Get the Linux desktop you always wanted in 10 easy steps!

I have been unable to update wine, when I 'sudo yum update wine', it says no updates are available, but it is version 0.9.5 or something like that, and I know that wine is into version 1.1.10 or something similiar. Is crossover better than wine? I installed a trial version of crossover, but when I try to use it is tells me it can't find the default bottle. so I was finally able to figure out how to remove it and I am back to using just wine again. How can I update it?

 

Hi, i am a complete newbie to linux having just got aspire one ,i have managed to get my 3 mobile broadband to work,now i want to change the desktop,have started to follow
the instructions by 'rjm' ,can somebody tell me where do i enter the code select all.

thanks in advance to anyone who can help me.

l.j.tibs

 

Heya. I followed all of the instructions in the first post, and they worked great! Thanks for that.

Anyhow,

I got rid of the ACER Search Bar thingy, which is done by putting a hash sign in front of the commands that are brought up by the command in the fourth or fifth steps. I've done that, right, but I've decided I want it back. I can manage to bring up the whole dialog box where I put the hash sign in to begin with, but I can't remember which ones to un-hash as it were, or if that would even bring it back!

Help greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

 

Well, let's have a look at start-search_bar.sh (if we had de-hashed the lot):

Code:

!/bin/sh

This tells the system where to find the program which will run the script. It's a shell script, so it needs to be run using /bin/sh.

Code:

resolution=`xrandr |grep \*|awk '{print $1}'`
resolution=`xrandr |grep current|awk -F"current" '{print $2}'|awk -F"," '{print $1}'|sed 's/\ //g'`

Now we have two lines setting the value of the variable 'resolution' by taking the output of a command 'xrandr' and manipulating it with the utilities 'grep', 'awk' and 'sed' (which are all text handling programs). We'd really only want one of those; the other has probably been commented out in the original. We could try running both commands in the terminal to see what outputs we get, but......

Code:

#if [ $resolution = "1280x800" ];then
# acer-search-desktop --x=650 --y=90 --width=490 --height=31
#elif [ $resolution = "1024x600" ];then
# acer-search-desktop --x=510 --y=65 --width=490 --height=31
#else
# acer-search-desktop
#fi

Now we've got a series of if / else if (which is 'elif' in shell scripting) / else options; the 'fi' at the end closes the whole 'if' statement. Looking at them, what it's doing is testing what is in the variable 'resolution' to see what the screen resolution is, then running acer-search-desktop with the appropriate arguments for each screen size. So the lines further up were designed to get the screen resolution alone out of the output of 'xrandr'.

But we know the screen size of the AAO: it's 1024x600. So the only line we really need is the one which applies to that screen resolution (as long as we don't intend to use this script on any other system). This is the line which comes immediately after the 'elif [ $resolution = "1024x600" ]; then' bit, since that's where the if/elif/else section has 'found' the 1024x600 resolution.

So we can in fact just uncomment these two lines:

Code:

!/bin/sh
acer-search-desktop --x=510 --y=65 --width=490 --height=31

Try that and see how it works!

 

Wow! After reading all 19 pages, I have to add something mentioned on page 2 (I think). I too have lost the ability to add-remove programs. It is located in the 'system' submenu (if that is the correct term). Initially, I could always get to the add-remove software from the advanced menu - even before this great 10 step process - by right clicking on a vacant area of the desktop and selecting 'system'. The choices were alphabetically arranged and add/remove software was on the top. Now my first choice is 'Audio'. I've looked all over the 'xfce' documentation. There is a sample file at /etc/xdg/xfce/desktop/menu.xml. Using the menu editor (from the Xfce menu button I put on the taskbar), then >Settings >Menu Editor allows me to add options, but there seems to be no way to add choices to the 'system' submenu.

I've spent a lot of time getting this where I like it and would loath going back to a restore just to add that one function. I have installed programs using RPM (chess), but the package manager was so much more convenient that I hope someone might be able to tell me how to restore it. Incidentally, I have added a package manager "launcher", but it stops after indicating: "no packages selected". (sigh)...

Please don't make me go back to step 1!

Thanks,

Tony Parker

 

Hi, I now have a clean working desktop,all except for one thing,my wallpaper does not appear at start up.
I can't get any wallpapers into 'backdrops'.
I've tried the various methods as described in articles above but all I get is
'NO SUCH FILE OR DIRECTORY'
but all files already in 'backdrops' work ok.
Can anyone help.

thanks

l.j.tibs


'

 

This guide is great - my AA1 is a lot easier to work with now. Thanks for putting it together!

I noticed that after following the steps from the OP, my trackpad tap was re-enabled. Looking at the mouse settings, there is no option to disable tap-to-click. I'm sure there's a config file somewhere that has this information stored. Any ideas where? Any way I can re-enable the controls that were present in the original AA1 "Settings" menu?

Thanks

 

Hi guys,

This is my first post, so hello!

I've never used any kind of Linux before, so this is a learning process, but I'd like to say thanks to the original poster for their very helpful instructions, my desktop is now simplified and uncluttered... Thanks!

 

Hi all, thanks for everybody who has made it easy to get the desktop people want!

One question though, how do I remove the little arrow pointing left at the very bottom left of the taskbar that hides the whole taskbar?

