Xfce Forum

taoleo

Member

Registered: 2011-11-25

Posts: 29

Hey

Hi,
Now using XFCE as a result of upgrading Debian Testing and finding Gnome3 was installed.
Still learning how to configure the desktop.
Are there any good posts on Desktop Tweaks?

greg-nz

Member

From: New Zealand

Registered: 2011-11-22

Posts: 12

Website

Re: Hey

If you mean simply ways of customizing the desktop, then there are several places to go. Right-clicking on the desktop and choosing "desktop settings" enables choice of wallpaper and displayed icons. But if you go to menu > settings > settings manager, then there are three places for making changes: (a) "appearance" (b) "window manager" and (c) "window manager tweaks." The last of these is easy to overlook, but if you enable "display compositing," you can have some pretty effects (such as transparent inactive windows).

There are lots more themes available on http://xfce-look.org/. If you simply place the folder containing a theme into ~/.themes (a ".themes" folder in your home directory), it should show up under "appearance" and "window manager."

Incidentally, if you place a panel at the bottom of the screen, add what you want to it, and set it to "autohide," you can have the equivalent of a "dock" (similar to the add-on "docky" application). It resembles the new Unity launcher, with the advantage that you can place it wherever you want.

You probably know all this already, but it may be useful to someone else (since lots of people, it seems, are now moving to xfce). :-)

taoleo

Member

Registered: 2011-11-25

Posts: 29

Re: Hey

Thanks greg-nz I'll look at those.