The Ubuntu desktop comes preloaded with a fantastic note-taking application called Tomboy.

While the application can be easily accessed from the desktop Applications menu (under the Accessories sub-menu), it can me cumbersome to have to remember to launch this application each time a desktop session is started.

Fortunately, the tomboy application can be added to the desktop panel in a convenient form. Just right click on an empty area of the panel, and choose Add To Panel. In the resulting window, under the Accessories section, find and double click the Tomboy Notes. Now you should have a little notepad icon

Even with the latest and greatest release of Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon, font configuration in Linux can range anywhere from somewhat confusing to downright difficult. On top of the configuration difficulty, nobody can agree on what makes fonts look good. This article aims to document several approaches to font rendering, and the appropriate configuration settings to implement each approach.

I'm not going to go into which approach I think is the best, since that's a fairly personal matter. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses, and come on, this is Linux. It's not about forcing people into choices they don'

While many users like the default look of the Ubuntu desktop, part of the fun of using Linux is its infinite customizability. This tip illustrates how to navigate the Gnome Desktop configuration to change the colors use by your applications.

As of the 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon release, most of the Gnome Desktop's appearance settings are consolidate in the "Appearance Preferences" utility. This can be accessed through the main system menu System > Preferences > Appearance

Once the window appears, click on the Theme tab. Then click the Customize button. A new window with the title Customize Theme will appear. By navigating to the Co

The "Applications" menu, located by default at the top left corner of the screen, is one of the most often accessed menu's on an Ubuntu system. This menu can be customized by right-clicking on "Applications", and choosing "Edit Menus" in the resulting popup. This will start a small utility to edit the structure of the menu. This can be used, for example, to bring your favorite apps to the top-level of the menu.