Customize the Panel and Theme of Linux-Ubuntu

If you need to have a free operating system to be installed into your PC or laptop, perhaps you can go for Ubuntu. Yes, this operating system is free and it is designed by famous company called Linux. Since being spread to public, it has become very popular and many readers voted it as the most popular Linux distro.

If this is your first time using this Linux OS, you shouldn’t afraid of giving it a try although there are some features that are not familiar. There are some important points about it you may want to know like how to customize the panel. Basically, this operating system has a top panel and a bottom panel by default. If you wish to have only the bottom panel to appear, you can simply delete the bottom panel through the right-click and go for the command “Delete This Panel”. Then, right-click the top panel and pick “Properties” and change the orientation from “Top” to “Bottom”.

What if you want to set full transparent panel? Well, Linux-Ubuntu is customizable. To make the panel transparent you can simply move the mouse to Applications or Main Menu and choose Accessories and click Terminal. At the new appearance, type this command:

cp –R /usr/share/themes/Ambiance ~/.themes/

The next commands will be different for each Ubuntu version, like the 10.10 version is

gedit ~/.themes/Ambiance/gtk-2.0/apps/gnome-panel.rc

whereas for 10.04 is

gedit ~/.themes/Ambiance/gtk-2.0/gtkrc

Thereafter, find the line of bg_pixmap[NORMAL] = “img/panel.png” for Ubuntu 10.10 and bg_pixmap[NORMAL] = “panel_bg.png” for 10.14. And then, add a # in front of each line and save file. Continues the step by move to System > Preferences > Appearances and select to another theme and the return again to Ambiance theme.

Besides making the theme transparent, you will be able to customize the theme as well. All you need to do is go to System > Preferences > Appearances. Select the “Customize” button under the ‘Theme” tab and go for “New Wave” theme. Afterward, click another control item under the “Controls” tab, for example the “Ambiance” and click “Close” button. Lastly, you can save the new setting as your new theme.

Additionally, other simple steps to customize your Ubuntu are available throughout the internet.

Comments

  1. Duh says:

    Duh! It's people like you who make Linux in general sound so complicated!!! To get a transparent panel in Ubuntu, all you need to do is Right Click on the panel, choose Properties > Background > Select Solid Color and use the slider to set the Transparency to suit your taste…

    • Anonymous says:

      all themes don't work like that….. there are parts in panel that can't get transparent unless one follows the instructions as given in the article mentioned above……..

  2. Eric says:

    > Ubuntu. Yes, this operating system is free and it is designed by famous company called Linux.

    Yikes. Linux is not a company, it's an operating system based on the Linux kernel, named after it's original author Linus Torvalds.

  3. Gaviola_noel says:

    i am having trouble with my ubuntu,, i cant locate the control panel that i usualy do in windows xp,to run the program using wine.. please i need some advice…

Give me your feedback

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.