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Thread: Ubuntu Desktop Computing Made Easy (Trusty 14.04 LTS)

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    Ubuntu Desktop Computing Made Easy (Trusty 14.04 LTS)

    Ubuntu Desktop Computing Made Easy (Trusty 14.04 LTS)

    Kubuntu Desktop http://www.kubuntu.org/getkubuntu
    Ubuntu Gnome Desktop http://ubuntugnome.org/download
    Ubuntu Desktop http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

    Download your desired flavor of Ubuntu 14.04, burn the .iso file to a blank disk and then install it on your "Trusty" computer. Next, update the operating system by searching for Software & Updates and launching the application. Under the Other Software tab check the two boxes for Canonical partners and reload when prompted. Once the changes have been made launch the Software Updater and install all available updates. After rebooting, in Software & Updates under the Additional Drivers tab, enable the appropriate one(s) for your system (if desired).

    Note: If you check the box to include 3rd party software during the installation this will give you most of the multimedia codecs you'll need (more are listed below). Some of the available drivers can produce undesired results when installing "Additional Drivers" (if in doubt ask or search on the forum). If you're installing Ubuntu within a virtual machine 3D Acceleration can cause application issues.


    Gnome Users

    Visit https://extensions.gnome.org click on the Installed extensions reference at the top of the page and turn on the desired options or search for a variety of others (a reboot may be required to enable options). When using Classic Gnome be aware that autoremove may cause issues when logging back into Gnome 3 (simply re-installing Gnome will recover lost extensions and other components).


    Email Clients

    Thunderbird and SpamAssassin are a good combination for a basic email client (Ubuntu Gnome includes Evolution by default)
    sudo apt-get install thunderbird spamassassin xul-ext-calendar-timezones xul-ext-lightning

    Note: This page will help you setup SpamAssassin http://www.scls.info/technology/emai...unkfilter.html


    Tools and Utilities

    Synaptic Package Manager
    sudo apt-get install synaptic

    Cups-PDF for printing to PDF files
    sudo apt-get install cups-pdf

    Manage Users and Groups
    sudo apt-get install gnome-system-tools

    Gufw the GUI interface for Uncomplicated Firewall
    sudo apt-get install gufw

    Transmageddon converts most multimedia formats
    sudo apt-get install transmageddon

    AceoneISO2 is a CD/DVD image manipulator (use with .iso files
    sudo apt-get install acetoneiso

    Adaptive Readahead Daemon for faster application startup times
    sudo apt-get install preload

    K3b is a full-featured CD/DVD/Blu-ray burning and ripping application
    sudo apt-get install k3b

    Htop, SysInfo and HardInfo for system information and benchmarking
    sudo apt-get install htop sysinfo hardinfo

    Shutter for screen captures (VirtualBox users disable 3D Acceleration or your captures could be all in black)
    sudo apt-get install shutter

    Avidemux cross-platform video editor from the GetDeb repository http://www.getdeb.net/updates/Ubuntu/14.04
    sudo apt-get install avidemux2.6-qt

    File Compression and Extraction
    sudo apt-get install unace rar unrar p7zip-rar p7zip zip unzip sharutils uudeview mpack arj cabextract file-roller

    Note: Use Archive Manager for manipulating these file types.


    Antivirus

    ClamAV
    sudo apt-get install clamav clamtk

    Operations available from a terminal session...

    Update virus definitions: sudo freshclam
    Scan files in your home directory: sudo clamscan
    Scan files in an entire directory: sudo clamscan -r /<directory name>
    Scan on the entire drive: sudo clamscan -r /

    Update ClamTk http://clamtk.sourceforge.net

    Note: If you're having problems getting virus definition updates edit (sudo gedit /etc/clamav/freshclam.conf) with a location near you http://www.clamav.net/mirrors.html (ex. add DatabaseMirror clamav.amerinoc.com after the last line). You can also manually download main.cvd, daily.cvd and bytecode.cvd files from http://www.clamav.net/lang/en/ and sudo mv *.cvd /var/lib/clamav to update.


