Changing screen size on Firefox for Ubuntu

[Rene Thomas]

To all the more knowledgeable Linux users,

Is anyone using a computer with a non-standard monitor size to surf the net?

My laptop is a Hewlett Packard Compaq NC-6220, with a 14.1" screen, which is squatter and closer to square than most PC screens.

Using Ubuntu 14.04 most of the programs I use adjust themselves automatically to the smaller screen width, but Mozilla Firefox doesn't, meaning that on many websites (but not this one, thankfully) I visit I have to keep scrolling left and right to see the screen in its entirety.

This is still so even when I zoom out to make the font smaller - on sites like facebook and gmail there are still buttons and links that are too far to the right for me to access without the continual scrolling.

Does anyone have a method for changing the preferences on Firefox so that it will display websites in a way tailored to a differently shaped monitor?

 

[atanere]

It sounds to me like you may have your monitor set to a wide-screen resolution. Go into your Linux settings for the monitor and see if you can select 1024x768 instead. That should help. That appears to be the maximum resolution available for that model looking at this page:
http://www.pcworld.com/product/1310946/hp-business-notebook-nc6220.html

Cheers!

 

[Rene Thomas]

atanere,

Settings has provided a solution indeed, though the resolution was already set to 1024x768.

A bit of tinkering has allowed me to use the Appearance->Behaviour subsection of settings to switch on the "Auto-hide the Launcher" option.

Now that the launcher bar for the program icons is not permanently stuck to the left-hand edge of the screen, the Firefox window is that crucial bit wider when in full-screen and now the websites appear in their entirety.

I could not have done it without you.

Bless up atanere

 

[atanere]

Glad you found the solution. The whole concept of the Unity launcher being fixed on the side was because so many folks have gone to wide screen monitors, and I get that... it makes sense. But obviously it isn't so sensible on a 4:3 format screen. But at least they provided the auto hide option. I think the "Unity Tweak Tool" will allow you to hide it somewhat more permanently, if you wish.

Cheers!

 

[Rene Thomas]

New problem:

I thought I'd found the solution with the auto-hide option, but today it seems the launcher won't show above any open program windows that are located where it would be on the left side of the screen.

When I switched on the auto-hide,I could swipe the mouse pointer down the left of the screen and the launcher would appear superimposed above any program windows, which was handy when switching between them, especially when using Firefox on full-screen. I haven't changed any settings since then.

Is it likely this is due to a software update?

 

[atanere]

New problem:

I thought I'd found the solution with the auto-hide option, but today it seems the launcher won't show above any open program windows that are located where it would be on the left side of the screen.

When I switched on the auto-hide,I could swipe the mouse pointer down the left of the screen and the launcher would appear superimposed above any program windows, which was handy when switching between them, especially when using Firefox on full-screen. I haven't changed any settings since then.

Is it likely this is due to a software update?

I don't know if a software update would change things like this. But have you tried the "Super Key" (Windows Logo key)? In many distros that will bring up the Menu, although that may be a different menu than the Unity Launcher. Another way to switch between open programs is to use Alt-Tab. Another option that is somewhat more involved would be to dump Ubuntu and give Linux Mint a go instead (or other Ubuntu-based distros). The Unity Launcher is one of the main gripes about Ubuntu, but of course it is an excellent distro for the most part, which is why so many others use it as a base. I used Mint for many years and it is outstanding. I am currently using Linux Lite and it is also extremely capable and Ubuntu-based, and it is easy on hardware requirements. LXLE is another distro with easy hardware requirements and is Ubuntu-based. These other distros would put the "panel" (and launcher icons) at the top or bottom of your screen. There are also other Ubuntu flavors that would do the same: Lubuntu, Xubuntu, or Ubuntu Mate, for example. All of these many variants dump the Unity Launcher.

But switching distros can be a big deal if you aren't used to it, so maybe the other suggestions will help you get over the current hurdle. Ubuntu is definitely a fine distro and I'm sure there is a solution to your problem.

Cheers!

 

[Rene Thomas]

atanere, you appear wise as well as knowledgeable. Switching to Linux Mint would be a bit difficult for me where I am right now, though I do keep thinking back to it, as the man who first recommended Linux to me suggested Mint as the most suitable version for me. I am trying now to upgrade my Ubuntu OS to a more recent release as a halfway step and a minor challenge.

