I made a Unity clone from Gnome 2 in a half hour.

[coolglobal]

This is a light hearted post. I played around with the Classic Gnome panels to make a Unity clone for a bit of fun. It actually works really well on a wide screen.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7821

HOW TO WEBSITE COMPLETE: http://unityclonefromgnome2.weebly.com/index.html

The content is Creative Commons.

[michaelzap]

This is a light hearted post. Played around with the Classic Gnome panels to make a Unity clone for a bit of fun. It actually works really well on a wide screen.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7821

Add Gnome Do and the Compiz Scale and Grid plugins, and you do in fact have Unity (except that it will work well). ;)

[coolglobal]

Yes, Compiz is setup with CompizConfig Settings Manager from the Software Center. I'm actually starting to like this GUI, it does work flawlessly. Am going to use it as my Guest Login. This is how I like it to look, after another half hour. Of course the options in Gnome are immense.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7822

[mikewhatever]

Just curious, does that really look like a Unity clone to anyone?
Anyway, good luck with that.

[coolglobal]

Yeah, I have to admit I wasn't going for an exact copy... :P

Some larger pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

[3rdalbum]

That's really just a panel down the side with big program launchers and a workspace switcher on the bottom :-) It's a long way away from Unity functionally! Unity will gain some more customization options in 11.10, I'm sure; and if more people can run 11.10 during its development phase and report bugs I'm sure things will work out better too.

[mastablasta]

that's the point of this "joke". :D

that it could have been done better. We will see what comes out in 11.10.
Functionality to some could be hindrance to others.

[Frogs Hair]

Seems like some are bent on turning Unity in Classic Gnome and vise versa . Shortly before the release of 11.04 a saw many screen shots that included dock placement on the left side of the screen in gnome.

I prefer to not complain about applications I don't want to use and install the ones I do including the DE.;)

[coolglobal]

I added the Gnome clock applet.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7827

How to: http://www.bomahy.nl/hylke/blog/pretty-gnome-clock/


^{<span font_desc="ubuntu 12" color="#999999">%a</span>}%n_{<span font_desc="ubuntu 12" weight="bold">%H:%M</span>}

& the windows selector.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7828

Not so fond of the moving selector so took it off again. Anyway it's been a fun experiment, keep going for a few more weeks... (no, please stop "howl!"). It's just been a bit of fun making a Unity clone the way I would like it to work. O:)

[cgroza]

Where is the dash? No dash, no Unity clone.

[coolglobal]

That is true.

The place to start would be here: http://maketecheasier.com/4-great-alternatives-to-gnome-menu-bar/2010/06/08/

I must add that it is far easier to copy something than to come up with an original idea. My thoughts after trying my quick and easy clone? Unity really does need to bring something extraordinary to the table. All I can reasonably think of is powerful integration of Gnome & KDE applications.

My netbook (Maverick). I'm definitely getting hooked on this GUI. The panel is set to autohide and includes the windows selector. Taking it through to a conclusion... nah. The Elder Scrolls Oblivion is arriving in the mail. :)

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7829

[coolglobal]

Well, Elder Scrolls didn't arrive today so I did the windows selector instead, it's DockBarX.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7830

How to: http://www.webupd8.org/2009/11/use-namebar-and-dockbarx-to-optimize.html

I needed to enter this into my terminal after the instructions above:


sudo killall gnome-panel

I did have to go outside of the standard repositories so it feels a bit like I'm cheating, but anyway there you go. I guess I could go ahead with NameBar at the top but to be honest it's my least favored feature of Unity, I prefer it all on the left. Might have a look at the menu now...

[coolglobal]

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7831

There's the dash, it's GnoMenu. I'm running Natty so I need to install GnoMenu in a round about way.

Download: https://launchpad.net/gnomenu
How to (as for Maverick): http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/HOW+TO+INSTALL+%22GNOMENU%22?content=108571&PHPSESSID=bfda21db4230b2d2418ab4c9d3f9937c

Needed to restart. GnoMenu throws up the occasional window when I am configuring it, not to worry, it's just letting me know what it thinks.

It would be easier for earlier versions of Ubuntu: http://www.webupd8.org/2010/06/gnomenu-27-released-with-zeitgeist.html

EDIT:
Scratch that, GnoMenu will take too long & I'm getting a performance hit. Gnome Do should do it.
Skip to Post #26 for more on GnoMenu.

[coolglobal]

Ubuntu is an awesome distro! In the shortest possible time I can build it just how I want it. There is an ocean of information a quick search away, specific to Ubuntu that enables me to bend it to my will. Ubuntu is such a helpful community to be a part of, it's the place to be. :KS

So... Gnome 2, there's a few jigs in the old carcass yet.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7836

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

I went with Gnome Do to bring in the search functions: http://do.davebsd.com/

Then installed NameBar: http://www.webupd8.org/2010/01/namebar-05-gnome-applet-released.html

Then restarted.

I dropped the idea of replacing the menu for now, it's just a pain and simply not worth the effort. So I'm going for a transparent Gnome menu instead. Just a little more now...

[coolglobal]

It's funny how doing a custom theme takes the longest compared to bringing in new functions and applications.

I started by selecting the Dust theme from System>Preferences>Appearance and left that open. Then right clicked each panel and brought up Properties, then set the background to Solid black with the Transparency slider close to the right side. It's a start. Back in the Appearance window I hit the Customise button and set the Icons to Ubuntu-Mono-Dark. A little better.

