Configuring Debian GNU/Linux 6.0.5 "squeeze"

OK, I'm in....

17:42

Install Chromium via Software Center

• Select Internet > Web Browsers
• Select Chromium > Install
• Done; close Software Center

Configuring Chromium

• Add icon to my Desktop: 
• Applications > Internet
• Right-select on Chromium and select "Add this launcher to Desktop"
• Incognito mode by default:
• sudo vim /etc/chromium-browser/default
• add "--incognito"
• Close
• Run Chromium
• Sync Chromium
• Wrench > Options > Personal Stuff > Sync > Set Up Sync...
• Log-in to Google Account
• On screen Configure sync, select "Keep everything synced", then select "OK"
• Error appears: "The sync server is busy, please try again later." x_x
• Chromium Version 6.0.472.63 (59945) Built on Debian 6.0, running on Debian 6.0.5
• about:sync
• Authenticated null
• Last Synced null
• null null
• Via this post from Feb 2012: "The problem is that the chromium version is too old." Ah.
• From Wikipedia: "Chrome 6 was released in both a stable and beta version on 2 September 2010 as version 6.0.472.53" and "Chromium 23.0 was released on 9 August 2012, with the initial release version 23.0.1231.0." Ouch. So I have a two-year old browser.
• Since Debian will not update Chromium except for security/severe bugs, I am stuck with version 6.

Install Google Chrome via downloaded deb package

• Download Debian package from  https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/
• System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager
• Error: "Failed to run /usr/sbin/synaptic as user root. Wrong password."
• Ah, via this post, it attempts to run "su-to-root -X -c /usr/sbin/synaptic", which fails because I locked the root account
• Hmm..."su-to-root -p "k" -X -c /usr/sbin/synaptic" returns error "Starting without administrative privileges. You will not be able to apply any changes. But you can still export the marked changes or create a download script for them."
• It took some digging, but I discovered the answer: I changed the Debian menu item command from su-to-root -X -p "user" -c /usr/sbin/synaptic to gksu -S /usr/sbin/synaptic (see the link for details)
• Cannot figure out how to install downloaded package through Synaptic Package Manager
• Install via command line instead
• Via this post: 
• sudo dpkg -i /home/k/repo/google-chrome-stable_current_i386.deb
• sudo apt-get -f install , which installed libcurl3 (7.21.0-2.1+squeeze2) and libssh2-1 (1.2.6-1)
• Applications > Internet > Google Chrome
• It works! Version 21.0.1180.89

Configuring Google Chrome

• Add icon to my Desktop: 
• Applications > Internet
• Right-select on Google Chrome and select "Add this launcher to Desktop"
• Incognito mode by default:
• Right-select on Desktop Google Chrome launcher, then select Properties
• Add "--incognito" to the end of the text in text box "Command"
• Close
• Sync Google Chrome
• Wrench > Settings > Sign In > Sign in to Chrome
• Log-in to Google Account
• Select button "OK, sync everything"
• Install LastPass extension
• Download extension https://download.lastpass.com/lpchrome_linux.crx
• Hmm...Google Chrome reports message, "Extensions, apps, and user scripts can only be added from the Chrome Web Store." 
• Wrench > Tools > Extensions
• Search the Chrome Web Store for LastPass
• Install the LastPass extension
• Wrench > Tools > Extensions
• Select "Allow in Incognito"

Enabling NTP Support

• System > Administration > Time and Date
• Select the shield icon to authenticate
• Select pull-down list "Configuration" and choose "Keep synchronized with Internet servers"
• Error appears: "NTP support is not installed. Please install and activate NTP support in the system to enable synchronization of your local time server with internet time servers."
• Via this post: apt-get install ntp
• Select pull-down list "Configuration" and choose "Keep synchronized with Internet servers"
• Select time server tick.cs.unlv.edu (Las Vegas, USA) and ntp-0.cso.uiuc.edu (Illinois, USA)

Correcting root user setup

• Well, shoot. It appears during installation I configured Debian with a separate root user and my user account without root privileges
• Command sudo reports error "k is not in the sudoers file.  This incident will be reported." Heh.
• Sudo means “substitute user do”. hmm.
• Via this post: 
• su root
• visudo
• add line "yourusername    ALL=(ALL) ALL"
• save and exit
• exit root account
• sudo passwd -l root (lock the root account)

Set default editor to vim

• vim ~/.bashrc
• Append line: export EDITOR="vim"

Install vim

• Oy
• apt-get install vim