Replace gnome-terminal with terminator, for use with Panel Menu Launchers

[ColForbin]

I know that my posts are always simplistic, almost to the point of perhaps being annoying to the advanced users here. This is not my intention.

It is also not my intention to suggest that anyone read any further, if they are concerned about the possibility of breaking anything within their BackTrack install. Fair warning.

I would like to make this post, in the hopes that new users may pick up a tip, on how to ferret out answers on their own, or if someone has the same problem, etc.

This was done within BackTrack 5 GNOME 64bit.

Here was my problem: I really do not like gnome-terminal. I really do like terminator. Maybe, simply removing gnome-terminal with an apt-get remove gnome-terminal, and installing terminator is the answer. Not such a good idea. apt-get remove gnome-terminal wants to remove gnome-core as well. Looks kind of scary. Didn't do this. Proceeded as follows:

#apt-get install terminator

That's all good. Now, make sure terminator is the preferred terminal (Google is my friend here)...

#update-alternatives --config x-terminal-emulator

All good as well, this has automatically been set to terminator.

Ensured that terminator is the preferred terminal in System>Preferences>Preferred Applications>System Tab. All good there too.

Enter problem - BackTrack has Many, many custom launchers in the GNOME Panel menu. I don't spend a lot of time in the menu, preferring a shell, but I am anal about some things (esp. when I can't get them to work). Opening any of these launchers from the Panel menu, they open in gnome-terminal, instead of terminator. This is not preferred. ")

Used google-fu. Couldn't find answer. Broke down and went to #terminator on freenode (IRC is our friend, as long as we ask questions thoughtfully, and are most respectful to other users). Met a nice person named candrea. We spoke about the problem. candrea says this is a bug, inherent to Ubuntu's GNOME Panel menu, which does not honor config settings. They suggest a script, using regular expressions to run these launchers. This idea is excellent, but the menu changes from time to time, with updates.

candrea says,

ln -s /usr/bin/terminator /usr/bin/gnome-terminal

I say, "brilliant!"

I back up my gnome-terminal (I say back up, but I'm kind of removing gnome-terminal here).

#mv /usr/bin/gnome-terminal /usr/bin/gnome-terminal-old

Then I create the symbolic link that candrea suggested. Voila! All apps set to run in terminal are forced to run in terminator.

I tell candrea they are a genius.

Problem solved. Search, read, ask, walk away, think, come back, do, break, fix, learn, repeat, spread good karma around when possible (not necessarily in that order).