedora Discussion. It is a relatively new place where users and members of the Fedora Community meet to discuss, ask questions, and interact.
There are already several categories useful for Fedora users, including Desktop (covering Fedora Workstation, Fedora Silverblue, KDE, XFCE, and more) and the Server, Cloud, and IoT category . Additionally, some of the Fedora Special Interest Groups (SIGs) have discussions as well. Finally, the Fedora Friends category helps you connect with other Fedora users and Community members by providing discussions about upcoming meetups and hackfests.
Fedora test days are events where anyone can help make sure changes in Fedora work well in an upcoming release. Fedora community members often participate, and the public is welcome at these events. If you’ve never contributed to Fedora before, this is a perfect way to get started.
There are two upcoming test days this week. The first, on Tuesday March 12, is to test the Kernel 5.0. Wednesday March 13, the test day is focusing on Fedora IoT Edition. Come and test with us to make the upcoming Fedora 30 even better.
Kernel test day
The kernel team is working on final integration for kernel 5.0. This version was just recently released and will arrive soon in Fedora. This version will also be the shipping kernel for Fedora 30. As a result, the Fedora kernel and QA teams have organized a test day for Tuesday, March 12. Refer to the wiki page for links to the test images you’ll need to participate.
Fedora IoT Edition test day
Fedora Internet of Things is a variant of Fedora focused on IoT ecosystems. Whether you’re working on a home assistant, industrial gateways, or data storage and analytics, Fedora IoT provides a trusted open source platform to build on. Fedora IoT produces a monthly rolling release to help you keep your ecosystem up-to-date. The IoT and QA teams will have this test day for on Wednesday, March 13. Refer to the wiki page for links and resources to test the IoT Edition.
How do test days work?
A test day is an event where anyone can help make sure changes in Fedora work well in an upcoming release. Fedora community members often participate, and the public is welcome at these events. If you’ve never contributed before, this is a perfect way to get started.
To contribute, you only need to be able to download test materials (which include some large files) and then read and follow directions step by step.
Detailed information about both test days are on the wiki pages above. If you’re available on or around the days of the events, please do some testing and report your results.
Do you love to cook? Looking for a better way to manage your recipes using Fedora? GNOME Recipes is an awesome application available to install in Fedora to store and organize your recipe collection.
GNOME Recipes is an recipe management tool from the GNOME project. It has the visual style of a modern GNOME style application, and feels similar to GNOME Software, but for food.
Installing GNOME Recipes
Recipes is available to install from the 3rd party Flathub repositories. If you have never installed an application from Flathub before, set it up using the following guide:
After correctly setting up Flathub as a software source, you will be able to search for and install Recipes via GNOME Software.
Recipe management
Recipes allows you to manually add your own collection of recipes, including photos, ingredients, directions, as well as extra metadata like preparation time, cuisine style, and spiciness.
When entering in a new item, GNOME Recipes there are a range of different measurement units to choose from, as well as special tags for items like temperature, allowing you to easily switch units.
Community recipes
In addition to manually entering in your favourite dishes for your own use, it also allows you to find, use, and contribute recipes to the community. Additionally, you can mark your favourites, and search the collection by the myriad of metadata available for each recipe.
Step by step guidance
One of the awesome little features in GNOME Recipes is the step by step fullscreen mode. When you are ready to cook, simply activate this mode, move you laptop to the kitchen, and you will have a full screen display of the current step in the cooking method. Futhermore, you can set up the recipes to have timers displayed on this mode when something is in the oven.
Each release, the Fedora Design team works with the community on a set of 16 additional wallpapers. Users can install and use these to supplement the standard wallpaper. The Fedora Design team encourages submissions from the whole community. Contributors then use the Nuancier app to vote on the top 16 to include.
Voting has closed on the extra wallpapers for Fedora 30. Voters chose from among 56 submissions. A total of 128 Fedora contributors voted, choosing the following 16 backgrounds to include in Fedora 30:
Blue Mystic by Clyde He
Pink House by Everaldo Coelho
Canadian Rockies by Helena Bartosova
Mushroom Family by ahalman
Mountains of North Iran by ahalman
Wheat by psav
Sunset on Skye by noe38330
Zen Lover by hhlp
Snow on Balanced Rock by n8inup
Wasser im Winter by Alexander Hanauer
Dortmund Sunset by Hendrik Borghorst
Fabric by Matthew Andersen
Great Oak in Claremont by n8inup
Lonely tree in kenya by lhirlimann
Enjoying the Sun by lhirlimann
I see stars by haven1
(Editors’ note: Thank you to Sirko Kemter, who authored this article and conducted the voting process.)
JDK Mission Control (JMC) is now available as a module in Fedora 29. JDK Mission Control is a powerful profiling application for HotSpot JVMs. It has an advanced set of tools that enables efficient and detailed analysis of the extensive data collected by JDK Flight Recorder (JFR). JMC requires JDK 8 or later.
JFR is part of the JVM, and is available in OpenJDK 11 or Oracle JDK 7u4 or later. Therefore, to generate a flight recording to be loaded into JMC for analysis, the target application needs to run on OpenJDK 11 or OracleJDK 7u4 or later.
This article is a guide to install and run JMC on Fedora 29 Workstation. Then you’ll learn how to use it to solve a common problem with Java programs called hot methods.
Installing JMC on Fedora 29
Using Java 11 will allow JMC to record JFR data for itself. Install Java 11 via:
$ sudo dnf install java-11-openjdk
Enable and install the JMC module with the default profile via:
$ sudo dnf module install jmc:latest/default
Run JMC targeting the Java 11 JRE via:
$ jmc -vm /usr/lib/jvm/jre-11/bin
Using JMC and JFR to explore hot methods
JDK Mission Control can be used to deeply analyze Java applications. In this example, we will take a look at hot methods. Hot methods are methods where a high proportion of time is spent during execution. These are good places to start investigating when trying to reduce overall execution time.
To demonstrate, here is a portion of code for a Java application.
Initiator Sample Code
In practice, there are multiple methods of analyzing Java applications in JDK Mission Control. As an example, you can run the application with Flight Recording enabled and set to dump on JVM exit. This generates a Flight Recording (.jfr) file when the application exits, which can be opened by JDK Mission Control. Note that Flight Recorder is available in OpenJDK 11+ and OracleJDK 7u4+.
For example, for OpenJDK 11+ use this command to run the class with Flight Recorder:
After the application has completed execution, open the resulting Flight Recording with JMC. Below is the automated analysis results.
Automated Analysis Results
The automated Method Profiling analysis already indicates a potential optimization area in the calls to Integer.equals(Object). Going to the Method Profiling tab, select that method and check the Stack Trace for it as shown below.
Method Profiling View
In this Stack Trace, you can follow the calls to the method Initiator.countIntersection(Initiator). Checking the Initiator class, shown below, note that counting intersections between two Integer collections would be better done using HashSet collections instead of LinkedLists collections.
The Before and After Code
After making this change, you can see the execution improve in the follow-up Flight Recording.
Method Profiling View of ‘After’ Code
JDK Mission Control and JDK Flight Recorder gives you a highly detailed view of your Java application behavior. You can use it to diagnose issues with hot methods, deadlocks, lock contention, memory leaks and more. Try it out via the JMC module in Fedora 29!
