There is a new application available for Sparkers: The Lounge

What is The Lounge?

Modern web IRC client designed for self-hosting.

Overview:
– Modern features brought to IRC. Push notifications, link previews, new message markers, and more bring IRC to the 21st century.
– Always connected. Remains connected to IRC servers while you are offline.
– Cross platform. It doesn’t matter what OS you use, it just works wherever Node.js runs.
– Responsive interface. The client works smoothly on every desktop, smartphone and tablet.
– Synchronized experience. Always resume where you left off no matter what device.

Installation (Sparky 6 & 7):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install thelounge

License: MIT
Web: github.com/thelounge/thelounge

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There is a new application available for Sparkers: SonoBus

What is SonoBus?

SonoBus is an easy to use application for streaming high-quality, low-latency peer-to-peer audio between devices over the internet or a local network.

Simply choose a unique group name (with optional password), and instantly connect multiple people together to make music, remote sessions, podcasts, etc. Easily record the audio from everyone, as well as playback any audio content to the whole group.

Installation (Sparky 6 & 7):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install sonobus

License: GNU GPL 3
Web: github.com/sonosaurus/sonobus/

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The 8th monthly Sparky project and donate report of 2021:
– Linux kernel updated up to version 5.14.0
– Added to repos: Cinerella video editor, Gammy screen brightness/temperature tool, Pinta graphics editor, Ulauncher
– Sparky 6.0 “Po Tolo” released
– new repos of Sparky 7 “Orion Belt” (next stable; semi-rolling/testing now) created

Many thanks to all of you for supporting our open-source projects. Your donations help keeping them alive.

Don’t forget to send a small tip in September too, please.

Country Supporter Amount Olaf T. € 10 Krzysztof M. PLN 50 Stefan L. $ 5 Mitchel V. $ 50 Tom C. $ 15 Nick V. $ 5 Krzysztof S. PLN 70 Jerzy W. PLN 50 Robert H. € 11 Joseph G. € 6 Andrzej M. PLN 5 Paweł S. PLN 40 Karl A. € 1.66 Marek B. PLN 10 Alexander F. € 10 Rudolf L. € 10 Andrzej T. PLN 100 Magdalena T. € 4.23 Daniel B. € 10 Jeremy Y. € 40 Jacek G. PLN 40 Stanisław G. PLN 20 Andrzej P. PLN 10 Jorg S. € 5 Lev P. € 5 Girolamo S. € 5 Aymeric L. € 10 Dariusz M. € 10 Stephen E. € 20 Maciej P. PLN 22 Michał M. PLN 10 Paolo R. € 150 Aggeusz K. € 10 Wojciech H. PLN 10 Barbara & Tomasz Z. PLN 50 Dariusz B. PLN 50 Total: 76%
€ 317.89
PLN 537
$ 75

* Keep in mind that some amounts coming to us will be reduced by commissions for online payment services. Only direct sending donations to our bank account will be credited in full.

* Miej na uwadze, że kwota, którą przekażesz nam poprzez system płatności on-line zostanie pomniejszona o prowizję dla pośrednika. W całości wpłynie tylko ta, która zostanie przesłana bezpośrednio na nasze konto bankowe.

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There is a new application available for Sparkers: Pinta

What is Pinta?

Pinta is a free, open source program for drawing and image editing. Its goal is to provide users with a simple yet powerful way to draw and manipulate images on Linux, Mac, Windows, and *BSD.
Pinta is a Gtk# clone of Paint.Net 3.0

Installation (Sparky 6 & 7):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install pinta

License: MIT
Web: pinta-project.com

 

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According to the last Sparky 6.0 release, and created new testing repository for Sparky 7 (next stable), there are 2 separated scripts which lets you upgrade your Sparky installation:
* from Sparky 5 (oldstable) to 6 (stable)
or
* from Sparky 6 (stable) to 7 (testing)

1. It is provided as it is, means no guarantee that will be working with no problems, you are using it on your own risk!
2. Backup your personal files before starting.
3. Dependencies (should be already installed): apt bash coreutils dialog dpkg grep iputils-ping sparky-info sudo

Upgrading Sparky 5 to 6:
Get it:
wget https://sparkylinux.org/files/sparky-dist-upgrade56
Make it executable:
chmod +x sparky-dist-upgrade56
Run it:
sudo ./sparky-dist-upgrade56

Upgrading Sparky 6 to 7:
Get it:
wget https://sparkylinux.org/files/sparky-dist-upgrade67
Make it executable:
chmod +x sparky-dist-upgrade67
Run it:
sudo ./sparky-dist-upgrade67

 

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A new testing/rolling line of Sparky 7 (next stable) is ready to upgrade.

