Ubuntu 18.04, codenamed Bionic Beaver, was released on April 26, and after testing it for a few days, I’m fully convinced it could be my next stable operating system. However, pure Ubuntu on its own isn’t immediately practical, so a few essential tools and specific configurations for Iranian users are necessary.

1. Check out what’s new and what has changed in this version.

2. Before anything, note that the ir repositories didn’t work for me, so you need to replace them with other repositories. After replacement, run update once to use the new repositories for installing upcoming tools and apps:

sudo apt update

3. Install restricted tools, or codecs, for playing mp3, mp4, and similar files whose licenses are unclear:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

4. If, like me, you often work in a cluttered environment, enabling Minimize and Show Desktop is essential. For Minimize:

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

For Show Desktop, press the Super (Windows) key, type Shortcuts, click the settings icon, scroll to “Hide all normal Windows” (first option in the second section), and set your preferred shortcut for instant desktop access.

5. For further customization like changing themes and fonts, install Tweaks for GNOME, easily available through SnapStore. Alongside the countless GNOME desktop themes, you can also install CommuniTheme from SnapStore, which was intended as the default theme but unfortunately wasn’t included.

6. Ladies and gentlemen, GNOME desktop extensions add almost anything imaginable to your desktop. Browse the extensions and check them out. Just remember to install the bridge between this service and your desktop before installing any extension. Spend time here, it’s easy to spend half an hour exploring the plugins like I did.

7. Installing useful apps is straightforward. The easiest method among all operating systems is to browse SnapStore, explore its categories, and install anything you need with a click. If you can’t find certain apps, Flatpak repositories offer a world of apps just like SnapStore. Some essential and popular apps:

• Spotify
• Skype
• Telegram
• VLC
• Mailspring
• Audacity
• Gimp
• Calibre
• Kazam
• Kdenlive

8. Install VirtualBox and then Windows (only for apps without Linux alternatives). If you’ve made it this far and are using Ubuntu, search for Linux alternatives instead of struggling with Windows inside Linux. Almost every software has a suitable Linux alternative.

9. Install the Persian keyboard in Region and Language settings and adjust the language switch shortcut according to step 4.

10. Essential tools for programmers and developers

This section mainly applies to developers. Non-developers can skip it without missing anything.

Full options of editors and IDEs are available for Debian-based systems like Ubuntu. Depending on your needs, install VIM, Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, or even PHPStorm. Basic options are available on SnapStore and install with one click. For PHPStorm, download it from the official site, navigate to its bin folder in the terminal, and run:

./phpstorm.sh

The LAMP stack is an essential part of any web development platform. Install each component as follows:

Install Apache and check http://localhost in your browser. You should see the Apache2 Ubuntu Default Page:

sudo apt install apache2

If you want to change the root directory, edit the following files and set /usr/www to your desired folder (for me, /home/arazgholami/Laboratory):

sudo gedit /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf
sudo gedit /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

Next, install the beloved MySQL:

sudo apt install mysql-server

If setup doesn’t run immediately, execute the following and set your password:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Finally, install PHP and its dependencies:

sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql

Then, check if Apache runs PHP files. If not, add index.php to:

sudo gedit /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/dir.conf

That’s it. You now have a rocket ready to launch.