[Burn_Cycle]

I have officially put Ubuntu on a CD and ran through it a little bit. I just got a few questions before i put this on my computer.

Is Ubuntu completely customizable?

Will I be able to change the color of the tool bar and use different skins , change the startup screen, ect.

Do you have to write a bunch of code to change this stuff or is there a GUI for this?

Last questions: Any books/websites you would recommend to know everything basic-advanced?

[killux]

Everything in Linux is customizable! Thats why it owns Windows.

For documentation just look on Ubuntu's site/forums.

[Burn_Cycle]

Originally posted by Burn_Cycle
Do you have to write a bunch of code to change this stuff or is there a GUI for this?

???

[The General]

Oh, by no means do you have to write code. If you wanted to, you could. But you don't have to.

To change the themes, just go to System -> Preferences -> Themes

That utility will allow you to change the themes. There are several themes pre-installed. Most of them look like crap.

For more themes, go to www.gnome-look.org

Also, Gnome isn't the only GUI for Linux. There are a bunch of others, such as KDE, XFCE, Blackbox/Fluxbox, etc... So if you want to try those out, you can install them from the Add/Remove Apps utility in the Applications menu, then log out, and go to Sessions, choose the one you want to try, and it will load that one instead of Gnome.

To change the login screen, I think you can do that from the themes manager too, but I can't remember. I know you can do it from the login screen .. there is a menu somewhere in there. I haven't used Gnome in a while so I couldn't tell you off the top of my head.

[Burn_Cycle]

Thanks General. Is there any extreme advantages using one over another? Or is it basically just preference?

[The General]

It is 100% personal preference.

XFCE, fluxbox and blackbox, as well as others, are designed to be fast and simple. Easy on the system resources, whereas gnome and KDE are supposed to be full feature, user friendly GUIs. They aren't as nice on the system resources.

If I were you, I'd try them all out, and chose which you like the best. Chances are it will be KDE or Gnome. I prefer Gnome for sure. I can't tolerate KDE. Yet, some people feel the exact opposite.

It means nothing about their knowledge or experience with Linux, it just means they prefer KDE.

[Skuzzle]

just as the general said.. chances are it will be 1 of those 2. I like gnome.. the gf likes kde... but my laptop uses fluxbox due to speed issues.

It's all about your requirements and preferences

[Dexaroni]

I also prefer gnome. For the best comparison... I would compare KDE to the windows interface, and gnome to the OSX interface. That is a very rough comparison, but gives you an idea of what is what.

My best suggestion would be to try out both and pick the one you like.