Linux Mint MATE after installation. Installing Linux Mint: instructions. Setting up Linux Mint after installation

I have nothing against the Linux Mint logo and dark background, but it is more pleasant to work on the system when the desktop background is set to a beautiful image. So first of all, let's change the background. Open Menu -> Options -> Wallpapers:

Then go to the Serena tab and select the picture you like. On the images tab you can upload your own:

2. Theme

Mint 18 also added the Mint-Y theme. It is made in a modern flat style and looks quite beautiful. You can activate it in the settings. To do this, open Menu -> Options -> Themes and select values ​​for all parameters Mint-Y:

Looks quite nice.

3. Add widgets

Cinnamon supports widgets, which are called desktops here. Return to the main menu of the Settings utility and select Desclets:

Here you can add required widget to the desktop using a button Add to desktop:

Or install additional widgets from the network:

4. Update your system

It is important to keep your system up to date. Linux Mint has a special update tool, run it from the main menu:

When you first start, the system will prompt you to choose which updates to install; it is recommended to leave it as is to get the new software:

Then you can choose necessary updates and press Install updates:

Most likely, you will need to do the procedure twice, since you may first need to update the update manager itself.

5. Installing codecs

Previously, codecs were supplied with the distribution and there were no problems with this. But then the developers decided to remove them. But we can install linux mint codecs from official repositories. For this we have an application center:

In the search, type mint-meta-codecs or just codecs, you will immediately see the package found, as well as its rating:

To open the package description window, double-click on it and then click Install for installation.

To install all available codecs, open a terminal and run the command:

sudo apt-get install gstreamer1.0-libav gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly-amr gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly libgstreamer-plugins-bad1.0-0 gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad-videoparsers gstreamer1.0-plugins- bad-faad gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad libdvdnav4 libdvdread4

6. Install drivers

The system already contains drivers for many peripheral devices, even if they have a closed source code, but not all. For example, drivers for a video card must be installed separately. Open the driver manager through the main menu:

When the program loads, select the drivers you want to install and click Apply changes. After installing the driver, you will need to restart your computer.

7. Installing programs

Despite the fact that the system already contains many of the programs you need, not everything is there. Everything you need can be installed through the application center. Skype communication program:

VLC media player:

Audio player Clementine:

Graphic editor Inkscape:

Torrent client qBittorrent:

Aria2 Download Manager:

Mail Mozilla client Thunderbird:

Chromium browser:

BleachBit system cleaning program:

You can find and install others popular programs in section Favorites:

8. Installing Adobe Flash

Flash technologies are used less and less on websites, and are being replaced by HTML5, but many users still need Flash player. To install it, use the following commands in the terminal:

sudo apt-get install pepperflashplugin-nonfree
$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure pepperflashplugin-nonfree

9. Install Java

Many programs need Java machine for work. You can install it from the PPA repository. First add the repository:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/java
$ sudo apt-get update

Then install the package:

sudo apt-get install oracle-java8-installer

10. System backup

Linux setup Mint 18 cinnamon should include backup after installation. While the system is still clean, you can create a backup copy so that you can restore it very quickly. To do this, you can use the TimeShift utility. First install it from the PPA:

sudo apt-add-repository -y ppa:teejee2008/ppa
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install timeshift

Then run the program from the main menu, then set the frequency backup and create your first copy using the button Create:

Now you can restore the system if necessary.

This article will describe and illustrate the installation process step by step for novice Linux OS users. initial setup latest version of the distribution Linux Mint 18 (Sarah) based on package base Ubuntu 16.04. The development team announced support for this release until 2021.

Brief list of changes:
1. Desktop environments Cinnamon 3.0 and MATE 1.14.
2. Support for cross-desktop applications - xapps, analog and packages. - a universal, non-distribution method for software distribution.
3. New topic registration - Mint-Y. An excellent theme that is not yet enabled by default. I really like it and, as for me, its dark version does not strain the eyesight at all.
4. Support for HiDPI screens high density pixels or just very high resolution.
5. Changing the utility apt, making it even easier to use, updating many system utilities and versions of pre-installed applications.

To begin installation, insert the disk or USB drive with the distribution kit into the DVD drive. You can download the system from the developer's website. When booting the computer, using the Boot-menu (called by pressing the F8\F10\F12\esc keys, depending on Bios version your PC) select the required drive to download. The Live CD will start Linux Mint 18 (Sarah). Clicking on the icon on the desktop will launch the installation wizard.

