HOW TO: Simply Stunning Linux Desktop
The response I got when I posted the desktop in the image to the right was huge. Around 10 emails 
per day flooded in for weeks, asking exactly how I achieved that look. And, everyone who asked was given a quick guide I wrote up in a few seconds, or a “Sorry, I’ll write back later” because I was too busy. Now, the time has come for me to reveal exactly how to achieve this desktop layout from a fresh Ubuntu install. It’s not actually that hard, and you’ll only need one piece of additional software.
Step One
Remove the top panel, by simply right clicking in an empty space (usually between the “System” menu and the Clock on a fresh install) and choosing “Delete this panel” on the menu that appears. Now right click the bottom panel and click “New Panel” so you get an empty, fresh one. So you’ll have one empty panel, and one bottom one. Delete the bottom one using the same method as the top, and drag your new panel to the bottom of the screen. MBHoy.com » Blog Archive » HowTO: Simply Stunning Linux Desktop