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User interface

How do I get the desktop panel and menu back when another application has covered them?

You could try closing the other application :) If you don't want to, or can't:

How do I reorganize the desktop icons?

In principle, this isn't supposed to be necessary. There is supposed to be consensus among Linux vendors and developers on how applications are supposed to be categorised, and desktop software is supposed to implement that consensus. Users should see the same application organization on any Linux desktop system they encounter.

When you've finished rolling around laughing...

The Matchbox desktop manager follows the rules, which is why there isn't such a thing as a menu editor or icon organizer. Icon organization is rule-based, and the rules are specified in files in /usr/share/matchbox/vfolders. In this directory are a number of files called xxx.directory, each of which denotes a page on the desktop. For example, Utilities.directory controls the Utilties page. Withing the fileUtilities.directory file is a line 
Match=Utility
The desktop manager search all the application definitions in /usr/share/applications, and each each definition that contains a Category entry containing the word Utility ends up in the Utilties page. Any application that doesn't match the Match= line in any file ends up in the Other page.

So reorganizing the icons consists of creating or editing .directory files. It's best not to work directly on /usr/share/matchbox/vfolders because an update to Matchbox might overwrite the contents of this directory. Instead, copy vfolders to a directory .matchbox/vfolders in the user home directory.

A point to bear in mind is that, although application definitions can specify multiple categories, a particular application icon will only appear in one page in the desktop, and that will be the first one it matches.

Because the application definitions are often not consistently written by developers, it's entirely possible that no amount of fiddling with vfolders will give the results you want. You can edit the application definitions themselves, but bear in mind that installing updates to these applications will overwrite them.

How do I see more than one application window on screen at the same time?

The Matchbox window manager is designed to show only one main window at a time. You can run any number of applications (subject to memory) but normally you can only see one at a time. This is not a defect -- it is designed to work this way. It's actually quite difficult to move and size windows with a stylus, and if you're working with a readable font size it's probably unproductive to windows much less than full-screen anyway.

If this behaviour doesn't suit you, your only recourse is probably to install a different window manager. In practice it works quite well when you get used to it, but it doesn't suit all applications.

How do I change the default font?

There isn't really such a thing as a default font in desktop Linux systems -- different applications will have different ways of deciding what font to use. In practice, many (most?) desktop applications are based on the GTK+ GUI toolkit, so changing the default GTK+ font will often do the trick.

To do this edit the file .gtkrc-2.0 in the user's home directory. This file will already be in place for the default user. If you create new users, you can copy the file over. The relevant section for font configuration looks like this: 
style "font"
{
font_name = "Sans 12"
}
widget_class "*" style "font"
The Matchbox desktop uses its own font configuration, which you can get to from the Look and Feel icon on the Settings page.

Rather irritatingly, many applications use GTK+ for their menus and dialogs, but then ignore the defaults when it comes to drawing their output. The FBReader e-book reader is a good example -- changing the GTK+ font will make the menus and controls bigger, but the actual book text won't be affected. You'll need to use FBReader's own configuration menus to change this.

This font inconsistency is a general problem with Linux desktop system, but it's thrown into sharp relief by the Archos A5 because it has desktop screen resolution, but handheld screen size. It therefore reveals font size problems that would not be apparent to somebody testing on a desktop system.

How do I use an external mouse or keyboard?

An external USB keyboard presents not problems -- just plug it in. A mouse is slightly more troublesome, because for touchscreen operation normally the mouse cursor is hidden. If a USB mouse is connected when you log in, the cursor should automatically be shown. If you need to enable the cursor at other times, use the archos-helper GUI, Display tab, where there are Show Cursor and Hide Cursor buttons.

General administration

How do I start the archos-helper GUI?

Press the power button (quite firmly -- a tap won't do), or tap the Archos Helper icon on the home page of the desktop.

How do I edit files?

  • For the hard-core Linux geeks: start a terminal and use vi
  • Use the text editor application (probably on the Utilities page)
  • For significant changes it's probably easier to copy the file to a host computer, edit it there, and copy it back. This can be done over WiFi (see How do I use Wifi?) or over USB (see How do I use USB to copy files?)

How do I set passwords?

By default Archos-Ångström has one administrative user root, and one unprivileged user user, and neither has a password. It's worth bearing in mind that this does create a potential security problem, particularly if you use WiFi networking. The ssh server will become active as soon as a WiFi connection is made, and any on the same network who knows, or can guess, your IP number will be able to get access to your A5.