    Image Viewing, Graphics Manipulation and Illustration

    Pinta is a lot like MS Paint
    sudo apt-get install pinta

    Shotwell
    sudo apt-get install shotwell

    Inkscape for illustrations
    sudo apt-get install inkscape

    Dark Table
    sudo apt-get install darktable

    PhotoFilmStrip
    sudo apt-get install photofilmstrip

    Gimp for photo editing and graphics manipulation
    sudo apt-get install gimp gimp-data gimp-data-extras gimp-gap gimp-plugin-registry libtiff-tools gimp-help-en icc-profiles glew-utils gimp-help-common gmic gimp-gmic gmic-zart libtiff-opengl

    Note: Gimp Scripts http://www.gimphelp.org/script28.shtml

    Raw Therapee
    sudo apt-get install rawtherapee libraw-bin ufraw ufraw-batch

    Note: You can add gimp-ufraw for use with Gimp.


    Telnet, FTP, SSH, SFTP

    gFTP basic FTP client
    sudo apt-get install gftp

    FileZilla for FTP/SSH/SFTP
    sudo apt-get install filezilla

    PuTTY telnet and SSH
    sudo apt-get install putty


    P2P Networking

    Azureus
    sudo apt-get install azureus

    Gnutella
    sudo apt-get install gtk-gnutella

    Frostwire from the GetDeb repository http://www.getdeb.net/updates/Ubuntu/14.04
    sudo apt-get install frostwire


    Multimedia Players

    Promoe
    sudo apt-get install promoe

    Kaffeine KDE Media Player
    sudo apt-get install kaffeine

    SMPlayer (excellent replacement for mplayer-gui) http://smplayer.sourceforge.net/first-steps.php
    sudo apt-get install smplayer

    Note: SMplayer works well in Firefox as a Windows video file alternative to totem-mozilla.

    Audacious for streaming audio
    sudo apt-get install audacious

    Note: Audacious works well in Firefox as a Windows audio file alternative to totem-mozilla.

    Gnome MPlayer
    sudo apt-get install gnome-mplayer

    VLC plays a wide variety of multimedia files
    sudo apt-get install vlc

    Amarok is a powerful music player with an intuitive interface
    sudo apt-get install amarok


    Popular Multimedia Codecs and Tools

    sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3 gstreamer0.10-gnonlin gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly gstreamer-tools libxine1-ffmpeg mencoder mpeg2dec vorbis-tools mpg321 mpg123 libflac++6 icedax lame nautilus-script-audio-convert libmad0 libjpeg-progs flac faac faad sox ffmpeg2theora libmpeg2-4 uudeview flac libmpeg3-1 mpeg3-utils mpegdemux liba52-0.7.4-dev libquicktime2

    Edit MP3 and other media files
    sudo apt-get install tagtool easytag id3tool id3v2

    Installing libdvdcss for playing DVD's https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Re...ts/PlayingDVDs
    sudo apt-get install libdvdread4
    sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

    Note: You may need to reboot.


    Reference

    GnomeFiles http://gnomefiles.org
    KDE-Look.org http://kde-look.org
    KDE-Apps.org http://kde-apps.org
    NoobsLab http://www.noobslab.com
    Gnome-Look.org http://gnome-look.org
    Deb-Multimedia www.deb-multimedia.org
    OMG! Ubuntu http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk
    Linux Compatible http://www.linuxcompatible.org
    Samba https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Samba
    Trusty Wiki http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Trusty
    Wordnet http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
    Ubuntu Manpage Repository http://manpages.ubuntu.com
    GetDeb.net V2 http://www.getdeb.net/updates/Ubuntu/14.04
    Ubuntu PPA Search https://edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+ppas
    Linux Command Directory http://www.oreillynet.com/linux/cmd
    Chmod Calculator http://www.javascriptkit.com/script/...chmodcal.shtml
    UbuntuGNOME https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TrustyTahr/R...es/UbuntuGNOME
    Linux Commands - Practical Reference http://www.pixelbeat.org/cmdline.html
    Bash Reference Manual http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bashref.html
    Ultimate guide to Linux http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/u...ows-users.html
    Gnome / KDE Keyboard Shortcuts http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/tip/2289.html



