Top Things to do after installing Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal

The final release of Ubuntu Natty Narwhal is almost out. It’s scheduled to be out in the 28th of this month. After you actually get done with the installation, there would likely exist a heap of things you still need to take care of. This post will share some interesting insight and ideas about what you can and should do after a successful installation.

If you have already a previous release of Ubuntu installed and you want to upgrade, then follow our step by step guide to upgrade to ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal

1- Didn`t like Unity? Switch to ubuntu Gnome classic

You installed Natty but you missed the old style? Is easy, just swith to the classic Gnome2 with one click, to do that,  Follow the instruction in this post:

How to move back from Unity to gnome2 classic in ubuntu 11.04 natty narwhal

In case you liked Unity but you have an old computer that doesn`t support 3D, again, it is easy, try Unity with 2D support.

For installation, open terminal and enter the following commands :

 sudo add-apt-repository ppa:unity-2d-team/unity-2d-daily
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install unity-2d

2- Install Updates:

Just because you installed the latest version of the operating system doesn’t mean that you have all the upgrades to the softwares that were bundled. Bring up a terminal and run the following to get that fixed.

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

3- Ubuntu-Tweak

Ubuntu Tweak is a must have application for Ubuntu and LinuxMint, it is an application to config Ubuntu easier for everyone. It provides many useful desktop and system options that the default desktop environment doesn't provide.

Using Ubuntu Tweak you can install all needed applications with a simple click, you can change the window buttons from Left to right...etc.

Install Ubuntu Tweak in Ubuntu via repository:

Open terminal and enter the following command:

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

Most of the applications listed in this post, can be installed from Ubuntu Tweak Center with one click.

If you want to learn how to use Ubuntu Tweak read our previous post

4- Add Medibuntu repositories and activate Canonical partner repositories

Medibuntu is a packaging project dedicated to distributing software that cannot be included in Ubuntu for various reasons, related to geographical variations in legislation regarding intellectual property, security and other issues. by adding Medibuntu repostories you will be able to install many softwares like Google-Earth , opera ,Win32codecs , Msfonts  and more by the normal command :

sudo apt-get install

Medibuntu is available now for Natty narwhal

Click here and Follow the steps to add medibuntu repostories to ubuntu 10.10 and ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal.

5- Sharing folders in Natty Narwhal

In order to share folders in Natty Narwhal with other Linux and windows machines in your network, you will need to install and configure samba share, for instructions how to configure samba in Ubuntu see this Post

Installing samba can be from buntu software center or via terminal :

sudo apt-get install samba

or click here

6-Install Media Utilities:

• Unless you can use mplayer perfectly yourself, I recommend installing the vlc media player.
  

VLC is the best media player for Linux it play almost everything , he has many features that you can not find in any other media player , read this post to know more about vlc : Things you didn’t know VLC media player can do
You can install VLC from Ubuntu software center or via terminal by using the following command:

sudo apt-get install vlc

• Perhaps installing a few common codecs might give you better sensibility of your system.

sudo  apt-get install non-free-codecs libxine1-ffmpeg gxine mencoder  libmpcdec3 libquicktime1 flac faac faad sox ffmpeg2theora libmpeg2-4  
uudeview flac libmpeg3-1 mpeg3-utils mpegdemux liba52-dev mpeg2dec  vorbis-tools id3v2 mpg321 mpg123 libflac++6 ffmpeg libmp4v2-0  
totem-mozilla icedax tagtool easytag id3tool lame  nautilus-script-audio-convert libmad0 libjpeg-progs

• Enable DVD support:

To play encrypted DVDs, the libdvdcss2 package is essential. libdvdcss is a simple library designed for accessing DVDs like a block device without having to bother about the decryption.

If you already added Medibuntu repositories above, you can Install from software center or using the terminal by entering the following command:

sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2 && sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/./install-css.sh

• Enabling Flash support on your browsers:

- For Ubuntu 32 bit & 64 bit : To be able to watch videos and see flash website in your browser (firefox/ Chrome..), you need to install flash plugin, go to  ubuntu software center and search  word "flash" and install it.
Note: For 64 bit OS  you can install flash square using the following commands :

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sevenmachines/flash
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install flashplugin64-installer

Adobe Flash Player "Square" is a development release, install it at your own risk.

7. Want to install windows games and applications?

Perhaps, if you’ve been a native windows user before switching to natty or are just trying it out, wine can certainly be a nifty tool to have around. You can play a hefty number of games through PlayOnLinux.

PlayOnLinux is a piece of sofware which allows you to easily install and use numerous games and softwares designed to run with Microsoft®'s Windows®.
You can install many windows games like callofduty, doom ,.... Msfonts ,Itune ,Microsoft office 2007 (see our howto install MS office 2007 in Ubuntu using playonlinux )

You can install playonlinux via Ubuntu software center or via command:

sudo apt-get install playonlinux

8- Ubuntu Gaming made easy with PlayDeb

If you are a fun of gaming so is important to add Playdeb repositories to your Lucid Lynx. Playdeb is a gaming repository for Ubuntu - aimed to provide titles already available on getdeb.net in an easier to install and update format. You can install many games by a simple click.

You can add gaming repository to Natty by installing Installing the playdeb package.

Please see how to add playdeb.net repository in this link : Ubuntu Gaming made easy with PlayDeb

9- Media centers:  XMBC

XBMC is an award-winning free and open source (GPL) software media player and entertainment hub for digital media. XBMC is available for Linux, OSX, Windows, and the original Xbox.

