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

One could keep the configuration in Dropbox or similar cloud storage, but I choose not to because of security reasons.

Config

Power button to shutdown, no prompts

sudo gedit /etc/acpi/events/powerbtn

1. Add # to comment the line: # action=/etc/acpi/powerbtn.sh
2. Add a new line: action=/sbin/poweroff
3. Save file

sudo acpid restart

System essentials

Communication, access

SSH server for remote access, subversion

sudo apt-get install openssh-server subversion

Desktop alternative

Gnome 3 and others

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

Tweak tools

sudo apt-get install unity-tweak-tool
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool
sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

Add Ubuntu-tweak

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tualatrix/ppa
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-tweak

Development environment

Editors and IDEs

sudo apt-get install mc emacs-snapshot geany texinfo

Install Sublime Text editor from http://www.sublimetext.com/3

• My Sublime_Text_cheat_sheet for useful and magic keyboard shortcuts.

Build and test tools

sudo apt-get install build-essential gtkterm 

Version control

sudo apt-get install git subversion rapidsvn meld

May also consider installing FreeFileSync for convenient file synchronization across directories or filesystems.

Media

Photos and graphics

sudo apt-get install gimp

Video playback and edit

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: Kodi/XBMC is now in Ubuntu repository. But I prefer the newer team-xbmc/ppa

sudo apt-get install python-software-properties pkg-config
sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/ppa
sudo apt-get update
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

Latex

sudo apt-get install texlive texlive-latex-extra texlive-xetex texlive-fonts-recommended texlive-publishers texinfo

Microsoft fonts

...so that MS documents look better.

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

Virtual Box

Get the latest VirtualBox for Linux here.

After that, restore your saved VirtualBox images. The location depends on your current version and setup, but here are a few usual suspects: ".VirtualBox", "VirtualBox VMs"

SSD tweaks

These may become obsolete as the new OS versions take in account the SSD particularities automatically.

• 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...