I just installed openSUSE 12.3, KDE 4.10 on to an Acer Aspire as a test.
I plan to do a “real” install on my main machine after I work out all the wrinkles.
So:
I see that I have 2 desktops, one is a small square in the upper left of the screen. There is a green vine with gecko along the right side.
Where is 2 ?
I saw a widget that I liked, Steam Clock, so I installed it and it shows as installed, but where is it cause I want it on my desktop.
that’s it for now, and thanks
On 08/09/2013 03:56 PM, hextejas wrote:
>
> I see that I have 2 desktops, one is a small square in the upper left
> of the screen. There is a green vine with gecko along the right side.
> Where is 2 ?
ok so the small square one in the upper left of the screen is a
“desktop folder” it is ‘laying’ on the desktop which is the full
screen…(confusing i know, sorry)
if you go into Dolphin you will see listed in your /home a directory
named “Desktop” it is exactly the same items shown as that ‘desktop
folder’…
so, you say you installed “Steam Clock” what do you mean when you say
‘installed’? that is did you open YaST Software Management
so, as i recall you just came in from another operating system so i
say: normally we do not go out all over the internet looking for
stuff to try…because you never really know if that stuff is
safe…anyone can make a program that does what they want it to do
and put a web site and give it to anyone who wants…
so, i just went to our online searcher
<http://software.opensuse.org/search> which searches for software in
our repos and can’t find a SteamClock, Steam Clock, steamclock or
steam clock… so, please try this:
-right click on an open spot on the desktop (not in the ‘desktop
folder’ laying on the desktop, and not in the Desktop directory in
Dolphin) and from the pop up menu select “Unlock Widgets” (if it is
already unlocked it should not be, imo)
-then right click again on the desktop and select “Add Widgets”
-on the left side of the pop up is a search box, in it type ‘clock’,
pick one any of them (they are all free and all safe)…by pick i
mean single left click the icon in the popup and drag it to the
desktop, then release it
-now, before you do anything else learn about the controls for the
clock you just dropped on your desktop…hover your mouse over and
the control appear, you can size the clock (left click the box with
two arrows in) , rotate the clock (click the circle with arrow in),
adjust the clock settings (click the tool icon and see the new popup)
or delete the clock (click the x)…
-decide if you LOVE that clock or not, if not delete it and pull a
different one off the (now gone but easily returned) pop up of goodies…
-when you have found the clock of your dreams, and set it the way you
want it then be sure to right click the desktop and select “Lock
Widgets” otherwise i will expect you back here asking how to get back
the panel at the bottom of the screen…
questions?
have you yet found the documentation:
http://doc.opensuse.org/documentation/html/openSUSE/opensuse-startup/art.kdequick.html
and, no i do not know if that doc includes how to get the clock you
want 
please do not get the idea i am saying ‘don’t ask questions’ i would
never say that…please ask…
oh, i forgot to mention: you can pull an example of every clock out
to your desktop all at the same time, if you wish and if you have
room (but they do stack, i think)…oh, and you can install new
clocks which didn’t come in the default install and and
–
dd
http://tinyurl.com/DD-Caveat
http://tinyurl.com/DD-Complaints
Thank you Denver and I am making progress.
The widget is actually named “Steam Time”.
I did what you said, found it again by doing a search and it showed as installed. I uninstalled and reinstalled,(not sure why), then I did the click/hold and drag it to the desktop.
Voila, there it is. The click and drag was what I was missing.
I also got rid of the small box with the other icons and I guess I am now working on the “real” desktop.
Using Dolphin, I found the other Icons I use a lot and dragged them out as well.
So far so good. You have been a great help.
On 08/09/2013 06:36 PM, hextejas wrote:
> I also got rid of the small box with the other icons and I guess I am
> now working on the “real” desktop.
i think you will find “the real desktop” (as you call it) can’t hold
some things you might want easily available “on the desktop”…
like, lets say you have a favorite PDF, text file, libreoffice
document, or jpg that you would like to be able to ‘lay’ on the
desktop and just click on to have it immediately pop open…
so, try to lay a PDF/etc on your “real desktop”…
then if you want to have that “small box with the other icons back”
just unlock the widgets and select … WOW i don’t know whats next,
maybe select “Show desktop folder” or something like that…
and then lock widgets again.
–
dd
http://tinyurl.com/DD-Caveat
http://tinyurl.com/DD-Complaints
DD, is there a proper name for my “Real desktop” ?
What I have there besides Firefox and Thunderbird, are folders that have a lot of the things I work on. Mostly Libre Office stuff.
I take your caution seriously about keeping different types of files there but I guess I need to read some more on what an “ideal” setup would look like.
How do you have your “stuff” organized ?
There is no ideal it is what you want it to look and be.
You can also have multiple Desktops each looking int its own folder. Example you might have one for games and one for document and one for web development etc.
Widgets are the basis of KDE every thing is a widget.
You can define you desktop many ways. Like the default where you have a single file folder widget the looks into the Desktop folder. Or you can have multiple File folder widgets looking into many folders on a single screen
Or you can have ,or of a classic desktop by selecting folder view settings and set the desktop to be a single folder view.
Activities allow you to save and restore multiple configuration so you can switch things around when you want to do something different.
On 08/10/2013 04:56 AM, gogalthorp wrote:
> There is no ideal it is what you want it to look and be.
correct! @hexTejas, there is no focus group in Washington State
deciding how you what your desktop to be…
trouble with that is the possibilities and permutations are
dizzying…especially to new folks…
these might be helpful:
http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:How_to_migrate_from_Windows
http://tinyurl.com/8b9s6