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.

Wrestling the OS
â Area \ OS â	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 [1] in autostart CapsLock remapping: registry entry [2] Prevent auto-restarts [3]	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

Tools
â Area \ OS â	Linux Mint	Windows 10	Mac OSX (retired)
Basics	â Archivers pre-installed â jEdit and Java â tree map file display â htop â ssh setup, sshfs â bashrc setup	â 7zip â jEdit and Java, â jEdit settings â WinDirStat â f.lux â htop (in WSL bash, ð¨ not usable for windows processes as it is an isolated container) â 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 [4]. To do: test manual proxy scripts) (â plink/pageant for now, installed by SourceTree, usable by Unison) ð¨ SSHFS mounting? â bashrc setup, sagent functions [5] in .bash_aliases ð (not using a linux/homebrew/scoop/chocolatey at the moment. Just the Windows built-in Bash for now)	â Archiver pre-installed â jEdit and Java â DiskInventoryX â f.lux â brew htop â ssh setup, sshfs â bashrc setup
Sync & Connect	Unison â Synergy Owncloud Sync Dropbox vnc client torrent client: Deluge	â Unison (ð¨ compiled GTK GUI breaks horribly with HiDPI screen, will probably have to recompile 64bit version with newer GTK) â Synergy â Owncloud Sync â Dropbox â Google Drive â Torrent client: Deluge â 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	â Firefox addons â Chrome + â addons ð Virtual Box + Linux Mint setup â Google Earth â Zope PIM installation (on WSL after installing python-dev) â 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

Working
â Area \ OS â	Linux Mint	Windows 10	Mac OSX (retired)
Communicating	Slack chrome tab	â Skype (incl. secondary instance, simple /secondary switch on Windows) â Signal app for Chrome â Slack (now the app instead of chrome tabs) â web whatsapp chrome tab ð¡ (?) ooVoo	â Skype (incl. script for deleting lock and starting secondary instance) â Signal app for Chrome â Slack (chrome tab) â web whatsapp chrome tab ð¡ ooVoo
Managing	Thunderbird â LibreOffice Tex installation	â Thunderbird + Calendar + Sync Setup â LibreOffice â MS Office full (365) (ð) â Adobe Acrobat Pro (ð), â signing setup â Drawboard (comes with Surface, got lost on update, had to recover [6] ) â GnuCash ð¡ (?) Local TeX installation? (through linux-like tools?) FreePlane mind mapping ð¨ Trello (chrome tabs)	â Thunderbird + Calendar + Sync Setup â LibreOffice â MS Office full (ð) â Adobe Acrobat Pro (ð), signature GnuCash Freeplane mind mapping trello in chrome
Researching	Jupyter python science environment: matplotlib, scipy, ... Python environment setup (docutils, sage, ...)	â Jupyter python science environment (matplotlib, scipy et al) ð¨ Other Python environment setup (docutils, will skip sage for now, ...) ð¨ LATER: Axis Neuron ð¨ 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"

Creating
â Area \ OS â	Linux Mint	Windows 10	Mac OSX (retired)
Developing	git & mercurial Eclipse kdiff3 colordiff buildbot	â SourceTree (incl. git and mercurial) â Unity + MonoDevelop (ð) â Unreal â MS Visual Studio (ð) â Android Studio â Processing ðð¡ (?) Eclipse â KDiff3 â colordiff (in WSL bash) ðð¡ (?) ogre / python-ogre ðð¡ (?) buildbot	SourceTree (incl. git and mercurial) Unity + MonoDevelop (ð) Android Studio Processing Eclipse KDiff3 colordiff for command line (homebrew)
Designing	Blender Scribus Inkscape Gimp Fonts (dejavu, and?)	â Photoshop (ð) â Adobe Suite: Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, InDesign, AfterEffect, Premiere) (ð) â Maya et al from Autodesk (ð) â Houdini & Houdini FX (ð) â ZBrush (ð) â Blender â Scribus â Inkscape â Gimp ð Fonts (dejavu, and?)	â Photoshop (ð) â Adobe Suite: Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, InDesign, AfterEffect, Premiere) (ð) â Maya et al from Autodesk (ð) â Houdini & Houdini FX (ð) â ZBrush (ð) Blender Scribus Inkscape Gimp Fonts (dejavu, and?)
Musicmaking	LMMS Audacity	â Ableton Live + ð¨ plugins ð LMMS â SuperCollider â Audacity	Ableton Live + plugins LMMS SuperCollider Audacity

Consuming & Managing Media
â Area \ OS â	Linux Mint	Windows 10	Mac OSX (retired)
Managing Media	VLC digiKam calibre avconv / ffmpeg (command line, using linux environment)	â VLC ð ð¡ digiKam (?) ð¨ calibre â avconv / ffmpeg (command line, using linux environment) ð youtube-dl (command line)	VLC ð¡ digiKam (through kde mac build) calibre â avconv / ffmpeg (homebrew) youtube-dl (homebrew)
Gaming	Steam	â Steam ð (?) Mumble ð¡ (?) Oculus	Steam

Configurations

ssh keys and agent setup

...
persistence/backup for start menu layout?