In the screenshots above, the first steps are choosing the installation language, a window with a question about installing proprietary software - codecs and players. On next stage— disk settings. I have one disk, empty, and I left the default partition. If there are other Linux partitions on the computer, partitions with installed Windows, then the dialogue will contain a proposal to leave the existing file system, install Mint on free space and select options for the bootloader. The next steps are to select the time zone, default keyboard layout, user login and password. This is not the root superuser password; it is not set when installing the system in Mint\Ubuntu. Below we will describe how to set it.

,

For now, everything should be extremely simple and clear. The following steps are completely automatic. The installer will copy, install and configure the system with all software. The duration of the process depends on the performance of your PC (for me it takes about 10 minutes on average hardware). At the end, you need to remove the distribution media and reboot.

First launch - login window and appearance Cinnamone 3.0 desktop:

The first thing I wanted to do was change the design of my desktop to the highly praised one. Mint-Y. Themes can be changed in “Menu-Options-Themes”. Traditionally, I chose the dark option - it strains my eyesight less:

Sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade

The first updates the local repository cache - the list of packages available for installation and/or updating, the second updates the system and all applications.

The appearance of the graphical update utility, which has become a little similar to Windows:

The next step is completely optional. In Mint\Ubuntu it is assumed that there is no need for a root password, everything can be done the same way. This is convenient in some places, not so much in others. I prefer to set a password for the superuser:

Su - passwd root

the first command - you log into the system as root in its root folder, the second - change (create) the password for it.

The last thing for today is adding the Russian keyboard layout and changing the switching combination.

In this article, for novice users of the Linux OS, the process of installing and initially configuring the latest version of the distribution will be described and illustrated step by step. Linux Mint 18 (Sarah) based on package base Ubuntu 16.04. The development team announced support for this release until 2021.

Brief list of changes: MATE

1. Desktop environments Cinnamon 3.0 and MATE 1.14.

2. Support for cross-desktop applications - xapps, an analogue of snap and flatpak packages. — a universal, non-distribution method for software distribution.

3. New theme - Mint-Y. An excellent theme that is not yet enabled by default. I really like it and, as for me, its dark version does not strain the eyesight at all.

4. Support for HiDPI - screens with a high pixel density or simply a very high resolution.

5. Changing the utility apt, which makes it even easier to use, updating many system utilities and versions of pre-installed applications.

To begin installation, insert the disk or USB drive with the distribution kit into the DVD drive. You can download the system from the developer's website. When booting the computer, using the Boot-menu (called by pressing the F8\F10\F12\esc keys, depending on the Bios version of your PC), select the desired drive to boot. The Live CD will start Linux Mint 18 (Sarah). Clicking on the icon on the desktop will launch the installation wizard.

In the screenshots above, the first steps are choosing the installation language, a window with a question about installing proprietary software - codecs and players. The next step is setting up the disk. I have one disk, empty, and I left the default partition. If there are other Linux partitions on the computer, partitions with Windows installed, then the dialog will ask you to leave the existing file system, install Mint on free space and select parameters for the bootloader. The next steps are to select the time zone, default keyboard layout, user login and password. This is not the root superuser password; it is not set when installing the system in Mint\Ubuntu. Below we will describe how to set it.

For now, everything should be extremely simple and clear. The following steps are completely automatic. The installer will copy, install and configure the system with all software. The duration of the process depends on the performance of your PC (for me it takes about 10 minutes on average hardware). At the end, you need to remove the distribution media and reboot.

First launch - login window and appearance of the Cinnamone 3.0 desktop:

The first thing I wanted to do was change the design of my desktop to the highly praised one. Mint-Y. Themes can be changed in “Menu-Options-Themes”. Traditionally, I chose the dark option - it strains my eyesight less:

The first updates the local repository cache - the list of packages available for installation and/or updating, the second updates the system and all applications.

The appearance of the graphical update utility, which has become a little similar to Windows:

The next step is completely optional. In Mint\Ubuntu it is assumed that there is no need for a root password, everything can be done the same way. This is convenient in some places, not so much in others. I prefer to set a password for the superuser:

the first command - you log into the system as root in its root folder, the second - change (create) the password for it.

The last thing for today is adding the Russian keyboard layout and changing the switching combination.

Actually, that's all. I note that Windows installation 10 on this PC takes about half an hour - without drivers, office and other applications. Mint installed in 10 minutes with a rather large set of software.

Have a nice day.

Today we will look at the operating system distribution Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon, we will download this version, install it on your computer, talk about innovations, and I will also show you the process of updating to this version.

Review of the Linux Mint 18.3 distribution

First, let's remember what Linux Mint is.

Linux Mint is a distribution of the Linux operating system, it is free and is intended for use on home computer. Linux Mint is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, supports the Russian language, it is functional, stable and undemanding of resources. Therefore, if you want to use Linux as an operating system on your home computer, then I personally recommend installing the Linux Mint distribution.

