I enjoy a lot of things. Desktop widgets generally aren’t among them. Why? I use screens with square aspect ratio’s most of the time and I like my windows to be fullscreen most of the time, so a maximised browser (where I spend most of my work-day) leaves nothing around the edges for applets that usually run in my panels in any case.
Enter screenlets – and a new appreciation for desktop widgets have been awoken in me.
I came across this while reading the Gnome 2.22 release notes. Apparently Gnome has some compositing effects included all on its own, with no need for Compiz-Fusion!
Now the effects are not as flashy or pretty as those you can get with Compiz-Fusion or Beryl, but it adds some pizazz to your desktop nonetheless.
Now this is one of the coolest desktop gadgets I have been introduced to. One of my colleagues showed me this, and helped me install it. It is a cool little program that utilises bluetooth technology to secure your laptop when you are away from your desk. Boss call you into his office for a quick chat? No problem – your work is safe while you pop into his office – and when you get back you automatically log in and continue working.
I am talking about BlueProximity – a utility that uses your Cellphone’s bluetooth and a few calculations based on signal strength to manage when your desktop gets locked.
So Ubuntu comes with the human theme. Brown everything. Want to change all that? Yet again I will bring you a how-to giving instructions to change your themes and customize them – and all this without touching the command line. Ubuntu is desktop ready, after all.
Hardy Heron comes equipped with Compiz Fusion. If you read my review of Hardy Heron, you will know that Compiz Fusion is somewhat hamstrung by the absence of Compiz-config Manager.
Here’s how to get it, and unleash Compiz Fusion in all its fury on your desktop. continue reading…
One of the guys on the GLUG mailing list pointed us in the direction of this beauty of a web browser. Today, for the third installment of Pimp My Ubuntu I will guide you through the basic steps of installing this browser. continue reading…
So I did part one on customizing Gnome-Splash. I remarked that if you run Gutsy or Hardy, you no have Gnome-Splash. Well I found a way for you to get your Splash on even in the newest version of Ubuntu. continue reading…
I happened on a book “Hacking Windows XP” the other day. Browsing through it I found useful tips on customizing XP, from boot splash, to Login Screen, to how it behaves and so on.
I thought it quite a cool idea to present a series of how-to’s over the next few weeks on customising various aspects of Ubuntu. continue reading…
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