Ubuntu 17.04 Install Notes

skp backups, Ubuntu 17.04

Zesty Zapus / Ubuntu 17.04 is finally installed. Below are all of my notes on how I got it to work!

I think it works better than the previous installation. So far, my bluetooth headset pairs better. I haven’t had the clipboard issues that I had before. It’s definitely a step forward.

Restoring files

These are the directories that I restored. Maybe it will give you an idea of things you may want to restore if you do the same thing.

  • ~/.ssh: The keys for my remote ssh connections — most important because of backuppc restoring
  • ~/Documents: This is where I put all my document files
  • ~/Pictures: I have Shotwell pointed at this directory, so it contains all the pictures from my cell phone and digital camera
  • ~/GideonTaylor: I keep my work files in a different directory
  • ~/.config/google-chrome: The settings for Chrome (extensions, bookmarks, etc) (or, ~/.config/google-chrome-beta)
  • ~/.local/share/keyrings: My saved passwords
  • ~/.Skype: Skype history
  • ~/.remmina: The settings for my remote connections
  • ~/.local/share/shotwell: The settings and thumbnails for my photos
  • ~/.sword: The downloaded Bible files for Xiphos (and the underlying Sword library)
  • ~/.filezilla: The settings for my FTP connections
  • ~/.sqldeveloper: The connection settings for SQL developer
  • ~/.vim: stores the plugins installed in Gvim
  • ~/.vimrc: preferences for Gvim
  • ~/.local/share/fonts for custom-installed fonts (see this post)
  • /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections: this saves all of my wireless connections and VPN connections

Note: To make it recognize the keyring updates without rebooting, you can run this command:

gnome-keyring-daemon -r -d

Also, note that for the network connections to work, you have to make sure the permissions are correct on the files and restart the network manager to get it to use them.

sudo chmod 600 /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/*
sudo service network-manager restart

I did have a shortcut or two that I wanted to restore. Those were found in:
.local/share/applications

Networking

Chrome is my browser of choice. I restored my profile so that I am basically back the way it was before I reinstalled. I downloaded the 64-bit Deb install package from Chrome’s website.

Installing it takes a few tweaks. First, I used the command-line to install the package:

sudo dpkg -i Downloads/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

I got the following errors this time:

dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of google-chrome-stable:
 google-chrome-stable depends on gconf-service; however:
  Package gconf-service is not installed.
 google-chrome-stable depends on libgconf-2-4 (>= 2.31.1); however:
  Package libgconf-2-4 is not installed.
 google-chrome-stable depends on libappindicator1; however:
  Package libappindicator1 is not installed.

I fixed it with this command:

sudo apt --fix-broken install

For VPN’s, I installed all of the VPN pacakges:

sudo apt-get install vpnc \
network-manager-vpnc \
network-manager-openconnect \
network-manager-openconnect-gnome \
openconnect \
network-manager-iodine \
network-manager-openvpn \
network-manager-strongswan

Update (8/172017): I found that in order to add additional Open VPN connections, I also needed to install this:

sudo apt-get install network-manager-openvpn-gnome

(see this question)

KeePass helps me keep track of my accounts and passwords across the web and my laptop. It’s crucial because there’s no way I could remember all of those accounts and I don’t want to make them all the same password.

I have the library stored and encrypted on drop box, so it is secure but shared across all my devices. So, dropbox is also a requirement for this to work. I’ll install that later.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jtaylor/keepass
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install keepass2

To assist with integrating it into Chrome, I used the ChromIPass plugin. I restored that when I restored the Chrome profile. Then, I needed to install the KeePassHttp plugin.

I downloaded KeePassHttp from the GitHub website. The Readme has the link underneath the “Installation” heading. That downloaded a KeePassHttp.plgx file.

I used the command line to copy the file to my KeePass directory (/usr/lib/keepass2):

cd ~/Downloads
sudo mv KeePassHttp.plgx /usr/lib/keepass2
sudo chmod 644 /usr/lib/keepass2/KeePassHttp.plgx
sudo apt-get install mono-complete

Skype is a necessary evil for me. I feel like the Linux client is missing key features such the ability to share screens or video with multiple people. Still, since others use it, I have to install it.

So, I downloaded it from the Skype website:
New Skype version

For reference, here’s the old download
Old Skype version

Installed:

sudo dpkg -i skypeforlinux-64.deb
sudo apt install -y libjpeg62:i386

This installed Skype 5.2.0.1.

