How to Make the Perfect Desktop

Have you ever wanted something better than what's running on your computer now? Whether it's a Windows, Mac or Linux OS, be ensured that there are better systems out there. This wikiHow will show you how to install and configure Linux Mint on your computer. Linux Mint is one of the most popular and fastest growing OSs out there, and be a complete replacement for Windows. The advantages are clear: it's faster, better quality, easy to use and extend, secure, lasts forever as well as free to use and distribute. Still not convinced? Go to http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/ for a huge list of advantages that Linux has over other OSs. (Linux Mint is unique in its look, easy theme management, large free software repositories, and out-of-the-box functionality. Things just work. You will be amazed.

STEPS

1. Install Linux Mint. It is one of the most elegant and user-friendly OSs out there. Check out this article for instructions.
2. Install Compiz Fusion. Open Synaptic Package Manager, type 'simple-ccsm' (without quotes) right click and mark for installation. This should also install 'ccsm', if it doesn't, install that as well. We also need compiz, compiz-plugins, compiz-core, compiz-gnome and compiz-fusion-plugins-extra. Make sure they are all marked for installation (use the search box at the top) and click apply.
3. Configure Compiz. Ok, this is the fun part. Compiz is a window manager that takes full advantage of your graphics card (however good it is) and adds many effects, eg. 3D desktop rotation. Right click on your desktop and click on 'change background' to open Appearance preferences. Navigate to 'Visual Effects' and select 'custom'.Now click the preferences button to open the Simple CompizConfig Settings Manager, and click on the 'Desktop' tab. Select 'Desktop Cube' under Appearance. Use 3 to 5 Desktop Columns and one Desktop Row. Now go to the Effects tab. Select 'Shift Switcher (Cover)' as your Alt+Tab window switcher. Select Deformation: Cylinder, change the opacity to about 70, and tick every box EXCEPT Blur, unless you have a graphics card that can handle it. If your graphics are relatively old/integrated, don't even touch this option. Close the simple manager. Try things out, eg. hold down Ctrl+Alt and click&drag with the mouse. Next, we will customise what you are seeing there. Open the CompizConfig Settings Manager (ie. the non-simple one). On the main screen, untick Negative and tick 'Show Mouse'. Click on 'Rotate Cube' and change Zoom to about 0.4. Go back, in the 'Effects' section (left menu), tick 'Bicubic Filter' and 'Trailfocus'. Try out the 'Paint Fire' and 'Water' Effects if you want (Simply Enable them and use the shortcuts from the settings page). Now go to 'Cube Reflection and Deformation' (tick it if it isn't ticked already), expand appearance and click on the top image file. Click Edit and replace everything with '`' (without quotes). To the same for the bottom image. Go the top and bottom cube colours and change opacity to 0 for both. Now go back to the main screen and tick 'Window Previews'. Feel free to try out other things, too. Everyone has different requirements and a different taste.
4. Install Emerald Window Decorator. Go to the Package Manager (Look in Main Menu). Type emerald in the search box at the top. Right click emerald and mark it for installation, then apply. After it has installed, press Alt+F2 (run dialog) and type 'emerald --replace' (without quotes). You should notice the change instantly. To make sure emerald loads at every system boot, add it to the list in 'Startup Applications' (see Main Menu). Use the same command.
5. Configure Emerald. You can make your window borders look absolutely any way you want, whether thats like Mac Snow Leopard or Windows 7. For this, you need the Emerald Theme Manager. If it's not already installed, go back to Synaptic (the package manager) and install 'emerald-theme-manager'. Then open it and have a look around. There are literally thousands of themes to choose from and configure to your liking, just go to gnome-look.org -> beryl and download some. Then add them through the theme manager. You can try my theme: Earth Magic. You can see screenshots there as well. If you want something more blue you can go for this one (more like Windows 7). Still, you can always change the colours to what you prefer.
6. Install Synapse to launch programs easily. Just add ppa:synapse-core/ppa to your software sources, update and search for ‘Synapse’ in the Ubuntu Software Centre. Open it from the main menu. You can now trigger it by tapping Ctrl+Space. Type to search for a program and hit Enter.
7. Get a dock. A dock is an application launcher and window manager. Think MacOSX - they have one at the bottom of the screen. You have many different options for this, including: Docky, Cairo-Dock, ADeskBar and AWN. Personally I found AWN to be very customisable, powerful and stable. Simple instructions (copy&paste the commands in Terminal) for install: http://www.webupd8.org/2010/06/awn-lucido-gets-its-own-ppa.html
8. Install other programs. Don't forget to install other programs you may need. Linux Mint does come bundled with loads of software already, but they can't put everything on their CD. Pimp out FireFox with add-ons and themes. Before you jump over to Chrome or Opera, consider that you can configure FireFox to do pretty much everything they can and still be faster and secure. Say hello to Google Earth (now easily installable through the Software Manager).
9. Need to install Windows Software? Install Wine and/or VirtualBox Wine tries to emulate Windows and can often install or run Windows programs. However, it can be quite tricky to get to work; it may not work with every program. I would recommend installing PlayOnLinux (http://www.playonlinux.com/en/), it is a program that makes installing Windows Software (eg. MS Office 2007, games) from a CD really easy. Your second option for running non-Linux software is installing VirtualBox, which creates a virtual partition on which to run the OS. Basically, you can install and run Windows (or anything else) inside Linux, just like in another window. Then you can install your software on that. You also don't risk ruining Linux Mint.
10. Install gstreamer plugins, restricted extras and other useful stuff. Go back to synaptic and install Ubuntu restricted extras, gstreamer extra plugins, ms core fonts, and Flash.
11. Browse through blogs like webupd8.org and omgubuntu.co.uk They will have said anything I haven't mentioned.. and of course a blog is a lot more up to date than this article!

