Tweaking Ubuntu

After installing Ubuntu 7.04, I started to install extra software and 'tweak' the setup.

Extra software that I have installed includes Celestia, Google Earth, Stellarium, Tux Paint, Thunderbird, Ex Falso (for flac/ogg file tagging) and Childsplay.

A couple of problems that I came across:

1. After installing Thunderbird and running it OK, it subsequently crashed at startup after restarting the computer the following day. Removing the folder .mozilla-thunderbird would fix the problem, but after setting up Thunderbird again, it would crash at startup again. I found a fix on the Ubuntu Forums, which was to blank out the default location for the start page. Weird. The fix is a bit awkward to do, as you have to rename the .mozilla-thunderbird folder, set Thunderbird up and remove the start page, then copy the Mail subfolder from the original .mozilla-thunderbird folder into the 'new' .mozilla-thunderbird folder.
2. I couldn't play DVDs. After following the standard Ubuntu instructions on how to add DVD playback capability, the Totem Movie Player wouldn't play any DVDs. It flashed up an error 'There is no plugin to handle this movie'. A Google search turned up the solution in a Ubuntu bug report. The solution is to apt-get xine-ui. This installs some other library which then makes Totem work OK.
3. I changed the standard font to Bitstream Vera Sans in System>Preferences>Font. To me, this font appears clearer than the standard Sans font.
4. In Firefox, I'm used to clicking in the address bar and having the whole text selected (this is how it works in XP). In Ubuntu, no text is selected. To change this, you need to type about:config in the address bar and press enter. Then in the filter box type browser.urlbar.clickSelectsAll. Change this value to True.

That's all for now, but I'll maybe find more issues as the days go by. Hopefully they will all be as minor as those that I have encountered so far.