Linux Mint can be installed with such graphical shells as: Cinnamon, Mate, KDE and Xfce. As the title of the material suggests, today we will be looking at the version with the Cinnamon desktop environment.

The official website of the distribution is www.linuxmint.com

What's new in Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon?

Code name Linux versions Mint 18.3 " Sylvia", be supported this version will be available until 2021, like the entire line of 18.X versions, it is based on the Ubuntu 16.04 package base.

Major Components and Changes :

• Linux kernel 4.10;
• Cinnamon version 3.6;
• Browser Mozilla FireFox 57.0;
• Mail client Mozilla Thunderbird 52.4;
• Office suite LibreOffice 5.1.6.2;
• Updated program manager ( Software Manager) – probably the main innovation current version is a redesigned program manager. It has been redesigned almost completely, including GUI user. Now, by the way, you don’t need to enter a password; in order to simply launch the manager to view available applications, the password is only required to install these applications. I hope this version will be as convenient as the previous one, which I personally really liked. Currently the program manager looks like this;



• Available popular apps– now programs such as Skype, WhatsApp Steam or Minecraft can be easily installed from the program manager using standard tools;
• Flatpak support – the distribution now supports Flatpak technology. Flatpack is a technology with which applications are executed in an isolated container, thereby making it no matter which Linux distribution you use. In other words, you may install an application that is not compatible with the Linux Mint distribution. The program manager even has a separate category that houses applications developed using Flatpak;



• GNOME Online Accounts Support – Cinnamon now supports GNOME Online Accounts, allowing you to browse Google Drive and OwnCloud in the Nemo file manager;
• Backup tools: Personal Files and System Snapshots. Tool " Backup" has been completely rewritten and now works in user mode ( those. no need to enter a password), this tool is designed to create a backup copy of your home directory. It is also now possible to take system snapshots thanks to the Timeshift functionality, which is designed to take snapshots of the operating system similar to System Restore in Windows;

Backup



Timeshift



• System reports - added in this version new tool « System reports", which is designed to generate reports when software failures occur, such reports are called " Crash Reports", as well as for displaying system information, reports " Information Reports»;



• Window Progress ( Window progress) - LibXapp now allows applications to pass their progress to the window manager, in other words, the progress is shown in the panel's window list. This opportunity supported the following applications: file manager Nemo ( file operations ), backup tool, Timeshift, software manager, driver manager and some other applications that use dialog boxes Synaptic;



• Improvements to XApps applications – e.g. text editor Xed now has a minimap, Xreader detects DPI, Xplayer has improved full-screen window;
• Improved login window - added additional settings, for example, it became possible to hide the list of users and enter user names manually, and various elements on the panel can be disabled and now, by the way, they show tooltips;



• Linux Mint now has improved support for spell checking and synonyms in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Russian;
• Redshift is now installed by default. This software adapts color temperature screen depending on the time of day, in other words, the screen will be warmer at night, thereby reducing the impact on your eyes.

Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon System Requirements

• 1 gigabyte RAM (recommend more);
• 15 gigabytes free space on disk ( recommend 20 gigabytes);
• Supports screen resolution 1024x768.

The version with Cinnamon is one of the most undemanding in terms of resources and it works really fast.

Where to download Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon?

Download current version operating system Linux Mint 18.3 can be found on the download page of the official website - here it is.

After going to the page, you need to select your desktop environment and system architecture ( 32-bit or 64-bit). Click on the desired link.

Then you need to choose a download method, for example via torrent or from any available mirror, for Russia you can choose Yandex Team, here is a direct link to download Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon 64-bit from this mirror.

As a result, I downloaded the 64-bit version, namely the file ( iso image ) linuxmint-18.3-cinnamon-64bit.iso approximately 1.76 gigabytes in size.

Installing Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon on your computer

The Linux Mint installation process is simple, and we have covered it many times already, but for those who will be installing Linux Mint on a computer for the first time, I will describe this process step by step and with pictures.

Step 1

We burn the image that we downloaded to disk and boot from it. After loading, the disk menu will open, select “ Start Linux Mint».

Step 2

Loading Live version, on the desktop, click on the shortcut “ Install Linux Mint", the installation program will eventually start on hard drive computer.

Step 3

First, select the language, click " Continue».

Step 4

Step 5

Now we select the disk partition type, I have a test installation, so I select the first item “ Erase disk and install Linux Mint" To manually partition the disk, select " Another option" We discussed manual partitioning in detail in the material “Partitioning a hard drive in Linux Ubuntu during installation.” In my case, click " Install now».

