Basic setup

echo 'apt update; apt dist-upgrade' > /root/up && chmod 700 /root/up
apt -y install openssh-server vim subversion git mysql-server
apt -y install gedit mysql-workbench
apt -y install python-mysqldb python-pip python-yaml
pip install python-redmine
apt -y install vlc wkhtmltopdf rdiff-backup evince keepassx
ln -sfn /usr/bin/wkhtmltopdf /usr/bin/wkhtmltopdf2 # alias for when more than one version is in use

• install X2Go from here: drup.org/setting-x2go
• install NXclient from: drup.org/installing-nx-server

Other software

• install Chrome from

• Install LAMP stack

apt -y install openssh-server
apt -y install tasksel
tasksel install lamp-server

• Some basic stuff

The latest git version of the MLT framework can be downloaded and compiled as decribed here: www.mltframework.org/…dScripts

wget http://github.com/mltframework/mlt-scripts/raw/master/build/build-melted.sh
sudo apt-get install nasm libmp3lame0 libgavl1 libsox2 libqt4-gui libexif12 libvdpau1
sudo apt-get install libsamplerate0-dev libsdl1.2-dev qtdeclarative5-dev libogg-dev
sudo apt-get install git automake autoconf libtool intltool g++ yasm nasm swig libmp3lame-dev libgavl-dev libsamplerate-dev libxml2-dev ladspa-sdk libjack-dev libsox-dev libsdl-dev libgtk2.0-de

Here are some good recommendations:

• sites.google.com/…sproject/ssd Solid State Drive (SSD): optimize it for Ubuntu 14.04, Linux Mint 17 and Debian
• www.namhuy.net/…inux-mint.html How to tweak and optimize SSD for Ubuntu, Linux Mint
• askubuntu.com/…the-os-for-ssds How do I optimize the OS for SSDs?
• wiki.debian.org/…DOptimization SSD Optimization for Debian
• www.leaseweblabs.com/…tu-linux 5 crucial optimiza

It’s important to remove any traces of the fake ffmpeg that Ubuntu unfortunately packages. You know you have it because if you run ffmpeg you get a vindictive message from former developers who left the project.

• Here is the info: askubuntu.com/questions/313217/install-latest-ffmpeg-for-all-users-in-debina-ubuntu

The official installation guide seems to be maintained regularly:

• ffmpeg.org/trac/ffmpeg/wiki/UbuntuCompilationGuide

Some problems and solutions are here:

• ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=786095

There is an excellent article here: www.makeuseof.com/…en-machines

• Create package list: dpkg --get-selections > ~/packagelist.txt
• Mark packages for reinstallation on new system dpkg --set-selections < ~/packagelist.txt
  • This will mark all packages, but it won’t install them until you run:
• apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

Many GTK based apps failed with errors like:

Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/16x16/actions/application-exit.png'

until I ran this line to regenerate the cache:

gdk-pixbuf-query-loaders > /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gdk-pixbuf-2.0/2.10.0/loaders.cache

sudo apt-get install x11-xserver-utils
xrandr #to find out the names of the displays
xrandr --output DVI-0 --primary

• This tutorial showed me how to identifuy the button I wanted (8)
  www.gizmodo.com.au/…r-hardware
  (watch out because the page uses something like markdown which has garbled – and quote characters)
• But it didn’t show me how to make it double-click.
• This might be useful, but it is old:
  ubuntuforums.org/…owthread.php
• If you simply want to disable or re-assign a basic button, try:
  ubuntuforums.org/…owthread.php
• My button order was:
  left middle right wheel-up wheel-down wheel-left?

Here are a few CPU oriented benchmarks for Linux.

I am not sure if they are available in packages for CentOS, so I have only given the Ubuntu packages:

(Please note that you will have to enable the community repositories for these)