(Next) Distro Hopping, maybe

These last couple of days I've been watching a bit what's out there, and what are things looking ahead for the next Ubuntu LTS release, that will hit the streets towards the middle of April.
So far, sad to say, I think I'll stay with what I already have (Linux Munt 13 running Cinnamon & MATE).
Unity not only doesn't fixes its own implementation of Global Menu, but also it is doing everything it can to kill it for good.
On MATE, the Global Menu hack that surfaced about a year ago broke when MATE devels released a new version (besides, it was only for 64 bits, so that left many of my out of the game).
So far, if I have to pick a new distro to test, I have to go with Arch Linux, and that is only to be able to get the newest of the new GNOME 3 release running.

The current Ubuntu desktop

Even tho the calendar says it isn't, summer is upon us...

The current GNOME 3 extensions

Installed a couple more today.

The current GNOME 3 extensions

Finally, after 20 days of Gnome 3 on Stilgar I finally caved in and installed a couple of Extensions...
For the moment, those will do.

The current Ubuntu desktop

With a slight 80's twist.

Scrobbling to Last.fm from VLC

This seem to be easy enough, but nevertheless I had to enable an extra setting (the one on the first screenshot) in order to get the whole thing up & running for good.

VLC > Tools > Preferences

And then set that to "Show settings" > "All"
Interface > Control Interfaces > and enable "Submission of played songs to last.fm"

Then goto Audioscrobbler and complete yout login info for Last.fm.

You are done. It scrobbles songs, but only after they have been played in their entirety, there is no "Currently Listening".

The current Ubuntu desktop

Once again Gnome Shell on the Thinkpad T60p.
High resolution glory!

Stilgar got its GNOME Shell Remix

Installed GNOME Shell Remix once again.
This time on my beloved Stilgar, haven't nuked the Scientific Linux install, but made the GNOME 3 install on Sojourner's HDD, a 500 GB that it is a bit beat but seems to be holding up Ok.
This HDD was originally from an old laptop that I don't have any more, the thin and somewhat fragile Dell XPS M1330; the HDD has a couple of bad sectors, so I'll keep and eye on it, and make plenty of backups.
As far as the GNOME Shell Remix goes, things seem to be pretty nice so far, this lappie only has 3 GB of RAM -and I've used modern distros on it-, so the system its a 32 bits, and overall things are obviously slower than on Usul and its 8 GB of RAM, but can be used as a day in day out box no problem.
The T60p huge screen (1600x1200) its the most amazing thing I've ever seeing.

The lure of GNOME 3

Been using GNOME 3 almost exclusively for the last month or so (on Usul).
It is getting almost addictive, I look at my other lappies running Scientific Linux with plain GNOME 2 and they look so antique, so old...
Things are not totally kosher with GNOME 3, not even on Usul with 8 GB RAM, but, damn, GNOME 2 looks like CDE.

Gnome 3: Smaller title bars on Metacity

Been using the T410 non stop for the last 10 days or so. With the maxxed RAM it makes a magnificent machine.
Gnome Shell Remix -that is, Gnome 3- flies on it, when it comes to Linux, everything works A Ok on the laptop, software or hardware wise... It has only two drawbacks, the screen sucks, really, really sucks; and the speakers are weak, and I mean really, but, really weak.
Besides that, the screen only has 1280x800, so it gets kind cramped sometimes...

I've modified a bit the default Metacity theme, reducing the title bar size, which originally its gigantic, BTW...
On the file "/usr/share/themes/Adwaita/metacity-1/metacity-theme-3.xml", edited the lines:

On frame_geometry name="normal":

<!--    <distance name="title_vertical_pad" value="9"/> -->
        <distance name="title_vertical_pad" value="5"/>

And on frame_geometry name="max":

<!--   <distance name="title_vertical_pad" value="8"/>  -->
       <distance name="title_vertical_pad" value="4"/>

The result of this can be seen on the latest screenshot.
I've done something similar in the past, but that was for the Metacity theme used on the Fallback Mode.

The current Ubuntu desktop

(It was time for an Ubuntu desktop post!! Even tho, this one is actually a GNOME Shell Remix one..)

The setup I'm using at the moment.
As usual, very much towards the standards.

gsettings galore!

The gsettings configurations I have at the moment on Usul, with its 14" @1280x800 screen.

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface menus-have-icons true
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface toolbar-style icons
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface text-scaling-factor "0.8"
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.clock show-date true
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface 'buttons-have-icons' true

Usul moves a notch up

Maxxed the RAM to 8 GB, just now.
Testing it right now while posting this.
Gnome 3 feels mighty snappy.

Usul's xorg.conf, another go...

What you know...
It's been a year or so, and the NVIDIA card (on the Thinkpad T410) has the same problem than while running Lucid Lynx.
The keyboard shortcut to lower or brighten the LCD doesn't work, it does launch the OSD icons for both up & down, but it doesn't actually do dink.
On the same laptop, with Lucid, it was necessary to do something similar.
Not a big deal.

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Default Device"
        Driver          "nvidia"
        Option          "NoLogo"                "True"
        Option          "RegistryDwords"        "EnableBrightnessControl=1"
EndSection

From Precise to Gnome Remix

Last night did a wipe and clean install on Usul.
 It had the Precise Pangolin, the first "production" install I did, back on May.

A plain vanilla 64 bits Precise, with a PPA added with an installation of GNOME 3, it performed A Ok, but I wanted a truly clean install, without all that Unity stuff that I'm positive I'll never ever going to use.

 So, after an hour of base and updates installation, I've been restoring files all day long.

Chromium: reverse the controls

On Gnome 3, using Chromium with the option Hide system title bar and use compact borders and the option Use Classic Theme the window controls get reversed and set to the left of the window.

gconftool /apps/metacity/general/button_layout -t string -s "menu:minimize,maximize,close"

This puts things in order, and of course the change is instantaneous and doesn't need a logout or reboot.

Fuzzy Panel on GNOME 3 (2)

Another one of these...
This one after coming back from a Suspend, had to do a X Window re-init to get it back to normal.

The current GNOME 3 extensions

Extensions, extensions & more extensions... Or so it seems..
The whole bunch of the installed ones at Usul.

Trust No DVI, Mr.Mulder

GNOME 3, with a huge display, and given the Thinkpad T410's speed, it does become a truly usable Desktop Environment.
But, even with the added speed and a better video card (than the T60p) I still think that GNOME 3 is not intended to be used with more than a handfull of apps open at the same time.

Incidentally, the old Apple Cinema Display is ideal to watch The X Files on it... Started to (re) watch Season Three during this weekend.

Fuzzy Panel on GNOME 3

GNOME 3 is not over, at least not on the Thinkpad T410...
But here is a new one, a new bug I mean... The Panel got, coming back from a Suspend, all the fonts screwed up, the same thing happened with the Overview.