New Linux install housekeeping

After freshly installing Linux and completely getting rid of Windows, what are the things that ‘should’ be done?
Using Ubuntu 18.10
Aside from enabling 3rd party repo’s, doing apt update && apt upgrade what should also be done?

Only other thing I’ve done is install GUFW and turn the firewall on.

Windows would be stuff like antivirus, CCleaner, disable telemetry etc.

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check out the software boutique and read the descriptions of the apps and choose the apps you want to customize your installation.there is a lot of different things you can use and ways to tweak your system.
there are some utility apps you can install that are graphical in nature but theres is also methods that can be done a hell of a lot quicker via terminal cli.
downloading the command line cheat sheets can give you a handy reference as to what the commands do and how to use them.
joining the user forum for your distro is a step all new users should take as the user forum can give more in depth information regarding your distro.
research linux alternatives to windows software! and study the emulation software. and vm apps as well.

no one person can be an expert on all linux distros , only the ones they have used extensively!
choose the distro that will suit your needs best so that means a lot of proper research.
do your testing with live cd, live dvd, or live usb but remember they are going to run slower than an actual install.

good luck with your choice!

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What kind of PC? If it’s a decent desktop, probably install Vulkan drivers and get Steam proton working. Also, might want Lutris so you can install other wine stuff relatively easily.

If you program then of course I’d get whatever programming packages you want. Jupyter is great if you want to learn python. GCC and the base-devel packages are nice.

If you want to get fancy, maybe install ZSH and oh-my-zsh and make your terminal crazy.

Also, neofetch is fun to show off your system in terminal.

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Is this a first time dive into Linux? That can heavily change the advice.

There’s tons of “guides” out there, most tend to just guide you towards their own theme kits or plugins.

  1. Check this bit to learn about permissions and being in sudoers. Add whatever account you need, based on your new understanding of who should and should not use root.
  2. Join a forum.
  3. Pick something to DO with linux (back up files automatically? sync your .bashrc to the “cloud”?) to learn some of the power tools behind the scenes. This’ll also get you comfortable with the command line.
  4. When you hit a snag on #3, go to #2 and ask.
  5. Rinse, repeat, learn.
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Done, using Tilix, also added nerd fonts and Powerlevel9k stuff.
Currently learning to play with VIM

Sort of - its the first time its a permanent replacement for Windows, I’m running Ubuntu 18.10 on both my Surface Book and my Desktop (3570K, GTX1080 - all the usual suspects).

I guess what I was more asking is the things that SHOULD (arguably) get done after an install. I was surprised to find out Ubuntu ships with a firewall, but its off by default. That being the case, what other things need my attention?

Setup some sort of automated backup for the things you care about.

I usually backup /etc /boot/grub/grub.cfg /home, and document my configration enough that you can rebuild it.

Plenty of backup systems, IIRC ubuntu comes with deja-dup. My backup system is complicated and specific to my environment, so I won’t try do push you that way, sounds like you just need something simple and automatic.

If you have recent hardware, install ukuu (Ubuntu Kernel Update Utility) and update the kernel to something more recent.

Of particular benefit if you have AMD GPU hardware.

Yeah I already have all my ‘work’ files stored in my pCloud drive by default. Good idea though.

18.10 is already on 4.18.0-10 and I have a nVidia GTX1080. TBH early updating kernels has always led to problems for me, is this worth it?

Save your install media. Try new things and see where that leads you. If it breaks, reinstall. It’s part of the learning process. (One of the virtues of Linux is that clean reinstalls are not the horrendous experience they can be in Windows.)

People typically recommend using their favorite software. Take that advice for what it’s worth: A way of surfacing software to you that you didn’t know existed. As you gain experience, you’ll narrow your focus.

Everyone chants “Back Up! Back Up!”. Tons of reviews of backup schemes out there. Few discuss how the program they’re reviewing handles restoral from a backup, which is the entire point of backing up. So, as your learning to swim in Linux waters, manually copy off anything you want to protect to someplace safe and wait a bit before devising a permanent scheme. (Because it is so simple to reinstall, I only backup personal files I want to protect.)

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The usual advice is only upgrade to a kernel newer than what is shipped and supported by the distribution if you have a problem that you know the newer kernel resolves or if the newer kernel delivers new capabilities you’re in a hurry to try out.

There can be a problem with new kernels and Nvidia’s proprietary kernels getting out of sync, resulting in a reboot to a black screen after a kernel update. Staying with the distro’s kernel on Ubuntu is the best way to avoid this.

If you do play with kernels, learn how to revert back to the most recent working kernel.

Ah if you’re on Nvidia probably not.

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  • Disable watchdog (not critical on desktops, get rid of the occasional shutdown hangs)
  • Install extra AppArmor profiles & enforce all rules
  • Edit the fstab file to your preferences (noatime/relatime/noexec)
  • Move the tmpfs to RAM
  • Try different IO schedulers
  • Replace traditional applications with snaps where possible & edit the interface booleans
  • Polyinstantiate tmp
  • Install usbguard
    To name a couple that first comes to mind.

There’s really a gazillion tweaks to be made all depending on the system, usecase & personal preferences.

I’ve gotten pretty bored of the stock look of gnome. I install tweaks and enable extensions and shell themes. After that you can download gnome themes gtk3, icons, cursor, etc.

If you have additional drives, be sure to mount them.

lsblk -f

sudo vim /etc/fstab

UUID -> MountPoint -> FileSystem -> Permissions

If you like games, install your graphics card drivers and Steam.

If you like writing software, JetBrains, NetBeans, Eclipse, VS Code, Atom, and Sublime Text all work on Ubuntu.

Welcome to the club.

Start again with Debian :stuck_out_tongue:

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