Versione italiana: Eee PC: cambiare il tema e la barra del titolo
The default desktop environment of the Asus Eee PC, the Easy Mode (a personalized version of IceWM), comes with a title bar too fat for the low vertical resolution of the Eee PC (480 pixel). Don’t worry: you can save more vertical space changing theme to IceWM!

Let’s take a look at the final result:

Eee PC’s IceWM with the “Yak” theme
(zoom)

As you can see from the following comparison between the default theme and another thin theme (Crux-Teal), you can gain 10 pixel of vertical space (but there are themes even thinner):

Changing Eee PC’s Theme

Create IceWM configuration files for the current user

Open the terminal (CTRL+ALT+T) and type the following command:

cp -r /etc/X11/icewm/ ~/.icewm

This way, you’ll have a copy of IceWM configuration in your home directory: IceWM will read your settings, instead the system ones. ). A little footnote: you can paste commands on the Eee PC’s terminal simply pressing CTRL+Ins.

Additional IceWM themes (optional)

You can install more IceWM themes adding additional repositories. This step isn’t necessary; however, you’ll find more minimal themes. Be careful: it’s dangerous.

Enable additional Eee PC repositories

If you haven’t done it yet, you have to extend your software repositories. Read (carefully) the tutorial Adding additional software repositories. If you want to do this, it’s at your own risk!

IceWM themes’ package installation

Now, open the terminal (CTRL+ALT+T) and type:

sudo apt-get install icewm-themes

Show Start Menu in Eee PC Easy Mode

You can change IceWM’s theme with the start menu, which is hidden, by So, you have to enable it. At the end, you can always hide it, if you want so.

This are the steps you have to follow, as “Working with the IceWM Windows Manager“ says.

Type, from the terminal:

kate ~/.icewm/preferences

The Kate text editor will open; search the string

TaskBarShowStartMenu

and change its value from 0 to 1, this way:

# Show ‘Start’ menu on task bar
# TaskBarShowStartMenu=1 # 0/1
TaskBarShowStartMenu=1

Restart IceWM without closing opened programs

To apply the changes, you have to restart IceWM. You can do it without closing anything, simply typing, at the terminal:

killall -s SIGHUP icewm

Changing theme

To change the theme, go to Start Menu > Settings > Themes, and choose your preferred skin.

They are too many, right? I prefer the Yak theme, and a few others. Here they are:

• yamm
• unusualscars
• small (not too good, but it’s thin)
• paranoia
• metal-small
• mozmodern
• K-ath-Leen
• jim-mac
• IceGnome2
• FrostyG (the start button is a bit too large, but you can deactivate it)
• ElbergBlue
• Dusk
• Crux-Teal
• BlueCrux
• BlueHeart
• Aalglatt
• Anon

Deactivate Eee PC Start menu (opzionale)

As you can see, the start menu is a bit too empty; you can add more useful menu items, however, reading “Setting Up a More Useful Start Menu“.

Otherwise you can remove it. Repeat the previous steps, restoring the 0 (zero).

Remove icons from taskbar

As you can see, the SOS, Eee PC Tips and Shutdown buttons are too large, leaving a little space for task buttons.

You can remove them changing, again, the IceWM configuration file. Open the terminal and type:

kate ~/.icewm/toolbar2

Comment out lines number 4, 5 and 6, putting a # at the beginning of every line. You can always execute the task manager pressing CTRL+ALT+CANC, and you can halt the Eee PC pressing its power button.

Here’s another image, with a minimal Firefox GUI::

(zoom image)

Removing the “show desktop” button

Since you can hide all open windows pressing the “meta” keyword button (the one with the home icon), you can save another pixels removing the taskbar button. Open terminal and type:

kate ~/.icewm/preferences

Find TaskBarShowShowDesktopButton, remove the # character at the beginning of the line, and set its value to 0 (zero). Restart IceWM to apply the changes. Finally, the task bar has more space for the task buttons.

Hide the task bar automatically

You can save additional vertical space showing the task bar only at mouseovers. Type, from terminal:

kate ~/.icewm/preferences

Search TaskBarAutoHide, remove the # at the beginning of the line and set its value to 1. As always, restart IceWM to apply the changes.

Appendix: change themes without using start menu

To change Eee PC’s theme without the start menu, type, from terminal:

kate ~/.icewm/theme

Now you have to know the exact theme’s name. For example, if you want to use FrostyG, insert

Theme="FrostyG/default.theme"

Save and close the editor. As always, restart IceWM to apply the changes! Here is a screenshot of the FrostyG theme:

Zoom image

• Reducing Eee PC’s task bar height in Easy Mode