Slapdash

Linux Mint

Setup instructions for my Mint setups, and miscellaneous notes.

  • Desktop environment
    • Cinnamon edition if at all possible. Taskbar app pinning just works
    • In lower-power or virtual environments, can consider MATE or XFCE, but setting up persistent toolbar items is more cumbersome
  • Version to install
    • Non-Apple hardware: latest version, Cinnamon edition
    • Apple hardware: 22.1, Cinnamon edition. This is to start on the Linux 6.8 kernel to enable building Broadcom WiFi drivers. Do not update to every newer kernel version: stay on the version for an Ubuntu LTS so there is the longest period of time for the driver to be fixed in newer kernel versions
      • After installing, can update Mint version without changing kernel version in Update Manager under Edit > Upgrade to Linux Mint (version)
  • Drivers
    • Apple hardware: Broadcom WiFi drivers. Install in Driver Manager
  • Kernel
    • Updates managed in Update Manager under View > Linux Kernels
    • Apple hardware: do NOT update to 6.17
      • For LM Ubuntu, 6.8 is the latest on an LTS
    • Non-Apple hardware: update to latest
  • apt
  • Firefox
    • Install from Firefox Flatpak repo, not Mint’s, to get latest updates
      • flatpak install flathub org.mozilla.firefox
      • flatpak update org.mozilla.firefox
  • Linux

General

  • Administration > Update Manager
    • Switch to a local mirror (wait for times and choose a fast one that isn't the default)
      • Main
      • Base
    • Update Update Manager itself
    • Apply all current updates
  • System Settings
    • Date & Time
      • Use 24h clock: off
    • Keyboard
      • Repeat delay: low but not minimum
      • Repeat speed: maximum
    • Mouse and Touchpad
      • Reverse scrolling direction
    • Preferred Applications
      • Web: Firefox
    • Screensaver
      • Lock the computer when put to sleep: off
      • Lock the computer after the screensavar starts: off
  • Right-click on battery in dock > Configure…
    • Display: Show percentage

VM

  • Settings > Power Manager
    • Display
      • Display power management: off
    • Security
      • Automatically lock the session: never
      • Lock screen when system is going to sleep: unchecked
  • Firefox Settings
    • Browsing
      • Use smooth scrolling: off for performance

Hardware

  • Device Manager: enable wifi drivers

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Window tiling: super + arrow keys

Installing Fonts

  • Copy .otf files into /usr/share/fonts/opentype
  • Run sudo fc-cache -f -v to load
  • run fc-list | grep -i yourfontname to confirm
  • GUI apps may need a restart

Distro Installation

  • Recommend do not choose “safe boot” if prompted. Doing so can lock out your computer if install does not succeed
  • Do not shut down in the middle of installation, even if it’s taking a long time. Can cause issues such as the “safe boot” issue mentioned above
  • Consider not connecting to wifi during installation. If there are connection issues, install can be very slow, and cancelling is risky