I must mention the awesome dark windows border theme by Toni Lara, that absolutely has to be ported to Unity.

Download & Install, Correcamins Theme 1: http://art.gnome.org/themes/metacity?page=1

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7837

I have NameBar installed so I no longer need the title or buttons. There are several ways to remove the windows decoration, but most of them interfere with NameBar, so I had to do a little bit of code to the theme file. It's in a hidden folder in the Home Folder, .themes. I opened the Correcamins folder / then the metacity-1 folder / to find metacity-theme-1.xml.

With the Text Editor I opened metacity-theme-1.xml and made the following change, then saved.


<!-- The code is blocked with this. ie. I commented out the code.

<draw_ops name="title-text-focused">
<title color="#ffffff" x="0" y="(height - title_height) / 2"/>
</draw_ops>

<draw_ops name="title-text-unfocused">
<title color="#e1e1e1" x="0" y="(height - title_height) / 2"/>
</draw_ops>

This is the end of the code blocking. -->


<!-- I copied and pasted the blocked code from above to begin my editing.
I just changed the color of the title to match the background color.
The application Gcolor2 is handy for this, from the Ubuntu Software Centre. -->

<draw_ops name="title-text-focused">
<title color="#000000" x="0" y="(height - title_height) / 2"/>
</draw_ops>

<draw_ops name="title-text-unfocused">
<title color="#969696" x="0" y="(height - title_height) / 2"/>
</draw_ops>

<!-- This is the end of my editing. -->

I then restarted to this result.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7838

The application title is now removed from the window. Now for the buttons...

[coolglobal]

Removing the window buttons and keeping usability is a bit of an issue, so I hid them instead and have them appear when my mouse pointer is over them.

This is an active window with this hover effect...

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7840

& this is an inactive window with the hover effect. It's a tiny black bar and was initially unintentional, but I quite like it so am going to keep it.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7841

This is how I did it:

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7842

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

In the Correcamins theme folder I just made 4 copies each of the top-middle.png and top-middle-unfocus.png (red emblem). Then renamed them to the window button icons (yellow emblem), after renaming the originals (green emblem). Then I restarted.

[coolglobal]

Just some finishing touches now.

I added the Home Folder launcher to the side panel.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7843

How to: http://www.watchingthenet.com/add-shortcut-to-your-home-directory-on-ubuntu-gnome-panel.html

In keeping with the keyboard shortcut features of Unity, I can call up Expo with <Super>s. I found this setting by using CompizConfig Settings Manager (CCSM) from the Software Centre. It's under Desktop>Expo>Bindings.
In the Appearance tab I also changed both Reflection colors to black and checked Hide panels/docks.

This is what I get with the keystroke <Super>s.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7844

Another keystroke is <Super>Spacebar, this brings up Gnome Do with all it's search capability.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7845

All I did here was change the Gnome Do appearance to Nouveau, to match the Correcamins window border theme.

There's really not that much more to do now to build a Unity clone from the decaying remnants of Gnome 2. :shock: I'm enjoying this much more than Elder Scrolls, just a few more flogs and I'll be done...

[coolglobal]

I decided to clean up a few little things before moving on, I figured it would be a good idea as this is actually my "mission-critical" desktop (sounds like the mars landing #-o). It's also my primary login. So... the first is making Expo appear as a square panel rather than a strip to maximize the screen space. It's a closer clone of the workspaces in Unity.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7849

It was pretty straightforward doing this, I just changed my workplace switcher to this, by right clicking on it to set it up.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7850

Then I went into System>Preferences>CCSM>Expo>Appearance and changed the Distance to 0.0 and the Viewport Distance to 0.5.

Also, the buttons of inactive windows in the Correcammins theme are a tiny black bar. This happened after I renamed the window button images and I'm wondering why it happened. So I had a poke around in the metacity-theme-1.xml file to try and work it out. I made some changes to the file and this is the result.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7852

The window buttons on unfocused windows now match the hover effect of the focused windows.

These are the changes I made to the Correcammins file, metacity-theme-1.xml.


<!-- Edited the following draw_ops:
button-close-normal to button-close-focus
button-minimize-normal to button-minimize-focus
button-maximize-normal to button-maximize-focus
button-menu-active to button-menu-focus -->

<frame_style name="normal-unfocused" geometry="normal">
<piece position="titlebar" draw_ops="title-unfocus"/>
<piece position="left_edge" draw_ops="frame-left-unfocus"/>
<piece position="right_edge" draw_ops="frame-right-unfocus"/>
<piece position="bottom_edge" draw_ops="frame-bottom-unfocus"/>
<piece position="title" draw_ops="title-text-unfocused"/>

<button function="close" state="normal" draw_ops="button-close-inactive"/>
<button function="close" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-close-focus"/>
<button function="close" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-close-pressed"/>

<button function="minimize" state="normal" draw_ops="button-minimize-inactive"/>
<button function="minimize" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-minimize-focus"/>
<button function="minimize" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-minimize-pressed"/>

<button function="maximize" state="normal" draw_ops="button-maximize-inactive"/>
<button function="maximize" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-maximize-focus"/>
<button function="maximize" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-maximize-pressed"/>

<button function="menu" state="normal" draw_ops="button-menu-inactive"/>
<button function="menu" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-menu-focus"/>
<button function="menu" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-menu-inactive"/>
</frame_style>

