How To Update To Ubuntu 12.04 Scrollbar In Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot

The development of Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin is moving ahead on a fast track basis. Perhaps one of the most discussed features for Ubuntu users in recent times has been the overlay scrollbar. The opinion on the overlay scrollbar has been divided among Ubuntu users. While some seem to like it, others simply find it irritating. For this reason I earlier wrote a tip:How To Get Classic Scrollbar Back In Ubuntu 11.04 and 11.10. Whether you are a fan of the overlay scrollbar or would simply like to check out the new version of the Ubuntu scrollbar, you can update your Oneiric scrollbar to the Precise Pangolin one, using the instructions in this post. The PPA has been made available for users who may wish to check out the all new improvements of the latest scrollbar from Ubuntu 12.04.

The new Ubuntu 12.04 overlay scrollbar has come with the following improvements:

  • Improved thumb appearance.
  • The proximity area (which reveals the scroolbar) has been extended to cover the entire window edge.
  • Thumb positioning has been improved according to mouse pointer and bar position.
  • The thumb is more freely movable while touching an edge.
  • For fine-scroll mode you can press Control while dragging.
  • You can press Control during page up/down to do step up/down instead.
  • Jumping is now triggered using the Middle Click or Shift + Button1.
  • Other tweaks, fixes, and small performance improvements have also been included.

The below images display a comparison of both the old and new scrollbar. The left-hand side image displays the old scrollbar, whereas the right screenshot shows the updated (Ubuntu 12.04) scrollbar.

Ubuntu 12.04 Scrollbar

To install this new overlay scrollbar, add the following PPA to software sources, and update it. if you do not know how to add a PPA to software source, then see my post: How To Add PPA To Software Sources In Ubuntu Linux From Ubuntu Software Center.

ppa:ayatana-scrollbar-team/release

You can see the new Precise Pangolin Scrollbar in action in the below video.

Since Precise Pangolin is still undergoing heavy development, it is likely that the scrollbar may have some functionality issues, therefore, it is advised that you backup your system before updating to the new scrollbar. For backup instructions, check out my post on Deja Dup backup.

[Video Credit WarriorIng64]