Gnome Terminal as a Lightweight Desktop Environment

Use gnome-terminal as a powerful lightweight desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer Gnu/Linux operating system X server. Basically, will turn the gnome-terminal into a desktop.
There is a saying. If you master the command line interface, you'll master the entire system.

1- Add gnome-terminal in the Login manager list

Open the terminal, and enter (enter your password when prompt to):
sudo gedit /usr/share/xsessions/gnome-terminalOS.desktop

Once gedit is open add, save and close:


[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=Chrome OS
Comment=
Exec=~/master-command
Type=Application

2- Edit your ~/.bashrc file:
copy and past the following in your ./.bashr

echo -e ;links2 -dump "http://www.google.com/search?q=weather+atlanta&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a" | grep -A 5 -m 1 "Weather for"

echo -e ;cal -3

echo -n '┌─=[' $(whoami) ']=─┐' '┌─=[' $(who -q) ']=─┐' '┌─=[' $(df -h | grep /dev/sda1 | awk '{print $3}') ']=─┐' '┌─=[' $(acpi) ']=─┐' '┌─=[' $(acpi -t -f) ']=─┐'

3- Make the bash script call ~/master-command

In the terminal, enter
gedit ~/master-command

Once gedit is open add, save and close:


#!/usr/bin/env bash

xsetroot -solid "#000000" &

gnome-terminal --geometry 117x34+49+69 --hide-menubar --tab --title=System -e htop --tab --title=web -e elinks --tab --title=Network Monitor -e 'netstat -tcp' --tab --title=Mixer -e 'alsamixer -g' --tab --title=Calendar --active &

gnome-terminal --window  --title=+Status+Main-Menu --hide-menubar --geometry 122x2+22-5  &

xclock -digital -update 1 -bg "#000000" -fg "#00ffff" -fn -*-*-bold-*-*-*-16-*-*-*-*-*-*-* -padding 6  -geometry 285x25-13+16 &

exec metacity

In the terminal, enter:
chmod +x ~/master-command

Qick tips:

+ Change the gnome-terminal color and the color values in ~/master-command to match your metacity theme.

+ Make adjustment to each window size according to your display, use xwininfo to get the proper -geometry values in ~/master-command

+ Install liknks2 if you want the weather to display on your terminal. And replace weather+atlanta with weather+YOUR ZIP CODE

+ Run graphical apps (GTK+) with the & (this will free the terminal you using as a launcher for other commands). for example, to run chromium-browser, just enter:
chromium-browser &

+ Do a search for CLI apps. There are lots of awesome apps and commands you can use in the terminal.

+ here are what you need to install if you are doing this from scratch: A Linux operating System, gnome-terminal, X server, a login manager, metacity.