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Linux Setup

This is just a backup of my setup I have on my Linux OS, in case I ever have to start a Linux OS from scratch.

Software​

NameType
Déjà Dup BackupsBackup Creation
FirefoxBrowser
DiscordCommunication
FreeTubeYouTube Privacy-centric Alternative
HtopProcess List Viewer
NVTOPTask Monitor for NVIDIA GPUs
KeePassXCPassword Manager (locally hosted)
BitwardenPassword Manager (cloud hosted)
Lutris / Heroic LauncherRun games from Epic Games
Thunderbird MailEmail Client
Mullvad VPN / ProtonVPNVPN Client
LibreOfficeMicrosoft Office Alternative
OpenRGBLogitech G HUB / Razer Chroma RGB Alternative
PiperDPI software for the Mouse
qBittorrentTorrent software
SteamGaming Client
VarietyWallpaper software
VeraCryptEncryption software
Visual Studio CodeCoding IDE
VLCVideo Player
AgendaTo-Do List
CalibreE-book management
FlameshotScreen-shot tool
MComixComic book viewer
Visual Studio CodeCoding IDE
ZettlrOpen-Source Markdown Editor
ObsidianMarkdown Editor
WallchWallpaper Changer
TorSecure and Private web browser
mat2Metadata Removal Tool
AkregatorRSS Feed Reader
CPodPodcast Player/Downloader
KdenliveVideo Editor
mpvopen source media player
RhythmboxAudio Player
ClamAVVirus and file scanner

Firefox​

  • General
    • Uncheck Restore previous session
      • If you use a VPN and your connection dies, then when you use Firefox again, it will not spawn the same website, which would give away your data to the website
    • In Network Settings, enable DNS over HTTPS and choose Cloudflare
    • In Browsing, uncheck Recommend extensions as you browse and Recommend features as you browse
  • Home
    • Set Homepage and new windows to Blank Page
    • Set New tabs to Blank Page
      • These will prevent Firefox from spawning their own sites when you need a new page/tab
    • Uncheck everything under Firefox Home Content (Shortcuts, Recommended by Pocket, Recent activity, Snippets)
      • This will prevent Firefox from loading their own content
  • Search
    • Change Default Search Engine to DuckDuckGo
    • Uncheck Provide Suggestions
      • Prevents the queries from going to the Google API
  • Privacy & Security
    • Under Cookies and Site Data, check Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed
    • Under Logins and Passwords, uncheck the boxes (with the inside list first):
      • Show alerts about passwords for breached websites
      • Suggest and generate strong passwords
      • Autofill logins and passwords
      • and then, Ask to save logins and passwords for websites
    • Under History, in the dropdown choose Firefox will Use custom settings for history.
      • Also uncheck, Remember search and form history, and Remember browsing and download history
      • Check Clear history when Firefox closes
      • DO NOT check the box next to Always use private browsing mode
        • It will break Firefox containers
    • Under Address Bar, only have Bookmarks and Open tabs showing up
      • Also uncheck Suggestions from the web and Suggestions from sponsors
    • Under Permissions, click Settings... next to Location, Camera, Microphone, and Notifications. In the popup, check the "Block new requests.." box on the bottom.
    • Under Firefox Data Collection and Use, uncheck everything
    • Under Security, uncheck everything
    • Under HTTPS-Only Mode, best practice would be to use Enable HTTPS-Only Mode in all windows. However, I use Enable HTTPS-Only in private windows only

These are the settings I use when you type in about:config in the search bar:

  • geo.enabled -> false
    • Disables Firefox from sharing your location
  • browser.safebrowsing.malware.enabled -> false
    • Disables Google's ability to monitor your web traffic for malware
  • dom.battery.enabled -> false
    • Blocks sending battery level information
  • media.autoplay.default-> 5
    • Disables audio and video from playing automatically
  • dom.webnotifications.enabled -> false
    • Disables embedded notifications
  • privacy.resistFingerprinting -> true
    • Disables some fingerprinting
  • webgl.disabled -> true
    • Disables some fingerprinting
    • Breaks graphical games and websites
  • network.http.sendRefererHeader -> 0
    • Disables referring website notifications (BREAKS SOME SITES)
    • 1 = Send the Referer header when clicking on a link, and set document.referrer for the following page.
    • 2 = Send the Referer header when clicking on a link or loading an image, and set document.referrer for the following page. (Default)
    • I use 1 just to be safe
  • identity.fxaccounts.enabled -> false
    • Disables any embedded Firefox accounts
  • beacon.enabled -> false
    • Disables data being sent to servers when leaving pages
  • browser.cache.disk.enable -> false
    • Disk cache is not used by Firefox
  • browser.cache.disk_cache_ssl -> false
    • Firefox will not cache https website contents.
  • geo.provider.network.url -> 127.0.0.1
    • The data provider used to power Firefox's geolocation feature
  • network.cookie.lifetimePolicy -> 2
    • Determines whether Firefox will accept so-called session cookies (removed when browser exits) automatically.
      • 0 = The cookie's lifetime is supplied by the server. (Default)
      • 1 = The user is prompted for the cookie's lifetime.
      • 2 = The cookie expires at the end of the session (when the browser closes).
      • 3 = The cookie lasts for the number of days specified by network.cookie.lifetime.days.
  • pdfjs.disabled -> true
    • Disable JavaScript for PDF view

Disable Telemetry Settings:

  • browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.telemetry -> false
  • browser.ping-centre.telemetry -> false
  • browser.tabs.crashReporting.sendReport -> false
  • devtools.onboarding.telemetry.logged -> false
  • toolkit.telemetry.enabled -> false
  • toolkit.telemetry.server -> *DELETE URL and leave empty*
  • toolkit.telemetry.unified -> false

Disable Pocket:

  • browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.discoverystreamfeed -> false
  • browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.section.topstories -> false
  • browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.section.highlights.includePocket -> false
  • browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.showSponsored -> false
  • extensions.pocket.enabled -> false

Disable prefetching:

  • network.dns.disablePrefetch -> true
  • network.prefetch-next -> false

Harden SSL preferences:

  • security.ssl3.rsa_des_ede3_sha -> false (if available)
  • security.ssl.require_safe_negotiation -> true

WebRTC settings:

  • media.peerconnection.enabled -> false
  • media.navigator.enabled -> false
  • media.peerconnection.turn.disable -> true
  • media.peerconnection.use_document_iceservers -> false
  • media.peerconnection.video.enabled -> false

Firefox Extensions​

  • uBlock Origin - free and open source ad blocker
  • LocalCDN - emulates CDNs to improve online privacy
  • Popup Blocker (strict) - asks you for permission before you get redirected to another site
  • CleanURLs - removes tracking elements from URLs
  • CanvasBlocker - Modifies JavaScript to prevent fingerprinting
  • NoScript Security Suite - gives you control of JavaScript on websites
  • Dark Reader - modifies sites to have forced dark mode
  • SingleFile - save a webpage with one button
  • Chameleon - user-agent changer
  • Cookie AutoDelete - deleted cookies when the tab/browser closes
  • Decentraleyes - prevents content delivery requests from reaching Google and etc.

If you do not want to have the hassle of modifying all of these options, then check out https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js. The person who made the repository has made the user profile with all the privacy settings, so all you have to do is download it and upload it as your own profile.

Resources​

Gnome Tweaks​

Gnome extensions can be found here. I got a couple of recommendations from Pop!_OS.

I learned that you can also apply themes to Linux. In order to do this, I went to this site, and then did the following:

  • Download and extract the .tar.xz file.
  • Install User Themes extension
  • Move the theme folder to ".themes" in your home directory. (Some themes have more than one folder, so youll have to read the instructions)

In order to change the theme you will have to install gnome-tweaks by running sudo apt install gnome-tweaks. To change the theme (in the Tweaks app), go to Appearance, and then you can change the theme from Shell.

I used the following theme(s):