MX-19.2 KDE Beta 1 feedback thread

[danielson]

Not sure if this was talked about yet.
But, if there were an option or tweak to have the alt+tab set as windows across the screen instead of a side panel...
Did i miss it?

[SwampRabbit]

Once it is running it looks beautiful - I love that you themed it like regular MX. I feel like I'm basically in a regular MX XFCE session with lots of KDE tools.

I would recommend changing the default menu to be the whisker-style vertical menu instead of the slab. I very much dislike KDE's slab menu, and it's almost always the first thing I change with a new KDE setup. People not familiar with KDE may not know about their alternative menu options, and going with the whisker-style one that's most like the default MX XFCE menu might be a more comfortable transition.

Andy, thank you for this feedback.

This was discussed in the actual dev thread a bit. I think the KDE version is striking a good medium of familiarity and freshness so far.

[i_ri]

Hello dolphin_oracle and everyone
from MX kde ahs 19.2beta1 live on

Code: Select all

System:    Host: mx1 Kernel: 5.6.0-2-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 8.3.0 Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.14.5 wm: kwin_x11 
           dm: SDDM Distro: MX-19.2_KDE-beta1_x64 patito feo July 5  2020 base: Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster) 
Machine:   Type: Desktop System: HP-Pavilion product: AY022AA-ABA p6330f v: N/A serial: <root required> 
           Chassis: Hewlett-Packard type: 3 serial: <root required> 
           Mobo: MSI model: IONA v: 1.0 serial: <root required> BIOS: American Megatrends v: 5.15 date: 06/25/2010 
CPU:       Dual Core: Intel Core i3 530 type: MT MCP arch: Nehalem speed: 1337 MHz min/max: 1200/2933 MHz 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel Core Processor Integrated Graphics vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 
           chip ID: 8086:0042 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.4 driver: intel compositor: kwin_x11 resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics (ILK) v: 2.1 Mesa 20.0.7 direct render: Yes 
Network:   Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: r8169 v: kernel 
           port: d800 bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10ec:8168 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 1.83 TiB used: 2.00 GiB (0.1%) 
Info:      Processes: 193 Uptime: 6m Memory: 7.64 GiB used: 549.9 MiB (7.0%) Init: SysVinit v: 2.93 runlevel: 5 default: 5 
           Compilers: gcc: 8.3.0 alt: 8 Shell: bash v: 5.0.3 running in: yakuake inxi: 3.0.36 
demo@mx1:~

[asqwerth]

...

Once it is running it looks beautiful - I love that you themed it like regular MX. I feel like I'm basically in a regular MX XFCE session with lots of KDE tools.

I would recommend changing the default menu to be the whisker-style vertical menu instead of the slab. I very much dislike KDE's slab menu, and it's almost always the first thing I change with a new KDE setup. People not familiar with KDE may not know about their alternative menu options, and going with the whisker-style one that's most like the default MX XFCE menu might be a more comfortable transition.

Actually, we haven't really themed the Beta1 much, except for changing the panel+menu (plasma desktoptheme) to Breeze Dark so that it matched MX XFCE's dark panel and whisker menu.

The icons, window decorations and application theming in Beta 1 are all vanilla Breeze from KDE itself. That may or may not change, pending discussions amongst the devs.

I will take note of your suggestion for the alternative menu. I agree that the default menu takes some getting used to; it is a tad too "slide-y" at times.

[JayM]

Probably a Plasma thing, not an MX-KDE thing, but I'm trying to configure it the way I like my MX to be, with a horizontal panel at the bottom containing my task manager ("Window Buttons' in Xfce), system monitors and clock and a left-side panel containing the notification area and launchers. If I right-click on an application icon in the menu and select "Add to Panel" it doesn't ask me which panel as Xfce does, it just adds the launcher to the bottom panel. I wanted it in the left panel. I found a work-around: add a Quicklaunch widget in the panel you want your launchers in, then right-click on it and add your applications to it one at a time. Just for other peoples' information who are trying to do something similar.

And a couple of comments: one, for a beta 1 release MX-KDE pretty much just works OOTB. Great job! Two, I'd forgotten how much work is involved in configuring Plasma vs. Xfce. I suppose it would just take time for me to learn my way around in it again (I haven't used KDE in 2 1/2 years) then maybe my opinion will change, but right now it's a big pain to try to do anything.

