I installed Kubuntu and played with the Plasma-Netbook interface; set an activity to 'Search & Launch' and an edge effect to show all windows. This is totally fantastic, because when I have one window (Konsole) open, the Expose will show two windows of the same size next to each other: one showing the empty 'Search&Launch', one showing the console. When I click on the window with the empty 'Search&Launch', it will zoom in to this empty 'Search&Launch' Desktop (not showing the konsole). This is great because it is a great way to just show the desktop. And when I open more applications, my edge event will again show all applications, and the empty 'Search&Launch'-Desktop in a regular grid, side by side, and in rows, neatly arranged. And all 'iconized' individual applications will be of the same size. Fantastic!

Why do I write? I have no clue how to make it appear like that. I have tried to make the same Kubuntu (11.04) look the same on my other machines, but it doesn't work. On all other machines it just shows an arbitrary layout of all applications 'iconized', where maximized windows are larger than un-maximized windows; and worst of all: the empty 'Search&Launch'-window is not shown as separate window at all.

I hope I could make my intention clear? I am not asking for any new feature, I know it is there because I have it, but I can't seem to set other machines to do the same nice thing.

The reason they are equally sized is probably because all windows are maximized, i.e., they have the same size. Is that correct?

I searched for the option to show the desktop in System Settings but couldn't find it - it's possible that it's hidden in the GUI. One way to enable it could be to manually configure it in the ~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc file (might be .kde instead of .kde4). Look under the [Effect-PresentWindows] section (you can post the whole section from your Plasma-Netbook configuration here if you can't figure it out).

Another solution is to show the desktop when you click on it when Present Windows is active. System Settings -> (Workspace Appearance and Behavior ->) Desktop Effects -> All Effects -> Present Windows -> (Configure button) -> Desktop -> Left button: Show desktop. You might also want to try Layout mode: Regular grid if you want it to appear more regular.

Nope. I didn't do anything, actually. It was my first try on Plasma with netbook interface, I have not fiddled with any file (as far as memory serves me), it was 'just perfect'! - No, not all maximized, as I wrote. But the smaller ones still scaled. Okay, *sometimes* that's crazy, because a pop-up will also be scaled up to some ridiculous size, but that's okay. When going through the sources, one can easily add some code to prevent scaling beyond, let's say, 200%.

Thanks anyway, I can't do much here, that's the notebook at work. I would love to record it (any suggestion?) and put it in YouTube if that helps. One of the beauties of that one is that 'Desktop' is not needed to like right-click in the Windoze panel or any icon or Dashboard. Just mouse over right edge (on that machine) and there it is. Fantastic. I would wish KDE comes like that by default.
I have attached what I *do not* want but what I get here: an arbitrary layout of all 4 open windows, and the extra one just showing the desktop as such missing. I'll post a *nice* one on Monday when I'm back at work!

Uwe

Ooope, I can't seem to attach anything here. If I was not clear, just ask, please.

Plasma Netbook comes with some configurations that are not possible to configure in the GUI, such as hiding the window border for maximized windows. However, you can still get that with the regular Plasma Desktop by changing the configuration file, which is why I wrote about it.

Have you tried the Regular grid?

Yep. The regular grid is much more useful. I guess it is not default, though?
The desktop as additional window doesn't show up, yet. I suggest we wait until next week, and then I'll check the configuration file that you indicated for traces on how it does. Plus, I'll install some screen recording and upload it. For its pure beauty and usability.
By the way, when I middle-click on that other install that I will have access to only on Monday, I can change the desktop background that is lying behind the presented windows. That doesn't work either on my other systems that I am keen to convert to the same system.

I have played through the last few hours, and amazingly enough, with System Settings->Workspace Appearance and Behaviour->Window Behaviour->Task Switcher it is possible to set the desktop to be one of the applications. At least, this shows what I intend to have. Then I hoped to get the Desktop as well with the 'Exposé'; but alas no.
I do come close by adding a mouse-over-edge for bottom, so that I can escape from any window to Desktop with an edge event. Still, Desktop as application in Exposé is somewhat more elegant; and the chance to use a totally different desktop background for Exposé is also great (like black, a gradient, just another wallpaper).
I am almost tempted to drive 20 km to my office to find out what the differences between those two conf-files are. If, and that remains with a question mark, it is contained therein. And how it came into there.

udippel wrote:And how it came into there.