<frame_style name="max-focused" geometry="border">
<piece position="titlebar" draw_ops="title-max"/>
<piece position="title" draw_ops="title-text-focused"/>

<button function="close" state="normal" draw_ops="button-close-normal"/>
<button function="close" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-close-focus"/>
<button function="close" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-close-pressed"/>

<button function="minimize" state="normal" draw_ops="button-minimize-normal"/>
<button function="minimize" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-minimize-focus"/>
<button function="minimize" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-minimize-pressed"/>

<button function="maximize" state="normal" draw_ops="button-unmaximize-normal"/>
<button function="maximize" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-unmaximize-focus"/>
<button function="maximize" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-unmaximize-pressed"/>

<button function="menu" state="normal" draw_ops="button-menu-active"/>
<button function="menu" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-menu-focus"/>
<button function="menu" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-menu-active"/>
</frame_style>

<frame_style name="max-unfocused" geometry="border">
<piece position="titlebar" draw_ops="title-unfocus-max"/>
<piece position="title" draw_ops="title-text-unfocused"/>

<button function="close" state="normal" draw_ops="button-close-inactive"/>
<button function="close" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-close-focus"/>
<button function="close" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-close-pressed"/>

<button function="minimize" state="normal" draw_ops="button-minimize-inactive"/>
<button function="minimize" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-minimize-focus"/>
<button function="minimize" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-minimize-pressed"/>

<button function="maximize" state="normal" draw_ops="button-unmaximize-inactive"/>
<button function="maximize" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-unmaximize-focus"/>
<button function="maximize" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-unmaximize-pressed"/>

<button function="menu" state="normal" draw_ops="button-menu-inactive"/>
<button function="menu" state="prelight" draw_ops="button-menu-focus"/>
<button function="menu" state="pressed" draw_ops="button-menu-inactive"/>
</frame_style>

<!-- End of edit. -->

To speed up my editing of the theme, I'm no longer restarting after each small edit. Instead, I have System>Preferences>Appearance open in a workspace and I switch in and out of the theme to see the results of each change. So I don't lose my custom theme, I also saved it as Unity Clone with the background selected.

There is definitely something bugging me about that button being blue... nah.. don't like it. I'll have to change the color, I just couldn't stare at that gloss blue. How deep is the the rabbit hole?

[wolfen69]

Ubuntu is an awesome distro! In the shortest possible time I can build it just how I want it. There is an ocean of information a quick search away, specific to Ubuntu that enables me to bend it to my will. Ubuntu is such a helpful community to be a part of, it's the place to be.

I agree. Even though I don't particularly like unity, to me Ubuntu does not = unity. It's more than that. I'm still free to use whatever desktop I choose. I still find it hard to believe a long time user would leave over this. Perhaps they weren't such an ubuntu fan to begin with.

On the other hand, the real "tragedy" is not when someone goes to another distro, it's when they go back to windows. But in their case, perhaps windows is better suited.

If someone says they are just going to change distros, it's no big deal. We're all in this together.

[coolglobal]

We are all in this together. Linux is share and share alike.

[MartyBuntu]

If someone says they are just going to change distros, it's no big deal. We're all in this together.

The most brain-rattling response is when they say "This is all too much. I'll just buy a Mac".

Because simply whipping out your credit card on the table solves all your problems...

:o

[coolglobal]

Apple Mc&Brainslosh! Don't get me started!

Before I change the windows buttons I thought I'd do something a bit easier and instantly gratifying. I created a panel launcher for Expo to replace the Gnome 2 Workspace Switcher.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7853

How to: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/01/add-a-compiz-expose-button-to-docky-or-gnome-panel/

I installed Xautomation with Synaptic.

The code (for <super>s):


xte 'keydown Super_L' 'key s' 'keyup Super_L'

The icon I used is gnome-panel-workplace-switcher.svg.

There's quite a few icons gathering on the panels. So... before I go further down the rabbit hole I'm setting up what I call a "Triskele". It's a triangle arrangement to improve power usability, so my brain doesn't have to reboot every time to find something. It goes a little something like this for my Unity clone.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7854

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

Credit to newmooon for the icons, awesome, thank you: http://code.google.com/u/newmooon/

Now I'm just adding and reorganizing launchers and applets on the panels into a Triskele. Gotta beat that brain freeze... :confused:

To do this, I added applications to the panel via drag and drop from the Gnome 2 menu. I also added applets and Custom Application Launchers via a right click to the panel.

This is my Applications & File Management corner of the Triskele.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7855

The clock is there because it's the corner I look to with some frequency. Beneath the clock is Gnome Do search, then Nautilus opening to my home folder, then the red chair. These are permanent. Below that are the applications I'm currently using.

So... what is the red chair? It seems to me that the Garbage|Recycle|Trash Bin is poorly named and just plain ugly and has been for a long time. If I want to look at an overflowing bin (which I don't) I'll walk into the kitchen. If I want to delete a file I'll hit delete. What I DO want, is to occasionally have files sit around for a while in the waiting room. They can take a seat and wait for me to decide what to do with them... when I'm ready! No reminders that they're waiting, I don't need to know. They have no emotions so I couldn't care less how long they're in there for.

This is how I changed the Garbage|Recycle|Trash Bin icon:

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7856

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

Credit to Mischa McLachlan for the brilliant icon, wicked: http://www.iconfinder.com/search/?q=iconset%3A2001

I opened the icon in GIMP Image Editor from the Software Center and scaled it to 48x48 pixels. I then opened it in Inkscape Vector Graphics Editor and Saved As a .svg file. I then opened Nautilus as a superuser with the Terminal.

