How about an application dock?
sudo apt-get install avant-window-navigator
Applications, Accessories, Avant Window Navigator
Make modifications by right clicking and choosing Preferences
Suggestions:
-Icon Effects: 3d Spotlight Turn
-Bar Appearance: 3d Look
-General: Auto Hide bar when not in use
-Drag icons to the left of the bar to add to the Launcher list.
-Right click on Panel at bottom and choose remove (can later right click top panel, say new panel and put it back at bottom)
Autostarting it:
System, Preferences, Sessions
Startup Programs, Add, name=dock, command=avant-window-navigator
How about using kiba-dock instead
This is a more involved install, as kiba-dock is not included in the Ubuntu repositories, so it has to be compiled from source
Pre-requisites to installing;
sudo apt-get install subversion fakeroot automake1.9 build-essential libpango1.0-dev libgtk2.0-dev libgconf2-dev libglitz-glx1-dev librsvg2-dev libglade2-dev libxcomposite-dev subversion libtool libgtop2-dev python-gtk2-dev libgnome-menu-dev libgnomeui-dev libgnomevfs2-dev intltool libxml2-dev libglitz1-dev libcairo2 libdbus-1-dev libgtop2-7 libgnomevfs2-0 libgnomeui-0 librsvg2-2 python-feedparser libasound2-dev libsdl1.2-dev libdbus-glib-1-dev libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-dev libgstreamer0.10-dev libgstreamer0.10-0
Downloading and compiling the source code for kiba-dock
sudo mkdir /kiba-dock
cd /kiba-dock
sudo svn co https://kibadock.svn.sourceforge.net...kibadock/trunk kiba
cd kiba/akamaru
sudo ./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr --exec-prefix=/usr
sudo make install
cd ..
cd kiba-dock
sudo ./autogen.sh
sudo make install
cd ..
cd kiba-plugins
sudo ./autogen.sh
sudo make install
cd ..
cd kiba-dbus-plugins
sudo ./autogen.sh
sudo make install
cd ..
At this point, you should be able to start kiba-dock in the terminal with the following command;
kiba-dock &
To auto start this in the future;
Go to System, Preferences, Sessions, click on Add under Startup Programs and add the following settings;
Name = Kiba-Dock
Command = kiba-dock
How do I install Screenlets?
System, Administration, Software Sources
click on Third-Party Software tab
click on Add;
deb http://download.tuxfamily.org/screenlets gutsy screenlets
click on close and then Reload (don't worry if you get a few warnings in the end)
sudo apt-get install screenlets
System, Preferences, Screenlets
How can I install additional theme and icon packs, like UbuntuStudio?
sudo apt-get install ubuntustudio-icon-theme
sudo apt-get install ubuntustudio-theme
System, Preferences, Appearance, pick your theme, customize to change icon packs
Where else can I get themes for my Ubuntu machine?
Go here: http://art.gnome.org/
choose Application under Desktop themes on the right. Download something you like
System, Preferences, Appearance, Theme tab, click on Install and pick the theme you just downloaded.
