[Solved] Can I change entry line in terminal ???

[BobLuck]

I have tried several flavors of Linux - and finally have settled on Linux Mint - but there are several different desktops. So I have set up a dual boot with two that I seem to like. Linux Mint 17.1 (64 bit) "Rebecca" with Mate and Linux Mint 17.1 (64 bit) "Rebecca" with Cinnamon.

Now I thought this would the best way. I went to work installing Mate and setting up desktop the way I always like it, but then when I installed Cinnamon I started having a simple but aggravating problem. Once I booted up my age problem kicked in (I'm 84 and short-time memory gone.) and I would suddenly realize I did not remember which desktop I was working with. I have only found one place that would indicate which desktop I was working on. The Welcome Screen - on the second line of the heading - in small type - tells me I am on MATE 64-bit or Cinnamon 64-bit, there must be a better way, I usually click them off after I start.

Even GRUB is no help, the listing for MATE shows "LINUX MINT 17.1 Rebecca" and the listing for CINNAMON is "LINUX MINT 17.1 Cinnamon 64-bit" - I would have expected the upper listing to show Mate or both to show Rebecca. Yes, I have tried Postit notes on the edge of the screen, nothing has helped me.

I have thought of an easy way but can't figure how to do it.

If I could change the entry line (I'm sure it has a name - unknown to me) in the terminal. Presently it reads the same on the terminal on both desktops. I am using/trying the terminal more and more.

myname@myname-NY799AA-ABA-p6243w ~ $ If I could change this line to read
myname@myname-MATE when on Mate or myname@myname-Cinnamon when on Cinnamon

I know I can change it if I re-install and change it at the beginning but HOPE there is a way to make the change without all that work - Is it possible ?

[Mute Ant]

''If I could change the entry line (I'm sure it has a name - unknown to me)'' Command Line Prompt. You change this by setting a value for the PS1 environment variable. This works on Betsy and probably in Rebecca but I can't test it today...

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PS1="$DESKTOP_SESSION $PS1"

...you try it as a command for just one terminal, or you make it permanent by adding it at the end of the ~/.bashrc file. I get...
BEFORE: mute@kermes ~ $
AFTER: mate mute@kermes ~ $

The @kermes part is the hostname which is the human ID of the machine I am on, not the desktop I am running. It can be changed, but not on-the-fly, It's a set-up-on-boot variable.

[Spearmint2]

why can't you put an empty file on the desktop or in the desktop folder named for the desktop version? That way each one will have an icon with the desktop version name on it. That's the quickest and easiest way to know. Of course you could use a different background for each and remember which goes to which.

You can right clk on the panel , choose about panel, and it will tell you.

You can run mate-about in terminal and if it's mate you will get information.

[Ginsu543]

Or you can do what I do, which is to rename the menu name from "MENU" to "MATE" or "CINNAMON" as appropriate. I'm not sure how you do so in Mate, but you can do so in Cinnamon by right-clicking on the menu icon and selecting "Configure...", then changing the name under "Text".

[Pjotr]

Take a picture, write the text "Cinnamon" or "Mate" in it with Gimp, and set it as desktop wallpaper.

[Reorx]

Take a picture, write the text "Cinnamon" or "Mate" in it with Gimp, and set it as desktop wallpaper.

I have multiple laptops and 1 is an experimental machine that multiboots different versions of Mint... I use this method all the time and it works great. Here are a few examples of wallpaper I have "customized" in this way... Enjoy!

Droplet_wallpaper_Rebecca.jpg

Linux_1366x768_LMDE2C64.jpg

[BobLuck]

Thanks to everyone ! Always such Great Help....

The use of wallpapers would have been the easiest, why didn't I think of it? But I really wanted to try to change the Command Line Prompt in Terminal. So I reloaded Cinnamon and made the change during the installation.

Now terminal prompt "myname@myname-cinnamon" and everything still works fine. I tried for several days to do it on-the-fly with no luck - then wanted to be sure everything would still work if it was changed, and it seems to but will watch it for a while.

I really like "10 things to do after installing Linux Mint 17.1 Cinnamon," just detailed enough so even a 'Dumas' like me can follow.

BTW: I really think I will settle on Mate. Two or three small annoying things about Cinnamon.

BobLuck




BobLuck

[Spearmint2]

Take a picture, write the text "Cinnamon" or "Mate" in it with Gimp, and set it as desktop wallpaper.

I have multiple laptops and 1 is an experimental machine that multiboots different versions of Mint... I use this method all the time and it works great. Here are a few examples of wallpaper I have "customized" in this way... Enjoy!

Those are really nice! I thought about using one of the installed backgrounds and doctor the picture with text.

[Spearmint2]

But I really wanted to try to change the Command Line Prompt in Terminal.

There is a command, but doesn't fill the name part as it should in Mint Mate, probably not in Cinnamon either.

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inxi -S

Also

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env |grep mate

will tell you if it's mate, not tried it in cinnamon.