Request For Community Feedback: Panel Apps

That's what I would find useful:

System Center

Mepis OS Center(should have a more distinctive icon from System Center, maybe Mepis logo?)

SuperUser File Manager

Konsole

Home (big)

Show Desktop (big)

Firefox (big)

no fish

--
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Apps important for me to be in the panel:
- Firefox
- Konqueror
- Konsole
- Krusader (is it in SimplyMepis by default? I don't remember...)
- Kmail
OS Center, that System Settings thing and System Guard are not a bad idea either.... (what is System Settings and why did it replace KControl??)

Oh, and no fish, you're right And no weather either, since it shows the forecast for a place I'm quite far from

System Settings (replaces KDE Control Center in Simply 6.0)

MEPIS OS Center (new icon)

SuperUser File Manager

Konsole

SMB Share Browser

Synaptic Package Manager

K3B

amarok (different icon, where there is less confusion)

All below Big
=============

Home (big)

Show Desktop (big)

Firefox (big)

Thunderbird (big)

Drop fish

Wireless Network Information

Dictionary

Is it possible (or advisable) to simplify a little?
Could KInfo, and System Settings be called or linked from inside the Mepis Control Center? I'm not suggesting removing them from the kicker menu, but simply taking them off the panel-while making them accessable from within the Mepis control center.

That would still allow those who wanted them on the panel to place them there.

Big Icons
Home
Show Desktop
Firefox
E-mail client

The others I would have small.

fish and weather okay. removing them is good practice exercise.

use all listed apps often, except Kinfocenter.

Big vs small - current configuration works fine; can't recall what it was like just starting.

new MEPIS converts vs. long-timers should be considered. I want it pretty much like it's been. Don't know what would appeal to a new Linux or a new MEPIS person. For a new person, there will be an overall sense of discovery, so maybe not that important.

Panel is pretty easy to customize. Haven't figured out how to do small icons, hasn't been a top priority though.

For what it's worth, here's what I do to Mepis 3.4.3:

Firstly I remove "Show Desktop" (I don't see the point of it) and "Weather Report" (which isn't in the new list).

Then I change "Number of Desktops" from 2 to 4. And untick "Show windows from all desktops" to reduce confusion and clutter. I think multiple desktops is a very important feature and I like them to appear independent from each other.

I add KCPUload and KNetLoad - I think it's important to have these monitoring gauges, it helps to have a feel of what's happening.

I keep KAquarium - no logical reason but I suppose it aids relaxation and adds interest. I know others like it too.

If I needed to reduce items, I'd probably drop Synaptic (it's easy enough access it from the Main Menu) and KInfoCenter (Most of it's info is pretty obscure and I rarely use it, except for "Storage Devices" to see free disc space).

Though this is not something used day-to-day, during the initial set up, testing, and administration, it is very useful.

I would like to see a tool to view, set, and change wired and wireless network interfaces (protected for root access only of course).

Jon

This is my version 6 setup, from right to left=
Trash, clock, Tray, Kweather, blank space, Taskbar, Show Desktop, Firefox, Tbird, Quick Launcher, Kmenu. I keep most of my icons on the Quick Launcher= Home, File Manger SU, Konsole, K3b, MEPIS Control, Control Center, InfoCenter, Ksysguard, Kedit, Gimp, Mahjongg, Patience, SMB, Synaptic.

Whatever you do will not matter to me, because in the end it will look like the above.

I can't differentiate the small icons. I deleted all of them and have desktop, home, firefox, kalarm, 4 desktops, superuser terminal, kcalc, thunderbird, aquarium, kppp and clock: all large

From reading the responses there is a great variety of what each of us prefers. I use each one of these apps every day and I rarely use OS center, synaptic is easy to find.

My 2 cents worth,

Zimster

no fish, no weather (if you're not on dhcp then big error messages look really bad on first boot when you're trying to tell someone how it 'just works')
otherwise don't care.

... but the rest are easier to delete than to add, so the more the merrier would suit me... takes mere seconds to get rid of the dozen I'll never use... and finding the occasional use ones is easy in the menu, anyway.

