Latest Version (0.4.1)

[Update Oct 1, 2008] If you found this application useful then please donate. I would like to develop a TweakEEE application for the eeepc 901/1000H (atom based) linux versions, so by donating you could help me save enough for an eeepc 901/1000H. (Donate button on the right Navigation bar)[End Update]

Old Release

**WARNING (versions less than 0.2.3)** Don’t use the Change Computer Name: feature of the program. A member reported that it might be the culprit that causes a minor error about DCOP to popup. All other functionality should be fine. I will look into this and attempt to fix it when I get home.

Welcome to the first official release of TweakEEE. Tweak EEE is only meant for asus eeepc default Xandros in easy mode, at the moment. Some of the features can be used in advanced mode but some (I’d say about half) of it’s features won’t do anything ( they will probably work but you won’t notice a difference, because IceWM configuration doesn’t affect advanced mode ). I was inspired to start this project primarily from this forum post. Automating the setup time after a factory reset is very handy, as well as offering easy customization to everybody is the main goal of this software. After writing my two guides for the eeepc setup, I realized that a large portion of these tasks could be automated making the margin of error very small. One thing I wanted to shy away from was making a command line shell script to perform these setup configuration steps. Shell scripts are okay, but GUI simplicity is what the eeepc is all about.
A Thanks goes out to eeeuser community. If it weren’t for them this program would have never been made. Also a special thanks goes out to SublimePorte of eeeuser community. I asked him a variety of questions about installers, deb packages, and some shell scripting stuff as well. Another Thanks to Zinni from ZinniDesigns, who created a nice looking Theme package which is used in the program (beta version 0.2+).

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

If you are one of those impatient people who want to try now, and read later, then here is the download.

Download TweakEEE 0.1 Beta

Source

Installation Instructions

First Method:

• Download the deb file to My Documents, or wherever your default download directory goes.
• Once downloaded, open up File Manager ( Work tab, File Manager )
• Then go into My Documents Folder, and you should see the deb file. Right click the file and near the bottom of the popup options you should see ‘Install Deb….’ Choose that option, and it should prompt you for an administrator password.
• Enter the administrator password and then it will install. During this time just be patient, a window will popup saying you need to restart. Just click ok, and CONTINUE WAITING. A Second window will eventually popup saying it has completed. Now you can reboot.
• To run the program, you can either type in a terminal tweakeee or in the Settings tab there should be an icon for TweakEEE

Second Method

• Open a terminal (Ctrl + alt + t)
• Enter the command wget http://www.infinitedesigns.org/eeepc/tweakeee_0.1-0.i386.deb
• Next enter the command chmod +x tweakeee_0.1-0.i386.deb
• Finally Enter this command to start the installation sudo dpkg -i tweakeee_0.1-0.i386.deb
• To run the program, you can either type in a terminal tweakeee or in the Settings tab there should be an icon for TweakEEE

Enjoy!

Screenshots

Requirements:

EEEPC with Xandros, and PyGTK (GUI Python). The eeepc should come with Python GTK installed by default but if it doesn’t, the official asus repos has it, so you can install it aptitude.

Current Features:

• Full GUI Interface, using Python GTK
• Easily Customize IceWM Interface
• Easily Switch IceWM Themes (Theme selection)
• Backup of crucial files made upon initial startup, as well as incremental backups optional
• Ability to open crucial files for editing without opening a terminal
• Fairly detailed status window and history (I try to have it show as much progress and messages for bug handling, cause I’m sure there will be bugs)
• Behind the scenes stdout/stderr file logging for every command ran by the program (Can’t be turned off at the moment, but I will add this feature)
• Taskbar Icon Removal (SOS, EEEPC Tips, etc…)
• Add/Remove SCIM
• Change Shift Key (Remapping keyboard upon startup)
• Restart Asus Launcher GUI and Restart X with an easy click of the button.
• Enable Screensaver LCD Backlight power off (Power Management, no option to remove it, because it wouldn’t make sense to).

