Please help with setting up a laptop with OpenSUSE 11.4

[Nameless_One]

Due to some nasty bugs in Windows 7, I’m switching to using OpenSUSE on my work laptop. I’m an experienced SUSE from the days before OpenSUSE, but I can’t seem to customize 11.4 to work more like some older versions I was used to. Here a list of my problems. Any help would be welcome.

1. I’m using two monitors. The laptop is placed on the left side with 1366x768 resolution. A monitor connected via VGA cable is placed to the right with 1280x1024 resolution. Laptop panel is the main display. Everything looks and works all right, except that my task manager panel doesn’t fill up the whole width of the laptop panel. The desktop and the windows do, but the panel seems constricted to 1280, the width of the narrower display. Is there any way to fix this?

2. Another problem with two monitors. When I maximize a window on the main display (the laptop panel), its right edge overflows into the monitor to the right. It’s just a pixel or two, but it’s annoying nevertheless.

3. I’ve managed to change the default application for opening rpm files from KPackageKit to YaST. How can I change the update applet to YOU? Is it a good idea to do this? KPackageKit reported an update, but when I opened YOU it didn’t find the same update. Is there any way to switch to YOU and make it report the same updates as KPackageKit?

4. Is there a way to change the appearance of task manager panel without changing the theme for the whole desktop? The most important change I would like is to have task manager tasks fill up more of the height of the panel. I’m using Air OpenSUSE theme with Oxygen widgets and right now there is simply too much space on the panel above and below the task items, a space on which you can click and nothing happens.

5. I’m trying to get rid of the annoying broken green default splash that pops up everywhere it can. The first time I saw it I though something was wrong with my video card driver. I’ve managed to change the KDE splash, the GRUB splash and the login screen, but what about other screens? For example, there is also a splash screen when I’m shutting down the computer.

Thanks in advance.

[Nameless_One]

One more question:

6. How do I add an icon to task manager panel next to the Kickoff button? I can find an application in Kickoff, right-click it, click ‘Add to panel’ but it adds it next to the systray widget. For example, I’ve deleted Firefox and Dolphin icons and would like to replace them with Google Chrome and Krusader, but I have no idea how to place them where I want. Drag and drop doesn’t work at all.

[john_hudson]

@Nameless_One

Due to some nasty bugs in Windows 7, I’m switching to using OpenSUSE on my work laptop. I’m an experienced SUSE from the days before OpenSUSE, but I can’t seem to customize 11.4 to work more like some older versions I was used to. Here a list of my problems. Any help would be welcome.

1. I’m using two monitors. The laptop is placed on the left side with 1366x768 resolution. A monitor connected via VGA cable is placed to the right with 1280x1024 resolution. Laptop panel is the main display. Everything looks and works all right, except that my task manager panel doesn’t fill up the whole width of the laptop panel. The desktop and the windows do, but the panel seems constricted to 1280, the width of the narrower display. Is there any way to fix this?

Not that I know; if you are using KDE, the default behaviour is to reduce everything to the resolution of the smaller monitor. Other users may be able to offer you a solution.

@Nameless_One

2. Another problem with two monitors. When I maximize a window on the main display (the laptop panel), its right edge overflows into the monitor to the right. It’s just a pixel or two, but it’s annoying nevertheless.

Sounds like a consequence of KDE’s default behaviour if you are using KDE.

@Nameless_One

4. Is there a way to change the appearance of task manager panel without changing the theme for the whole desktop? The most important change I would like is to have task manager tasks fill up more of the height of the panel. I’m using Air OpenSUSE theme with Oxygen widgets and right now there is simply too much space on the panel above and below the task items, a space on which you can click and nothing happens.

Not encountered this but, if you are using KDE, openSUSE has a height option if you open the panel. Try experimenting with this.

@Nameless_One

5. I’m trying to get rid of the annoying broken green default splash that pops up everywhere it can. The first time I saw it I though something was wrong with my video card driver. I’ve managed to change the KDE splash, the GRUB splash and the login screen, but what about other screens? For example, there is also a splash screen when I’m shutting down the computer.