:!: WARNING

sudo nautilus
:!: WARNING

(Find out why I have warning written here.)

I copied the icon and navigated to usr/share/icons/Humanity/places/48. Wherever I saw a Garbage|Recycle|Trash Bin icon I renamed it and then pasted in the new icon. I then renamed the new icon as the old icon, taking care to get the name exactly right. I had to look out for variations in the use of these: - _

For those that like dark humor, making a Garbage|Recycle|Trash Bin icon based on this would be a giggle: :twisted: http://www.planearium.de/sp-studio/cpg/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=10199&pid=3558#top_display_media

[coolglobal]

This is my Work Spaces & Window Management corner of the Triskele.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7857

The Expo launcher is there at the bottom and above it is DockbarX. I never use the standard Show Desktop applet in Gnome 2 so it's not there but if I did I'd put it at the bottom. I had a quick look at the python coiling through DockbarX and thought nah... I'm just gonna get bitten. I was looking to see if there is an easy way to change the orientation of DockbarX so that it expands upwards on the panel rather than downwards. I then found a very simple fix.

My DockBarX expands and retracts from the bottom because I simply positioned it at the bottom and set it to Locked To Panel in the right click menu. I placed a Separator above it and Locked it too. It's position at the bottom is persistent after I tested with a restart. The only other change I made here was to set it's theme to sunny-c in Properties, again with a right click.

The appearance of the left panel is different to Unity in a way that I prefer. I find it more intuitive, easier to adapt to and quicker to memorize. There is a clear boundary between Applications and Workspaces.

This is my System Settings & Monitoring corner of the Triskele.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7858

They are familiar Gnome 2 applets, a Gnome Control Center launcher (Command: gnome-control-center) and the Gnome Volume Control applet (How to: Post #5 http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1439637). I don't use social networking applications or an email client (excellent though they are) and this is not the corner for it anyway. The ideal position would be top left with the clock, if I wanted to frequently check updates. I use Firefox for all my online stuff.

I'm just going to finish the windows buttons and briefly revisit the menu then call it a day... I think... 8)

[coolglobal]

I've banished those gloss blue windows buttons from my gaze.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7859

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

The buttons on the active and inactive windows match and are black and silver.

This is how I did it:

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7860

I navigated back to the hidden folder (no sudo): .themes/Correcamins/metacity-1

Then I did some renaming, copying and pasting. I renamed the buttons with the green emblem. Then copied, pasted and renamed the buttons with the red emblem to replace the green emblem buttons, DONE!

Well... this has been very enjoyable, whipping a few more miles out of Gnome 2. This has all been done with Natty. But I think if I rebuild it, I'll put aside a couple of hours and I'll use Lucid: http://releases.ubuntu.com/lucid/

Just a little change to the menu now and one other small thing...

[Flymo]

Neat thread, folks!

I had a go at vertical panels (one each left and right) on 8.04 LTS, but had to solve a few problems (mid-screen panels after reboot, funny tooltips, etc) to make them work on an Acer 4315/Celeron 540. Abandoned it on the next upgrade - didn't really work smoothly enough the way I'd done it. But it was a good conversation piece. :guitar:

Vertical panels do make sense with these dumb movie-oriented screens that are inflicted on us. I could rant on about the pixel reduction that saves manufacturing cost on 'widescreen' offerings vs normal screens.

Liked Ubuntu Netbook/Remix and found it ideal for netbooks, OK on the 14" Acer, but (to me) it felt out-of-place on 15" and larger screens. Might be better with more tweaking.

Unity is weird - have given it a few weeks to familiarise myself with it, but its metaphor still suits me even less than those restrictive KDE4 boxed menus. <sigh> Needs more work on its usability, but hey, it's new.

For a bigger screen your neat looking Gnome 2 would probably suit a lot better. If time allows I might have a go at another one.

We will continue cheerfully with 10.04 LTS as our preferred distro and review the desktop alternatives as they are offered. I do keep a few partitions for fascinating distros like Puppy, SliTaz and LMDE.

Thanks again for the inspiration! Ben

PS - have you noticed how there is so much buzz around Ubuntu/Unity? Mark Shuttleworth is a clever chap.

[coolglobal]

Mark Shuttleworth is clever indeed, a big picture guy.

In Post #13 (unlucky 13 :roll:) I installed GnoMenu and had a brief altercation with it and moved on. I have had another look at it and I think it was the themes I was using that were causing the disagreement.

This is the default theme I'm trying now, it's called Dock, I right clicked the GnoMenu applet to select it. It's behaving itself and I think it has potential.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7861

In Natty I'm continuing to encounter show stoppers while configuring and theming GnoMenu it would be much easier in Lucid: http://releases.ubuntu.com/lucid/

GnoMenu PPA: https://launchpad.net/~gnomenu-team/+archive/ppa

(Maybe I will have to rebuild afterall, second time round it would have to be from the command line.:-k)

[darkstaar]

I made a Unity clone from Gnome 2 in a half hour.

All right. Now be a real man and do us all a favor at the same time. Make a Gnome 2 clone from Unity.

You can take more than 30 minutes if you need to :P.