The next Sparky 7 code name is “Orion Belt”

From Wikipedia:

Orion’s Belt or the Belt of Orion, also known as the Three Kings or Three Sisters, is an asterism in the constellation Orion. It consists of the three bright stars Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka…

…The Orion correlation theory (or Giza–Orion correlation theory) is a fringe theory in alternative Egyptology. It posits that there is a correlation between the location of the three largest pyramids of the Giza pyramid complex and Orion’s Belt of the constellation Orion, and that this correlation was intended as such by the original builders of the Giza pyramid complex.

If you would like to keep Sparky rolling, and have Sparky 6 installed, you have to fully upgrade it, then you can switch to the new testing repos now.

1. Change Debian repository from “bullseye” to “bookworm” at the file:
/etc/apt/sources.list

2. Change Sparky repository from “potolo” to “orion” at the file:
/etc/apt/sources.list.d/sparky.list

3. Make upgrade
sparky-upgrade
or:
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

4. If any problem, run:
sudo dpkg --configure -a

Then reboot to take effects.

Check the Wiki page too: wiki.sparkylinux.org/doku.php/repository_testing

Informacja w języku polskim: https://linuxiarze.pl/nowa-linia-testowa-sparky-7/

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Sparky 6.0 “Po Tolo” has been released. It is based on and fully compatible with Debian 11 “Bullseye”.

Highlights:
– based on Debian stable 11 “Bullseye”
– all packages updated from Debian “Bullseye” & Sparky “Po Tolo” repos as of August 16, 2021
– Firefox 78.13.0ESR instead of Firefox (latest)
– Thunderbird 78.13.0
– VLC 3.0.16
– LibreOffice 7.0.4
– Calamares 3.2.41.1
– Linux kernel 5.10.46 LTS as default
– desktop fonts set to 11
– exfatprogs replaced exfat-fuse & exfat-utils to manage exFAT partitions
– installed ipp-usb to allow a USB device to be treated as a network device
– MinimalGUI: PCManFM replaces DoubleCMD-GTK; Firefox-ESR replaces Epiphany browser
– MinimalCLI: removed multilingual from boot settings and cli installer

Sparky APTus is no loger under development and has been replaced by Sparky APTus AppCenter, introduced over a year ago. It lets you:
– install, reinstall & remove over 2300 popular applications, including over 20 pre-configured desktops

– use all tools from the old APTus

– install and remove Linux kernels:
* Debian default, RealTime, (Backports & Backports RealTime when ready)
* Liquorix
* XanMod
* Sparky

Having in mind security and anonymity whilst surfing the net, all Sparky 6 iso images have RiseupVPN application preinstalled. It is not loaded as default, but can be started from your application’s Internet menu.

Sparky FirstRun app has been removed and replaced by Sparky Welcome.

Package “sparky-artwork-nature” features 12 new, beautiful nature wallpapers created by:
– Pavbaranow: sparky-nature 36-38
– Aneta: sparky-nature 39-43
– Dana: sparky-nature: 44-47

There is no need to reinstall your Sparky installation, if you have Sparky rolling (Po Tolo) installed – simply keep Sparky up to date. Sparky 6 “Po Tolo” has been moved from rolling to stable automatically.

If you want to keep Sparky rolling, based on the testing branch – wait a few days to new repos will be created. It will be posted separately, so stay tuned.

Sparky 6 “Po Tolo” is avialable in the following flavours:
amd64: Xfce & KDE Plasma
amd64 & i686: LXQt, MinimaGUI (Openbox) & MinimalCLI (text mode)

Note 1: Sparky 6 still supports old machines x86 (32bit).

Note 2: Sparky 6 amd64 can be installed on BIOS or UEFI machines using Sparky Installer (Calamares) or Sparky Advanced Installer (with Yad GUI or cli) as well. Sparky 6 i686 works on BIOS machines only.

Note 3: Installation of Sparky 6 on UEFI machines can be done with Secure Boot off. After installing, the Secure Boot can be turned on back, all required libs is installed during the system installation process.

Note 4: There are 3 repo mirrors located in Germany and USA, feel free to switch to a one:
wiki.sparkylinux.org/doku.php/mirrors
If you would like to provide a new one – simply send out a message.

Note 5: If you would like to upgrade Sparky 5 to the present stable Sparky 6 – follow the Wiki page: wiki.sparkylinux.org/doku.php/upgrade_5_to_6

Note 6: ARM images are not ready, stay tuned.

Send a small tip if you like SparkyLinux.

New iso images of Sparky 6 “Po Tolo” can be downloaded from the download/stable page

Many thanks to all community members for supporting and helping Sparky project.

Informacja o wydaniu w języku polskim: https://linuxiarze.pl/sparky-6-0-po-tolo/

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There is a new application available for Sparkers: Gammy

What is Gammy?