Ken
--
In a world without walls and fences nobody needs Windows and Gates!
User #104362 with the Linux Counter, http://counter.li.org

I just remove the things I seldom use and add my own. But here are some that I always keep.

Home

Show Desktop

Firefox

SMB Share Browser

weather

I really don't like the tiny icons. I think menu panels with the large icons would be a better option. So I would suggest something like the following:

Kmenu (menu icon)

1. K3B (somewhere in the main panel)

Mepis (menu icon)

1. Mepis OScenter (Add WPA wireless configuration
   and ndiswrapper configuration)
2. Root file manager
3. Synaptic
4. Kinfocenter
5. Control center
6. Smb
7. Guarddog
8. Kvpnc

Internet (menu icon)

1. Firefox
2. Konqueror
3. Gaim
4. Ktorrent (This is a maybe)

Show desktop
Home file manager
Konsole
Kontact
Office (menu icon) - (It can easily be removed if not wanted)

1. Openoffice apps
2. Kcalc
3. Kooka

Desktop Preview & pager (2 desktops) - I mostly only use one.

Kmix
Kweather (Show only on Hard drive install. Not on live CD.)
Clock

How about we keep it simple.

#1. Home(user)
#2. Firefox(web)
#3. System monitor(so we can tell if the cpu is doing something or if were running out of memory or using alot of swap)
#4. Knemo(so we can see if we have a network connection)
#5. Kmix(for volume)
#6. Taskbar(to see apps)

That's it all any one need's when starting. Anything else can be added by the user as there need requires.

I seldom use the small icons thus I usually remove them. This is what I would like to see as large icons firefox, home,terminal,system monitor,KAquarium(which helps break the humdrum of a plainjane panel),K3B, weather "since Iam not able to get local stations anywhere close on my sattellite", clock, email.

everyone has different needs but for me the basics are:

App launch:

KControl, MSC, Firefox, Konqueror (file management) Yakuake pre-loaded for cli

Utilities:

Desktop Pager, Klipper, Kwikdisk, Kmix, Ksensors, Knetload

Panel set to 36pixels, pager to show 2 desktops in 1 row with 'show desktop wallpaper,

Quick Luanch:
To include the lesser used apps permanently:
Kcontrol, MSC, Synaptic, Konqueror (su)

and the rest (2-4) from the recently used menu list..

Home user
Firefox
Kontact somebody may wish thunderbird
K3B
Kwrite

No fish
(I like fishes but not in a computer...sorry )

The one I find myself watching constantly is the System Monitor. I have an elderly machine where things don't happen instantaneously.

At the moment (current version), KwikDisk is important because the devices/media icons in Konqueror File Manager are misbehaving. There have been discussions in the forums but the panel icon is the best fix for the time being.

Remove fish, prompt for location to set Kweather, make all icons and taskbar small or tiny. I hate large chunky icons there. If something is real important or frequently used, put it on desktop, like email client and browser. Then just leave the K button and show desktop on the left. Leave all the small ones on teh right and we're good. I like plenty of room for running program squares or whatever they are called in the taskbar.

And whatever you do, don't switch to Gnome as default. Last thing I need is that ever changing train wreck in my face. Oh boy, let's try to emulate NT 4.0 crap in our latest incarnation, everybody just loved the way that worked out of the box. Blech.

If this is incoherent, it's because I was up super late drinking. Don't ask.

The base set up is a good starting point, leave as is.

Please bring back "System Monitor".
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I change the setup to suit each user.
Any changes would make MEPIS setup longer again to make the setup suit the different users.

Use for weather, tells you straight up if you have an internet connection or not.
Use for fish, gives a lay person an idea of system load in a simple manner if they can't work out the coloured bars.
Some people hate them, but lots of people love them, especial the young and young at heart. They take two seconds to remove. It's good practice to remove them if they bugs you that much. Self learning etc.

NH
:- please leave the kids little fishes alone you square geeks...
:- go bug fishing not bugging the fish...

Myself I like the basics is all on the toolbar;

Thunderbird
Firefox
Terminal
SMB
Weather
Trash

the rest I can get via the menu.

Linux User #266786
http://www.thebarrel.net

Please add knemo, kwikdisk and klamav as regular icons.
Keep the existing ones (except the aquarium).