There was an update some time ago which fixed this. Have you rejected some updates?

[john_hudson]

@Nameless_One

One more question:

6. How do I add an icon to task manager panel next to the Kickoff button? I can find an application in Kickoff, right-click it, click ‘Add to panel’ but it adds it next to the systray widget. For example, I’ve deleted Firefox and Dolphin icons and would like to replace them with Google Chrome and Krusader, but I have no idea how to place them where I want. Drag and drop doesn’t work at all.

Click on the cashew at the end of the panel; unlick widgets and you can move the icons around to your hearts content (unless they are in the system tray).

(Also the way to adjust the height of the panel.)

[Romanator]

Right click with your mouse on the name of the application from the menu and select:

• Add to panel

That’s it!

Remember to have fun!

Romanator

[X61_usr]

KDE is kind of broken right now. Submit detailed bug reports. Sorry about the bad news.

The launcher panel isn’t really configurable. You’ll be wanting to know that when it gets corrupted you should right click over the calender & delete the panel. Then right click on the backgroud -> Add panel -> Default panel. This gets you back your original panel. That panel isn’t configurable and keeps corrupting itself.

As far as task manager filling up the height of your panel, you can change the height of your panel under panel settings and select more than one row for the task manager under Task Manger settings -> Max Rows.

[DenverD]

On 06/05/2011 08:06 AM, X61 usr wrote:
>
> KDE is kind of broken right now. Submit detailed bug reports. Sorry
> about the bad news.

horse hockey!
there are a few glitches, but mostly KDE4.6.0 works…

> The launcher panel isn’t really configurable.

it is here! just unlock widgets, single left click the cashew on the
panel (or, single right click on the panel and select “Panel Settings”)
and lots of configuration is available…

> You’ll be wanting to
> know that when it gets corrupted you should right click over the
> calender& delete the panel.

mine has not been “corrupted”…

> Then right click on the backgroud -> Add
> panel -> Default panel. This gets you back your original panel. That
> panel isn’t configurable and keeps corrupting itself.

no, it does not corrupt itself here, and it is configurable here–you
system is very ill!!

> As far as task manager filling up the height of your panel, you can
> change the height of your panel under panel settings and select more
> than one row for the task manager under Task Manger settings -> Max
> Rows.

WAIT, are you configuring the height of your non-configurable,
self-corrupting panel???

–
dd CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
via NNTP openSUSE 11.4 [2.6.37.6-0.5] + KDE 4.6.0 + Thunderbird 3.1.10
Acer Aspire One D255, 1.66 GHz Atom, 1 GB RAM, Intel Pineview graphics

• When your gecko is broken you have a reptile dysfunction! *

[Nameless_One]

4. I was looking for a way to remove the padding from the panel, but I guess larger height is a decent solution as well. Thanks. btw, the panel does crash often while resizing, but I managed to get it to the height that looks good.

5. I haven’t rejected any updates. I have a problem with updates as well. Look at 3). Another problem is that KPackageKit and YOU seem to be reporting different updates. When I installed the system, I installed all updates from YaST. Some time after that, KPackageKit reported an OpenSUSE release update which I installed, but the update was not shown by YOU. Now KPackageKit is reporting that update for Google Chrome is available and YOU doesn’t see it, and YOU is reporting that Gimp update is available, but KPackageKit doesn’t see it. It is as if the two are using totally different repositories.

6. My widgets are unlocked. I find the icon I want to add in Kickoff, right-click it and select Add to Panel. It gets added next to the systray. I try to drag it but it doesn’t move. Note that my widgets are still unlocked. The default panel has Firefox and Dolphin icons next to the Kickoff widget, so it has to be possible, but I have no idea how. Is there a file that defines the panel which I can edit? I read somewhere that KDE4 has a Generic Icon widget that lets you add an ‘empty’ icon (either to panel or desktop) which you can then configure, but it seems to have been removed from OpenSUSE. Any idea how to add it back?

