Ubuntu 23.04 Guide

This getting started guide will help quickly setup your system after installing the latest release of Ubuntu 23.04 known as Lunar Lobster.

Stable Release

The stable release of 23.04 Lunar Lobster was made available April 20, 2023. It is the most current release of Ubuntu.

Going Lunar

The most noticeable change is the quick actions menu.

The Gnome team made it simpler to switch WiFi or connect to Bluetooth. This is evident across Gnome distros like Fedora. Many users will find this reminiscent of mobile operating systems like Android.

Software Updates

As always with a fresh install, start with running updates. I recommend checking for the fastest available mirror to hasten updates.

Open Software & Updates and click Download from drop down box. Select Other and the above window will open. Servers can be picked manually or use Select Best Server to do it automatically. The official Ubuntu main servers still serve as a reliable option.

Updates can be installed via Software Updater or through the command line. If using Software Updater, press the Super key, search for Software Updater, and follow prompts.

Installing updates via Terminal is simple as well. Launch the Terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or by searching for Terminal. Copy and paste the command below.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Additional Drivers

During install, there was a checkbox for installing additional drivers. Did you check it? Cool, then you’re probably done. If you didn’t, keep reading.

Ubuntu can take the pain out of installing proprietary drivers like Nvidia. Ubuntu installed my Nvidia driver during the initial system install. If that didn’t happen, you can install drivers through Additional Drivers. While its listed as a separate program, its actually a tab in Software & Updates. Choose your preferred driver and click Apply Changes. Reboot the system.

System Tweaks

Power Management

Linux has traditionally been poor at laptop battery life. There are recent strides towards back power management as can be seen below.

Ubuntu has power profiles built in. The profiles can be accessed in System Settings under Power. Alternatively, they can also quickly be found using the top right menu and checking under the battery for Power Settings. Switching to Power Saver will help prolong battery life when needed.

TLP

TLP was the go-to solution for improving battery life. TLP instructions have been removed as it may cause conflicts with Ubuntu’s native power management.

Display Power Percentage

A tiny battery icon doesn’t say much about how much is really left.

Open Settings, Power, and scroll to Suspend & Power Button. Enable Shower Battery Percentage. Alternatively, this can be enabled through the Terminal.

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface show-battery-percentage true

Enable Fingerprint Authentication

If your system has a fingerprint reader AND if its Linux supported, fingerprint authentication can be a quick way to login and sudo around Linux.

Open Settings (top right corner) and navigate to Users. If Fingerprint Login is displayed, then you’re set! Click to enroll fingerprints.

Any finger or thumb can be enrolled. If the system struggles reading your fingerprint, consider enrolling the same finger twice. Use something like the little finger profile. This doubles the number of times that the finger is scanned and makes it easier to recognize.

This is where the real magic happens. By default, fingerprints are only used for login. With a quick edit, fingerprint authentication can be used for sudo system wide. Open the Terminal:

sudo pam-auth-update

Scroll through the profiles until Fingerprint authentication is found. Use the spacebar to select it, press tab, and hit enter to select Ok. Now anytime admin approval is required, you can simply swipe your finger.

Gnome Fixes

By default, clicking an open application icon in the dock doesn’t do anything. This command enables minimize by clicking in the dock.

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock click-action minimize

Make Nautilus File Manager sort files by type by default.

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.preferences default-sort-order type

AppImage Support

AppImages are self contained application files similar to Snaps and Flatpaks on Linux or DMG files on Mac.

Ubuntu made the decision to disable AppImage support by excluding one file. To enable AppImage support, install this file.

sudo apt install libfuse2

AppImageLauncher organizes installed AppImages and makes it easier to manage them.

Multimedia Support

Some multimedia files won’t play without additional codec support. Unfortunately some codecs cannot be shipped with Linux because of patent restrictions. These can be installed easily on Ubuntu with one command. Even if you selected third party driver and multimedia support during installation, this package includes additional support.

sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras

Other Ubuntu flavors have their own respective packages. For example, these are the commands for Kubuntu, Lubuntu, and Xubuntu, respectively.

sudo apt install kubuntu-restricted-extras
sudo apt install lubuntu-restricted-extras
sudo apt install xubuntu-restricted-extras

Install libdvd to enable DVD playback.

sudo apt install libdvd-pkg && sudo dpkg-reconfigure libdvd-pkg

Install Software

There are two ways to install software on Ubuntu. It can be installed through Ubuntu Software, a graphical app store like interface. Software can also be installed using the command line or Terminal.

In Ubuntu Software, programs are logically categorized under headings such as Finance, Games, and Utilities. In the upper left corner, a magnifying glass opens a search box. Search will yield exact and similar results. For example, a search for Thunderbird also yields other email applications such as Hiri and Mailspring. Clicking on the software will show a description, possibly screenshots, user reviews, details over size/licensing/source, and an Install button.

Software is installed from either DEBs or Snaps. DEBs are traditional Linux packages that are usually specific to a Linux distribution or family. For example, a package built for Ubuntu will work on other Ubuntu distros like Mint and Pop!_OS but will not work on Fedora or openSUSE. Snaps are the other software package. Snaps have the advantage of being a complete program with all of the extra bits included. Snaps are a universal packaging format capable of being installed on many different Linux distros.