    HP Linux Imaging and Printing http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web...ard/index.html

    TeamViewer is one of the best remote support tools available (I recommend the 32/64bit Multiarch version) http://www.teamviewer.com


    Adding a Personal Package Archive (PPA) to your Ubuntu repositories

    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:<ppa name>
    sudo apt-get update

    You're now ready to install software from the PPA using sudo apt-get install <ppa name> or sudo apt-get upgrade.

    Note: This is not an endorsement of any PPAs. Make sure you trust the PPA owner before installing their software.

    Removing a Personal Package Archive (PPA) from your Ubuntu repositories
    sudo apt-get install ppa-purge
    sudo ppa-purge ppa:<ppa name>


    Ubuntu Tweak is a powerful tool (use with caution)
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tualatrix/ppa
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install ubuntu-tweak

    Note: I only use Ubuntu Tweak to remove old install files with the janitor cleanup function.

    Audacity is an Awesome Multi-track Audio Editor
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:audacity-team/daily
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install audacity lame libmp3lame0

    FFMpeg is a cross-platform solution to record, convert and stream audio and video.
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jon-severinsson/ffmpeg
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

    Blender for 3D Modeling and Rendering
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:irie/blender
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install blender

    OpenShot video editing
    sudo add-apt-repository ppapenshot.developers/ppa (remove the space after the colon)
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install openshot frei0r-plugins

    GNU Emacs text editor
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cassou/emacs
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install emacs24 emacs24-el emacs24-common-non-dfsg

    Cinnamon Desktop
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tsvetko.tsvetkov/cinnamon
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install cinnamon

    Oracle Java 7
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/java
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install oracle-java7-installer

    Note: OpenJDK and the IceTea plugin may conflict with this installation, consider using one or the other.

    LibreOffice
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-4-3
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get -y dist-upgrade
    sudo apt-get install libreoffice libreoffice-java-common libreoffice-math libreoffice-gnome libreoffice-java-common libreoffice-pdfimport

    ttf-mscorefonts-installer for popular fonts to be used with LibraOffice Writer (included with another well known editor)
    sudo apt-get install ttf-mscorefonts-installer

    Note: Be sure to accept the eula agreement (this often shows up behind the active window when installing from the Ubuntu Software Center).

    Setting Default Page Margins in LibreOffice Writer

    Launch LibreOffice Writer and select Page from the Format menu. Click on the Page tab and adjust the margins as desired (another well known editor uses 1" as the standard), click Apply then OK. From the File Menu select Save As Template, click on My Templates followed by the Save button. Name the template (I use Default) and click OK. If the template doesn't display in My Templates select Refresh from the menu that looks like a gear at the right. Now double-click on My Templates, highlight the template you created and click the "Set as default" button at the top (the gear menu at the right will let you reset this if needed).


    Microsoft Office Official Web Apps (a necessary evil for some folks)
    https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByQn...it?usp=sharing


    Ubuntu Wallpaper
    sudo apt-get install ubuntu-wallpapers-trusty ubuntu-wallpapers-saucy ubuntu-wallpapers-raring ubuntu-wallpapers-quantal ubuntu-wallpapers-precise ubuntu-wallpapers-oneiric ubuntu-wallpapers-natty ubuntu-wallpapers-maverick ubuntu-wallpapers-lucid ubuntu-wallpapers-karmic gutsy-wallpapers feisty-wallpapers edgy-wallpapers


