I would not call it disaster, but there are many edges and traps around...

I've installed Mandriva 2009 on my laptop (Thinkpad T42). While the installation happened practically flawlessly and I like the "new" features (loudspeakers working, screen brightness settable with F-buttons, etc.) I could not find many settings in KDE that makes the life hard.

1./ I can not set different screen wallpapers to the different Desktops. When I change wallpaper on one Desktop it changes for all. Neither the Configure/Desktop/Multiple Desktops screen, nor the Desktop Settings/Wallpaper allows this. With the old KDE this was easy.

2./ I can not move items along the Panel. In addition they often screw up. The "Menu" button becomes 5cm wide, the Clipboard tools suddenly appear in the Panel center. The "Panel Settings" panel does not help here. It was so easy in the old KDE, one click on the right mouse button... Why this possibility disappeared?

3./ I could not figure out how to place menu items into the Panel. Neither the "Panel Settings" nor the Menu Editor allows this. The Panel Options/Add Widget window show many widgets but no applications.

Interestingly when I restart the Session some of the screwed up Panel features will get repaired.

KDE was always a well configurable and easy to individualize system. The new version seems to me less user friendly than the old one was.

1 isn't implemented yet.

2. Use panel settings, hover the pointer over what you want to move, when you get the cross-hairs drag it to wherever you want. It works fine in Suse, Kubuntu, and Arch at least. Since your panel-applets seems to move on their own accord I would suspect that either your installation is wonky somehow or Mandriva's kde4 packages are buggy.
3. Use the kmenu to locate whatever program you want an icon for (when the widgets are unlocked). Right-click on it and choose "Add to panel".

Thank you for you response.

Kryten2X4B wrote:1 isn't implemented yet.

This is a pity. I use 4 desktops at home and 8 desktops on my workplace PC. IMO the multi-desktop feature is one of the biggest advantage of Linux. The easiest way to know for first sight which desktop you are using are the different wallpapers. The light - less light grey coloring on the panel-row is not really eye-catching.

2. Use panel settings, hover the pointer over what you want to move, when you get the cross-hairs drag it to wherever you want. It works fine in Suse, Kubuntu, and Arch at least. Since your panel-applets seems to move on their own accord I would suspect that either your installation is wonky somehow or Mandriva's kde4 packages are buggy.

Might be. No crosshair appears. I do not like this extra "Panel Settings" panel neither: When the pointer leaves it for a short moment, it disappears immediately and you have to start clicking again.

3. Use the kmenu to locate whatever program you want an icon for (when the widgets are unlocked). Right-click on it and choose "Add to panel".

Thanks, this works.

BTW the extra-wide "Menu" button appears only in "Classic menu style. In "Kickoff menu style" the button size is OK, but the panel items remain puzzled around.[hr]
Well, after some trials I found the reason for the non working crosshair. I use the desktop in "focus strictly under mouse" mode. In this mode there are no crosshairs. When changing to "click to focus" mode the crosshair appears.

Not very straightforward, though.

in kde-4.1.2 it is better.
the panel settings works fine