View Full Version : Tweaking netbook remix or...?
miamaslegi
August 30th, 2011, 06:02 AM
Hi everyone,
I'm new to Linux, big surprise! I installed Lucid a while back and am now running Natty. I've been dependent on boards and such to help me make sense of everything, as I'm used to Macs.
I've got Natty on my Acer Aspire One 532h and I really like using Ubuntu Classic. However, I can never see full windows in Classic because of my itty-bitty screen on this thing. To see full windows (anything besides Opera, pretty much), I have to use Netbook Remix. I hate NR, though, because of the launcher on the side and because I can never seem to find what I want (I'm not proficient at terminal use yet, obviously). Is there a way to make NR look more like Classic (remove the launcher and get things back up to the top panel) or a way to tweak my window sizes in Classic?
I'm sorry if this isn't that coherent - like I said, I'm used to Macs, and so I've not caught on much to Ubuntu, yet.
On a side note, can anyone tell me what the most thorough Ubuntu book around is so that I can teach myself to work Ubuntu properly? I've seen lots of different books touted, but I'm not sure what would be best.
Thanks for any help!
madjr
August 30th, 2011, 06:19 AM
well there is no more ubuntu "netbook remix", is called unity now and is the default interface.
here are some nice guides, so you can make more sense of it all:
http://omgubuntu.co.uk/natty/
video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDIGOtInoKY
pdf:
http://iloveubuntu.net/meet-unity-simplify-your-life-free-pdf-book-about-ubuntus-unity
it's still in heavy dev, so next versions should be a lot easier to find stuff and use.
miamaslegi
August 30th, 2011, 07:07 AM
Ah, thanks so much for the links! I'll go check them out momentarily. :)
I managed to crash Unity by fiddling with Compiz, looking at things and messing with this and that, of course, so I'm stuck not seeing everything on Classic. Is there not a way to tweak the resolution (I guess that's what it would be) on Classic so I can see everything? I like Classic so much better - I know where everything is!
I have decided that I do not like Unity one bit and I really want to use Classic.
I'm sorry if reading this is like listening to a driveling idiot - I'm still basically completely bumfuzzled by Ubuntu after a year or so... :(
madjr
August 30th, 2011, 02:06 PM
well in case you need to reset compiz use this:
http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/how-to-reset-unity-launcher-icons-or.html
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF6HcMCkbic
for resolutions, use the monitors tool.
You could attach a pic of your desktop to see where the problems are? press the print screen key on your keyboard.
as for classic gnome2, i think you've heard that it's at end of life in favor of gnome3/gnome-shell. So starting next version it will not be shipped by default. So
you will need to follow this to get it back.
http://www.webupd8.org/2011/08/installing-using-classic-gnome-desktop.html
Unity, apart from giving the most screen real state to view programs, is improving in may other areas, so i would also give it a chance in upcoming versions.
miamaslegi
August 31st, 2011, 02:50 AM
Here's my whole desktop in classic (I don't know that that is actually what it is; I call it "classic" because to log in, I choose "Ubuntu Classic" from the menu, rather than "Ubuntu" which gets me what I call Netbook Remix, or "Kubuntu" which is pretty self-explanatory).
http://ubuntuone.com/p/1FBo/
Here, I was trying to add a second account to Evolution. You can see here that the "Forward" button at the bottom of the Mail Configuration window is not visible. The window is as far up as it will go, and I can't shrink it to be able to scroll down and see everything. No matter what I have tried, I can't get windows like this (setting and such) to resize so I can see the bottoms of them. That usually means that I can't see an "OK" or "Cancel" button and so forth.
I like this, what I call "Classic", because of the panel across the top. I can find just about everything and generally grope about pretty successfully. In what I think of as "Netbook Remix" (with the launcher thingy on the left side, etc.), I can never find anything and I generally hate it.
I just want to know if there is a way to make whole windows visible, like the bottom of Mail Configuration in the screenshot. If I have to use what I call Netbook Remix, I'd find a way to deal with it, but I'd rather not.
Thanks!
madjr
August 31st, 2011, 05:32 AM
Here's my whole desktop in classic (I don't know that that is actually what it is; I call it "classic" because to log in, I choose "Ubuntu Classic" from the menu, rather than "Ubuntu" which gets me what I call Netbook Remix, or "Kubuntu" which is pretty self-explanatory).
http://ubuntuone.com/p/1FBo/
Here, I was trying to add a second account to Evolution. You can see here that the "Forward" button at the bottom of the Mail Configuration window is not visible. The window is as far up as it will go, and I can't shrink it to be able to scroll down and see everything. No matter what I have tried, I can't get windows like this (setting and such) to resize so I can see the bottoms of them. That usually means that I can't see an "OK" or "Cancel" button and so forth.