Before, I would tweak some settings in the options dialog. I don’t find that anymore. Instead, I check the 2 options: Tools > Launch at Login and Tools > Launch Minimized.

I also had to fix the Skype repo. Apparently, it was added automatically, and it isn’t signed.

dpkg -s apt-transport-https > /dev/null || bash -c "sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https -y" 
curl https://repo.skype.com/data/SKYPE-GPG-KEY | sudo apt-key add - 
echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://repo.skype.com/deb stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/skype-stable.list 
sudo apt-get update

The Skype tray icon didn’t work at first. I had to change it to launch like this:

env XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=Unity skypeforlinux

To make that work, I had to edit the launcher with Menu Libre and also edit it in Startup Applications.

I use Zoom a lot for online meetings. To install, I downloaded it from the download page. And:

sudo dpkg -i zoom_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get -f install

I installed Filezilla with:

sudo apt-get install filezilla

Remina came pre-installed, but I like the latest version.

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:remmina-ppa-team/remmina-next
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade remmina remmina-plugin-rdp remmina-plugin-vnc

To get Remmina to autostart, I went to the Preferences dialog, and I checked “Start Remmina in tracy icon at user login” under the Applet section.

I installed Dropbox by downloading from their Download Page.

sudo dpkg -i dropbox_2015.10.28_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get -f install

I have a client or two that support remote connections with VMWare View. I downloaded it from the download page.

I also had to download libpng12 from here.

I installed it with:

sudo dpkg -i libpng12-0_1.2.50-2+deb8u3_amd64.deb
chmod +x VMware-Horizon-Client-3.5.0-2999900.x64.bundle
sudo ./VMware-Horizon-Client-3.5.0-2999900.x64.bundle
sudo apt-get install freerdp-x11
sudo ln -s   /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libudev.so.1   /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libudev.so.0

Configuration and Utilities

I like these tools:

  • MenuLibre — uesful for adding items to the menu
  • 7zip & RAR — compression algorithms
  • Synaptic — more dependable / advanced for installing packages
  • Y PPA Manager — tool for managing PPA’s
  • Compiz Config Settings Manager — allows tweaking compiz settings
  • Unity Tweak Tool — another took that allows for changing configuration settings
  • Caffeine — a tool to turn off the screensaver/ lock
  • Xiphos — a Bible tool that works off of the Sword project
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/y-ppa-manager
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install menulibre \
      p7zip-full p7zip-rar \
      synaptic \
      y-ppa-manager \
      compizconfig-settings-manager compiz-plugins \
      unity-tweak-tool \
      caffeine \
      xiphos

In the Settings > Displays app, I made 2 small changes. I turned Sticky edges off and changed the launcher placement to only a single screen.

In the CompizConfig Settings Manager, I enabled the Wobbly Windows.

In the Unity Tweak Tool, I went to Unity > Panel and checked the option for 12-hour time, and included seconds and Date. Then, I went to System > Scrolling and changed the Scrollbars to legacy.

On the battery icon near the clock, I clicked the option in that menu to show the time in the menu bar.

Under System Settings > Mouse and Touchpad, I unchecked the “Natural Scrolling” option under Touchpad. That feature mixes me up.

Also, for Caffeine, I went to Startup Applications and added “caffeine-indicator” as a new startup program.

LibreOffice

Initially, Ubuntu came with this version installed:
Version: 5.3.1.2
Build ID: 1:5.3.1-0ubuntu2

I want to keep it up to date, so I am enabling this repo:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

After applying that repo, it upgraded to:
Version: 5.3.3.2
Build ID: 1:5.3.3~rc2-0ubuntu0.17.04.1~lo

There are a few settings that I like to make in the Options. I like the ribbon interface. LibreOffice > Advanced: under optional features, I checked “Enable experimental features”. Then, I can select View > Toolbar Layout > Notebookbar. In LibreOffice, I went to options > LibreOffice Impress > General, there I checked the “Enable remote control”.

Virtual Box

I used these commands to install (from here):

sudo bash -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian zesty contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list'
wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -
wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install virtualbox-5.0

Then, I download the extension pack from Oracle’s website.

