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    [Widgets] Wandering Widgets

    Hello, all! New to your forum, new to Kubuntu and still somewhat new (since October) to Linux. Like many newbies, I confess to a lot of distro hopping (mostly great experiences) and I finally seem to have settled on Kubuntu as the best distro/DE solution for a Lenovo ThinkPad X131e that I picked up along the way for $40 on eBay to be my "banger" to learn on. FWIW, this ThinkPad has been expanded along the way in its previous life to 8Gb of RAM and carries an mSATA SSD, too, which is kinda cool, though it's only 20Gb.

    To start with, I was installing reasonably lightweight distros on the SSB because why not? Speed, etc. And that's where I first installed Kubuntu (just a week or so ago). The partition I had created for any distro on that SSD mSATA was 15Gb in order to leave the empty space I've come to understand that SSDs need. I also enabled the backports to get the latest Plasma. Everything worked well for me...until I started getting notifications about a GNOME runtime update pending that was going to need a chunk of space that might not be available for it.

    At that point, I decided the mSATA isn't worth the trouble (I might use it as simple storage...but I've already discovered I can't remove it because the one screw is so tight that I'm afraid I'll either round off the head or put so much pressure on it that I'll damage something below).  One day, I'll pop for a SSD that can replace the HD that's in it...but, meanwhile, I've installed Kubuntu again, this time on the HD, to give it the space it needs for not only updates (20.04 coming!) but maybe a few more apps.

    So, that second install has gone well and it is *identical* to the one on the mSATA but for one small thing: I went online to find the default wallpaper that came with KDE 5.16 as I prefer it to the one that gets installed with 5.18. But that's it.

    Now (finally!) to the question: In each of these installs I have added 3 widgets (CPU, Memory and Network) and sized and positioned them where I want them. With my first Kubuntu install (on the mSATA) they stay in place with any restart or cold start. But with the newer Kubuntu install on the HD, in just a few days I've already had episodes where the widgets will be loaded but they are scattered on the desktop and not at all where I had placed them. Other things, like apps pinned to the Taskbar, are right where I put them...but the widgets wander.  And this is not every time, mind you. Two times out of three, a restart or a cold start will find them sitting in the correct spot. But I'm just wondering if something somewhere needs to be set or adjusted...or if this is just a strange little "burp" that's going to happen.

    #2
    <crickets><crickets><crickets><crickets>

    Well, okay, I'm enjoying Kubuntu regardless.

    Even if no one had a reply to my question, I certainly appreciate the warm welcome. What? Hmm? Oh, sorry, wrong user forum. :-)

    Comment


      #3
      No, not correct. We are quite friendly, but don't take it wrong if you haven't been welcomed, or your post hasn't (yet) received a reply.

      So, Welcome to KFN! We are happy to have you here, and hope that you find us both friendly and helpful; we try our best at both.
      Windows no longer obstructs my view.
      Using Kubuntu Linux since March 23, 2007.
      "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data." - Sherlock Holmes

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        #4
        I'm a local bug inspector. There's been reports of crickets being heard in this area. I'll do what I can to kill them, but know in advance I'm running only a single monitor but not in the folder desktop mode. I use wallpaper to brighten my day. All my app icons are on the toolbar and they remain where I put them.

        Originally posted by DPool View Post
        ...
        At that point, I decided the mSATA isn't worth the trouble (I might use it as simple storage...but I've already discovered I can't remove it because the one screw is so tight that I'm afraid I'll either round off the head or put so much pressure on it that I'll damage something below).&nbsp; One day, I'll pop for a SSD that can replace the HD that's in it...but, meanwhile, I've installed Kubuntu again, this time on the HD, to give it the space it needs for not only updates (20.04 coming!) but maybe a few more apps.
        ...
        I had that happen with a spinner and decided to attempt to remove it anyway. If the head of the screw reams out one can get a type of drill that screws into the screw and backs it out. Or, drill it out with a vertical power drill and possible recut the threads. Besides, one can secure a drive adequately with only three screws. It's worked for me. In fact, even with two.

        Oh, BTW, welcome to KFN!
        "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
        – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Teunis
          This is indeed a friendly and helpful forum.

          But you did not get any help with your problem, I can only guess no-one had an idea what is happening.
          Like I have two widgets, the moon phase and a weather widget and they stay where I put them.
          Coming up on two months after my original post and nothing has changed. I decided to post in the Ubuntu Forum (with a [kubuntu] flag in the Subject) saying (in part):

          I prefer the default wallpaper of the previous version of Kubuntu, so I've added that to /usr/share/wallpapers directory (where the choices of the current version reside) so that's the choice I've made. Then I add 3 widgets (CPU Load Monitor, Memory Status and Network Monitor) and I configure them to sit in a vertical stack along the right side of the screen.

          And there they sit...usually.

          But, on occasion (and I cannot yet sense any particular frequency or circumstances surrounding it), a restart or a cold startup on the next day finds the wallpaper has reverted to the default for the new version and the widgets have either disappeared entirely (more common) or they sit in a jumble on the left side of the screen (less common). It's like some sort of config file is not being read correctly...or even located. Any ideas what's going on here?

          And no reply there either (so far). It might be worth noting that since my original post, I've upgraded to Ubuntu 20.04 ...but as far as the KDE Plasma desktop and its shenanigans, nothing has changed. No great inconvenience, in the grand scheme of things LInux...just tres bizarre.

          Comment


            #6
            @Dpool, I get your frustration at not getting a solution to your wandering widgets problem. This is something I have Not experienced with Kubuntu, so I also have no solution for you, sorry.
            Don't assume that the forum members are just ignoring you, please. We're a decent group of people and really do want to help other users.

            I've spent some time looking through the System Settings but cannot find anything which might address Widget placement.

            The closest I can get might be in the desktop configuration GUI:

            on Desktop, right click->Configure Desktop->Icons->Lock in Place

            In that GUI, you may find that locking icons may help with widget position control. No guarantee, and I cannot test this because my widgets don't wander. Note that I do NOT have the Lock in Place option checked.

            Hope this helps, but others may know of other options.
            Kubuntu 24.11 64bit under Kernel 6.12.1, Hp Pavilion, 6MB ram. Stay away from all things Google...

            Comment


              #7
              @TWPonKubuntu, my apologies...my "second round" report this morning was not posted out of frustration and I'm sorry if that carried over somehow. I just thought I'd check in and, in the process, mention that it was, indeed, ongoing. The second post did not assume that I was being ignored and, as you point out, I was prepared to hear that no one had a similar experience or anything to offer. But with that original post, I *did* expect to at least get that much. IOW, at least an acknowledgement of the very first post by a brand new member. It's a small gesture but it can be helpful. Very much like expecting someone you know to reply to an email with "Sorry, I'm slammed. I'll get back to you soon" instead of...getting crickets.

              Thanks so much for checking System Settings and the Configure Desktop angle. I'll check on those and, after living with it for awhile (since the problem has always been sporadic) I'll see if that "takes."

              Comment


                #8
                @DPool, not a problem. New users usually post an introduction and get responses from other members. That usually tells the new user from whom they might expect to get help.

                Since this doesn't appear to be happening to others on the forum, it might be a peculiarity of your hardware and the Linux configuration you are using.

                It might give you some input if you did a Non-google search on key words like "Wandering Widgets" or "Widget placement". No guarantees, but it might have happened to somebody outside this forum.
                Kubuntu 24.11 64bit under Kernel 6.12.1, Hp Pavilion, 6MB ram. Stay away from all things Google...

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