Things to do AFTER you have installed Linux

Tracy · November 12, 2021, 10:16pm

I am wondering if there are certain steps that should be taken after you have installed your distro of choice. Are there apps/programs that perhaps everyone should consider installing as a matter of course? Users are all different with different requirements so possibly too broad a question. Thank you

cdcreek · November 13, 2021, 12:22am

know It is a good question. I want to install a wireless adapter, which I think is referred to as a dongle.

But have no idea in ubuntu how to do that. Hoping to learn how to do that soon. my promary issue is how to unzip the driver files from a cd rom. hoping the course will cover this but alas may be too easy.

vasileios · November 13, 2021, 1:03am

Hey @Tracy!
As a general rule, we install software as we need it, since it’s very fast and efficient. It all depends on what it is you want to do.

However, if you wish to do some exploring, here’s a good guide:

vasileios · November 13, 2021, 1:05am

Hey @cdcreek!
Decompressing ZIP files can be done easily from your file manager by right-clicking on them and selecting “Uncompress Here” or just double click them.

Note: For the “Uncompress Here” to work, you’ll need to have the file out of the CD ROM, since the medium is Read-Only and your system will not be able to write anything on it.

SBHX · November 13, 2021, 5:48am

Wireless adapters don’t really need to be installed, you should be able to just plug them in and use them.

If you find yourself in a position of needing to install drivers (which is a piece of software that some hardware requires to be installed in order for the computer to communicate with the device), that can easily be done by searching for the device model and adding “Linux drivers” at the end of the search.

wadesmart · November 13, 2021, 5:49pm

All the AC adapters Ive tried I had to install drivers.
Im using a Edimax (older one) that I got working and have recently tweaked to go faster and later today Ill have a tplink AC adapter to test for more speed.

Which have you used that didnt require drivers?

Tracy · November 13, 2021, 5:50pm

I guess my thought was more like things that just make it all run well. As a new user I am not totally aware of what I might need or not need. At this age I am more a casual user, well retired, at one point I was “can’t wait to get this phone home so I can jailbreak it” . I will check out the above, appreciate it, it may cover all I will need.

elleneia · April 29, 2023, 12:42am

I think it doesn’t hurt to continue this conversation! I ran across this post this week and put together ‘my list’ for AFTER installing my Linux distro. Hope this helps someone else!