Customize Ubuntu with Ubuntu Tweak - A Guide
Enhancing Ubuntu Customization with Ubuntu Tweak
The standard configuration utilities included with Ubuntu often lack extensive options for personalizing your desktop environment.
Ubuntu Tweak addresses this limitation, providing access to a comprehensive range of settings not found within the default interface.
Expanding Desktop Customization Options
Users seeking to modify Unity’s behavior, personalize the login screen, or alter the desktop icon theme separately from the primary theme will find Ubuntu Tweak to be a valuable tool.
While Ubuntu 12.04 introduced some configurable settings within Unity, the available options remain relatively limited.
Key Features and Benefits
- Granular Control: Access settings beyond those offered by the standard Ubuntu interface.
- Unity Tweaks: Fine-tune the functionality of the Unity desktop environment.
- Login Screen Customization: Personalize the appearance of your Ubuntu login screen.
- Independent Icon Themes: Modify desktop icons without affecting the overall theme.
Ubuntu Tweak empowers users to achieve a more tailored and personalized Ubuntu experience.
It serves as a powerful extension to the default configuration tools, unlocking a greater degree of control over the desktop environment.
Installation
The Ubuntu Tweak software must be downloaded directly from its official website, as it is not included in the standard Ubuntu software repositories.
Following the download, a double-click on the DEB file will launch it within the Ubuntu Software Center, initiating the installation process.
Once the installation is complete, Ubuntu Tweak can be located and accessed through Unity’s dash.
The application will be readily available for use, allowing for system customization.
Ubuntu Tweak: A System Customization Tool
Ubuntu Tweak is structured around a four-tab interface: Overview, Tweaks, Admins, and Janitor. Each tab provides distinct functionalities for managing and optimizing your Ubuntu system.
Tab Breakdown
The Overview tab presents a summary of your system’s specifications. The Tweaks tab offers a range of customization options. Administrative tools are conveniently located within the Admins tab.
Furthermore, the Janitor tab assists in reclaiming disk space by removing unnecessary files. This helps maintain optimal system performance.
Functionality of Each Tab
- Overview: Displays essential system information at a glance.
- Tweaks: Allows for extensive personalization of the Ubuntu desktop environment.
- Admins: Provides access to various system administration utilities.
- Janitor: Facilitates the removal of temporary and obsolete files.
By utilizing these tabs, users can effectively tailor their Ubuntu experience. This includes both visual adjustments and performance enhancements.
Customization Options
The Tweaks tab provides a comprehensive suite of tools designed for personalizing various aspects of your Ubuntu experience. This includes modifications to Unity and Ubuntu’s login screen, as well as adjustments to the theme, file manager, and desktop environment.
While the standard Appearance control panel offers limited theming capabilities, focusing on a single overall theme, Ubuntu Tweak allows for granular control over individual theme components, such as the icon theme. Each customization option within Ubuntu Tweak features a small icon that, when selected, restores the setting to its default value.
Login screen customization is facilitated through the Login Settings pane. This allows users to modify the Unity Greeter, which operates on the LightDM display manager. For instance, the visual grid of dots displayed over the background image on the login screen can be disabled by setting the “Draw grid” option to “No.”
The Unity configuration panel exposes additional Unity options not found in the standard Appearance control panel. Users who prefer the previous interface can disable the new HUD from this section. The HUD can be activated by pressing the Alt key.
Further personalization is possible through the Window pane, which provides control over window title bar elements. A simple click allows you to reposition window buttons, for example, moving them to the right side of the window.
The Workspace pane introduces the functionality of “hot corners.” These corners, when activated by mouse cursor movement, trigger specific actions.
An example of a hot corner action is assigning the “Show Windows” option, which then opens a window-picker screen similar to Exposé.
Administrators Section
The Admins tab provides a comprehensive suite of administrative functionalities. These tools cover areas ranging from software maintenance to the configuration of desktop preferences.
Within this section, the Application Centre facilitates effortless browsing and installation of widely-used applications. Additionally, the Source Centre presents a curated list of Personal Package Archives (PPAs) that can be readily activated.
Customizing Quick Lists
The QuickLists Editor enables personalization of Unity’s quick lists. These are the contextual options displayed when right-clicking an application icon within the Unity launcher.
Existing default options associated with applications can be disabled, and custom options can be incorporated. This is especially beneficial for applications lacking built-in quick list functionality.
Adding Commands to Quick Lists
Any executable command can be integrated into an application’s quick list. This allows for streamlined access to frequently used actions.
Extending Nautilus with Scripts
The Scripts panel introduces a method for easily adding scripts to the Nautilus file manager. Ubuntu Tweak includes a selection of pre-built scripts available for addition.
Once added, these scripts become accessible via a dedicated "Scripts" submenu when right-clicking files within the file manager.
Janitor
The Computer Janitor panel provides a means of reclaiming disk space by removing temporary files, such as cached data and outdated Linux kernels that remain on your system.
All items within this section are considered safe for deletion. However, it's important to recognize that removing these files doesn't always improve performance; for example, clearing your browser cache will simply result in those files being re-downloaded later, potentially slowing down your browsing experience.
The Apt cache stores downloaded package files. When Ubuntu installs software, copies of the packages are retained.
Deleting these files is safe if you have no intention of reinstalling the packages or creating backups of them.
Ubuntu Tweak offers a comprehensive suite of customization options, far too numerous to detail completely here. We’ve highlighted just a few key features.
Experiment with Ubuntu Tweak yourself – its integrated search functionality simplifies the process of locating the specific adjustments you desire.