Leo:Ubuntu config

This list gets updated as I remember or install new essentials for my Ubuntu environment.

Private config

I have my private config in a SVN repository, so I can update my various workspaces. Some examples for stuff in my configuration:

• startup scripts: .bashrc and various dot-files
• aliases
• ~/bin - various custom scripts
• ~/lib - custom libraries
• icons
• work environment configurations, for example, custom menus in Nautilus

Desktop

Gnome 3 and others

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

Development environment

sudo apt-get install build-essential subversion rapidsvn meld gtkterm mc emacs-snapshot texinfo

Media

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
sudo apt-get install flashplugin-installer
sudo apt-get install mplayer
sudo apt-get install avidemux
sudo apt-get install vlc

Or all in one:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras flashplugin-installer mplayer avidemux vlc

To get DVDs playing nicely

sudo apt-get install libdvdread4 
sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

Media centers: XBMC is now in Ubuntu 12.04 repos

sudo apt-get install xbmc

Common codecs:

sudo apt-get install libxine1-ffmpeg gxine mencoder totem-mozilla icedax tagtool easytag id3tool lame nautilus-script-audio-convert libmad0 mpg321

Microsoft fonts

...so that documents created by MS look better

sudo apt-get install msttcorefonts
sudo fc-cache -fv

Virtual Box

Get the latest VirtualBox for Linux here.

SSD tweaks

• Add noatime option for the partition on SSD in /etc/fstab

UUID=my-partition-key  /  ext4    noatime,errors=remount-ro 0       1

• Create /tmp in RAM by editing /etc/fstab

tmpfs /tmp tmpfs defaults,noatime,mode=1777 0 0

• Set the scheduler to deadline (as opposed to cfq) in grub
  • Check for the options:

cat /sys/block/sda/queue/scheduler

• • Temporary change the scheduler

sudo su
echo deadline > /sys/block/sda/queue/scheduler

• Move Firefox cache to /tmp/...
  • open [about:config] in firefox
  • create new string browser.cache.disk.parent_directory and set value to /tmp

• Check the read speed of your HD:

sudo hdparm -t /dev/sda

• Useful info and acknowledgements: four tweaks...