[clug] Kubuntu

[Brad Hards]

On Wed, 6 Apr 2011 04:18:32 am Keith Sayers wrote:
> 	Would anyone in CLUG be familiar with the inner workings of Kubuntu?
Not a lot, but I might be able to help on this.

> 	I am using Kubuntu 10.4 and when I move my cursor over an icon on the
> desktop there appears alongside a semi-transparent pillar carrying four
> spaced out icons.  This pillar serves no useful purpose that I can find,
> it is at least a distraction and to some extent a hindrance - it restricts
> access to icons underneath.  I would like to stop it appearing but have
> not yet found anything in the configuration to enable me to - could anyone
> guide me, please?
Those are to allow you to work with the items (you'll also see them for 
workspaces / activities). You can stop it showing up if you go the "toolbox" 
(looks like a cashew nut, probably in the top right corner of the screen) and 
selecting "Lock widgets".

It may also work if you just right click anywhere "empty" on the desktop and 
select "Lock widgets". 

When you have widgets locked, you won't be able to add new widgets or panels 
to the screen. If you do want to do that, just "Unlock widgets", then add 
whatever you need, and "Lock widgets" again.

This will also work on the panel (same cashew thing, bottom right corner) - 
thats pretty useful to do, even if you want the rest unlocked.

The desktop stuff in Kubuntu comes from KDE, and is usually called "Plasma". 
There is more description in http://userbase.kde.org/Plasma (including what 
those icons are for).

Brad