Okay so I wanted to get a reasonable amount of features implemented before I released the 0.1 Beta version, and as you can see I think I accomplished this goal. However there are still many things I am planning, and I would definitely like some feedback, and help in a few areas.

Planned Features:

• Turn Camera On/Off
• Input String Checking. This would be for the Workspace Shortcuts. For the time being please don’t input crazy strings like =”"=”CTRL+”=1″+”"==. I don’t check for wierd character input at the moment, so please just input normal keyboard combinations.
• Easy Mode Mouse Pointer
• Install extra repos. I however am thinking about having the ability to select what repositories to add. So there would be the most common ones in the list.
• An actual .CFG file which stores a list of the settings that have been implemented, allowing for the correct status to be shown (If you check the box to Show Start Menu, and apply. It works. However when you restart the program the checkbox shows to be unchecked, this is because it doesn’t remember what it has set, and I don’t check.)
• A feature to open/view current history files and error log files
• Date and time the Operations (done through activeProcessUpdate) in the error log file
• Install Software from repos and insert icon automatically (Common ones known to work without issue like GIMP, VLC, gFTP, supertux, Easy Mode Editor, 3egprs, + other tools)
• Date Format in Taskbar
• Install Mercury Launcher and ability to customize shortcut and program background (Awesome program, deserves its own bullet)
• Add the library libdvdcss (Play commercial DVD’s)
• Downgrade mplayer to the older version which plays more file formats (ie. h264)
• Add more IceWM configuration settings upon request
• Ability to add your own scripts to launch at startup
• Ability to add your own scripts to launch upon network connection
• Launch a Super User File Manager (This is easy, I just thought of it too late)
• Update Start Menu with a config file from eeeuser wiki which adds all the relevant programs (Easy to add as well, I just forgot.)
• Add the Zinni Designs Asuslauncher Background. (Again, fairly easy to do)

The list above are features that I plan to implement and I’m nearly 100% sure that I’m capable (and pygtk is too). It isn’t set in stone however if it is on that list, it is most likely you will see those features in future versions.

Potential Features:

(I have to research these to see if I can incorporate them without too much difficulty)

• Download progress bar for the theme downloads (I had already attempted but failed)
• Ability to change other Default applications (default text reader, etc)
• Perhaps.. an Advanced mode feature with customization for it’s settings and appearance (Would be after the easy mode version is well established and working)
• Enable Full Desktop (Still under contemplation)
• Install and Configuration for IceMC (I haven’t had a chance to use it, but if it is a nice as I read it is, then perhaps)
• AsusLauncher Background changer/tabs colors/configuration (Not Icons, Easy Mode Editor does that just fine I’m not planning to compete)
• Theme profiles, based on the incremental backup of configuration files (user could save an incremental backup as a theme profile instead and load their theme setup.)
• Adding Rescue Mode to Grub Bootloader (Have to look at mounting the rescue/factory file system with read/write options, if it is at all possible. This also could be risky.)
• Error handling for actual python errors

Where I’d appreciate some help

• Pictures for the Themes. The space I have allotted is 120px wide and 80px high. If a member of the eeeuser community could use my tool and get nice looking screenies, that would be great
• I would like to know if anybody has experience with Glade and “passing custom data with a button handler”. I can elaborate more if you want.
• My first time coding with python, so if I have any sloppy code, or heck if there’s a more efficient way to do something, please let me know.
• Threading the wget download. I had many attempts with little to no success. I just can’t seem to get Live output/feed from a thread and update my GTK gui without it freezing for the remainder of that thread. I’ve searched for help about the freezing of the GTK gui and threading but have had no success.
• This is my first .deb package, so it might be a little sloppy as well
• Please let me know if there’s more IceWM commands you want implemented. There is a whole slew of them listed here as well as other configurations.
• If you have feedback for layout changes, and better way to organize the interface, I’m up for suggestions
• If somebody wants to make a custom icon for tweakeee and I like it then that would be great, otherwise I’ll probably continue using 3g default one.

Known Bugs:

I’ll add stuff here once released and I get feedback