---
title: "Replace Unity with AWN and Gnome-Do"
url: "http://andrewbolster.info/2011/06/replace-unity-with-awn-and-gnome-do/"
date: "2011-06-28T15:27:20Z"
tags: ["Gnome","Ubuntu"]
categories: ["Instructional"]
---

Unity Sucks, and I don’t like it. I prefer a combination of Avant Window Navigator, tilda, and Gnome-Do, to go from this

[![](/uploads/2011/06/unity-300x225.png)](/uploads/2011/06/unity.png) \**

to this [![](/uploads/2011/06/avant1-300x225.png)](/uploads/2011/06/avant1.png) \**

Now, I haven’t kept track of all of the changes I’ve made to my configuration files, so YMMV, but gnome-do and Avant have remarkably good GUI configuration tools, so customise to your hearts content!

Get rid of Unity

`sudo apt-get remove unity unity-asset-pool unity-place-applications unity-place-applications`

Install the fun-stuff

`sudo apt-get install gnome-do gnome-do-plugins avant-window-navigator awn-settings tilda`

(I personally prefer to get all the plugins aswell, but thats personal choice; just add in `awn-applets-all` to the above command)

At this point, it’ll look like nothing has changed; just log out or log back in (Or reboot), and then unity will be gone (Woohoo!). The Gnome-Do Launcher should have come up, and if you’ve clicked out of it, it will come back to the foreground with a \[windows\\command]+Space press.

If everything has gone well, you can type ‘Avant’ in this launcher, and boom, there should be a window at the bottom. This is the avant launcher. [![](/uploads/2011/06/avant0-300x225.png)](/uploads/2011/06/avant0.png) \**

Now for some fun stuff.

Use gnome-do to start `tilda`. This is a quake-style terminal that pops down from the top of the screen with a quick \[F1] click. Much better than the standard \[alt+F2] command launcher.

As for the preferences, hack away at the Avant settings until you’re happy. The screenshot above is how I like it (this time).