Ubuntu: Questions and Answers (2014)
GNOME
Skip to questions, Wiki by user 8128
GNOME-Shell, is probably the most well-known DE available and is a GTK-based desktop environment.
Use of the tag
Use it when asking about the the Desktop Environment GNOME as whole, how to run non-native gnome applications in GNOME, general configuration and behavior change.
If you want to ask about nautilus or some other GNOME application, use that as tag instead.
Key Features
· Automatic Workspace management
At any given moment, it only keeps open as many workspaces as you have active windows on, plus an extra empty one to start more windows. When you remove all the windows from a workspace, that workspace will be removed until you need it again.
· Extensions
An unique features to GNOME Shell's and it functionality and interface can be extended or modified through the use of extensions. For more information on how to install these extensions, see How to install GNOME Shell extensions.
· Messaging Tray
It provide a uniform interface for messages, notifications, and alerts. Allow the user to stay focused on the primary task and have controllable information display. It also provide a lightweight interface to background operations.
System Requirements
RequiredRecommended
Processor 1 GHz (x86) Better than 1 GHz (x86)
Memory768 MB1 GB
Hard drive capacity7 GB10 GB
Video cardVGA @ 640480VGA @ 1024768
How to install
Click this link to install the gnome-shell
package, find it in the Ubuntu Software Center, or type sudo apt-get install gnome-shell in a terminal. There are more instructions here
But it is recommended to install it from the official image (.iso) that can be downloaded at this page.
Sources
· https://ask.fedoraproject.org/en/question/7322/do-i-have-appropriate-hardware-for-gnome/
· https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TrustyTahr/ReleaseNotes/UbuntuGNOME#Known_Issues
· https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuGNOME
· What are the system requirements for Gnome 3?
· https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/GnomeShell/Design/Guidelines/MessageTray
Questions
Q: Desktop doesn't remember brightness settings after a reboot
Tags: gnome (Next Q), brightness (Next Q)
Every time I reboot my machine the brightness goes back to 100% in Gnome. I wish it would keep the last setting. Is there anyway?
Tags: gnome (Next Q), brightness (Next Q)
User: decio-lira
Answer by levesque
This is supposed to be configurable in the energy options, set the brightness to the desired level and it will always be used. If you use a laptop you will also need to configure the level for battery mode as well...
I found that Gnome has some issues about lcd panel brightness, e.g. if I run on battery mode and set the brightness manually to a given level and leave the laptop unattended for 10 seconds it will go back to the preset brightness when I take control back. Same goes when on A/C mode except it takes longer so goes unnoticed more easily. I believe all those settings should be saved somewhere and restored - at least for A/C mode.
EDIT: For gnome3 this does not work (at least for me).
Answer by dolhow
The file /etc/rc.local should look like this:
Skip code block
#!/bin/sh -e
#
# rc.local
#
# This script is executed at the end of each multiuser runlevel.
# Make sure that the script will "exit 0" on success or any other
# value on error.
#
# In order to enable or disable this script just change the execution
# bits.
#
# By default this script does nothing.
echo 0 > /sys/class/backlight/acpi_video0/brightness
exit 0
Per @zerdo: In my dell studio 1558 the brightness setting is stored in /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness. Just change the path if your computer doesn't use the acpi_video0 folder.
Also, per @Nick : If this is the only answer you read, note that the 0 in echo 0 is going to be your default brightness setting. I had set this up and it was driving me crazy for a long time : every time I booted up, it would set it to the lowest brightness setting. I prefer mine to start at max brightness, so I used echo 10 instead. Your hardware might vary in brightness scale.
Answer by bodhi.zazen
This function, the backlight control, is dependent on your bios and kernel version.
Try these four things.
Kernel (boot) options
When you boot, at the grub screen, hit e to edit. To the kernel line add nomodeset acpi_backlight=vendor Some hardware may work with different options.
Intel - nomodeset acpi_backlight=intel Acer - acpi_backlight=acer_acpi or even acpi_osi=Linux acpi_backlight=legacy.
As you can see, you may need to google search for your settings.
quiet splash nomodeset acpi_backlight=vendor
If that works, edit /etc/default/grub and add those options to the default options.
# command line
sudo -e /etc/default/grub
# graphical
gksu gedit /etc/default/grub
Edit the "GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT" line so it looks like this
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nomodeset acpi_backlight=vendor"
Save your edit, update grub
sudo update-grub
Command line
If that does not work, you can try to manually set the brightness.