[i_ri]

Hello dolphin_oracle and everyone
can you tell, with first ahs in-hand about curiosity of where it will start?
from MX 19.2ahs_KDE-beta1 live on

Code: Select all

System:    Host: mx1 Kernel: 5.6.0-2-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 8.3.0 Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.14.5 wm: kwin_x11 
           dm: SDDM Distro: MX-19.2_KDE-beta1_x64 patito feo July 5  2020 base: Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster) 
Machine:   Type: Desktop Mobo: ASUSTeK model: P5L8L-SE v: Rev 1.xx serial: <root required> BIOS: American Megatrends v: 0201 
           date: 10/09/2007 
CPU:       Topology: Single Core model: Intel Pentium 4 bits: 64 type: MT arch: Netburst Presler rev: 5 L2 cache: 2048 KiB 
           bogomips: 13599 
           Speed: 3400 MHz min/max: N/A Core speeds (MHz): 1: 3400 2: 3400 
           Flags: acpi apic bts cid clflush cmov constant_tsc cpuid cx16 cx8 de ds_cpl dtes64 dts est fpu fxsr ht lahf_lm lm 
           mca mce mmx monitor msr mtrr nopl nx pae pat pbe pdcm pebs pge pni pse pse36 pti sep ss sse sse2 syscall tm tm2 tsc 
           vme xtpr 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel 82945G/GZ Integrated Graphics vendor: ASUSTeK driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 
           chip ID: 8086:2772 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.4 driver: intel compositor: kwin_x11 resolution: 1280x1024~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 945G v: 1.4 Mesa 20.0.7 direct render: Yes 
Network:   Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: ASUSTeK P5B driver: r8169 v: kernel 
           port: e800 bus ID: 02:00.0 chip ID: 10ec:8168 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 168.29 GiB used: 2.00 GiB (1.2%) 
Info:      Processes: 150 Uptime: 14m Memory: 1.94 GiB used: 474.6 MiB (23.9%) Init: SysVinit v: 2.93 runlevel: 5 default: 5 
           Compilers: gcc: 8.3.0 alt: 8 Shell: bash v: 5.0.3 running in: yakuake inxi: 3.0.36 
demo@mx1:~

[JayM]

Couple of trivial points before I forget:

IMHO the desktop icons are way too big, and would look better vertically down the LH side.

That's user-adjustable. Right-click on the desktop -> Configure Desktop -> Icons. Change Arrange In from Rows to Columns and use the slider to adjust their size then click Apply. (Or maybe I misunderstood you and you're actually suggesting changing the default values, not asking how to change them for yourself?)

Regarding size though, people with large hidpi hires monitors will probably appreciate the larger icons. People with notebooks with small screens or lower-res monitors, not so much.

[Stevo]

On boot there is a notice ... in Grub I guess? "(VMX) outside text not allowed per bios"

Such warning can be ignored. OTOH, have you disable VM-bits (VT-x in intel) in bios. You might try to anable VT / Vm in bios.
Here some patch discussion on kerenel.org:
https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/11250771/
So probably nothing to worry about ...

Thanks yes there is indeed a switch in the bios / enabled VT / the boot msg disappeared.

The other way is probably to remove any virtualbox-guest-* packages after an install onto real hardware. Easier than messing with the BIOS, for sure.

[Stevo]

Here's another vote for the more whiskerlike menu, too.

[i_ri]

Hello dolphin_oracle and everyone
from MX 19.2ahs KDE-beta1 live on

Code: Select all

System:    Host: mx1 Kernel: 5.6.0-2-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 8.3.0 Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.14.5 wm: kwin_x11 
           dm: SDDM Distro: MX-19.2_KDE-beta1_x64 patito feo July 5  2020 base: Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster) 
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: TOSHIBA product: Satellite A665 v: PSAW0U-01K001 serial: <root required> Chassis: type: 9 
           serial: <root required> 
           Mobo: TOSHIBA model: NWQAA v: 1.00 serial: <root required> UEFI [Legacy]: TOSHIBA v: 1.90 date: 12/23/10 
Battery:   ID-1: BAT1 charge: 4.0 Wh condition: 37.7/47.5 Wh (79%) volts: 11.3/10.8 model: COMPAL PA3817U-1BRS serial: 41167 
           status: Charging 
CPU:       Dual Core: Intel Core i5 M 450 type: MT MCP arch: Nehalem speed: 1560 MHz min/max: 1199/2400 MHz 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel Core Processor Integrated Graphics vendor: Toshiba America Info Systems driver: i915 v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:0046 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.4 driver: intel compositor: kwin_x11 resolution: 1366x768~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics (ILK) v: 2.1 Mesa 20.0.7 direct render: Yes 
Network:   Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: Toshiba America Info Systems driver: r8169 
           v: kernel port: 7000 bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10ec:8168 
           Device-2: Realtek RTL8191SEvB Wireless LAN driver: rtl8192se v: kernel port: 5000 bus ID: 06:00.0 
           chip ID: 10ec:8172 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 480.67 GiB used: 2.01 GiB (0.4%) 
Info:      Processes: 189 Uptime: 7m Memory: 3.65 GiB used: 607.6 MiB (16.3%) Init: SysVinit v: 2.93 runlevel: 5 default: 5 
           Compilers: gcc: 8.3.0 alt: 8 Shell: bash v: 5.0.3 running in: yakuake inxi: 3.0.36 
demo@mx1:~