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Livening up Gnome


Chris H
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Thanks all.

 

I should add that my graphics chipset ( Radeon M9700 ) doesn't get on well with Compiz - frequent lockups and all that.

 

Been having a look at gnome-look.org but a lot of what I try and do seems flakey in it's implementation. gDesklets for example, 20% of what I try and implement just doesn't work.

 

Will have a look at the icon sets, themes and wallpapers there.

 

Thanks

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I'm using screenlets, and you can install this from the Mandriva repos.
I second that suggestion, as well as gnome-look.org. You could also have a look at art.gnome.org, but gnome-look has more stuff.
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A gnome enhanement thread? B)

 

Compiz - http://www.compiz-fusion.org/

 

Screenlets - http://www.screenlets.org/index.php/Home

 

For a "mac bar" there's plenty for Gnome;

Kiba Dock - http://www.kiba-dock.org/ best and most advanced dock out there. (required: compiz)

then there's Cairo Dock - http://www.cairo-dock.org/index.php

or AWN - https://launchpad.net/awn

 

For terminal I can recommend Tilda - http://tilda.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

 

Alternative Menu bar

USP - http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=222546

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A gnome enhanement thread? B)

 

Compiz - http://www.compiz-fusion.org/

Can't do compiz :(

 

Trying them now, very nice.

 

For a "mac bar" there's plenty for Gnome;

Kiba Dock - http://www.kiba-dock.org/ best and most advanced dock out there. (required: compiz)

then there's Cairo Dock - http://www.cairo-dock.org/index.php

or AWN - https://launchpad.net/awn

AWN also needs compiz. Will have a look at the Cairo Dock.

 

For terminal I can recommend Tilda - http://tilda.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Have used Yakuake in the past, did try Tilda once but seemed a bit rough round the edges. Will try again.

 

Thanks, will check out.

 

Thanks for the detailed reply AI, appreciated.

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My pleasure ^_^

 

You can make a cool Desktop without compiz; Here's one I made without running Compiz (well it was before compiz and beryl time);

 

preguildwar.jpg

click to enlarge (1600x1200)

No, compiz. The fake shadow on the lower bars are from gDesklets. Then I filled up upper bar with some usefull good looking desk applets.

You can try with this one (a mac panel image which give some depth on your Desktop;

panel.png

 

 

With some GTK2 themes (depends which engine the theme is build around). You can drop an image into the panel, so the panel uses the image as panel layout.

I know that themes build on aurora (GTK2 engine) can do that very well, though it says it's the slowest engine, but best looking IMHO. Otherwise I like to use themes that build on pixbuff.

If the aurora engine isn't available in the repo, you can get it here; http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Aur...e?content=56438

 

Aurora Engine;

2008-Sep-28-pre.png

click to enlarge (1680x1050)

 

 

You want your root permission applications to have the same theme as you run as a normal user and want it to change when you change themes, icons, fonts on your user account?

 

su
ln -s /home/USERNAME/.themes /root/.themes
ln -s /home/USERNAME/.icons /root/.icons
ln -s /home/USERNAME/.fonts /root/.fonts

 

Only work for custom made themes in your $home, not for themes installed globally.

 

This may not be a major eyecandy;

 

Making Audacious (music player) looking good;

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=658282

 

Jun08-Audacious-pre.png

click to enlarge (1680x1050)

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to really liven it up install kde4 (kubuntu, opensuse, arch) beats the pants off the rest

 

I havn't seen any Desktop screenshot that have beaten a Gnome Desktop yet, in early days, yes. But that isn't true anymore with all thet stuff you can get to Gnome and GTK2 these days.

Edited by Artificial Intelligence
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The best you can get, regarding looks, on Gnome (and XFCE as well) is the Murrine themes. They make both look less ugly than they actually are (or almost pretty at times), but the truth is always the same: gtk2 is both slow and ugly, period.

Regarding icons, things are better- the Tango icon family ain't that bad, and they are also another couple of rather pretty themes.

BTW I am currently using xfce4 exclusively, but most of the times I wish it was QT4 based...

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