HELP!!! My desktop is not friendly

Hello there,

I have openSUSE11, KDE version 4…

Now, the problem is my desktop looks UGLY, I cant do anything, even the fonts looks ugly, I try to switch from windows vista to opensuse, but when I work on opensuse(ububtu have same problem) my eyes start bleeding… I tried with compiz/emerald/kde composite… nothing, the ergonomy is bad, really bad, I don’t even like the windows design. I tried different themes, but nothing.

Please give me some advices, else I will be forced to back on windows vista.

Shall i try other distro? Or… what else to install to have an friendly ergonomic desktop?

BTW, my system is Intel core2quad Q9300, 4GB ram, 500GB hdd, GeForce 9800 GX2, LCD 22 inch wide screen.

Thanks.

I think you’ve gotten a bit too used to Vista and compare Linux against Vista, what you should do is let Vista alone for a while, set up your distro to your likings and after a while you’ll notice that things work much better in Linux than Vista when comparing Vista against Linux.

Regarding your eyes: this is probably because you have to concentrate a lot more because of bad appearance configuration. I had the same with Linux in the beginning, my eyes started hurting faster than using Windows and my screen had, and still has, some weird flashing and jelly effects on Linux using 1024x768 screen resolution (mostly because of my screen). I suggest you use a 1024x768 as resolution and configure your fonts this way (as I did myself):
Gnome: Control Panel > Appearance > Fonts

Resolution: 94 dots per inch
Smoothing: Grayscale
Hinting: Slight
Subpixel order: RGB

Get the “webcore-fonts” package for web font support here:
Webpin

And if you are using firefox set up your appearance this way:
Firefox Preferences > Content > Fonts

Proportional: Sans Serif, Size: 16
Serif: Verdana
Sans-serif: Times New Roman
Monospace: Courier New, Size: 13
Minimum font size: 13

Note: screen resolution 1024x768 is STRONGLY recommended

Since you are using KDE4 I suggest you switch to Gnome until there is a more stable release out of KDE4 because switching from Windows to Linux using KDE4 will only make your Linux experience worse.

On Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:06:04 GMT
lasterror <lasterror@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:

>
> Hello there,
>
> I have openSUSE11, KDE version 4…
>
> Now, the problem is my desktop looks UGLY, I cant do anything, even
> the fonts looks ugly, I try to switch from windows vista to opensuse,
> but when I work on opensuse(ububtu have same problem) my eyes start
> bleeding… I tried with compiz/emerald/kde composite… nothing, the
> ergonomy is bad, really bad, I don’t even like the windows design. I
> tried different themes, but nothing.
>
> Please give me some advices, else I will be forced to back on windows
> vista.
>
> Shall i try other distro? Or… what else to install to have an
> friendly ergonomic desktop?
>
> BTW, my system is Intel core2quad Q9300, 4GB ram, 500GB hdd, GeForce
> 9800 GX2, LCD 22 inch wide screen.
>
> Thanks.
>
>
Hi
Have you setup your monitor to the correct refresh rate, aspect,
dimension size etc and running the nvidia driver?
http://en.opensuse.org/Nvidia

You may also want to try the Beta driver, search here and follow the
‘Hard way’ in the above link.

http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Find.aspx?lang=en-us

This may also help;
http://en.opensuse.org/Optimal_Use_of_Fonts_on_SuSE


Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
SLED 10.0 SP2 x86_64 Kernel 2.6.16.60-0.23-smp
up 3 days 20:27, 1 user, load average: 0.00, 0.22, 0.23
GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - Driver Version: 173.14.09

About screen resolution, I use 1680x1050 at 60 refresh that’s the maximum of my LCD resolution.

Thanks a lot for all reply’s, I will try to adjust it now to see whats going on.

Ok, I changed to DejaVU Sans font type and looks a bit more friendly, I also have antialias enabled.

PS any real good theme for KDE?

