Last week saw the light of day the new version of one of the most popular Linux distros: Ubuntu 22.04 . Canonical usually releases new versions of its system every 6 months, offering 9 months of support for each version, but this release is important as it comes as an extended support version, LTS. That is why, whether we are using the previous version 21.10, or the previous LTS, 20.04, we recommend updating to this new version as soon as possible. And, in doing so, we leave you a series of recommendations to update the PC.
Update and prepare the system
Whether we update from a previous version, or if we are going to install Linux from scratch, the first thing we will have to do is prepare our computer for day-to-day use. For this reason, one of the first tasks that we must carry out as soon as we update to Ubuntu 22.04 is to update all the installed software. During the installation process, the essential packages of the distro are downloaded, but other possible updates of programs and dependencies that may remain in the system are not applied. To update it manually, what we have to do is open a terminal and run:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
We must also configure a backup plan for our system. With it we can make sure that our computer is always safeguarded so that, if a problem occurs, we can recover it with the least possible damage. These backups can be done in several ways. We can configure them by hand using a script, use basic backup programs, or, our choice, resort to a program like timeshift that allows us, among many other functions, to create a kind of restore point or time machine in the purest Apple style. to recover the system in case of error.
sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:teejee2008/ppa && sudo apt update && sudo apt install timeshift
Finally, surely sooner or later we will end up installing applications from Flatpak. Therefore, we can leave it already installed and configured so that, when we go to it, we do not have to waste time. We can do it by running:
sudo apt install flatpak && sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak
Try what’s new in Ubuntu 22.04
Once we have our system updated and configured, the next thing to do is try out the new features that we find in this new version of Canonical’s most popular distro. The first thing is that, finally, we are going to be able to configure the accent color of our desktop theme . This has been one of the most requested features by users and, finally, it has become a reality. We cannot choose a custom color (for now), but we can choose between several predefined ones in the Appearance section of the Configuration menu.
Another novelty that we will find in the new Ubuntu 22.04 is a totally renewed dark mode, thanks to GTK4 and the adoption of libadwaita. Thanks to this new dark mode, it will automatically apply to all parts of the desktop, and to all programs that support it. Additionally, it applies to buttons, notifications, rounded window corners, and all other elements natively as well.
The new GNOME 42 desktop also includes a new activity panel that will help us work better with our Linux system, a new application view and new keyboard shortcuts, which we can also customize to our liking.
Install the programs that we are going to use
Once the system is prepared, and knowing the news that has come to us with this new distro, the next thing will be to install the programs that we are going to use. If we have updated from a previous version, we probably already have them installed, updated and ready to use them. But, if this is not the case, we can search for and install them in the software store to be able to leave our PC fully functional:
- Google Chrome
- GIMP
- VLC
- Synaptic
And we must not forget the proprietary drivers to be able to open all kinds of audio and video within Ubuntu:
sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras
