Easier Launch Bar ?

I'd quite like to loose the desktop icons and replace them with a launch bar as seen in this thread.

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=2553&p=17061&hilit=wbar#p17061

However is there an easier way to do this, or a better alternative? All that command line scares me!

(sorry for starting a new thread, please merge/delete if you want but I started a new thread as the other seems to have died and seems populated with people that know what they are doing)

 

don't be scared it's easy!

 

I suggest you take a look at this tutorial:

http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz

at your leisure. Although you can certainly stick to GUI programs, however, the full power of Unix/Linux can only be realized if you use the command line.

 

try this one dude, find it easier and no need to compile:

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=6407&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=wbar

 

if you really are scared, you can try the cairo-dock which I am using right now so to speak. It can be customized easily [easier than wbar] and worked like a charm[adding launchers is as easy as dragging and dropping applications from your /usr/share/applications directory], all you need to do is to get the rpm file cairo-dock rpm from here: http://rpm.pbone.net/index.php3/stat/4/ ... 6.rpm.html , and there you go[i mean just double click the rpm file].

here's a screenshot of my desktop in case you might want a preview of what's up:



PS: you need to activate Compiz to make it work properly. don't worry, it is as easy as typing sudo yum install fusion-icon in the terminal and then running it by alt+f2 and then fusion-icon. Additional information and instructions on how to make fusion-icon run automatically at start up could be found here: http://hereticstudios.wordpress.com/200 ... spire-one/ but if you are feeling lazy, you can just type xfce4-autostart-editor in the terminal and then add fusion-icon and cairo-dock so that they will run automatically at startup . Don't worry, it is easy!

after cairo-dock is installed, you might want additional plugins, themes, etc. that could be found in your package manager and typing cairo-dock.

i hope that helps.

 

Hi, When I try to install the Cairo-dock i get the message "cannot install source packages" when I double click the RPM file. What can I do or am I doing something wrong? thanks mewy -I'm new to this OS.

 

i do not know if it makes any difference but i do not use pirut (the default package manager and rpm/software installer) for a couple of reasons. i use smart, i do not know, maybe i am just used to it. you can install it as well and when you get the rpm from my link, right click it and select the smart software installer. here's how:

Code:

sudo yum install smart smart-gui

just copy paste it in the terminal. hope that helps.

 

Hi,

thanks for the reply, I will try that. Please can you link to the smart installer I have to download. I would guess it's this? http://rpm.pbone.net/index.php3/stat/4/ ... 6.rpm.html but am not sure.

I am new to linux and am a bit confused by what all this is. thanks, mewy.

 

Hi,

I've now managed to do this, it's just the fusion icon I can't seem to work. When I type sudo yum install fusion-icon in terminal it tells me that no packages of that name exist... Please help! thanks

 

have you already updated your repositories from livna to rpm-fusion? it might be causing it, if you haven't yet, please use the search bar and type 'bye livna' or 'rpm fusion' . hope that helps.

 

Hey guys, I think the rpm file has been deleted, is there a new update or something?

When I click download it says the file is not available and it also says at the top that the file is obsolete.

Do you have the link to the new version?

Thanks

 

I think i've found the new file here http://rpm.pbone.net/index.php3?sta...58772&name=cairo-dock-1.6.3.1-1.fc8.2.src.rpm , but when I double click the icon it just says "Cannot install source packages, no packages were given for installation". Any ideas?

 

That's because it is a source file, you need to compile it first.

Whew, the RPM seems to be deleted.

 

So is there no current compiled files available for Cairo-Dock? Thanks

 

Try this one mate, this is originally for Fedora 9, but it will work, I think:

http://rpm.pbone.net/index.php3?sta...4796&name=cairo-dock-1.6.3.1-1.fc9.2.i386.rpm

 

OK thanks, that is installed now, but I think I messed it up a bit by dragging all the icons out and putting a new one in the wrong place. Also I couldn't get the fusion-icon thing to work. I typed sudo yum install fusion-icon in terminal and that looks as if it has worked, but what do you mean by alt + F2 then fusion-icon? Typing fusion-icon into terminal does nothing and typing it into the run program box does nothing either, it says "no such file or directory", does this mean fusion-icon hasn't actually installed?

Do you mind posting your settings here to get it exactly the same as yours? Thanks a lot

 

my blog has the complete instructions, http://isipnanakakahon.blogspot.com

 

Thank you so much jhedrotten, it all works perfectly now



Thanks for all the time and effort you have put in.

 

You are welcome. I am glad that it had worked for you, though I have to admit emerald theme manager is a bit buggy at times. lol.
And the only thing that I do not like is that you have to quit fusion-icon when watching youtube and such, or else the videos lag.

 

I installed Cairo-dock but I couldn't figure out how to get it to remain on the desktop. All the settings I've tried to edit still leaves it showing up in web browsers etc instead of staying at the back of the screen on the desktop. So I messed around with the 'Reserve space at the edge of the screen for the dock' setting and now it's disappeared off screen altogether and I can't find it. Reloading Cairo-dock is pointless because it loads it off screen so I can't edit it. Any ideas what I can do other than finally give up on Linux altogether and install windows?