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diff --git a/content/blog/2020-05-19-customizing-ubuntu.org b/content/blog/2020-05-19-customizing-ubuntu.org index 6461a9a..468edc8 100644 --- a/content/blog/2020-05-19-customizing-ubuntu.org +++ b/content/blog/2020-05-19-customizing-ubuntu.org @@ -8,145 +8,128 @@ For inspiration on designing your *nix computer, check out the [[https://libredd.it/r/unixporn][r/unixporn]] subreddit! * Customizing Ubuntu -New to Linux and want to add a personal touch to your machine? One of -the best perks of Linux is that it is *extremely** customizable. You can -change the styles of the windows, shell (status bars/docks), icons, -fonts, terminals, and more. +New to Linux and want to add a personal touch to your machine? One of the best +perks of Linux is that it is *extremely** customizable. You can change the +styles of the windows, shell (status bars/docks), icons, fonts, terminals, and +more. -In this post, I'm going to go through customization on Ubuntu 20.04 -(GNOME) since most new users tend to choose Ubuntu-based distros. If -you've found a way to install Arch with i3-gaps, I'm assuming you know -how to find more advanced tutorials out there on customizations. +In this post, I'm going to go through customization on Ubuntu 20.04 (GNOME) +since most new users tend to choose Ubuntu-based distros. If you've found a way +to install Arch with i3-gaps, I'm assuming you know how to find more advanced +tutorials out there on customizations. ** Required Tools #+caption: Gnome Tweaks [[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200519-customizing-ubuntu/gnome-tweaks-min.png]] -Ubuntu 20.04 ships with the default desktop environment -[[https://www.gnome.org/][Gnome]], which includes the handy -=gnome-tweaks= tool to quickly change designs. To install this, just +Ubuntu 20.04 ships with the default desktop environment [[https://www.gnome.org/][Gnome]], which includes +the handy =gnome-tweaks= tool to quickly change designs. To install this, just open your terminal and enter the following command: #+begin_src sh sudo apt install gnome-tweaks #+end_src -After you've finished installing the tool, simply launch the Tweaks -application, and you'll be able to access the various customization -options available by default on Ubuntu. You might even like some of the -pre-installed options. +After you've finished installing the tool, simply launch the Tweaks application, +and you'll be able to access the various customization options available by +default on Ubuntu. You might even like some of the pre-installed options. ** GNOME Application Themes -To change the themes applied to applications in GNOME, you will need to -change the Applications dropdown in the Appearance section of Tweaks. To -add more themes, you will have to find your preferred theme online and -follow the steps below to have it show up in the Tweaks tool. While you -may find themes anywhere, one of the most popular sites for GNOME themes -is [[https://www.gnome-look.org/][gnome-look.org]]. This website +To change the themes applied to applications in GNOME, you will need to change +the Applications dropdown in the Appearance section of Tweaks. To add more +themes, you will have to find your preferred theme online and follow the steps +below to have it show up in the Tweaks tool. While you may find themes anywhere, +one of the most popular sites for GNOME themes is [[https://www.gnome-look.org/][gnome-look.org]]. This website contains themes for applications, shells, icons, and cursors. Steps to import themes into Tweaks: 1. Download the theme. -2. These files are usually compressed (.zip, .tar.gz, .tar.xz), so you - will need to extract the contents. This is easiest when opening the - file explorer, right-clicking the compressed file, and choosing - "Extract here." +2. These files are usually compressed (.zip, .tar.gz, .tar.xz), so you will need + to extract the contents. This is easiest when opening the file explorer, + right-clicking the compressed file, and choosing "Extract here." 3. Move the theme folder to =/usr/share/themes/=. You can do so with the following command: =sudo mv theme-folder/ /usr/share/themes/=. - Icons and cursors will be moved to the =/usr/share/icons/= folder. - - Fonts will be moved to the =/usr/share/fonts/= folder - Alternatively, you can move them to the - =/usr/share/fonts/opentype/= or =/usr/share/fonts/opentype/= - folders, if you have a specific font type. + - Fonts will be moved to the =/usr/share/fonts/= folder Alternatively, you + can move them to the =/usr/share/fonts/opentype/= or + =/usr/share/fonts/opentype/= folders, if you have a specific font type. 4. Close tweaks if it is open. Re-open Tweaks and your new theme will be - available in the Applications dropdown in the Appearance section of - Tweaks. + available in the Applications dropdown in the Appearance section of Tweaks. -If the theme is not showing up after you've moved it into the themes -folder, you may have uncompressed the folder into a sub-folder. You can -check this by entering the theme folder and listing the contents: +If the theme is not showing up after you've moved it into the themes folder, you +may have uncompressed the folder into a sub-folder. You can check this by +entering the theme folder and listing the contents: #+begin_src sh cd /usr/share/themes/Mojave-Dark && ls -la #+end_src -This is an example of what the contents of your theme folder should look -like. If you just see another folder there, you should move that folder -up into the =/usr/share/themes/= folder. +This is an example of what the contents of your theme folder should look like. +If you just see another folder there, you should move that folder up into the +=/usr/share/themes/= folder. #+begin_src sh cinnamon COPYING gnome-shell gtk-2.0 gtk-3.0 index.theme metacity-1 plank xfwm4 #+end_src ** GNOME Shell Themes -To change the appearance of the title bar, default dock, app menu, and -other parts of the GNOME shell, you'll need to install the -[[https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/19/user-themes/][user themes]] -extension on [[https://extensions.gnome.org/][Gnome Extensions]]. To be -able to install extensions, you will first need to install the browser -extension that the website instructs you to. See this screenshot for the -blue box with a link to the extension. +To change the appearance of the title bar, default dock, app menu, and other +parts of the GNOME shell, you'll need to install the [[https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/19/user-themes/][user themes]] extension on +[[https://extensions.gnome.org/][Gnome Extensions]]. To be able to install extensions, you will