Things to do after installing Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute Hippo

What to do after installing Ubuntu 21.04

Now that Ubuntu 21.04 It has already been officially presented, we can now download and install the new operating system. Ubuntu, like any other system, comes with some applications and a default configuration, but that "setting" is what its developers have considered to be the best. There will likely be things that we don't need, and there will also be absences or changes that we will want to add. Logically, everyone has an opinion, but there are things that are always worth doing.

This article is what the publisher does each time it installs the major version of the Canonical system, so most of the modifications or additives that we will mention here are subjective. Yes it is recommended to do a couple of things always, which are the first that we will explain. We also highly recommend using a different software store than the Snap Store, because really, the one offered by Canonical since Ubuntu 2o.04 is a disaster.

Recommended: install GNOME Software

One of the worst and most tyrannical moves Canonical has ever made that I can recall has been shoehorn into the Snap Store. His intention is that we use more Snaps and less repository software, but I don't know what is worse, if that, its limitations or that it is much less up-to-date than the rest of the software. For that reason I I recommend installing GNOME Software, which, icon aside, is the same that we used some versions ago. To install it, just open a terminal and type these commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install gnome-software

Now, we open GNOME Software, which is the icon of a blue bag, and we continue.

Delete what you don't want in your Ubuntu 21.04

For some, the first step should be to check for updates and install them. For me it is also something that we have to do at first, but after eliminating what we do not want. And is that, if we update directly, the packages that we do not want will also be updated, so the time we will lose will be greater. So the best is start by removing the software that we don't want, which is also easier for me in GNOME Software. To do this, we open the app store, go to the "Installed" tab and delete what we don't want.

Remove software

I, for example, delete games, and a long time ago I deleted Thunderbird because I didn't like it; I wasn't doing him. Yes there are something that you do not see necessary, outside.

Update the system

This will be more important later, but right now there is updates to install. To do this, it is best to do it with the terminal with this command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

If you also want to remove dependencies that are no longer needed, you can also add "&& sudo apt autoremove" without the quotes.

Use additional drivers

There are likely drivers for components of our team waiting at Software and updates. Ubuntu generally installs open source drivers, but there is a chance that performance and reliability will improve if we use proprietary ones.

To see if there is such a driver, we will open software and updates and go to the tab «More drivers». As an advice, although it is not very difficult to reverse the change, it is worth remembering what we have done, because there are times that everything works better with the driver that is installed by default.

Install the software we need in Ubuntu 21.04

If we need something and we don't install it, we will do little. At this point everyone will install what they are going to use, but some recommendations personal are:

  • GIMP, the famous graphic editor.
  • Kdenlive I OpenShot, video editors.
  • Kodi, the multimedia all-rounder.
  • VLC, the all-rounder for videos that in its v4.0 will also be for music.
  • SimpleScreenRecorder y kooha. Because both? Well, I prefer the first one, but Ubuntu 21.04 enters Wayland by default and Kooha is one of the only options that works in this protocol.
  • RetroArch, the game emulator.
  • Audacity, to make edits to audio files.
  • GNOME Boxes, with what you can install virtual machines or make LiveSessions in the fastest and easiest way. If you need something more advanced, you may prefer to install VirtualBox.
  • Vivaldi, the browser for demanding users, although I only recommend this for those who need a lot of functions.
  • Synaptics, package manager with which it will be easier for us to see what is installed, what may not be necessary, etc.
  • Telegram, a good messaging application that is also used by many users. In fact, it is where I communicate with some developers.

Check the energy profile and activate Night Light

Ubuntu 21.04 comes with a new setting that will allow us choose between prioritizing performance, to stay in the middle or prioritize autonomy. It's in Settings / Power and it's a feature designed for laptops.

Moreover, Night light it is a function designed to improve our circadian cycle. Basically, it eliminates the blue tones present in sunlight, so the screen shows a different color so that our body begins to relax. It can be activated from Settings / Monitors / "Night Light" tab. We can tell you what times it will change or let it change automatically based on when it is day and night in our time zone.

Add support for Flatpak

As we explain in this article, Flatpak support is worth activatingSince they are packages that, like Snap, include software and dependencies in itself, they are updated very soon and, in addition, many developers give preference to other installation systems.

Customize your Ubuntu 21.04

This is the most important thing: leave our operating system as we like it best. Each one must make the changes that best suit their needs, but I always do these:

  • Change the speed and sensitivity of the touch panel from Settings / Mouse and touch panel. If we wish, we can also tell it to move with natural displacement.
  • Put the buttons to the left. When I first used Ubuntu, the buttons were on the left. I also had a Mac (I still have it) and they were in the same position. Canonical changed them, probably to make things easier for Windows users, but I always change them back out of habit. They can be put to the left by opening the terminal and typing gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences button-layout 'close, minimize, maximize:' . From the above, the final two points would be the center of the window, so to the left of the center will be Close, Minimize, and Maximize.
  • Put the dock down, something that can be done from Settings. You can also make other changes that I haven't made lately, such as changing the opacity or centering it and making it grow when we open apps as explained in our sister blog.

What changes would you make to Ubuntu 21.04?

These are the changes that I usually make to it, but it is always good to know what other users are doing. What changes have you made just after installing the operating system?


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  1.   Javier Guala placeholder image said

    Personally, I don't make a lot of changes to Ubuntu, I quite like how it is by default, but these are the few changes I make to it. 1) Launch bar size 30, 2) Dark mode, 3) Install tweaks, to be able to center the windows when opening, OpenWeather extension, and battery percentage indicator, 4) in Software and Updates download from Main Server, 5) Eliminate game applications, 6) Apply the Spanish language to the entire system, 7) Install Skype, VLC, Zoom, Jitsi-meet, Clipgrab 8) Install ubuntu-restricted-extras, printer driver, neofetch and little else. ) Change the background.

    That would be all I do to Ubuntu, after installing it.

  2.   Jonathan Guisao said

    Thank you very much,

    I want to know where I can find window themes and icons for this new version