Install A Mac OS X Dock On Ubuntu 9.10

One of Mac OS X’s most popular features is the Dock, and a lot of people want similar functionality on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala. Possibly the most popular Dock implementation for Ubuntu is Docky, a frontend for the GNOME Do application launcher. Here’s how to install GNOME Do with Docky on your Ubuntu system.

First, install GNOME Do. You can do this by .

Once GNOME Do is installed, fire it up by going to the Applications menu, to Accessories, and clicking on the GNOME Do icon. After GNOME Do launches, go to its Preferences (by clicking on the little inverted triangle in the upper right-hand corner of the GNOME Do window, and clicking Preferences), and click on the Appearance tab. In the Appearance tab,  select Docky as your theme. And that’s it!

Note, however, that your video card must support composting. If you need updated drivers for your card, you can obtain them by going to the System menu, selecting Administration, and clicking on the Hardware Drivers icon.

GNOME Do is a popular application launcher for Ubuntu. Basically, you type the name of an application installed on your system, and GNOME Do runs it for you. It only takes a few steps to install GNOME Do on your Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala system.

First, you’ll need to add the GNOME Do PPA () so that you can install the GNOME Do package. To do so, go to the System menu, then to the Administration category, and then select Software Sources.

When Software Sources opens up, click on the Other Software tab.

In the Other Software tab, click on the Add button. The system will then ask you to type in an apt line. Type in the following source EXACTLY as it appears:

deb karmic main

Then add this source:

deb-src karmic main

Click the Add Source button, and close out of Software Sources. After you close out, Software Sources will update your repository information, which might take a few minutes. After that’s done, go to a Terminal window (Applications menu, Accessories, and then the Terminal icon), and use this command to install the GNOME Do package:

sudo apt-get install gnome-do

Enter your password to authenticate, and apt-get will download and install GNOME Do. After the installation is complete, you can launch GNOME Do by going to the Applications Menu, to the Accessories category, and then by clicking on the GNOME Do icon.

By Jonathan Moeller