Koushik Naskar

KoushikPhy

4 minute read

Ubuntu is a great choice for a linux and the most popular one too. But just after installing ubuntu you have to set it up properly before using it. Now the following description are listed as the things I like to do after installing a fresh ubuntu installation, but the set up is completely depend on the user’s choice and how they want to use their system. you can skip some steps if you feel you don’t need them.

1. Setting up proxy

Most of the times I use ubuntu behind a institute/corporate proxy, so setting up proper proxy settings are always my first step after installing ubuntu or any OS for that matter.

a. Set up proxy in gnome settings

Go to System > Network > Network Proxy and set it up as manual with proper proxy and port. This can also be done from terminal by running,

gsettings set org.gnome.system.proxy mode 'manual'
gsettings set org.gnome.system.proxy.http host 'http://username:password@proxy'
gsettings set org.gnome.system.proxy.http port port
gsettings set org.gnome.system.proxy.ftp host 'http://username:password@proxy'
gsettings set org.gnome.system.proxy.ftp port port
gsettings set org.gnome.system.proxy.https host 'http://username:password@proxy'
gsettings set org.gnome.system.proxy.https port port

b. Setup environment proxy

Open the file /etc/apt/apt.conf or create if not exist and put the following lines. Also add the same lines in /etc/environment

Acquire::http::proxy "http://username:password@proxy:port";
Acquire::https::proxy "http://username:password@proxy:port";
Acquire::ftp::proxy "http://username:password@proxy:port";

Add the following lines in ~/.bashrc and run source ~/.bashrc to take effect.

export http_proxy="http://username:password@proxy:port";
export https_proxy="http://username:password@proxy:port";
export HTTPS_PROXY="http://username:password@proxy:port"
export HTTP_PROXY="http://username:password@proxy:port"

2. Check for updates

Though you have just installed a new distro, there may be some new updates regarding some features or bug fixes. So update the system using

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt dist-upgrade

3. Installing some useful softwares

Now its time to install some software. Followings are the software I like to install, but you may skip those you don’t need

  1. ubuntu-restricted-extras : Media codecs for playing multimedia files
  2. vlc : Media player
  3. uget : Download manager
  4. gfortran : Fortran compiler
  5. gnuplot : Plotter
  6. vim : Editor
  7. python-dev : Python header files
  8. python-pip : Python package manager
  9. gnome-tweak-tool : System setting tweaker
  10. openssh-server : SSH server
  11. okular : Document viewer
  12. libatlas-base-dev liblapack-dev libblas-dev : ATLAS, LAPACK & BALS libraries
  13. texlive-full texmaker texstudio : LaTeX compiler and editors.
  14. nodejs npm : Node JS and package manager. (Stable but not latest)

Install all the above mentioned softwares by running in terminal,

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras vlc uget gfortran gnuplot python-pip vim python-dev gnome-tweak-tool openssh-server okular libatlas-base-dev liblapack-dev libblas-dev nodejs npm texlive-full texmaker texstudio

4. Install gnome shell extensions

Gnome shell extensions are very useful for customizing ubuntu as your choice. These are the shell extensions I like to use

  1. Alternate TAB : Prevent alt-TAB for switching between windows from different workspaces.
  2. Caffine : Switch on/off auto turning off of the monitor
  3. Workspace Indicator: Put a indicator for current workspace at the top
  4. Arc menu : Put a nice windows start menu like button.

For detailed guide about how to install them follow this guide follow this guide.

5. Installing some useful python libraries

I use these python libraries regularly, install them by running

pip install numpy scipy h5py matplotlib pandas nose setuptools sympy ipython

You can install libraries like numpy or scipy from the ubuntu repo too, but they doesn’t keep the latest version so I like to install them using the pip package manager.

6. Install Stacer Linux system monitoring and optimizer

Stacer is a great tool for linux. Things like app uninstall, process monitoring, removing trash & cache etc. can be done easily from here. Run the following to install it

sudo -E add-apt-repository ppa:oguzhaninan/stacer
sudo apt update
sudo apt install stacer

7. Install new icon pack

I dont like the default icons of ubuntu. They may not be that bad but I like to use numix-icon-theme-circle icon pack for my system

sudo -E add-apt-repository ppa:daniruiz/flat-remix
sudo apt update
sudo apt install numix-icon-theme-circle

Now open ubuntu tweak tool and set up new icons from appearance menu.

8. Setting up git

If you are a programmer and living in 2019 then you must be using git for managing your projects and programmes. Install and setup git by

sudo apt install git
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email your_email
git config --global http.proxy http://username:password@proxy:port
git config --global https.proxy https://username:password@proxy:port

9. Setting up VS Code

I love VS Code text editor. Its an all in one package that is more like an IDE than a mere text editor. VS code can be installed from the official site. The most useful things about VS Code are its extensions. I usually use these extensions for my day to day work,

  1. Beautify
  2. Better Align
  3. Better Comments
  4. Bracket Pair Colorizer
  5. Code Runner
  6. GitLens
  7. jumpy
  8. Material Color Theme
  9. Modern Fortran
  10. Open native terminal
  11. Path Intellisense
  12. Python
    Also my VS Code settings are available here.

10. Some smaller tweaks and settings

a. Isolate windows for different workspaces

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock isolate-workspaces true

b. Fix Errors were encountered while processing: install-info

sudo mv /var/lib/dpkg/info/install-info.postinst /var/lib/dpkg/info/install-info.postinst.bad

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