How to customize Lubuntu Linux?

joe brock

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Hi, I'm new user and I have a couple of questions.
1. How to customize PCmanFM? It looks terrible right now, I would like to make it dark or something, for example, like here:
1599639659193.png

2. How to customize panel? It also looks awful now and I also would like to make it like on the screenshot.
3. How to customize dock? I downloaded Plank app but there's no settings to change theme. Do you know what dock is on the screenshot?

Sorry for such a dumb questions, I'm sure it's obvious :D
 


Hi, I'm new user and I have a couple of questions.
1. How to customize PCmanFM? It looks terrible right now, I would like to make it dark or something, for example, like here:
View attachment 7245
2. How to customize panel? It also looks awful now and I also would like to make it like on the screenshot.
3. How to customize dock? I downloaded Plank app but there's no settings to change theme. Do you know what dock is on the screenshot?

Sorry for such a dumb questions, I'm sure it's obvious :D
You need to install/add a new theme, a dark one in your case to accomplish that. Go here https://www.gnome-look.org/browse/cat/ check some themes, most have a screenshot preview so you take a look at it, download the one(s) that caught your eye, it'll be a .zip or .tar file, extract it somewhere in your OS and place it on /home/your_username/.themes, if .themes directory/folder doesn't exist, create it either by:
1. - Opening a terminal and typing
Code:
mkdir .themes
2. - Right-clicking on blank space in your home dir and selecting create new > folder and in the box dialog that pops up type .themes, click ok.
Whichever method you choose, a new folder named .themes is now hidden on your home, every file and/or dir which name's preceeded by a dot " . " will remain hidden, that's for security, hit Ctrl + h to make them visible, open .themes and copy/move the theme folder you downloaded and extracted onto it. Now open your DE's theme/look and feel manager and it should be available for you to choose, select it, click apply or OK whatever it is and that should do it. You can do the same with most themes out there.

Hope this helps! :)
 
Looks like you are running the Gnome DE.:)

Look in your Settings under Appearance and see if themes are already in the list for you to choose.
 
You need to install/add a new theme, a dark one in your case to accomplish that. Go here https://www.gnome-look.org/browse/cat/ check some themes, most have a screenshot preview so you take a look at it, download the one(s) that caught your eye, it'll be a .zip or .tar file, extract it somewhere in your OS and place it on /home/your_username/.themes, if .themes directory/folder doesn't exist, create it either by:
1. - Opening a terminal and typing
Code:
mkdir .themes
2. - Right-clicking on blank space in your home dir and selecting create new > folder and in the box dialog that pops up type .themes, click ok.
Whichever method you choose, a new folder named .themes is now hidden on your home, every file and/or dir which name's preceeded by a dot " . " will remain hidden, that's for security, hit Ctrl + h to make them visible, open .themes and copy/move the theme folder you downloaded and extracted onto it. Now open your DE's theme/look and feel manager and it should be available for you to choose, select it, click apply or OK whatever it is and that should do it. You can do the same with most themes out there.

Hope this helps! :)
Thanks a lot! Yesterday I found this way in internet, but anyway it doesn't work (theme doesn't appear in my Customize Look And Feel app), and I guess it is because I use Lubuntu while gnome-look is for gnome environment. Maybe I am wrong, but yesterday I had a bad experience with gnome apps, I downloaded tweak tools and all my OS crashed so I re-installed it.

I want to make my PC look like Mac, but I'm not sure that it is possible after what happened yesterday.
 
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Thanks a lot! Yesterday I found this way in internet, but anyway it doesn't work (theme doesn't appear in my Customize Look And Feel app), and I guess it is because I use Lubuntu while gnome-look is for gnome environment. Maybe I am wrong, but yesterday I had a bad experience with gnome apps, I downloaded tweak tools and all my OS crashed so I re-installed it.

I want to make my PC look like Mac, but I'm not sure that it is possible after what happened yesterday.
Not exactly, themes on gnome-look work for a variety of DE's; XFCE and LXQT are two I've used them on. You might also try reading here https://www.ubuntupit.com/best-lxde-themes-for-linux/ and here http://lubuntuhowto.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-install-gtk-based-theme-on-lubuntu.html
 
You don't mention what version of Lubuntu you're using.

