i should be working (but i'm fixing my computer).

I hope I have finally got it now.

Which of course, not, since I will want something different by tomorrow.

I was nervous about putting the Kubuntu version on my Toshiba A15 (PIII at 2.1 gz/750 mb ram), because I thought it might cause the system to run hotter. Not good when the computer is "always on" -- and I've already replaced the fan once.

Actually, I have a pretty nice install running opensuse 11.1 beta5 with kde 4.2(devel). It does everything I want -- except for the constant, sustained spiking of the cpu at 100%. (It's about 1/2 min. on, 1/2 min. off or so.)

And, since I have a fair amount of greater flexibility in the OpSu install over the Kubuntu one (which installs the KDE4 desktop only, I decided to stay there.

I actually was having pretty good success with Gnome -- then the evil happened. It started spiking the cpu while xscreensaver was running.

I found a script that would change the background to random image files, so I thought I had a solution that met all the functionality I wanted for this music server, as mentioned in prior posts. That is, until the cpu spiking hit. Whaaa happened???

The plan was to have cron change the background image every so often.

However, cron does not seem to be working. Oddly, it will change the image at boot, but then not when scheduled. So, I gave up and put an icon on the panel. At least I can randomly change the image manually.

But, just about the time I got all that done, I discovered the cpu spiking problem while the screensaver was running. I'm pretty certain this wasn't happening before, I don't know what changed.

So, then I adapted the background changing script for IceWM. This took some sleuthing. First, I copied the "preferences from /etc/icewm to ~/.icewm. Then I edited the "default background image" (just search for "image" until you find the entry that sets it). I changed it from the default background image location, which is in /usr somewhere, to a directory and image I created for this purpose. EG., /home/basd/bin/test.jpg. Then, I put all my image files in a location for easy access, eg. ~/Pictures.

I now run a script that will randomly copy an image file to /home/basd/bin/test.jpg and restart icewm with this command: "icewmbg -r". Works great (and it's the first time I've actually implemented images on an IceWM desktop).

Well, the first go-round on my script met a tiny disaster. I put the old and new files in the wrong order in the cp command, so I copied the CURRENT background image over random OTHER images. Naturally, I ran the script a few times before I realized what I was doing.

In any event, with everything working, I set up an IceWM desktop that is also running kde 3.5 kicker and gnome-panel. (I would put cairo-dock on it, but the OpenSuse beta does not have the necessary dependencies at the moment. Also, I probably don't need the gnome-panel -- it just gives me additional menus/options.)

I'm running xdaliclock to have a digital clock on the desktop and xscreensaver (running xdaliclock) so that I have a clock on the screen when the screen save facility kicks in. (I would just leave the main screen up, but I don't want to risk "burn-in" on the monitor.) Then after a while the screen shuts off altogether.

The various desktop power managers are not accomplishing this, but xscreensaver has a power-management interface too, and it works fine.

I can leave songbird open and running -- which I put on a second desktop for easy access. That way, I can use the pager to switch between a full screen songbird and the nice photo gallery/clock.

When I have no music playing, everything idles at about 1 to 4% cpu usage. (Naturally, with songbird actually playing music, the cpu usage goes up, to around 40-50% usage.)

I am temporarily a happy camper.

(If I get some time, I'll share the scripts I mentioned above here. They are very simple two line bash scripts.)

Thank you for listening and have a pleasant tomorrow.