Laptop/Desktop Configuration

Current and previous laptop/desktop setups

Software Configuration for Laptops and Desktops

As a media/games/AI researcher who prefers open-source.

From zero to rsync

Up to copying vital data to the new machine.

System Message: ERROR/3 (<string>, line 11)

Error in "list-table" directive: unknown option: "align".

.. list-table:: Wrestling the OS
   :header-rows: 1
   :stub-columns: 1
   :widths: 10 30 30 30
   :align: center
   :class: listing

   * - ↓ Area \\ OS →
     - Linux Mint
     - Windows 10
     - Mac OSX (retired)
   * - Installation Notes
     - + No issues
     - + Use local account not an MS account.
       + Disable anti-privacy options, except webpage security check "smart filter, and disable "tip" ads on lock screen and in start menu.
     - + No issues
   * - Basic Settings
     - + No issues
     - + Enable most of the "For Developer" options in "Update & Security", and Enable Developer Mode.
       + Back/forward gestures on trackpad need Firefox addon, see below
     - + Trackpad settings
       + Tap-to-drag fix with BetterTouchTool
   * - Remove Bloat
     - + No issues
     - + One Drive: disable auto-start in settings then exit, or uninstall from start menu.
       + Uninstall nagging apps "get office" and "skype preview", some games, "News" and a few other apps. This also gets rid of their "live tiles".
     - + Hide some apple apps and change defaults later
   * - Basic Installs
     - + Default setup works
     - + Add additional languages and input methods.
       + Firefox
       + Turn Windows Feature on or off: .net framework 3.5, windows linux environment.
       + Turn on Developer mode, prerequisite for "Ubuntu on Windows".
       + Run "bash" in command prompt to install Ubuntu on Windows ("Windows subsystem for Linux").
     - + Firefox
       + Install homebrew
   * - Workarounds
     - + CapsLock remapping: built-in
     - + Two-finger back/forward: Firefox Extension "Scrolling Gestures"
       + "Hot Corners" with tiny hot corners tool [#hotcorners]_ in autostart
       + CapsLock remapping: registry entry [#scancode]_
       + Prevent auto-restarts [#preventautorestarts]_
     - + CapsLock remapping: built-in

[1]	https://github.com/taviso/hotcorner/releases Recompiled for bottom left corner and quicker response

[2]	HKLM/.../Scancode Map: "1d e0 3a 00" for mapping CapsLock to Right Ctrl

[3]

Group Policies: Computer Config / Administrative / Win Components / Win Update / "Configure Automatic Updates" and "No auto-restart ..." (make effective with command line "gpupdate /force")
"Task Scheduler": Disable Reboot task in Microsoft -> Windows -> UpdateOrchestrator. Then take ownership of the Reboot file in "%Windows%\System32\Tasks\Microsoft\Windows\UpdateOrchestrator" and prevent changes by changing the permissions and disabling permission inheritance.

Sync data including locally held configuration settings.

Applications

System Message: ERROR/3 (<string>, line 71)

Error in "list-table" directive: unknown option: "align".

.. list-table:: Tools
   :header-rows: 1
   :stub-columns: 1
   :widths: 10 30 30 30
   :align: center
   :class: listing