In Ubuntu Software, Snap packaged software has a drop down menu in the upper right corner between Source and the minimize button. Some titles may have testing or beta versions available. If you’re unsure what to install, its safest to stick with latest/stable.

Install Software via Terminal

This is a list of my most used applications and generally useful software for most people. If you have other suggestions, leave them in the comments below.

Most applications can be found in the Software Center but, frankly, this is easier. Open a Terminal with Ctrl + Alt + T and paste (Ctrl+Shift+V) into the Terminal. Packages can also be stacked. For example, if you wish to install synaptic and vlc, they can combined into

sudo apt install synaptic vlc

Synaptic is a more granular means of installing packages. It also useful for finding and installing traditional Deb packages.

sudo apt install synaptic

VLC is an immensely popular media player that can play virtually anything.

sudo apt install vlc 

Gnome Tweak Tool simplifies customization with options to change parts of theme, fonts, and more.

sudo apt install gnome-tweaks

Archive tools for opening zip, rar, and more.

 sudo apt install unzip p7zip unrar 

GIMP is the Graphic Image Manipulation Program, an open source Photoshop competitor.

sudo apt install gimp 

QBittorrent is my favorite torrent tool but there are many options including Transmission, KTorrent, Deluge.

sudo apt install qbittorrent 

GParted is a partition manager useful for formatting drives and changing partition sizes. Gnome Disks is preinstalled with similar functionality.

sudo apt install gparted 

Audacity is an audio editor.

sudo apt install audacity 

Steam is the place to download games on Linux.

sudo apt install steam-installer

Browsers

Firefox is the de facto standard browser across Linux. The Mozilla team that produces Firefox strives to maintain a standards compliant, free and open source means of accessing the Internet. There are several other choices that may work better for particular users.

Google Chrome is the most popular browser. It is based on the open source Chromium with added Google bits.

wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

Vivaldi is yet another Chromium based browser with its own sync tool and tweaks.

Microsoft Edge originally used a Microsoft built engine but its now based on Chromium. Edge is still in development for Linux so some features may be lacking. I noticed progressive web apps don’t seem to work. Microsoft Edge Beta is also available.

Opera has been around longer most others on this list. It offers multiple desktop and mobile browsers. Snaps are available for Stable, Beta, and Developer.

Enable Flatpak Support

Flatpak is an open source containerized package format similar to Snap. While Snap relies on a central repository for software, Flatpak can be installed from different sources. The main source is Flathub. Flatpaks can be a newer version than the distribution’s repo.

sudo apt install flatpak

Add the Flathub repository for the best selection of Flatpaks.

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

To install Flatpaks from a graphical source, install the Gnome Software Plugin. This will install the Gnome Software Center which may feel redundant next to Ubuntu Software. Flatpaks can also be installed from the Terminal.

sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

To install a Flatpak, use the following command followed by the package name. For example, if I’m installing Bitwarden, use flatpak install flathub to install and com.bitwarden.desktop to identify the program.

flatpak install flathub com.bitwarden.desktop

Flatpak or Snap Apps

There is a lot more excellent software available. The titles below can be installed from Snap or Flathub making the options slightly redundant.

Bitwarden is a free password syncing utility. Note: the Flatpak is not an official release.

flatpak install flathub com.bitwarden.desktop

sudo snap install bitwarden

Simplenote is a basic free cross platform note taking application.

flatpak install flathub com.simplenote.Simplenote

sudo snap install simplenote

Spotify is the ridiculously popular music streaming service.

snap install spotify

Visual Studio Code is a lightweight source code editor.

flatpak install flathub com.visualstudio.code

sudo snap install code --classic

Gnome Extensions

Extensions are a quick way to add or change functionality in Gnome. With Ubuntu’s move to a Snappier world, Gnome Extensions don’t install from the browser as they once did. The Gnome Shell Extension Manager shows installed extensions and can install new extensions. Extensions can still be browsed on the Gnome Extensions page as always.

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-manager

Chrome users can install an extension manager to install directly from the Chrome browser.

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell

GSConnect bridges the divide between phone and computer. This extension works with the KDE Connect on Android. Phone messages can be viewed and replied to on the desktop. Files can be transferred between devices.

Notifications, phone battery life, and calls all display on the desktop.

Desktop Environments

If Gnome isn’t your speed or you just want to test out different waters, Ubuntu has lots of options. Several other desktop environments are available to install.

KDE Plasma can be installed as the customized Kubuntu desktop (kubuntu-desktop), a minimal vanilla Plasma desktop (kde-plasma-desktop), or a more complete Plasma system (kde-full).

sudo apt install kubuntu-desktop
sudo apt install kde-plasma-desktop
sudo apt install kde-full

XFCE can also be installed as a customized version (xubuntu-desktop) or as a barebones version (xfce4).

sudo apt install xubuntu-desktop
sudo apt install xfce4

Mate

sudo apt install ubuntu-mate-desktop

Budgie

sudo apt install ubuntu-budgie-desktop

Cinnamon

sudo apt install cinnamon-desktop-environment