Note: Path may vary with hardware / kernel version, may be /proc/acpi/video0 ..., you may need to browse the /proc/acpi directory to find the brightness setting and adjust the following commands accordingly.
cat /proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCD/brightness
The output of that command varies a bit with hardware, 1 -> 10 , 1 -> 12 , 1 -> 100 ??? Choose a value and set it (choose the value for your hardware).
sudo echo 80 > /proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCD/brightness
If that works, add it to /etc/rc.local
# command line
sudo -e /etc/rc.local
# graphical
gksu gedit /etc/rc.local
Add in your setting above "exit 0"
echo 80 > /proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCD/brightness
xbacklight
You can also try xbacklight
sudo apt-get install xbacklight
You then adjust with the command line
# For 80 % brightness
xbacklight -set 80
Again, add that to /etc/rc.local
# command line
sudo -e /etc/rc.local
# graphical
gksu gedit /etc/rc.local
Add in, above "exit 0"
xbacklight -set 80
setpci
You can try to set your brightness with setpci
The general syntax is
sudo setpci -s <address> f4.B=your_setting
You identify your pci bus address with
sudo lspci | grep VGA
Example
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Cirrus Logic GD 5446
setpci -s 00:02.0 F4.B=80
If you get your setting wrong, most likely you will just loose your display, and have to reboot. As this is a hardware setting, you really need to identify your hardware and research the settings first.
Examples
Intel - https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=74914
Toshiba - http://www.linlap.com/wiki/toshiba+satellite+t130
Acer extensa - https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/518002
Ubuntu man page setpci
Tags: gnome (Next Q), brightness (Next Q)
Q: Desktop forgets theme?
Tags: gnome (Next Q), themes (Next Q)
I am running Ubuntu in VirtualBox (on a Windows 7 host). Several times now, the top-level menu bar, the task bar and seemingly every system dialog have forgotten the out-of-the-box "Ambiance" theme they conform to when I first installed the system. Window captions still preserve the theme, but pretty much nothing else does.
I have searched high and low on Google for assistance with this problem. Everything I've found suggests either running some gconf reset or deleting .gconf* .gnome* and other similar directories. I have followed all this advice and nothing works. I still get a boring Windows-95-style gray 3D look and feel. On previous occasions, after much messing around I've given up and rebooted the VM instance, and been pleasantly suprised to see the original "Ambience" theme restored throughout the UI, but invariably it disappears again some time later, usually after a reboot, so I can never figure out what I did that broke it.
Here's a sample from Ubuntu's site of what I want it to look like.
And here's a screenshot of my system as it currently looks.
Also note that my GNOME Terminals normally have a nice purple semi-translucent look, and as can be seen from the screenshot, they are now just a solid matte white.
This last time (just yesterday), trying numerous combinations all the usual tricks and rebooting several times hasn't fixed it, so here I am on SU wondering:
How do I recover the out-of-the-box theme for my Gnome/Ubuntu desktop, noting that blowing away all config files as suggested in many places online fails to achieve this?
It might help to know that it seems to fail either after I resize the VM instance, forcing the Ubuntu desktop to resize itself, or after I play around with Compiz settings. I haven't been able to figure out which of these it is, and it could be neither. Given the amount of pain I have had to go through to get things back to normal (and given that I am at a loss as to how to do so), it has proven difficult to definitively isolate the cause.
Tags: gnome (Next Q), themes (Next Q)
User: marcelo-cantos
Answer by marcelo-cantos
@zpletan's answer lead to a bit of hunting around, which quickly unearthed what seems to be the root cause of my problem. It's detailed in Ubuntu Bug #574296. In summary, my Core i7 system with an SSD starts everything with sufficiently different timings that gnome-settings-daemon runs too early, bails, and leaves me mostly with a stock GTK theme.
A short sleep in /etc/xdg/autostart/gnome-settings-daemon.desktop fixes it:
Exec= bash -c "sleep 2; /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon/gnome-settings-daemon"
Answer by tm.
I couldn't fix this problem with any of the suggested answers (the currently accepted answer worked sporadically, but usually did not work for me). I tried increasing the sleep time by a lot and it still wasn't working consistently.
However, one of the answers did point to a bug that tracks this issue, and I found a comment on the bug that solved it for me.
