Change Hidden System and Desktop Settings with Ubuntu Tweak [Linux]

By Josh | May 5, 2008

I read about this nice piece of software for Ubuntu over at Ubuntu Unleashed and thought I’d post about it here. Ubuntu Tweak makes it easy to make changes to Linux by grouping a bunch of options into one application. Ubuntu Tweak says it can run on other Linux distributions besides Ubuntu, but it works great for me on Ubuntu.

You have the 6 different categories: Computer, Startup, Desktop, Personal, System, and Security. These each have different options that you may configure. For example, the Computer tab allows you to easily change your system and user information. One option that I really like is the option to hide your desktop icons under the desktop settings. I’m not much of a desktop icon person, and I always end up deleting any icon that appears on my desktop.

Good news for the people who love keyboard shortcuts. Ubuntu Tweak makes it easy for you to make shortcuts to your favorite programs. Just type in the command and the key. I tested this out with Firefox and it worked great.

However, with all of these great features, I have ran into a few small problems. Under the Metacity options, there are a few options that don’t work for me. The active window opacity shade, and inactive window opacity shade options don’t seem to do anything. Also, the mouse wheel action doesn’t seem to work. I have yet to test any of the Compiz options since I have Compiz turned off at least until I get my video card fixed.

Ubuntu Tweak is definitely a program to add to your collection of Linux software. I’m just using it for a few of its options, and it is still worth it. I’d recommend adding the repositories listed on this page and installing it from there.