Jay On Linux

Anytime you are choosing just one Linux distribution as the best, you must already be assuming an audience. And this is in fact what I am doing. When I say that Linux Mint 20.1 “Ulyssa” Cinnamon Edition is the best Linux distro for 2021, I mean it is the best Linux distro for the average computer user.

Now, what are the categories I used to select Linux Mint? The first is the quality of the software. There are some distributions that are running very old versions of software. (Debian Stable is a good example here.) Which means you don’t get the latest features. Quality also means that you have a variety of programs to choose from. Linux Mint gets 5 stars here.

The second category is documentation and support. Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, which means most of the documentation from that release will be relevant to Linux Mint 20. Plus there is documentation and online support through the Forums and the Chat Room. Plus there are many YouTube Videos. Learn Linux TV has an excellent Linux Mint Beginners Guide.

The third category is the ease of use and practicality. Let’s best honest, the average user is familiar with Microsoft Windows layout. Gnome is excellent, but the workflow is very different. KDE may be Windows-like, but its customization is extreme and the user can easily screw up their system. Linux Mint is a great balance here. Furthermore, more stuff just works out of the box on Linux Mint. I have less issues getting things to work than any other Linux distro.

The fourth category is looks and aesthetics. This is more a personal preference and less objective, but I think Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop environment is the best looking of all of them, including Windows and Mac. It has style, grace, and functionality.

The last category is long-term support. The average user doesn’t want to install a new operating system every year. Linux Mint 20 is a long-term support release that will be supported until 2025. This is perfect for the average user. And upgrading to newer versions is easier than ever.

For all these reasons I believe that Linux Mint is currently the best Linux distribution for the average computer user. I use it on my production machine and laptop, and I have it on both my parent’s and my wife’s parent’s computers.

I recently bought a new laptop. It is an AMD Ryzen 7 4700U with Radeon Graphics.

I installed Linux Mint 20.1 Cinnamon on it. However, every time I reboot I get a “Check for video drivers”. The thing is, there are no drivers available for this laptop.

The problem is that the laptop is too new for the Linux Kernal in Linux Mint 20.1.

The solution is to move to an updated Linux Kernal. I will tell you how but proceed at your own risk. I have no problem, but results may vary.

Open Update Manager, click View, and then click Linux Kernal. You will get a warning, click continue. Then install Kernal 5.11.0-22. It is supported until February 2022.

Rebook your computer and no more annoying popup. Problem solved.

UPDATE: Nov. 12, 2021

The problem returned and I had to install Linux Kernal 5.15.1 manueally. See my entery for that date for instructions.

Make sure you are connected to the Internet before you begin.

This is what I do after installing Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

On the welcome screen: Sign into a Ubuntu single sign-on. Then I Sign into Google.

Next window: Setup live patch. You have to have an Ubuntu one account.

Next windows: Yes I want to send system info to Canonical to Help improve Ubuntu.

Next window: Leave location services off. Close window.

The software update should have already popped up a window. If not run software updater, and install updated software.

Open Firefox, search for Google Chrome, and download it to the download folder. Once it’s downloaded, double click it and install.

Then launch the Chrome browser, and a dialog box will appear. Uncheck “automatically send usage statistics and crash reports to Google.” Leave checked, “make Google Chrome the default browser.” Click “okay.”

Then sign in to Chrome. “Turn on sync” dialog box will appear, click “Yes, I’m in.”

On the left applications bar you will see the Chrome icon. Right click on the icon and select add to favorites. Now drag and drop that to the top, and remove from favorites Firefox (by right clicking).

Go to the software Store, and install timeshift. Timeshift is a system restore utility for Linux.

Open timeshift. Select rsync. Press next. Leave the snapshot location as is. Press next. Select weekly and keep 3. And press next. And then press finish. Now create a snapshot, by pressing create.

One other thing I do is I turn off the screen saver, and I turn off lock the computer when screensaver starts.

Although I don’t mind the Gnome desktop, I use Windows 10 all day at work. So I would prefer to have a similar work flow at home.

My favorite Windows-like Linux distribution, and the one I recommend for newbies to Linux, is Linux Mint with its Cinnamon Desktop environment. I think it is second to none.

So I decided to install the Cinnamon Desktop on my main Ubuntu 20.04 system. It is easy to do. Just open a terminal and paste in this command:

sudo apt install cinnamon-desktop-environment

It will take a while to install. After it is the installation is complete, restart your system.

