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Let's see your desktop!

Screenshotfrom2013-01-21230539.png
 
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Mikedt your post just shows a blank grey box at my end?

Yup, that's exactly what it is. Minimalism. The Openbox default environment. There's no wallpaper, no panels, no docks, no widgets, no animations, no transitions, no rotating cubes, no nonsense. :D It starts incredibly quickly. You launch the software you need by right clicking, and that's pretty much it. Basically it's the antithesis of KDE4.
 
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Yup, that's exactly what it is. Minimalism. The Openbox default environment. There's no wallpaper, no panels, no docks, no widgets, no animations, no transitions, no rotating cubes, no nonsense. :D It starts incredibly quickly. You launch the software you need by right clicking, and that's pretty much it. Basically it's the antithesis of KDE4.
Good grief! And I thought *I* was a minimalist, as I have no icons, no widgets, nothing on my desktop, just stuff in one panel. But a blank gray screen?! That's taking minimalism a little too far for my taste! :)
 
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Couple of questions...

1) How did you get the desktop cube reflection and background setup please? Is this still done in Compiz?

Like This?

Screenshotfrom2013-01-22192307.png

2) I can not find the option that makes the top and bottom of the cube transparent in Compiz (sure it used to be before I upgraded to Ubuntu 12:10) Any pointers for that please?
 
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Couple of questions...

1) How did you get the desktop cube reflection and background setup please? Is this still done in Compiz?

2) I can not find the option that makes the top and bottom of the cube transparent in Compiz (sure it used to be before I upgraded to Ubuntu 12:10) Any pointers for that please?
I hope Nick doesn't mind my jumping in, but since I'm the one who pointed him to how to do the cube thing, I figured he wouldn't mind. :) We're both using KDE/Kubuntu. So how we do it will vary from how you do it, since you're using Ubuntu. For us, it's under System Settings | Desktop Effects | All Effects | Desktop Cube and then playing with its settings. Look for something similar in your settings.

Here's my current desktop cube.
 
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for me i did NOT use the CCSM program. it is in KDE menu, System Settings, Desktop effects.

when there, click on 'all effects' tab, then scroll down where it says 'desktop cube'. check it if not already done, then click the 'wrench' icon. then click 'advanced and uncheck 'show caps'. now click 'basic' tab and there is an option for a background color and an option for browsing to use any background image you got. select that and give it the path to the image you want to use as a cube background. once back in basic again, select 'show reflection' and click apply, ok and then you got it
 
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i did all my settings through Desktop Effects. i did not use Compiz Config Settings. that latter program does not work in Ubuntu 12.10. my 8-sided cube was done in Ubuntu 12.10 with Kubuntu desktop added on. so it is possible. the settings can be hard to find but i know they exist--unless they are not available due to certain graphics card limitations? my two Ubuntu lappies have ATI cards built in

keep in mind Desktop Effects is not available in Unity, the DE that is installed by default in Ubuntu 12.10. you need to have KDE to gain access to those options.
 
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Yes I know you said you did all your settings in desktop effects but that doesn't exist for unity so compiz is the only option unless I ditch unity, which I don't really want to.

All these settings were made unavailable in compiz due to compatability issues with 12.10. Hopefully there will be an update soon.

I may look into kde but it's all about the launcher for me
 
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Yes I know you said you did all your settings in desktop effects but that doesn't exist for unity so compiz is the only option unless I ditch unity, which I don't really want to.

All these settings were made unavailable in compiz due to compatability issues with 12.10. Hopefully there will be an update soon.

I may look into kde but it's all about the launcher for me
What about the launcher? :thinking: KDE is crazy customizable, so I'm guessing that whatever it is you're after can be replicated in KDE. Why don't you post a question in the Linux questions thread?
 
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you can install KDE, change to it temporarily, edit desktop effects, log out, log back into Unity and they will stick.

Oh really? Thats cool. I'll check it out.

What about the launcher? :thinking: KDE is crazy customizable, so I'm guessing that whatever it is you're after can be replicated in KDE. Why don't you post a question in the Linux questions thread?


Cheers. I'll just have a play probably
 
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it is your choice, personally i could not stand Unity's lack of customization. if i wanted a dumbed down OS look i'd have kept Windows 8

the way Ubuntu is going it is taking a route just like OS X and Windows is taking. appealing to inexperienced computer users. dumbing down. i really fear for the future of tech if the fisher price method is the direction it is going. Linux has for a long time been a believer in unlimited customization. Unity's approach is to make it appeal to those who like the same thing on every system. only the wallpaper can be changed. you can't even move or relocate the launcher now. even in earlier Unity versions it was possible, now it's not. you can't even change the window decoration.

if you just looked at KDE's default Windows 9x layout and got turned off, give it more time. for a launcher (Moody i believe he meant the sidebar launcher in Unity, not the panel/start button) you could use Cairo Dock as i have. it is far easier and more customizable than the default Unity launcher.

Unity splash screens were uneffected on my end, not sure why not on yours. on my Ubuntu laptop with KDE added separately, it still has Unity for the login screen with my Unity wallpaper choice intact. only if i login with the KDE Plasma as the DE will anything change. if i log out and back into Unity everything is as i had left it
 
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