[coolglobal]

I'm hoping the time will come when I can build a stable Gnome clone in one workspace of Unity and a stable KDE clone in another... then hit enter and merge them... manaphorically speaking. :wink:

Now for that other small thing. Firefox... If any application is destined for modification in my Unity clone it's Firefox. The single best add-on that ties it all together is Fast Dial.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7862

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

Fast Dial brings phenomenal benefits to my productivity on the internet.

Download & Install Fast Dial: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fast-dial-5721/

I made Fast Dial my homepage in Firefox by opening Edit>Preferences>General and setting the homepage:


about:blank

I made some changes to the layout by right clicking the background of Fast Dial and selecting Preferences>General. I then selected Appearance>Title and color matched the Background with Gcolor2 (from the Software Center), to the window background color of my theme. In the Page tab I changed the font to Ubuntu 12. I removed the Fast Dial icon from the Firefox buttons by right clicking the navigation menu, selecting Customize and so on.

Can I get what I want out of the Ubuntu distro? Yes. :KS

Double bonus! Elder Scrolls arrived in the mail & included BioShock as a bonus game! Sweet!
Triple Bonus! Gold support for both games in Wine! http://appdb.winehq.org/
(Ubuntu Software Center > PlayOnLinux)

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7863

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

I'll leave this one for the Gaming & Leisure folks: http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=93

Oblivion Linux: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Linux

[coolglobal]

It certainly feels good to be back on stable ground again. I have such confidence in Lucid I went right on ahead and installed straight over the top of my Natty partition. Lucid managed it in superb style, reorganizing the partitions automatically. I'm logged in again after 35 minutes or so. I updated the system. Everything in the Natty partition is good to go. Back to wobbly windows... classic. :)

I'm going to see if I can sort out GnoMenu... my nemesis...

How I kept my Firefox settings: Skip to Post #32

Ubuntu 10.04.2 LTS (Lucid Lynx): http://releases.ubuntu.com/lucid/

:arrow: LUCID LTS

To prepare Lucid for my rebuild I installed the following in the Ubuntu Software Center. Optionally, they could be combined into a [sudo apt-get install] command or ticked in Synaptic.

nvidia binary (my version here), also restart & configuration on this one.
ubuntu-restricted-extras
ttf-ubuntu-font-family
ttf-ubuntu-title
compizconfig-settings-manager
compiz-fusion-plugins-extra
gnome-do
xautomation
gimp
inkscape
gcolor2
kdegames
nautilus-image-converter
gnome-themes-more

I like DVD support so I entered these two commands into the Terminal first to enable the Medibuntu repository and to install libdvdcss2 and libdvdnav4.


sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/`lsb_release -cs`.list --output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list; sudo apt-get -q update; sudo apt-get --yes -q --allow-unauthenticated install medibuntu-keyring; sudo apt-get -q update


sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2 libdvdnav4

I added the Dockbar PPA...


sudo add-apt-repository ppa:dockbar-main/ppa

& then added the GnoMenu PPA... [-o<


sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnomenu-team/ppa

& then added the Ubuntu Tweak PPA...


sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tualatrix/ppa

I like to keep a history of my changes when I can. So I opened Synaptic, reloaded, searched, ticked and applied: [dockbarx] [gnomenu] [ubuntu-tweak].

To enable opening of the Terminal in Nautilus I also searched, ticked and applied [nautilus-open-terminal]. Very handy.
I closed Synaptic to free the Terminal. Then...


sudo killall nautilus

I can now right click the Nautilus window to open the Terminal ready for commands in that location. ie. Open in Terminal.
It's good to go for my next commands.

For NameBar I followed this method: http://www.webupd8.org/2010/01/namebar-05-gnome-applet-released.html

Then...


sudo killall gnome-panel

I can now right click the panels to add the DockbarX, Namebar and GnoMenu applets. I restarted.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7866

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

My Unity clone is stable.

[coolglobal]

After such a short time using the Natty clone, it's amazing how much I miss the layout and features. I'm putting everything back in it's place now, before looking at GnoMenu.

:arrow: LUCID LTS

Custom Appearance
Theme: Dust
Icons: Ubuntu-Mono-Dark
Fonts: Ubuntu 11, Ubuntu 12, Ubuntu 12, Ubuntu 11, Monospace 11
Window Border: Correcamins Theme 1, http://art.gnome.org/themes/metacity?page=1 (Skip to Post #32 for more on this.)
Saved as: Unity Clone

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7867

CompizConfig Settings Manager
Workplace Switcher First

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7868

Expo
Bindings Expo Key: <Super>e
Appearance Hide panels/docks in expo: yes
Appearance Reflection Ground color(near): #000000
Appearance Reflection Ground color(far): #000000
Appearance Viewport distance: 0.5000

I had a quick ride on my scooter to clear my head. Ahhh... that's better, wind in my hair.

