Precise Gnome Classic Tweaks and Tricks

Preamble

This guide is written for Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, which is a five year support version. With the removal of support in 12.10 for Unity 2D and Metacity, the future of the Gnome classic option looks doubtful. Therefore this wiki cannot be guaranteed to work on any later version of Ubuntu- it may work, but proceed at your own risk!

Note: This guide is almost totally reliant on copy-and-pasting commands into gnome-terminal. Why? Quite simply not ALL of this can be completed using GUI tools like Ubuntu Tweak or 'gnome-tweak-tool', and installing 'gnome-tweak-tool' results in installing a great deal of unneeded packages including 'gnome-shell', and the only concern of this guide is getting a "classic w/o effects" DE running efficiently.

Also, if "sudo" is not included in the command then it's not needed, and in rare instances may result in changed permissions, so please just copy-n-paste! If something appears to fail, support can be found in this Ubuntu Forums thread.

Introduction

For those who find it just too difficult to use the Unity desktop it's actually quite simple to get a classic Gnome look and feel in Ubuntu Precise. My focus has been on Classic (No effects) only, which uses Metacity, because it seems to be difficult to get compiz to run well in a classic DE. If you use compiz you'll likely encounter problems.

Here's a screenshot of Precise Gnome classic DE:

Precise_classic.jpg

This screenshot shows only one panel at the bottom. Some may want two panels, or one at the top only, it's purely a matter of preference. The panel layout pictured here (beginning from the left) consists of:

  • Hide button/Main Menu/Terminal/Workspace Switcher/Screenshot/Firefox/Window List//Indicator Applet/Clock/Trash/Hide button And the Indicator Applet displays: /Update notifier/Caffeine/Network widget/Mail widget/Volume widget

Changes to Panels and Menus

Menu(s) for Gnome classic have changed, but you'll likely find what you want if you just spend a couple of minutes familiarizing yourself with the new menu layout. Be sure to check the System Tools> Administration, Preferences, and System Settings categories.

You also need to know that you must now hold down either Alt key while right-clicking on a panel or applet to be able to edit panel preferences or to add/edit/move/remove more applets. That was an intentional move by the Gnome devs to prevent people from unintentionally breaking things. And you also can't just add application applets by right-clicking them and selecting "add to panel" anymore. You must now open the "add-to-panel" window and select Application Launcher > Forward, then the window changes and you can click on the "bullet" to the left of each category to display and add any app in the menu to the panel:

add_to_panel.jpg

Notice also these Panel Properties settings:

panel_properties.png

Note: While this isn't written with Compiz in mind you should know if you're using 'gnome-panel' in a standard Gnome classic session you'll need to press both the Alt & Super keys at the same time while right-clicking on the panel/applet you wish to edit, move, or remove. (The Super key is typically the one with the Windows logo).

Author's note: To be perfectly honest I now almost forget I'm even using Gnome 3 while running a classic (no effects) DE most of the time. This tutorial will take you step by step through customizing Gnome Classic to most accurately emulate Gnome 2.

Installing Gnome Classic

sudo apt-get install gnome-panel

Note: This does exactly the same as installing 'gnome-session-fallback' but why not keep it simple.

When that is complete it's time to take your first look at the new "classic" DE by simply logging out, then clicking on the Ubuntu emblem to the right of your user name on the login screen, selecting GNOME Classic (No effects), entering your password, and logging back in as shown here.

Remember it has already been stated that the standard GNOME Classic session uses Compiz and it has been found to have a number of problems such as a borked panel appearance, garbled graphics, or even booting to a Unity DE

Indicator Applets

Installing these is highly recommended so that they'll be available for placement in the panel (only 'indicator-applet-complete' is available by default):

sudo apt-get install indicator-applet indicator-applet-session

You can see the difference between the three indicator applets here.

Before continuing, please understand that all of these additional steps are optional. No two people want the exact same look, feel, or function out of a DE! This is simply one example. Pick and choose to suit your own desires.

Note: If you find the default terminal theme (white text on a purple background) undesirable, open the Terminal, click on Edit > Profile Preferences. Then click on the Colors tab and uncheck "Use colors from system theme", then select "Black on white" or whatever theme you prefer from the Built-in schemes.

