The new version of GNOME (GNOME 3.10) for the Ubuntu 13.10 distribution’s desktop was launched back in September. In general, the OS ships with the 3.8 version of the desktop, which is an alternative to the Unity desktop, but an older version. The new version adds a number of new features and apps to the distribution and it would be advisable to upgrade to it.
The GNOME desktop now has support for high resolution screens and adds a client on the side of the desktop for app windows. All you need to upgrade to the new issue of GNOME is the Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander operating system, a good enough Internet connection and some hold over the command line. Here’s how to make the upgrade.
- Firstly, you will need to add a GNOME 2 PPA to the Ubuntu Software Sources. You can do this using a graphical user interface but using the command line is the easier way. Open the terminal window and type in this command.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3-next && sudo apt-get update
Enter your username and password when you are asked for it.
- Now, to install the GNOME 3.10 desktop, you will need to type in the following command on the command line.
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-shell ubuntu-gnome-desktop
This will again ask for your username and password.
- Installing the components and packages for the desktop will take some time, so wait for it. You will be prompted to choose what login screen should be shown by default. For this, you can either choose the Unity Greeter or the GNOME Display Manager (GDM). You will get lock screen notifications and other features, which are specific to the GDM, if you use it.
- Once you have made the choice, the installation will proceed by itself.
- Next, you will want to install some of the extra stuff to the desktop. For extra apps like Weather, Maps and Music, you’ll need to add extra GNOME PPAs.
- Before installing these though, you need to understand that some of the extras are unstable and could cause the occasional app crash or GNOME crash.
- To install the extras, use the following commands on the terminal.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3-staging
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
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