10 Things To Do After Installing Ubuntu 16.04 "Xenial Xerus"
Ubuntu 16.04 has brought some interesting features that you must give try if you’ve upgraded. If you still don’t know what’s new in Ubuntu 16.04 then check out our article “What’s New In Ubuntu 16.04?“. In this article, I’ll show you 10 things to do after installing or upgrading to Ubuntu 16.04. It’ll save your time tweaking the system and also will provide you the taste of new features of Ubuntu 16.04. Also, don’t forget to take the poll below this article to tell us what you like the most in Ubuntu 16.04.
10 Things To Do After Installing Ubuntu 16.04 “Xenial Xerus”
1. First Check Out What’s New In Ubuntu 16.04
If you’ve not yet checked out then first read our previous article that shows off what’s new In Ubuntu 16.04 “Xenial Xerus”.
2. Update Your System
Although you have installed a brand new latest Ubuntu 16.04 but there may be that some applications have been updated since the release. So check for any update and install if available.
3. Activate New Features Presented In Ubuntu 16.04
Ubuntu 16.04 has brought some new features so let’s give them a try. Let’s activate the new features.
(i). Move Unity Launcher To Bottom
You now have the ability to move unity launcher from left to bottom. Although the option has not been implemented in the universal settings panel. You need to install a third party application called gconf-editor to move unity launcher to bottom.
sudo apt-get install dconf-editor
Open dconf-editor and go to com >> canonical >> unity >> unity and change launcher position to bottom. And Voila! Your unity launcher has moved to the bottom.
(ii) Show Menu In Window’s Title Bar
By default, the menu is always shown in the menu bar. But that’s irritating when you are working on a small window and for minimizing or maximizing you have to go to the menu bar. If that irritates you too then you can show the menu in the window’s title bar. Also by default the menu is only visible when you hover over the window’s title bar. You can change the settings to always show the menu in the title bar.
To show the menu in the window’s title bar go to Settings >> Appearance >> Behavior and click Show Menu In The Window’s Title Bar.
To show the menu always click Menu Visibility always visible from the same Settings >> Appearance >> Behavior.
4. Install Media Codecs
Many times it happens that you are trying to play some type of media but it says you don’t have a codec for this particular media file. To resolve this issue and multimedia support, install Media Codecs. You can install Media Codecs easily using the following command –
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
5. Install Firewall To Block Harmful Incoming Connections
Firewall is a very important tool for improving your system’s security. Firewall blocks all the harmful connections that are trying to gain access or steal your data.UFW is the very popular firewall for Linux. You can read the complete review of UFW in our previous article below.
Install UFW In Linux And Block Harmful Incoming Connections
To install the UFW firewall in Ubuntu simply use apt package manager or search in Ubuntu Software –
sudo apt-get install ufwOr GUI for UFW sudo apt-get install gufw
6. Setup Cloud Storage In Ubuntu
Cloud services are also an important part of our digital life. We can store our important files in the cloud storage and can access them from anywhere and from any device.
1. Dropbox
Dropbox is one of the most popular cloud storage provides on Linux. It provides 2GB of free space and the ability to extend storage with their premium plans. You can sign up for a free account if you don’t have one and then download and install Dropbox client for Ubuntu.
2. Google Drive
Google drive is not as much used on Linux as on Windows. It does not provide any official client for Linux. So to sync your files from Linux, you have to use their web app or use unofficial Google Drive clients for Linux as an alternative.
If you don’t find Google drive useful for you on Linux then you can read our article for alternatives for Google drive.
7. Install Unity Tweak Tool To Customize System
Unity tweak tool is a very light tool to tweak your Ubuntu system. It allows you to change the system look (theme), icons theme and even more setting that you don’t have in the Ubuntu Settings Panel.
To install Unity Tweak Tool in Ubuntu, use apt package manager.
sudo apt-get install unity-tweak-tool
8. Install Your Favorite Browser
Now the most important application for any operating system is the web browser. Ubuntu ships with Firefox as the default web browser that is very popular. But if you don’t like Firefox for any reason then don’t worry. We have so many nice web browsers available for Linux. Check out our article on ​Top 4 Browsers For Linux With Good And Bad.
9. Setup Email Client
It’s always important to be up to date with our email account. We always want to know what email we have just received. Web apps are useful but they don’t notify you immediately for any important email that you have just received. Email clients can notify you immediately about any email you have got. We have tons of free email clients for Linux that you can setup and use instantly. Ubuntu already comes with Thunderbird that provides pretty much every feature that you want. So all you need to setup your email accounts is enter email id and password.
If you want to try out any other email client then there are many. You can read our article on Top 4 Open Source Email Clients For Linux.
10. Enhance Look By Installing Themes
Ubuntu has three by default themes but there are hundreds of developers that are always developing new and more beautiful themes for Ubuntu. Check out our Themes page for installing new themes.
Take Poll
Conclusion
So these were the 10 things to do after installing Ubuntu 16.04. There are more things that you will be doing as your needs grow. I’ll always be posting new articles, app suggestions and review to help you accomplish your tasks easily and perfectly. Finally, don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family. Thank you!