"Run Command" Prompt

Many would like to get the "Run Command Prompt" back by pressing Alt+F2 just as it was in Gnome 2. This can be quite useful if you should ever do something silly like remove both panels and need to launch the terminal or another application without being able to access the menu(s).

To activate this go to System Tools > System Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts > System and highlight the line that says "Show the run command prompt". Follow the instructions at the bottom of the window.

This can also be done using the CLI:

gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "<Alt>F2"

To revert to the default setting run:

gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "disabled"

Screen Lock

Some may find the screen lock to be very annoying; many don't like having to enter their password everytime the screen-"blanker" acivates. To disable this, go to System Tools > System Settings > Brightness & Lock and select Lock = Off.

This can also be done using the CLI:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false

To revert to the default setting run:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled true

Notifications

  • In Unity the update-notifications now show up in the Launcher but without the Launcher we now get no persistent update notifications. This can be rectified with 'indicator-applet' or 'indicator-applet-complete' in gnome-panel by running the command:

gsettings set com.ubuntu.update-notifier auto-launch false

To revert run:

gsettings set com.ubuntu.update-notifier auto-launch true

Move Minimize/Maximize/Close Buttons

To move window-management buttons back to the right run:

gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/general/button_layout" --type string ":minimize,maximize,close"

Note: to restore defaults run:

gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/general/button_layout" --type string "close,minimize,maximize:"

Window Button Appearance

Should you wish to improve window management button appearance:

sudo apt-get install shiki-colors-metacity-theme

gconftool-2 -s --type string /apps/metacity/general/theme Shiki-Colors-Metacity

To restore default theme run:

gconftool-2 -s --type string /apps/metacity/general/theme Ambiance

Disable Overlay Scrollbars

Some find the overlay-scrollbars to be inconsistent and annoying in the classic DE. They can be completely removed from the system, but a better way to do it is to simply disable them on a per-user basis. Simply run one command:

echo export LIBOVERLAY_SCROLLBAR=0 >> ~/.xprofile

Then just log out and log back in for that change to take effect.

If you should later wish to revert, run:

sed -i 's/^export LIBOVERLAY_SCROLLBAR.*/#&/' ~/.xprofile

To add the missing menu and button icons, run

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface menus-have-icons true

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface buttons-have-icons true

Desktop Icons

By default the Precise desktop is set to NOT display any icons, but it's possible for the desktop to display any combination of these icons/"actors":

Computer...........(computer-icon-visible)
Home...............(home-icon-visible)
Network............(network-icon-visible)
Trash..............(trash-icon-visible)
Mounted volumes....(volumes-visible)

But to do so you must first set the "stage" by running:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background show-desktop-icons true

But that only sets the stage for the actors, now you must decide which actors you want on the stage. You're now the director.

After running that command either reboot or log out and log back in. When you get back to a blank DE background decide what you want displayed. (Hint, the "true" or "false" at the end of these commands is the key):

To show the Computer icon run:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop computer-icon-visible true

To hide the Computer icon run:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop computer-icon-visible false

To show the Home icon run:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop home-icon-visible true

To hide the Home icon run:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop home-icon-visible false

To show the Network icon run:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop network-icon-visible true

To hide the Network icon run:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop network-icon-visible false

To show the Trash icon run:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop trash-icon-visible true

To hide the Trash icon run:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop trash-icon-visible false

To show Mounted Volumes run:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop volumes-visible true

To hide Mounted Volumes run:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop volumes-visible false

Disable Firefox and Thunderbird Global Menus

You may or may not find that you need to disable the Firefox and/or Thunderbird global menu add-ons. To do so in Firefox just go to Tools > Add-ons > Global Menu Bar integration and select Disable. You'll then be prompted to restart Firefox. Thunderbird will be similar.

Note: The remainder of these steps require the installation of packages from third party PPA's.

