Things to do After Installing Ubuntu 18.

04
itsfoss.com/things-to-do-after-installing-ubuntu-18-04/

Abhishek Prakash April 25, 2018

Brief: This list of things to do after installing Ubuntu 18.04 helps you get started with
Bionic Beaver for a smoother desktop experience.

Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver releases today. You are perhaps already aware of the new
features in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS release. If not, here’s the video review of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS:

Subscribe to YouTube Channel for more Ubuntu Videos

If you opted to install Ubuntu 18.04, I have listed out a few recommended steps that you
can follow to get started with it.

Things to do after installing Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver

I should mention that the list of things to do after installing Ubuntu 18.04 depends a lot on
you and your interests and needs. If you are a programmer, you’ll focus on installing
programming tools. If you are a graphic designer, you’ll focus on installing graphics tools.

Still, there are a few things that should be applicable to most Ubuntu users. This list is
composed of those things plus a few of my of my favorites.

Also, this list is for the default GNOME desktop. If you are using some other flavor like
Kubuntu, Lubuntu etc then the GNOME-specific stuff won’t be applicable to your system.

You don’t have to follow each and every point on the list blindly. You should see if the
recommended action suits your requirements or not.

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With that said, let’s get started with this list of things to do after installing Ubuntu 18.04.

Suggested read
Things You Should Know About Ubuntu 18.04

1. Update the system

This is the first thing you should do after installing Ubuntu. Update the system without fail.
It may sound strange because you just installed a fresh OS but still, you must check for the
updates.

In my experience, if you don’t update the system right after installing Ubuntu, you might
face issues while trying to install a new program.

To update Ubuntu 18.04, press Super Key (Windows Key) to launch the Activity Overview
and look for Software Updater. Run it to check for updates.

Alternatively, you can use these famous commands in the terminal ( Use Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

2. Enable additional repositories for more software

Ubuntu has several repositories from where it provides software for your system. These
repositories are:

Main – Free and open-source software supported by Ubuntu team

Universe – Free and open-source software maintained by the community
Restricted – Proprietary drivers for devices.
Multiverse – Software restricted by copyright or legal issues.
Canonical Partners – Software packaged by Ubuntu for their partners

Enabling all these repositories will give you access to more software and proprietary
drivers.

Go to Activity Overview by pressing Super Key (Windows key), and search for Software &
Updates:

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Under the Ubuntu Software tab, make sure you have checked all of the Main, Universe,
Restricted and Multiverse repository checked.

Now move to the Other Software tab, check the option of Canonical Partners.

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You’ll have to enter your password in order to update the software sources. Once it
completes, you’ll find more applications to install in the Software Center.

3. Explore the GNOME desktop

Ubuntu 18.04 comes with a customized GNOME desktop that has features from both
GNOME and Unity. This could be baffling to you in the beginning.

But spend a couple of minutes exploring Ubuntu 18.04 GNOME and you would be
comfortable in no time. In fact, Ubuntu 18.04 provides a quick glance about ‘where is what’
in the welcome screen.

I highly recommend reading this article on GNOME customization in Ubuntu so that you can
know the GNOME desktop in detail. You would know how to use GNOME, how to make
some simple and yet useful tweaks to your system.

You can do a few visual changes from the System Settings. You can change the wallpaper
of the desktop and the lock screen, you can change the position of the dock (launcher on
the left side), change power settings, Bluetooth etc. In short, you can find many settings
that you can change as per your need.

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 Ubuntu 18.04 welcome screen

Change dock position

4. Install media codecs

In order to play media files like MP#, MPEG4, AVI etc, you’ll need to install media codecs.
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Ubuntu has them in their repository but doesn’t install it by default because of copyright
issues in various countries.

As an individual, you can install these media codecs easily using the Ubuntu Restricted
Extra package. Click on the link below to install it from the Software Center.

Install Ubuntu Restricted Extras

Or alternatively, use the command below to install it:

sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras

5. Install software from the Software Center

Now that you have setup the repositories and installed the codecs, it is time to get
software. If you are absolutely new to Ubuntu, please follow this guide to installing software
in Ubuntu.

There are several ways to install software. The most convenient way is to use the Software
Center that has thousands of software available in various categories. You can install them
in a few clicks from the software center.

It depends on you what kind of software you would like to install. I’ll suggest some of my
favorites here.

VLC – media player for videos

GIMP – Photoshop alternative for Linux
Pinta – Paint alternative in Linux
Calibre – eBook management tool
Chromium – Open Source web browser
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 Kazam – Screen recorder tool
Gdebi – Lightweight package installer for .deb packages
Spotify – For streaming music
Skype – For video messaging
Kdenlive – Video editor for Linux
Atom – Code editor for programming
Android Studio – For Android app development

You may also refer to this list of must-have Linux applications for more software
recommendations.

6. Install software from the Web

Though Ubuntu has thousands of applications in the software center, you may not find
some of your favorite applications despite the fact that they support Linux.

Many software vendors provide ready to install .deb packages. You can download these
.deb files from their website and install it by double-clicking on it.

Google Chrome is one such software that you can download from the web and install it.

