Hi! I don't have a graphics bone in my body. How can I make a boring desktop look like those you see in hacker movies?

I know a couple of tools like conky and terminator terminal?

Thx :-]

I usually go with a Window Manager like Fluxbox. Hide the slit. Install wbar. Make almost mac like with linux feel to it <conky and a few other tweaks>.

I won't post a link to my that screenshot because I will be asked to remove it. So to give you a general idea.

Here is a safer link to a 128mb SD card linux install I did many moons ago. The screenshot is included in that thread.

https://forums.solydxk.com/viewtopic.php?t=1858

And here is a safe screenshot of me using tint2 as a launcher bar in fluxbox. < Not any skin showing>

http://i39.tinypic.com/29llnbt.jpg

What desktop environment are you using? Your choice of deaktop environment/window manager affects what options you have.

I think the first step is obtaining nice backgrounds (wallpapers). You can find lots at KDE-look and gnome-look.

To add to what Frank said.

Bohdi Linux comes with E17 desktop. Which is pretty slick. I used to be on the team for macpup and we used e17 as the default desktop when it was active < sadly no more>

http://www.bodhilinux.com/

Create a background with a large fullscreen terminal and asciiview. Mix it with the original image, and make it darker. I would assume. But that last hacker movie I saw was more about phone phreaks than computers. And those old payphones are basically extinct now.

Hey thanks everybody here for the replies. I was doing a little googling around for ideas. I was looking at videos on youtube.com and screenshots on the web and google images. Some screenshots of those desktops are too complex for me to copy. So far, I downloaded the anonymous wallpaper, installed conkey and terminator and made them transparent. My new desktop look is not the greatest of those I seen, but my desktop looks a little cooler.

I also need a tiling windows manager. I have to see what is available in my repositories.

:-]

Something like this one perhaps for the background.

$ xsetbg image.jpg

Attached Thumbnails

 

the hackers in the movies NEVER use tiling window managers!!!
instead, their machines have the magical ability to open 256 video feeds in 256 windows popping up all over the place like mushrooms.
and they never use virtual desktops.
also, the UIs usually have some non-rectangular elements in their window borders.
but maybe that was a fad in the 90s...

i find mr robot rather refreshig in that respect; just a standard gnome desktop (albeit black) with a terminal...

Well, first obtain a photograph of Fonzie, in Omicron, creating a Bose-Einstein Condensate...

I tend to find guake (I think the name is) looks pretty "cool" for a terminal.

Thx all! I will look and considered your suggestions. :-]

This is my resource:

https://reddit.com/r/unixporn