Silly definition, of that I agree. No idea why it’s called “ricing”. The following is a direct quote from a bit of research I found online:
"Ricing is a term that has been used in the computer and technology world to describe the act of customizing the appearance of Linux. The term originated from the practice of modifying a car’s appearance, specifically by adding decorative features such as spoilers or other embellishments to make it look more appealing. Ricing involves making changes to the user interface, icons, themes, fonts, and other visual elements of Linux to give it a unique and personalized look.
While some may view ricing as a harmless or a way to express creativity, others see it as a pointless waste of time and resources. Critics argue that ricing serves no practical purpose and can even be detrimental to the functionality of the OS. They claim that it can lead to instability, slow performance, and other issues that can negatively impact the user experience."
Source: Ricing - Slang Meaning and Examples - FastSlang
I’ll agree that it does refer to tricking out your desktop. Now, why it’s called “ricing”, I saw another post (Reddit, so take it for what it’s worth) with this analogy as to the origins of the term:
so you are 17 years old and have honda civic; You put spoiler on it, ugly bodykit, bigger exhaust, lower it, some tacky rims… This is usually done with japanese cars so from rice a ricer term came. It is insulting term, a car that is all attention but no performance. But the term came also in to the IT world and people who overly modify and play with their desktop enviroment are also called ricers.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions/comments/rswg4j/what_does_ricing_mean/