Effects
Wobbly Windows: off :-({|=
Grid: yes, Bindings all to <super>KP(number here)


Panel Applets, Launchers & Applications
Applets via Right Click
DockbarX Theme: Human_Bar
NameBar Theme: Dust-ish, Show window title for the active window yes, Expand NameBar no
Main Menu
Notification Area
Disk Mounter
Force Quit
User Switcher
Shut Down
Separators
Clock: See Post #9 [^{<span font_desc="ubuntu 12" color="#999999">%a</span>}%n_{<span font_desc="ubuntu 12" weight="bold">%H:%M</span>}]
Gnome Volume Control: See Post #5 http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1439637

Launchers via Right Click
Expo Launcher: [xte 'keydown Super_L' 'key e' 'keyup Super_L'], Icon gnome-panel-workplace-switcher.svg
Window Picker Launcher: [xte 'keydown Super_L' 'key w' 'keyup Super_L'], Icon gnome-mahjongg.png, nah, gnome-session.svg
Nautilus Launcher: [nautilus /home/usernamehere], Icon nautilus.svg
Gnome Control Center Launcher: [gnome-control-center], Icon gnome-control-center.svg

Applications via Drag & Drop
Ubuntu Software Center, Icon: usr/share/icons/Humanity/apps/48/synaptic.svg
Synaptic Package Center, Icon: usr/share/icons/Humanity/places/48/server.svg
CompizConfig Settings Manager
Gnome Do
Firefox
Text Editor
Terminal
Take Screenshot

Drawer Applet via Right Click
Icon: usr/share/icons/Humanity/apps/48/gdmsetup.svg
General> Size: 25, Show hide buttons: no,
Background> Solid color: #000000


The Triskele
I removed redundant icons then arranged the new and useful icons into a Triskele and Locked To Panel.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7870

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

My Lucid Unity clone is performing like a machine and is now ready for some file, folder and image cutting and pasting.

Icons by newmooon attached, I just arrange the Triskele on my desktop as a visual cue.

[coolglobal]

:arrow: LUCID LTS

I copied the excellent background Aubergine Sea by Wyatt Kirby from the Natty Partition onto my desktop for some reworking: usr/share/backgrounds
Then downloaded Mischa McLacland's Black Box: http://www.iconfinder.com/icondetails/27618/128/black_box_icon
In the GIMP I pasted the icon to the background and smudged it a tad (Attached). My artistic interpretation of the work? I'm really not sure, perhaps something about sea creatures and black boxes... :-k
I'm wondering to myself... is Lucid the greatest Linux desktop release of all time..?

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7871

I need the Red Chair back! The overflowing bin in getting on my nerves. With Nautilus, I copied the Red Chair icons in the Natty Partition at: usr/share/icons/Humanity/places/48
Then I created a folder in Templates named 48 (Attached) and pasted them in. I opened Nautilus as a superuser and pasted the folder 48 into: usr/share/icons/Humanity/places

:!:[sudo nautilus]:!: ACHTUNG

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7872

Credit to Mischa McLachlan for the Black Box and Red Chair: http://www.iconfinder.com/browse/iconset/2001/#readme
Credit to Wyatt Kirby for the background Aubergine Sea.

[coolglobal]

:arrow: LUCID LTS

Now for the window decoration...

The Window Border Theme (Attached)
To get my modified Correcamins Window Border theme back, I mounted the Natty partition in Nautilus and copied the Correcamins folder from: home/username/.themes
It's a hidden folder: View>Show Hidden Files
I pasted the Correcamins folder into Templates and renamed it Correcamins_coolglobal_smudge, then compressed it.
I then opened System>Preferences>Appearances and installed the new theme.
I deleted the old theme Unity Clone and renamed the new custom theme Unity Clone.
Sweet! My window borders are back.

Ubuntu Tweak
System Tools>Ubuntu Tweak
Window Manager Settings
Custom: yes, Close Maximise Minimise Title
Place: select Right, then Left

You'd think after all these changes my system would be buggy. Well... it's not. It's rock solid. Stable. It's also only a duel core with the ram slots filled and a random nvidia graphics card. That is a credit to the power of Ubuntu Linux.

Firefox
Before I first started Firefox in the new Lucid partition I had the forethought to bring across the .mozilla folder so in one swoop I kept Firefox just how it was previously.
Once the .mozilla folder was back in it's spot, I started Firefox, it accessed the .mozilla file and continued on as normal.

.mozilla: home/username/.mozilla

These are the two Addons I absolutely must have.
Fast Dial: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fast-dial-5721/
Adblock Plus: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock-plus/

Fast Dial
Make Fast Dial the homepage in Firefox: Edit>Preferences>General
Homepage: about:blank

Right click the Fast Dial background to access Preferences.
General
Quantity: 5 x 3
Size: 300 x 225 (Varies for screen size)
Appearance
Page>Font: Ubuntu 12
Title>Background: #D9D4CC #E8E8E8

I'd love to go through and edit out the words waste/trash/rubbish/recycle once and for all on this system but I think I'll save it for another day. The constant subliminal imprinting is getting to me. Don't get me started on the word "Help", HEEEELLLP! It's the blue screen of death!!! How about the word "Assist". Much better, I would say. How can I "assist" you..? vs Help! I'm drowning! Anyway, that's for another day.

GnoMenu is waiting... first two easy changes to speed up my Unity clone.

Swappiness
What is Swappiness: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwapFaq#What%20is%20swappiness%20and%20how%20do%20 I%20change%20it?
vm.swappiness=10

Startup Applications
System>Preference>Startup Applications
I went over the list and unticked what I'm not using at present.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7881

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

Credit to Toni Lara for Correcamins Theme 1

[coolglobal]

:arrow: LUCID LTS

It's been a week since opening this thread and now I'm back to were I was in Natty with the Unity clone. It is certainly more stable in Lucid. Installing kdegames helps dockbarx in some Qt way? Or it may just be Lucid. Window previews can now be enabled. Two features I miss from Gnome 2 with Natty are cut, paste and rename in Nautilus and also resizing windows by placing them against the screen borders. There is a workaround for this somewhere on these forums. I've set it up via the super key and keypad numbers (See Post #30 Expo). Overall I much prefer the stability of this LTS release and am looking forward to the next. I know this has most likely been said numerous times in these forums now. Some sort of clear notification as to what the Natty upgrade was going to do beside the upgrade button would have been helpful.

