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I am aware of issues with voice commands update through reading these forums and my own experience. After the voice command update I too lost some icons in the easy mode and lost ability to start Firefox with a voice command. So, I decided to restore my eee to the factory default by doing a reset while pressing the F9 key. After that I got my icons back as well as ability to start Firefox with my voice.
Aware of this I updated the Touchpad only. Sure enough, eBook and Wikipedia icons were gone again, while Google Docs icon changed its appearance. With a growing suspicion I did another default factory restore. Original icons were back. I then went online and clicked on Settings->Add/Remove Software. After the update check I closed Add/Remove Software application without installing or updating anything. After the eee reset the previously mentioned icons were missing/changed again.
File /opt/xandros/share/AsusLauncher/simpleui.rc changed from the original in size on each occasion. Original size is 28.21KB, with a modified date Fri Oct 19 2007 22:57:30. Changed file has the size of 65.58KB, with modified date Thu Jan 03 2008 15:10:59.
Can someone confirm this? Thanks.
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Yes, it is normal, so if you want your simpleui.rc, back it up.
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Let me rephrase the question.
Is it OK for Asus to remove icons from my desktop when I visit their update site for the first time, despite not installing or updating anything? I simply clicked on 'Add/Remove Software' icon, browsed through updates and closed the update application. I did not click on any 'update' or 'install' button. After a reboot a couple of icons were missing, without any warning. In my books that's a configuration change. What else has been changed on my eee?
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I read in some other threads here that people is putting their custom simpleui.rc in /home/user/.AsusLauncher/. Seems that this will survive Add/Remove Software updates. Haven't tested it though because I am using the icewm start menu.
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It's more that Asus's programmers didn't check their work closely enough, they didn't do it intentionally. It would seem that simpleui.rc gets updated automatically when you run the add/remove program. See these two threads:
http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=2180
http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=6520
Last edited by Hazor (2008-01-04 1:14:36 pm)
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I've had some broken updates on my other Linux computers which caused problems before. But, with the eee I did not update or install any package. I merely just browsed through available updates. After a reboot some icons were missing from my desktop. When I use Synaptic on my other Linux box to view available packages only, without any installing or updating, my system configuration does not get changed. I expect the same behavior from Asus updating tool. Let's say a user visits an online newspaper and reads an article. After a reboot there are some icons missing from the desktop. The user would think there is a virus on the computer because it is not expected behavior.
What I am saying is that by just visiting Asus official update site without actually updating or installing anything my eee configuration got changed. Missing icons are obvious. What else got changed behind my back? Did I have a Microsoft-style 'update'? I am not comfortable with Asus or anyone else changing my system without me actually clicking on update or install buttons.
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What I am saying is that by just visiting Asus official update site without actually updating or installing anything my eee configuration got changed. Missing icons are obvious. What else got changed behind my back? Did I have a Microsoft-style 'update'? I am not comfortable with Asus or anyone else changing my system without me actually clicking on update or install buttons.
I'd be amazed if this was the case, but, there we go...
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Just a question, but it's not the result of an improperly implemented Full Desktop Mode, is it? Are you using Easy or Advanced mode?
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useeer wrote:
I've had some broken updates on my other Linux computers which caused problems before. But, with the eee I did not update or install any package. I merely just browsed through available updates. After a reboot some icons were missing from my desktop. When I use Synaptic on my other Linux box to view available packages only, without any installing or updating, my system configuration does not get changed. I expect the same behavior from Asus updating tool. Let's say a user visits an online newspaper and reads an article. After a reboot there are some icons missing from the desktop. The user would think there is a virus on the computer because it is not expected behavior.
It's not that Asus was doing things without your permission, it just automatically updates some things when you run the program(simpleui.rc is all that I know of). If a part of the less knowledgeable user base saw an update for something called "simpleui.rc," they'd have no idea what it was and be unsure of what to do with it, thus ignore it and possibly not receive an update which could be important. Hence the file is updated automatically.
It's not that Asus was removing icons just 'cause they felt like doing it without your permission, it was simply a programming error, the icons point to invalid/nonexistent files, as you'll read in the threads I linked above.
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I can confirm the same action by update/install utility.
I like my easy desktop, favorites first tab with photo backgrounds and icons redistributed. I was most annoyed the other morning when I booted and the original simpleui.rc had appeared, the other night I had simply looked at available asus updates but exited without doing anything. For asus to make changes when I have not asked for them seems most wrong.