Screensaver Controls

Even having set Lock to Off it can be annoying to have the screen-"blanker" activate while trying to watch videos or such. In Gnome 2 you could use 'gnome-inhibit-applet' but it's not available in Gnome 3. However there is an excellent replacement: Caffeine.

https://launchpad.net/~caffeine-developers/+archive/ppa

In the original screenshot the caffeine applet shows up in the indicator-applet. Once installed and set up it allows you to "inhibit" the screen-"blanking". An example:

caffeine_comp.jpg

Should you choose to install it you can setup Caffeine by going to System Tools > Preferences > Caffeine preferences. Installation is easy:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install caffeine

Hardware Sensors

In gnome 2 the 'gnome-sensors-applet' or 'computertemp' were very useful to display system temps in the panel but again they're not available with Gnome 3. Thankfully Hardware Sensors Indicator comes to the rescue:

https://launchpad.net/~alexmurray/+archive/indicator-sensors

More about that here.

To install just run these three commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install indicator-sensors

It then shows up in System Tools > Hardware Sensors Indicator. After launching it the first time you must click on the new "applet" which just says "No active sensors" and click on Preferences. From there you can select which sensors to display and other options.

Expediting Conversion

This section deals with expediting the conversion process from Unity to Gnome classic (no effects) for those who might need to perform multiple or repetitive installations and/or conversions, but this should only be considered general instruction.

NOTE: This section is intended for intermediate to advanced users. No commands are intended to be copied-and-pasted

First of all some of the commands shown in the first section deal with installing packages using "apt" and the rest deal only with changing the existing configuration files either using gconftool-2 or gsettings. To expedite the process you must first have all of the needed packages installed. Note in section 2 of the original instructions that the installation instruction actually installs two packages, 'indicator-applet' and 'indicator-applet-session', with one command:

sudo apt-get install indicator-applet indicator-applet-session

There is virtually no limit to the number of packages that can be installed by running one such command so once you've decided what packages you want to install they can all just be added to the "string". In the original instructions numbers 1, 2, and 7 involve installing packages that are available from Ubuntu's own repositories, therefore they can be appeneded together:

sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme

The tutorial also requires 'caffeine', 'indicator-sensors', 'zukitwo-theme-all', and 'zukitwo-colors-theme' all of which require the installation of PPA's. These need to be added before installing the packages:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes

Next the repositories must be updated:

sudo apt-get update

Only then can you add those packages to the "string", eg;

sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme

Two other methods can be used to expedite installation: the use of the "-y" suffix to eliminate the need for confirmation of commands, and "&&" to combine commands. You've undoubtedly noticed that many commands result in you being asked to confirm your intent, but simply adding a "-y" to the end of the command eliminates that, and using "&&" easily combines commands. In this example all three of the aforementioned PPA's are added, the repositories updated, and only then are the desired packages installed.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y

Note: Typos matter big time! Every space and hyphen matters!

If you have a backed up configuration (example here) for that machine you could simply stop installing packages and then import the required dot folders, but in dealing with upgrades from 10.04 to 12.04, etc. the old configuration files are virtually useless. Begin adding the desired basic configuration commands with "&&", no need for the "-y" suffix.

To get Alt+F2 to "Run Command Prompt" as described in section 3 of the above instructions:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "<Alt>F2"

To set the screen lock to off as described in section 4:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "<Alt>F2" && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false

To get notifications to show up in the indicator applet as described in section 5:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "<Alt>F2" && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false && gsettings set com.ubuntu.update-notifier auto-launch false

To move window-management buttons to the right as described in section 6:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "<Alt>F2" && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false && gsettings set com.ubuntu.update-notifier auto-launch false && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/general/button_layout" --type string ":minimize,maximize,close"

To use the Shiki-Colors-Metacity theme as described in section 7:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "<Alt>F2" && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false && gsettings set com.ubuntu.update-notifier auto-launch false && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/general/button_layout" --type string ":minimize,maximize,close" && gconftool-2 -s --type string /apps/metacity/general/theme Shiki-Colors-Metacity

To disable the overlay-scrollbars as described in section 8:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "<Alt>F2" && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false && gsettings set com.ubuntu.update-notifier auto-launch false && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/general/button_layout" --type string ":minimize,maximize,close" && gconftool-2 -s --type string /apps/metacity/general/theme Shiki-Colors-Metacity && echo export LIBOVERLAY_SCROLLBAR=0 >> ~/.xprofile