Adaptive screen brightness/temperature for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD. It is a tool for adjusting pixel brightness/temperature automatically or manually. It can dim the screen if its content is too bright, or brighten it otherwise. This can help your eyes adjust when switching between dark and light windows, especially at night or in suboptimal lighting conditions.

Installation (Sparky 6 amd64 & i386):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gammy

Copyright (C) Francesco Fusco
License: GNU GPL-3
Web: github.com/Fushko/gammy

 

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There is a new application available for Sparkers: Cinelerra

What is Cinelerra?

Cinelerra is one of the most advanced, open-source non-linear video editors and compositors for Linux. Turn your Linux box into a complete audio and video production environment.

Installation (Sparky 5 & 6 amd64):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install cin

License: GNU GPL-2
Web: cinelerra.org

 

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The 7th monthly Sparky project and donate report of 2021:

– Linux kernel updated up to version 5.13.7 & 5.14-rc3
– Added to repos: Komorebi wallpapers manager, Nuclear audio player, Shortwave radio player, Enve 2D animation software, Viper web browser, Systemback
– preperation to a new stable version of Spaky 6.0 “Po Tolo” is on the way

Many thanks to all of you for supporting our open-source projects, specially in this difficult days. Your donations help keeping them alive.

Don’t forget to send a small tip in August too, please

There is a new application available for Sparkers: Systemback

What is Systemback?

Simple system backup and restore application with extra features Systemback makes it easy to create backups of the system and the users configuration files. In case of problems you can easily restore the previous state of the system. There are extra features like system copying, system installation and Live system creation.

Installation (Sparky 5 & 6 / amd64 & i386):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install systemback

License: GNU GPL-3.0
Web: github.com/fconidi/Systemback_source-1.9.4

 

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There is a new application available for Sparkers: Viper Browser

What is Viper Browser?

A powerful yet lightweight web browser built with the Qt framework

Features:
– All development is done with a focus on privacy, minimalism, and customization ability
– Bookmark management
– Built-in ad blocker, compatible with AdBlock Plus and uBlock Origin filters
– Cookie viewer, editor, and support for cookie filters (QtWebEngine 5.11+ only)
– Compatible with Pepper Plugin API
– Custom user agent support
– Fast and lightweight
– Fullscreen support
– Granular control over browser settings and web permissions
– Gives the user control over their data, no invasions of privacy like other browsers are known to do..
– GreaseMonkey-style UserScript support
– Multiple options for home page- any URL, blank page, or a card layout page with favorite and most visited websites
– PDF.js embedded into the browser
– Save and restore browsing sessions, local tab history, pinned tabs
– Secure AutoFill manager (disabled by default)
– Tab drag-and-drop support for HTML links, local files, other browser window tabs, etc
– Tab hibernation / wake up support
– Traditional browser UI design instead of WebUI and chromium-based interfaces

Installation (Sparky 6 amd64 & i386):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install viper-browser

License: GNU GPL-3.0
Web: github.com/LeFroid/Viper-Browser

 

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There is a new application available for Sparkers: Enve

What is Enve?

Flexible, user expandable 2D animation software for Linux and Windows. You can use enve to create vector animations, raster animations, and even use sound and video files. Enve was created with flexibility and expandability in mind.

Installation (Sparky 5 & 6 amd64):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install enve

License: GNU GPL-3.0
Web: github.com/MaurycyLiebner/enve

 

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There is a new application available for Sparkers: Shortwave

What is Shortwave?

Shortwave is an internet radio player that provides access to a station database with over 25,000 stations.

Features:
– Create your own library where you can add your favorite stations
– Easily search and discover new radio stations
– Automatic recognition of songs, with the possibility to save them individually
– Responsive application layout, compatible for small and large screens
– Play audio on supported network devices (e.g. Google Chromecasts)
– Seamless integration into the GNOME desktop environment

Installation (Sparky 6 amd64 & i686):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install shortwave

Warring!
This is Shortwave version 1.1.1, the last one which reqiures GTK+3; The latest version 2.0.x requires GTK+4, which is not available in Debian Sid or testing repos yet.

License: GNU GPL-3.0
Web: gitlab.gnome.org/World/Shortwave

 

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There is a new application available for Sparkers: Nuclear

What is Nuclear?

Nuclear is a free music streaming program that pulls content from free sources all over the internet. If you know mps-youtube, this is a similar music player but with a GUI. It’s also focusing more on audio. Imagine Spotify which you don’t have to pay for and with a bigger library.