On the log in screen you have to change the desktop session to Cinnamon. Click on the icon on the bottom right. Then choose Cinnamon. Now you can log in as normal.

When customizing, be aware that under themes you have to use Desktop: cinnamon or the date and time do not appear correctly. Here are my theme settings:

Windows borders: Menta
Icons: ubuntu-mono-dark
Controls: Yaru-dark
Mouse Pointer: DMZ-White
Desktop: cinnamon

There is one casualty of the switch. The Ubuntu Software application is gone. You have to reinstall it. To do so copy and paste the following in the terminal:

sudo apt install ubuntu-software

Press enter, and let it install.

Then find “Software” in the menu, right click, and click “Add to favorites.” Now its ready when you need it.

Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix

One last thing. I would like to mention the Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix project. Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix “is a community-driven remix of Ubuntu, combining Linux Mint’s flagship Cinnamon Desktop with Ubuntu, packed with everything you need to go with it.”

It should be noted though, it is not yet a fully accepted flavor of Ubuntu, and until it gets Canonical’s blessing I cannot recommend using it. But I am hopeful for its future because the Cinnamon Desktop is the best.

UPDATE: I do not recommend doing this. Just install Linux Mint. There are a dozen other problems that have popped up since installing. If you must install Ubuntu use Xubuntu.

Google and I have a relationship. It is not an equal relationship. They clearly are in charge.

See, Google and I have made an agreement. They will give me for free an email, storage, apps, and other cool apps and services.

I, on the other hand, will let them sell the information they collect about my preferences to advertisers. They might also share my information with the government.

From this you might get the impression that I trust Google. I do not. I don’t trust Facebook , Twitter, Microsoft or Amazon either.

But I do use their services. So I have no choice. Either I have to agree to their terms or I don’t use their products. So I have capitulated.

I live in the Google sphere. Google knows more about me than my mother. I would like to know what they know, so I know what is being sold to others.

I really don’t like the default window when you open a new tab in Chrome.

Here is how I change that.

I install an extension from the Chrome Web Store called “New Tab Redirect” by Jim Schubert.

After you install it a welcome page will pop up explaining its features. On the last page you will see “That’s it!”. Under that click: “Set your Options!”

In the settings I set “Redirect URL” to “https://www.google.com/”, but you can use any website you want. Then press save. Open a new tab and see. You are done.

Changing Your Settings Later

In Chrome, go to “Settings”, look to the right menu and click on “Extensions”.

In the new window look for “New Tab Redirect” and click “Details.”

Towards the bottom you will see “Extension options”, click it and you are back to the New Tab Redirect settings page.

There is a zero day vulnerability in the Chrome browser.

You need to go and update your browser as soon as possible.

In your operating settings you need to go to your Update Manager. Then update the Chrome Browser.

Do this for all our desktops, tables, and phones.

Be very careful doing this.

But sometimes there are files on a flash drive that cannot be deleted with root access. Here is how you get it for the Ubuntu file manager.

1) Open Ubuntu Nautilus File Manager as root.

2) Open command terminal. (Hint: Ctrl+Alt+T)

3) Copy and paste the following (right click copy, then right click paste):

sudo nautilus

4) Hit enter. The Nautilus File Manager will open with root access.

5) When your done, just close the Nautilus File Manager.

Dan Goodin, with Ars Technica, reports that “Amazon devices will soon automatically share your Internet with neighbors.”

Barbara Krasnoff, with The Verge, explains that “The new network will share a small portion of your bandwidth with your neighbors.

I think Dan Goodin blows it out of proportion when he says, “Amazon’s experimental wireless mesh networking turns users into guinea pigs…. that leaves your personal privacy and security hanging in the balance.”

To be fair, Amazon has actually been very careful to ensure your personal privacy and security. See there white paper here.

My issue is that you are not being asked to participate, they are turning it on by default. You have to oft out. Taking bandwidth I am paying for without my permission is stealing. Amazon is wrong to do this.

Here is how to opt out

1. Open the Alexa app
2. Open More and select Settings.
3. Select Account Settings.
4. Select Amazon Sidewalk.
5. Turn Amazon Sidewalk On or Off for your account.

UPDATE 6/26/2021
Best Article on Subject

If you are using Ubuntu 20.04, there is a feature that should be enabled by default but isn’t.

It is the ability to click on the right side panel and both open and minimize a program. It doesn’t minimize. Here is how to fix that.

In a terminal copy and paste:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock click-action 'minimize'

Hit enter. Done.