Xubuntu Setup 9.10

This Wiki describes, how we set up Xubuntu 9.10 for internetcafes on i386-PCs (Intel x86).

we use xubuntu.org
 
see also:
Xubuntu 9.04 Setup

Installing Xubuntu from alternate-CD-ROM

If you want to install a Dual Boot-system (Xubuntu and Windows on the same computer), you have to install and defragment Windows first.

  1. Get a Xubuntu alternate image from www.xubuntu.org/get
  2. Burn a CD from the iso image BurningIsoHowto
  3. Prepare the computer to boot from CD-ROM
    1. Start the computer and enter BIOS/Setup (normally the computer shows on startup, which key you have to press for entering BIOS/Setup – often its something like Entf or F2
    2. Insert the CD
    3. Check if the Boot Sequence starts with CD-ROM
    4. Save and exit BIOS/Setup – the computer will now boot from CD-ROM.
  4. Install Xubuntu alternate: Select Install Xubuntu and press Enter
  5. Follow the installer-instructions

More detailed instructions about Ubuntu-installation: Alternate install CD (Unsupported Version)

Other installation methods:

Language support

Even if you do not want to install additional languages it’s useful to open Applications > System > Language Support > Supported Languages : once to complete the already installed language support.
You can add many different languages but keep in mind that every language uses a remarkable amount of disk space. We usually install in english and add language support for:

arab
french
german
persian
polish
spanish
swahili

You can choose the language for a session on the login screen. All supported programms should appear in the chosen language.

Adjusting Xubuntu to our needs

Using a script to adjust Xubuntu

Applications > Acessories > Terminal
wget https://we.riseup.net/assets/16087/xubuntu-9-10-setup.tar.bz2
md5sum xubuntu-9-10-setup.tar.bz2 # should be e57dbda3216aacf633cd63098d26a40e
sudo tar -xvpjf ./xubuntu-9-10-setup.tar.bz2
sudo ./xubuntu-9-10-setup/xubuntu-setup-script

Answer the questions in the Terminal.

Manually adjusting Xubuntu

Add a user account

  1. Applications > System > Users and Groups > Unlock
  2. Type in Password, Authenticate, Add User
  3. Type in Username, User password and Confirmation, OK, Close

 

Activate automatic login

Replace «username» with the name of user who should be logged in automatically

Applications > Acessories > Terminal
sudo su -c 'echo -e "\n[daemon]\nTimedLoginEnable=false\nAutomaticLoginEnable=true\nTimedLogin=«username»\nAutomaticLogin=«username»\nTimedLoginDelay=30" > /etc/gdm/custom.conf'

GUI (alternatively):

  1. Applications > System > Login Screen > Unlock
  2. Select “Log in as «username» automatically”
  3. Close

 

Automate security updates

AutomaticSecurityUpdates using cron

 

Add medibunty-repository

Applications > Acessories > Terminal
sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/$(lsb_release -cs).list --output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --allow-unauthenticated install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update

How To Add the Medibuntu repository. Take a look at the List of binary packages available in 9.10

 

Add packages (multimedia & more)

Applications > Accessories > Terminal
sudo aptitude install xubuntu-restricted-extras sun-java6-plugin libdvdcss2 libdvdnav4 libdvdread4 libxine1-all-plugins soundconverter streamripper mplayer realplayer totem-mozilla vlc xine-ui amsn filezilla medit openoffice.org skype vim
sudo aptitude -R install sound-juicer

note: package ttf-mscorefonts-installer 3.0 failes to install if URLs are resolved too slow

try
sed -e "s#wget --continue --tries=1 --dns-timeout=10 --connect-timeout=5 --read-timeout=300#wget --continue --tries=2 --dns-timeout=100 --connect-timeout=50 --read-timeout=3000#g" -i /var/lib/dpkg/info/ttf-mscorefonts-installer.postinst
aptitude -y install

GUI (alternatively):

  1. Open Synaptic: Applications > System > System Package Manager
  2. Type in password
  3. Type in search box each by each and right click > “Mark for Installation”
        xubuntu-restricted-extras
        icedtea6-plugin
        libdvdcss2
        libdvdnav4
        libdvdread4
        libxine1-all-plugins
        soundconverter
        streamripper
        mplayer
        realplayer
        totem-mozilla
        vlc
        xine-ui
        amsn
        filezilla
        medit
        openoffice.org
        skype
        vim
  4. Apply
  5. Quit

note: sound-juicer isn’t included in the package-list for GUI-Installation to avoid installation of pulseaudio as recomended package

 

Update system & reboot

Applications > Acessories > Terminal
sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude full-upgrade && sudo reboot

GUI (alternatively):

  1. update system: Applications > System > Update Manager
  2. reboot:

 

Configure user account

Firefox

  1. Open Firefox and go to Edit > Preferences
    1. Main > Startup: Home Page: enter http://www.refugeesemancipation.com
    2. Main > Downloads: select Always ask me where to save files
    3. Privacy > History: select Use custom settings for History
    4. Privacy > History: select Automatically start Firefox in a private browsing session
    5. Privacy > History: cookies: Keep until: select I close Firefox
    6. Security > Passwords : deselect Remember passwords for sites
    7. Close
  2. open http://www.refugeesemancipation.com/, press Strg+D, Folder : Bookmarks Toolbar > Done
  3. open https://we.riseup.net/refeman, press Strg+D, Folder : Bookmarks Toolbar > Done

The script additionaly stipulates these privacy-settings.

OpenOffice

Get DIN-A4 as default page format & more settings that are useful in Germany

  1. Tools > Options > Language Settings > Languages:
  2. Locale setting: German (Germany)
  3. Default Languages for Documents: Western: German (Germany)

Thunar

  1. View > Location Selector > Toolbar Style
  2. Edit > Preferences > Display
    • choose View new folders using: Detailed List View
    • deselect Sort folders before files
    • choose Date Format: yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS
    • Close
  3. Filetypes: right-click file > Open with > Open With Other Application…
    • open .odt with OOo, not with AbiWord
    • open .ods with OOo, not with Gnumeric Spreadsheet
    • open .aif with exaile
    • open .wma with exaile
    • open .spx with exaile
    • open .pls with exaile
    • open .m3u with exaile

Panels

  1. move bottom-panel-items to top-panel
  2. remove bottom-panel
  3. add xfce4-terminal-launcher
  4. Mixer Plugin: make all controls visible

Removable Drives and Media

  1. Applications > Settings > Removable Drives and Media > Multimedia
  2. Audio-CDs: sound-juicer -d %d
  3. Video-CDs/DVDs: vlc dvd://%d

Terminal style

Edit > Preferences… >

  1. Appearance:
    • Font: Monospace 10
  2. Background:
    • Transparent background
    • Transparency: 0.5

Vim

Applications > Accessories > Terminal
cp -p /etc/vim/vimrc .vimrc
echo "set sw=2" >> .vimrc
echo "set noai" >> .vimrc
vim .vimrc

activate:

  • set backgound=dark
  • jump to the last position
  • load identation rules an plugins
  • behave a lot differently from regular vi
    • all but mouse

On logout

deselect Save session… on log out-prompt

Help & Troubleshooting