first need to +install the browser extension that the website instructs you to. See this +screenshot for the blue box with a link to the extension. #+caption: Gnome Extensions [[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200519-customizing-ubuntu/gnome-extensions-min.png]] -After the browser extension is installed, you will need to install the -native host connector: +After the browser extension is installed, you will need to install the native +host connector: #+begin_src sh sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell #+end_src -Finally, you can go the -[[https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/19/user-themes/][user themes]] -extension page and click the installation button. This will enable the -Shell option in Tweaks. Now you can move shell themes to the -=/usr/share/themes= directory, using the same steps mentioned in the -previous section, and enable the new theme in Tweaks. +Finally, you can go the [[https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/19/user-themes/][user themes]] extension page and click the installation +button. This will enable the Shell option in Tweaks. Now you can move shell +themes to the =/usr/share/themes= directory, using the same steps mentioned in +the previous section, and enable the new theme in Tweaks. ** Icons & Cursors -Icons and cursors are installed exactly the same way, so I'm grouping -these together in this post. Both of these items will need to follow the -same process as installing themes, except you will want to move your -font folders to the =/usr/share/icons/= directory instead. +Icons and cursors are installed exactly the same way, so I'm grouping these +together in this post. Both of these items will need to follow the same process +as installing themes, except you will want to move your font folders to the +=/usr/share/icons/= directory instead. ** Fonts -Fonts are one of the overlooked parts of customization, but a good font -can make the whole screen look different. For example, I have installed -the [[https://github.com/IBM/plex/releases][IBM Plex]] fonts on my -system. This follows the same process as installing themes, except you -will want to move your font folders to the =/usr/share/fonts/= directory +Fonts are one of the overlooked parts of customization, but a good font can make +the whole screen look different. For example, I have installed the [[https://github.com/IBM/plex/releases][IBM Plex]] +fonts on my system. This follows the same process as installing themes, except +you will want to move your font folders to the =/usr/share/fonts/= directory instead. ** Terminal -If you spend a lot of time typing commands, you know how important the -style and functionality of the terminal is. After spending a lot of time -using the default GNOME terminal with -[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bash_(Unix_shell)][unix shell]], I -decided to try some different options. I ended up choosing -[[https://terminator-gtk3.readthedocs.io/en/latest/][Terminator]] with -[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_shell][zsh]]. - -Terminator is great if you need to open multiple terminals at one time -by simply right-clicking and splitting the screen into as many terminals -as you want. While this project hasn't been updated in a while, -[[https://github.com/gnome-terminator/terminator/issues/1][it is coming -under new development]]. However, this terminal is great and I haven't -experienced any errors yet. - -For the shell choice, I decided to choose zsh after trying it out on a -fresh Manjaro installation. Zsh is great if you like to change the -themes of your terminal, include icons, or add plugins. - -The desktop uses the -[[https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions][zsh-autosuggestions]] -to suggest past commands as you type. In addition, it suggests -corrections if you misspell a command. Lastly, it uses the =af-magic= -theme, which adds dashed lines between commands, moving the user@host -tag to the right side of the terminal, and changes the colors. There are -plenty of plugins and themes to choose from. Just figure out what you -like and add it to your =~/.zshrc= file! +If you spend a lot of time typing commands, you know how important the style and +functionality of the terminal is. After spending a lot of time using the default +GNOME terminal with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bash_(Unix_shell)][unix shell]], I decided to try some different options. I ended +up choosing [[https://terminator-gtk3.readthedocs.io/en/latest/][Terminator]] with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_shell][zsh]]. + +Terminator is great if you need to open multiple terminals at one time by simply +right-clicking and splitting the screen into as many terminals as you want. +While this project hasn't been updated in a while, [[https://github.com/gnome-terminator/terminator/issues/1][it is coming under new +development]]. However, this terminal is great and I haven't experienced any +errors yet. + +For the shell choice, I decided to choose zsh after trying it out on a fresh +Manjaro installation. Zsh is great if you like to change the themes of your +terminal, include icons, or add plugins. + +The desktop uses the [[https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions][zsh-autosuggestions]] to suggest past commands as you type. +In addition, it suggests corrections if you misspell a command. Lastly, it uses +the =af-magic= theme, which adds dashed lines between commands, moving the +user@host tag to the right side of the terminal, and changes the colors. There +are plenty of plugins and themes to choose from. Just figure out what you like +and add it to your =~/.zshrc= file! *** Steps to Replicate My Terminal To install zsh on Ubuntu, enter the following command into a terminal: @@ -179,9 +162,9 @@ To install zsh-autosuggestions via Oh My Zsh: git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions #+end_src -Then, add the following plugin wording to your =~/.zshrc= file (the -default config usually has the =git= plugin activated, so just add any -other plugins to the parentheses separated by a space): +Then, add the following plugin wording to your =~/.zshrc= file (the default +config usually has the =git= plugin activated, so just add any other plugins to +the parentheses separated by a space): #+begin_src sh nano ~/.zshrc @@ -191,5 +174,5 @@ nano ~/.zshrc plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions) #+end_src -Finally, you need to log out of your computer and log back in so your -user shell can refresh. +Finally, you need to log out of your computer and log back in so your user shell +can refresh. |