If you have decided to , you will have to be prepared for a very different experience if you come from working with operating systems like Windows, so you may be thinking “I already installed Linux, now what?”
Though linux has a variety of pre-installed programs of all kinds, the reality is that if you are looking for the best possible experience, it is necessary to dig a little in the software repositories and make some configurations to optimize your operating system to the maximum.
Don’t worry, We have arrived to help you with some instructions and recommendations so that you can find the best programsand make the correct settings for get the most out of you.
Learn step by step how to configure Linux after installation to get the most out of it.
The first thing you have to understand on a freshly installed Linux distro is that, depending on what it is, many times it does not have the best programs by default and it is almost always necessary to make updates and improvements.
Next, we explain step by step how to improve your newly installed distribution from zero to 100.
Update to the latest version
This is the obvious first step, not just with Linux, but with any new operating system you decide to install. Keeping your version up to date is the best way to avoid performance issues and possible bugs that can sully the user experience. To update the version of your operating system, many distributions have a tool in their app tray known as “Software Updater”.
However, the most used way is by executing commands in the terminal:
- $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y
Install missing drivers and controllers
Although most popular distributions automatically detect and download missing drivers, there are some hardware components, such as NVIDIA graphics cardswhich require you to manually download drivers.
Guide yourself through the following steps to find the necessary repositories:
- Write “Updates” in the search menu.
- Opens the option “Software & updates”.
- go to section “Additional controls”.
- Choose the drivers that appear in the list.
- click on the button “Apply”.
- reboot your PC.
Required repositories
in all its versions, includes a native software repository where the necessary basic programs can be found. Nevertheless, some other repositories will need to be installed to cover needs that might be being neglected with which it comes natively.
Sometimes it is possible to find repositories disabled in some versions of Ubuntu, but it is possible to enable them by following these steps:
- Enters in “Software & updates”.
- click about the option “Other software”.
- From the list you will seeselect the repositories you want enable and click “Apply”.
- reboot your PC.
In case you want to install an external repositorythe steps change slightly.
You will first need to go to the website of the repository you wish to add, then follow these steps:
- Enters to the program “Software & updates”.
- press the option “Other software”.
- Select “Add” and enter the APT of the repository, which you can see on the website of the repository.
- click on “Add source” and enter your password.
- Close “Softwares & updates”. Behind this, ubuntu it will do the required checks so that you can start downloading programs.
Install GNOME
The GNOME customization tool It is one of the best options to take into account if you are one of those who like to give a very personal touch to your desktop environment. This powerful tool allows you to modify everything from fonts to icon sizes, giving a fresh look to your desktop environment.
To install this tool, as in many cases, you just have to open the command terminal and insert the following line:
- $ sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool -y
Install a web browser
Most Linux distributions have a browser pre-installed. In the case of Ubuntu, the default browser is Firefox, however, there are many cases where users prefer to use browsers like Chrome, Web Browser, and Opera. For either case, it is possible to get the “.deb” file online, both for Chrome and Opera, as well as for any browser that you may require. The file will launch from the Linux Software Center, from where you can install the browser of your choice.
Configuring the appearance of the application menus
There are certain cases where users may prefer application menus to appear at the top of the applicationinstead of in a separate window as is its default option.
To achieve this look, follow these steps:
- Open the settings menu of system.
- Enters in option “Appearance”.
- Opens the tab of “Behaviour”.
- Choose the button that looks like a radio, under the option “Show menu in window”.
Install Java and Flash
Java is one of the main needs in Linux computerssince it is essential for the operation of a great variety of programs and processes.
To install Java on your Linux computer, open Terminal and type this command:
- $ sudo apt-get install openjdk-11-jdk
The flash installation process is a bit different, since the first thing we must do is enable the options “Canonical Partners”in section “Software & Updates”. After that, close the window and reload the repositories.