To restore missing menu and button icons as described in section 9 (two commands):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "<Alt>F2" && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false && gsettings set com.ubuntu.update-notifier auto-launch false && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/general/button_layout" --type string ":minimize,maximize,close" && gconftool-2 -s --type string /apps/metacity/general/theme Shiki-Colors-Metacity && echo export LIBOVERLAY_SCROLLBAR=0 >> ~/.xprofile && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface menus-have-icons true && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface buttons-have-icons true

To have mounted volumes to appear on the desktop as described in section 10:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "<Alt>F2" && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false && gsettings set com.ubuntu.update-notifier auto-launch false && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/general/button_layout" --type string ":minimize,maximize,close" && gconftool-2 -s --type string /apps/metacity/general/theme Shiki-Colors-Metacity && echo export LIBOVERLAY_SCROLLBAR=0 >> ~/.xprofile && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface menus-have-icons true && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface buttons-have-icons true && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background show-desktop-icons true && gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop volumes-visible true

I also want to use the Zukitwo-Dust gtk theme and change the cursor and icon themes as described here (three commands):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:caffeine-developers/ppa -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexmurray/indicator-sensors -y && sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_run_dialog" --type string "<Alt>F2" && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false && gsettings set com.ubuntu.update-notifier auto-launch false && gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/general/button_layout" --type string ":minimize,maximize,close" && gconftool-2 -s --type string /apps/metacity/general/theme Shiki-Colors-Metacity && echo export LIBOVERLAY_SCROLLBAR=0 >> ~/.xprofile && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface menus-have-icons true && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface buttons-have-icons true && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background show-desktop-icons true && gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.desktop volumes-visible true && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Zukitwo-Dust && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface icon-theme ubuntu-mono-dark && gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-theme DMZ-White

The results:

appears to have worked.jpg

Log out, choose Gnome classic (no effects), and log back in. You will get a notification of bug #905686, but as it only effects 330 people, the devs will get to it sooner or later. It's only a one time error using Gnome classic (no effects) just disregard it now. Everything else is right, but you are given only the default panel layout and will need to manually tweak it:

classic first boot.jpg

As well as manually edit the settings for Caffeine and Hardware Sensors Indicator.

Here are the applicable logs:

/var/log/apt/history.log:

Start-Date: 2012-06-18  09:39:27
Commandline: apt-get install gnome-panel indicator-applet indicator-applet-session shiki-colors-metacity-theme caffeine indicator-sensors zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme -y
Install: libpanel-applet-4-0:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), gir1.2-gconf-2.0:i386 (3.2.5-0ubuntu2, automatic), python-support:i386 (1.0.14ubuntu2, automatic), zukitwo-gtk-theme:i386 (2012.06.12-1~webupd8~precise, automatic), python-kaa-base:i386 (0.6.0+svn4596-1, automatic), alacarte:i386 (0.13.2-2ubuntu4, automatic), indicator-applet-complete:i386 (0.5.0-0ubuntu1, automatic), gtk2-engines-pixbuf:i386 (2.24.10-0ubuntu6, automatic), caffeine:i386 (2.4.1+419~precise1), zukitwo-theme-all:i386 (2012.06.12-1~webupd8~precise), zukitwo-colors-theme:i386 (20120606-1~webupd8), libsqlite0:i386 (2.8.17-7fakesync1build1, automatic), indicator-applet:i386 (0.5.0-0ubuntu1), indicator-sensors:i386 (0.2-1), python-kaa-metadata:i386 (0.7.7+svn4596-2, automatic), gnome-session-fallback:i386 (3.2.1-0ubuntu8, automatic), python-central:i386 (0.6.17ubuntu2, automatic), shiki-colors-metacity-theme:i386 (4.6-1ubuntu2), indicator-applet-session:i386 (0.5.0-0ubuntu1), python-sqlite:i386 (1.0.1-9, automatic), cups-pk-helper:i386 (0.2.1.2-1, automatic), gnome-applets:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), python-gmenu:i386 (3.0.1-0ubuntu7, automatic), gnome-panel:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1), python-xlib:i386 (0.14+20091101-1, automatic), zukitwo-dark-gtk-theme:i386 (2012.06.12-1~webupd8~precise, automatic), gnome-applets-data:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), gir1.2-panelapplet-4.0:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), gnome-panel-data:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1, automatic)
End-Date: 2012-06-18  09:40:20

And /var/log/apt/term.log:

Log started: 2012-06-18  09:39:27
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Restoring Default Desktop

The purpose of this section is to provide basic info about how to restore a default desktop configuration, or how to back up and restore an existing desktop configuration.