Features:
– Searching for and playing music from YouTube (including integration with playlists and SponsorBlock), Jamendo, Audius and SoundCloud
– Searching for albums (powered by Last.fm and Discogs), album view, automatic song lookup based on artist and track name (in progress, can be dodgy sometimes)
– Song queue, which can be exported as a playlist
– Loading saved playlists (stored in json files)
– Scrobbling to last.fm (along with updating the ‘now playing’ status)
– Newest releases with reviews – tracks and albums
– Browsing by genre
– Radio mode (automatically queue similar tracks)
– Unlimited downloads (powered by youtube)
– Realtime lyrics
– Browsing by popularity
– List of favorite tracks
– Listening from local library
– No accounts, No ads, No CoC, No CLA

Installation (Sparky 6 amd64 only):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nuclear

License: GNU Affero General Public License 3
Web: github.com/nukeop/nuclear

 

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The 6th monthly Sparky project and donate report of 2021:
– Linux kernel updated up to version 5.13.0
– Added to repos: FreeTube, FrostWire, Lightworks
– Sparky 2021.06 of the semi-rolling line released
– new app Sparky Welcome replaces Sparky First Run

Many thanks to all of you for supporting our open-source projects, specially in this difficult days. Your donations help keeping them alive.
Don’t forget to send a small tip in July too, please.

* Thank you very much for your support, but it is getting smaller every next month

There is a new application available for Sparkers: Lightworks

What is Lightworks?

Hollywood-strength editing for everyone. Lightworks is the fastest, most accessible and focused NLE in the industry, because it is based on the simple idea that the editor, not the computer industry, knows what’s best. The latest release of Lightworks is based on the cumulative knowledge from twenty years of top-flight editing.

Features:
– Universal projects
– Custom definable sequence output formats
– Social Media Templates for sequence output
– Powerful asset grouping associations
– Simple & intuitive User Interface
– Access amazing royalty-free audio & video content
– Easy timeline editing & trimming
– Lo-Res Proxy workflows for 4K
– Real time ready to use audio & video FX
– Export video for YouTube/Vimeo, SD/HD, up to 4K
– Wide file format support including variable frame rate media
– Grade your sequence professionally utilising up to 32bit GPU precision and histogram tool

Lightworks 2021 is available with a free 7 day license and requires register to extend, or upgrade to Pro for all tools and export formats.

Installation (Sparky 5 & 6 amd64):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install lightworks

Developer: LWKS Software Ltd.
License: Proprietary
Web: lwks.com

 

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Sparky 2021.06, the semi-rolling release which is based on Debian testing “Bullseye” is out.
Debian Bullseye is hard frozen now, and is going to Full Freeze soon, so it is perfect time to give Sparky 6 a try before become stable.

Changelog:
– all packages updated from Debian and Sparky testing repos as of June 22
– Linux kernel 5.10.40 LTS (5.12.13 & 5.13-rc7 in Sparky unstable repos)
– added RiseupVPN to all iso images, which helps you protect your privacy using all networking applications
– fonts set to size 11
– a new application Sparky Welcome which replaced Sparky First Run
– small improvements
– MinimalGUI: changed Thunar to a two panels DoubleCMD-Gtk

System re-installation is not required, make full system upgrade via Sparky Upgrade gui tool or a command:

sparky-upgrade

or:

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade

New rolling iso images can be downloaded from the download/rolling page.

 

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There is a new application available for Sparkers: FrostWire

What is FrostWire?

An easy to use Cloud Downloader, BitTorrent Client and Media Player. Search, Download, Play, Share.

Features:
– In-App Search
– Preview & Play while you download
– Download only files you want
– Media Player & Library
– BitTorrent client

Installation (Sparky 6 amd64 only):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install frostwire

License: GNU General Public License.
Web: github.com/frostwire/frostwire

 

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There is a new application available for Sparkers: FreeTube

What is FreeTube?

FreeTube is a YouTube client for Windows, Mac, and Linux built around using YouTube more privately. You can enjoy your favorite content and creators without your habits being tracked. All of your user data is stored locally and never sent or published to the internet. FreeTube grabs data by scraping the information it needs (with either local methods or by optionally utilizing the Invidious API). With many features similar to YouTube, FreeTube has become one of the best methods to watch YouTube privately on desktop.

Features:
– Watch videos without ads
– Use YouTube without Google tracking you using cookies and JavaScript
– Two extractor APIs to choose from (Built in or Invidious)
– Subscribe to channels without an account
– Local subscriptions, history, and saved videos
– Organize your subscriptions into “Profiles” to create a more focused feed
– Export & import subscriptions
– Open videos from your browser directly into FreeTube (with extension)
– Mini Player
– Full Theme support

Installation (Sparky 6 amd64 only):
(The application is still in beta phase so installation on Sparky testing only)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install freetube

License: GNU Affero General Public License
Web: github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube