Post-Install Tweaks
Polish your freshly minted installation for maximum mileage
Fetch updates
The Ubuntu installer offers a checkbox to install updates during installation. Even if you toggle the checkbox, one of the first things you should do on a pristine installation is to check for available updates. Open the Dash, search for updates, and click the Software Updater launcher. Once it has scanned the Ubuntu repos for available updates, click the “Install Now” button to install any updates that are available.
Enable the firewall
A firewall helps insulate your computer from malicious users looking for ways to gain access to your system. Linux includes the comprehensive iptables firewall, which can be easily managed with the Gufw application. It’s available in Ubuntu’s Universe repos, and can be installed with “sudo apt-get install gufw.” Once installed, bring up the “System Settings” window, and click the “Firewall Configuration” option under the “System” section. Begin by first enabling the firewall.
Once enabled, you can set the incoming and outgoing policies by selecting one of the three options in the drop-down menus. The “Allow” option allows traffic without asking any questions. The “Deny” option silently discards all incoming or outgoing packets. The “Reject” option is different in that it sends an error packet to the sender of the incoming packets. After you’ve set the policy for traffic, you can define specific rules for individual apps and services. To create a rule, switch to the “Rules” tab, and click the “+” button. Use the “Preconfigured” tab to select the application, and Gufw defines the most effective rules.
Install proprietary drivers
Despite the improving quality of free software drivers, some of your computer’s hardware can only be used to its full extent via proprietary drivers. This is particularly true for gaming with the latest generation of graphics cards. By default, Ubuntu only ships with and uses open-source drivers, but you can install proprietary ones with ease. Head to the Dash, type “software,” and open the Software & Updates tool. Then switch to the “Additional Drivers” tab, which scans your computer and lists the drivers that best suit your proprietary hardware.
Configure backups
Ubuntu ships with one of the simplest-touse backup tools, called Déjà Dup. The application has a very minimal interface, but you need to configure it before putting it into action. Bring up the “System Settings” window, and click the “Backups” option under the “System” section to launch Déjà Dup. Switch to the “Folders to Save” tab, and use the “+”button at the bottom to point the app to the folder you wish to save. After you’ve selected the folders to back up, switch to the “Storage Location” tab to point the tool to where you want to house your backups.
Déja Dup can save your backups on a separate partition or in a remote location, accessible via SSH, FTP, Samba, or WebDAV. While creating a backup, Déja Dup also, optionally, allows you to encrypt backups. Creating the initial backup usually takes quite some time, but subsequent backups are much faster, because the tool only backs up data that has changed.
Install essential applications
While Ubuntu ships with all the package management tools at your disposal, you can save yourself some time and use the Ubuntu After Install (UAI) application to do the heavy lifting for you. This can install dozens of essential applications in a single click. Some applications that it can install are not available in the Ubuntu repos, and require the addition of a PPA. Here, too, UAI can save you time and effort, and install the PPAs automatically. To use UAI, scroll down its homepage ( http://bit.ly/UAIHowTo), and install the Deb using Gnome Software. Once installed, launch the application from the Dash, and select what you wish to install, before hitting the “Install Now” button.
Set up online accounts
Ubuntu can pull in content from several popular (albeit mostly proprietary) services, right to your desktop. To get started, bring up the System Settings by clicking on the gears icon in the top-right corner, and head to the “Online Accounts” option. Use the interface to add your accounts on any of the supported services. After you’ve added an account, Ubuntu enables you to search for content on these online services from the Dash. You’ll also be able to publish content from the associated application—for example, you can post photos from Shotwell directly to a Flickr album.