Tame the Ubuntu 11.10 Unity interface with MyUnity

The new interface introduced with the latest version of Ubuntu has had a mixed response. MyUnity offers an easy way to change some of the visual settings. This can make the Launcher and Unity in general easier to use as well as that satisfaction in having it set up exactly as you want.

Installation is a little more complicated than most programs but it is worth the effort. According to the OMG! Ubuntu blog, MyUnity has been accepted as an official program for the next version of Ubutnu.

The quickest way to install MyUnity is with the Terminal. Click on the Dash button at the top left of the screen, type terminal and click on the program icon that appears. Type

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:myunity/ppa

and press Enter. It will tell you that MyUnity should be available in the Software Centre but I had to install this way, so press Enter to confirm when prompted.

Next type

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install myunity

and press Enter. You might not have to enter your password again. Press Y to confirm the installation when prompted. This second step can be skipped if you want to look in the Software Centre but since the terminal is open, you might as well use that.

To start MyUnity, click on the Dash button, type MyUnity and click on the icon.

The interface is well designed with five pages of settings. There are arrows to scroll through them and a list towards the top of the window.

MyUnity can be used to adjust the size, transparency and behaviour of the Launcher on the left of the Desktop. All the changes take place immediately and there is reset button if you change your mind. I reduced the size of the icons, set the launcher and top menu to full transparency and set the icon background to active. This makes the icon background a full colour when the program is running, making it much easier to see what is running.

MyUnity can also be used to set how the Launcher behaves when windows get to close. The Launcher can hide itself automatically to give you more desktop space but MyUnity can overrule this to keep it onscreen.