My Favorite Ubuntu Tweaks and Programs

First, I like to enable auto-login, which makes startup faster and makes controlling the virtual machine from the command-line much easier. To do this go to System->Login Window and choose the security tab, then enable automatic logon for your username.

Next I enable remote desktop. System->Preferences->Remote Desktop and check 'Allow other users to view your desktop' and 'Allow other users to control your desktop' then uncheck 'Ask for your confirmation' and check 'Require the user to enter a password'. Make this password very strong!

The first program I install is related to remote desktop - openssh server. Now we get to use some command-line goodness. There are several ways to install programs in Ubuntu. Most places seem to emphasize the command-line method. Go to Applications->Accessories->Terminal. Now here is a little beginners trick I have found most useful - right click and choose 'Add this launcher to panel'. You should see an icon appear on the top bar. You only have to click this once to activate it and it is a handy place for the programs you use most often. Open the terminal and type:

sudo apt-get install openssh-server openssh-client

this will install openssh server just like I did with puppy and cygwin. Remember to change the port from 22 by either using port forwarding or editing sshd_config. To do this open a terminal and type:

sudo gedit /etc/ssh/sshd_config

which should bring up the document in a notepad like format. Change the line that says 'Port 22' to Port XXX, where XXX is a random number usually between 30000 and 60000. Remember to forward the port!
Next, restart openssh by typing

sudo /etc/init.d/ssh restart

At which point you should see

*Starting OPENBSD Secure Shell Server

Verify that the server is running by typing

ssh localhost -p XXX -l username

where username is the name you use to sign in. You should be prompted for your password and a message about verifying the correct address and then after choosing yes you should get a command prompt! Type exit to stop the ssh session.

Next blog will describe how to VNC (remote desktop) securely over SSH.

Another program is gnome-commander. Go here and download the one titled gnome-commander 1.2.3-1 edgy1. Though there is a newer version it does not seem to work. It is very fast for file transfers and I like the interface.

I also use Deluge for my bittorrent. I successfully used the instructions in this blog. Check out #5 and just copy and paste them into a terminal and watch the magic happen!

If you are going to get serious with your torrenting I would also suggest Moblock. It is a good security measure to take. The instructions can be a little esoteric. I stopped mine from autostarting at bootup.

Last but not least is GKrellM (follow the instructions in the first post), a nice little app which monitors system functions like cpu cycling and ethernet traffic. I really like being able to keep an eye on my cpu usage, and this does a great job.

Note: when editing source.list use the same command as for sshd_config from the terminal. Ubuntu will not let you edit important files without acknowledging yourself as the root user and initially using your password.

There are a lot of packages to choose from out there, just google and go! Let me know if you have any favorites...