We remind you that attempts to repeat the actions of the author can lead to the loss of the warranty for the equipment and even to its failure. The material is provided for informational purposes only. if you are going to reproduce the steps below, we strongly advise you to carefully read the article to the end at least once. The editors of 3DNews are not responsible for any possible consequences.
Let us first make a few remarks. First, like the previous material on next door to Windows 10, this one is aimed at novice users, that is, it will contain as few technical problems as possible. We will not even access the terminal (console interface). This is still not a user manual, but an introductory material for those who are just getting acquainted with the OS. Secondly, for simplicity, the System Settings section - a gray icon with two switches in the main menu - will be called the control panel. Thirdly, for many actions, you will need to additionally enter the user's password in a separate window with the Authenticate heading. So, we will not mention this separately each time. During the setup process, you can not be afraid to enter a password, but in the "free float" pay attention to what and why asks you for a password to perform administrative actions.
In this material, we will look at the screen and font settings, configure the keyboard and switch layouts, go over the network and firewall settings, get acquainted with the operation of Bluetooth and sound, install MFPs and drivers for video cards, figure out how to find and install programs, learn how to work with files and disks , and also slightly configure the OS. So, last time it all ended with a welcome dialogue. We will continue to work with him.
Basic setup Linux Mint 19
We will return to the second item of the welcome dialog - the driver manager - separately a little later, when we consider the installation of discrete AMD and NVIDIA video cards. However, there is nothing complicated there, since if there are different driver options, you can choose a proprietary one from the manufacturer or an open one. So let's move on to the next item, that is, the update manager. Again, there is nothing complicated here: at the top there are buttons for checking for updates, for selecting all updates and for installing them. In the case of an intended installation of OS-critical components (kernel updates, for example), a separate .
At the first start, you will also be asked to select local mirrors for updates: you need to click on the addresses, after which a window will open where the download speed from various servers will be measured. You can not touch anything and leave everything as it is, or you can choose the fastest option. In addition, after the first launch, an update manager icon in the form of a shield will appear in the notification area, which will remind you of the availability of new updates.
Change the next item with setting the look of the desktop to your taste. The default style is Modern, which is similar to modern versions of Windows. In the system settings at the initial stage, it is enough to change two parameters. First, choose an appropriate screen resolution if it does not suit you. Secondly, set up switching keyboard layouts. Both are done in the corresponding paragraphs of the Equipment section. Everything is clear with the screen parameters, but for the keyboard, in the Layouts section, click on the Options ... button, find the item for switching layouts and select the appropriate keyboard shortcut: Alt + Shift, for example, does not conflict with any other combinations.
There you can also make sure that the selected layouts match those that are really present on your keyboard. Please note that in Linux, additional keys are traditionally named differently. The Windows key is usually called Super, while the right Alt (Gr) can be Meta. So do not be surprised that on the next tab Keyboard shortcuts there will be combinations with their mention. Some combinations coincide with those in Windows, but in Linux, firstly, there are many more of them and, secondly, all of them can be reconfigured to your taste. Multimedia keys to control the player or launch the browser / mail / search for the most part work, as they say, out of the box. Including in the form of combinations with Fn, which is relevant for laptops or compact keyboards.
Optionally, you can configure a couple more parameters related to the display of content on the screen. First, in the General section, there is a simple choice of system interface scaling method, which will come in handy for some modern high-resolution monitors. There is also an option to enable VBlank - it is needed for older monitors. Secondly, in the Select fonts section, it is worth checking the desired fonts (we will talk about installing new ones a little later), play around with the anti-aliasing and hinting parameters if the current appearance of the text on the screen does not suit you. Text scaling is also configured there, which also affects the display of interface elements.
Here it is important to note a few more features. Font settings, scaling and, in principle, the design of interface elements may not work for all applications. This is due to the fact that some programs (a browser, for example) are engaged in rendering on their own, and the fact that you may come across utilities created using other sets of libraries and components for building graphical interfaces. They will look different.
It is unlikely that you will have to configure network connections, since both wired and wireless connections will most likely work fine. Some additional steps may be needed if the network does not work at full speed or, for example, without DHCP. You can get to the settings by clicking on the icon with three blocks in the notification area. There are two items in the menu: Network settings and Network connections. The first one allows you to learn basic information about connections and configure basic IP and proxy settings.
The second item gives access to additional adapter settings. There you can also click on the + button to add a new VPN connection or use another network adapter. However, all this is unlikely to be useful. But if the adapter is not visible at all in the system, then you will have to go to the manufacturer's website for drivers and to a search engine to find out the installation and configuration procedure. Alas, this is the algorithm for any hardware that does not automatically work in the system.
Setting up a firewall is also related to the network, but it is recommended to postpone it until the very end, when everything is already installed and working as it should. Although it is very easy to set up. There is a corresponding item in the control panel: Firewall. Initially, three profiles were created: for the home, for the work environment and for public places. For the home profile, by default, all incoming connections are denied, while outgoing connections are allowed. After activating the firewall (Status switch), the Report tab will display the network activity of various programs. In this list, you can select the desired process and click the plus button at the bottom to create a new rule - the default settings are usually enough.
With Bluetooth, too, there were no special problems on the test system. True, we should not forget that if the device has some specific functions, then it may not always work correctly. Well, some additional adjustments to the parameters in the relevant sections may still be needed. For example, for a Bluetooth speaker in the audio settings (quickly accessible by clicking on the speaker icon in the notification area), I had to select it as a device for sound output, which is completely logical. By the way, in the same settings there are a couple of useful functions. On the Applications tab, you can adjust the audio volume of any application or even browser tabs that are currently playing audio. And on the Settings tab, it is possible to set a volume limit for the entire OS.
This completes the basic setup. By the names of the remaining elements of the control panel, you can easily guess what they are responsible for. We will not dwell on them separately, since the rest of the settings are no longer technical, but rather taste.
Installing Drivers in Linux Mint 19
Users leave feedback on the performance of various equipment on . Please note that the same device can be presented under different names, so it's better to try searching for several variants of the name - from the full name to the model index - and search in different categories. Along with the reviews, sometimes there are also tips for solving some problems or for setting up. For example, for a battered Epson Stylus SX125 MFP, there are five entries in the database at once. However, with its installation, there were no special problems. When it was connected to a PC, a notification immediately appeared. To configure in the control panel in the Printers section, it turned out to be enough to click on the Add button, select a device in the list and simply follow the instructions of the wizard.
Source: 3dnews.ru