Here are the key bits:
First, create a bash script (I named it /etc/xdg/autostart/gnomesettingsdaemonfix.sh)
Skip code block
#!/bin/bash
pid=$(pgrep gnome-settings-)
while [ -n "$pid" ];
do
pid=$(pgrep gnome-settings-)
sleep 0
done
exit 0
Make sure it is executable (run chmod +x).
Then edit /etc/xdg/autostart/gnome-settings-daemon.desktop
Change the Exec line to:
Exec=bash -c '/etc/xdg/autostart/gnomesettingsdaemonfix.sh;/usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon/gnome-settings-daemon'
That seems to have fixed it so far for me.
Answer by zpletan
Press Alt+F2 (Run Application) and run the following:
gksudo gnome-settings-daemon
Tags: gnome (Next Q), themes (Next Q)
Q: Difference between vim-gtk and vim-gnome
Tags: gnome (Next Q)
How are the packages vim-gtk and vim-gnome different from each other? I've tried both and the resulting Gvim feels the same (to me). If there is no difference, why are both packages maintained?
Tags: gnome (Next Q)
User: owais-lone
Answer by adam-byrtek
Both packages provide the same application, but compiled with different dependencies (e.g. vim-gnome depends on libgnome2). Vim-gtk is important only to people who use Kubuntu (or some lightweight desktop environment) and don't want to install GNOME libraries. If you use the standard Ubuntu desktop, the dependencies are already present, and you can safely use vim-gnome. I agree that it could be confusing.
Tags: gnome (Next Q)
Q: How do I reset GNOME to the defaults?
Tags: gnome (Next Q)
I was playing around with some settings, and now I need to reset GNOME to it's defaults - how do I do that?
Tags: gnome (Next Q)
User: jrg
Answer by jrg
For Unity-related configuration resetting, take a look here.
This command will delete your configuration files. Once it's run there is no going back!
Still with me?
GNOME2
Run the following in the terminal or Alt+F2:
rm -rf .gnome .gnome2 .gconf .gconfd .metacity
That will do is remove all the GNOME2 configuration settings. Log out, and log back in. You'll be back to a stock desktop.
You can backup before playing around with your settings in the future:
mkdir ./.old-gnome-config && mv ./.gnome* ./.old-gnome-config && mv .gconf* ./.old-gnome-config && mv ./.metacity ./.old-gnome-config
GNOME3
If your config isn't worth saving run the following:
rm -rf .gnome .gnome2 .gconf .gconfd .metacity .cache .dbus .dmrc .mission-control .thumbnails ~/.config/dconf/user ~.compiz*
To back up and reset GNOME3:
mkdir ./.old-gnome-config/ && mv ./.gnome* ./.old-gnome-config/ && mv .gconf* ./.old-gnome-config/ && mv ./.metacity ./.old-gnome-config/ && mv ./.cache ./.old-gnome-config/ && mv ./.dbus ./.old-gnome-config/ && mv ./.dmrc ./.old-gnome-config/ && mv ./.mission-control ./.old-gnome-config/ && mv ./.thumbnails ./.old-gnome-config/ && mv ~/.config/dconf/* ./.old-gnome-config/
Tags: gnome (Next Q)
Q: How to revert to GNOME Classic Desktop?
Tags: gnome (Next Q), gnome-classic (Next Q)
I'm used to GNOME Classic and personally don't want to change to anything else, but it seems there is no more GNOME Classic in the Oneiric release. After apt-get installed gnome-session and all, though there comes back the GNOME Classic option in the session listbox, however, after logged in, it seems not the expected one.
There is no System menu in the top bar, and I couldn't customize panels at all. I want to change the appearance(theme), but I can't find Appearance menu at all. And much more differences to my previous experience of GNOME classic shell.
There are multiple valid answers for this question spanning over several versions of Ubuntu. For your convenience an index of each below:
· 13.04 and up
· 12.04 and 12.10
· 11.10
· 11.04 answer 1 & 11.04 answer 2
· Mate Desktop
· Fix Icon spacing
Tags: gnome (Next Q), gnome-classic (Next Q)
User: xiè-jìléi
Answer by fossfreedom
11.10 Overview
The older GNOME 2.x experience has been retired in GNOME, however you can use the GNOME 3.x classic mode (as shown below) to make an approximation of the older experience.
install prerequisites
In the software center you have the option to install Gnome Shell :
Similarly - search for CompizConfig Settings Manager and install this package - we'll need that later.
