HOWTO: functional eye-candy with Avant-Window-Navigator

DISCLAIMER: I do my best to keep the packages in this repo high-quality. However, 3rd party repositories such as this one are completely unsupported by Ubuntu. Any problems caused by this repo should be reported to me in this thread, not to Ubuntu.

Before we begin, make sure you have all the needed ubuntu repositories installed, namely universe and ubuntu-updates. This can be done in System -> Administration -> Software Sources by enabling 'recommended updates' under the 'Updates' tab, and also enabling 'Community-maintained Open Source software' under the 'Ubuntu Software' tab.

Now open a terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal), we'll be pasting a lot of commands. Remember, paste only 1 line at a time unless otherwise directed.

First, add my AWN repo:

Code:

echo 'deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/reacocard-awn/ubuntu gutsy main'  |  sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list
echo 'deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/reacocard-awn/ubuntu gutsy main'  |  sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list

Now update your software lists. If you are asked any questions during this, respond with 'y'.

Code:

sudo apt-get update

Then install AWN:

Code:

sudo apt-get install avant-window-navigator-bzr awn-core-applets-bzr

That's it! You can now start AWN from Applications->Accessories->Avant Window Navigator.
If installation fails, go back to the beginning and make sure you followed all instructions correctly, and then check the FAQ section at the bottom of this guide.

Available packages:

avant-window-navigator-bzr - the latest development version of AWN.
awn-core-applets-bzr - extra applets for AWN (development version)
libawn-bzr - applet library for AWN
libawn-bzr-dev - headers for the AWN applet library. Install this only if you need to compile applets from source.
python-libawn-bzr - python bindings for libawn

All -bzr packages are updated perodically from AWN bzr.

NOTE: There is no stable AWN currently available in my repository. There will be a stable AWN package in Ubuntu Hardy's universe, or in the meantime, you can use the getdeb package. Note that I do not support either of these installation methods and can provide no help in using them.

- How to make it start automatically at login:
Assuming you are using Gnome, here is what you need to do:
1) Go to System>Preferences>Sessions
2) Click Add
3) Fill out forms (the "Command" form should have /usr/bin/avant-window-navigator)
4) Click OK
That's it!