How to install Mint Style Gnome Menu in Ubuntu

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For those of you who ave ever tried Linux Mint, a distro which is run off the back of Ubuntu, you will have noticed that it has it's own special and somewhat unique gnome menu to select your applications to run, folders to browse etc
NOTE: This is not the same menu as the "gnome-main-menu" which can be installed via the official Ubuntu repos. Although it is very similar, the Mint one is much more customisable and innovative.

Install Mint Style Gnome Menu in Ubuntu

First you need to download mint menu .deb packages using the following command from your terminal

wget http://packages.linuxmint.com/pool/main/m/mint-translations/mint-translations_2010.02.02_all.deb

wget http://packages.linuxmint.com/pool/main/m/mint-common/mint-common_1.0.5_all.deb

wget http://packages.linuxmint.com/pool/main/m/mintmenu/mintmenu_4.9.9_all.deb

Now install each .deb package by double clicking on it

Add to gnome panel

If you want to add mint menu to gnome panel

-- Right click on the gnome panel and select "Add to panel..."

-- Choose the "mintMenu" and click on add.

You will notice when you add it the it has the mint menu and some text.

Ubuntuize it

If you right-click on the menu button and select "Preferences" you will see the menu with a whole bunch of stuff. On the first tab which is shown, named "Main Button" you can change how the button looks in the gnome pane. For me, I deleted the button text as I just wanted to have a logo, but of course the choice is yours.

As for the icon, if you want an ubuntu logo, here are the paths to copy in (NOTE: paths are based of Ubuntu 10.04)

If you're using a light theme:

/usr/share/icons/ubuntu-mono-light/apps/24/start-here.svg

If you're using a dark theme:

/usr/share/icons/ubuntu-mono-dark/apps/24/start-here.svg

Known Issue

After you ave added it to the panel, you will notice that if you select "All Applications", that there is nothing there, or that there are no sub-menus. No problem, all should be fine and working after a the next reboot.

Screenshot


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16 Responses

  1. Nick says:

    Same as OpenSuse gnome menu, not very productive with such large icons. I prefer the single panel Main Menu in Ubuntu, Windows classic style!

  2. kvfgfg says:

    /usr/share/icons/elementary/places/24/distributor-logo.svg

    for elementary users

  3. jojomonkey says:

    Wrong! This is a menu created by Novell/openSUSE. It is the GNOME Main Menu project. Proper credit needs to be given:

    http://en.opensuse.org/GNOME_Main_Menu

  4. jojomonkey says:


    NOTE: This is not the same menu as the “gnome-main-menu” which can be installed via the official Ubuntu repos. Although it is very similar, the Mint one is much more customisable and innovative.”

    OK. Whatever. LOL.

  5. UMFS says:

    it’s very different from OpenSuse menu, just looking similar, but mintmenu is very productive, much better than the default gnome menu.

    Mint is based on Ubuntu, but it’s so much easier to use than Ubuntu.

  6. superpelican says:

    How do you change the ‘favorites’ part. I want to add my own favorites.

  7. Noone says:

    Right click on any entry in the “All Applications” menu and select “Add to favorites”.
    MintMenu is way better than OpenSuse’s.

  8. @jojomonkey, you spelled “LOL” wrong. The correct spelling “I’m sorry I was an ass and didn’t check my facts correctly.”

  9. Danny Trunk says:

    Or you just need to use my PPA on launchpad, i already ubuntuized it 😉

  10. jorn says:

    where do I double click?????

  11. jorn says:

    Now install each .deb package by double clicking on it

    where do I do that?

  12. alex says:

    From where ever you downloaded the files to; if you downloaded them to /home/[yourname]/Downloads then go to that folder in nautilus and right click each file and open it in ubuntu software center.

  13. manoj says:

    Thanks,

  14. Heplock says:

    Thanks for this I really love the filter/search box feature.

  15. Ted Clayton says:

    Early 2013 now. 😉

    I have XFCE of Ubuntu 11.10, and thought I’d see if this will work in the XFCE panel (which is where it goes in Gnome..).

    Downloaded the 3 files, sicced Gdebi Package Installer on them; did fine with ‘translations’, and ‘common’, but ‘mintmenu’ produced an error, ‘depends deskbar-applet’.

    I need the URL for the right version of deskbar-applet in the Mint package pool … have thrashed around without finding it or figuring out what it would be.

    If this thing will fly on the XFCE panel, it could be a very nice upgrade. – Thanks!

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