Customize my Desktop to look like this

[thelost]

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/8568/desktopsmallcz6.jpg

go here for a larger view.
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/91/desktophv8.jpg

Above is my Windows Taskbar. I want to be able to replicate this layout on Ubuntu as I'm very comfortable with it and would like my two computers to be consistent in functionality, if not style.

I realize that it's possible to have two panels, one with application icons on and a second one below with a window list, however the notification area (system tray as I tend to call it because of my windows day) is only one panels height. I want the notification area to stretch over both.

Is there an alternative version of the notification applet that will do what I need?

Also, is there a decent guide to making metacity themes. I want to port b0se's Code Opus and gui.relax to Ubuntu as they are my fav themes and I've yet to see anything that I like half as much for Ubuntu. (If I see another vista-esque button I'll shoot myself!)

[ryanVickers]

I don't know about the system tray, but if you want to have the skin stretch over them both, take a screen shot (or the original file) and split it in two - then set the corresponding panel to use the right one.

p.s. I like how it stretches the posts right off the screen now :p

[Kent84]

the launch bar is easily done with panels in Gnome, although with linux you won't need putty and Xming anymore ;) To the best of my knowledge, the notification tray in gnome doesn't break across two rows... but I could be wrong. The width of the tabs in the Windows lists does not behave as nicely as in Windows. If someone out there has notified the behavior of this, I would be keen to know.

[jeddah_fbi]

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/8568/desktopsmallcz6.jpg

go here for a larger view.
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/91/desktophv8.jpg

Above is my Windows Taskbar. I want to be able to replicate this layout on Ubuntu as I'm very comfortable with it and would like my two computers to be consistent in functionality, if not style.

I realize that it's possible to have two panels, one with application icons on and a second one below with a window list, however the notification area (system tray as I tend to call it because of my windows day) is only one panels height. I want the notification area to stretch over both.

Is there an alternative version of the notification applet that will do what I need?

Also, is there a decent guide to making metacity themes. I want to port b0se's Code Opus and gui.relax to Ubuntu as they are my fav themes and I've yet to see anything that I like half as much for Ubuntu. (If I see another vista-esque button I'll shoot myself!)

can u tell me how did u install maxthon ? :)
it gives me an error when it launch

[thelost]

can u tell me how did u install maxthon ? :)
it gives me an error when it launch

eek, I wasn't even aware I still had maxthon on my quicklaunch bar ;) As for how I got it to work, I've no idea. I didn't do anything remarkable, just installed it.