Good bye Windows, hello Ubuntu!

After years of using Microsoft Windows, from the days of Windows XP through to Windows 11 (though I'd be lying if I said I've actually ever installed Windows 11 on my personal laptop), I've decided it's time for a change. After a few months of distro hopping, I've finally found my main Linux distribution.

I need something that works, is stable, has a large community, and allows me to customise it to my liking. So, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Linux Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS Wayland.

Why the change?

There are a couple of reasons why I decided the permanet change, but there are three reasons that genuinly made me decide to sever the cord.

1. Ads on Windows: I have been experiencing an inundation of ads on Windows 10. Ads are also strategically placed in your Windows 11 Notifications and various places such as the Action Center, Taskbar, default apps, and more. Often disguised as “suggestions” and “tips,” these ads show up while you’re using your computer or even configuring settings. Windows 10 also had ads directly in the Start menu, with promoted apps appearing as tiles that you had to manually remove. Honestly, it’s surprising that it took Microsoft this long to start adding ads to the Windows 11 Start menu as well.
   
   
2. Loving the Linux environment: I've grown so accustomed to the Linux environment that the transition wasn’t difficult at all. Yes, the learning curve can be a bit daunting especially if you are not very technical or very resistant to learning and understanging the new environment. Anyway, that is why they have distros like Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Zorin OS, Pop!_OS to count a few. They offer a plug-and-play experience with a user-friendly environment, especially Linux Mint for those coming from the Windows environment.
   
   
3. Last but not least and this was the last straw. I experienced a virus I think it was virus:Win32/Virut.BO or something like Trojan:Script/Wacatac that Windows Defender kept on blocking. This really put a good scare in me because I had some sensitive filed and some personal files that I wouldn't want to lose.

So here I am, happily settled with Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS Wayland, ready for a more stable, customis*able, and ad-free computing experience!

At last!! I installed Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS (Bionic Beaver) on my MacBook Air

This blog is not about the step by step process of installing Ubuntu on a Mac it's basically for me to reference for future purposes. So, there are three main reasons why I ended up installing Ubuntu on my Mac.

1. I've come to realise that I simply do not like Apple products period.
2. I wanted to Install Ubuntu on it anyway
3. Not a programmer-friendly machine
4. The battery is dead, it lasts for about 45 minutes and it's very expensive to replace.

I've been contemplating doing this, simply because I was thinking of drivers compatibility and the difficulty of reverting back should it not work.

Basically, I need these three components:

•  Ubuntu 18.04 LTS  - Download the .iso image. I prefer a Long Term Support(LTS) rather than normal releases, mainly because of stability, security patches, maintenance and support by Landscape, Canonical's enterprise-oriented server management toolset
• UNetBootin - UNetbootin allows you to create bootable Live USB drives for Ubuntu and other Linux distributions without burning a CD.
• USB drive, minimum 4GB

Things to install after installing Ubuntu

1. Install Snap
   
   sudo apt install snapd


2. Install media codecs using the Ubuntu Restricted Extra package.
   sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras


3. Prolong your battery and prevent overheating
   TLP is a wonderful tool that controls CPU temperature and extends your laptops’ battery life in the long run.
   sudo apt install tlp tlp-rdw
   sudo tlp start
   
   
4. Install SimpleScreenRecorder
   sudo apt install simplescreenrecorder


5. Install skype using latest .deb
   wget https://go.skype.com/skypeforlinux-64.deb
   sudo apt install ./skypeforlinux-64.deb


6. Install Flat Remix Gnome theme using the following PPA in Ubuntu and Linux Mint.
   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:daniruiz/flat-remix
   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install flat-remix-gnome


7. Install Pop theme using the following PPA in Ubuntu and Linux Mint.
   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:system76/pop
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install pop-theme


8. To unlock the grayed out Shell icon theme option in Tweaks
   sudo apt install gnome-shell-extensions
   Enter your password, and then type “Y” to confirm when prompted.
   Log out, and then log back in after installing the extensions
   Launch the Tweaks application, click “Extensions” in the sidebar, and then enable the “User Themes” extension.


9. Install Visual Studio Code (I will create a small blog with all of my favourite extensions and themes later)
   Download .deb file from https://code.visualstudio.com/download


10. Installing IntelliJ and phpStorm from Snap
    sudo snap install intellij-idea-ultimate –classic
    sudo snap install phpstorm –classic


11. Installing XAMPP
    https://linux4one.com/how-to-install-xampp-on-ubuntu-18-04/
    https://vitux.com/how-to-install-xampp-on-your-ubuntu-18-04-lts-system/
    XAMPP Linux FAQ: https://www.apachefriends.org/faq_linux.html
    sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start
    sudo /opt/lampp/lampp stop
    sym-linking the PHP library from file and refer to this php file path /usr/bin/php wherever required: sudo ln -s /opt/lampp/bin/php /usr/bin/php


12. Installing JDK 12
    http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2019/03/install-oracle-java-12-ubuntu-18-04-16-04/


13. Install Slack
    sudo snap install slack --classic