To assign a password, get to a command prompt (see How do I get a command prompt?), become root by entering su, and then do

passwd root
and/or 
passwd user
If you want passwords to protect remote access, but still want the convenience of not entering a password to use the unit itself, consider enabling auto-login (see How do I enable auto-login?).

How do I get a command prompt?

If you're really desperate, you can use the terminal application (in the Utilties page on the desktop) and raise the on-screen keyboard. You'll probably need to fiddle with the font sizes for this to be vaguely useful.

For occasional access to the command prompt, if you can get WiFi access, it's much easier to connect to the unit using ssh and do the work there. ssh should be available automatically whenever there is a WiFi connection. All decent Linux distributions have an ssh client. For Windows, PuTTy is a reasonable utility.

If you do have to use the built-in terminal utility, it's worth the effort of finding a USB keyboard to connect to the unit. It should automatically be recognzied and enabled when plugged into a dock.

How do I enable auto-login?

Edit the file /etc/sysconfig/gpelogin (see How do I edit files?). Change 
AUTOLOGIN="false"
...
   USER="root"
to 
AUTOLOGIN="true"
...
   USER="user"
(or whichever user account you want to be logged in). @notebox(It's tempting to use the Login Configuration utility in the Settings page for this, but that only allows auto-login as root. Archos-Ångström is not designed to run user applications as root, and it might not work.)

How do I log a bug?

To report a bug in Archos-Ångström please go to the OpenAOS developer site. Click New Ticket from the menu at the top of the page. Please describe the problem in as much detail as you can. Set the Component field to 'Ångström' to ensure that the right people are aware of it. If you are logging a bug anonymously, please leave contact details so we can ask you for more information if it is necessary.

How do I install Ångström software packages?

It's usually best to use the package manager to retrieve software directly from the repository, over a Wifi network connection (see How do I start a Wifi connection?).

In principle, the 'right' way to do this is to use the package manager GUI application (on the Settings page on the desktop). In practice, using the GUI application is something of an act of faith: many applications take a long time to download and install, and you don't get much visual feedback that anything is happening.
Hint:
If you do use the GUI application, select the Messages tab before you click the Apply button. That way you will at least get some feedback when an operation is in progress.
If you can tolerate using the command line, running the package manager from the command line is much more reliable. Whichever method you use, you'll need to download from the repository a full list of available pacakges. On the package manager, select Update lists from the Packages menu. At the command line: 
# opkg update
Note that you will have to do this as root.

To install a package at the command line: 
# opkg install [name]
For example: 
# opkg install abiword 
# opkg install rsync
To see what packages are available, look at the Ångström feed for armv7a architecture.

Virtual keyboard

How do I change the keyboard layout?

By default the virtual keyboard program xkbd will look for its configuration in /usr/share/xkbd/en_GB.qwerty.xkbd. You can edit this file (see How do I edit files?) to supply a new layout, or create a new keyboard layout (see How do I create a new keyboard layout )

How do I create a new keyboard layout?

The easiest approach is probably to define a new keyboard layout file for the virtual keyboard xkbd, and create a new input method definition that causes xkbd to use the new layout. Keyboard definitions are in /usr/share/xkbd, and it's probably easiest to copy on of these and use it as a template. Input method definitions are in /usr/share/applications/inputmethods. The easiest way to create a new one for an alternative xkbd layout is is probably to copy xkbd.desktop and edit it so that the command line reads something like: 
xkbd -n -f /path/to/my/keyboard/layout.xkbd
You'll need the -n switch for a floating keyboard; leave it off for a docked keyboard. You can also specify transparency with the -t switch.

Networking

How do I use Wifi?

If this is the first time you've used WiFi on the unit, or are moving to a new location with different access arrangements, see How to I configure a WifiConnection?. Otherwise, see How do I start a Wifi connection?. There are a few things to note about WiFi operation that are different to the standard Archos approach.
  • It is necessary to enable WiFi specifically when you need to use it. We can't predict what software will be used, so we can't guess when a connection is required
  • WiFi uses a lot of battery power. You should shut it down when you're not using it
  • When WiFi is enabled, the unit will not sleep, even if idle. There is no easy way to tell when the unit is really idle when it has a network connection, because it could be working over the network. If you want to force the unit to shut down after a period of time, use the sleep timer (see How do I start the sleep timer?).

How do I configure a WiFi connection?