HC
Last edited by HowardC (2008-01-06 10:57:00 am)
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@HowardC
Do you keep your simpleui.rc in the default folder or do you use one in your user folder?
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Hi Neil,
its at:
/opt/xandros/share/AsusLauncher/simpleui.rc
Should it be somewhere else?
HC
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Before I started editing mine, I copied it to /home/user/.AsusLauncher/simpleui.rc, largely out of nervousness about wrecking something. Because this is in my user file, it seems to be the one that the eee uses.
This means that the original at /opt/xandros/share/AsusLauncher/simpleui.rc, stays largely unaffected by any changes I make but, equally, mine seems to be unaffected by anything Asus does.
I also (on a rather irregular basis) make a copy of my currently working version to /home/user/.AsusLauncher/simpleui.rc.bak
I also think it is easier to back up stuff that is in the user folder and I have set up SyncToy on one of my windows PCs to back that up. I would like to follow one of the sets of instructions on how to back up the full 4GB sometime though.
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Ok,
I've now put a copy in the usr folder. As you say I hope this will keep ASUS from messing in future. Fortunately I did have a backup.old to restore last time.
Re doing a full backup of the 4Gb, I have :
1. removed unionfs
2. created a 2Gb FaunOS USB boot stick
3. using the instuctions in the wiki :
dd if=/dev/sda1 bs=1M > /media/VAULT/eee-backup/backup1
VAULT is my 400GB USB drive. I now have 5 images on it. I've not had to do a restore yet but hope it should work if ever needed!
HC
Last edited by HowardC (2008-01-06 10:26:53 am)
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Picotrain wrote:
Just a question, but it's not the result of an improperly implemented Full Desktop Mode, is it? Are you using Easy or Advanced mode?
No, I never attempted the full desktop mode. In all instances I was using the easy mode.
Hazor wrote:
It's not that Asus was removing icons just 'cause they felt like doing it without your permission, it was simply a programming error, the icons point to invalid/nonexistent files, as you'll read in the threads I linked above.
When visiting Asus official update for a look at available packages (without doing anything else), I expect the only thing to be changed on my eee to be a file listing available updates. Nothing else. When I was connected to Asus via their update utility they either changed my simpleui.rc file or downloaded a modified one onto my eee. The problem is not that the modified simpleui.rc file had some broken links, but my original simpleui.rc file should not have been changed without my permission in the first place. A simple lookup of available packages is not supposed to affect my system's behavior in any way. Of course, I can 'hide' simpleui.rc, but Asus then can change their 'update' script to look for it in other places than default one and change it again. The bottom line is the only changes that should be made on my eee by the Asus update site are the ones I requested.
HowardC wrote:
I can confirm the same action by update/install utility.
Thank you, HC.
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Niel1952 wrote:
Before I started editing mine, I copied it to /home/user/.AsusLauncher/simpleui.rc, largely out of nervousness about wrecking something. Because this is in my user file, it seems to be the one that the eee uses.
This means that the original at /opt/xandros/share/AsusLauncher/simpleui.rc, stays largely unaffected by any changes I make but, equally, mine seems to be unaffected by anything Asus does.
I also (on a rather irregular basis) make a copy of my currently working version to /home/user/.AsusLauncher/simpleui.rc.bak
I also think it is easier to back up stuff that is in the user folder and I have set up SyncToy on one of my windows PCs to back that up. I would like to follow one of the sets of instructions on how to back up the full 4GB sometime though.
The problem with this approach Niel is that if/when an update that adds new functionality/programs comes along your old version of the simpleui.rc file that seems to be taking precedence over the new one won't necessarily recognise those changes.
The only REAL solution is for ASUS to fix the problem, by spending a couple of minutes cutting and pasting the correct links into the new file - surely we aren't asking for much expecting them to fix something so simple - they have had weeks to do it
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i do all To fix it go into console and type:
sudo apt-get install eeepc-updatepack-20071126
or go into the synaptic package manager and installl eeepc-updatepack-20071126, it should be listed under the not installed items , but firefox stay freezed in my last home page - all my eee works nice but my broswer crashed totaly - pls help
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madona1440 wrote:
i do all To fix it go into console and type:
sudo apt-get install eeepc-updatepack-20071126
or go into the synaptic package manager and installl eeepc-updatepack-20071126, it should be listed under the not installed items , but firefox stay freezed in my last home page - all my eee works nice but my broswer crashed totaly - pls help
Have a look at this and this thread. You may find some help there, assuming by browser you mean Firefox.
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