Eyecandy for your KDE-Desktop - KDE-Look.org is your friend :slight_smile:

> PS any real good theme for KDE?

maybe you wanna start with the one named Redmond

Personal Settings > Appearance & Themes > Theme Manager > Redmond

and from there have a look at the thousands available at the site given
to you by microchip8: http://www.kde-look.org/


DenverD (Linux Counter 282315)
A Texan in Denmark

OK, i give up… there is no way to make linux good. I tried all possible ways, i dont want to end my days writing console commands and trying to figure out why the desktop looks like crap.

I will back to windows vista. Maybe i will give a chance again in next release.

bye bye, go back to your windows toy :slight_smile:

bye, come back when you have little more patience (and maybe maturity)…


DenverD (Linux Counter 282315)
A Texan in Denmark

Who is not mature? Whats wrong to have a decent UI/Desktop in year 2008? Why linux peoples dont understand that end user is not always a programmer and maybe he dont have time(or he dont know, or he dont care) to fix others code errors?

No one is forcing you to use Linux or any other OS, if Vista suits your purposes better - so be it. It’s called choice - your choice.

On that note, this thread should be locked before it gets worse.

I am sorry, i am not here to blame anyone, i just wanted to remove windows vista, because i dont like so many things about it, but i love the UI…

Lets close this discussion.

FIRST, before you go on, i just re-read all the responses you got before
and that no one told you (and sure should have) to DUMP KDE4
immediately…it is EXPERIMENTAL SOFTWARE…you can read in every forum
here the MASSIVE number of problems with it as it came with SuSE
11.0…before you make up your mind on Linux get out of KDE4…Linux
and KDE are two different things…you can run Linux WITHOUT KDE at
all…lots of folk prefer Gnome or one of SEVERAL windows managers…

personally, i prefer KDE but have the verion 3.something which is
STABLE, mature and a joy to use…

i’ve not done so i don’t exactly how but if you look around in the fora
you will find lots of post on how to get from KDE4 (in SuSE 11.0) to
KDE3.something (also in SuSE 11.0)…

now, i invite you to read on:

> DenverD;1833258 Wrote:
>> bye, come back when you have little more patience (and maybe
>> maturity)…

lasterror wrote:
> Who is not mature?

maybe i’m wrong, but it seems to me that one of the differences between
younger and older is the ability to not give up when things don’t go as
smoothly as you had dreamed or hoped they would…

perseverance and patience seem to come with age and maturity…now, i
have NO idea how old you are physically or emotionally…but, to me it
seems you might be better sticking with a product you feel is more right
for you today…

> Whats wrong to have a decent UI/Desktop in year 2008?

nothing at all wrong with that…but, let me ask: if you were perfectly
happy with the desktop you had, why did you go to the trouble of trying
something else?

and, then when you do give up so easily?
i mean, it seems your FIRST post here was on the Fourth…and before a
full 24 hours had gone by you had GIVEN UP…

> Why linux peoples dont understand that end user is not always a
> programmer

i’m not a programmer by anyones stretch of imagination…

on the other hand, i don’t like the way that some desktop makers/sellers
decide my desktop ought to look and behave…i totally like the
freedom to make mine look a lot like Vista, OS X, XP, or even Win3.1, OR
NOT…

i really like my desktop…but, i’d bet it is VERY different from yours
or what you like…if you like what comes in the box from Redmond then
USE it…life is far too short to be unhappy because SuSE doesn’t look
exactly like what you left BEFORE you learn how to tweak it this way or
that…

> and maybe he dont have time(or he dont know,

well, it is for sure that it will take some time to get the thing set up
the way YOU want it…see, other makers decide FOR YOU how you want
it…you buy it, install it and get what THEY decided you ought to
have…if you like that, that is if you like folks telling you how your
desk top ought to look and behave, then enjoy it!!

look at all the time you will save!!
time is money, and to limit your time invested and choices…well, that
is gonna cost ya!

