A Linux Mint MATE desktop
The steps in this Configuration Guide will bring your freshly-installed Linux Mint MATE (pronounced mah'-tay) machine to a point where an average non-expert computer user will be happy to use it as their productive daily-driver desktop.
Someone with moderate computer experience will find the system easy to figure out and they won't need much, if any, assistance. Of course, Power Users also appreciate a stable and efficient user experience. For them, this guide will be a good starting point for further customization.
Why this particular version of GNU/Linux? For starters, because it works extraordinarily well and it's supported until 2021. This "distro" is a refreshing blend of the familiar and the new. It's light on resources and powerful, and a pleasure to use.
This procedure does take some time. Be assured, your patience and tenacity will be richly rewarded.
This page is written in the format of a log with annotation.
Installation
Disconnect any network cable and boot from DVD-ROM or flash drive. Linux Mint has the firewall disabled by default. We'll enable the firewall before connecting to a network.
Welcome <your language> Preparing to install Linux Mint Check "Install third-party software..."
You can Install Linux Mint alongside your existing OS or erase the disk and install only Linux Mint.
The "advanced partition tool" give you the option to customize disk partitions. These days most desktop systems have two:
- A large root (
/) partition - A swap partition
A good size for your swap partition is "RAM size plus 512MB". The Ubuntu SwapFaq page explains why.
Installation type <your choice>
The rest are standard OS-installation steps.
Where are you? <your location> Keyboard layout <your language> Who are you? Your name (or just User) Your computer's name Pick a username Choose and Confirm a password Require my password to log in Encrypt if you wish (recommended for laptops)
First Boot
Open a terminal (click the Terminal panel icon) sudo ufw enable
Now the firewall is enabled.
<connect the network> sudo apt update sudo apt full-upgrade
- Accept "default action to keep current version" twice
<reboot> (sudo reboot && exit)
Now all packages except the kernel are updated.
Click update shield in the system tray Choose "Optimize stability and security" Update the kernel Switch to a local mirror <reboot>
Now you have a usable system. Next we'll install some drivers and codecs.
Welcome Screen -> Drivers
<reboot>
Welcome Screen -> Multimedia Codecs
Uncheck "Show this dialog..." on Welcome Screen. If you want to see it again, it's in the system's menu.
Next up: customize the panel.
Right-click on panel Orientation: Top Size (enlarge to taste, e.g. 32 pixels) Background Solid Color Slider ~75% toward Opaque Right-click the panel somewhrere to the left of the notification area Add to panel Log Out... Workspace Switcher Window Selector System Monitor Trash Brightness Applet (if laptop) Inhibit Applet Disk Mounter Right-click the clock in system tray Preferences -> 12 hour format
This next part is optional but recommended. It's not easy to explain but easy to figure out by experimenting. Add some commonly-used utility programs to the panel and arrange their icons' location.
Menu -> Text Editor > Right-click -> Add to panel Menu -> Calculator -> Right-click -> Add to panel Unlock items on the panel Windows List Firefox, Terminal, and File Browser icons Rearrange the items Lock the items to the panel
Our custom panel allows us remove the default desktop icons.
Menu -> Preferences -> Desktop Settings Uncheck all Desktop Icons
Next set the color and appearance of windows.
Preferences -> Appearance
Mint-X-<your preference>
Customize -> Window Border
Spidey
Next customize the login screen.
Menu -> (All) Applications Administration -> Login Screen Zukitwo Circle
List View in the File Browser is superior to Icon View in most circumstances, so we'll make List View the default.
Start the File Browser Edit -> Preferences Default View -> View folders using: List View
The terminal app can be improved from the default settings.
Start a Terminal
Edit -> Profile Preferences
General
Uncheck "Use the system fixed width font
Change font to "DejaVu Sans Mono Book"
Use custom default terminal size (increase rows)
Colors
Uncheck "Use colors from system theme"
Built-in scheme: White on black
Background
Transparent, move slider to ~90%
Docky is a fantastic dock app you can put at the bottom of your display.
sudo apt install docky # install docky docky # start docky Click the Docky icon Theme: Transparent, then <close> Click the Docky icon Hiding: Intellihide Icon size: (e.g. 33 Zoom: (e.g. 150%) Select the Docklets tab Add Recent Documents docklet
Optionally you may want to listen to radio streams. If so, RadioTray is perfect for that.
sudo apt install radiotray Menu -> Preferences -> Starup Applications Add Name: RadioTray Command: /usr/bin/radiotray Comment: System tray media streaming
PulseAudio Volume Control is a useful utility that allows you to select which audio device plays audio.
sudo apt install pavucontrol pavucontrol Pin the icon to Docky dock (right-click -> Pin to dock) Pin other icons to the Docky dock
You can optionally add some curated fonts to your system.
sudo apt install lmodern ttf-aenigma ttf-bitstream-vera ttf-sjfonts sudo apt install fonts-cantarell fonts-tuffy tv-fonts fonts-georgewilliams sudo apt install ttf-mscorefonts-installer
Next configure Firefox.