Lubuntu is designed to run as it comes OOTB on low spec computers.

A desktop such as Gnome requires a lot of system resources.

Installing resource heavy desktops on a low spec computer can make your Linux experience painful.
 
Thanks a lot! Yesterday I found this way in internet, but anyway it doesn't work (theme doesn't appear in my Customize Look And Feel app), and I guess it is because I use Lubuntu while gnome-look is for gnome environment. Maybe I am wrong, but yesterday I had a bad experience with gnome apps, I downloaded tweak tools and all my OS crashed so I re-installed it.

I want to make my PC look like Mac, but I'm not sure that it is possible after what happened yesterday.
What make and model computer did you install Lubuntu on?
Also what version of Lubuntu?
 
You don't mention what version of Lubuntu you're using.

Lubuntu is designed to run as it comes OOTB on low spec computers.

A desktop such as Gnome requires a lot of system resources.

Installing resource heavy desktops on a low spec computer can make your Linux experience painful.
Thanks for answer! I use Ubuntu 16.04.7 LTS.
 
I have Dell Vostro 1500 laptop with Nvidia 8400 GS in it. Version of Ubuntu is 16.04.7 LTS
If this is your laptop here:

Than I can understand why it crashed on you.
It has 2048 MB of RAM.

Ubuntu requires 4 GB of RAM:-

I suggest you try a more lightweight distro for you laptop like:
Linux Lite, Puppy Linux or MX Linux.

That way you won't have any more performance problems.


And, my last question is your laptops architecture. Is it a 32-bit or 64-bit machine?
If your not sure run this command and it will tell you.

cat /proc/cpuinfo

If the 'lm' flag is present in the output it's a 64-bit machine.
IF your not sure post the output form the terminal and I'll read through it for you.

Alex
 
If this is your laptop here:

Than I can understand why it crashed on you.
It has 2048 MB of RAM.

Ubuntu requires 4 GB of RAM:-

I suggest you try a more lightweight distro for you laptop like:
Linux Lite, Puppy Linux or MX Linux.

That way you won't have any more performance problems.


And, my last question is your laptops architecture. Is it a 32-bit or 64-bit machine?
If your not sure run this command and it will tell you.

cat /proc/cpuinfo

If the 'lm' flag is present in the output it's a 64-bit machine.
IF your not sure post the output form the terminal and I'll read through it for you.

Alex

Yep, that is my laptop. I thought that Lubuntu is enough lightweight, but obviously it isn't... Thanks a lot for answer, I guess I should really choose some other distribution.

I guess it's 64-bit. But just in case, here's the output (sorry, I didn't find 'lm' flag):

processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 15
model name : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T5270 @ 1.40GHz
stepping : 13
microcode : 0xa4
cpu MHz : 1063.548
cache size : 2048 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 2
core id : 0
cpu cores : 2
apicid : 0
initial apicid : 0
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 10
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm lahf_lm pti dtherm ida
bugs : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2 spec_store_bypass l1tf mds swapgs itlb_multihit
bogomips : 2792.92
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:

processor : 1
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 15
model name : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T5270 @ 1.40GHz
stepping : 13
microcode : 0xa4
cpu MHz : 1092.334
cache size : 2048 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 2
core id : 1
cpu cores : 2
apicid : 1
initial apicid : 1
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 10
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm lahf_lm pti dtherm ida
bugs : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2 spec_store_bypass l1tf mds swapgs itlb_multihit
bogomips : 2792.92
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:
 
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G'day Joe and welcome to linux.org :)

(sorry, I didn't find 'lm' flag)

It's in the flags output between nx and constant_tsc

lm means long mode

For all and sundry, Joe's computer is quite capable of running Lubuntu. Details on system requirements for 16.04 are here

https://lubuntu.net/lubuntu-1604-xenial-xerus-released/

where it says in part

Memory (RAM)


For advanced internet services like Google+, YouTube, Google Docs and Facebook, your computer needs about 1 GB of RAM.

Cheers and

Avagudweegend

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 

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