2.1. Gnome desktop

2.1.1. Gnome settings

Customize the settings using the Gnome Settings dialog or the command line:

Wi-Fi: configure as needed
Network: configure as needed
Background ‣ Add Picture: configure as needed
Privacy ‣ Thunderbolt: authorize as needed (check the BIOS too)

Privacy ‣ Screen Lock ‣ Blank Screen Delay = 3 minutes

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.session idle-delay 180

Privacy ‣ Screen Lock ‣ Automatic Screen Lock = On

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled true

Privacy ‣ Screen Lock ‣ Automatic Screen Lock Delay = 30 seconds
```
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-delay 30
```

Privacy ‣ Screen Lock ‣ Lock Screen On Suspend = On

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver ubuntu-lock-on-suspend true

Power ‣ Automatic Suspend ‣ On Battery Power = 5 minutes

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power sleep-inactive-battery-type 'suspend'
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power sleep-inactive-battery-timeout 300

Power ‣ Automatic Suspend ‣ Plugged In = 20 minutes

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power sleep-inactive-ac-type 'suspend'
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power sleep-inactive-ac-timeout 1200

Power ‣ When the power button is pressed : Hibernate

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power power-button-action 'hibernate'

Displays ‣ Fractional Scaling = On

gsettings set org.gnome.mutter experimental-features "['x11-randr-fractional-scaling']"

Displays ‣ Night Light = On

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-enabled true

# 1. automatic schedule
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-schedule-automatic true

# 2. manual schedule
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-schedule-automatic false
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-schedule-from 20.0
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-schedule-to 7.0

Users: add a picture
Date & Time ‣ Automatic Date & Time = On
```
timedatectl set-ntp 1
```

2.1.2. Gnome tweaks

Install Gnome Tweaks to enable more customizations:

1sudo apt install -y gnome-tweak-tool

Customize the settings using the Gnome Tweaks dialog or the command line:

Appearence ‣ Background ‣ Image : choose an image

cp Nebulous_Gem_3840x2160.jpg "$HOME/.local/share/backgrounds/"
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri "file://$HOME/.local/share/backgrounds/Nebulous_Gem_3840x2160.jpg"
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background primary-color '#000000000000'
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background secondary-color '#000000000000'

Appearence ‣ Lock Screen ‣ Image : choose an image

cp Mustafarian_Sunrise_3840x2160.jpg "$HOME/.local/share/backgrounds/"
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver picture-uri "file://$HOME/.local/share/backgrounds/Mustafarian_Sunrise_3840x2160.jpg"
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver primary-color '#000000000000'
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver secondary-color '#000000000000'

Extensions ‣ Desktop Icons ‣ Show the personal folder in the desktop = Off
```
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.desktop-icons show-home false
```

Extensions ‣ Desktop Icons ‣ Show the trash icon in the desktop = Off

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.desktop-icons show-trash false

Keyboard & Mouse ‣ Mouse Click Emulation = Area

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad click-method 'areas'

Top Bar ‣ Battery Percentage = On

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface show-battery-percentage true

Top Bar ‣ Clock ‣ Weekday = On

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface clock-show-weekday true

Top Bar ‣ Calendar ‣ Week Numbers = On

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.calendar show-weekdate true

Window Titlebars ‣ Titlebar Buttons ‣ Placement = Left

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences button-layout 'close,minimize,maximize:'

Windows ‣ Attach Modal Dialogs = Off

gsettings set org.gnome.mutter attach-modal-dialogs false

Workspaces ‣ Static Workspaces = On

gsettings set org.gnome.mutter dynamic-workspaces false

Workspaces ‣ Number of Workspaces = 4

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences num-workspaces 4

Enable Click to Minimize:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock click-action 'minimize'

2.1.3. Gnome extensions

Install the following extensions with the command line or with the Gnome Shell Integration Firefox add-on.

Alt Tab Workspace

A replacement for Alt-Tab, cycles through applications on current workspace only. [Link]

Add Username to Top Panel

Simply add your username to topbar panel aggregate menu. [Link]

Auto Move Windows

Move applications to specific workspaces when they create windows. [Link]

Clock Override

Customize the date and time format displayed in clock in the top bar in GNOME Shell. [Link]

Settings:

Text to display instead of the clock = %A %d %B %Y - %H:%M:%S

dconf write /org/gnome/shell/extensions/clock_override/override-string "'%A %d %B %Y - %H:%M:%S'"

Control the Blur Effect On Lock Screen

Remove the blur effect on the lock screen. [Link]

GSConnect

Connect to devices to securely share content like notifications or files and other features like SMS messaging and remote control. [Link]

Hibernate Status Button

Add a Hibernate button in the status menu. Using Alt modifier, you can also select Hybrid Sleep instead. [Link]

Places Status Indicator

Add a menu for quickly navigating places in the system. [Link]

Put Windows

Fully customizable replacement for the old compiz put plugin. Link]

Refresh Wifi Connections

This extension adds a refresh button to the Wifi connection selection dialog to request for a network scan manually. [Link]

Remove App Menu

Remove the Application Menu on the top bar. [Link]

Sound Input & Output Device Chooser

Shows a list of sound output and input devices (similar to gnome sound settings) in the status menu below the volume slider. [Link]

Workspace Matrix

Arrange workspaces in a two dimensional grid with workspace thumbnails. [Link]

Settings:

Number of columns = 2
Number of rows = 2
Show workspace thumbnails = On
Show workspace grid in the overview = On

dconf write /org/gnome/shell/extensions/wsmatrix/num-columns '2'
dconf write /org/gnome/shell/extensions/wsmatrix/num-rows '2'
dconf write /org/gnome/shell/extensions/wsmatrix/show-overview-grid 'true'
dconf write /org/gnome/shell/extensions/wsmatrix/show-thumbnails 'true'

Pomodoro Timer

1sudo apt install -y gnome-shell-pomodoro

2.1.3.1. Files associations

Files associations are quite a mess!

The following files are used:

	Path	Usage
A	`/etc/gnome/defaults.list`	Gnome defaults
B	`/usr/share/applications/defaults.list`	Distribution defaults
C	`~/.config/mimeapps.list`	User settings
D	`~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list`	User settings

About user settings:

The official Gnome documentation says to use the D file
The ArchLinux documentation says that the D file is deprecated
The D file doesn’t exist anymore starting from Ubuntu 18.04

Some applications still use ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list.

Although deprecated, several applications still read/write to file D. To simplify maintenance, simply create a symbolic link:

1ln -s ~/.config/mimeapps.list ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list