How I Used Conky To Make My Linux Desktop Cooler - In Minutes

1 month ago

A Conky widget connected nan Pop!_OS desktop.

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Conky is simply a customizable desktop widget for Linux.
It tin show each sorts of information.
With a useful GUI, Conky is easy to group up.

I emotion a cool Linux desktop configuration and person spent galore an hr tweaking them. Over nan years, I've recovered there's 1 measurement to make nan astir retired of your desktop, and that's pinch an app called Conky.

Conky is an overlay app that displays definite types of information. For example, Conky tin show nan time, date, day, strategy resources, and more. You tin taxable Conky and configure wherever it lives connected your desktop. In fact, there's practically nary limit to what you tin do pinch Conky. It's ace flexible. You tin moreover configure aggregate widgets successful Conky for a wholly personalized look.

Before I continue, location are 2 ways to configure Conky: nan difficult measurement and nan easy way. Since this is an preamble to Conky, I'm going to show you nan easy measurement of installing Conky, adding themes, and configuring your widgets.

Don't worry, it's really simple.

Let's make immoderate Conky magic.

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Installing Conky and Conky Manager

What you'll need: To instal Conky, you'll request a moving lawsuit of Linux and a personification pinch sudo privileges. I'll show this connected Pop!_OS Linux.

First, unfastened your terminal model app.

Next, we'll instal Conky pinch nan command:

sudo apt-get instal conky-all -y

Allow that installation to complete.

Next, we'll instal a GUI that makes it easier to tally and configure Conky. To do that, you must first adhd nan basal repository, which is done pinch nan command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/conkymanager2

After you've added nan repository, instal Conky Manager pinch nan command:

sudo apt-get instal conky-manager2 -y

With those 2 pieces of nan puzzle taken attraction of, let's tally and configure Conky.

Using Conky

It's clip to put that head to use.

1. Start Conky Manager

Open your desktop paper and hunt for Conky Manager. Click nan launcher, and nan GUI will open.

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2. Start Conky

Look for nan right-pointing arrow (looks for illustration a "play" fastener from a euphony app) connected nan near broadside of nan toolbar. Click that fastener to commencement Conky. You won't spot thing look connected your desktop, because you haven't selected a widget.

The Conky Manager moving connected Pop!_OS.

3. Add a widget

Conky Manager includes a fewer widgets by default. Click connected nan 1 titled ~/.conky/Gotham/Gotham, and nan widget should look connected your desktop. Out of nan box, that widget is benignant of ugly, truthful let's pine it up a bit.

4. Configure your widget

Click connected nan mini greenish icon (it looks for illustration a machine monitor) to unfastened nan Edit Widget window. On nan first tab, you tin customize wherever nan widget lives connected your desktop and moreover summation aliases alteration nan horizontal and vertical spread (the abstraction betwixt nan show edges and nan widget).

You tin besides configure nan size of nan widget, nan transparency, nan time, and nan web adapter (if available) to use. It should only return a fewer speedy clicks to get a overmuch better-looking Conky widget.

Adding caller themes

If you're not satisfied pinch nan default themes, you tin ever download more. Head complete to nan GNOME Look Conky themes page, and you tin scroll done page aft page of Conky themes.

To adhd a caller theme, find 1 you for illustration and download it to your ~/Downloads directory. Once you've downloaded nan theme, spell backmost to nan Conky Manager and click nan Import Theme fastener (looks for illustration a files icon successful nan toolbar) and past find nan taxable you conscionable downloaded. Once you've imported nan theme, it should look successful nan database of Widgets (not themes). Click nan power fastener associated pinch nan caller taxable to alteration it.

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If you find nan taxable doesn't activity for you, disable it, find another, and instal it. How good a taxable will activity for you will dangle connected your needs, artistic preferences, and desktop wallpaper. Take your clip looking for themes, and you'll find 1 that perfectly suits you.