AWN is a dock that looks a lot like the one in mac osx. (see below). It exists in the Hardy repo but unfortunately the extra applets didn't make it in so I will also explain how to install the version directly from the awn testing team's repo.
For AWN to work you need to have compiz running. I won't go into that here because that is explained elsewhere.
Installation
Standard
To install the standard version from the default repos in mint issue the following command in a terminal:
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apt install avant-window-navigator awn-manager
To install the one from the awn team you will have to add their repo to your sources.list. To do that open a terminal and enter:
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gksu gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
For Mint 5 Elyssa:
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## awn-testing
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu hardy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu hardy main
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## awn-testing
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu intrepid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu intrepid main
Save it and then type in a terminal:
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sudo gpg --keyserver subkeys.pgp.net --recv 7D2C7A23BF810CD5
sudo gpg --export --armor 7D2C7A23BF810CD5 | sudo apt-key add -
apt update
apt install avant-window-navigator-trunk awn-extras-applets-trunk awn-manager-trunk
Configuration
Once running you will want to configure it to your liking. Right click on the awn panel and choose "Dock Preferences"
The awn manager is broken up into four sections accessible from the tabs on the left
1. General
Startup behaviour: This should start awn automatically but doesn't always work. It is easier to do this from the mintmenu as described earlier
The other options in these panels are pretty self explanatory. You should just experiment because they really are just a matter of personal taste. Try some of the Icon Effects, they are pretty cool. My personal favourite is "3D Turn"
2. Applets
This is where the awn-testing repo shines.If you are using that version you will have a lot more applets to choose from. Simply click on the ones you want one at a time and hit the activate button. Similarly, to remove them once activated click on the applet in the bottom panel and hit the deactivate button.
You can change the order by dragging and dropping the icons in the bottom panel.
**If you want to add application launchers to the panel make sure that you add the Launcher/Taskmanager applet.**
3. Launchers
You can add custom application launchers by clicking on the "Add" button and enter the details. The order of the launchers can be changed by simply dragging and dropping the launchers in the list.
There is an easier way but it requires adding the normal gnome menu to the gnome panel (by right clicking on the gnome panel and selecting "Add To Panel" and then selecting "Main Menu" from the list) so you can drag and drop the apps directly onto the awn panel. You could of course do this and then remove the gnome menu once you have finished
4. Themes
There are no themes installed by default but they are easy to add. Simply download the themes you like somewhere and then click the "Add" button in the awn manager and navigate to the folder whee you saved the downloaded themes. Then it is simply a matter of checking the select box for the theme and hitting the Apply button.
Themes can be downloaded from:
The awn wiki
Gnome Look (and search for "awn theme")
Have fun!