How To Remove the Welcome Screen & Software Boutique
On Monday May 20, 2019 I downloaded updates on my desktop computer that has Ubuntu MATE 18.04.2 LTS and after I rebooted my system I noticed that I had two Wifi icons in my system tray. I know the cause of this is usually a file was added to the autostart folder on my system. So I opened my file manager and went into my /home/username/.config/autostart folder. I had a new file called ubuntu-mate-welcome-autostart.desktop inside the autostart folder. I deleted the file and rebooted my computer and the file placed itself back into the autostart folder.
I realized that my Welcome Screen must have gotten an update, so I needed to open the Welcome Screen and uncheck the box next to Open Welcome when I log on. To my surprise, my Welcome Screen loaded and it was completely blank. I could not see the option to uncheck to prevent the Welcome Screen from loading each time I turned on my system.
Here's what I was expecting to see when I opened the Welcome Screen. This is an old screenshot I took when I first installed the Welcome Screen on Ubuntu MATE 18.04 LTS. As you can see in the image below, it gives you the choice uncheck the option Open Welcome when I log on. This removes the file in the autostart folder.
I opened my Startup Applications Preferences program found in the Control Center and I highlighted Welcome and then I clicked the Remove button.
I then went back into my /home/username/.config/autostart folder and deleted the ubuntu-mate-welcome-autostart.desktop file.
That would have probably fixed my two Wifi icons in the system tray problem, but it wouldn't fix my Welcome Screen and Software Boutique. I realized that the Software Boutique also received an update and it loaded with a blank screen as well.
So I opened my Terminal and entered ubuntu-mate-welcome to open the Welcome Screen via the Terminal. The blank Welcome Screen loaded and I noticed in the Terminal that it was version 19.10.0 and it displayed the error message "failed to create drawable". I closed the blank Welcome Screen and then entered software-boutique into the Terminal. A blank Software Boutique loaded and in the Terminal it also displayed 19.10.0 with the same error message "failed to create drawable".
My two laptops do not have this problem, so I guess it must have something to do with my video card or video driver. Since my video is clear on my monitor with no screen tearing and everything else seems to work as it should, I decided I would remove the Welcome Screen and Software Boutique.
The Welcome Screen was great during the initial setup to step me through the installation of drivers and other things needed during the installation of a new operating system; however, I don't use it anymore. The Software Boutique made installing software very easy by pointing and clicking, but I don't use it anymore as well. These two software packages are designed to help new users. I like to think of them as training wheels on a bike. They served their purpose for me and since I no longer use them I decided it would be best to remove them and free up some hard drive space.
Here's the steps to remove the Software Boutique & Welcome Screen.
Open your Terminal and enter the following and press the Enter key and then enter your password:
sudo snap remove software-boutique
The Welcome Screen was great during the initial setup to step me through the installation of drivers and other things needed during the installation of a new operating system; however, I don't use it anymore. The Software Boutique made installing software very easy by pointing and clicking, but I don't use it anymore as well. These two software packages are designed to help new users. I like to think of them as training wheels on a bike. They served their purpose for me and since I no longer use them I decided it would be best to remove them and free up some hard drive space.
Here's the steps to remove the Software Boutique & Welcome Screen.
Open your Terminal and enter the following and press the Enter key and then enter your password:
sudo snap remove software-boutique
Now enter the following and press the Enter key:
sudo snap remove ubuntu-mate-welcome
sudo snap remove ubuntu-mate-welcome
The Welcome Screen & Software Boutique should be removed from your system.
How-To Install the Non-Snap Version of the Welcome Screen & Software Boutique
You can now install a non-snap version of the Welcome Screen & Software Boutique by entering the following in your Terminal:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-mate-dev/welcome
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install ubuntu-mate-welcome
You can now install a non-snap version of the Welcome Screen & Software Boutique by entering the following in your Terminal:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-mate-dev/welcome
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install ubuntu-mate-welcome
If you want a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for installing software then install Ubuntu Software Center and/or App Grid.
To install Ubuntu Software Center, follow these three steps:
Update your repositories:
sudo apt update
Install all current updates:
sudo apt upgrade
Install the Software Center:
sudo apt install software-center
To install App Grid, follow these three steps:
Add the PPA to your repositories:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:appgrid/stable
Update your repositories:
sudo apt update
Install the program:
sudo apt-get install appgrid
To install Ubuntu Software Center, follow these three steps:
Update your repositories:
sudo apt update
Install all current updates:
sudo apt upgrade
Install the Software Center:
sudo apt install software-center
To install App Grid, follow these three steps:
Add the PPA to your repositories:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:appgrid/stable
Update your repositories:
sudo apt update
Install the program:
sudo apt-get install appgrid
I hope this has helped you if you also decided to remove the Welcome Screen & Software Boutique.
Take care!
Take care!
