Stuff we shouldn't have to do in MEPIS:

To fix the problem with menu changes not saving after re-start you need to edit the file menu-xdg. follow this

/etc/menu-methods directory there is a file named menu-xdg. Edit that file and look for the following line:
prerun = "rm -rf " prefix() "/*";
Comment this line like this
#prerun = "rm -rf " prefix() "/*";
save and exit the file. Now when you make your menu changes, they will stay.

A huge thanks to hippy for help with this!

When you log in as a user, then open a file manager as root, you can't open, for example, a text file without typing xhost + in a console.

There have been lots of requests for loop-aes encrypted partitions in MEPIS:

http://www.mepis.org/node/679
http://www.mepis.org/node/3206

As far as I know, the MEPIS kernel is already setup for it--though it may be broken:

http://www.mepis.org/node/1601

Please add a script to make use of this.

Ok, I'm new to SimplyMEPIS and Linux in general, so my only comparison is Windows. I could only think of a few at this moment. I'll be posting more as soon as they come up.

1. The first thing is the MAIN FONT SimplyMEPIS is currently using, especially on menus, texts on desktop icons, etc. They're too big. It seems that the interface doesn't give you any options on resizing texts. In effect, it kind of still looks like shareware/freeware. Which it is, ironically.

Hmmm... it's amazing that's the only thing I could think of right now. (I'm using Windows as I type this.)...

2. Desktop icons are dis-arranged when logging in. It doesn't seem to save the customized arrangement.

Hmmm...

It's probably a GNU thing, as in "free." GIMP has the same font, so does Inkscape. This, I think, is what separates shareware and buyware. When I look at Windows' menu fonts, the resolution is so fine that it could accomodate long lines of texts without being truncated.

I wonder why they can't fix this. It's probably not important.

1. following the proper routine to activate numlock after booting DOES NOT WORK.
numlock activation should be automatic, no matter which distro.
2. do I always have to login with a password on boot? why?
3. boot screen is really ugly, in fact it looks like a screen, as in 'expanded metal'!!! or a screen door. ugh.http://www.mepis.org/misc/smileys/barf.gif

4. thunderbird should be already installed, same as firefox.
nuff for now, ciao!

It would be nice for Evolution & the exchange plugin to work correctly. I downgraded to SimplyMepis 2004.6 because I could not get it to work in 3.3.

Easier Active Directory logons would be a tremendous gift which would help me, and perhaps many others on corporate Windows networks

Miscellaneous problems include: having other drives mounted statically instead of dynamically, menu updating "sticking".

Thanks much ... Daniel

Hi maYo,

Have a look in Control Centre> Appearance & Themes> Fonts.

In there you can change the fonts for just about everything, from your desktop to your windows titles and menu.

I have my fonts heavily customized. In Windows, before XP, you had a choice of small or large fonts and a % scale. In KDE you can choose the font and the size just like you would in a word processor.

Anyway, have a look around and see how you go.

RossD.

In addition to that: the Mepis OS center allows for three different font sizes. This will in fact change the dpi value in /etc/kde/kdm/Xservers. Might want to edit that file as root an play around with the values.

Newbie or not Newbie, there's always a question

I still cannot use my USB memory stick / MP3 player with hotplug. The Live CD did not recognize it when I hotplugged it, whereas it is recognized upon coldplug. No big deal for me, since I know how to edit /etc/fstab, but quite a big deal for new people on the block

Newbie or not Newbie, there's always a question

carlops,
What is the name of your memory stick? We can have this fixed fairly easily if we knew the name of the device. You can go to K > System > Info Center. Next click on USB Devices. The Stick should be listed. Let us know the exact name of the Device and we can get it auto recognized.

Matt

Hi Matt,

I posted the info on a thread concerning the Hotplug issue yesterday. I had gone out of sight however, so I let the issue return in this thread again, hoping you'd notice. Apparently you did... *grinning*

Anyway, Kinfo shows me this:

Serial #: USB 2.0(FS) FLASH DISK
Vendor ID: Actions Semiconductor Co., Ltd
Product ID: 0x1100
Revision ID: 1.00

Thanks for getting back on this. Do you think it woukld be possible to have Mepis make me a cup of coffee when I feel like one?

Newbie or not Newbie, there's always a question

If you, like me, are trying to get numlock to turn on in time for login (which I agree SHOULD be the the way MEPIS ships), here's how you do it:

Open /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc as root, find the largest section, which is called [X-*-Greeter] and add a new line that says:
NumLock=On
You don't have to keep the entries in alphabetical order, but I do. Th numlock in the KDE Control Center (for use after login) SHOULD be set to "turn on" by default as well.

P.S. I agree Thunderbird/Enigmail should be included.

Lance

Try MEPIS...It's curtains for Windows!

Lance, you know what's funny, if you have NumLock on you can't use the "Win" key to get the KMenu. That's a KDE bug...

--
Post questions on www.mepislovers.org too -- very helpful community

1). Modem support is not not what it was in 2004.06. Even when using the older kernal in 3.3, it is not as intuative as the old version. Why does it default to the fastest speed available?
2). Still looking for a GUI for getting WPA-PSK type wireless encryption to work. WEP is getting a little long in the tooth...

