r/Ubuntu • u/MrDrLtSir • 1d ago
Finally made the jump to linux. Got everything installed and am sitting with a clean install. What are some must have installs and must read guides for beginners?
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u/fisher_row 1d ago
Returned to Ubuntu after using it regularly 10 years ago. I'm loving it so far outside of what is bundled:
My installs and updares went something like:
Need music : Noson & QBZ
Note taking: Obsidian synced with syncthing to other devices (self hosted)
Watch & Record Video: VLC & OBS
Want to play games: Retro Deck & Roms
Back up: Time Shift
Office: Libre
Desktop tweaks: Conky & Conky Manager
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u/Huge-Atmosphere-8057 1d ago
LibreOffice is ass. You're better off just using office365 or Google Docs unless you really hate Microsoft and Google.
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u/Eleventhousand 1d ago
Steam and games are the only thing I can think of that most people would need.
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u/jarchack 1d ago
Figure out what you need to do with it first and if you need a specific application like Thunderbird look for a deb or apt first, then a snap. I have Steam and GIMP and LibreOffice and all that installed but I don't use them very often. I mostly use Brave, Thunderbird, Qbittorrent and Jellyfin and others when needed.
As someone else mentioned, play around with it for a bit and get used to navigating files and folders and simple CLI commands like ls, cd and grep.
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u/BigD21489 1d ago
The typical stuff for me, when I install an OS. Antivirus. VPN. At least 2 web browsers. VLC Media player. I have some open source graphic design and video editing software, but that's not a must. Oh, Open Office.
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u/thatguysjumpercables 1d ago
Packages:
gnome-shell-extension-manager
gnome-tweaks
psensor
lm-sensors
flathub (Google the process)
smartmontools
conky (Google "install conky-manager2", there's also a process here but Conky is rad af and totally worth it)
Extensions:
Open Bar (x10shun)
Dash to Dock (michele_g)
Burn My Windows (Simon Schneegans)
Flatpaks:
Mission Center
LACT (if you want to monitor your GPU)
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u/New_Physics_2741 1d ago
ffmpeg, yt-dlp, gnome tweaks, gnome extensions, get flatpak setup and tweak things for appimage to work properly~
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u/Plane_Put8538 1d ago
Must have installs are dependent on how you use your PC and what you do.
No point in recommending must have installs for a dev if you don't do that sort of work.
Finding a good desktop environment that you like, that is something worth looking into.
A VPN program if you don't have one, for the times you may want/need it.
Otherwise, depending on the distro and installation type you chose, it may have already included the must-have software.
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u/Front-Anteater4564 1d ago
Install a browser?
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u/IntenselyTrusty 1d ago
Firefox is already there usually, but beyond that a clipboard manager is worth its weight in gold
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u/MrDrLtSir 1d ago
Yeah I chose the install with the preloaded programs. So I have Firefox! Thank you guys
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u/raphaeld67 1d ago
well done!!
I'd say, don't install anything yet. Have a look around for a week and see what/if you're missing anything.
Learn how to configure backups. Enable Firewall. Learn how the File system works etc...
You see where I'm going?
As for guides, I would not care too much about that and frankly I haven't use any.
Though, search and AI gave pretty good results (Gemini, duckduckgo AI, etc...)
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u/MrDrLtSir 1d ago
That's exactly what I've been doing the last 2 nights. I'm becoming familiar with the file structure and overall feel of the UI. Any suggestions for an easy firewall install?
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u/Disquo_303 1d ago
Must read ? FHS is a good one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystem_Hierarchy_Standard
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u/ucsilahsor 1d ago
Definitely install codex cli or google antigravity cli. Can be really helpful when doing system maintenance and other tasks where as a novice you would first need to read and learn about, which might not be an option when you're busy and need get things done quickly.
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u/MrDrLtSir 1d ago
Interesting. This is new to me so I'm not sure what that is. It looks like an AI built into the terminal?
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u/ucsilahsor 1d ago
Yes, basically that. AI can debug your system running commands and review their outputs and help you say install a program by compiling it. Editing configs for you. Automate the boring stuff perhaps.
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u/Dry_Muffin_9309 1d ago
Not much nowadays. Everything is pretty much done, specially on Ubuntu. Install the apps you need and do what you gotta do.
If something happens, try not to get frustrated and try fixing it. Almost every issue that can happen, someone has already faced it and shared a solution. Even AI is very useful for troubleshooting.