Kubuntu experienced dude humbly requests desktop decorations help

[tomwitt]

... damn. I'm a long time Kubuntu using grey bearded dude who should be able to figure this stuff out but... I have not the time nor inclination.

I have a 12.04 system upgraded through 12.10 into 13.04. I have multiple users (my sons and GF) on my system. They have no problems. It's my desktop that suffers. Big FAT window borders; application dropdown menus that are just white blobs of text with no lines between the options.

Other than online display presentation, I have no problems with my system. Yeah, I know; I should rename my ~/.kde directory and let it rebuild on next login. But I like my system the way it is (... well, the way it was).

I have a lower power little brother, companion system that I run ALL the time. My "power" (& loud) desktop (this 13.04 system of which I speak), i've become so disgusted with that I no longer login... and haven't for months. But, other than presentation issues, it's a really nice system.

KDE Themes? Desktop window decorations? Plasma whatsis widgets? I have no idea what is giving me REALLY FAT window borders and NO DECORATION drop down menus. And so my beefy desktop... my Left4Dead on Linux capable system... sits unpowered (but longingly looked at).

If I don't figure this out by 13.10, I'm just going to do a wipe & reinstall. But where's the grey beard in that? ("How did you solve your problem, long time Linux dude"? LIke Windows, I did a re-install, never bothering to figure out my issue, never learning how to figure out my own problems. Wipe it and give me a supposedly clean slate... just like every other Windows suffering foo' (as Mr. T would say).)

Can't do it.

Fat borders window suggestions? (Where the window is the 4.x KDE "Desktop" folder that allows you to have a folder on the desktop).

Decoration-less drop down menu suggestions (for firefox, chromium) ideas?

I'm looking for anything.

Yes, my most powerful (and loud) system is now (and has been for months now) a 3rd class system in my computer menagerie.

Help me fix this, Kubuntu expert netizens.

Thanks!

-- Tom

[SteveRiley]

Take a photograph and upload... let us have a look. Please show the fat window border and the "decoration-less drop down menus." BTW, does the menu problem exhibit itself only in Firefox and Chromium?

[tomwitt]

Documentation... what a concept!

Your suggestion is a good one and here's my data.

So, egg-on-face, my fat borders issue was resolved (but I don't know how so it still counts; it's been a month or two since I've logged in on this system). In the border example image attachment, the border around this plasma widget (which gives an approximation of folders on the desktop) used to be fat. I experimented with many things and I think it was desktop themes that changed it. But I'm not sure. Since I had SOME effect on it, I'm not worried about this aspect of my desktop decoration issues (although I'd really like to know what changed it).

What really frustrates me is this other attachment (decoration_less_drop_down_menus.jpg). In this example, in firefox, I've selected the "Help" drop down menu. While the dropdown menu works correctly from a functional standpoint, there is no decoration for the menu (like something between the options or maybe a border around the dropdown).

Yes, it is Chrome and Firefox which exhibit the problem; other KDE specific drop down menus work fine. Feel free to say "Oh, it's because Chrome and Firefox use this windowing toolkit and you need to do <blah> to effect that toolkit." I couldn't figure out that damn toolkit issue. (Wait... "I lost interest in figuring out that damn windowing toolkit issue". Not defeated... just disinterested. Yeah, that's what I'm going with.)

But I want my powerful machine back on my conditions which means drop down menus (on ANY windowing toolkit) look decent (not white blobs/rectangular regions with text).

And thanks for your interest in helping me resolve this. The problem is such a minor, MINOR issue; but one which has kept me from my machine for months. Dropdown menus.... go figure.

Thanks again.

-- Tom

[SteveRiley]

For your menu issue, since the problem happens only on Chrome and Firefox, my first suspicion is that something's not right with your Gtk theme. Go to [b]System Settings -> Application Appearance - > GTK. Does it look like this?