There may be any number of other reasons why someone wants to restore a default configuration. Maybe you just messed things up, or sometimes upgrades will result in a somewhat poor overall configuration, and these same principles can be used to backup and restore configuration files as long as the proper packages are still installed.

GUI Methods

While the CLI is often preferrable to perform most such operations, the simplest way to do this is simply by opening your Home folder. You'll typically see only the expected user folders (eg; Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, etc), but if you go to the navigation bar and click on View -> Show Hidden Files you'll see what I like to refer to as "hidden dots":

hidden_dots.png

For the purposes of desktop configuration you'll typically be concerned only with .config, .gconf, .gnome2, and .compiz-1. But if this is an upgrade from a previous version of Ubuntu you may see both .compiz-1 & .compiz.

NOTE: While this deals only with some desktop configuration files, mention should be made that renaming or copying some hidden dots like .mozilla or .thunderbird will fail unless that process is killed first, eg; if .mozilla is copied while Firefox is running and you try to launch Firefox after restoring that configuration you will get a "Firefox is already running" warning. But this typically does not effect the aforementioned hidden dot desktop configuration files.

Assuming some reason such as messed up configuration, you can open your home folder and click on View -> Show Hidden Files.

Note: You can open your home folder easily if you applied the change in section 3 of of the original instructions.

Alt+F2.png

Right click on the aforementioned .config, .gconf, .gnome2, and .compiz-1 folders and choose "Rename". After choosing Rename simply click within the highlighted "box" and add a suffix like "_OLD":

rename.png

Once you've renamed the configuration files you can either reboot or just log out and log back into a fresh desktop environment so you can totally start over. If you later decide to restore the old hidden dots you can send the newest ones to the trash bin (or rename them) and remove the suffix from the ones you'd renamed previously.

Another way to create a "backup" of these hidden dots is to simply create an actual backup folder wherever you wish. Maybe just create a new folder in Home called Config_Backup. Then simply drag-n-drop or copy-n-paste those hidden dots to the new folder - remember they'll still be hidden files.

CLI Methods

By default the terminal looks in home unless told to do otherwise so just running "ls" will display your basic user files and folders but running "ls -a" will also display the hidden dots, (no sudo needed because it's your home folder) eg;

ls -a

Example:

user@ubuntu:~$ ls -a
.              examples.desktop            .mozilla
..             .fontconfig                 Music
.adobe         .gconf                      .opera
.bash_history  .gksu.lock                  Pictures
.bash_logout   .gnome2                     .profile
.bashrc        .goutputstream-B0OKEW       Public
.cache         .gstreamer-0.10             .pulse
.compiz-1      .gtk-bookmarks              .pulse-cookie
.config        .gvfs                       Templates
.dbus          .ICEauthority               .thumbnails
Desktop        .indicator-sysmonitor.json  Videos
.dmrc          .local                      .Xauthority
Documents      .macromedia                 .xsession-errors
Downloads      .mission-control            .xsession-errors.old

Now I can either copy or rename those hidden dots using either cp -a or mv respectively. Examples:

Using "cp -a" to create a backup:

cp -a .compiz-1 .compiz-1_OLD

Note there are now two .compiz-1 files, .compiz-1 and .compiz-1_OLD

user@ubuntu:~$ cp -a .compiz-1 .compiz-1_OLD
user@ubuntu:~$ ls -a
.              examples.desktop            Music
..             .fontconfig                 .opera
.adobe         .gconf                      Pictures
.bash_history  .gksu.lock                  .profile
.bash_logout   .gnome2                     Public
.bashrc        .goutputstream-B0OKEW       .pulse
.cache         .gstreamer-0.10             .pulse-cookie
.compiz-1      .gtk-bookmarks              Templates
.compiz-1_OLD  .gvfs                       .thumbnails
.config        .ICEauthority               Videos
.dbus          .indicator-sysmonitor.json  .Xauthority
Desktop        .local                      .xsession-errors
.dmrc          .macromedia                 .xsession-errors.old
Documents      .mission-control
Downloads      .mozilla