Whilst you are there you can also install gnome-tweak-tool to further customise your desktop.
enabling compiz
Now perhaps the tricky part - getting gnome classic to function with compiz:
In a terminal copy and paste the following:
gksudo gedit /usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/gnome-classic.session
Now edit the file shown to contain this line entry:
How to login to Gnome-Classic
Save, logout and in your session options choose Gnome Classic
Changing the theme
You'll notice that the default Ubuntu Ambiance theme doesn't look great in Gnome Classic. We can correct this by changing to a Gnome 3 friendly theme.
... and choosing Appearance 
Change the theme to Adwaita... 
Note - see the linked questions below for other theming options.
Changing Icons
Launch gnome-tweak-tool via the menu option:
· Applications --> Other --> Advanced Settings
Change the icon theme as shown:
Restructure the desktop layout
Now lets get back the panels to something that we are familiar with...
Press Alt+Win and right-click the top menu bar - N.B. Win is the Windows Symbol key
(If you are using Gnome Classic (No Effects) i.e. gnome fallback mode then to add to the panel use Alt and right-click)
Choose Add to Panel
Click the option shown and click the button Forward
Repeat the Alt+Win + Right Click the date and choose Delete to delete the clock.
Repeat this delete procedure for the other applets on the top-panel.
Note - if an error appears indicating that the Panel has reloaded you can safely ignore this.
Repeat the Alt+Win + Right Click the top panel - add the applet Accessibility.
Repeat the Alt+Win + Right Click on bottom panel - add the applet Show Desktop and move to the bottom left.
Repeat the Alt+Win + Right Click on bottom panel - add the applet Wastebasket and move to the bottom right.
Now we need to change the number of workspaces back to two.
Navigate to Applications - Other - CompizConfig Settings Manager - General Options - Desktop Size and change the Vertical Virtual Size value to 1
Install the indicator-applet
Now lets install the indicator-applet:
· see the linked question below to add a PPA containing the indicator-applet
To add to the panel:
Alt+Win+Right click the panel and choose Add To Panel and add the following indicator
Finish off by Alt+Win+Right click the indicator-applet and move it to the right side of the top panel.
Optional:
· You can install fonts-cantarell if you want to use the default upstream GNOME font
Linked Questions:
1. Delete extra toolbar on top of the screen in GNOME fallback mode?
2. How do I revert Alt-tab behavior to switch between windows on the current workspace?
3. How do I change to a theme not listed in the Appearance screen?
4. If you use autologin you need to do this: How do I set the GNOME Classic login to be the default with autologin?
5. How to re-add indicator-applet for 11.10
6. How to customize the gnome classic panel
7. Warning: What are some of the issues with ccsm and why would I want to avoid it?
Answer by octavian-damiean
For 11.04
1. Log in with the classic GNOME session by selecting your username and then selecting Ubuntu Classic:
From then on GDM will remember your setting. To permanently make the Classic Session be the default, run the Login Settings tool and select the classic desktop:
Answer by fossfreedom
12.04 Overview
The older GNOME 2.x experience has been retired in GNOME, however you can use the GNOME 3.x classic mode (as shown below) to make an approximation of the older experience.
Install the prerequisites:
Similarly install myunity:
How to login to Gnome-Classic
Save, logout and in your session options choose Gnome Classic
Restructure the desktop layout
Now lets get back the panels to something that we are familiar with...
Press Alt+Win and right-click the top menu bar - N.B. Win is the Windows Symbol key
(If you are using Gnome Classic (No Effects) i.e. gnome fallback mode then to add to the panel use Alt and right-click)
Choose Add to Panel
Click the option shown and click the button Forward
After clicking Add, add the Universal Access applet.
Repeat the Alt+Win + Right Click on bottom panel - add the applet Wastebasket
Alt+Win + Right Click over the Wastebasket and move to the bottom right.
Now we need to change the number of workspaces back to two.
Launch MyUnity via its icon in System Settings
change the Vertical Virtual Size value to 1
Optional:
· You can install fonts-cantarell if you want to use the default upstream GNOME font
Linked Questions:
1. Delete extra toolbar on top of the screen in GNOME fallback mode?
2. How do I revert Alt-tab behavior to switch between windows on the current workspace?
3. How do I change to a theme not listed in the Appearance screen?
4. If you use autologin you need to do this: How do I set the GNOME Classic login to be the default with autologin?
Tags: gnome (Next Q), gnome-classic (Next Q)
Q: How can I create launchers on my desktop?