Confirm the changes by clicking “ Continue».

Step 6

Specify your location and click “ Continue».

Step 7

Select the keyboard layout and press the “ Continue».

Step 8

All that remains is to create account, to do this, enter your name, computer name, username and password with confirmation, click “ Continue».

The installation has started.

The installation is complete when the following message appears, click " Reboot»

Upgrading Linux Mint to Linux Mint 18.3

It is not necessary to install Linux Mint from scratch, if you already have the previous release of Linux Mint 18.2 installed, you just need to update installed system for example using " Update Manager" To do this, open “ Menu ->Administration -> Update Manager».

If there is no update " mint-upgrade-info", then first press the button " Check for updates" and then " Install updates I".

Enter the administrator password, since installing updates requires certain privileges, click " Authenticate».

After you have installed this update, in your menu “ Edit» update manager the item « Update to Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia", to update the entire distribution we need to click on this item.

As a result, the update program will start. In the first window, click " Next».

Then we are asked to read the release notes ( for this, if you want, you can click on the appropriate link), click " Next».

Before updating, we are asked to find out the new features of this version ( if you want to see them, click on the corresponding link), click " Next».

Further we are warned that there is a risk of harming the system, since after any update some problems may arise, but in standard cases everything goes well, we check the box, thereby confirming our intentions to update the system, and click “ Apply».

To update the system you need to enter your password, click " OK».

The system update will be completed when the following window appears, click “ Close"and reboot the computer.

Screenshots of Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon

Desk

File manager

System parameters

That's all, good luck!

Linux Mint is one of the most popular today operating systems Linux.
Developers Linux Mint They release several distributions with different desktop environments: Cinnamon(own development), MATE, Xfce, KDE And LMDE(Rolling release based on Debian, also of our own design).
Xfce it is a fast and easy working environment, with low consumption system resources. At the same time, it is visually attractive and user-friendly.

At the bottom of the monitor, as in most distributions, there is a control panel with applets located on it: menus, icons quick launch applications, open window buttons and system tray.

The disadvantage of this environment that new users encounter is the absence of a keyboard layout icon after the first login, because... Even after opening the browser, the user is at a loss as to how to switch from English to his native language, although the system was installed and is displayed in it?

1. Keyboard layout and hotkey assignments

2. System update.

Once all updates have been completed, the icon has been installed and keyboard shortcuts have been assigned, you can now work in the system Linux Mint 18 "Sarah" Xfce, as in any other: travel across the vast expanses of the Internet and download necessary files, watch movies, listen to music, type in Libre Office and use a printer, download pictures from the camera and edit them, view your video from a video camera, communicate with family and friends, in general, everything that can be done in a regular operating system.

Note. The further steps proposed in the article are not mandatory; they simply introduce you to the system and its capabilities.

3. Setting up the control panel

Change the appearance of the panel in a tab Appearance:

Adding applets to a panel

I already described adding a keyboard layout applet at the very beginning of the article. Other applets from the proposed default list are added in the same way. Right click on the panel, select Panel - Add New Items:

Removing applets from the panel is done as follows:

Right click on the applet and Delete:

Tab Badges is responsible for the appearance of the desktop. In it you can activate the display on the table Home folder, Trash etc. elements, as well as change their size and font size:

5. System settings

6. Additional programs to install

7. Change window manager

8. Installation additional programs to desktop

Installing the widget GisWeather

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/apps
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gis-weather

Once the installation is complete, you will find GisWeather in programs Tools or search in the menu.

How to customize the widget and display your area, see.

Installation Manager Conky

Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T), copy and run this sequence of commands:

sudo apt-add-repository -y ppa:teejee2008/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install conky-manager

After installation you will find Conky Manager in programs Tools or search in the menu.

How to create your own widget Conky, look .

9. Install Skype

sudo apt install skype

In the system 64-bi T, Skype uses a theme Clearlooks instead of the default theme, other themes are also not displayed correctly.
This happens because Skype represents 32-bit application with theme GTK2, where is the engine Murrine in most cases it is not installed.
If you have installed 64-bit system, then fix the theme Skype you can by running the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt install gtk2-engines-murrine:i386 gtk2-engines-pixbuf:i386

Note. If after installation Skype You don't have a tray icon, just install one plugin. To do this, open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T), and run the following command:

sudo apt-get install sni-qt:i386

And restart Skype.

10. Install Systemback - restore the system to a previous state

System backup
System Restore
System installation
Creation of Live CD
System repair
System update

Installation Systemback

Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T), copy and run the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nemh/systemback
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install systemback

Instructions for use Systemback look .

Conclusion