Here you go, being bored with the same models of Gnome Desktop (top and bottom panel), yesterday I tried to rearrange my desktop. I want it to be clean and simple, maybe with some Mac accents, but without losing the gnome style. So …. here it is …

My Desktop Screenshot

Humm, the recipe? All you need is …

1. Ubuntu Linux 8.04 (http://ubuntu.com), or other Linux Distros supplied with Gnome 2.20, and Compiz enabled of course.
2. Murinne GTK Engine (pull the latest from the SVN, which create the effect that it won’t be compatible with older Murrine themes), with Shiki-Colors as the theme (http://www.gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Shiki-Colors?content=86717). Use the Emerald window manager that supplied with the theme package. Second thought bout the Murrine Engine, you could use the DEB package provided by the author of Shiki on that link.
3. Avant Window Navigator for the ‘yeah-it’s-mac-lookalike-panel’. Download the latest package from Ubuntu PPA repositories (since it’s provide you with some cool applets). Don’t forget the Scaled Black theme. Ah … as the AWN is not provide you with some launcher, so you need to build it yourself. It’s easy … just click here and there.
4. Elementary Icons.
5. The fonts? It’s Liberation Sans.
6. One little visual tips from me is, keep your opened application “un-maximized”. Since maximized form of application really suck in this kind of desktop view.

There you go … happy creating something …