So this is what my Unity clone looks like at this stage.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7882

Larger pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/107390056461539846610/May162011?feat=directlink

There's a Blues Festival down the street so I'm off for a look. Then on to GnoMenu...
^
Just saw Phil Emmanuel play a cover of the Bond theme Live & Let Die, he had a brain snap and cranked out a sweet solo. The Hank Marvin version's not bad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyeWdiXQIvU

[coolglobal]

:arrow: LUCID LTS

My first step is to remove Applications I won't be needing to simplify the menu. I could just untick them by right clicking the Gnome Menu and selecting Edit Menus. I'll be using Edit Menus frequently so removing Applications from the system altogether is better for me. This is what I removed, everyone's needs are different.

In Synaptic or [sudo apt-get remove]
gnome-games-common
evolution
tomboy
gwibber
gwibber-service
f-spot
openoffice.org-draw
openoffice.org-impress
openoffice.org-math
empathy
bluetooth

In Ubuntu Software Center:
Personal File Sharing
Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop Viewer

I removed these applications, mainly to trim the system and eliminate duplication of functions, including those on the internet. I installed Pidgin for simple and easy file sharing, it's amazing this simple solution is not mentioned more in these forums. I like the Pidgin icon more that the blue Empathy icon also. I did keep Orca in the hope that one day it will speak to me in a Sci Fi female voice, when I hit the "Assist" button.


GnoMenu
Applications are selected in GnoMenu via a "sliding" panel, similar to what you see in KDE. GnoMenu mirrors the menu structure of Gnome Menu.
The menu structure is edited in Alacarte: GnoMenu OR Gnome Menu>Right Click>Edit Menus

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7884

To make GnoMenu more efficient, I need to remove as many branches as possible from the menu tree and logically organize the different applications to suit. This will mean there will be less clicking and sliding in GnoMenu. When I'm organizing the menu tree, I need to bear in mind that System Administration & Monitoring applications will not be needed in the GnoMenu corner of the Triskele.


Editing the (Gnome Menu OR GnoMenu) Menu Tree Using Alacarte
Right Click>Edit Menus
Click the Help button for detailed Assistance customizing the menu tree in Alacarte.

I organized the menu tree via drag and drop into four categories, Accessories, Gaming, Internet and Multimedia.
Creating the categories Gaming and Multimedia, simply required renaming Games and Sound & Video: Applications>Gaming OR Sound & Video>Properties>Name

I don't use many Office applications so they all went into Accessories and Multimedia swallowed both Graphics and Sound & Video. The numerous KDE Games needed a little more effort to move up under the Gaming category. I needed to untick/delete the Menu Items I had moved in their original location. Some Menu Items went straight to System>Preferences and System>Administration.

In another unusual twist and turn with my GnoMenu experience... I've discovered that manipulating the location of KDE games while editing Gnome Menu can make GnoMenu refuse to launch the KDE Games. I fixed this by shortening the command for each game to just the name of the game itself. Restarting and killall commands have no effect.

KDE Games and Applications in GnoMenu
Gnome Menu OR GnoMenu>Right Click>Edit Menus>Games

An example for the KDE game KBlackBox
KBlackBox>Properties
Command: kblackbox -caption "%c"
Remove the red code, just leave the name of the KDE game.
The one exception of the KDE games is Ksnake, it's command is: [ktron -snake]

Renaming KDE Games To Suit My Unity Clone
Doing this is quite cheeky and is certainly not a disrespect to the KDE game developers. Playing with the names of KDE games has an interesting effect on the phonetics of the word. An example is KBlackBox, it becomes UBlackBox, You-BlackBox. The same can be done for GTK applications. Simple renaming. GBrainy becomes You-Brainy? Creating Unity themes for KDE and Gnome games would be a genuine step forward.

An example of renaming the KDE game KBlackBox
KBlackBox>Properties
Name: kblackbox CHANGE UBlackbox


Adding Gnome Do Search Multiple Times To The Menu Tree
I want the easy option of a powerful search function in my Unity Clone. I don't want it to appear like it's the only immediate option available to me. The bridge is just too far to cross. The quick solution is to strategically plant search in the same location throughout the menu tree. I'll never be lost as the map is always there.

Gnome Menu OR GnoMenu>Right Click>Edit Menus
Rename Gnome Do: UNITY CLONE SEARCH
Add UNITY CLONE SEARCH to Applications, Accessories, Gaming, Internet and Multimedia.
Move UNITY CLONE SEARCH to the top of the item list.
Add a New Separator beneath each UNITY CLONE SEARCH. (This is for later)

The Gnome Do icon can now be removed from the left side Panel.
So that's the menu tree of Gnome Menu done... It's time to have a look at the Properties of GnoMenu.

[coolglobal]

:arrow: LUCID LTS

GnoMenu Properties
Right Click GnoMenu>Properties

There is quite a powerful GUI here. Impressive.