7. Opt out of data collection in Ubuntu 18.04 (optional)

Ubuntu 18.04 collects some harmless statistics about your system hardware and your
system installation preference. It also collects crash reports.

You’ll be given the option to not send this data to Ubuntu servers when you log in to Ubuntu
18.04 for the first time.

If you miss it that time, you can disable it by going to System Settings -> Privacy and then
set the Problem Reporting to Manual.

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8. Change the look of your desktop with new themes and icons

Ubuntu Communitheme

Changing themes and icons are the major way to change the looks of your system. I advise
going through the list of best GNOME themes and icons for Ubuntu. Once you have found
the theme and icon of your choice, you can use them with GNOME Tweaks tool.

You can install GNOME Tweaks via the Software Center or you can use the command
below to install it:

sudo apt install gnome-tweak-tool

Once it is installed, you can easily install new themes and icons.

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 Change themes and icons

9. Extend the usability of GNOME desktop with GNOME extensions

You should also have a look at use GNOME extensions to further enhance the looks and
capabilities of your system. I made this video about using GNOME extensions in 17.10 and
you can follow the same for Ubuntu 18.04.

If you are wondering which extension to use, do take a look at this list ofbest GNOME
extensions.

10. Prolong your battery and prevent overheating

Let’s move on to prevent overheating in Linux laptops. TLP is a wonderful tool that controls
CPU temperature and extends your laptops’ battery life in the long run.

Make sure that you haven’t installed any other power saving application such as Laptop
Mode Tools. You can install it using the command below in a terminal:

sudo apt install tlp tlp-rdw

Once installed, run the command below to start it:

sudo tlp start

11. Save your eyes with Nightlight

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Nightlight is my favorite feature in GNOME desktop. Keeping your eyes safe at night from
the computer screen is very important. Reducing blue light helps reducing eye strain at
night.

GNOME provides a built-in Night Light option, which you can activate in the System
Settings.

Just go to System Settings-> Devices-> Displays and turn on the Night Light option.

12. Disable automatic suspend for laptops

Ubuntu 18.04 comes with a new automatic suspend feature for laptops. If the system is
running on battery and is inactive for 20 minutes, it will go in suspend mode.

I understand that the intention is to save battery life but it is an inconvenience as well. You
can’t keep the power plugged in all the time because it’s not good for the battery life. And
you may need the system to be running even when you are not using it.

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Thankfully, you can change this behavior. Go to System Settings -> Power. Under Suspend
& Power Button section, either turn off the Automatic Suspend option or extend its time
period.

You can also change the screen dimming behavior in here.

13. System cleaning

I have written in detail about how to clean up your Ubuntu system. I recommend reading
that article to know various ways to keep your system free of junk.

Normally, you can use this little command to free up space from your system:

sudo apt autoremove

It’s a good idea to run this command every once a while. If you don’t like the command line,
you can use a GUI tool like Stacer or Bleach Bit.

14. Going back to Unity or Vanilla GNOME (not recommended)

If you have been using Unity or GNOME in the past, you may not like the new customized
GNOME desktop in Ubuntu 18.04. Ubuntu has customized GNOME so that it resembles
Unity but at the end of the day, it is neither completely Unity nor completely GNOME.

So if you are a hardcore Unity or GNOMEfan, you may want to use your favorite desktop in
its ‘real’ form. I wouldn’t recommend but if you insist here are some tutorials for you:

Install Unity on Ubuntu 18.04

Install vanilla GNOME on Ubuntu 18.04
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15. Can’t log in to Ubuntu 18.04 after incorrect password? Here’s a
workaround
I noticed a little bug in Ubuntu 18.04 while trying to change the desktop session to Ubuntu
Community theme. It seems if you try to change the sessions at the login screen, it rejects
your password first and at the second attempt, the login gets stuck. You can wait for 5-10
minutes to get it back or force power it off.

The workaround here is that after it displays the incorrect password message, click Cancel,
then click your name, then enter your password again.

16. Experience the Community theme (optional)

Ubuntu 18.04 was supposed to have a dashing new theme developed by the community.
The theme could not be completed so it could not become the default look of Bionic Beaver
release. I am guessing that it will be the default theme in Ubuntu 18.10.

Ubuntu Communitheme

You can try out the aesthetic theme even today. Installing Ubuntu Community Theme is
very easy. Just look for it in the software center, install it, restart your system and then at
the login choose the Communitheme session.

17. Get Windows 10 in Virtual Box (if you need it)

In a situation where you must use Windows for some reasons, you caninstall Windows in
virtual box inside Linux. It will run as a regular Ubuntu application.

It’s not the best way but it still gives you an option. You can also use WINE to run Windows
software on Linux. In both cases, I suggest trying the alternative native Linux application
first before jumping to virtual machine or WINE.

18. What do you do after installing Ubuntu?

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Those were my suggestions for getting started with Ubuntu. There are many more tutorials
that you can find under Ubuntu 18.04 tag. You may go through them as well to see if there
is something useful for you.

Enough from my side. Your turn now. What are the items on your list of things to do after
installing Ubuntu 18.04? The comment section is all yours.

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