I am fighting to get KDE4 usable, running a default installation of kubuntu 11.10 with the Aya theme, and I can't, for the life of me, get rid of this glow from behind text. The effect shows up in only a few places, and I can't figure out why or when it does show up, thus I cannot determine where I would find the option to disable it.

This seems to be related to theme since the oxygen theme doesn't have this problem. However, all the other installed themes do, as well as Aya.

So, I imagine I have to hack the Aya theme to not put shadows under text. Of course, I have no idea where to start since becoming a theme hacker is not an ambition of mine.

All I want is a simple, consistent, user interface without glass, glow, gradient, shadow, blur, transparency, laser beams, spot lights, smoke machines or disco balls. Why wasn't simple and workable included with KDE4? Shouldn't that have been a priority?

So, point me, like a laser, to the point in the aya theme that I can edit to remove this eye sore. Please!


snapshot1 by coreyfro, on Flickr

This seems to depend on the individual widget.

Folder View (the Home icon): Right click on the widget -> Folder View Settings -> Display -> uncheck "Shadows".
The default Task Manager doesn't appear to have this setting, but it's configurable in e.g. Smooth Tasks.

Where else do you have shadows you want to remove?

Thanks for the quick reply!

That certainly fixed it there. I will get back to you about the other locations.

Hans wrote:This seems to depend on the individual widget.

Folder View (the Home icon): Right click on the widget -> Folder View Settings -> Display -> uncheck "Shadows".
The default Task Manager doesn't appear to have this setting, but it's configurable in e.g. Smooth Tasks.

Where else do you have shadows you want to remove?

Here are two more examples. Not so critical because I use these so infrequently, but this problem is persistant and there is no way to get rid of it except to use the oxygen theme. I haven't found another theme that doesn't cause shadows.


snapshot2 by coreyfro, on Flickr


snapshot3 by coreyfro, on Flickr

No ideas?

Just as well, I'm back to using KDE 3.5.13...or trinity

I think these have to do with your desktop theme. I use Glassified and as far as I see I don't have any shadows.