Gnome-Do is a great little application that enhances the Linux-desktop experience. The application, which I recently started using, provides quick access to your applications, email contacts, music, and can be modified with a variety of plug-ins.
Gnome-Do is essentially a launcher, but is much more innovative and handy than most. In addition to its handiness, Gnome-Do has a real sleek interface. The look of Gnome-Do can be changed by using various skins.

The Features
For such a small application, Gnome-Do is full of features. Most of its feature lie in its adaptability. With Gnome-Do, you can look up words in the GNOME dictionary, run terminal commands, search your Firefox bookmarks, sort through your GMail contacts, or maybe even update your Twitter. When not on your screen, Gnome-Do runs peacefully in the background. To summon the program you can either press <Super>Space or open it through your applications menu. You can access Gnome-Do's preferences through the drop down menu in it's upper right hand corner.

 
Changing the Theme
Changing the theme of Gnome-Do is simple. Upon opening the program, click the drop-down arrow in the upper-right-hand corner. Select from the menu the 'Preferences' option. When a window opens, you should click the 'Appearance' tab. Under the themes option, you can activate different themes. In the preference box you can mess with other settings such as plugins and keyboard shortcuts.

The Plugins 
To enable plugins open the preference section and go to the 'Plugins' tab. Check the check-box next to the plugin you wish to activate. Some plugins included are: Volume control plugin, Firefox plugin, and a window manager plugin. One plugin, installed by default, enables the users to search for documents on their computer.

Installing Gnome do in Ubuntu
Installing Gnome-Do in Ubuntu is easy. There are two ways of going about installing it. Using the Ubuntu Software Manager is the first option. Here is how:
1. Open the Ubuntu Software Manager:  Applications>Ubuntu Software Manager
2. Search in the search box for 'Gnome-Do' .
3. Click on the Gnome-Do entry and hit the button titled 'Install'.
4. If prompted for a password, enter it and install.
5. Enjoy! 

The second option involves adding the official Gnome-Do repository and install through the terminal. NOTE: this requires more advanced knowledge of Ubuntu. Versions installed through the PPA can be unstable. Unless you are sure you know what you are doing, follow the first method.
1. Open a terminal
2. Run the code: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:do-core/ppa
3. Enjoy!
 
Getting Gnome-Do On Another Linux-based OS
There are different ways to get Gnome-Do and the process will vary by operating system and computer configuration. In Ubuntu, for example, you can get the program through the Ubuntu Software Center. For Installation instructions, visit Gnome-Do's download page, http://do.davebsd.com/download.shtml . Installation instructions for multiple operating systems can be found here.

Enjoy Gnome-Do!

About the author: Maxwell Powell is a sophomore in high school. He has contributed to '0 A.D.', an open-source game project.

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