Customizing Kubuntu's Appearance

OK, I have set up a dual-boot arrangement with Kubuntu and WinXP Pro without a glitch. The success is attributable to earlier trial-and-error attempts. I've worked with the Adept Installer to get some nice programs and I've gone through the system settings to make some changes.

What I want to crack down on now is Kubuntu's GUI appearance. Even with KDE I find the windows ugly, and the only "customization" is changing the color of the title-bar; a joke. What I want to do is install a nice theme of sorts. I also want to change the system font.

Lastly I want to add Vista's sidebar ( http://img493.imageshack.us/img493/2576/kubuntusuck6zx.png) so I can see what's going on with the system and have a constant feed of information.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

Look in the Adept package manager for Kopete for the Vista sidebar-alike things. You should also see many themes available, more than just the color of the title bar. Have you looked into the configurations? Right click on the desktop and go to properties, or go into the System configuration application? Because honestly, it sounds like you've spend 3 minutes and decided that it's not Windows and doesn't work exactly like Windows, so you call it a "joke".

 

It sounds to me like you just interpret words and assume my tone and message. But it looks to me like you're wrong. I have looked in the Adept manager, I've used the search function and scrolled through the apps for "any suite" myself, so I have spent more than 3 minutes as you assume. And unless I'm wrong, Kopete is for chatting. What does that have to do with theming?

 

Superkaramba is a tool you can USE in KDE to add desklet style things. Also, check out www.kde-look.org, you can get lots of ideas to make KDE look like you want it to.

Although Pitabred may have been wrong about the program, I echo his sentiments towards your attitude. KDE is I dare say, in my personal experience, the most customisable GUI out there. If you spent some more time going through it's configuration settings, you would discover that.

 

I agree with Pitabred and Sylvain. And www.kde-look.org is the best site for KDE apperance changers.

 

OK thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

 

I would go into the Control Center:
Appearance and Themes > Style
Appearance and Themes > Window Decorations
Appearance and Themes > Fonts
Just look around. KDE is very customizable.

 

Okay, I must be stupid.

I can't find the control center.
K Control Center is not in the K Menu...
I don't know. I've looked, I've googled, I can't find it, or how to access it.
Help?

 

Oddly enough, while looking for K Control Center, I happily came across kooldock. And it has an icon for Control Center... Finally found a linux dock, and it helped me already.

But I'd still like to know how to access it without the dock.

 

from the terminal I typed in

sudo apt-get install kcontrol

to install it, then kcontrol from the terminal to access it.

 

That worked, thanks Zaz!

 

I'm a newb like you at least i regards to linux, but I help where I can.

 

Yup, I agree. I think the community is one of the best things of Linux! I like helping people, and intend to as I can, now that I am learning how Linux works.
Thanks again.