[Nameless_One]

An update about updates

I think I might have solved the problem with my online update applet. I installed the yast2-online-update-configuration package which gave me a new YaST2 module which let me turn on it’s automatic updates. I also turned off automatic updates in KPackageKit. I hope it works. I’ll see next time one of the two reports or doesn’t report an update

[knurpht]

About moving stuff/icons on the panel:

Unlock widgets
Right click panel, pick Panel Options
Panel settings
Now you can tick any widget (icon, systray, taskmanager, kicker) and move it to where you like it to be. Tick it again to release it.

TIP: if you mess up the appearance of your KDE4 and want to start from a default situation, logout of KDE, Ctrl-Alt-F1 to console, login as user and do:

rm ~/.kde4/share/config/plasm*

Hit Ctrl-D to logout on the console, Ctrl-Alt-F7 to go back to the login screen, login and you will see the default KDE desktop appearance

[Nameless_One]

Ah, thanks, Knurpht. I got it. It’s as intuitive as a washing machine with analog controls. Unlike the washing machine, I think I got the hang of this thing

[DenverD]

next time and every time, just ONE problem per thread opener, WITH a
descriptive title, PLEASE!!

On 06/06/2011 12:06 PM, Nameless One wrote:
>

> 5) I haven’t rejected any updates. I have a problem with updates as
> well. Look at 3). Another problem is that KPackageKit and YOU seem to be
> reporting different updates. When I installed the system, I installed
> all updates from YaST. Some time after that, KPackageKit reported an
> OpenSUSE release update which I installed, but the update was not shown
> by YOU. Now KPackageKit is reporting that update for Google Chrome is
> available and YOU doesn’t see it, and YOU is reporting that Gimp update
> is available, but KPackageKit doesn’t see it. It is as if the two are
> using totally different repositories.

packagekit is not ready for the prime time…

see, for example: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=460773

and, numerous other problems documented in these fora…

i advise to make all updates using YaST Online Updater only, and
nothing else…

i have set my packagekit to check for updates daily, never automatically
install, and notify when updates are available…

so, i let it signal me, and nothing more…

when it signals, i open YaST Online Updater (YOU), look at what is
presented there and decide if i want it or not…like sometimes it wants
to update (say) Samba and i know i never use Samba and have deleted it!

after YOU is finished i open packagekit and click reset, which unchecks
all boxes it wants to install…

other folks have other opinions, ymmv!

–
dd CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
via NNTP openSUSE 11.4 [2.6.37.6-0.5] + KDE 4.6.0 + Thunderbird 3.1.10
Acer Aspire One D255, 1.66 GHz Atom, 1 GB RAM, Intel Pineview graphics

• When your gecko is broken you have a reptile dysfunction! *

[brunomcl]

@Nameless_One

1. I’m using two monitors. The laptop is placed on the left side with 1366x768 resolution. A monitor connected via VGA cable is placed to the right with 1280x1024 resolution. Laptop panel is the main display. Everything looks and works all right, except that my task manager panel doesn’t fill up the whole width of the laptop panel. The desktop and the windows do, but the panel seems constricted to 1280, the width of the narrower display. Is there any way to fix this?

2. Another problem with two monitors. When I maximize a window on the main display (the laptop panel), its right edge overflows into the monitor to the right. It’s just a pixel or two, but it’s annoying nevertheless.

Did you set the options in system configuration>Screen & Monitor>Multiple monitors?
the are many tick boxes to enable multi-monitor support, as well as the relative position between monitors.

[Nameless_One]

@brunomcl

Did you set the options in system configuration>Screen & Monitor>Multiple monitors?
the are many tick boxes to enable multi-monitor support, as well as the relative position between monitors.

I used it and didn’t see any options that could help me. The table with dimensions and coordinates is information only and cannot be edited.

More settings can be edited in System Settings -> Display & Monitor -> Size & Orientation (the way it is on my machine, probably because of UK English). Still, it only lets me specify resolutions and positions of monitors. I can set the cooridnates where my secondary display begins, but my problem is with the primary display which overflows a couple of pixels into the secondary.