<disconnect network> Start Firefox
about:preferences General
Set Home Page to about:blank
Search
Default Search Engine: DuckDuckGo Uncheck provide search suggestions
Applications
mailto: Always ask
Privacy
Manage Do Not Track settings -> Always apply... Use custom settings for history Keep until: I close Firefox Check Clear history when Firefox closes
Security
Uncheck Remember logins for sites
Advanced
Data Choices -> Uncheck Enable Firefox Health Report
New Tab
Don't show Suggested Sites Show blank page
<connect to network>
about:addons Extensions
uBlock Origin Self-Destructing Cookies Grace Period: 90 seconds Clear Browser Cache when Idle: 30 minutes Disable Hello, Pocket, and Reader+ Decentraleyes HTTP Everywhere QuickJava Include in Favorites: Java, Flash, and WebRTC On Intital Load: Java, Flash, and WebRTC Off Canvas Fingerprint blocker NoScript User Agent Overrider Change Referer Button Context Search WebToPDF Zoom Page Default Zoom Type: Text-Only (T)
about:config
Set geo.enabled to false Delete contents of geo.wifi.uri Delete the contents of browser.selfsupport.url Set datareporting.policy.dataSubmissionEnabled to false Set datareporting.healthreport.uploadEnabled to false Set dom.ipc.plugins.flash.subprocess.crashreporter.enabled to false Delete the contents of devtools.gcli.imgurUploadURL Delete the contents of devtools.gcli.imgurClientID Delete the contents of toolkit.telemetry.cachedClientID Set dom.events.clipboardevents.enabled to false Set dom.battery.enabled to false Set device.sensors.enabled false Set camera.control.face_detection.enabled to false Set browser.newtab.preload to false Delete the contents of browser.newtabpage.directory.ping Delete the contents of browser.newtabpage.directory.source Set browser.newtabpage.enabled to false Set browser.newtabpage.enhanced to false Set dom.webnotifications.enable to false Set dom.webnotifications.serviceworker to false Set accessibility.blockautorefresh to true (optional) Set pdfjs.disabled to true (optional)
Enable Bookmarks Toolbar
@]
Installation Advice
Installing Linux Mint 18.1 Serena, MATE Edition from DVD or a Bootable USB drive is easy and doesn't require step-by-step hand-holding.
Install Disconnected
A freshly-installed system has its firewall disabled and no security updates. Play it safe and do the installation disconnected from a network. If your computer is on a "friendly" network this is not absolutely necessary, but it can't hurt.
Start with the network cable unplugged and the wireless adapter turned off. Alternatively you can temporarily unplug the router.
Partitions
These days most desktop systems have two partitions:
- A large root (
/) partition - A swap partition
A good size for your swap partition is the size of your RAM plus 512MB. The Ubuntu SwapFaq page explains why.
It can be useful to create a separate /storage partition, especially if you anticipate re-installing the OS in the future.
A separate disk mounted on /backup is also useful if you want to have automated local backups.
First Boot - Enable Firewall and Get Updated
Assuming you started with your network disconnected (or even if not), the first thing to do is enable the firewall. Once it's enabled, you can connect and update installed packages
Enable the Firewall
The default firewall configuration tool is UFW, which stands for "Uncomplicated Firewall". From UFW's documentation page:
Open a terminal (Menu -> Terminal).
Enable your firewall with
sudo ufw enable
You can check if your firewall's status with
sudo ufw status verbose
UFW's help message can be displayed with
ufw --help
Update Installed Packages
Connect to the network if you installed disconnected.
Update your package database and and perform a complete upgrade with
sudo apt update sudo apt full-upgrade
This will pull together a list of available updates for your system and apply all of them, including dependencies. It'll take a while because a lot of packages will have updates available.
I recommend reading the Introduction and Features sections of the Welcome Panel while your system updates.
Once the upgrade completes, reboot with
sudo reboot
Codecs and Drivers
Ubuntu doesn't include proprietary components by default. Most users should install some codecs and some should install drivers for their hardware.
Install the codecs package with Welcome Panel -> Getting Started -> Install Codecs Package.
Install drivers if you need them with Welcome Panel -> Getting Started -> Drivers -> Additional Drivers.
Install the firmware package with Welcome Panel -> Getting Started -> Install Firmware Package.