Well, I think I’m nearly there with regards to my Ubuntu 12.04 install. 3 years ago, I first built this PC and stuck Ubuntu 9.04 on (along with Win7 RC). I haven’t regretted the switch to Ubuntu, but getting it “Just So” has reminded me of much of the hassles I had the first time around.
If you’re curious on whether I was able to save the data on my 640GB HDD or not – well, I wasn’t. I wound up using GParted to set it as an NTFS drive, but this wiped the data. No matter, I reformatted the drive, named it the same as my original data partition (TrinaStuff, of course), and copied the data over from my backup. (Yay for backups! I really need to get that setup with this new system!) So all is well in that regard.
I think I finally have the look the way I want it (enough purple to satisfy, but not overwhelmingly so). I’m using Gnome 3 shell since I just didn’t care for Unity. (I use an older Unity on my netbook and it’s ideal for that.) I had to add minimize and maximize buttons next to the close buttons (and switch them to the right side). I added my little weather extension so it sits next to my date & time. I re-enabled the startup sound (which is off by default in 12.04) cuz I need those drums, man! Got the NTFS filesystem (where my data is saved on the 640GB drive) so that I can delete to the trash can. Is there any way to tweak a new system without using Google? Heh.
A few things I’ve not been able to do yet. I can’t seem to get a verbose boot to work. I wanna see stuff that goes on. That’s why Linux is better than Winders, man! Nothing hidden! 😉 I can’t find a way to sync my (old Windows Mobile 5) phone to Evolution. Synce, the program I used to use, hasn’t matured with the OS. So now I’m contemplating an Android phone (Galaxy S3, perhaps?) I’ve got GMail set up with my current calendar & contacts just ready to go for the upgrade. As mentioned before, I haven’t set up backups yet, though I’ve installed LuckyBackup, the program I used before. So almost done!
Here is a snapshot of the current look, with a few windows open to see the overall look. (Wallpaper from the BBC’s website.)
I’ve been lingering on 10.04 LTS because of how much I didn’t care for either Unity or GNOME 3. I’m hoping that by the time 10.04 support runs out next year, either one of those two will have become more palatable, or there will be a GNOME 2-like desktop to take their place as the object of my affections.
There is a “throwback” version of GNOME available, but it wasn’t enough like the old GNOME for me to stick with it. Also tried xfce (xubuntu), but didn’t care for it. Thankfully, GNOME 3 is working for me. (I really need to update my Open Source icon – I don’t use Thunderbird or OpenOffice. Instead it’s Evolution and LibreOffice.)