After this, you just have to open the command terminal again and type:
- $ sudo apt-get install adobe-flashplugin
Enable the firewall
In the case of ubuntu and the distributions based on it, the UFW firewall is installed by default and is known to be quite reliable. Depending on the distro, the Firewall could be disabled.
So it will be necessary to activate it manually by entering the following command:
The management and configuration of this firewall is done in GUI, so it is necessary to do this installation:
- $ sudo apt-get install gufw
In the event that it is necessary to disable the firewall, you can do it with the following command:
Install Multimedia Codecs
To play MP3, MP4, AVI files or of any format on Ubuntu and its derivatives, Media codecs need to be installed.
The problem is that they are not installed by default, so you will have to install them manually through the command terminal:
- $ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
This command works for Ubuntu based distrosand installs the package of restricted extras, among which are the codecs.
Install Snap Store
Snap Store It’s one of the best software repositories which are available for most Linux distributions.
To install it on your computer you just have to:
- Open “Software and updates” via the activity search bar.
- Click in option “Other software”.
- Browse the Snap Store repositoryyou need to enable it and click on “Apply”.
- Restart your PC.
Install and configure Thunderbird
Thunderbird is the default email client on many of the most popular Linux distributions. for its reliability, safety and ease of use. In some cases, however, the application is disabled.
So you will have to install it manually through the terminal:
- Download the installation package from their official page.
- Go to home directory from the terminal by typing cd
- Extract the contents of the package installation downloaded.
- Start .
Set keyboard shortcuts
One of the best linux featuresin the case of ubuntu and many other distributions, is the ability to configure key commands to function as shortcuts for certain actions, from switching between windows, to controlling music playback. In order to enable keyboard shortcuts, you just have to follow the path “Settings > Devices > Keyboard” from where you can configure the shortcuts you prefer from the list of available settings.
Improve battery performance
Anyone who has worked with Windows and migrated to Linux, You might notice a significant decrease in battery time from the new operating system.
Fortunately, this is completely solvable by entering a couple of commands:
- $ sudo apt-get install tlp tlp-rdw
- $ sudo systemct1 enable tlp
This will enable a setting that decreases battery consumption of your laptop, thus giving it a few more hours of use.
Commands to clean the computer
Now we will give you a list of the commands that you should know to keep your computer free of junk files and unnecessary cache:
- To delete incomplete packets: $ sudo apt-get autoclean
- If you want to remove unused dependencies: $ sudo apt-get autoremove
- To clean the : $ sudo apt-get clean
We present the programs that cannot be missing from your Linux computer to make the most of it
Now we bring you the most necessary programs for the average user of a home computerfor when the distro you use does not have a certain program pre-installed, or if the available version does not meet your expectations.
Let’s see next:
office software
essentials for anyone who do office work from your computer.
Any of these options will perfectly cover your needs in the office section:
- OnlyOffice: It allows the preparation of spreadsheets, documents and graphic presentations, in addition to having a vast support community.
- WPS Office: It is available on many operating systems and allows document sharing via a cross-platform account.
- FreeOffice: It offers full compatibility with Microsoft formats, allowing the user to share documents with Microsoft Office without the need to export files.
- OpenOffice: It includes a text editor, a spreadsheet, a vector drawing tool and a database, as well as allowing the use of extensions to improve text correction.
- LibreOffice: has compatibility for .doc, .xls, .ppt, and .pubas well as including an open standard called Open Document Format that gives you even more compatibility for any text format.
Security and optimization software
The installation of new programsand even the internet connection itselfit’s a security risk for our computer.
Therefore, it is always advisable to have options in terms of security software and file cleaning:
- Privacy Badger: is a free extension for a variety of browsers that works as a tracker blocker.
- bleachbit: works as a system optimizer and hard drive cleanup tool
- Archery: is a security tool used by software engineers to detect vulnerabilities in the operating system
- Baobab: It is a hard disk usage analyzer that shows us…
Facebook Comments
Disqus