Customizing your Desktop

The default xfce menu button is a black mouse superimposed over a blue X. We can customize this.

Right-click the button and select Properties. Click the folder in the "Button icon" area and select your desired icon. Feel free to use the nifty Gentoo icon below.

Xfce has some built-in compositing and transparency effects. To enable this on your terminals, which you will hopefully be using a lot, open a terminal and click Edit -> Preferences, click on the Appearance tab, and change the value for Background to "Transparent background". You may have to close your terminal and open a new one for the settings to take effect.

In Xfce, you are welcome to customize panels by adding items such as launchers, a workspace switcher, notification area, and more. Some packages, such as volume control and battery monitor, need to be emerged so search or browse portage to find what you need.

Additional panels can also be added. Simply right-click an existing panel and choose "Customize Panel" or select Settings->Panel from your menu in order to add a new panel or customize your panel's transparency, auto-hide settings or other features.