Maximum PC

Hi everyone
I'm running Ubuntu 11.10 on my Samsung NP-QX410, a fresh install. And I'm playing around with customizing my GUI.

I've already reverted to classic gnome and I'm no longer using Unity, and therie's a few things I'm trying to get working.

I used this tutorial to revert to classic gnome:
http://www.liberiangeek.net/2011/08/ret ... ntu-11-10/

And I was playing around with getting docky to work properly, and ended up enabling compositing through metacity, a terminal command that i can't seem to find anymore (i did a google search). The problem is that it disables compositing for Compiz. (which actually never seemed to work in the first place anyway)
Anyway, docky works properly now, but compiz doesn't.

I also figured out that alt-right-click was the method for adjusting the panel properties (because right-click was disabled). and I've gotten rid of the visible windows panel at the bottom and moved my main panel from the top to the bottom

I'm trying to get my ubuntu desktop to emulate my windows 7 desktop. I use the task bar at the bottom and rather than pinning programs to it I use rocket dock for executing them, and the taskbar for running programs. I want to do the same thing here.
I've got docky at the top, and the main panel at the bottom, but across the top of the screen i still have a menubar that i cannot get rid of. It's acting like the Finder bar in OSX. Any idea how to get rid of it? Right clicking does nothing.

Here are screenshots of my windows desktop (an analog of how I'd like ubuntu to look) and my current ubuntu desktop.
Current Ubuntu
Windows 7 Desktop

Summary:
1. Compositing working properly. (for everything, Docky & Compiz & whatever else, not just one program at a time)
2. Get rid of the "Finder" menu.

Help is greatly appreciated.

On Gnome, that is the main bar for all the menus. It cannot be removed easily.
I'd go with KDE and modify that. It is already closer to Aero than Gnome, and you will b=have an easier time hacking it.

Do you know which graphics adapter is currently being used?

lsmod will probably give us an idea there...

KDE sometimes works better on some PCs. Just sayin. Try it, and tell us what happens.

Why not just tell them to run windows then... Changing desktops isn't a solution here.

It's co vered up by a panel easily enough. id rather do that and put the dock back on the bottom than fight with the software too much. My use of linux isnt all about the looks, I practice my infantile dev skills there in ways that are not possible in windows. Plus many oss audio software are more regularly updated and supported in linux and osx than in windows, and coming from an audio background this is essential. I find it challenging in ways that windows will never be.

aside from the gnome menu, any ideas on the compiz / docky / compositing issue?

pardon my sloppy typing, this was done on my phone

oh, my graphics adapters are Intel hd and geforce 310m. I haved the proprietary nvidia drivers installed.

http://www.kubuntu.org/
You don't have to manually switch GUIs. If you don't actually have any of your files/programs on there yet, just install this.

I got the cards from the specs.. for obvious reasons you'll just run either one of the other. The hybrid thing doesn't work in Linux.. thus the need to confirm what's loading...

What's Xorg.0.log look like?

I can't find that file. Where would it be located?

They're working on hybrid, but it's still very betaish: https://github.com/Bumblebee-Project/Bumblebee

I've got a hybrid laptop myself, and I just use the Intel card and shut off the nvidia one to save power (via acpi_call)

You're kind giving it "betaish" status

There was something else out there too although I forget what.

how are you disabling via ACPI anyways? Just putting it to sleep?

https://github.com/mkottman/acpi_call

I use this kernel module and just put the nVidia card to sleep via the included test_off.sh

My laptop also has a BIOS option to switch to discrete only mode if I cared to use it.