   * - ↓ Area \\ OS →
     - Linux Mint
     - Windows 10
     - Mac OSX (retired)
   * - Basics
     - + ✅ Archivers pre-installed
       + ✅ jEdit and Java
       + ✅ tree map file display
       + ✅ htop
       + ✅ ssh setup, sshfs
       + ✅ bashrc setup
     - + ✅ 7zip
       + ✅ jEdit and Java, ✅ jEdit settings
       + ✅ WinDirStat
       + ✅ f.lux
       + ✅ htop (in WSL bash, 🔨 not usable for windows processes as it is an isolated container)
       + ✅ SSH (works well inside WSL, but interoperability with Windows as needed for running bash ssh as subprocess of a Windows app, is not there yet, promised for next Windows Update [#bashinterop]_. To do: test manual proxy scripts)
       + (✅ plink/pageant for now, installed by SourceTree, usable by Unison)
       + 🔨 SSHFS mounting?
       + ✅ bashrc setup, sagent functions [#sagent]_ in .bash_aliases
       + 💭 (not using a linux/homebrew/scoop/chocolatey at the moment. Just the Windows built-in Bash for now)
     - + ✅ Archiver pre-installed
       + ✅ jEdit and Java
       + ✅ DiskInventoryX
       + ✅ f.lux
       + ✅ brew htop
       + ✅ ssh setup, sshfs
       + ✅ bashrc setup
   * - Sync & Connect
     - + Unison
       + ✅ Synergy
       + Owncloud Sync
       + Dropbox
       + vnc client
       + torrent client: Deluge
     - + ✅ Unison (🔨 compiled GTK GUI breaks horribly with HiDPI screen, will probably have to recompile 64bit version with newer GTK)
       + ✅ Synergy
       + ✅ Owncloud Sync
       + ✅ Dropbox
       + ✅ Google Drive
       + ✅ Torrent client: Deluge
       + ✅ RealVNC client in bin (only RDP viewer comes with Windows)
     - + Unison
       + Synergy
       + Owncloud Sync
       + Dropbox
       + Google Drive
       + Android File Transfer
       + VNC client
       + torrent client
   * - Misc
     - + Firefox addons
       + Chrome addons
     - + ✅ Firefox addons
       + ✅ Chrome + ✅ addons
       + 💭 Virtual Box + Linux Mint setup
       + ✅ Google Earth
       + ✅ Zope PIM installation (on WSL after installing python-dev)
       + ✅ VeraCrypt (to replace TrueCrypt)
     - + Firefox addons
       + Chrome addons
       + Google Earth
       + Zope PIM installation
       + VeraCrypt / TrueCrypt

[4]	implemented in Win10 Insiders Builds > 14926+ https://github.com/Microsoft/BashOnWindows/issues/2 https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/wsl/2016/10/19/windows-and-ubuntu-interoperability/

[5]	https://superuser.com/a/141241

System Message: ERROR/3 (<string>, line 152)

Error in "list-table" directive: unknown option: "align".

.. list-table:: Working
   :header-rows: 1
   :stub-columns: 1
   :widths: 10 30 30 30
   :align: center
   :class: listing

   * - ↓ Area \\ OS →
     - Linux Mint
     - Windows 10
     - Mac OSX (retired)
   * - Communicating
     - + Slack chrome tab
     - + ✅ Skype (incl. secondary instance, simple /secondary switch on Windows)
       + ✅ Signal app for Chrome
       + ✅ Slack (now the app instead of chrome tabs)
       + ✅ web whatsapp chrome tab
       + 💡 (?) ooVoo
     - + ✅ Skype (incl. script for deleting lock and starting secondary instance)
       + ✅ Signal app for Chrome
       + ✅ Slack (chrome tab)
       + ✅ web whatsapp chrome tab
       + 💡 ooVoo
   * - Managing
     - + Thunderbird
       + ✅ LibreOffice
       + Tex installation
     - + ✅ Thunderbird + Calendar + Sync Setup
       + ✅ LibreOffice
       + ✅ MS Office full (365) (🎓)
       + ✅ Adobe Acrobat Pro (🎓), ✅ signing setup
       + ✅ Drawboard (comes with Surface, got lost on update, had to recover [#drawboardreinstall]_ )
       + ✅ GnuCash
       + 💡 (?) Local TeX installation? (through linux-like tools?)
       + FreePlane mind mapping
       + 🔨 Trello (chrome tabs)
     - + ✅ Thunderbird + Calendar + Sync Setup
       + ✅ LibreOffice
       + ✅ MS Office full (🎓)
       + ✅ Adobe Acrobat Pro (🎓), signature
       + GnuCash
       + Freeplane mind mapping
       + trello in chrome
   * - Researching
     - + Jupyter python science environment: matplotlib, scipy, ...
       + Python environment setup (docutils, sage, ...)
     - + ✅ Jupyter python science environment (matplotlib, scipy et al)
       + 🔨 Other Python environment setup (docutils, will skip sage for now, ...)
       + 🔨 LATER: Axis Neuron
       + 🔨 LATER: Empatica
     - + Jupyter python science environment: matplotlib, scipy, ...
       + Python environment setup (docutils, sage, ...)