The basic procedure is:
  • Start the archos-helper GUI (see How do I start the archos-helper GUI?)
  • Go to the WiFi tab
  • Click 'Enable Wifi'
  • Click `Configure' to open the configuration application. Please note that this is a big application, and can take 5-10 seconds to start. WiFi has successfully been enabled if you see an IP number in the status display.
  • Go to the Manage Networks tab
  • Click Scan
  • Select the network you want by double-tapping it
  • Fill in the connection information, password etc
If the archos-helper screen is in the way of the WiFi configuration utility, just close it. A connection should automatically be made as soon as the access is configured -- you shouldn't need to tell it again.

How do I start a Wifi connection?

If this is the first time you've used WiFi on the unit, or are moving to a new location with different access arrangements, see How to I configure a WifiConnection?.
  • Start the archos-helper GUI (see How do I start the archos-helper GUI?)
  • Go to the WiFi tab
  • Click 'Enable Wifi'
  • WiFi has successfully been enabled if you see an IP number in the status display.

How do I shut down Wifi?

USB support

How do I use USB to copy files?

Archos-Ångström does not shut down all normal operations when a USB host is connected, as the stock Archos firmware does. But to avoid conflicts between applications on the Archos unit and host computer operations, a particular piece of file storage is reserved to share files between the unit and a host computer. By default, this storage area is unmounted (i.e., not available to anybody). To make the shared area available to a host computer: A host computer does not have to be plugged in when you do this -- the connection will be made as soon as it is. When you've finished, click Stop, or Mount Locally to make the shared files available on the unit.
Note:
There is no way for the unit to determine whether the USB connection is in use. It will warn you if you click Stop when a USB host is plugged in, but it won't prevent the disconnection. You must unmount/safely remove at the host end first
To make the shared area available locally: You will be warned if a USB host is connection, but the unit will still disconnect the USB link to the host if you proceed. You should ensure that nothing is using the USB connection on the host before you do this. The shared area appears at /usbshare or usbshare in the default user's home directory.

Power management

How do I make the unit suspend to RAM?

Various ways:
  • Use the Sleep button on the Power tab in archos-helper
  • Use the Suspend menu item from the panel menu
  • Use the Suspend button in the Logout dialog box
  • Enable the sleep timer (see How do I start the sleep timer?)

How do I make the unit suspend to RAM on external power?

Sorry, you can't. The Archos hardware prevents this. If you try to suspend on external power, it will shut down the screen and network hardware and spin down the disk. This is the lower power state that (so far as I know) can be achieved on external power.

How do I make the unit suspend to disk?

Sorry, you can't. There is no support for this in the hardware.

How do I prevent the screen blanking?

Some applications have been adapted to disable the screen blanking automatically. For example, the screen should not blank if you're watching a movie using mplayer. However, we can't predict all the applications that might be used, so there is a manual way to prevent the screen blanking.
  • Start the archos-helper GUI (see How do I start the archos-helper GUI?)
  • Go to the Power tab (this should be visible anyway, as it's the top tab)
  • Change the power management mode to Video.
Note that this will prevent the unit suspending as well.

How do I prevent the unit suspending on battery power?

Some applications have been adapted to disable the idle suspend automatically. For example, the unit should not suspend if you're watching a movie using mplayer. However, we can't predict all the applications that might be used, so there is a manual way to prevent the suspend.
  • Start the archos-helper GUI (see How do I start the archos-helper GUI?)
  • Go to the Power tab (this should be visible anyway, as it's the top tab)
  • Change the power management mode to Audio or Video.
Note that selecting Video will disable screen blanking as well.

How do I start the sleep timer?

  • Start the archos-helper GUI (see How do I start the archos-helper GUI?)
  • Go to the Power tab (this should be visible anyway, as it's the top tab)
  • In the Sleep settings area, click the time you want to wait.
The unit will suspend after that time, regardless of what it's doing. Please save any work in case the suspend doesn't work properly. Note that the sleep timer is cancelled if you log out, or if you specifically suspend the the unit through the user interface.

How do I stop the sleep timer?

Note that the sleep timer is cancelled if you log out, or if you specifically suspend the the unit through the user interface.

Media support

How do I play audio and video?

Use a media player application :)

Archos-Ångström is supplied with mplayer, but others may be installable.

How do I enable the built-in speaker?

Please note that some applications have the effect of turning the speaker off even when you don't expect it. The check box in archos-helper should reflect the true state of the speaker but, if it's check and no sound is coming out, trying clicking it off and on again.

How do I control the audio volume?

  • Click the audio volume buttons on the side of the unit
  • Use the volume control in the Audio tab of archos-helper
  • Use the speaker slider in the panel

How do I control EQ settings?

Specific applications

How do I sync the GPE PIM applications with a desktop computer?

Please see this page.

How do I back up PIM and application data?

Please see this page for general information about backing up.