This is a running list of packages I find myself installing on my Debian/Ubuntu based systems. In most cases I only include the app name and indicate if it is a apt install or download. And some distros have a custom version.

Commands ran with $ sudo apt install package
(ppa: = Repository added with $ sudo apt-add-repository PPA:info)
⇩= download package

Create USB boot disk
⇩balena etcher (AppImage)

Initial

Initial items after installing OS
Package manager GUI

sudo apt install synaptic
sudo apt install gdebi
sudo apt install mlocate
sudo updatedb
with regex
locate -r "^/home/USER/.local/.*png.*$"
sudo apt install curl
$ sudo su
# apt install flatpak
Add flatpak repository to get apps
# flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

restart

Ubuntu add PPAs

sudo apt install apt-transport-https
sudo apt install software-properties-common
sudo apt install sudo add-apt-repository universe

Appearance and windows

sudo apt install grub-customizer (ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer)
sudo apt install gnome-tweaks
sudo apt install mate-tweak
sudo apt install elementary-tweaks (ppa:philip.scott/elementary-tweaks)
(change to windows for minimize button)
sudo apt install neofetch
sudo apt install plank (ppa:ppa:ricotz/docky) optional
Remote Connect (vnc, ssh, network)

Tools for finding IP address, vnc setup, ssh, file transfer

sudo apt install openssh-server
sudo apt install rsync
sudo apt install net-tools
sudo apt install x11vnc
sudo apt install vinagre
sudo apt install nmap
⇩RealVNC viewer and server

sudo add-apt-repository universe
Google Drive desktop app
⇩overGrive
Backup installed programs, configurations, home, etc
⇩Aptik
Run scheduled backup of folders you specify (I backup my google drive folder)
sudo apt install deja-dup

Utilities

Disk usage, system monitor conky and sensor, disk utility

sudo apt install baobab
sudo apt install gnome-disk-utility
sudo apt install lm-sensors
sudo apt install conky conky-all

STEM (MQTT, INFLUXDB, NODE-RED)

sudo apt install -y mosquitto mosquitto-clients
sudo systemctl enable mosquitto
mosquitto -d
echo “username:password” > pwfile
mosquitto_passwd -U pwfile
sudo mv pwfile /etc/mosquitto/

sudo nano /etc/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf

allow_anonymous false
password_file /etc/mosquitto/pwfile
listener 1883

* sudo reboot

wget -qO- https://repos.influxdata.com/influxdb.key | sudo apt-key add -
source /etc/os-release
echo "deb https://repos.influxdata.com/debian $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/influxdb.list
sudo apt install influxdb
sudo systemctl unmask influxdb
sudo systemctl enable influxdb
sudo systemctl start influxdb
influx
When you enable HTTP authentication, InfluxDB requires you to create at least one admin user before you can interact with the system.
CREATE USER admin WITH PASSWORD ‘' WITH ALL PRIVILEGES
show users
exit

sudo nano /etc/influxdb/influxdb.conf

1st item – Determines whether HTTP endpoint is enabled
enabled = True
4th item – The bind address used by the HTTP service
bind-address = “:8086”
auth-enabled = true
pprof-enabled = true
pprof-auth-enabled = true
ping-auth-enabled = true

sudo systemctl restart influxdb
influx -username admin -password
CREATE DATABASE xxxxx
use xxxxx
sudo apt install build-essential git
bash <(curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/node-red/linux-installers/master/deb/update-nodejs-and-nodered)
node-red-pi –max-old-space-size=256
sudo systemctl enable nodered.service
node-red-log
sudo reboot
npm install node-red-contrib-influxdb

MQTT tools

⇩ mqtt-explorer (AppImage)

Programming IDEs

mu-editor
sudo apt install pip3
sudo pip3 install –upgrade pip
sudo pip3 install mu-editor
To create a shortcut
sudo pip3 install shortcut
shortcut mu-editor
sudo apt install mu-editor
(download mu icon and place in $HOME/.local/share/icons/hicolor/48x48

VScode

⇩VScode
VS code extensions
Python
Github pull requests
Jupyter
Pygame

venv

For virtual environment and git integration to VScode

sudo apt install python3
sudo apt install python3-pip
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install python3-venv
sudo apt install build-essential git

GPIO tools

For GPIO tools on non Raspberry Pi OS install

sudo pip3 install gpiozero
sudo apt install python3-rpi.gpio

Thonny

RPi OS (32bit) is pre-installed
Ubuntu (64bit) and RPi OS with MATE
sudo pip3 install thonny
sudo apt install thonny
which -a thonny
(if you have multiple versions can remove /usr/bin/thonny. I use the /usr/local/bin/thonny)
sudo apt remove thonny

(to connect to esp32)

sudo usermod -a -G dialout USER

Browsers, Office, Photo, etc..

Browsers

⇩google chrome .deb
sudo apt install firefox

LibreOffice

sudo apt install libreoffice libreoffice-gtk3
For elementary OS
sudo apt install libreoffice-style-elementary
GIMP image editor
sudo flatpak install flathub org.gimp.GIMP

Free Up Disk Space

Clean out the apt cache
sudo apt clean
Remove older kernels
sudo apt autoremove --purge
Clean out thumbnail cache
rm -rf ~/.cache/thumbnails/*
Delete older logs
sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=1d
Clean up snapd
run snapdscript to clean up older versions
Bleachbit
⇩bleachbit .deb
Stacer for focal+ (my preference)
sudo apt install stacer

RPi Deleted Unused Apps

Raspberry Pi’s - delete unused programs

sudo apt purge wolfram-engine
sudo apt purge scratch
sudo apt purge minecraft-pi
sudo apt purge sonic-pi
sudo apt purge libreoffice*