XFCE Big Sur - Documentation

Overview

Standard XFCE is efficient but visually conservative. This documentation outlines the exact steps to modernize Xubuntu into a pixel-perfect macOS Big Sur Dark clone. This setup utilizes a hybrid icon system and specific bootloader configurations to ensure consistency from the initial boot sequence to the desktop environment.

1. Essential Dependencies

Before applying themes, install the necessary build tools. We require sassc for compiling GTK styles and xfce4-appmenu-plugin to enable the Global Menu functionality on the top panel.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y sudo apt install git sassc plank xfce4-appmenu-plugin rofi imagemagick build-essential libglib2.0-dev-bin -y

2. Typography

The visual identity of macOS relies on the San Francisco font stack. Install the Pro variant for the system UI. For the terminal and IDEs, install Meslo LG to ensure proper glyph rendering and Powerline support.

git clone https://github.com/sahibjotsaggu/San-Francisco-Pro-Fonts.git mkdir -p ~/.local/share/fonts cp San-Francisco-Pro-Fonts/*.otf ~/.local/share/fonts/ sudo apt install fonts-meslo fc-cache -f -v

Configuration: Navigate to Settings > Appearance > Fonts. Set the default font to SF Pro Display (Size 10 or 11). For Terminal preferences, select Meslo LG M.

3. Visual Assets

Install the WhiteSur suite for the GTK interface and Cursors. We use the "Solid" panel variant to prevent transparency artifacts common in the XFCE compositor.

GTK Theme & Cursors

git clone https://github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-gtk-theme.git --depth=1 cd WhiteSur-gtk-theme ./install.sh -c Dark -t all -N Glassy -s -p solid cd .. git clone https://github.com/vinceliuice/McMojave-cursors.git --depth=1 cd McMojave-cursors ./install.sh

4. Hybrid Icon System

Stock icon themes often lack balance. To achieve the best aesthetic, we create a custom hybrid set. We use WhiteSur as the stable base for panel indicators and inject Mkos Big Sur icons for the application directory.

git clone https://github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-icon-theme.git --depth=1 ./WhiteSur-icon-theme/install.sh -b cp -r ~/.local/share/icons/WhiteSur-dark ~/.local/share/icons/iXFCE git clone https://github.com/zayronxio/Mkos-Big-Sur.git cp -f Mkos-Big-Sur/Mkos-Big-Sur-Night/128x128/apps/* ~/.local/share/icons/iXFCE/apps/scalable/ gtk-update-icon-cache --ignore-theme-index ~/.local/share/icons/iXFCE

5. Interface Configuration

Panel & Global Menu

Open Panel Preferences. Move the panel to the top of the screen. Remove the "Window Buttons" item. Add the AppMenu Plugin and position it immediately after the Whisker Menu.

Clock Format: Right-click the clock and use this custom format string: %a %b %d %H:%M.

Dock (Plank)

plank --preferences

Set the theme to "Transparent" or "Matte". In the Behavior settings, enable "Icon Zoom" to replicate the macOS dock magnification.

Spotlight Launcher

Replace the default runner with Rofi. Configure your keyboard shortcuts to map Super + Space to launch Rofi.

6. Boot & GRUB Customization

A seamless boot experience requires synchronizing the resolution between GRUB and Plymouth. A resolution mismatch is the primary cause of black screen issues during boot.

Installation

git clone https://github.com/navisjayaseelan/apple-mac-plymouth.git cd apple-mac-plymouth && sudo ./install.sh cd .. git clone https://github.com/Teraskull/bigsur-grub2-theme.git cd bigsur-grub2-theme && sudo ./install.sh

Resolution Fix (Critical)

Configure GRUB to use your native display resolution (e.g., 1366x768).

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Find GRUB_GFXMODE and set it to your resolution. Add the line GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep directly below it. Save and update:

sudo update-grub

Credits & Upstream Sources

This setup integrates the work of several open-source projects. Please visit the original repositories:

GTK Theme Icon Pack GRUB Theme Boot Animation

Finalizing

Once all configurations are set, perform a full system reboot to reload the kernel modules for Plymouth and the LightDM session.

Documented by

hndrapratamaa

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