Using "mv" to rename:

mv .compiz-1 .compiz-1_OLD

Note that .compiz-1 is now .compiz-1_OLD

user@ubuntu:~$ mv .compiz-1 .compiz-1_OLD
user@ubuntu:~$ ls -a
.              examples.desktop            .mozilla
..             .fontconfig                 Music
.adobe         .gconf                      .opera
.bash_history  .gksu.lock                  Pictures
.bash_logout   .gnome2                     .profile
.bashrc        .goutputstream-B0OKEW       Public
.cache         .gstreamer-0.10             .pulse
.compiz-1_OLD  .gtk-bookmarks              .pulse-cookie
.config        .gvfs                       Templates
.dbus          .ICEauthority               .thumbnails
Desktop        .indicator-sysmonitor.json  Videos
.dmrc          .local                      .Xauthority
Documents      .macromedia                 .xsession-errors
Downloads      .mission-control            .xsession-errors.old

After renaming the aforementioned configuration files you can either reboot or log out and back in to see the new default configuration.

Zukitwo Theme for Gnome Classic

The Zukitwo themes from webupd8 are popular for Gnome shell and Classic. This section will show how to install and use the various themes included in the pack. Before beginning please understand that themes are divided into two basic categories; gtk theme and window theme, but you may also find that some icon themes work better than others with different gtk themes.

Default Classic Settings

Let's first have a look at the default Precise settings before changing anything.

Default 12.04 Gnome classic uses an interesting mixture of themes. The default window theme is Ambiance; the gtk-theme is Adwaita; icon theme is Gnome and the default cursor theme is Adwaita.

Therefore, to restore those defaults, you'd use these commands:

gconftool-2 -s --type string /apps/metacity/general/theme Ambiance

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Adwaita

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface icon-theme gnome

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-theme Adwaita

Upgrades may change defaults, however and the following settings seem to be more consistently appropriate to obtain a usable out-of-box appearance in Precise.

gconftool-2 -s --type string /apps/metacity/general/theme Ambiance

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Ambiance

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface icon-theme ubuntu-mono-dark

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-theme DMZ-White

You can of course check your own settings before changing anything by using these commands:

gconftool-2 -g /apps/metacity/general/theme

gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme

gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.interface icon-theme

gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-theme

Or you might want to back up your existing configuration as detailed in the previous section.

Installing and Using Zukitwo

With the latest updates to the aforementioned PPA all of the following Zukitwo Gtk themes seem to work fairly well with the Shiki-Colors-Metacity window theme in Precise classic (no effects). They have not been tried by the author of this guide with other DE's such as Gnome-shell or Unity. Keep in mind that this material only applies to classic (no effects) which uses Metacity, NOT the standard "classic" session which uses Compiz.

Of course to try these you'll need to install the webupd8 PPA and install zukitwo-theme-all and zukitwo-colors-theme. Since this guide also uses shiki-colors-metacity-theme it's included in the commands.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install shiki-colors-metacity-theme zukitwo-theme-all zukitwo-colors-theme

Next, set the window theme:

gconftool-2 -s --type string /apps/metacity/general/theme Shiki-Colors-Metacity

Next I can use any of the following commands to install my preferred Zukitwo Gtk theme.

The Zukitwo-Dust theme blends very well with the Precise Pangolin wallpaper:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Zukitwo-Dust

screen1.jpg

Zukitwo Dark:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Zukitwo-Dark

my_new_classic_DE.jpg

All of the following seem to work OK with the Shiki-Colors-Metacity window theme.

Quite a grayish-blue:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Zukitwo

A bright, but light and pleasant blue:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Zukitwo-Brave

A bright, but rather light orange:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Zukitwo-Human

Pink, really pink:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Zukitwo-Illustrious

Purple:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Zukitwo-Noble

A rather pinkish red:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Zukitwo-Wine

A light, bright green:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme Zukitwo-Wise

There's a theme for every taste. Smile :)


Originally posted The Ubuntu Forums (ubuntuforums.org)

PreciseGnomeClassicTweaks (last edited 2012-09-19 19:32:29 by mail)