Hi all

I’m a Linux newbee and I’m wondering if you could help.

I have been playing around with installing themes but haven’t had much success! My desktop look crap at the moment ?

I have successfully installed Mandriva 2008 and am using Gnome. (Dual Booting with windows).

I would like to make my desktop look cool, but don’t know where to find cool clean themes or how to install them.

I have downloaded a few from gnome look but it seems that only parts of the theme install correctly. I have been simple downloading the theme into a directory I’ve created, and installed using the gnome theme installer, but it hasn’t worked, my desktop now looks like a pick and mix of random themes!!

Ideally I’d like a cool clean desktop, perhaps sometime like Apple Leopard to start, cool icons etc.

It would be v cool to have a cool clock on the right and something that displays system information, CPU usage, temperature etc. you get the picture.

If any of you guys could point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.

Finally, any ideas how I change the login screen and the grub screen?

Many thanks
Anthony


[moved from Everything Linux by spinynorman - welcome aboard ]

Go to the theme preferences window in Gnome and try dragging the icon for the theme into that window. If the theme package/archive is in the correct format it will install automatically for you, it's as simple as that

System information and clocks on the desktop can be set up using e.g gdesklets. Install gdesklets from the repositories but do a bit of reading on that.
http://www.howtoforge.com/gnome_gdesklets esplains how to set up one gdesklet. The only thing to keep in mind is that the guy used Ubuntu for setting them up, thus the package manager (software installer) he uses is different from Mandrivas (Ubuntu used synaptic/apt-get, while Mandriva uses drakrpm/urpmi (->configure your computer)).
The login screen can be changed if you click on the top panel System->System Preferences->Login manager. It will ask you for the root password. There you can change and install themes.

I'd like to use this opportunity to ask a follow-up question. Do you know any site with cool themes? I'm looking at the "Show your desktop" threads and there are some astonishing things there, but I don't know how to do those things in Gnome. I looked at Gnome's website, but there the decorations are separated to components (buttons, backgrounds etc.) and I couldn't find integrated environments. Not to mention the fact that sometimes I see people changing their menu (Application-Places-System), which seems like a miracle to me. This is also true for the gDesklets - in their site I couldn't find a big variety of widgets. Where should I look?

yossarian, have you tried Gnome Look?

Thanks for all your help. You have set me on the right track.

Another quick question if you don't mind, how do I set it so as any window I open is semi transparent?

Thanks again

First of all, thank you.

I still don't understand something fundamental. Take a look at this theme, for example:
http://www.gnome-look.org/content/show.php...T?content=26448
Is it intended for Linux or for Mac? How would I know? Does Mac use Gnome also? Cause I saw some Mac-ish themes in the site, so it looks awkward. I'm just afraid I'll try to install the wrong thing and won't be able to roll back to my functioning environment.

Do you have compiz or Metisse enabled?

It is intended for Gnome , I don't know if Gnome would work on OSX, never heard of it to be honest. However, that icon set should work for Gnome on Linux (although I noticed a comment on that particular icon set that it is broken on later versions of Gnome).

I'm not sure, sorry. complete neebie here. Running Gnome, but how could I check? Do you know if there is a how to anywhere set up the transparencies?

thanks again.

Just figured that out, i've just switched on Compiz. Which would you recommend?

Compiz, Metisse is a waste of effort IMO. Do you have utility for configuring compiz, I'm not sure if the install it by default (sorry about this, I wasted my Mandy 2008 install a while back, somebody help me out here ). If you do, there should be something that allows you to alter the opacity of active and inactive windows.

Personally, after toying with all composite window managers I have uninstalled them and using only the minimal effects that come with kwin and xfwm. They have only a small fraction of the compiz fusion 3D effects, but they don't suck resources, and (most important) their window management isn't as measly as the compiz one is!