It appears the hitch with the launcher being obscured was a temporary glitch, but your tip about the "Super Key" and the Alt-Tab are great short-cuts I probably should already have known.

Thanks. It seems I have had the help I needed from this thread in abundance.

 

[atanere]

How is your Ubuntu upgrade going? Hopefully it will fix more things than it breaks!

Cheers!

 

[Rene Thomas]

The laptop is stuck between two versions of Linux - tryin to update whatever MySQl is (I only now I was punching above my weight installing it).
It all started when I want to share files between my phone and my laptop
Screen shots to follow

 

[atanere]

Yikes, that doesn't sound good. MySQL is a database application... you may or may not have even needed that on your system, but that doesn't matter now.

I don't know any good advice here. Letting it continue to try is not likely to work... once its hung up, it will probably stay hung up. You will probably have to cancel (if it will) and you may have to just power it down (which is a terrible choice). If the laptop is still responsive, you may can open a terminal and stop the process that is hung... but in the middle of an installation it seems like this will also end badly.

Whatever steps you take next, it may be that the laptop won't boot. I hope you have another means to get on the Internet to get whatever tools and/or advice that you will need to get things working again. If you booted on an Ubuntu live DVD to started this upgrade, you may be able to boot it again and start from scratch. However, if you got a bad ISO file to make the DVD, that could be the source of the trouble... did you check the md5sum on the ISO file?

 

[arochester]

"The laptop is stuck between two versions of Linux"
How did it "stick"? What exactly happened? What did your see?
Presumably you have switched off and switched on again.
Did it boot? What did it boot into?

 

[Rene Thomas]

HI Atanere.
.don't worry, I have more hardware plus the bootable hard drive that I used to install 14.04 and as for the Iso file md5sum, my 14.04 OS was stable, but to update to 15.10 I just used the software Updater app, not the terminal.
I still have the USB drive I booted my original Linux of of so I can use that if I can't get the system to a backup restore point.
I think super-moderator arochester is onto it now, but I will send you a private message soon.

 

[Rene Thomas]

"The laptop is stuck between two versions of Linux"
How did it "stick"? What exactly happened? What did your see?

The upgrade was going through various stages of fetching 15.10 Wily Werewolf components after the GNU Software Updater app offered me the option to install a newer version of Ubuntu.
A progress bar inched across the screen but got stuck for more than an hour when the Software Updater's built-in Terminal window got stuck whilst beefing up that MySql thingy (the "M" from the acrostic LAMP server you helped me with some months ago, dear Arochester.

So good of you to step in, by the way.

If my android-phone allows me to upload the .jpg screenshots (I had to take em with a camera) I will pin them up here,in The order the Terminal would have flashed them up in. That will show you what I saw

I have switched off and switched on again since after I attempted to change users, awith was foolish; the home user couldn't open any programs, so why I thought the guest could I fdon't know . I just wanted to watch a DVD with the missus ! That was when the screen went totally black, flaring black and blacker.

I switched off/on and then ... it booted into the ubuntu startup sequence, but was going through it indefinitely. I managed to press F12 for a Network Service, then a full

Now I have done that-screen & scruffy-looking command prompt came on asking me to login and enter my password.

It took ages to work out my login. I went thru various combinations of "I love Jesus", before I realised it was set to my own name, not that of my saviour!

Now the computer is showing a command line Thu offers me the "sudo" option, advising I check the manual, "man sudo_root". Little point go doing that until I learn how To read Those blessed manuals- they are worse than the instruction manuals for electronic products made go overseas places - - - for which Hi am,of e course complete grateful..

 

[Rene Thomas]

this is hat I scrolled upp to see...

 

[Rene Thomas]

then there was this where (top_of_this_screen = bottom_of_that_screen)

 

[Rene Thomas]

this is my favourite one...

 

[Rene Thomas]

... on the beACH

 

[Rene Thomas]

and then the next thing u kno ...

 

[Rene Thomas]

Clark Rent goes into a phone booth and emerges as...

is it a bash, is it a trash, no, it's
SudoMan !!!

 

[arochester]

Try this

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade