Ok so I am really loving my Linux box.

I am just bored as I have nothing to fix.

Read Linux for dummies, Jeez its very Dummified. I thought it was a good book for someone who has migrated to Linux and never used it before.

So I was wondering what your ultimate packages are, What you use all the time and couldnt do without.


I have got my desktop running as I like it.



I saw the mac panel but I dont know wether I would like it.

I love gizmos and gadgets o my desktop (without going overboard) Show me your desktops too

i don't really have a must have package, i suppose frozen bubble is one that i like, after that, truecrypt, yafc (ftp client)

but i'm not a big one for gadgets and such to customize, check conky, that should keep you busy for a while, it has great customizability, but can take a while to get looking good

Im just reading

Ubuntu Unleashed 2010 Edition Covering 9.10 and 10.4, 5th Edition

Its a lot more in depth, I am looking forward to reading the section regarding servers. I am interested in converting the server into a linux box just purely to serve files to the other computers in my house. (Its just my more powerful desktop PC in lounge behind TV)

Thanks for that Mazuki,

I am liking conky, I am looking into it now

;)

well for my FTP server i run proftpd, you can get a GUI to setup the config file, but i just did mine via text editing, no need for a GUI app imo with all the documentation they provide

next will be setting up sshd so i can get that extra monitor out of here :)

Conky can keep you busy for hours. Or at least it did me.

Im struggling to install it,

I sudo get-apt cony and itinstalled but I am unsure how to run it?

you need to create a .conkyrc file in your home directory !!
you can check the sample stock .conkyrc which is located at:
/usr/share/doc/conky/examples/conkyrc.sample.gz

Install with



Create config file with



In the file that opens enter your configs.

Save, close then in terminal



to run.

thanks all, dEVIANT your instructions were the clearest I found.

I am still learning Bash commands forgive me. I dont really know the basics like copy and move. I am figuring it out though. I have a little notepad that I keep by me and I am reading a excellent Ubuntu manual.

EDIT

Ok so I have a version of conky running. It wouldn't run before I did what dEVIANT said to do.

Now its running but obviously I now want to edit it, I run

cd /usr/share/doc/

$ gedit /.conkyrc

It lets me edit but it is making no changes to how conky runs?

Where am I going wrong?

On a side note I cannot find .conkyrc file anywhere? is it in the home directory?

Yes, it is in the home directory. use the command
Sudo gedit ~/.conkyrc

to edit the file. Once you have edited the file save it. Hit Alt+F2 and run Killall conky. Hit Alt+F2 again and run conky. It should show the changes you have made to the .conkyrc file.

I figured what was up,##I had two terminals open, One as root.

I was editing the conkyrc as root but running conky as user!

DOH!

Anyway still work in progress, But here it is

Nice

gnome-look.. conky-colors

I like that conky!

Sweet work.

My "must have apps" would be Klibido (binary NG reader) and probably Chromium....(not very exciting, I know)

I think Compiz is a must for the eye candy and my other preference is to remove any Mono infestation from my distro.

Pretty much my only must have app that isn't already part of the default install is Calibre and it's dependencies. It's an ebook manager that is similar to the way iTunes manages your music. Other than that Samba is my second must have, but that's provided with the OS. Of course the core-utils are the most important part, for me they're the primary reason I use Linux.

Im loving GTKPod manager at the moment

:D