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Linux Mint 17 was recently released with great success. This is the latest version with long-term support (LTS) that brings various improvements and new features to make our desktop experience more pleasant, which explains why more and more users of this distribution know how to get rid of Ubuntu and take a different path. update our post-installation guide to help users new to Linux. |
Some considerations to take into account before starting the guide:
- Unlike Ubuntu, Mint comes by default with most of the multimedia audio and video codecs, so updating them is not a priority.
- Another important component that is installed by default is Synaptic, the well-known package manager.
- If you have the Ubuntu-based version, many programs and packages are highly compatible between both distributions.
Having clarified these points, we continue to list some things that can make life easier after installing the new version of Linux Mint.
1. Run the Update Manager
It is possible that new updates have come out since you downloaded the image, so you can check if there are updates available from the update manager (Menu> Administration> Update Manager) or with the following command:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
2. Install the proprietary drivers (video card, wireless, etc.)
In the Preferences Menu> Additional Drivers we can update and change (if we wish) the proprietary driver of the graphics card or other device that is causing problems.
3. Install the language pack
Although by default Linux Mint installs the Spanish language pack (or any other that we have indicated during the installation) it does not do so completely. To reverse this situation we can go to Menu> Preferences> Language support or also by typing the following command in a terminal:
sudo apt-get install language-pack-gnome-en language-pack-en language-pack-kde-en libreoffice-l10n-en thunderbird-locale-en thunderbird-locale-en-en thunderbird-locale-en-ar
4. Customize the appearance
There are many ways to do it, and they are all free! In http://gnome-look.org/ we have a large database of wallpapers, themes, tools and other elements that will help us to "looke" our desktop. We can also make use of 3 well-known tools:
1. docky, a shortcut bar and applications for our desktop. Official website: http://wiki.go-docky.com/index.php?title=Welcome_to_the_Docky_wiki. Installation: in a terminal we write: sudo apt-get install docky
2. AWN, another navigation bar, almost a competitor to docky! Official website: https://launchpad.net/awn Installation: from the Program manager.
3. Conky, a system monitor that displays information on various components, such as RAM, CPU usage, system time, etc. The great advantage is that there are many "skins" of this application. Official website: http://conky.sourceforge.net/ Installation: sudo apt-get install conky
5. Install restrictive fonts
If it is necessary to install them, we must write the following commands in a terminal:
sudo apt-get install ttf-mscorefonts-installer
We accept the license terms by managing with TAB and ENTER.
6. Install programs to play
In addition to the large library of games that the repositories have, we also have http://www.playdeb.net/welcome/, another page that specializes in collecting games for Linux systems in .deb packages. If we also want to enjoy our Windows games, not to despair, since we have some alternatives:
1. Wine (http://www.winehq.org/) provides us with the compatibility layer to run not only games, but also all kinds of compiled software for Windows systems
2. PlayOnLinux (http://www.playonlinux.com/en/) another resource that provides us with a library capable of installing and using software designed for Windows
3. lutris (http://lutris.net/) a gaming platform developed for GNU / Linux, a great resource despite being in development stages.
4. wine tricks (http://wiki.winehq.org/winetricks) works as a script that helps to download libraries needed to run games on Linux, such as .NET Frameworks, DirectX, etc.
For all these programs, we can consult in their respective official pages, the Linux Mint Programs manager or the terminal. Likewise, we highly recommend reading this mini-tutor which explains how to install and configure each of them.
Steam for Linux (http://store.steampowered.com/search/?os=linux)
For some time now, the Steam gaming platform can be used natively. This means that there are a growing number of games available on Steam that are natively developed to run on Linux.
To install Steam, just download the .deb file from the Steam page.
Then they will use the following command:
sudo dpkg -i steam_latest.deb
Possibly some dependency errors. If so, just enter the following command to repair them:
sudo apt-get install -f
Then when you open Steam, it will update. Here You will find a complete list of Linux games available on Steam.
7. Install audio plugins and an equalizer
Some of them, like Gstreamer or Timidity, will help us to expand our catalog of supported formats; both are found in the Programs manager or can be installed using the command sudo apt-get install. It is also recommended to install pulseaudio-equalizer, capable of providing advanced Pulse Audio configuration and improving sound quality. To install it we will use 3 commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa: nilarimogard / webupd8 sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install pulseaudio-equalizer
8. Install Dropbox
In the age of the "cloud", you probably have a Dropbox account. You can install Dropbox from the Program Manager. Alternatively, you can install it using the following command: sudo apt-get install dropbox.
9. Install other programs
The rest is to get the software you want for each need. There are many ways to do it:
1. On Program Manager, which we enter from Menu> Administration, we have a very generous number of programs for any function that occurs to us. The manager is arranged by categories, which facilitates the search for what we want. Once the program we need is located, it is only a matter of pressing the install button and typing the Administrator password; We can even create an installation queue that the same manager will execute sequentially.
2. With the Package manager if we know exactly what packages we want to install. Not recommended to install programs from scratch if we do not know all the packages we will need.
3. Through a terminal (Menu> Accessories) and typing usually sudo apt-get install + program name. Sometimes we will have to previously add the repository with the commands sudo apt-get ppa: + repository name; to search for a program with the console we can type apt search.
4. In the page http://www.getdeb.net/welcome/ (Playdeb's sister) we also have a good catalog of software compiled in .deb packages
5. From official project page if you have any other installation steps.
Some software recommendations:
- Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera: Internet browsers
- Mozilla Thunderbird: email and calendar manager
- Libre Office, Open Office, K-Office: office suites
- Mcomix: comics reader
- Okular: multiple file reader (including pdf)
- Inkscape: vector graphics editor
- Blender: 3D Modeler
- Gimp: creating and editing images
- VLC, Mplayer: sound and video players
- Rythmbox, Audacious, Songbird, Amarok - Audio Players
- Boxee: multimedia center
- Caliber: e-book management
- Picasa - Image Management
- Audacity, LMMS: audio editing platforms
- Pidgin, Emesené, Empathy: multiprotocol chat clients
- Google Earth: Google's well-known virtual globe
- Transmission, Vuze: P2P clients
- Bluefish: HTML editor
- Geany, Eclipse, Emacs, Gambas: development environments for different languages
- Gwibber, Tweetdeck: clients for social networks
- K3B, Brasero: disc recorders
- Furious ISO Mount: to mount ISO images on our system
- Unetbootin: allows you to “mount” operating systems on a pendrive
- ManDVD, Devede: DVD Authoring and Creation
- Bleachbit: remove unnecessary files from the system
- VirtualBox, Wine, Dosemu, Vmware, Bochs, PearPC, ARPS, Win4Linux: emulation of operating systems and software
- Games there are thousands and for all tastes !!
To see a more extensive list, you can visit the Programs section of this blog.
10. Read the official documentation
La Official User Guide Linux Mint is not only translated into Spanish but is a highly recommended reference for the installation and daily use of the system.
Explore our new system
We already have a complete operating system ready for our daily use. As always, it is recommended to explore the managers, options, configurations and other tools of the system to familiarize ourselves with all the virtues of our system.
In short, relax and enjoy the benefits of free software. Learn at once what it feels like to be free of viruses, blue screens and restrictions of all kinds.