This is a collection of recommended configs to to after installing deepin 15.6 for beginner users. This includes changing deepin repository mirror, customizing panel and menu, setting up IMAP email in Thunderbird, adding recommended applications (in image editing, programming, and multimedia), preparing Flatpak, plus some further info about deepin itself. Enjoy deepin!
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Read also about deepin 15.6: download links, making the bootable media, and its installation guide.
1. Change Deepin Repository Mirror
Note: in the Terminal, Ctrl+Shift+C is copy and Ctrl+Shift+V is paste.
By default, deepin repo points out to China. You may look at Deepin Mirrors List to see whether there is a nearby mirror to your country. On the desktop, to change mirror location is pretty easy:
- 1) open up your Deepin Terminal
- 2) $ sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list
- 3) Edit the address from the original one 'http://packages.deepin.com/deepin' into the alternative address 'http://XXX.YYY/deepin' where the alternative is one address your find from Mirror List above. For example, change it into 'http://kartolo.sby.datautama.net.id/deepin' if you are from Indonesia.
- 4) Press Ctrl+O+Enter in nano Terminal.
- 5) $ sudo apt-get update
- Done
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| Example setting of local mirror nearby in Indonesia |
2. Customize Your Panel & Menu
What's your favorite layout, Windows-like or macOS-like? Right-click on the dock at bottom > Mode > switch to "Efficient Mode" to make it Windows-like. Ultimately, anyone would say it's very similar to Windows 7 panel. To revert back to macOS-like, switch to "Fashion Mode" once again. Ultimately, you can reposition the panel by right-click > Location > Top/Bottom/Left/Right.
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| Four different deepin desktop layouts |
3. Dark Theme
Yes, deepin 15.6 also provides a dark theme by default. Change it by going to System Settings > Personalization > Theme > select "Dark Theme". But this won't change them all because each original Deepin Application has its own "Dark Theme" menu; so you need to enable the switch manually in the File Manager, for example. Anyway, it's easy and understandable.
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| Dark theme configuration |
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| Where the "Dark Theme" menu in each Deepin App window |
4. Privacy Pack
Since the 2013 global surveillance leak, we're now more aware with our own internet privacy. You can find similar recommendation like this in PRISM Break. So here's a summary of suggestions you better consider to apply to your new deepin 15.6:
- Use private and secure search engine instead of Google. Well-known ones are StartPage, DuckDuckGo, and SearX.me.
- Use the trio of uBlock Origin + HTTPS Everywhere + Privacy Badger addons in the Chrome or Firefox.
- Use User-Agent Switcher addon in Chrome or Firefox to enable you to change your OS/browser identity without actually changing your computer.
- Install KeePassX to store many of your username+password accounts.
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| KeePassX on deepin 15.6 |
5. Setting Up Your Email in Thunderbird
Do you want your Gmail (or Yahoo!, or Hotmail, or everything else) to be accessed with Thunderbird in IMAP/POP mode? Sure, that's easy. For instance, to setup Gmail with IMAP mode:
- 1) Open it up from desktop menu > Thunderbird
- 2) Go to menu > New Message > Existing Mail Account > enter your name, your abcdefg@gmail.com username, and Gmail password there > press Continue.
- 3) Let it scans your mail server > it shows you the options between IMAP and POP, so choose IMAP > press Done.
- 4) Let it reads all your Gmail Inbox as well as another Gmail folders. All done.
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| BitMessage Mail inbox inside Thunderbird |
For another email provider, such as Yahoo! or BitMessage, just edit the mail server address entries according to your email provider documentation: [Yahoo! IMAP, Yandex IMAP, Live Mail IMAP, BitMessage IMAP].
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| Setting up IMAP of BitMessage Mail |
6. Programming Pack
deepin is awesome, it includes by default C and C++ language compilers, Python 2 and Python 3 interpreters, Perl 5, and GNU Bash Shell 4. By default you just need to use Deepin Text Editor to learn programming with those mentioned languages as the code translator programs are there already. But if you want more, you can install any of these suggestions:
- $ sudo apt-get install geany
- $ sudo apt-get install default-jre
- $ sudo apt-get install default-jdk
- $ sudo apt-get install lampp
- $ sudo apt-get install qtcreator
- $ sudo apt-get install gnome-devel
- $ sudo apt-get install build-essentials nodejs npm
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| Geany reading a C source code file |
7. Ugly LibreOffice Fix
You may be install LibreOffice and find soon that the interface looks "ugly". That is because by default deepin does not come with support for LibreOffice GTK interface. To fix it, run command below and restart all LibreOffice programs:
$ sudo apt-get install libreoffice-gtk3
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| Easy fix for LibreOffice UI on deepin |
8. Show Disk Free Space
Go to your file manager > right-click System Disk > Properties > see the "Free Space" field.
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| Showing free space of the main partition |
9. Prepare Your Flatpak
For more information, read about Flatpak and see Flathub.
Flatpak is included by default! You may check it out by the command $ flatpak --version . To install something, you need to prepare it. Then do the followings:
- 1) $ sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
- 2) $ flatpak search editor
- 3) You find many programs availabe under the keyword editor such as "video editor" and "text editor" and many more. For example, you may find UberWriter there with the file name de.wolfvollprecht.UberWriter.
- 4) To install program, use the filename: $ flatpak install de.wolfvollprecht.UberWriter
- 5) To run program, either run it from menu or by command: $ flatpak run de.wolfvollprecht.UberWriter
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| An example in using Flathub to help installing a Flatpak program |
10. Graphic Design Pack
For professional grade of image editing and desktop publishing, you can install any of these:
- $ sudo apt-get install inkscape
- $ sudo apt-get install gimp
- $ sudo apt-get install scribus
- $ sudo apt-get install mypaint
- $ sudo apt-get install krita
- $ sudo apt-get install synfigstudio
- $ sudo apt-get install blender
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| Inkscape vector editor in action |
11. Multimedia Editing Pack
For popular creative activities concerning video and audio, you can install any of these:
- $ sudo apt-get install winff
- $ sudo apt-get install kdenlive
- $ sudo apt-get install subtitleeditor
- $ sudo apt-get install audacity
Deepin Information Resources
Finally, you can always grab official resources about deepin OS from Wuhan Technology and the community below:
- Website https://www.deepin.org/en
- User Manual https://wiki.deepin.org
- Forum https://bbs.deepin.org/forum.php?mod=forumdisplay&fid=70
- Worldwide Mirrors List https://www.deepin.org/en/mirrors/packages
- Mailing List https://www.deepin.org/en/developer-community/mailing-list
- Source code & Bug Track https://github.com/linuxdeepin
This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.