More screensetting problems [Abandoned]

[rodgoslin]

I once more find myself in one of those all too often annoying situations. I have just completed a routine update. One of those which offers a popup to say that a re-boot is required. No problem. I leave (Mageia3) and restart. To my horror, the machine restarts and all my screen settings have disappeared. . The wall[paper has gone to leave a black, featureless screen , although all the icons are present. This in itself is annoying, since it takes some doing to find wallpaper that I like, against which the icons do not disappear. This is not easy, since it needs me to re-find, among several thousand other graphics, the one I used before. Next, the taskbar loaded is not one I can use, or want to use.. There seems to be a trend for everything to be subtle shades of midtone. I like, and need a display with adequate contrast (ie, black print on a white background, and not grey print on a grey background.) All the four options for a different task bar have this aggravating factor. I deleted the taskbar, and tried all options. To no avail, exept that on one re-incarnation the right task bar appeared, apparently from nowhere, but it was glued to the top of the screen and I like the taskbar at the bottom. I was, however, unable unglue the taskbar, (by the normal options), and re-glue it at the bottom. I had all sorts of taskbar variations, , taskbars on which current tasks were NOT displayed, taskbars with the icons in wildly different positions. All of which, I found needed one click to create, but two deletions to remove.. I am aware that I can install a created style, but finding the right one from hundreds is a task that I feel I should not have to do. Surely the desktop functions are in the user space. So why are machine updates, which are in machine space affecting my settings in user space? I consider the machine and its operating system as a tool, to use as I desire. To me, it's not something I want, or need to, spend time fiddling with Once, yes. But from then on, no

[martinw]

You don't mention what DE you use.

I would only expect this to happen with a major version change of your DE. I agree with you that it shouldn't happen with a routine update, but despite everyone's best efforts, bugs will creep in. If you want to help prevent problems like this, join the QA team - they'll be delighted to have you.

[rodgoslin]

DE? An acronym I've not come across before. I dearly love to join the QA team, but with advancing age, my mind is no longer as flexible as it was, my memory as good as it used to be, and my patience a mere fraction of what it was. Before I retired, I was the sysadmin for a Solaris setu, patience was a virtue! Going back to the problem, I noted that the four options for adding a panel (action bar) every one was identical, saving that one put the icons only fro active windows, anothe added a text title to that, one introduced those infuriating full size popups of the window on mousing over the icon, and the other a blank action ber, with an invitation to "share". Share? Why? Something else, from an earlier hiatus is that the £settings" icon, which permanently occupies the top right hand corner of the screen has the text in almost the exact midtone grey as the backgound, rendering it totally illegible. Something it shares with the popup which opens if you click on it. The options in that, too, are each encased in its own little cloud, Again rendering them unreadable. Fortunately you can get all those options, plu others with a mere right click. So why is itt there anyway, and How can I lose it. Thing like that do not add functionality, but merely reduce it.

[martinw]

Apologies - I should have spelt it out. DE stands for Desktop Environment, e.g. KDE, GNOME, etc.

[rodgoslin]

Ah, I should have guessed. It's KDE, Cheers

[doktor5000]

Could you check if you're also affected by viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8564
Workaround is also mentioned there (dbus downgrade).

[rodgoslin]

No. Login is as normal. My problem seems to involve the complete loss of the desktop settiings, and their replacement with an entirely new set. Since this happened after a requested re-boot, I can't see hw a change of machine details can result in a change of user settings on programs that have only been updated.

[martinw]

If you create a new user on your machine and log in as that user, do you get the same desktop settings as you have now, or does it revert to something more sensible?

[rodgoslin]

I've, as you suggested, martinw, created a new user.. It all went well, apart from when logging in as this user, the desktop opened with a message thar "the net_applet program crashed. Other than that it opened without problem, with the default Mageia wallpaper. The action bar, however was different. The one on my setup has a double edge, as if two panels wer opening, one very slightly taller than the other. It had the usual low contrast, hardly discernable text and graphics as mine, though perhaps a tad clearer, and the border of the panel had a hard edge, rather than to somewhat softer appearance of the one I've been saddled with. It might be an idea, if someone could explain how, to delete the settings file and let it generate a new, default one, which I may be able to change to something usable It also had that most annoying mouse0ver effect which brings up to full size any minimised window

[doktor5000]

Could you please at least take a screenshot about what the problem with the new user is, and what you want to change?

[rodgoslin]

There is no problem with the newly generated user, apart from the notification window indication that the net_applet program had crashed. Since it is not evident what the net_applet program did,, or whether it was re-started afet the crash, I'm unable to indicate its effect. As regards the things I would like to change. I'd like to change the font characteristics of the text, wherever it is used, with regard to font, size, colour and arty consideration that I feel detract its purpose of communicating information

[rodgoslin]

One notable change that I have made, is to pick a 'wallpaper' of a largely dark tone, which due to the transparency factor, which I've so far been unable to, in my mind 'correct', the displayed text has become much, much, clearer. To the point now that it is actually legible.. Not as far as I would like it, but at least some way towards the ideal. As an example, the display of this forum, I find irksome, since the font is in a mid to light grey. The printing industry of old went to great lengths to create dense black inks and extra white paper, to increase the legibility of their work. Now, when we have the ability to provide such, easily, we concentrate on making the text obscure.

