KI 3446 Linux @ UiB - System Utilities

2026-07-21 (updated 2026-07-28)

Ubuntu Linux is pretty much complete. However, there are some areas where users disagree which of several options is best. The following recommendations are very subjective.

File manager

The default file manager in Ubuntu 24 LTS is Dolphin.
I prefer Thunar.
sudo apt install thunar
Thunar has 2 advantages over Dolphin:

F3 splits the window into 2 panes
The left sidebar can be used for image preview:

Editor

My favourite is Geany:
sudo apt install geany
It is lightweight and fast, AND it supports split view of the same document using a plug-in:

PDF viewer/editor

I do a lot of peer review of scientific manuscripts. I had a hard time finding a PDF reader that allows a split view of the same PDF manuscript so that I can read the manuscript AND check the references at the same time.
The only PDF viewer under Linux that I found is
https://www.qoppa.com/pdfstudio/
It is the one program that I pay to use under Linux, but to me it is worth the money.

Notetaking

There is a range of options under Linux. My goto solution is Obsidian. It can be installed as a snap from the Ubuntu App Centre. However, there are issues under Ubuntu 26 LTS (not under 24), the flatpak installation seems to work without problems. Note that Obsidian sync needs a subscriptions unless you set up a server on your own.