Getting tired of the Asus Eee's simple icon desktop, I finally made the switch to "advanced mode." I was convinced after I learned that the switch-over process would add buttons that allow switching between easy and advanced modes.
I followed the instructions given here: http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:getkde#enable_advanced_desktop_mode_-_the_easy_way
The only difference I experienced from the text is that two dependencies also needed to be downloaded: kicker and ksmserver.
Upon clicking the shutdown button, the dialog box indeed had the extra button for switching to Advanced Mode: click the Full Desktop button.
I clicked it, the 4G did its 25-second reboot, and the familiar Linux desktop appeared. To maximize the limited screen area, I changed all system fonts to 8pt: right-click the desktop, choose Properties, and then click on Fonts.
If you want to switch back to the original simple interface, click Launch | Easy Mode. The machine reboots, and 25 seconds later the tabs and big icons appear.
Palm TX Connects
Back when the 4G was still running in simple mode, I could not get my Palm TX to synch. The kpilot software would not recognize the attached Palm. Now in advanced mode, I gave it one more try. And it worked!
I took these steps:
1. Started KPilot running.
2. Connected the Palm TX with its USB cable.
3. Pressed the Hotsync button on the cable.
4. Waited while everything was backed up.
I primarily wanted my contact info copies to the 4G, because it's a collection of 12 years worth of addresses and phone numbers.
Udpate
The handy Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut goes missing in Advanced Mode, for opening a terminal window. Use the Control Center to assign Ctrl+Alt+T to Console.
Comments