Although Ubuntu is switching to GNOME Shell in its next release plenty users plan to continue using the Unity desktop.
And if there’s one type of optional extra that makes the Unity desktop a little more useful it is application indicators. Like, for example, Simple Weather Indicator, which happened to see a new release this weekend.
The latest version of the Python-based weather forecast tool adds a number of nifty new features, including:
- Weather change notifications
- “Feels like” temperature
- Unified measurement unit
- Manual refresh
- Last update time
Simple Weather Indicator v1.0 is the last major update the applet will receive according to a blog post announcement by the developer. That said he is committed to providing bug fixes and minor releases for the duration of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS’ support.
If you’re a big fan of the Simple Weather Indicator you will be pleased to know that you can continue to use it on Ubuntu 17.10 with GNOME Shell. Ubuntu has, wisely, chosen to support application indicators and legacy tray items for the time being.
That said, there is a of native weather extensions for GNOME Shell available to install, some offering more advanced and interactive UIs than the simple, more refined indicator.
Install Simple Weather Indicator on Ubuntu
Simple Weather Indicator is available to install on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, 16.04 LTS, and 17.04 via the project’s official PPA.
To add the PPA run this command:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kasra-mp/ubuntu-indicator-weather
To install or upgrade the indicator run this command:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install indicator-weather
Once install is complete you can go ahead and launch the indicator from the Unity Dash or GNOME Applications Overview.
The applet is configured to detect your location automatically by default, though you can manually enter a location as coordinates via the Preferences dialog.