Breeze through Ubuntu Desktop 18.04 LTS Bionic Beaver
Will Cooke
on 27 April 2018
Minimal Install
A minimal install is ideal for people who want to have more control over the applications which are pre-installed on their Ubuntu machine and don’t want things like games. You can find the full list of packages which are removed as part of the minimal install here and you can always install them later if you need them.Ubuntu Welcome
Using a modified GNOME Initial Setup you are taken through setting up LivePatch, making a choice about sharing some system information to help improve Ubuntu, and are introduced to some apps which you might like to install now that your system is up and running. GNOME Initial Setup was chosen for this job as we will be exploring how to integrate more features of the tool during the 18.10 cycle.LivePatch
The Canonical Livepatch Service lets you apply critical kernel security fixes without rebooting and reduces planned or unplanned downtime while maintaining security. It’s available as part of an Ubuntu Advantage subscription, or for all Ubuntu community members it’s free for up to three machines. You’ll need to have an Ubuntu One account in order to use this service. You can either set one up now or the Ubuntu Welcome tool can help you get started. In the example below I’ll assume you don’t already have an account registered. First off, click the button to start the process of enabling LivePatch:$ canonical-livepatch status
Reporting your system setup
By reporting some technical specs on your computer you can help us to better understand the types of hardware Ubuntu users have; for example how much disk storage you have configured, how much RAM, what sort of processor(s) you have etc. This information is anonymous and contains no tracking information. This information is a one-shot send and will not monitor your hardware for changes. You can see exactly what is in the report by clicking the “Show the First Report” button.Install some new apps
Communitheme
$ snap install communitheme
Once rebooted, choose the communitheme session from the greeter:
Software, updates and other tweaks
If you didn’t complete the Ubuntu Welcome tool you can still enable LivePatch via Software & Updates. Open Activities and search for Software & Updates.Other great additions
Here are a few highlights of new features in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, some of these are new in 18.04 LTS and some will be new for users upgrading from 16.04 LTS. With GNOME Characters you can easily find and use colourful emoji icons, or to insert them directly in to your text right click and choose “Insert Emoji”.Ubuntu desktop
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