TIPS

If you are using a laptop, and the Wi-Fi light is not working, search for Linux Back-port Modules in Synaptic and install them. Next time you reboot, the LEDs should work.

WARNINGS

• Some of the compiz effects may not work whilst running the Live CD (but should work once you have installed the system).
• Not all graphics cards can handle these effects. However, mine is an old Intel integrated graphics accelerator (ie. really cheap) and does just fine. It's only limitation is handling large textures (eg. for the skydome).

Source : WikiHow

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How to Install Linux Mint

Linux Mint is an Operating System, like Windows 7 or Mac OS (just a lot better and free).
Excerpt From DistroWatch.com:

Linux Mint is one of the surprise packages of the past year. Originally launched as a variant of Ubuntu with integrated media codecs, it has now developed into one of the most user-friendly distributions on the market - complete with a custom desktop and menus, several unique configuration tools, a web-based package installation interface, and a number of different editions. Perhaps most importantly, this is one project where the developers and users are in constant interaction, resulting in dramatic, user-driven improvements with every new release. DistroWatch has spoken to the founder and lead developer of Linux Mint, Clement Lefebvre, about the history of the distribution.

STEPS

1. First backup your files, if you have any. Although you don't necessarily have to do this, its safe, just in case you get something wrong below.
2. Download and burn Linux Mint to a CD. Go to the official Linux Mint website at http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php and download the .iso for the most recent Main Edition. (Use either the 'direct download' or torrent.) Now use your favorite cd burning software to burn a 'bootable' disk from the .iso file. If you have the option, use a low write speed (more computers can read these, but this is not essential).
3. Boot from the CD and try it out. NOTE: this will not harm or change your computer in any way. Insert the CD into your computer and restart. If nothing new happens, restart again and select CD as the first boot device. This can be done through BIOS (hit del just after the computer starts) or by finding another key (often Esc) that lets you select the CD as a boot device.
4. Linux Mint may take anywhere from 30 secs to 5 mins to load, depending on your computer. Give it time - once installed, your linux will be much faster. When everything has loaded, feel free to try out anything you like - you can't do anything permanent. If you restart and remove the CD, everything will be as it was before.
5. Install Just click the link on the desktop, or find it in the menu. Go through the process, i.e. select the keyboard layout, language, etc. You can always change these options later. When you get to the partition screen, be careful as this is the most important step. Here you can completely wipe your hard drive(s) and install Linux Mint on it/them. If you want to keep Windows or any other OS, select 'install side by side' and adjust the slider. Linux Mint only needs 4GB to run, but I recommend giving it at least 10GB so you still have room for extra software and your personal files. Click next, fill in your user data and finish. Let the installer do it's thing. This is generally a very quick process. Where Windows can take several hours to install, Linux Mint should only take about 20mins. On some fast computers, this can go down to only 5mins, but others may take around half an hour. When it finishes, click reboot and take the CD out.
6. To configure Linux Mint to be as elegant and useful as possible, check out the 'Make the Perfect Desktop article.' You can change so much, and very easily, if you know how to.

TIPS

• If you get stuck, go to the downloads section on LinuxMint.com and read the User Guide (pdf), or search for your problem on Google.
• The live CD itself will not affect your computer in any way, unless you decide to install or browse files already present on the computer. The OS only loads onto your RAM. Any changes you make (eg. downloads or settings) will be lost when you shut down or install. Therefore, this is a good time to check out what the OS has to offer. You can 'install' programs, etc. but none of this is permanent and it may make your system slower. Don't forget that all this is only running from your CD, so will be slower than normal anyway.
• Linux Mint is one of the most community driven distributions. You could literally post an idea in the forums today and see it implemented the week after in the "current" release. Don't hesitate to use the forums for help or to pose suggestions to make Linux Mint even better.

WARNINGS

When installing, you can wipe all or just part of your hard drive. If you're carefull and use some common sense, you won't get anything wrong. Just bear in mind that if you're not careful, you can potentially lose data.

Source : WikiHow

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