While XBMC functions very well as a standard media player application for your computer, it has been designed to be the perfect companion for your HTPC. Supporting an almost endless range of remote controls, and combined with its beautiful interface and powerful skinning engine, XBMC feels very natural to use from the couch and is the ideal solution for your home theater.

Open terminal and copy the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install xbmc

10- Video editors: Openshot

My  favorite Video editor is Openshot,  the best existing actually for Linux.  You can install Openshot from Ubuntu software center, but if you want to install the latest release, you can do that by adding the following repositories:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonoomph/openshot-edge
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install openshot openshot-doc

OpenShot 1.3 Highlights from Jonathan Thomas on Vimeo.
                   

11- Backup tools : Deja Dup

Déjà Dup is a simple backup tool. It hides the complexity of doing backups the 'right way' (encrypted, off-site, and regular) and uses duplicity as the backend.

Deja Dup features :

• Support for local or remote backup locations, including Amazon S3
• Securely encrypts and compresses your data
• Incrementally backs up, letting you restore from any particular backup
• Schedules regular backups
• Integrates well into your GNOME desktop

sudo apt-get install deja-dup

Or Click this link to install

12- Bitorrent client

1- Deluge

The Deluge application was designed to be a full-featured BitTorrent client. Deluge uses libtorrent in it's backend and PyGTK for it's user interface,  and is  currently usable on POSIX-compliant operating systems. It is intended to bring a native, full-featured client to GTK desktop environments such as GNOME and Xfce. An official Windows port is also available.

Open terminal and type the follwing commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deluge-team/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install deluge

2- Vuze

Vuze is a bitorrent client that is used to download and share files using the p2p network.

sudo apt-get install vuze

Or install by clicking here

13- Filezilla the best ftp client for linux

Filezilla is the best ftp client for Linux

Install via command line :

sudo apt-get install filezilla

Or by clicking here

14- Communication : Instant messengers

- Pidgin the best messenger client and 30 plugins, you can enjoy chat with freinds using voice and cam.

sudo apt-get install pidgin

-  aMSN is a free windows Live Messenger clone. aMSN attempts to emulate the look and feel of Windows Live Messenger, and supports many of its features.

aMSN has features not present in Windows Live Messenger. Users can set alarms, are able to see others who have removed them from their contact list, and are able to open many profiles at once. It is also very customizable, with extensions and themes available at the main site.

sudo apt-get install amsn

Or Click here to install

-Skype:

If you’re an avid voice chatter or are just simply an user of Skype, replacing the native application is impossible. Use the command below to get it in Natty.

Since Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx), Skype is part of the Canonical partner repository. To install Skype, first activate  Canonical Partner Repository, then install Skype via the Software-Center or via the Terminal.

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install skype

15. Installing the latest Java run time JRE:

JRE stands for ‘Java Runtime Environment’. It’s an essential application that many applications ‘depend on’.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ferramroberto/java
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-fonts

16- DropBox:

Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere. This means that any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, phones and even the Dropbox website. Dropbox also makes it super easy to share with others, whether you're a student or professional, parent or grandparent.

Download the Dropbox package:

• Ubuntu (x86_64 .deb)
• Ubuntu (x86 .deb)

17- VirtualBox:

If you want to run another OS in a virtual Machine, the best is to install Virtualbox.

For installation, follow the instructions in my previous post.

18. Image editor:

Regardless of whether you need to edit images daily on a professional level or just a hobbyist, GIMP is an essential tool for all.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:matthaeus123/mrw-gimp-svn
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gimp gimp-data gimp-plugin-registry gimp-data-extras

19. Installing some eye candy:

• Conky is a lightweight system monitor application for Linux

You can install conky via ubuntu software center or via terminal:

sudo apt-get install conky

Configuring it is easy and there exists thousands of configurations. Google around ;)

• Add screenlets to your Desktop

Screenlets are small owner-drawn applications that can be described as "the virtual representation of things lying/standing around on your desk". Sticknotes, clocks, rulers, ... the possibilities are endless. The goal of the Screenlets base-classes is to simplify the creation of fully themeable mini-apps that each solve basic desktop-work-related needs and generally improve the usability and eye-candy of the modern composited Linux-desktop.
Screenlets can be installed from Ubuntu software center, but if you want latest release, is better to do it from the following Official repository. Open terminal and enter the commands:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:screenlets/ppa 
sudo apt-get update 
sudo apt-get install screenlets

20. Installing Archive Management Apps:

  If you’re a frequent media downloader from the internet, you know how various forms archives can have. Installing the following will allow you to deal with most of these.

sudo apt-get install unace unrar zip unzip p7zip-full p7zip-rar sharutils rar uudeview mpack lha arj cabextract file-roller

21. Y PPA Manager:

Y PPA Manager is a GUI tool to easily add PPAs, search a package in all Launchpad PPAs, remove duplicate PPAs (only works with separate .list files), backup PPAs and other PPA-related tasks. Check out the Launchpad page for a complete features list.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/y-ppa-manager
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install y-ppa-manager

Other useful Internet applications:

• Opera : The fastest browser on Earth is even faster. But that is not all. Use Opera Turbo to double your page-download speed on slow connections.

• Google Chrome- web Browser from Google

• Thunderbird – email and news client from Mozilla

• Google Earth- Travel to cities across the globe, dive into the depths of the ocean, explore remote islands, and even fly to faraway galaxies

Some Tips for Unity from the web:

• Key shotcuts in Unity:  This page will document the keyboard shortcuts and mouse tricks for Unity.