Guide to configuring Debian GNU/Linux

I recommend both the GNOME and KDE desktop environments, this guide is made around the assumption that you are using one of those. However, this could also be used as a reference for general tweaks & tips for any desktop environment.

Manual update

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Non-free repositories (for Valve's Steam, Microsoft Fonts, etc)

sudo apt-add-repository contrib non-free -y

Non-free codecs & Microsoft Fonts

sudo apt install vlc libavcodec-extra ttf-mscorefonts-installer

(Extra) Nvidia drivers

sudo apt install nvidia-driver

Steam

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 # Add 32bit packages
sudo apt update                   # Apply changes
sudo apt install steam-installer

Flatpak (e.g. for Discord)

sudo apt install flatpak
# sudo apt install plasma-discover-backend-flatpak # For KDE users
# sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak   # For GNOME users

Remember flatpak is just a packaging format, flathub is just a popular repository for software where you can find official builds for Discord or Telegram Desktop, and unofficial builds for Miscrosoft Teams or VSCode. You can add the 'flathub' repository this way:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Custom locales.

First, look for your preferred locale in the available locales with this command:

cat /usr/share/i18n/SUPPORTED

Choose the locale you prefer, and run:

locale="CHOSENLOCALE" ; ! grep -q "^$locale" /etc/locale.gen && echo "$locale" | sudo tee -a '/etc/locale.gen'
# For EXAMPLE:
#locale="es_CR.UTF-8 UTF-8" ; ! grep -q "^$locale" /etc/locale.gen && echo "$locale" | sudo tee -a '/etc/locale.gen'

You can add as many locales as you want. Then, generate the locales selected by running:

sudo locale-gen

Restart

You should restart your computer after applying this changes, especially for flatpak and gpu drivers.

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