[martinw]

It might be an idea, if someone could explain how, to delete the settings file and let it generate a new, default one, which I may be able to change to something usable

The reason I suggested creating a new user is that gives you the default settings. If you think that is a better basis to start from, you can do the same for your old user by either renaming (if you think you might want to go back) or deleting the hidden .kde4 directory in your old user's home directory, then logging out and logging in again.

I'm afraid I can't help much with fine tuning the appearance of KDE, as I have never used it. All the things you describe should be fixable though - they certainly are in the DE I use.

As doktor5000 suggested, attaching a screenshot to illustrate the things you don't like will probably help people to help you further.

[rodgoslin]

Thanks for your help. I have tried the snapshot approach, with very mixed results, at times!

[doktor5000]

Sorry, but I fail to follow your train of thought on that font and wallpaper issue. Could you write a few clear sentences what you want to achieve, and what the current problem is?

What's the problem with a screenshot? Creating it our uploading it to forums? For the latter,
Below the forum editor (only available in Full editor, not via quick reply), switch to the tab "Upload attachment".
Upload your picture, then when finished, click in the editor window where you want your picture to display,
and click the button "Place inline".

[rodgoslin]

Hopefully, there are two screenshots, in the exusting setup. One with all minimalised windows, and one with a window open. As you can see the print in the action bar is almost indiscernable. At that it's an improvement on what it looks like with a very light wallpaper. The current one is almost dark along the bottom. I thought that my previous explanations were clear. However, to use an analogy. In my (very) younger days, when I had to work for a living, I spent a part of my apprenticeship as a toolroom machinist. All machine tools have the machine control wheels matt chrome plated, for non reflection, and all the graduations engaved into the metal, and picked out in black paint., to make the things readable, in the often dim environments of many factory floors. My PC is a tool in a similar way, and I expect the information presented on it to be just as clear. It is not.

[doktor5000]

Then just select a different theme in systemsettings -> workspace appearance -> workspace design.
Or select a different colorscheme in application appearance -> colors.

You may want to check https://userbase.kde.org/System_Setting ... Appearance and https://userbase.kde.org/System_Setting ... Appearance

Also you should probably disable the transparency of the control panel so that wallpaper doesn't affect the look.
systemsettings -> workspace appearance -> workspace design -> details -> select something different for "control panel background"
You may also need to disable desktop effects in systemsettings -> desktop effects.

[rodgoslin]

Thanks, Doktor5000. I'll have a look, but this is Mageia3 and KDE4.10, and the options you suggest are not on this version. However, I'm sure that I'll find it if I spend enough time at it.

[rodgoslin]

For what it's worth, I put on the lighter wallpaper, to illustrate the dire condition of the text on the action bar

[doktor5000]

this is Mageia3 and KDE4.10, and the options you suggest are not on this version

Yes, they are definitely in there. Which option you can't find exactly?

[rodgoslin]

The option that I cannot find, is unfindable because I do not know what it is, where it is and what it is called, in the seeming absence of a comprehensive user manual which covers in plain language every aspect of the system. I can find all this by "experience", but experience comes with time. A lot of time. As I said before the machine is a tool. It's there for me to use, not play about with. I'm a relative amateur at this. It's usually the amateurs role to take something that works and turn it into something that does not. In this case I have something that does not work well, and am expected to change it to something that does. By trial and error.

[doktor5000]

The option that I cannot find, is unfindable because I do not know what it is, where it is and what it is called, in the seeming absence of a comprehensive user manual which covers in plain language every aspect of the system.

I've explained already where the relevant settings are located in viewtopic.php?p=52198#p52198
So what is your problem changing those settings, as they would fix the issue you described together with the screenshots.
I've also linked to the relevant KDE documentation.

[rodgoslin]

As I have explained already, I do not have the options that you outline. This is probably since it is likely that I am using a different version of KDE. As for instance, there is no workspace design within Workspace Appearance.

[doktor5000]

Those options are in KDE since 4.0, so since Mageia 1. This may be a translation issue, as I've only got a german version.
Did you have a look at the KDE documentation which I've previously linked to, which also shows the menu points, and where you can find what?
Seems it's called "desktop design" instead of "workspace design". A little bit of common sense and adaption would be appreciated.

[rodgoslin]

I think "Desktop Theme" must be the item to which Doktor500 refers, but I fiound that nothing in that of any help, whatsoever. What one can learn, intuitively from four shaded rectangles, I've no idea. There seems no indication of what the options entail, or will produce. I've tried a few "options", at random, with the effect that the display is now worse than it was, with no idea how, why or what it was that caused it. Truly, I'm beginning to consider that the pinnacle of the screen display (Desktop Environment), was reached with Norton Desktop, some twenty years ago and has been going downhill ever since. I shudder to think of the number of hours that I have wasted blindly trying to find a workable solution. Before I retired, I spent nine years in IT support, running a sizeable Solaris network, supporting a high level CAD project, and the sheer opacity of this system baffles me. Since I'm not seemingly getting any further with this, I think I'll cut my losses and consider this topic closed. Not solved, simply abandoned.