Topics:

• Download Debian: https://www.debian.org/ - There is a small network install disks, full 3-set DVD package, live CD, and a version with non-free firmware included.
• Installing Debian in VirtualBox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1064Cjs-z0
• Common setup tips
• Recommended packages

• Install VirtualBox Guest Additions (for VM only): apt install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) then run VBoxLinuxAdditions.run from the disk. There is also a copy of the ISO in the Debian non-free repository. You might need to do sudo su - to get a “true root” shell, otherwise it might install the drivers under the wrong low-privilege user.
• Setting up disk partitions (partition, encrypt, THEN LVM?? yep!) – execute shell and do vgremove my-volume-group and vgremove –removemissing my-volume-group if it gets into a bad state.
• Installing firmware (apt-get download firmware-iwlwifi or download from https://packages.debian.org/buster/all/firmware-iwlwifi/download for X220 drivers.) then simply install with sudo dpkg -i firmware-iwlwifi - Or download the releases with non-free firmware included (easiest) - The firmware collection download is just all the .deb packages inside a folder named firmware/, if you have that on a usb stick when you install it can use them. or install manually afterwards - on desktop ROG motherboard: sudo dpkg -i firmware-realtek
• Mount USB drives with mount and list them with dmesg
• Make laptop lid close do nothing - edit /etc/systemd/login.conf and set HandleLidSwitchExternalPower=ignore or HandleLidSwitch=ignore
• Check battery level on CLI only (cat /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/capacity{,_level}') or upower -i /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0, or use sudo apt install acpitool and run acpitool.
• Setup custom grub boot script (curl mygist > /etc/grub.d/99_danostheme; sudo update-grub
• Change console fonts with sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-setup
• Set caps to escape with setxkbmap https://www.devdungeon.com/content/rebind-caps-lock-key-escapecontrol
• edit apt sources with sudo apt edit-sources and add right repos whether DVD or remote
• set visudo to use vim with sudo update-alternatives –config editor
• set sudo nopassword with sudo visudo and set %sudo ALL=NOPASSWD:ALL on the line
• add user to sudo group gpasswd -a sudo myuser
• change which desktop starts up when running startx: echo “exec gnome-session” > ~/.xinitr or exec openbox-session (sudo apt install openbox)
• setup disks to auto-mount with `/etc/fstab` entries
• Change default shell to zsh (which zsh; chsh) - Customizing Zsh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yPj-BfGRug
• Add any custom debian repos - finding closest/fastest mirror, other repos like Sublime Text
• Mount an SMB share with CIFS: sudo apt install cifs-utils; sudo mount -t cifs -o uid=dano,gid=sudo,user=dano,password=“my password” \\\\10.0.0.99\\home /mnt and just chmod/chown it as necessary. - My imount script to help mount stuff easier
• Add mount to the fstab for permanent mounting /etc/fstab (or make my script imount to get my password and mount when I login
• Install openbox and put exec openbox-session in ~/.xinitrc to use openbox.
• How to set hostname and use Synology DNS? https://wiki.debian.org/NetworkConfiguration#Defining_the_.28DNS.29_Nameservers - Add `nameserver 1.2.3.4` to `/etc/resolve.conf`
• Customize GRUB (colors, background, timeout). See GRUB page for video, theme file, and instructions.
• Setup fail2ban with sudo apt install fail2ban
• Play DVDs by installing vlc and libdvdcss2.
• Rip DVDs using handbrake with libdvdcss2 or use vlc and choose File → Convert/Stream
• Convert .m4v video to .ogg video with ffmpeg -i x.m4v x.ogg
• Extract audio only from a video with ffmpeg -i x.m4v -vn x.ogg
• Play PC speaker beep: `echo -ne '\007'` or `sudo apt install beep; beep`
• See what ports/sockets are listening with `netstat` and commonly `netstat -ntlp` (`sudo apt install net-tools)`
• Use `nslookup` to find IP of a hostname (`sudo apt install dnsutils`)
• Repeat a program and view output with `watch -n3 something`
• Use `vlc` or `easytag` to edit metadata on a song/video file.
• Install Qt5 libraries, QtCreator IDE and UI Designer with `apt install qt5-default qtcreator`. Run with `qtcreator`. Run designer with `/usr/lib/qt5/bin/designer`
• List Java versions and change with update-alternatives e.g. sudo update-alternatives –list java and sudo update-alternatives –config java

• mutt
• mc
• keepassx
• vim
• default-jdk / openjdk-11-jdk
• net-tools (netstat)
• dnsutils (nslookup)
• neofetch
• tmux
• elinks
• curl,wget,git
• handbrake (ripping and decrypting dvds)
• vlc
• libdvdcss2 (to watch encrypted dvds) and then `sudo dpkg-reconfigure libdvd-pkg`