Tags: gnome (Next Q)
In older versions it was easy to create a launcher on my desktop all i had to do is right click on my desktop and select the create launcher option. But on 11.10 the option disappeared from the menu.. How can I get it back?
Tags: gnome (Next Q)
User: tinuz
Answer by fossfreedom
The old GUI dialog is still available if you still want to use this:
Using ALT+F2 type
gnome-desktop-item-edit --create-new ~/Desktop
This will launch the old GUI Dialog and create a launcher on your Desktop:
Prerequisites
gnome-desktop-item-edit is installed automatically if you have installed gnome-shell/gnome-fallback. It is also installed automatically if you have previously installed gnome-tweak-tool.
Alternatively, you can install the old gnome-panel without much of the bulk:
sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends gnome-panel
Answer by fnkr
You can do it manually. Make a new text-file named something.desktop and write this in there:
#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Exec=command to run here
Name=visible name here
Comment=comment here
Icon=icon path here
Dont forget to make the file executable (chmod +x something.desktop).
Answer by mateo
This Is a solution to get it back on the right click menu In Gnome and Unity,
1- Install gnome-tweak-tool , if you don't already have it, In terminal paste-
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool
2- Then type the following to launch it
gnome-tweak-tool
Or use the key shortcut Alt+F2 type gnome-tweak-tool then click "Run"
3- Navigate to the "Desktop" tab on the left pictured - And turn ON
"Have file manager handle the desktop"
4-Source for this part: 1 Now we are going to create a Script to put on the right click menu -
Open gedit either by terminal or Alt+F2, Paste the code
gnome-desktop-item-edit ~/Desktop/ --create-new
put only this into the new text document and then save it as "Create New Launcher" no extension needed (you may need to use .sh as extension ex "Create New Launcher.sh", if you can't make it executable in the next step).
5- Now we need to make the file executable, Right click on the file go to > Properties > click Permissions tab > look for "Execute" and check "Allow executing file as program" then close out.
6- Open the file browser, go to > View > Show Hidden Files, now navigate to you home folder, and Place the file in ~/.gnome2/nautilus-scripts . Shown below -
7- Now we have Create new launcher on the right click menu! Right click on your desktop and go to > Scripts > Create New Launcher Then fill in the comand information for the application you want,
Shown below- 
If you forget what the app's launch command is click "Browse" then navigate to File System > usr > bin which is /usr/bin , these are the applications on your system, most should automatacally find the icon after you click "Open" , although they won't show up before.
If It dosn't show the icon when you get back to the "Create Launcher" box you can drag a icon in by finding the icon in /usr/share/icons . There are default icons in the various theme folders or specific icons in the /usr/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps or /usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps, or if later you want to put an icon in you can right click > properties to drag and drop the icon in.
(This part only for gnome, alt+f2 is diffrent in unity) Another way to list known applications is to hit Alt+F2 and click on the app under "Show list of known applications", you can then copy the command text for that program to paste in to
Create New Launcher.
All this will make it extremely easier to make custom launchers, and once setup you can make them without the terminal.
Tags: gnome (Next Q)
Q: Why are .goutputstream-xxxxx files created in home folder?
Tags: gnome
I find a lot of files with names of the like
.goutputstream-xxxxx
where xxxxx are some alphanumeric characters.
Here is a screenshot of the home folder
Any idea why I should keep these or can I remove and also stop further creation?
Tags: gnome
User: john
Answer by elfy
This is a bug - https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lightdm/+bug/984785
Pretty sure it's not ubuntu one - I don't have it here and have the files.
I delete them every now and again, not caused me any issues.
You can run this command in a terminal to delete them all:
cd && rm .goutputstream-* -v
Tags: gnome
Q: Desktop doesn't remember brightness settings after a reboot
Q: Why is Ubuntu switching to Unity?
Q: Desktop forgets theme?
Q: How do I install and use the latest version of GNOME?
Q: Difference between vim-gtk and vim-gnome
Q: How do I reset GNOME to the defaults?
Q: How to revert to GNOME Classic Desktop?
Q: How can I create launchers on my desktop?
Q: Why are .goutputstream-xxxxx files created in home folder?