I've been using Ubuntu and Linux Mint for a year now on my old laptop, but I've struggled with customizing it due to slow performance and my lack of experience with Linux. Recently, I installed Ubuntu alongside Windows with my tech-savvy friend's help, and he suggested using GNOME for customizing. However, I really want to achieve a look similar to PewDiePie's setup, but I'm not sure how he did it or what software he used.
4 Answers
PewDiePie primarily uses a tiling window manager called Hyprland. If you're not familiar with tiling window managers, be prepared to learn quite a bit. It's definitely more complex than using a standard desktop environment like GNOME or KDE.
Just to clarify, PewDiePie didn't use GNOME on the laptop shown in the video. He actually ran Hyprland, which is a bit tricky to set up as it depends heavily on keyboard controls and manual file edits. If Hyprland sounds daunting, consider browsing through some GNOME themes to spruce things up or even trying other DEs like Cinnamon, which are easier to customize.
Check out "ricing gnome" tutorials on YouTube. Just remember, PewDiePie has been customizing his system for a lot longer than you've been using Linux, so it might take some patience. If your goal is to breathe some new life into your laptop, maybe start with Linux Mint before diving into Hyprland.
What he's using is a specialized window manager instead of a full desktop environment. Hyprland requires some command line knowledge and manual configuration because it doesn't have a graphical settings tool. If you're a beginner, you might want to stick with GNOME or consider something like KDE Plasma, which is more user-friendly.
Totally agree! KDE is great for beginners and has lots of customization options without the steep learning curve.