I may be speaking out of turn because I haven't tried the 3.3.1 version.

Thanks,
The Tramp

carlops,
We need the contents of the entire window. Not just a subset of the info. This includes the title!!! Also are you running 3.3.1 with all the latest updates from MEPIS? If not you may want to make sure that you are.

Matt

This was fixed in 3.3.1. You may want to upgrade. If you still the problem in 3.3.1 let us know.

Matt

Before making any comments here you should make sure that you are at the latest version of MEPIS. Currently this is 3.3.1. You also need to make sure that you are at the latest verion of all of the MEPIS utilities. Some of the problems listed in this thread have already been resolved in MEPIS 3.3.1. Having old information does us no good.

Also, a detailed post should include the verions of MEPIS you are using, how you found the annoyance, and possibly if you have a fix for it.

Thanks for reading this before posting your comments.

Matt

Matt,

Sorry for not supplying all details.

I ran the 3.3.1 Live CD and tried the hotplug, which did not work. Have not installed yet on HD. Hotplug does not work on installed 3.3 version BTW.

Anyway, the complete info:
USB 2.0(FS) FLASH DISK

Serial #: USB 2.0(FS) FLASH DISK

Class 0 ((Defined at interface level))
Subclass 0
Protocol 0
USB Version 1.10

Vendor ID 0x10d6 (Actions Semiconductor Co., Ltd)
Product ID 0x1100
Revision: 1.00

Speed 12 Mbit/s
Channels 0
Max. Packet Size 0

Cheers

Newbie or not Newbie, there's always a question

Yes, yes, yes, I played around with the desktop configuration and I discovered thousands of options that you can pick to customize it. It's impressive! It's very elegant and very professional. Even Windows XP doesn't have those extra options. However, I was looking for Tahoma font, or its nearest equivalent because I thought it's midway between condensed and regular. They're not available so I settled for FreeSans 8 for the overall font and FreeSans 9 for the menus. One minor problem with my system is that the texts' base color, usually black, upon close inspection, seems to intermingle with some color, kind of a prismatic effect, screwing up the resolution. My VAIO PCG-FR130 has a Nvidia graphics card. The driver SimplyMEPIS installs may not be the best driver for it. I don't know. But that's okay at this point. My main remaining problem is the sound... One of these days, I hope, someone will provide the solution.

If you have access to a Windows computer, you can copy tahoma over to your fonts directory in MEPIS.

Some distros actually have a font import facility, Mandrake for one has a great one.

Not all that long ago, the fonts we saw on screen in X were terrible. It was common practice then to import or copy the TTFs form Windows.

Now that fonts in X look as good as most of the Windows ones (and in some cases better) most of us just don;t bother.

If you do a google or an Opera search (I fiind opera search is more accurate a lot of times) you should find a how to for debian distros.

About the only thing I like about having MS TTF fonts is so I can set one of my linux borwsers up to use them so I can see what my customers' websites wil look like on a Windows computer.

Cheers,

RossD

Hey, Ross, buddy, I do have access to MS Windows files, doesn't everyone? The Win partitions show up on my desktop and on the devices category as well after installing SimplyMEPIS. So I just copied the Tahoma font from the Windows' Font directory, then rebooted it. I changed the overall fonts, except the fixed width, to Tahoma 8 in combination with the Platinum style and System++ decoration. TRY IT! Yup, it looks buyware now This is definitely the one I'm going to boast about and show to relatives and friends. I'm sure they'll be surprised it's all free! It's amazing! Thank you so much, guys. The future is great. SimplyMEPIS rocks!

Oh, btw, you can also try Tahoma font, size 8, in the File Manager and see just how elegant it looks.

I keep the Windows TTF fonts on a CD close at hand.

I also picked up a CDROM in a shop for $5 with 4000 TTF fonts on it, in case I get bored.. LOL.

The more you play with Linux, and especially MEPIS, the more you'll like it.

Remember of course, while you are exploring MEPIS, that Windows has billions of dollars driving it. Linux was started by a student - for fun, not profit (originally). MEPIS has one guy who probably mortgaged his house to do this, plus a group of dedicated friends working their buts off..

RossD.

there are setting in kde control centre where you can change this and have a defined user auto logged in

2. do I always have to login with a password on boot? why?
Submitted by drlizau on Wed, 05/18/2005 - 11:15.

there are setting in kde control centre where you can change this and have a defined user auto logged in
*******************

But DON'T EVER set it to autologin as root!!!
Also, it is a good idea to login every time anyway. Once you get used to MEPIS you will probably experiment with other windows managers that KDE. A number of us use XFCE4.2 for example.

Ther eis a trap however. In the login manager where you can choose your session type there is one selection which you will never get out of without a reinstall, if you have set to log in without a password.

RossD.

I love Mepis, but it seems it should support this laptop better

(toshiba m45-s331)

Need acpi=off to get wireless to work

I don't have Marvell ethernet working -- should work with sk98lin

Also winmodem (Lucent I think) not working

Thanks!!

I can furnish more details but don't have laptop with me right now

Replace mstruetypefonts mentioned in a previous post with msttcorefonts.

as root: apt-get install msttcorefonts

Regards, Ko