I like this, what I call "Classic", because of the panel across the top. I can find just about everything and generally grope about pretty successfully. In what I think of as "Netbook Remix" (with the launcher thingy on the left side, etc.), I can never find anything and I generally hate it.
I just want to know if there is a way to make whole windows visible, like the bottom of Mail Configuration in the screenshot. If I have to use what I call Netbook Remix, I'd find a way to deal with it, but I'd rather not.
Thanks!
yes i see, i've had the same problem with my old netbook...
as for the desktops:
classic: gnome2 (but is on end of life..)
ubuntu: unity (default)
when you use unity why cant you find anything?
you can Pin all the apps you use in the left dock. In fact lets you pin more than other docks and let you autoscroll.
And has built in search on the menu.
yes, it does take a bit getting used to, but is pretty easy, so do take a few minutes to try it.
As for your classic desktop, you could make the top panel auto-hide (left click for settings). This way you will get a little more space (but not as much as with unity)
as for evolution, maybe you could try thunderbird and see if that will let you add accounts without taking that space.
new versions of evolution should improve a bit for small screens, but they wont be out for a while, so is a good time to test thunderbird.
mcduck
August 31st, 2011, 07:26 AM
Here's my whole desktop in classic (I don't know that that is actually what it is; I call it "classic" because to log in, I choose "Ubuntu Classic" from the menu, rather than "Ubuntu" which gets me what I call Netbook Remix, or "Kubuntu" which is pretty self-explanatory).
http://ubuntuone.com/p/1FBo/
Here, I was trying to add a second account to Evolution. You can see here that the "Forward" button at the bottom of the Mail Configuration window is not visible. The window is as far up as it will go, and I can't shrink it to be able to scroll down and see everything. No matter what I have tried, I can't get windows like this (setting and such) to resize so I can see the bottoms of them. That usually means that I can't see an "OK" or "Cancel" button and so forth.
I like this, what I call "Classic", because of the panel across the top. I can find just about everything and generally grope about pretty successfully. In what I think of as "Netbook Remix" (with the launcher thingy on the left side, etc.), I can never find anything and I generally hate it.
I just want to know if there is a way to make whole windows visible, like the bottom of Mail Configuration in the screenshot. If I have to use what I call Netbook Remix, I'd find a way to deal with it, but I'd rather not.
Thanks!
Hold down the Alt key and you'll be able to move a window from any point inside the window (instead of just the titlebar). That should allow you to move the window higher up and access the buttons.
Alt+middle mouse button does the same thing with resize, but like you have noticed there's often a limit to how small a window allows you to resize itself.
...and like madjr said, there is no Netbook version of Ubuntu any more. Unity is the default interface of Ubuntu from this on, as the old Gnome2 desktop is not supported by Gnome developers any more and Ubuntu's developers didn't find Gnome Shell to quite fit the ideas they want to do with Ubuntu. Of course you may call it "netbook remix" or whatever you want, but that's definitely not going help you if you need to ask for support as people will just not know what you are talking about...
miamaslegi
September 6th, 2011, 06:02 PM
Sorry I'm coming back so late to thank you mcduck - the Alt-middle button was exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much!
Now, if you will suffer a fool (for I claim to be nothing but that), what do I call Classic and Netbook Remix now? I get that the interface is now Unity - at least I think I get that. :) If there is no NR anymore, why is there still something that looks like it? What is the what-I-call-Classic, normal desktop Ubuntu - just Ubuntu? What is the what-looks-like-NR -with-the-crappy-launcher-on-the-side called now? Was I totally screwed up to start with and that wasn't even NR to start with? I saw screenshots of it and it was called NR, and when I did fiddle with it, it seemed to be better...proportioned to fit my netbook, so I assumed that was the NR I'd heard about.
I know I must sound like a drooling moron, but I really do want to know - and maybe at some point in my life actually have a functional knowledge of Linux!
Thanks again, mcduck, I really do appreciate your help. :)
madjr
September 6th, 2011, 07:31 PM
hi Amanda,
i pm you.
hope that helps!
cheers!
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