Linux Community Magazine

Ubuntu is the most used distro of Linux with more than 12 million personal computer users all over the globe. Ubuntu Linux OS is also the most popular open source OS for desktops and is based on Debian GNU Linux distribution. The first ever release of Ubuntu OS was on 20 October 2004 and after that new versions of Ubuntu Linux OS have been distributed almost every six months. Ubuntu is supported by the UK based firm Canonical Ltd. owned by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth. Ubuntu is released to public as a free OS and the latest release of Ubuntu OS was Natty Narwhal which was released on 28th of April, 2010. The latest release focused on structuring the interface quite easy for users of the Windows Operating System and it has gained several reactions all over the globe. One of the problems of Ubuntu OS is that the backgrounds inbuilt into the Operating System are not that attractive and there are not many great backgrounds available either. So, in this tutoria l we will inform on how to install high quality background slideshow themes on your Ubuntu Operating System where the HQ backgrounds keep changing at definite intervals.

At the onset you require to download the Ubuntu Theme from a Gnome Art background site. High Quality Ubuntu Linux OS Background Themes are regularly released at UbuntuTheme.net and you can also download Background Themes from there. The Themes do not require any severe modification to the File System and are safe to be installed. In addition to Ubuntu Linux OS, the Ubuntu Linux Background Themes should work on any Linux distribution which supports Gnome Art backgrounds.

After you have downloaded the Ubuntu Background Theme to your personal computer, decompress it to extract the theme folder. Then you would need to transfer the background theme folder to /usr/share/backgrounds in your Ubuntu OS. But for that you would reqiure root permissions. So, open the terminal in your Ubuntu system and type:

sudo cp -R /home/YOURUSERNAME/PathToYourThemeFolder /usr/share/backgrounds

Replace YOURUSERNAME and PathToYourThemeFolder with the ones that are correct for Ubuntu OS setup on your PC. If you are not certain about the positioning of the decompressed theme folder then you can right-click with your mouse and see properties to derive an idea about the same. When you transfer the background theme folder you would be asked for the root password and you can type it and press enter. Then you need to browse to the /usr/share/backgrounds folder in your Ubuntu OS where you should the new Theme Folder if you have relocated it properly. If you see a cross mark on the theme folder or the backgrounds inside it and if permission is denied then please type the following command on your Ubuntu terminal:

sudo chmod 777 -R /usr/share/backgrounds/ThemeFolder

Replace ThemeFolder with the name of the background theme folder as you did previously.

Now go to System > Preferences > Appearance and click on Appearance to open the Appearance dialogue box. You can also open Appearance Preference by right-clicking on your Ubuntu desktop screen and then selecting Change Desktop Background from the right-click menu. You would then require to choose the Background tab in that box if it is not selected already. Now click on Add near the bottom right side of that tab to add the new background theme. A new dialogue box named Add Wallpaper would pop up where you need to browse to the /usr/share/backgrounds/ThemeFolder/ and choose the themefile.xml inside the ThemeFolder. You might need to select the file type at the bottom right of the Add Wallpaper window from images to all files {to be able|in order to view the xml file.Replace ThemeFolder and themefile.xml name with the actual theme folder name and theme file name. You would now see the new background on your Ubuntu OS desktop and it will alter every 15 minutes. The Ubuntu The me installation is finished now and once you get the hang of it, you should be able to install new Ubuntu background themes in less than 30 seconds.