Mate Tweak: setting the default system-wide layout

Support & Help Requests
#1

Hi,

I’d like to set a modified desktop layout as the system-wide default layout for Ubuntu Mate 16.04 LTS.

I’ve already modified the layout for the current (admin) user. I’d like to make it the default layout for all new user accounts.

I have installed Ubuntu Mate in a box at work managing data acquisition for Production. The staff using the box have never used Linux before. Most of them are not tech-savvy. I want to make their life simple by adding the ‘log out’ applet to the top panel.

At the moment I am having to set it up manually each time I open a new account in the box. It would be nice to be able to automatically apply the modified default layout to new user accounts.

Can anyone help please?
Thanks

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#2

If anyone is interested, I think I have found one possible way to achieve what I’m after:

  1. set up the panels/layout exactly how you want

  2. backup the settings to file with dconf (e.g.: dconf dump /)

  3. restore the dconf settings (e.g.: dconf load /) when a new account is created. This can be done by:
    a. a script wrapper over adduser ending with a call to the ‘restore command’
    b. (possibly even simpler, but I am yet to test it) including the ‘restore command’ in ‘/usr/local/sbin/adduser.local’

Any comments anyone?
Cheers

#3

I can think of two possible solutions (I’ve only tried number 2):

  1. There are instructions online how to login to the root account on Ubuntu. If you login to the root desktop and modify things there, they may become default for new users.

  2. Use software “Systemback” to create a new iso. This is very simple. You modify your existing account to your liking. Systemback will offer to keep your settings (even files if you will) when it compresses your system into an iso-file.

Put this iso-file on a usb-stick and you can then install it on another system. All users have been erased from this iso, so when you install you will create the first user. The nice thing is that it will use the settings you were using when you made the iso. You can make any adjustments you want: panels, programs, settings etc. and they will be default on your iso (just make sure to really tick the checkbox in Systemback).

Systemback is a great piece of software. It’s no more in development, but it works fine with Ubuntu MATE 16.04.

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#4

I wasn’t aware of Systemback - thanks for the tip.

The concept of creating your own ISO seems interesting to me but I always thought it involved a great deal of work and have never considered it. From what you have said though, it seems Systemback might just do all the necessary legwork.

It’s unfortunate that the project seems to have become stale - I’m not sure how comfortable I am to rely on software not under active support/development (for example, will Systemback still work when I want to upgrade Ubuntu Mate to 18.04?).

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#5

It seems Debian 8 and Ubuntu 16.10 are the last versions supported. For Ubuntu 16.04 it’s great. I wouldn’t use it on something that isn’t supported. The developer says Ubuntu 17.04 is not supported so the chance that Ubuntu 18.04 would work with the current version is minimal.

These Debian/Ubuntu iso-builders come and go: Remastersys, Pinguy builder, SparkyLinux had one, Systemback. Life is like a box of chocolates…