Things to do after installing Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish

Although we still have to make it official by updating the website, we already have the greedy jellyfish here. The new version is LTS, which means two things: there are more important news than usual and it will be supported for 5 years. Although it can be installed from the same operating system, and keep everything we have, it is also possible to do a clean installation, which would take us to start from scratch. In this article we are going to cover that, especially for new users: what to do after install Ubuntu 22.04.

Much of what is explained here is business as usual, and we do it every six months. The last time was for Impish Indri, where we mention getting used to the new gestures in GNOME 40 as a pending task. GNOME 42, including my favorite that, after doing it, I was a bit disappointed.

Preparing the Ubuntu 22.04 software

Update the packages

Although Ubuntu 22.04 has been around for a short time, the Linux community is very fast. It is recommended to always have up-to-date operating system, so the first thing we will do is update all the packages. This can be achieved by opening a terminal and typing:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

We can also open the Software Update application, with which we will see everything with the graphical interface.

Remove bloatware

Although there is a minimal installation option, there are people who prefer to do it from top to bottom, that is, to install the complete and uninstall what you think you won't use. For example, I remove the games, at least when I install Ubuntu on a disk with little space. We can remove it from Ubuntu Software, although later we will make a recommendation about (or rather against) the official store.

Install what we need

Logically, we will also have to install what we need. Some suggestions are GIMP, Kdenlive and/or Openshot, GNOME Sushi (to preview files), Kodi, VLC or Telegram.

Use additional drivers

In Linux it usually goes well with open source drivers, but maybe we need a private one for something to work properly. An example on my laptop is that I don't get video through the HDMI port if I don't use the NVIDIA ones. To install drivers of this type, we will go to Software and updates, “More drivers” tab (also from the “More drivers” app drawer) and wait to see if there is something for us. Although we mention this here, I do not recommend it unless we are missing something, such as the aforementioned HDMI.

Install GNOME Software on Ubuntu 22.04 and add support for flatpak packages

As we had anticipated, we were going to attack the official store. UbuntuSoftware prioritize snap packets, some that the community does not like very much. One of the best tips we can give for several versions is that we do not uninstall it, but "keep it in a drawer". To do this, we will follow the steps described in this article. I also remove the store that comes by default from the dock and put the GNOME Store as a favorite.

Activate recommended options

For example, it is worth activating Night Light, which changes the shades of the screen so that the body "understands" that it is getting dark and begins to relax. We can also choose the power profile from Settings / Power, as long as we are on a laptop. You can choose between consuming less, a midpoint or prioritizing performance. In the energy section we can also make it show the percentage of battery that we have left.

Customize our new Ubuntu 22.04

It is also important leave the operating system as we like. For example, we can start by putting the dark theme. We can also make use of the new options to put the dock at the bottom in the form of a dock (which does not reach from side to side), or put the buttons on the left by opening the terminal and typing:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences button-layout 'close, minimize, maximize:'

From above, the end colon would be the center of the window, so to the left of center will be Close, Minimize, and Maximize. Of course, we can play with GNOME extensions, especially now that it works so well replacing the old Compiz Fusion.

Try the new capture tool

This was my favorite, and the one that disappointed me after trying it. Ubuntu 22.04 arrives with the new capture tool of GNOME 42, much improved and that even allows you to record the screen, and it is in the latter that it has disappointed me. We can only record in .webp and without sound, so what we have is an evolution of the native option integrated in the new capture tool, but it won't help us if we want to record perfect videos with sound. It does help us to share quickly, but if we want more we will continue to depend on OBS Studio or SimpleScreenRecorder if we stay on X11.

Change the accent color

Another novelty is that we can change accent color, something that we explain in this article. It is a novelty that GNOME is preparing and with which Canonical has advanced, but it is possible because of the new libadwaita.

Getting used to the new Ubuntu 22.04 logo

Ubuntu 22.04 debuts logo and how to write the name. The "circle of friends" has changed its design, and is now on an asymmetrically shaped rectangle. They also write "Ubuntu" and not "ubuntu" as before, which is strange. You will also have to get used to seeing it while you start the operating system, and GDM with a gray tone.

Uninstall Firefox and use the binary version?

This is up to the consumer, but Firefox is as a snap package, and you won't be able to install the DEB version or official repositories anytime soon. One option is to download the binaries from your official website and run firefox from that folder. It is not the best option either, but it is self-updating and you can create a .desktop file so that it appears with the rest of the applications and even add it to the dock.

Any changes you would make to Ubuntu 22.04 to add to this list?