What To Do After Installing Kubuntu Focal Fossa

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This is the traditional suggestions list for everyone having new computer with Kubuntu operating system. It is intended for version 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa right now. This includes tips and tricks about adjusting your battery management, desktop conveniences, apps recommendation, and more. I wish you enjoy friendly computing with Kubuntu by reading this. Let's go!

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Summary

1. Battery Power
2. ClassicMenu
3. Clock
4. Icons on desktop
5. Don't group apps!
6. Ad blocker + security + privacy
7. KeePassXC
8. Reload
9. App Hunting
10. Find Friends & Learn More

Power saving

Special for laptop users! To prolong your battery power duration, Kubuntu has excellent configuration under System Settings. You can do many things to reduce power consumption (hence comes power saving) and also decide what to do when the laptop experiences low battery (to avoid disk drive failure). To do so, go to System Settings > Power Management > On Battery > reduce screen brightness > reduce dim screen time delay > reduce suspend session wait time > Apply. To enhance it, still on the same dialog, go to Advanced Settings under Energy Saving > set low level a little bit higher e.g. 20% > set critical level also a little bit higher e.g. 10% and set action At critical level: Shutdown instead > OK.

Clock

You can switch Kubuntu's clock to show all details up to weekday and second. Personally I like it as it helps making my screenshots clear about when exactly I took them. To do so, select Configure Digital Clock by right-clicking it > Appearance > give check marks to Show date - Show seconds - Show local time zone > select Date format: Long Date > OK.

Classic style menu

Default start menu style is called 'Application Launcher'. Unlike the classic style called 'Application Menu', it cannot show many apps simply. To switch back to it, select Show Alternatives by right-clicking the start menu button > Application Menu > click Switch > you got Vista-like style start menu.

Icons on desktop

I like Kubuntu as it allows icons on desktop. You can put apps, documents, videos, ebooks on the wallpaper area like any professional OS can (even Android can!). To do so, open your start menu > drag one app > drop it on the desktop > select Link Here > voila! To do files or documents, the procedures are just the same unless you do it from Dolphin File Manager instead of start menu. 

Following picture shows I can put favorite apps such as LibreOffice and Discover along with my frequently accessed folder Downloads and a pdf of Kubuntu User Manual.

Have password manager

Today every computer user should have a password manager. It helps us keep safely passwords, accounts, and secrets without us remember any of them. We just need to remember one master password, that is, to open the application to access everything kept within it. Install KeePassXC from Discover and learn here to use it.

Don't group apps

Kubuntu groups running apps on its panel.  This default behavior is not comfortable, as it makes the user works more just to switch to a window they want. You can switch back to no grouping. To do so, select Configure Task Manager by right-clicking a running app > More Actions and then on the appearing dialog select Behavior > switch to Do not group under Group: option > OK.

Ad blocker and Security plus privacy

As usual, taking care of your web browser is among the first things you need to do after having new system. Here once again I recommend three magics Startpage.com (privacy alternative to Google), uBlock Origin (to block ads and trackers), HTTPS Everywhere (security enforcer) you can install on Mozilla Firefox by going to addons.mozilla.org webpage. Read more about internet privacy at PrivacyToolsIO and also PRISMBreakOrg.

Reload your repository

Unlike Windows, Kubuntu works with repository – users get apps from a central place in the internet. So that you can grab more apps and get notified of new updates, reload your repository. Open Discover (the blue bag logo) and keep your internet access up for a while it will automatically do it for you. When you see yellow sign on bottom-left, it means your repository has been reloaded and you are ready. If you prefer doing it by terminal, it's fine, invoke the command line sudo apt-get update and let it go.

Hunt applications 

The purpose of operating system is for user to have apps. So is Kubuntu. Discover is there for you to discover tens of thousands of Free Software application for any purpose you can think and imagine. Video games, multimedia editors, programming tools, everything is prepared beforehand you can access easily here.

Find Friends

Official support community is kubuntuforums.net. Telegram community is also available at t.me/kubuntu_support. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) room is accessible via web or if you prefer using IRC client go to #kubuntu at Freenode.

 

Learn more

Fortunately, Kubuntu Project provides us with excellent documentation we can read and download. Commercial support is available here for instance when you are a company just migrated from Microsoft Windows. The big clue is everything for Ubuntu is applicable to Kubuntu too. Finally, go to Ubuntu Official Help as recommended by Kubuntu website itself to learn more. 

I wish you like it!

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