I left Windows for Ubuntu. Here’s everything I configured and what I learned

Source: Dev.to

Git

sudo apt install git

git config --global user.name "your_name"
git config --global user.email "your_email"

Check configuration:

git config --global --list

Git is now ready.

SDKMAN (Java version management)

Install SDKMAN:

curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | bash
source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"

Verify installation:

sdk version

List available Java versions:

sdk list java

Install a specific JDK (e.g., Temurin 21.0.9):

sdk install java 21.0.9-tem

Use it for the current session:

sdk use java 21.0.9-tem

Set it as the default:

sdk default java 21.0.9-tem

Verify:

java -version
# or
javac -version

NVM (Node Version Manager)

Install NVM:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash

After reopening the terminal, verify:

nvm --version

Install and use a specific Node version (e.g., 20):

nvm install 20
nvm use 20
nvm alias default 20

Verify:

node -v
npm -v

PostgreSQL

sudo apt update
sudo apt install postgresql-18 postgresql-client-18 postgresql-contrib

Check service status:

sudo systemctl status postgresql

Switch to the postgres user and open psql:

sudo -u postgres psql

Inside PostgreSQL, set a password for the postgres user:

ALTER USER postgres WITH PASSWORD 'your_new_password';

Postman

Install via Snap:

sudo snap install postman

Launch with:

postman

Log in to sync collections automatically.

SSH Keys for GitHub

Generate a new SSH key:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_github_email"

Start the ssh-agent and add the key:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Copy the public key:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Add the key in GitHub under Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key.

Test the connection:

ssh -T git@github.com

You should see:

Hi username! You've successfully authenticated...

Now you can clone repositories without authentication prompts.

IDEs

• IntelliJ IDEA – installed from the Ubuntu App Center.
• VS Code – installed from the Ubuntu App Center.

Both IDEs automatically sync your GitHub account, plugins, settings, and themes.

Final Thoughts

Switching from Windows to Ubuntu felt surprisingly simple:

• A handful of terminal commands replace many GUI installers.
• Clear, lightweight tools keep the environment tidy.
• Tasks that took minutes on Windows now complete in seconds.
• Most importantly, you gain a deeper understanding of what you’re installing and how your development environment works.