[6]	reinstalled by using an Administrator-PowerShell to go to the DrawBoard...x64 folder in "C:\Program FilesWindowsApps" and reregistering the package: "Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Drawboard.DrawboardPDF_5.1.50.0_x64__gqbn7fs4pywxm\AppXManifest.xml"

System Message: ERROR/3 (<string>, line 208)

Error in "list-table" directive: unknown option: "align".

.. list-table:: Creating
   :header-rows: 1
   :stub-columns: 1
   :widths: 10 30 30 30
   :align: center
   :class: listing

   * - ↓ Area \\ OS →
     - Linux Mint
     - Windows 10
     - Mac OSX (retired)
   * - Developing
     - + git & mercurial
       + Eclipse
       + kdiff3
       + colordiff
       + buildbot
     - + ✅ SourceTree (incl. git and mercurial)
       + ✅ Unity + MonoDevelop (🎓)
       + ✅ Unreal
       + ✅ MS Visual Studio (🎓)
       + ✅ Android Studio
       + ✅ Processing
       + 💭💡 (?) Eclipse
       + ✅ KDiff3
       + ✅ colordiff (in WSL bash)
       + 💭💡 (?) ogre / python-ogre
       + 💭💡 (?) buildbot
     - + SourceTree (incl. git and mercurial)
       + Unity + MonoDevelop (🎓)
       + Android Studio
       + Processing
       + Eclipse
       + KDiff3
       + colordiff for command line (homebrew)

   * - Designing
     - + Blender
       + Scribus
       + Inkscape
       + Gimp
       + Fonts (dejavu, and?)
     - + ✅ Photoshop (🎓)
       + ✅ Adobe Suite: Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, InDesign, AfterEffect, Premiere) (🎓)
       + ✅ Maya et al from Autodesk (🎓)
       + ✅ Houdini & Houdini FX (🎓)
       + ✅ ZBrush (🎓)
       + ✅ Blender
       + ✅ Scribus
       + ✅ Inkscape
       + ✅ Gimp
       + 💭 Fonts (dejavu, and?)
     - + ✅ Photoshop (🎓)
       + ✅ Adobe Suite: Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, InDesign, AfterEffect, Premiere) (🎓)
       + ✅ Maya et al from Autodesk (🎓)
       + ✅ Houdini & Houdini FX (🎓)
       + ✅ ZBrush (🎓)
       + Blender
       + Scribus
       + Inkscape
       + Gimp
       + Fonts (dejavu, and?)
   * - Musicmaking
     - + LMMS
       + Audacity
     - + ✅ Ableton Live + 🔨 plugins
       + 💭 LMMS
       + ✅ SuperCollider
       + ✅ Audacity
     - + Ableton Live + plugins
       + LMMS
       + SuperCollider
       + Audacity

System Message: ERROR/3 (<string>, line 283)

Error in "list-table" directive: unknown option: "align".

.. list-table:: Consuming & Managing Media
   :header-rows: 1
   :stub-columns: 1
   :widths: 10 30 30 30
   :align: center
   :class: listing

   * - ↓ Area \\ OS →
     - Linux Mint
     - Windows 10
     - Mac OSX (retired)
   * - Managing Media
     - + VLC
       + digiKam
       + calibre
       + avconv / ffmpeg (command line, using linux environment)
     - + ✅ VLC
       + 💭 💡 digiKam (?)
       + 🔨 calibre
       + ✅ avconv / ffmpeg (command line, using linux environment)
       + 💭 youtube-dl (command line)
     - + VLC
       + 💡 digiKam (through kde mac build)
       + calibre
       + ✅ avconv / ffmpeg (homebrew)
       + youtube-dl (homebrew)
   * - Gaming
     - + Steam
     - + ✅ Steam
       + 💭 (?) Mumble
       + 💡 (?) Oculus
     - + Steam

Configurations

ssh keys and agent setup

...
persistence/backup for start menu layout?