Seeing as a lot of my customization posts are often covering Windows, such as the alternative shells or ways of making Windows look different, I figure it’s time I came back to one of my passions: Linux. And while there is a fair amount that you can still do in Ubuntu that you can’t do in Windows, since 10.04, there has been a lot more that has been locked off to prevent slower starts.
For example, back in 8.04, the first release of Ubuntu I used and learned from, we were able to change the log on screen though the System -> Administration -> Log in Window options, but these days, the Login Screen settings are so very basic, they manage to disappoint me in such a way that I’ve never felt before. This on top of the fact that it also changed the easy package manager to something that won’t allow you to install more then one application at a time. (I’m referring here to the old GNOME Add/Remove Applications that was a nice front-end to Synaptic, which still exists thankfully in Ubuntu.) However, a big part of Linux has always been to allow you, the end user, to do what you see fit, no matter how illogical it might be. So today, I’m going to show you how.
Theme Change
Personally, I find the default theme in Ubuntu 10.04 strikes me very much like a Macintosh clone, and while I have nothing against them myself, I’m one that prefers my Linux box looks like it hasn’t tried ripping off another OS. So the first thing to go is the theme. To modify this, right click on your desktop and select Change Desktop Background, and from there, jump to the theme tab. You should see something like below.
Going though the themes that are pre-installed, I find them a tad disappointing, so I can visit one of several locations to find extra themes for my Ubuntu install. The first place we can check is Art.GNOME.org but rather then use that one, I’ll be using GNOME-Look myself. This is only because there are more themes there, but either site will work. If you do go with GNOME-Look like myself, be sure to choose GTK 2.x or GTK 1.x. Whichever one you decide to go with, download it, and check it’s file extension. If it is a .tar.gz, or a .tar.bz2, it can be used as a theme file, meaning you can hit the Install button on the Appearance Preferences and direct it to where you downloaded it to. (If you haven’t changed the defaults, it will be /home/USERNAME/Downloads). Once installed, it should tell you it was successfully installed and then clicking on it will change your theme over! And if you’d like to change your wallpaper, then that’s done very simply by loading up a picture, and right clicking on it, selecting ‘Set As Wallpaper’.
Move The Control Buttons
Most of us are used to the Windows standard: Close, Minimize, and Maximize, and a menu on the right side. However, Ubuntu 10.04 broke this standard and now has moved them all to the left hand side. Since I’m personally not a big fan of this, I’m going to show you how to change this.
Simply hit Alt + F2, and type in the box that comes up, gconf-editor. Then navigate to apps/metacity/general. In the right pane look for the entry for button layout and change it to menu:maximize,minimize,close and then close it. This will change it back to the way it should be under Windows for you.
One Panel Under Linux…
If you’re like me, you don’t need two panels as much as Ubuntu insists. And personally, the default menus are somewhat confusing to a lot of Windows newbies, though help a lot in learning where things can be hidden. If you feel you should have a KDE/Windows styled interface, it doesn’t take much in the way of configuring GNOME to work the way you want it to.
Simply right click on the top Panel and hit Delete This Panel. Then on the lower Panel, remove the Show Desktop Button via a right click and in it’s place, right click and hit Add To Panel, and add Main Menu to it’s place. You can also remove the Trash and Workplace Switcher and in their places, add the Indicator Applet and the Clock. You can also add the weather if you so chose or any other options you’d like that are in the list.
Conky
Conky is pretty much the Rainmeter of Windows, that it is fully configurable and can report on a multitude of different aspects of your computer. It is a great option to be running on your desktop, especially if you’d like to keep track of how hot your computer is running. It can be highly complex to setup but if you follow the tutorial linked here, it’s nowhere near as hard as it could be. There is also a Conky Wizard as well, if you’d like an even easier time. I personally don’t use Conky myself, but for other power users out there, it can be insanely helpful.
My end result
These tips should work with anyone using GNOME, hopefully it was helpful for those running Linux and still learning how to adapt. Though trial and error is the best way to learn, but sometimes, we just need to ask for help.
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