Thanks a lot

 

Go to the Settings Menu (right click) -> Panel Manager
Right at the bottom, right-hand side: uncheck 'ShowhideButton'

Close

 

Well, ultimately that was the easiest way since I have only had the computer setup like this for a week or so. I backed up all my data files and did a restore. Then I followed the 10 steps 'carefully' and "Add/Remove Software is back in the system subfolder. I believe the file it calls is "pirut" (without the quotes). I will do some more research to see what that does and where it needs to be. I still haven't figured out where the files referenced by system are located.

Wanted to let everyone know what I've found.

Tony

 

First many thanks to rjm for a great guide, it certainly improves on the standard Acer screen.

As l j tibs above, I was getting similar messages relative to trying to insert some photo's from my Pictures directory to the backdrops file. As the terminal line cannot be pasted I thought it “MUST BE ME” typing it wrongly but no matter how I tried I got the following message or similar.

[user@localhost ~]$ sudo cp ~/Pictures/View1.jpg /usr/share/xfce4/backdrops/View1.jpg

cp: cannot stat `/home/user/Pictures/View1.jpg': No such file or directory

[user@localhost ~]$


You will see from my signature below I have mounted an SD card in the left hand slot. If I unmount the card and then try from my Pictures directory the terminal line works. Interestingly any photos I have pasted into Pictures directory with the SD card mounted do not show in the Pictures directory when the card is unmounted.
Any photos I paste in the Pictures directory with the SD card unmounted do show up in the Pictures directory when I mount the SD card again.
It sounds to me as the SSD has a Picture directory and the SSD/SD card combination has another.

The problem I encountered may assist others as it appears that the terminal line related to inserting images into the backdrops folder only works if you have no SD card mounted. I will be pleased to be proved wrong!!!!!!!!!

I did try copy/paste to the backdrops folder but my limited knowledge of Linux did not allow me as it appears I do not have any permission for this.

Is there an easier way to achieve the copy/paste method?

Many thanks to all again.

 

I'm pretty certain it has something to do with this: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9186#p59812

Apparently, when you insert an SD card, it somehow merges the two directories. This probably causes trouble with finding files.

Btw, I see you mentioned not being able to paste into the terminal. If you have a three button mouse (most wheels count as a third button), try clicking the middle button into the terminal. It should copy/paste any text you have highlighted in any window. One of the conveniences I miss most when work in Windows.

 

Hi Rapax

Thanks for the interest and I have looked at the link you gave.

The problem seems to me that if I have the SD mounted or not File Manager shows the following directory but the contents are different.
My Disk:///Pictures
There is no variance other than obviously the size of My Disk is different.
I assume that if I keep the SD card mounted everything is saved to it. It does appear that the Terminal line shown in post No 1 for copying the relevant file to the backdrops folder will not work when an SD card is present in the left slot.

My reference to not performing Copy/Paste was in regard to the particular terminal line where it requires the name of the particular Picture file you wish to copy.

 

I've just noticed that the use of Fn + Up/Down arrows no longer controls the volume. Is this the case for everybody else and is there a fix to make it work again? The Fn + Left/Right arrows correctly increase/decrease screen brightness.

Also is there a way to make streaming from BBC iPlayer or similar faster? Will another 1GB RAM solve this?

 

I do not remember having my Fn + Arrow Up/Down not functioning after doing this, but I can't check since I am using Fedora 10 XFCE now and I have accidentally deleted my heavily customized Linpus image :x

Though the fix for Fn + Arrow Up/Down to function as the volume controller is remedied in Fedora 10 by installing aumix, you might try it in Linpus as well:

Code:

sudo yum install aumix

And for your second concern, what do you mean by that? Does your videos lag? If it does, it is caused by fusion-icon (well, actually by compiz) so you might want to quit fusion-icon when watching vids. Adding 1GB will not solve it, but it could be solve by updating the Intel video card driver, annafil has created a how-to on how to do it, though I have to warn you to be extra careful. I have botched my system once trying to do it.

So if you don't mind quitting fusion-icon each time you have to watch a video, then you are better off with that.

 

There is probaly a really easy solution to this, but 'm stumped.

On the taskbar next to the little Xfce mouse, it has the text Xfce Menu, and then the little picture of the house.

Before the system restore I did this and the text wasnt there, but now it is. Making it look messy.

Any ideas?

 

[attachment=1:wxja2xh6]before Screenshot.png[/attachment:wxja2xh6]
well... i been itching to do this for last 3 weeks since i got the little guy, and what ya know, works like a dream... thank ya RJM surprisingly straightforward and learnt a nice few tricks and hints along the way...
[attachment=0:wxja2xh6]after Screenshot.png[/attachment:wxja2xh6]

now to sort some decent wallpapers and themes etc.... :mrgreen:

 

Excellent guide - worked first time, except copying the image file. I repeated that manually later and it worked OK. My new desktop is a great improvement - thanks, rjm!

[attachment=0:1lzl0q33]Screenshot.png[/attachment:1lzl0q33]

 

If you have the SSD with an SD card installed you need to enter sudo cp /mnt/home/Pictures/View1.jpg /usr/share/xfce4/backdrops/View1.jpg