Programming Tools

  • GVim: Power text editor — vim is the CLI version, and vim-gnome is the GUI version (I like both for different situations)
  • Git: Version control system … git-cola is the GUI client, installs CLI program as a dependency
  • Meld: compare tool like “Beyond Compare”, etc. nautilus-compare is an add on to launch from the file manager
  • Java: I use several Java tools
  • MS Visual Studio Code: I have allowed this to replace brackets
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/java
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install \
       vim \
       vim-gnome \
       git-cola \
       meld \
       nautilus-compare \
       oracle-java8-installer

I created a directory for the Vi backup files:

mkdir ~/.vimtmp

I was using Brackets, but now Visual Studio Code has become my editor of choice for website development. I downloaded it from the website.

I am using Node JS more and more for website development. So, I am just installing it with my system.

sudo apt-get install nodejs
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/nodejs /usr/bin/node
sudo apt-get install npm
sudo npm install bower -g
sudo npm install -g protractor
sudo npm install -g gulp

Here are the versions:

$ nodejs --version
v4.7.2
$ npm -g ls --depth=0
/usr/local/lib
├── bower@1.8.0
├── gulp@3.9.1
└── protractor@5.1.2

I also installed Soap UI from their website.

sh Downloads/SoapUI-x64-5.3.0.sh

I installed the Gluon Scene Developer from their website.

sudo dpkg -i Downloads/scenebuilder-8.3.0.deb

I downloaded SQL Developer from Oracle’s website. Then, I used these commands to install it:

sudo apt-get install sqldeveloper-package \
                     debhelper
make-sqldeveloper-package -b output \
       sqldeveloper*.zip
sudo dpkg -i sqldeveloper*all.deb

I downloaded Eclipse from the Eclipse website.

cd Downloads/
tar -xzvf eclipse-inst-linux64.tar.gz
cd eclipse-installer
./eclipse-inst

After the install, I installed the following components from the Help menu.

  • Collaboration > Dynamic Languages Toolkit – Mylyn Integration
  • Collaboration > Eclipse GitHub Integration with task focused interface
  • General Purpose Tools > e(fx)clipse – IDE
  • Programming > JavaScript Development Tools Chromium/V8 Remote Debugger
  • Web, XML, Java EE and OSGi Enterprise Development > Eclipse Web Developer Tools
  • Web, XML, Java EE and OSGi Enterprise Development > Eclipse Java Web Developer Tools
  • Web, XML, Java EE and OSGi Enterprise Development > Javascript Development Tools
  • Web, XML, Java EE and OSGi Enterprise Development > PHP Development Tools

The cool part this time is that I didn’t have to add any sites to get e(fx)clipse.

Visual Media Programs

I installed the following other programs for working with visual media:

  • Gimp: for editing photos
  • Inkscape: vector-based drawing
  • Xournal: has features that allow marking up a PDF
  • Shutter: I used for taking and annotating screenshots
sudo apt-get install gimp \
        gimp-data-extras \
        inkscape \
        xournal \
        shutter

After installing, on Shutter, I went to Edit > Preferences. On Main > Directory, I changed the directory to a new one that I created called screenshots. Pictures is for photos, in my opinion, not screenshots. Under Behavior > First-launch Behavior, I checked “Start Shutter at login” and “Hide window on first launch”.

Audio Media Programs

These are the audio programs that I like:

  • Audacity: sound editing
  • MuseScore: sheet music editor
  • soundconverter: converting audio between formats
  • winff: Front end to ffmpeg
sudo apt-get install audacity \
          winff-gtk2 \
          soundconverter \
          musescore

Note: The MuseScore Maintainers team has a repository, but they don’t update it for 17.04 until that version gets out of date, so we can’t use it now.

Video Media Programs

These are the programs I use for playing and editing video:

  • mplayer – nice general video/music player from the command line
  • gnome-mplayer
  • vlc – video player
  • kdenlive – video editor
  • openshot – video editor
  • cheese – nice for testing to make sure the webcam works (already installed)
  • EasyTAG
  • YouTube Downloader — downloads videos from Youtube
sudo apt-get install gnome-mplayer \
      vlc \
      kdenlive \
      openshot \
      youtube-dl \
      easytag

Then, I installed the codecs for videos:

sudo apt-get install \
     libdvdnav4 \
     libdvdread4 \
     gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad \
     gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly \
     ubuntu-restricted-extras

Games

0ad has been a hit in our house. I like to keep up to date with it, so I’ll install from their repo

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:wfg/0ad
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install 0ad

Resources

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