I’ve posted about another problem which seems to be connected with multiple monitors in the Applications section. It seems that Screen Edge Actions don’t work at all.

[brunomcl]

We’re talking the same thing, the correct is Personal Settings → Display and Monitor, I was translating (badly) from pt_BR. Sorry about that.

Does the monitor sizes shown in the table match the actual values - form the driver and the monitors manuals? I do have a phillips TV, rated as 1366x768, that will choke in any VGA signal greater than 1024 x 768. Digital TVs are nice but not really good as monitors.

In Personal Settings>–> Display and Monitor → Multi Monitor there’s also have five “enable support for…” check boxes, all are checked here - window position, “stickness”, positioning, maximizing and virtual desktops. I have two monitors, one 1920 x 1200 as main and the other 1440 x 900 set to the right and aligned by the bottom line, and they work nicely.

Also, AFAIK, X prioritizes the VGA display over LCD (VGA is analog, LCD is digital, although both monitors are digital). This gave me some trouble to keep the configuration as I wanted as the main (larger) monitor is hooked on the DVI port, and when booting only with the smaller monitor the panel would get misconfigured and such.

The solution was to set the DVI monitor as the main monitor in nvidia-config, as well as the relative positions shown in the table… Of course, I have a nvidia card with the proprietary drivers installed. ATI and intel will have other ways, which I know not of.

[Nameless_One]

The values shown match the resolutions, of course. All the checkboxes are checked. My main display is an LCD laptop panel with 1366x768 resolution. The secondary display is a VGA-connected touchmonitor with 1280x1024 resolution. The secondary monitor is positioned to the right. My card is integrated ATI card and I have only the Xorg ATI radeon drivers installed.

[brunomcl]

OK, I’d guess that the VGA-first behavior might be at least part of your problem. I suppose this can be changed in one of the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/*.conf files. Mine are unmodified, the only settings configured by nvidia-settings appear to be in xorg.conf:

FWIW, here it is:

nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings

nvidia-settings: version 260.19.36 (buildmeister@swio-display-x86-rhel47-01.nvidia.com) Tue Jan 18 17:15:10 PST 2011

Section “ServerLayout”
Identifier “Layout0”
Screen 0 “Screen0” 0 0
InputDevice “Keyboard0” “CoreKeyboard”
InputDevice “Mouse0” “CorePointer”
Option “Xinerama” “0”
EndSection

Section “Files”
EndSection

Section “InputDevice”

# generated from default
Identifier     "Mouse0"
Driver         "mouse"
Option         "Protocol" "auto"
Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"

EndSection

Section “InputDevice”

# generated from default
Identifier     "Keyboard0"
Driver         "kbd"

EndSection

Section “Monitor”

# HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
Identifier     "Monitor0"
VendorName     "Unknown"
ModelName      "AOC 912Vwa"
HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
VertRefresh     55.0 - 75.0
Option         "DPMS"

EndSection

Section “Device”
Identifier “Device0”
Driver “nvidia”
VendorName “NVIDIA Corporation”
BoardName “GeForce 7300 SE/7200 GS”
EndSection

Section “Screen”

Removed Option “metamodes” “CRT: nvidia-auto-select +1920+0, DFP: nvidia-auto-select +0+0”

Identifier     "Screen0"
Device         "Device0"
Monitor        "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth    24
Option         "TwinView" "1"
Option         "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0"
Option         "metamodes" "CRT: nvidia-auto-select +1920+300, DFP: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
SubSection     "Display"
    Depth       24
EndSubSection

EndSection

At first I was surprised to note that the 24" monitor (DFP - connected to DVI) has no “Monitor” section entry, only the 19" AOC (CRT - connected to VGA), but then I remembered it is set dynamically at X start (see /var/log/Xorg0.log).

Anyway, it seems that the main monitor is defined in the twinviewxineramaorder option, and twinview AFAIK is nvidia-specific. ATI certainly has something on the same lines.

Sorry I can’t help more, I’m just guessing really.