gaming

VA-API setting enabled in Firefox on Linux

Firefox with VA-API on Linux

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The Video Acceleration API, developed by Intel, has been enjoying widespread support in a variety of software, including the latest versions of Mozilla Firefox. The VA-API is an API for hardware acceleration that allows a computer to offload video decoding and encoding tasks to a system’s video card, a task that historically has taken place in the CPU.

In this guide, we’ll talk about Firefox’s VA-API setting. This will include a brief introduction to what it is and how it works, as well as how to enable or disable the setting on a Linux system. Keep reading if you want to give the VA-API setting a try, potentially speeding up your web browser’s video playback a great deal.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • What is Video Acceleration API in Firefox?
  • How to enable or disable VA-API

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Pop!_OS desktop

Pop!_OS vs Ubuntu Linux

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Pop!_OS and Ubuntu are both popular Linux distributions, each of which has their pros and cons, differences, and similarities to the other.

In this guide, we’ll be comparing the two distributions across a few key areas and giving a brief review of both distros. Read on to learn more about Pop!_OS and Ubuntu, and how they compare. By the end of this article, you’ll be armed with enough information to choose the best distro for your needs.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • Pop!_OS and Ubuntu background information
  • Pop!_OS and Ubuntu similarities and differences
  • Which distro should I use, Pop!_OS or Ubuntu?

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Hardware acceleration enabled in Mozilla Firefox

Firefox hardware acceleration on Linux

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As new innovations continue to push the envelope of what’s possible on a modern PC, hardware acceleration has been finding its way into many common applications. In recent versions, Mozilla Firefox now allows users to enable hardware acceleration in the web browser’s settings.

In this guide, we’ll talk about Firefox’s hardware acceleration. This will include a brief introduction to what it is and how it works, as well as how to enable or disable the setting on a Linux system. Keep reading if you want to give hardware acceleration a try, potentially speeding up your web browser a great deal.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • What is hardware acceleration in Firefox?
  • How to enable or disable hardware acceleration
Hardware acceleration enabled in Mozilla Firefox

Hardware acceleration enabled in Mozilla Firefox

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Installing Lutris and games on Manjaro Linux

Install Lutris on Manjaro

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Lutris is a game manager that can be run on Manjaro and other Linux distributions, and it does its job incredibly well. It has thousands of games in its catalog and works with very little fuss, allowing you to install games from the cloud and keep them up to date. Most games are “one click install” titles, meaning that you shouldn’t have to worry about fiddling with extra configuration to get a Windows game working on Linux. It just works.

You’ll need to have Wine on Manjaro in order to ensure a smooth experience with Lutris. The two work really well together, and that’s because the developers of Lutris also work directly with Wine staging. Since the Lutris developers already program their installers to use the most optimal settings possible, there’s no need to fool around with Winetricks or any of the usual Wine configuration utilities.

If you’ve already installed Manjaro and are ready to start gaming, follow along as we setup Lutris and its dependencies on our system.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install Wine and dependencies
  • How to install Lutris
  • How to install a game on Lutris

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Installed NVIDIA drivers on Ubuntu 20.10 Groovy Gorilla Linux

How to install the NVIDIA drivers on Ubuntu 20.10 Groovy Gorilla Linux

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The objective is to install the NVIDIA drivers on Ubuntu 20.10 Groovy Gorilla Linux and switch from a opensource Nouveau driver to the proprietary Nvidia driver.

To install Nvidia driver on other Linux distributions, follow our Nvidia Linux Driver guide.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to perform an automatic Nvidia driver installation using standard Ubuntu Repository
  • How to perform an Nvidia driver installation using PPA repository
  • How to install the official Nvidia.com driver
  • How to uninstall/switch back from Nvidia to Nouveau opensource driver

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Best Terminal Games on Linux

Best Terminal Games on Linux

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Intro

GNU/Linux gaming has come a long way over the past decade. We are lucky to live in an age where there are a number of native linux games including AAA titles to choose from on the platform. Steam has also vastly increased the number of games available on Linux. Despite the vast availability of GUI based games, sometimes it can be more relaxing and entertaining to play terminal based ones. This is not so surprising considering the fact that most Linux users spend a lot of time on the command line and feel at home there. Luckily, there are a number of great terminal based games available on the platform as well.

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Minecraft installed and running on Manjaro Linux

How to install Minecraft on Manjaro

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While Linux isn’t always known for its stellar support of video games, Minecraft developers have released a version specifically for Linux, and it runs great on Manjaro. You don’t even need to use Lutris or install Wine for it to function properly.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to download and install Minecraft to get you up and playing in no time.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install Minecraft from AUR
  • How to launch Minecraft from GUI or command line

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warzone2100 main menu

WarZone2100 Installation on Debian Wheezy

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If you run Debian Wheezy 7 Linux as your main operating system and you wish to try open source real-time strategy and real-time tactics hybrid computer game WarZone 2100 then here is a short guide on how to install this game on your debian system.

First, download latest tar ball from official WarZone2100 git repository. Start by installing git and then download WarZone2100’s latest source code:

# apt-get install git
$ git clone https://github.com/Warzone2100/warzone2100.git

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How to install Steam on Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver Linux

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Objective

The objective is to guide reader through the installation of Steam on Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver Linux using standard Ubuntu repository as well as to perform a manual installation using the official Steam package.

Operating System and Software Versions

  • Operating System: – Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver

Requirements

Privileged access to your system is required. Furthermore, appropriate nvidia driver or AMD radeon driver must also be configured before proceeding with the installation.

Conventions

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Ubuntu Bionic Beaver AMD Driver Download

How to Install The Latest AMD Radeon Drivers on Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver Linux

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Objective

Install the latest AMD graphics drivers on Ubuntu

Distributions

Ubuntu 18.04

Requirements

A working install of Ubuntu 18.04 with root privileges

Conventions

  • # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command
  • $ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user

Other Versions of this Tutorial

Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa)

Introduction

If you’re planning on using an AMD graphics card with Ubuntu 18.04, you have a couple of options. Because Bionic is an LTS release, you do have the option of using the proprietary AMDGPU-PRO drivers. The open source drivers that come with Ubuntu are probably better for gamers, though. They’re already installed, and you can configure your system to receive constant performance-boosting upgrades from the latest Mesa releases. Either way, you’re going to have great experience working with AMD on Ubuntu 18.04.

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