Regards, Ko

Ko Bros

I would suggest having different kicker contents for root and demo. If space permits, maybe a "demo" account that's fully loaded, an "on-the-go" account that's about medium, and the root account bare minimal.

I mean, we can all give our favorite apps, but as I see it what goes on the live CD needs to relate to the liveCD's various purposes:

1. To install Mepis or Repair mepis
2. To allow for a portable mepis experience (the on-the-go bit)
3. To demonstrate Mepis and give the full-on linux experience on a CD.

My beef with the desktop setups in past mepis CD's is that you try to compromise all three goals into one desktop setup. Things like the fish and the weather are fine for purpose 3, but they make no sense for purpose 1 (since it just wastes bandwidth) or purpose 2 (since it's for the wrong location, unless I'm in morgantown).

So basically (how long-winded can I get), I would set up 3 different desktops according to these purposes:

1. root, for purpose one -- OScenter, konsole, qtparted, as minimal as possible.
2. on-the-go, for purpose 2 -- firefox, office apps, konqueror, media://, no eye-candy.
3. demo, for purpose 3 -- everything in 2, but also some eye-candy. How about a transparent kicker, a more colorful background, some visual effects, etc.

Sorry if I'm out of the scope of the question, just my thoughts.

My favorite panel apps are Firefox, Thunderbird, and OpenOffice Writer.

For the record, I REALLY like the K-aquarium and the K-weather pre-loaded in the panel too. Hopefully, KDE will make K-aquarium a screen saver as well.

Thank you to all who make MEPIS great!!!

I would like to see K3B added. Everthing else is fine!

Everything we need is in the menu so keep the panel simple and clean.

The first thing I do with a new mepis install is remove the quick launcher. Those icons are so tiny I can't use them anyway. And I hate clutter.

Second, I switch to ONE desktop and remove the pager. I have no idea what to do with extra desktops. Anyone technical enough to want extra desktops should also be technical enough to set it up after the install.

Then I remove all the big icons. All I keep is 'show desktop' and 'kmenu' and 'home' on the left.

On the right I keep the clock and volume control and add KwikDisk. I remove Kweather.

Lastly, I expand Kaquarium to 200 pixels wide. I like the fishes. When I help new people install Mepis, the aquarium is the first thing they notice and everyone likes it. Cartoon fishes are silly and useless but they are fun and it makes a good impression on people switching from Windows. My girlfriend loves the aquarium.

---------------------------------------
Bob L Hunter
bicycle tourist, bookworm, linux newbie
---------------------------------------

Big:

- Firefox
- Thunderbird
- Krusader

Small:

- Shell (Console)
- KDE System Guard
- Control Center
- XMMS

Firstly, I think you have to consider the set up for a live CD. The Weather is useless as it has to be configured each time you boot the live CD. Secondly, the Aquarium while curious is a complete waste of taskbar real estate. If the movement of the fish was tied to processor load or Internet traffic, it might have some functionality, but as it stands, I say leave it off.

The most important Icon for me on the taskbar is the "show desktop" icon. It's the only quick way to quickly see the desktop if you need to, and it's important because the USB drives that allegedly self mount are shown on the desktop so you need to get to them.

As for the tiny icons, I would favor the system stuff such as ksysguard, Mepis OS Center, terminal, mixer, klipper, and Synaptic.

Show desk top should be large as well as Firefox or Mozilla, Open Office, Home,

I'm not a fan of multiple desktops, or the pager, so as far as I'm concerned you could set the destops to just one, and leave the pager off completely.

I create "quick launcher," or "favorite apps" button which is similar to the old Apple menu on the Mac System 7.5 vintage machines. I have suggested it to several distribution makers, but so far no one has had the intelligence to implement it. See screen shot and link:

Favorites Menu:

Full Screen Shot:
http://www.joelinux.net/Mepis/QuickLauncher-2.png

It's created by adding a button on the taskbar that links to a folder with my frequently launched program linker icons:
http://www.joelinux.net/Mepis/QuickLauncherFolder.jpg

Isn't there a applet that does that already? I can't remeber what it's called but in gnome it's just called a drawer.