That's easy - it's configured that way by default.

Have you tried the other option I mentioned (System Settings -> (Workspace Appearance and Behavior ->) Desktop Effects -> All Effects -> Present Windows -> (Configure button) -> Desktop -> Left button: Show desktop). This lets you switch to the desktop by clicking on it (i.e., outside the windows) when you use Present Windows (Expose).

Yes, I had. It does work, though it is not exactly what I like. As I wrote, I prefer the 'Desktop is an application' like what the switchers do. Plus, I am yet to find how that box (machine) allows to change the wallpaper/background of the Exposé with a middle click.

Hans wrote:The reason they are equally sized is probably because all windows are maximized, i.e., they have the same size. Is that correct?

I searched for the option to show the desktop in System Settings but couldn't find it - it's possible that it's hidden in the GUI. One way to enable it could be to manually configure it in the ~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc file (might be .kde instead of .kde4). Look under the [Effect-PresentWindows] section (you can post the whole section from your Plasma-Netbook configuration here if you can't figure it out).

Here is the
[Effect-PresentWindows]
Accuracy=1
AllowClosingWindows=true
BorderActivate=9
BorderActivateAll=2
DrawWindowCaptions=true
DrawWindowIcons=true
FillGaps=true
IgnoreMinimized=false
LayoutMode=1
LeftButtonDesktop=2
LeftButtonWindow=1
MiddleButtonDesktop=3
MiddleButtonWindow=0
RightButtonDesktop=0
RightButtonWindow=2
ShowPanel=false
TabBox=false
TabBoxAlternative=false
, though I don't think it will help a lot.

Okay, we are getting closer (or further away). I have tried to set up my other desktop at work to do like the machine that I love so much, and where I did so little.

Firstly, that background that I can change the wallpaper for and serves as backdrop to the 'present' applet, is actually a 'x-nautilus-desktop'. So what I see are the applications, a Plasma Desktop and that nautilus-x-desktop. No idea where and when this starts, actually. On the other machine, that backdrop is black, and when I do a 'Desktop' as edge effect, I get a totally back screen with only the KDE-cursor visible.

However, I found out how to get the 'Search&Launch' as item on the 'present':
Through System Settings->Workspace Appearance and Behavior->Workspace Behaviour->Workspace->Workspace Type->Netbook.
Maybe this was selected when I installed it?

In any case, I have uploaded a clip showing what I am currently getting with KDE out of the box, and what I am asking: How does one configure all this, since it is totally satisfying (to me, at least), but does not seem to be reproducible easily.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dOCA5o_Swg

I can confirm on yet another machine, that the setting 'Netbook' in the Workspace Type creates the Desktop as application, while the setting 'Desktop' does not do so. That's quite okay, though I'd prefer to have the Desktop as application even when the appearance is set to 'Desktop' in the Workspace Type.
I can also confirm that the setting 'Netbook' creates a black desktop (backdrop) for the effect 'present', which leaves the screen just blank aside from the cursor.
I guess this a bug - I have yet to find out where this x-nautilus came from to serve as backdrop on that one single (nice) machine only? According to the process tree, it is started by kdeinit4 (1786 ? Sl 0:02 nautilus --sm-client-id 10d6d2756c000131667085600000016960025 --sm-client-state-file /home/udippel/.config/session-state/nautilus-1317983470.desktop). It can't have to make with the existence of Gnome, since Gnome is installed on all my machines.

Another shortcoming of the 'Netbook'-setting is that there are no spacers available for the panel, so my (few) widgets are horribly stretched horizontally.

Also, in the 'nice' one, the Desktop application ('Search&Launch') has the top panel always visible, while the other application windows allow an auto-hide. That makes a lot of sense, once one has got used to do all the starting and stopping on the 'Search&Launch'-Desktop application, since it offers the panel and its settings immediately, while checking the time, CPU-usage, etc. needs a mouse event on all other application windows.

Another bug, on all my machines: When one clicks the middle mouse button on the Desktop ('Search&Launch'), a yellow field is is created in the center of the bottom, containing the items copied most recently. I have yet to find out how to remove this yellow rectangle.

I really would want to help to make this KDE desktop a great piece of software, so if more screenshots/clips or further information is required, don't hesitate to contact me.