First things first, that nasty looking blue gloss button needs the hatchet. I guess at least I know where it sits in the panel... It's a shiny little devil.
I didn't bother with the Button Selection options when I found: Preferences>Use distributer logo instead of button theme

Super! I ticked it to this result.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7885

That beautiful GNU+Linux icon is in it's rightful place. I just centered it with Right Click>Move>Lock To Panel. Guess what. When I click to open GnoMenu it automatically turns silver... I must be getting somewhere with this Unity clone thing.

GnoMenu Preferences
Right Click GnoMenu>Properties>Preferences

Show Internet and Email Buttons: no
Use distributor logo instead of button theme: yes
Tab Selection on Mouse Hover: yes
Disable Places and System in Program list: yes
Tab hover effect: None

This is what my Unity clone menu looks like now.

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7887

It's looking and functioning closer to something I'd be willing to use. The theme is ok, an improvement would be to correct the juxtaposition between the rounded corners of the border and the square corners of the tabs. This will more closely match my customized Correcamins window border theme.

It's time to delve into my preferred GnoMenu theme, Dock by Whise.

[coolglobal]

:arrow: LUCID LTS

GnoMenu Theme: Dock
I chose to edit the GnoMenu theme Dock directly, rather than go for a packaged theme. I edited two files, themedata.xml and tab.png (Attached). I removed the search bar, raised the location of the tabs and changed their font to Ubuntu 10 and reworked the tab background.

This was done by opening Nautilus as a superuser and navigating to: user/share/gnomenu/Themes/Menu/Dock

:!:[sudo nautilus]:!: ACHTUNG

These are the changes I made to themedata.xml


<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<content type="Menu">
<ContentData Name="Dock" Author="Whise" Version="1.0" Copyright="Artwork by Whise"/>
# If only one theme type available then specify color='All'
<theme color="white" color_lang="White" colorvalue="#000000">
<Background Image="start-menu.png"/>
<WindowDimensions Width="271" Height="430"/>
<IconSettings X="300" Y="6" Width="65" Height="66" InsetX="6" InsetY="6" InsetWidth="46" InsetHeight="46"/>
#SearchBar: Widget can either be 'Custom', 'GTK' or 'None'. This tag has to be present, everything after Widget needs to be there only if it's 'Custom'
#InsetX, Y = topleft location to start displaying text
#Widgetname = the file name of the python searchbar module without '.py' on the end.

# Edit, coolglobal smudge: Changed Widget Custom to None.
<SearchBarSettings X="33" Y="445" Width="254" Height="24" Widget="None" WidgetName="SearchBar" InitialText="Start Search" TextColor="#FFFFFF" InsetX="6" InsetY="16" Background="m_searchbar.png"/>

# Edit, coolglobal smudge: Changed Height 380 to 395.
<ProgramListSettings X="35" Y="36" Width="250" Height="395"/>
<Capabilities HasSearch="1" HasIcon="0" HasFadeTransition="0"/>

# Edit, coolglobal smudge: Changed Favorites to Bookmarks; Changed TabY 440 to 445; Changed font_desc Sans 8 to Ubuntu 10.
<Tab Name="Favorites" Markup="&lt;span foreground='#FFFFFF' font_desc='Ubuntu 10' stretch='semicondensed'&gt;Bookmarks&lt;/span&gt;" TextX="0" TextY="8" TextAlignment="1" InvertTextColorOnSel='0' Image="" ImageSel="tab.png" TabIconX="0" TabIconY="0" TabIcon="" TabX="33" TabY="445" SubMenu="1" Command="7" CloseMenu="0" Icon="" AddBackButton='0'/>

# Edit, coolglobal smudge: Changed TabY 440 to 445; Changed font_desc Sans 8 to Ubuntu 10.
<Tab Name="Applications" Markup="&lt;span foreground='#FFFFFF' font_desc='Ubuntu 10' stretch='semicondensed'&gt;Applications&lt;/span&gt;" TextX="0" TextY="8" TextAlignment="1" InvertTextColorOnSel='0' Image="" ImageSel="tab.png" TabIconX="0" TabIconY="0" TabIcon="" TabX="160" TabY="445" SubMenu="1" Command="1" CloseMenu="0" Icon="" AddBackButton='0'/>
#Submenu="1" Commands can be: 0=Program list back button 1=Program list show base menu 2=Unmount drives list 3=Auxiliary functions 4=Recent items 5=Search(cannot be used in button context) 6=Launch top item in a search results window
</theme>
</content>

I opened tab.png with the GIMP and it rubbed out a bit and resized the canvas.

I had to ensure the file permissions were correct before closing everything:

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7888

This is the result:

http://ubuntuforums.org/picture.php?albumid=2295&pictureid=7889

The search bar is gone, the tab font is Ubuntu style and there is no longer a box around the tab, it's underlined. The nauseous word Favorites is now Bookmarks...

:KS
Changes to a Linux system are limited only by your willingness to learn. Imagine what you want and then go for it, use an LTS release.
I first installed Linux in 2007 and I have no formal IT training. I tried several other distros but the community support isn't as helpful as it is with Ubuntu.

Well... I'm all done here... I could keep going down the rabbit hole... Definitely no. This system will keep me going for a while yet and should be a good platform to modify Unity from.

Next post I'll link to a screenshot album of my finished Unity clone on LUCID LTS.

Credit to Whise for the Dock theme; and also GnoMenu?

[coolglobal]

...

[coolglobal]

HOW TO WEBSITE COMPLETE: http://unityclonefromgnome2.weebly.com/index.html

The content is Creative Commons.