Xah Linux Setup
This page is my personal Linux setup. I write them down here so i can follow them on new box.
LXDE Desktop and User Interface Tweak
Install lxde desktop. [see Linux: How to Switch to LXDE, Xfce]
Keyboard
- Set Dvorak Keyboard Layout [see Linux: How to Switch to Dvorak Keyboard Layout]
- Set key repeat speed. [see Linux: Set Key Repeat Rate]
- Disable the menu access key in terminal (i.e. stop Alt + f from popping-up a menu). Also, stop F10 from showing menu. (In terminal preference.)
- Disable Alt + Space from popping-up menu. [see Linux: Keyboard Software Guide]
- Set terminal scroll back to 9000 lines or infinite.
- Turn off Workspace (set it to just 1). Turn off all ~31 keys related to Workspace. (Linux: Xfce Keyboard Shortcuts) (i need it for Emacs!)
Mouse
Firefox
- Firefox: Set Mouse Wheel Scroll Speed
- Set Firefox custom hotkeys. Firefox: How to Add/Change Keyboard Shortcuts.
Window Theme Preference

To set up lxde theme
- in terminal, run
obconf
, pick what you like, suppose the theme name is xyz. - open
/usr/share/themes/xyz/openbox-3/themerc
, edit it. (backup the file first). Or, make a copy of the whole directory, name it as a new theme. - In
obconf
, use arrow key to switch to the theme to see update right away. (relaunchobconf
if you created your own.)

- Simple.
- Have border around window.
- Front window must stand out by color.
- No color gradient.
- No transparancies.
[see User Interface Design Criterions]
Font
- Install Unicode font for math symbols and emoticon. [see Download Free Unicode Fonts]
Install Software
sudo apt-get install build-essential
(install essential build tools)- emacs [see How to Build Emacs on Linux]
sudo apt-get install vim
[see Ubuntu Linux: vim Location and Versions]sudo apt-get install ssh
(a meta package for both ssh server and client)sudo apt-get install tmux
[see Linux: tmux Tutorial]
sudo apt-get install git
[see git Tutorial]sudo apt-get install subversion
[see svn tutorial]sudo apt-get install curl
[see Linux: Download Web Page: curl, wget]sudo apt-get install unison
[see Linux Tutorial: 2-way Sync Files using Unison]sudo apt-get install htop
[see Linux: Monitor Processes, htop]
sudo apt-get install python3
[see Python 3 Tutorial]- nodejs [see JavaScript in Depth]
sudo apt-get install python-pythonmagick
(interface to ImageMagick) [see ImageMagick Tutorial]sudo apt-get install perl-doc
[see Learn Perl in 1 Hour]sudo apt-get install php5-cli
[see PHP in 1 Hour]
sudo apt-get install imagemagick
[see ImageMagick Tutorial]sudo apt-get install optipng
sudo apt-get install tree
[see Linux: View Directory as Tree]sudo apt-get install bash-doc
[see Bash Manual in Chapters; Using Emacs for Reading Info; Info Keys]sudo apt-get install wmctrl
[see Linux: Keyboard Software Guide]sudo apt-get install lynx
sudo apt-get install colordiff
sudo apt-get install moc
[see Linux: Music Players]sudo apt-get install feh
[see Linux: Image Viewers]
Bash Setup
Emacs Setup
other optional install
- Ruby: What's RVM, Gem, Rake, Bundler, RDoc, ri, irb?
sudo apt-get install ocaml
[see OCaml Tutorial]sudo apt-get install scsh
(Scheme Shell)sudo apt-get install clisp
(Common Lisp)

thanks to Fuqiao Xue (xfq) [2015-11-20 https://github.com/xfq/ ]
See also: How to Install Linux on VirtualBox