>or he dont care) to fix others code errors?

i guess it is not “code errors” you are fighting as much as setup
options that you don’t have and can’t make in either OS X or MS products…

btw, you said “I will back to windows vista.”…yet you come back and
challenge me…why?

let me challenge you to stick it out long enough to tweak your (MUCH
better than my machine) and get it running wonderful…

then, if you don’t like it…well, you have experienced something
different…and, learned some stuff (without a teacher/parent/spouse
standing over you with a whip)…maybe you decide to become a
Windows™ programmer, maybe not…maybe you decide to move to Mac, or
not…maybe you try Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, Mandriva, of any of the
other hundred or so other Linux distributions available for view
learning about at <http://distrowatch.com/>…i’m SURE you can find
something that fits you, if not your pocketbook and level of patience…

thanks for trying openSuSE Linux…come back when you are ready to
LEARN…there is a lot of that around here!!


DenverD (Linux Counter 282315)
A Texan in Denmark

> On that note, this thread should be locked before it gets worse.

i disagree completely…the guy is frustrated by neither abusive nor
ungentlemanly…AND he has valid questions (which i’ve just tried to
answer in another posting)!


DenverD (Linux Counter 282315)
A Texan in Denmark

DenverD, i spent 2 day searching kde-look for a decent, i repeat decent theme for kde, ALL of them are writed by amateurs in design, i am sure KDE/Gnome(maybe xfce) can look beautiful with a professional theme, i even can pay for it or donate, but where is that theme??? I am talking about desktop ergonomy here, including color scheme/fonts/etc. Yes, i agree with you, i have the possibility to change every small setting about those, but i am not a pro designer, i hardly can chose 2-3 colors… Yes, after you play with vista, you want something at same quality (talking about ui here, not os) or even better.

You probable ask me why i need a good theme so bad? Well, i spend all day working on computer, so, the ergonomy really matters for me, i like to have a nice environment.

Btw, i am not frustrated at all, i am just angry, i said i give up, but i am still searching…

Use Gnome?

You say even the fonts look bad to you, do you have subpixel smoothing enabled? Right click on the desktop, configure desktop background, fonts, then click subpixel smoothing.

Not sure your interest in linux desktops if you don’t want to configure anything yourself or spend the few minutes changing colors, etc.

I just recently started using suse 11 with gnome. Migrating from xp. Here are my thoughts on the UI. I find it’s MUCH better than xp. I appreciate how much I can tweak my desktop the way I like it. Unfortunately I still have to use xp to watch movies on netflix. When I boot up in xp everything seems clunky compared to gnome.

If you spend some time playing around with desktop setting you should be able to get it how you like it. You might also want to try gnome and see if you like that better than KDE. I tried both on a live version of suse before I ever installed suse.

In the past few days of using suse I have found that getting everything setup can be a bit of a pain and take some time. But, once it’s all setup and running, it works better than xp.

So don’t give up so easily.

twich

> i spent 2 day searching kde-look for a decent, i repeat decent
> theme for kde

did you try the ones that come with SuSE before heading to the ‘amateur
night’ over at kde-look?

i’m pretty happy (on 10.3 with KDE 3.5.7) with the “SUSE_Default” theme,
and “Plastik” style, and “B II” windows decorations, and animated
“Crystal SUSE” icons sized at 22, and “KDE Default” color scheme (which
is blue in 10.3, but i guess GREEN in 11.0?) and a solid black
background of “the internet” using the full size of the graphic on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet (full size is 1280x1280 and i have
centered on a solid black background…which make it look seamless side
to side and corner to corner…)

BUT, that is just what winds MY watch…and, i save TWO days (those you
used searching) by just doing it myself and trying to pick simple things…


DenverD (Linux Counter 282315)
A Texan in Denmark

Ok, maybe i didnt myself clear,

I have opensuse11 with KDE 4.1,

I have 1680x1050 wide LCD, thats the resolution, is a problem with font rendering, if i disable antialias fonts looks really really bad, if i enable antialias fonts look a bit nicer, but bluried, i tried the other settings hitting/subpixel, everything, i still have the same problem, fonts looks like crap.

I installed the MSCorefonts, same problem, even with the freetype2 switch in /etc …