############################################################ # PsychOS 04/11/2016 - PsychOS First Run and Things to Note # ############################################################ * At first boot after the installation of PsychOS takes about 30 seconds extra to install configuration files. Afterwards, even on an older computer, it should not take more than a minute to get from GRUB to beyond the login screen. Updating ---- * The first initial update of PsychOS with using the YaST Software Manager will ask you to trust sources that it doesn't recognize (GPG key issues); this is because the repositories used with PsychOS come from OpenSUSE Studio (www.susestudio.com). If you accidentally select not to trust a repository, it will ask again the next time you use YaST Software Manager. * The repository for Google Chrome will always fail because it is one of the last 32-bit versions made. Google doesn't support 32-bit versions of Chrome anymore. I would have included Chromium rather than Google Chrome, but Chromium does not support Netflix, which leads me to question what other problems it might currently have performing. To remove this annoying error, simply open YaST Software Manager and go to Configuration -> Repositories... From there, select and delete the Google repository. * In YaST Software Manager, all packages with upgrades available are automatically marked. All you have to do is click "Apply" at the bottom to update. Alternatively, you can run sudo zypper update in a terminal. By accepting the repositories using YaST Software Manager, you can avoid the annoyances regarding the repositories if updating with zypper. The Top Panel (XFCE) ---------- * The first run of choosing to use XFCE from the login menu (the gear symbol under the password entry) will ask you about what kind of panel you would like to have. When in doubt, choose the default option. This will create a panel at the top of the screen and a dock at the bottom. * The first thing you may notice is that there is no volume indicator. This can be fixed easily by right-clicking on the top panel and Panel -> Add New Items... and then select "Audio Mixer." * Items can be moved around by right-clicking on them and choosing "Move." * It is recommended to add items such as Whisker Menu, Notes, Mail Watcher, Weather Update, Xfce4 Timer, and Battery Monitor. - The Whisker Menu is incredibly more useful than the default XFCE menu. It has search options, favorites, recently used, and options typically found within the Action Buttons (right corner username-looking thing). - Notes is useful for quick note taking, much like sticky notes but on your system rather than surrounding your computer monitor with them. - Mail Watcher will watch for new emails at a set interval. Mail Watcher has support for Remote IMAP, Remote POP3, Remote GMail, Local Maildir Spool, Local Mbox spool, and Local MH mail folder, as well as advanced settings for potentially other types of email watching. A custom command can be added to run when new mail is found. Example: paplay /usr/share/sounds/KDE-Im-New-Mail.ogg ...will play a sound when new mail comes in. - Weather Update checks the current weather as well as the forecast for the current week. It's information is updated regularly using the Internet. Location can be set automatically or manually. By default, the weather is displayed in a scrollbox fashion. However, this can be fixed by removing items under the "Labels to display" setting. An icon representing the type of weather (sun, clouds, moon, etc) and the temperature (Fahrenheit or Celsius) is displayed. It is recommended to add more than one Weather Update to the panel if one travels frequently. - Xfce4 Timer is a timer with options for custom names for timers, a count down interval or a time to set for an alarm, as well as a command to run at the alarm. This command can be anything, including a sound or message. - The Battery Monitor is recommended because by default, there is no icon that displays for battery information when not on AC power. Information this plugin displays can also be customized. * A potentially unfamiliar area of the panel is what appears to be four boxes. Each of these boxes represents a "workspace." In other words, four desktops to work with to help organize the clutter of windows on your screen. I have noticed that using workspaces, as opposed to minimizing an application, will save RAM. The package wmctrl is installed with PsychOS and can be used to control workspace switching from the keyboard as follows: wmctrl -s 0. The "0" represents the initial workspace, aka the first box. Keyboard shortcuts can be edited with Keyboard that is found in the main XFCE menu under Settings. * Another area of the XFCE panel is the Indicator area. This is the area in which items such as Bluetooth and WiFi Internet show up. This is because not all devices, contrary to popular belief, have Bluetooth or Internet capability. * The last area in the right corner of the panel will display the user name that is currently logged in. Clicking on this will invoke options regarding screen-locking logging out, suspending, hibernating, and so forth. Such options are also located within the Whisker Menu. I recommend ticking-off the save for future sessions option; if the reason you are restarting is system issues, it may show up again after login. * The default time is set to a 24-hour format. This can be changed, as well as add code for displaying the month, day, and year. Clicking on the time will quickly popup Orage calendar. Click the time again to make it go away. The Bottom Panel/Dock XFCE ------------- * To add an application, right-click the dock and select to add a new item to the panel. From there, choose "Launcher." A blank item will be added to the dock. Right-click on the blank item and go to "Properties." Click the plus symbol and type in the name of the application in the search bar. You can also click the new document looking symbol for more application options such as terminal only or to add standalone applications downloaded from the Internet. * You can change the icons used in the dock via Properties per item or via Settings in the XFCE menu and selecting Appearance. I recommend using Numix under "Style" and Faba under "Icons;" this combo seems to get the most bang for your buck without hogging too much RAM. However, Moka is my favorite icon set. * Multiple items can be added to each "Launcher." This could be useful for categorical reasons. * It would be best to go ahead and change the Internet icon to launch Midori and then select Firefox or Chrome when needed from the XFCE/Whisker Menu. This will save you much time and headache if just a quick Internet search is all you need to do. * I would also go ahead and add Thunderbird, LibreOffice, and the Trash Applet to the dock. * The search applications launcher is changed to open catfish file search on my system. * The bottom dock can be moved to the sides of the screen, as well as automatically show/hide.