Are there any nice desktop replacements (transparency i'm thinking ) for linux? I have seen loads of screenshots of sweet looking desktops but have no idea how to do it...
Any ideas?

Check out gdesklets.......I use them at home. They are a pain to setup sometimes but they look really cool. Let me know if you need any more info.

Ryan

you got any screenies?

I'd say start by checking out various window managers, and when you find one with the right combination of looks and features you can generally modify them further to your taste.
Transparency....that's something which tends to be specific to applications, i think, though the lastest Fluxbox supports transparent menus.

KDE has stuff like that. I don't like KDE personally but it does transparent menus. what WM are you using currently?

http://themes.freshmeat.net/
http://art.gnome.org/
http://www.kde-look.org/

That should get you started.

My suggestions:
Darkplastic-style
kBlueheart-color scheme
glow-window decorations
theme-the dark one that's default with KDE

and make sure to right click in a konsole to set it up how you like it and be sure to save settings.

I'm having problems with installing gdesklets... I have compliled everything except for gdesklets depends on one file that depends on another, which i'm unable to install.
I need to install gnome python which needs a file called pygtk 1.99.17, i have 1.99.14 and thus, doesn't install. So i downloaded pygtk 2 and tried to install it but it wouldn't let me.
Should i uninstall 1.99.14? Or is there anyway of updating it? Also, how do i uninstall pygtk 1.99.14? I have looked in the add/remove apps but not sure what section it is under...
Please help
thanks for any help

Enlightenment!

The scrrenshots on the homepage do it no justice, find better ones and the corresponding theme/skin at e.themes.org

Think Window Manager

How hard is this to set up?

Can you post the result of your ./configure for me? its been a while since I installed them, but i think I will remember one I see an error. Thanks

Personally, I'm a big fan of Waimea However, if you're looking for the easily configured, dont go here. Waimea is rather difficult to set up, but I thought the results were quite nice. It's kinda a Fluxbox/Blackbox/Openbox clone. Seems incredibly fast even on my PII 233 box. Combine that with some transparenty icons using IDesk, and you've got something!

heh, here it is -.-

[root@localhost pygtk-1.99.3]# make
cd . \
&& CONFIG_FILES= CONFIG_HEADERS=config.h \
/bin/sh ./config.status
config.status: creating config.h
config.status: config.h is unchanged
make all-recursive
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/pygtk-1.99.3'
Making all in codegen
make[2]: Entering directory `/usr/src/pygtk-1.99.3/codegen'
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `all'.
make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/pygtk-1.99.3/codegen'
Making all in gtk
make[2]: Entering directory `/usr/src/pygtk-1.99.3/gtk'
source='gtk-types.c' object='gtk-types.lo' libtool=yes \
depfile='.deps/gtk-types.Plo' tmpdepfile='.deps/gtk-types.TPlo' \
depmode=gcc /bin/sh ../depcomp \
/bin/sh ../libtool --mode=compile gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I.. -I/usr/i
nclude/python2.2 -I/usr/include/gtk-2.0 -I/usr/lib/gtk-2.0/include -I/usr/includ
e/atk-1.0 -I/usr/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/X11R6/include -I/usr/include/freetype2
-I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/lib/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/include/libglade-2
.0 -I/usr/include/gtk-2.0 -I/usr/include/libxml2 -I/usr/lib/gtk-2.0/include -I/u
sr/include/atk-1.0 -I/usr/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/X11R6/include -I/usr/include/
freetype2 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/lib/glib-2.0/include -Wall -g -O2
-c -o gtk-types.lo `test -f gtk-types.c || echo './'`gtk-types.c
gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I.. -I/usr/include/python2.2 -I/usr/include/gt
k-2.0 -I/usr/lib/gtk-2.0/include -I/usr/include/atk-1.0 -I/usr/include/pango-1.0
-I/usr/X11R6/include -I/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/li
b/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/include/libglade-2.0 -I/usr/include/gtk-2.0 -I/usr/inc
lude/libxml2 -I/usr/lib/gtk-2.0/include -I/usr/include/atk-1.0 -I/usr/include/pa
ngo-1.0 -I/usr/X11R6/include -I/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I
/usr/lib/glib-2.0/include -Wall -g -O2 -c gtk-types.c -Wp,-MD,.deps/gtk-types.TP
lo -fPIC -DPIC -o gtk-types.lo
gtk-types.c: In function `pygdk_atom_coerce':
gtk-types.c:1262: warning: passing arg 1 of `PyInt_FromLong' makes integer from
pointer without a cast
gtk-types.c:1266: pointer value used where a floating point value was expected
gtk-types.c:1270: warning: passing arg 1 of `PyLong_FromUnsignedLong' makes inte
ger from pointer without a cast
gtk-types.c: In function `pygdk_atom_int':
gtk-types.c:1288: warning: passing arg 1 of `PyInt_FromLong' makes integer from
pointer without a cast
gtk-types.c: In function `pygdk_atom_long':
gtk-types.c:1294: warning: passing arg 1 of `PyLong_FromUnsignedLong' makes inte
ger from pointer without a cast
gtk-types.c: In function `pygdk_atom_float':
gtk-types.c:1300: incompatible type for argument 1 of `PyFloat_FromDouble'
gtk-types.c: In function `pygdk_atom_oct':
gtk-types.c:1308: warning: long unsigned int format, GdkAtom arg (arg 4)
gtk-types.c: In function `pygdk_atom_hex':
gtk-types.c:1316: warning: long unsigned int format, GdkAtom arg (arg 4)
/usr/include/wchar.h: At top level:
pygtk-private.h:38: warning: `PyGtk_FatalExceptions' defined but not used
make[2]: *** [gtk-types.lo] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/pygtk-1.99.3/gtk'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/pygtk-1.99.3'
make: *** [all] Error 2
[root@localhost pygtk-1.99.3]#

./configure went fine, just the make part.........

If you really want something slick, check out Kahakai.
It has transparent menus(among other things), add pyanel to it... and it just rocks!
Then throw in gdesklets, and it'll give you something like this:

http://membres.lycos.fr/bism1/screenshot-04-12-03.jpg
Of course, this is my desktop... so don't copy!