[vox] Does Anybody Like KDE 4.x?

[Bill Kendrick]

On Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 10:38:59AM -0800, Robert G. Scofield wrote:
> When I add an application or applet to the task bar I can no longer move its 
> location.  So KDE 4.x has taken an option away from me, and I do not like 
> that.

Click the little plasma icon at the end of the taskbar (some people call it
a 'cashew', since it looks kind of like one).  If this is missing from your
taskbar, you need to 'unlock widgets', using the cashew at the upper right
corner of your desktop.

When you click the plasma icon in your taskbar, it expands a bit, with some
options displayed (justification, sizing, etc.).  At this point, it's
possible to click and drag any of the launchers or other plasmoids within
that taskbar.  (A big "+" will appear over the plasmoid when you hover over it)



> When your cursor covers a desktop icon four mini icons appear next to it.  
> Clicking on one mini icon makes the application icon disappear from the 
> desktop.  Clicking on two of the mini icons does nothing.  Clicking on the 
> fourth gives you the box that you used to get when you right clicked on an 
> icon.

One is a resize box.  Click and drag it to change the size/shape of the widget.
Another is a rotation box.  Click and drag to rotate the widget.  (Cute but
I've found no good practical use for this.)  The wrench brings up the
widget's settings window, as you discovered.  And the "X" removes the widget.
(You can also do this from the "Add Widget" menu, by clicking the red "-"
next to it.)


> Another Vista feature that I hate is that the menus under the start button no
> longer splay.  So If you click on "Applications," and want to look for 
> individual applications, the menus do not unfold (splay) like in KDE 3.5.  
> Like with Vista, the sub menus just appear.  I do not like this because it is
> not clear where I am in the menu tree.

Remove that menu and add the "Application Launcher Menu"
(described as "Traditional menu based application launcher").
It, too, has a big blue K+gear icon.


> But there may be hope!  I notice that people on the web are starting to talk 
> about Windows 7.  If KDE 3.5 fans are lucky, maybe Windows 7 will be more 
> functional and simple.  If so, that will be good news because the KDE 
> developers will be sure to follow.

I'm still not as happy with KDE 4 as I was with 3.5.  4.0 was abysmal.
4.1.2 which comes with Ubuntu 8.10 is much more usable, so I'm living with it.

My wife reinstalled Ubuntu onto her laptop, and utterly despited KDE 4.0.
I found that someone had made backages of KDE 3.5 available, so we
promptly installed those. :)  I haven't heard a complaint since.


-- 
-bill!
"Tux Paint" - free children's drawing software for Windows / Mac OS X / Linux!
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