Combine panel and launcher in Ubuntu
Combine panel and launcher in Ubuntu
I’ve set up Ubuntu 16.04 on an older netbook and installed a Windows 10 theme, icons, and cursor pack. Everything functions well. You’re trying to replicate the Windows 10 start menu and task bar experience. Here are some suggestions: Look into customizing the Unity desktop to add a Windows-style launcher or panel. You might also explore third-party tools that simulate a Windows-like interface. Since you’re using a Unity environment, checking for extensions or plugins designed for Windows lookalikes could help. Good luck!
I haven't managed to achieve that in Unity, but it worked with Gnome. This is for Fedora 25 using Gnome, and I have a comparable setup on my Ubuntu GNOME installation (I also don’t own a system 76, just enjoying their wallpapers). I used the dash to dock extensions and place them at the bottom, then added the other icons like up-time indicator, caffeine, harddisk LED, lock keys, and finally the system icons. Pressing the square in the lower left opens all apps, and you can keep items on the taskbar by adding them to favorites. I’m moving away from Unity even though I like it, so it’ll be easier to upgrade to 18.04 when the time comes.
Thanks for your message! I actually discovered this solution before you posted. Instead of using gnome, I installed cinnamon, which let me achieve exactly what I needed. My Ubuntu system now closely resembles my Windows 10 setup (great news!). The only limitation is the start menu, which remains unchanged. As for whether to choose gnome over cinnamon, it depends on your preferences—both have their strengths.
I previously used Unity on my laptops running Ubuntu, then switched to Fedora and appreciated the default GNOME features. It allowed me to use Wayland instead of Xorg, which performed better on my machine. I've also tried Mint with Cinnamon, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, ElementaryOS, KDE, Mate, Unity, and Gnome. While I enjoyed some of these, Unity and Gnome stood out as favorites. Parthenon (ElementaryOS) was acceptable but didn’t impress me as much. My preference leaned toward Ubuntu installs because they resembled macOS more than other options. The choice seemed influenced more by Mint than any specific software. If you need something I don’t favor, just let me know what you’re looking for.
It seems like you're expressing a similarity to yourself and trying various approaches until you discover what works best.
KDE offers another solid desktop setup to explore. It provides greater customization out of the box, stands apart from Gnome (avoiding any heated debates) and benefits from a more established presence compared to Cinnamon. Its resource consumption matches that of Gnome and Unity, and is comparable to Cinnamon as well. Here’s how it appears by default: This is what mine looks like.
I think kde is great and I use some of the software they have helped create (kdeconnect, kirta, kdenlive) but all of the themes I use are gtk based so they don't work on kde, I also wish that more desktop environments would let a user leave a message on a locked computer like mate does, tried it out and I think it is a great idea Spoiler
Arc has Arc-KDE, but I prefer Breeze Dark. That notification option seems great for shared computers. You don’t need SDDM to run KDE, so the same feature works with KDE as your desktop environment.
I've shifted from the Arc style to the Pop theme from System76. The main change is that they now focus on Unity and Gnome themes, while supporting systems like GNOME, Budgie, Unity7, XFce4 Mate, and LXDE. You can find more info at the links provided.