    Screensavers (they used to include these)
    sudo apt-get remove gnome-screensaver
    sudo apt-get install xscreensaver xscreensaver-gl-extra xscreensaver-data-extra
    Now go to Startup Applications and add the following:
    Name: xscreensaver
    Command: xscreensaver –nosplash


    Chat Clients

    XChat is an IRC chat program that allows for multiple IRC channels (chat rooms) at the same time
    sudo apt-get install xchat

    Kopete is an instant messenger client supporting AIM, ICQ, Live Messenger, Yahoo, Jabber, and more
    sudo apt-get install kopete

    Pidgin is an easy to use and free chat client to connect to AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and more chat networks all at once
    sudo apt-get install pidgin


    Productivity Applications

    Dia is similar to Microsoft® Visio
    sudo apt-get install dia

    Scribus is a desktop publishing application
    sudo apt-get install scribus

    Gnome Planner for Gantt charts and project plans
    sudo apt-get install planner

    OpenProj is a desktop replacement of Microsoft Project http://sourceforge.net/projects/openproj/files/

    GanttProject is a tool for creating a project schedule with Gantt and resource load charts http://ganttproject.biz/download


    Development Applications

    Meld is a visual diff and merge tool
    sudo apt-get install meld

    Alternative shells for Linux...
    C, K, T, Z & Fish shells
    sudo apt-get install csh ksh tcsh zsh fish

    GEdit
    sudo apt-get install gedit gedit-plugins gedit-developer-plugins

    Note: GEdit Wiki https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Gedit

    OpenJDK
    sudo apt-get install openjdk-7-jdk openjdk-7-jre icedtea-7-plugin

    jEdit is a java based full featured editor (make sure you have Sun JRE installed)
    sudo apt-get install jedit

    BlueGriffon WYSIWYG Editor from the GetDeb repository http://www.getdeb.net/updates/Ubuntu/14.04
    sudo apt-get install bluegriffon

    Essentials for Compiling from Source
    sudo apt-get install build-essential checkinstall cdbs devscripts dh-make fakeroot libxml-parser-perl check

    Geany is a fast and lightweight IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for programming in various languages
    sudo apt-get install geany

    Vim, Gvim, and Cream may come in handy for file editing
    sudo apt-get install vim-gnome vim-doc vim-scripts vim-gui-common vim-runtime cscope tclreadline cream

    Bluefish is an editor for experienced web designers and programmers supporting many programming and markup languages
    sudo apt-get install bluefish


    Known Issues

    Disable Apport at Boot to turn off error reporting
    sudo gedit /etc/default/apport
    Change enabled=1 to enabled=0 save the file and close.


    If Firefox windows open off screen or are too large to use, you may need to reset Firefox's controls and toolbars.

    1. Close down Firefox completely: On the Firefox window, click the File menu then select Exit.
    2. From a terminal window type: firefox -safe-mode
    3. Firefox should start up with a Firefox Safe Mode dialog with options.
    4. Check mark Reset toolbars and controls.
    5. Click Make Changes and Restart to restart Firefox


    Add Missing Privacy Settings in Ubuntu Gnome Desktop
    sudo apt-get install activity-log-manager-control-center

    Note: Activity Log Manager will show up under Accessories or by doing a search for the application.


    All Startup Applications are not visible
    cd /etc/xdg/autostart
    sudo sed --in-place 's/NoDisplay=true/NoDisplay=false/g' *.desktop

    Reverse changes...
    sudo sed --in-place 's/NoDisplay=false/NoDisplay=true/g' *.desktop


    The Tahoma font included with ttf-mscorefonts-installer doesn't install as expected (thank you Richard Neill for providing this fix).

