Falling Back in Love With Ubuntu

  • S05E06
  • November 1, 2011

Robbie and Hillary show you how to make Ubuntu 11.10 look more like the old-style Ubuntu with a Gnome 3 running with a Gnome 2.x-looking layout and theme.

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This episode is sponsored in part by: Liquid Image, Music Pro Barrie, Planet Calypso & Pogoplug.

Topics Covered:

  • Robbie Ferguson and Hillary Rumball present live from the Category5 studios in Barrie, Ontario.
  • New features on the Category5.TV mobile site.
  • The Category5.TV Photo Gallery has been updated.
  • Viewer Pictures: Congratulations to Andrew who received 135 Category5 Viewer Points (100 for showing how he watches the show and 35 for having a Thermaltake Level 10 Snow Edition in the shot).
  • Viewer Testimonials.
  • Follow @RobbieFerguson and @HillaryRumball on Twitter.
  • Hillary's tagline "Cool Beans" leads to the presentation of a Mexican Jumping Bean.
  • Viewer Question: After upgrading from Ubuntu 11.10 to 11.04, I decided to revert back again to 11.04 by reinstalling, so I put my home folder on an external hard drive and reinstalled. Now, while I can mount the drive, I can't write to it. There is lots of space left on the drive. What do you suggest?
  • Running nautilus as super user from terminal:{code}sudo nautilus{/code}
  • Running nautilus as super user from GUI:
    Hit Alt-F2 and type:{code} gksudo nautilus{/code}
  • Viewer Comment: Be careful when chmod'ing 777 recursively since that can break permissions for some filetypes.
  • Viewer Question: I've tried installing Ubuntu Minimal Edition, but don't have an Internet connection. How can I install it without Internet?
  • Viewer Question: The AMD A-Series (Llano) has been out for some time and looks pretty good. I'd like to buy a computer for gaming and want to know, should I go with these cheaper processors from AMD, or stick to Intel's Core i5 or i7?
  • Robbie's recommendations for how to choose your processor (CPU or APU) based on budget.
  • Viewer Comment: AMD is good for budget systems, but if you want to go hog-wild with power, go Intel.
  • Viewer Comment: With regards to the question about installing Ubuntu without Internet access, perhaps the DVD version would be the best option.
  • Top stories from the Category5.TV Newsroom.
  • Feature: Falling back in love with Ubuntu Linux.
  • Ubuntu's Unity interface may do well on touchscreen devices such as phones and HP's TouchSmart computers, but is a terrible interface for normal "mouse using" desktop users (most of us?).
  • The Ubuntu Unity interface in Ubuntu 11.10.
  • Switching your Ubuntu 11.10 interface to a classic-looking Ubuntu without installing gnome-shell or downgrading to Gnome 2. We'll use the Linux terminal.
  • Update your apt-get repository lists:{code}sudo apt-get update{/code}
  • Add the ability to fallback to Gnome Classic mode without installing gnome-shell:{code}sudo apt-get install gnome-session-fallback{/code}
  • Logout and then change your session to "Gnome Classic" at the login screen as you log back in to your Ubuntu 11.10 system.
  • Change your default GTK theme in System Settings -> Appearance to the "Radiance" theme.
  • Back in terminal, install the old Ubuntu "Human" theme and the software you'll need to activate it:{code}sudo apt-get install human-theme gconf-editor{/code}
  • Logout of your system again and log right back in (to force your settings to take effect).
  • Viewer Comment: Robbie likes to live on the wild side!
  • Remember when changing your theme, etc., if at any time your settings don't appear to be taking effect, try logging out and back in again to reload the desktop.
  • Launch gconf-editor ("Configuration Editor" on the Applications -> System Tools menu).
  • In gconf-editor (Configuration Editor), go to the apps -> metacity branch.
  • Set your window decorations to the old orange Human look.
    Set the theme key to "Human" (with a capital H).
  • Move your close, minimize and maximize buttons to the right and replace the old menu at the left.
    Set the button_layout key value to:{code}menu:minimize,maximize,close{/code}
  • Set your desktop wallpaper to something that suits your taste.
  • Looking at the Category5.TV Photo Gallery.
  • Robbie and Hillary's Halloween experiences.
  • Viewer Comment: Captain and Spock - where's the Wirecast bridge? Tell Scotty not to beam us up until we get our dinner. (Bonus points for the photo).
  • Gadwil's TMNT Snugglie dissappears with chromakey.

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