The Ubuntu Unity desktop environment is very annoying compared to the MATE alternative. I keep getting notifications that an app has stopped working, like Redshift, and then it loads it up again and it is running twice. Why does this even happen? With the MATE desktop environment, it is very…
Read MoreThumbnailing for the DirectDraw Surface file format is not supported in Linux with the Caja file manager, but this is easy to fix. The /usr/share/thumbnailers/ directory contains all of the thumbnailer files that automatically create thumbnails in the file manager for Caja. Just create a file named dds.thumbnailer and put…
Read MoreThe old Gconf framework allowed a user to set various options for the Gnome 2 desktop with a command-line utility or the GUI. But nowadays, we have another one. The gsettings framework for modern desktops allows a user to set various options with the terminal. This is a nice way…
Read MoreThe Ubuntu 5.04 distribution was a very comfortable desktop environment. Using Gnome 2, it was very fast and reliable. Now we have MATE, but I miss the simplicity of the older Ubuntu releases, Ubuntu 13.04 was very bad, but now it is picking up again, even though the Systemd init…
Read MoreI do like some elements of the Gnome Shell desktop environment. The progress indicator in the title bar of the file manager is one. This shows the progress of file copying operations while the user is doing other things. A very good idea that should have been implemented a long…
Read MoreThe new Ubuntu 17.10 (Artful Aardvark) distribution has been released. This comes with a Gnome desktop instead of the Unity environment. The desktop environment in this looks just like Unity though. Where is the benefit of using a Gnome desktop if it looks exactly like Unity anyway? This is how…
Read MoreVery nice Linux Mint MATE themes. There are some nice MATE themes in this archive for Ubuntu, that will work with any Linux distribution using the MATE desktop. https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+archive/primary/+files/ubuntu-mate-artwork_16.04.7.tar.xz. This is a very nice theme for your desktop indeed. Just extract the themes in the archive to your ~/.themes directory….
Read MoreThe title bars in the Gnome Shell desktop environment by default are much too thick. This simple code sample will make them thinner. Just create this file. ~/.config/gtk-3.0/gtk.css~/.config/gtk-3.0/gtk.css Then put this code into it. Updated for Gnome Shell on Ubuntu 18.04. # Gnome 3 – based on https://blog.samalik.com/make-your-gnome-title-bars-smaller/ .header-bar.default-decoration {…
Read MoreThe arc Gnome Shell theme is a very nice theme for the Gnome Shell desktop. This is how to install this theme on Fedora 25. Firstly, download the theme this way. [jason@darkstar Desktop]$ git clone https://github.com/horst3180/arc-theme.git Cloning into ‘arc-theme’… remote: Counting objects: 10466, done. remote: Compressing objects: 100% (4/4), done….
Read MoreThe Linux desktop has undergone a significant change in layout since the earliest days of the Gnome desktop that we saw on Red Hat Linux back in the day. Those were the days of dial up Internet and 14″ monitors that were far smaller than the massive computer screens that…
Read MoreThe early Gnome desktop is quite interesting, it had a Windows styled menu with a easy to use taskbar. https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~bobk/gnome/1.2/gnome-1.2-menu02.png. Source: https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~bobk/gnome/. This is the old Gnome 1.0 configuration application. Very dated indeed, this is when they had Enlightenment as the Window Manager of Gnome. Although you could use Sawfish…
Read MoreThis music video features a Macintosh iMac PC with the Gnome Shell Linux interface. This is used as the main screen where the girl is typing on a notepad and then ripping the pages off the screen. This is an interesting place to see the Gnome Shell Linux desktop environment….
Read MoreThemes This blog post: http://jfnlinuxproject.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/windows-10-theme.html has a list of links and screenshots that show a themed desktop that looks roughly like Windows 10. This does need more work. But I am sure that you could make a Linux desktop resemble Windows 10 if you so wished. In time, there will…
Read MoreMore awesome GTK themes and wallpapers for 2015. Gnome themes. Ceti-2: http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Ceti-2+-+Theme?content=167528. Plane GTK 3.6: http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Plane-Gtk3.6?content=156309. Ultra-Flat: http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Ultra-Flat?content=167473. Malys-Unisex: http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/malys+-+uniSEX+?content=149602. Cinnamon themes. Zukitwo: http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Zukitwo-Cinnamon?content=161734. New Minty: http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/New-Minty?content=161698. Icon themes. Evolvere icon theme: http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Evolvere+Icon+theme?content=164338. Wallpapers. Dead space wallpaper, creepy monster: http://4walled.cc/show-1364323. Giant world engine eating a planet: http://4walled.cc/show-1348020. Very cold looking…
Read MoreThe Linux desktop has really not changed much in ten years of development. There are the new Gnome Shell and Unity desktops, but simpler alternatives like Gnome flashback are available that emulate the look of the classic two toolbar Gnome desktop environment. This desktop pictured above is the Fedora Core…
Read MoreOpening a Remote Desktop connection from Linux to Windows is very easy when you are using the Remote Desktop utility for the Gnome 3 desktop. This is a very easy RDP application for Linux. Below I am entering the details for a new connection. Just go to Applications->Internet-Remote Desktop Viewer…
Read MoreThis website has some awesome screen-shots of old Linux desktops from 1999. This really takes me back, Linux and UNIX desktops in the olden days looked a lot different than they do now, it is good news that the Common Desktop Environment or CDE is now available for Debian. I…
Read MoreThe Linux Mint 16 distribution is one that will take over from Windows 8.1. The Windows operating system has good gaming performance, but Linux does as well. I have played Corebreach on Fedora Core 19 and it ran very well indeed. There are a few good Linux games that are…
Read MoreHow to setup Ubuntu 13.10 with a proper desktop environment. I just installed Ubuntu 13.10 and I had to update the package repositories. This is essential to install software. homer@deusvult:~/Documents$ sudo apt-get updatehomer@deusvult:~/Documents$ sudo apt-get update After this I could install the initial set of packages to setup my system….
Read Morehttp://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/GNOME+Shell%3A+Nord?content=142971. Nord Gnome Shell theme, now compatible with Gnome 3.6. http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/LittleBigMod_2nd?content=152088. LittleBigMod Gnome Shell 3.6 theme. A very good and sleek theme. http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/London+Smoke+-+Gnome-Shell?content=142426. London Smoke theme for Gnome Shell 3.4. http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/malys+-++GS?content=142262. Malys theme for Gnome Shell 3.4.1. Another quality theme for your Linux desktop. http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Darkair+%28+3.4%2B3.6%2B3.8%2B3.9.2%29?content=156215. Darkair Gnome Shell theme. A…
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