Setting preferences for all applications automatically

[tarest]

Hello,

I would like to pass a file with my preferences to Linux Mint before or immediately after its installation and see the operating system configuring automatically all applications according to these preferences. For example when I set:
habitual_residence=London
applets.add=weather@mockturtl
applets."weather@mockturtl".show_5_day_forecast=1
applets."weather@mockturtl".symbolic_icons=1
pidgin.autostart=1
pidgin.window=hidden
pidgin.status_icon=1
the following things will be done automatically:
- a weather applet will be added with tuned icons and longer forecast period, the forecast will be obtained for the place from habitual_residence constant,
- Pidgin IM will automatically start together with Linux Mint but its window will be hidden and only status icon will be shown.

The file could reside in a home directory. Thanks to it I will not have to configure the whole system every time I install it. This feature can be implemented "quite easy", for example by creating a standard of configuration file that will be used later by authors of programs that want to use it together with specific program configuration files (for example authors of Pidgin IM).

[tarest]

Below is an example file with most of setting I have to set manually every time I install Linux Mint.

Code: Select all

#=============== person ===============

natural_languages=en, pl      #all languages that I know, ex. install these dictionaries in Firefox
natural_languages.default=en  #preferred language, for example the language of a user interface
system_of_measurement=metric  #ex. for weather
habitual_residence=Vlissingen #where I am most often, should be a name of an article in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/<name>)
                              #for system time, weather
whereabouts=Breskens          #where I am now, for weather, only suitable
security_level=increased      #better security
information_level=tuned       #no superfluous information occupying space or time, interesting information added
                              #Multi-Core System Monitor applet, Weather 1.8.8 applet based on Gnome Shell extension

#========== personal_computer ==========

#syntax:
# boolean values: 0,1
# program.autostart=0,1
# program.window=normal,maximized,minimized,hidden
# program.status_icon=0,1
# program.shortcuts.start=Ctrl-Alt-<key>
# <elements>=element1, element2, ...  or add/remove
# <elements>.default=element1
# <elements>.element1.config1=...
# <programsgroup>.default=<program1>

#gir1.2-gtop-2.0 is needed for multicore-sys-monitor@ccadeptic23 applet
apt.install=gir1.2-gtop-2.0 mc gufw meld kismet marble stellarium openjdk-7-jdk extremetuxracer  #apt-get install ...
apt.install_recommends=skype gtk-recordmydesktop                               #apt-get --install-recommends install ...

boot_loader.timeout=3                     #seconds, ex. GRUB

power.critically_low_battery_level=hibernate
power.lid_closed=hibernate
power.power_button_pressed=hibernate

keyboard.layout=pl

bluetooth.autostart=0

#if security_level=increased
  #firewall enabled and stealth mode
  #install TrueCrypt, KeePass, Google Chrome (because of sandbox) and programs for backups and data erasure
#endif

applets.add=multicore-sys-monitor@ccadeptic23, weather@mockturtl
applets.remove=user@cinnamon.org
applets."power@cinnamon.org".label=hide
applets."multicore-sys-monitor@ccadeptic23".labels=0
applets."multicore-sys-monitor@ccadeptic23".height=21
applets."multicore-sys-monitor@ccadeptic23".cpu.width=20
applets."multicore-sys-monitor@ccadeptic23".memory.enable=0
applets."multicore-sys-monitor@ccadeptic23".network.enable=0
applets."weather@mockturtl".show_5_day_forecast=1
applets."weather@mockturtl".symbolic_icons=1

nemo.default_view=list
nemo.default_sorting=type

gnome-calculator.shortcuts.start=Ctrl-Alt-k
 
#applications
web_browser.min_tab_width=40            #pixels, ex. Firefox
firefox.dictionaries=1                  #install language dictionaries (specified in natural_languages variable)
firefox.search_plugins=www.google.com, www.bing.com, en.wikipedia.org, pl.wikipedia.org, dictionary.reference.com
firefox.search_plugins.default=www.google.com
firefox.search_plugins.show_search_suggestions=1
firefox.extensions.add=custom-tab-width, flashblock    #from https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/<name>
                                                       #tab width from web_browser.min_tab_width
firefox.extensions.flashblock.whitelist=maps.google.com, www.youtube.com, dictionary.reference.com, www.ivona.com, www.orange.pl

video_player.default=vlc

skype.autostart=1
skype.window=hidden    

pidgin.autostart=1
pidgin.window=hidden
pidgin.status_icon=1
pidgin.show_offline_buddies=1
pidgin.sort_buddies=status
pidgin.show_buddies_details=0

bittorrent_client.status_icon=1
bittorrent_client.max_upload_speed=5   #kB/s, for ex. in Transmission two settings: speed-limit-up: 5 and speed-limit-up-enabled: true
bittorrent_client.max_peers=100