Linux Mint Mate: list of questions

I don't believe the specific distro is that important (correct me if I am wrong)
After spending days searching for answers and trying to figure out solutions myself, I gave up (before I loose any more of my hair).
Below are a list of questions of problems, issues, quirks etc. Please do NOT 'Quote' the entire post when responding (it makes things simpler).

1. Opened programs do not have tabs/icons in the bottom panel (Task Bar). How can you switch focus between multiple open programs if there aren't any showing in the bottom 'Panel'? If you minimize them, how can you restore them back?

2. Disable authenticate every time you open certain 'tools'.

3. Device Manager equivalent that shows ALL devices, not just certain ones (the video card). If you want to update/change a specific device, how can you do it?

4. Remember resizing printer properties (especially when the list doesn't fit even with it extended).

5. Hack to disable the 'Shift' key.

6. Remove the 'Home' folder and any 'mounted' drives/partitions that you don't want there (without actually unmounting them).

7. 'Name' column resized smaller so that all the columns don't occupy the entire windows width to give a empty space to click on if the folder list is longer than the window can show?

8. No 'Trash' icon shown on desktop (need for quicker access).

9. Modify the date column shown in File Manager to remove the unnecessary day (not date) & time zone.

Thanks in advance!

videobruce said:

I don't believe the specific distro is that important (correct me if I am wrong)
After spending days searching for answers and trying to figure out solutions myself, I gave up (before I loose any more of my hair).
Below are a list of questions of problems, issues, quirks etc. Please do NOT 'Quote' the entire post when responding (it makes things simpler).

1. Opened programs do not have tabs/icons in the bottom panel (Task Bar). How can you switch focus between multiple open programs if there aren't any showing in the bottom 'Panel'? If you minimize them, how can you restore them back?

Click to expand...

Alt-tab should work in a pinch. However there should be a way to add the window list to the tray. I have an Ubuntu Mate 16.04 Beta install and it has a Window List at the bottom panel. Have you tried right clicking on the panel to see what options are available

2. Disable authenticate every time you open certain 'tools'.

Click to expand...

This is to vague. In general you may be able to configure Polkit, but I have never fooled with this myself

3. Device Manager equivalent that shows ALL devices, not just certain ones (the video card). If you want to update/change a specific device, how can you do it?

Click to expand...

The device manager is meant for anything that doesn't have drivers supplied by the kernel and/or open source drivers. Printers may or may not show up here. What type of thing are you looking to change? What is it that you need to interact with

4. Remember resizing printer properties (especially when the list doesn't fit even with it extended).

Click to expand...

I got nada for this...

5. Hack to disable the 'Shift' key.

Click to expand...

What does this mean? You dont want to be able to hold shift to capitalize letters?

6. Remove the 'Home' folder and any 'mounted' drives/partitions that you don't want there (without actually unmounting them).

Click to expand...

I assume you mean from on the desktop? Mate Tweak is your friend here

7. 'Name' column resized smaller so that all the columns don't occupy the entire windows width to give a empty space to click on if the folder list is longer than the window can show?

Click to expand...

Not sure, I haven't had this problem

8. No 'Trash' icon shown on desktop (need for quicker access).

Click to expand...

Again I think this is done with Mate Tweak, though not 100% sure on this

9. Modify the date column shown in File Manager to remove the unnecessary day (not date) & time zone.

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

Can't you do this from the file browser itself? (Edit -> Preferences -> columns)

Sorry I don't have a Mint Mate desktop handy, but the above applies to Ubuntu Mate 16.04

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You can easily get trash and network icons on the desktop by going into your desktop settings. Mint Linux has a very good user forum and I bet you could get these questions answered quickly there.

1. Apparently 'Windows List' is missing. The top 'panel' was moved to the bottom.

2. The 'tools' are all of these Software, Package & especially Driver Managers.

3. I want to see all the 'devices' just like it is in Windows 'Device Manager'. Not rocket science here, why wouldn't this be easilely available in a GUI???

videobruce said:

2. The 'tools' are all of these Software, Package & especially Driver Managers.

Click to expand...

This is a very bad idea, I am sure there is some way to let you run your system in an insecure manner, but I am not aware of any. It probably involves editing polkit files. I imagine you could find some tutorials on how to do this for say the software center. This may be a question better asked at the mint forums because it gets into the weeds of how their individual tools interact with polkit

Re OP questions:

1. Apparently the 'Window List' is missing. The top panel was moved to the bottom if that has anything to do with the problem.

2. This has to do with these Package, Software & Driver Managers. I see NO need to use a password to add or remove programs or drivers. Never had to do it in the past 17 years, I'm not about to start now.

3. I want a list of installed devices no matter how they got there or where they came from. Not rocket science and this should be available, no reason what it shouldn't!

5. It should read "Caps Lock", not the shift key.

videobruce said:

2. This has to do with these Package, Software & Driver Managers. I see NO need to use a password to add or remove programs or drivers.

Click to expand...

This is the main reason why Windows has so many problems with malware and viruses. Without a password, I just have to look the wrong way at your box to compromise it. As I said there are a plurality of ways to allow you to operate a computer poorly.

You could remove the password requirement for sudo for example, though I don't know if this would affect the UI programs (again not super familiar with polkit)

This is the main reason why Windows has so many problems with malware and viruses.

Click to expand...

You should of added "for the typical user".
I haven't had an 'attack' in years (knock on wood). And I don't even use a firewall or have an active virus scanner running. Note I said active, that doesn't mean I don't have one. Actually I have two, one on each bootable HDD with it's associated O/S (both W7 for now).

Isn't 'sudo' just for using 'Terminal'??

videobruce said:

Isn't 'sudo' just for using 'Terminal'??

Click to expand...

gksudo used for graphical sudoing. Like I said, most likely you need to investigate polkit, most UI's have moved away from gksudo in favour of polkit