    Using gedit copy the script below and paste into a text file. Save the file as tahoma in your home directory, right click on the file and choose properties, under the permissions tab make the file executable and then run it from a terminal window by typing sudo ./tahoma

    echo "Installing Tahoma font"
    cd /tmp
    which cabextract >/dev/null || apt-get -y install cabextract
    [ ! -f /usr/share/fonts/truetype/msttcorefonts/tahoma.ttf -o ! -f /usr/share/fonts/truetype/msttcorefonts/tahomabd.ttf ] &&
    wget http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...US/IELPKTH.CAB &&
    cabextract -F 'tahoma*ttf' IELPKTH.CAB &&
    mkdir -p /usr/share/fonts/truetype/msttcorefonts/ &&
    mv -f tahoma*ttf /usr/share/fonts/truetype/msttcorefonts/ &&
    chmod 644 /usr/share/fonts/truetype/msttcorefonts/tahoma* &&
    fc-cache && rm -f IELPKTH.CAB && echo "Installed Tahoma"
    cd -


    Useful Commands

    Searching for Packages: sudo apt-cache search some_string
    Show Package Info: sudo apt-cache showpkg xxx
    Show Package Dependencies: sudo apt-cache depends xxx
    Install: sudo apt-get install xxx
    Re-Install: sudo apt-get --reinstall install xxx
    Remove: sudo apt-get remove xxx
    Remove All (configs too): sudo apt-get remove --purge xxx
    Upgrade: sudo apt-get -u upgrade
    Show Upgrades: sudo apt-show-versions -u
    Show All Installed Packages: dpkg --list
    Find Package by File Name: sudo apt-file search /bin/ping
    Find filenames in a Package: sudo apt-file list xxx
    Updating the apt-file Cache: sudo apt-file update
    Info on Installed Package: aptitude show xxx
    System Hardware Info: sudo lshw > hardware.txt
    Clear bash history cat /dev/null > ~/.bash_history && history -c && exit

    Clean up your system and free up space with sudo apt-get clean and sudo apt-get autoremove

    If you're curious (like me) or have the need to know uname -a && cat /etc/*release in a terminal window will tell you the kernel version and release date, the distro id/release/codename/description.

    More to come...

    Friends,

    I'm more than willing to include your favorite applications (this is your post as much as mine). I do ask that you keep the description brief and on a general level with the degree of difficulty at a minimum (for new users) when making recommendations. I started posting "Ubuntu Desktop Computing Made Easy" a while back (mainly out of frustration) while trying to get my computer to perform as expected without hours of setup, search and configuration. The primary goal of this post is to make it "easy" for anyone to setup an Ubuntu Desktop Computer with everything they need or want within a short period of time ensuring the overall experience is an enjoyable one.

    Note: This post can be found on Google by searching for Ubuntu Desktop Computing Made Easy. If you would like to link to this post or publish it elsewhere please give credit where credit is due.

    Kind regards,

    TrakerJon
    Last edited by TrakerJon; July 30th, 2015 at 03:59 PM.
    The trouble with having an open mind is that people keep coming along and sticking things in it - Opus

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Re: Ubuntu Desktop Computing Made Easy (Trusty 14.04 LTS)

    Nice.

    Other options for learning:
    * http://ubuntuguide.org/
    * http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/u...ows-users.html - is for Windows people moving to Linux

    I'd suggest that there is NO NEED to pick a distro based only on the GUI installed. Swapping a GUI is really easy on Ubuntu ... or almost any Linux. There must be 30 different choices for a GUI on Linux, probably more. The GUI is NOT the OS. The 2nd link above explains nicely why that is.

    Be cautious running GUI programs with sudo. Programs that store preferences might save them as root in your personal HOME directory. Understanding file permissions and remembering that Linux is multiuser is very important.
    Last edited by TheFu; August 8th, 2014 at 05:24 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Re: Ubuntu Desktop Computing Made Easy (Trusty 14.04 LTS)

    Added the links...noticed a couple that needed updating, thanks!

    TrakerJon
    The trouble with having an open mind is that people keep coming along and sticking things in it - Opus

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