Replace panel (task bar) in LXDE with something better

[ModalMan]

I am new to using the LXDE desktop. I like it cause it doesn't demand as much resources as KDE. I want to REPLACE the stock LXDE panel or task bar (at bottom of screen) because it is very limited and won't let me add things to it like the web browser, calculator. Instead I have to just add those things to the desktop as icons. Works fine. But I'd rather have a less cluttered desktop. The stock task bar is quirky and not easy to work with.
I saw online somebody suggested the "Whisker menu" and how nice it was. So I apt-get installed it....went thru OK I guess, but how do I find/configure it? I apparently must have installed it OK cause there were no errors when it was done. But I can't find it anywhere or how to find it. I looked all thru my main menu....not there. I looked around in desktop configuration....nothing.

[frankt]

This might get you going:

Right click the panel. This will open a menu window. Select the Panel Setting option with a left click.
This will open another menu window. The first tab is Geometry where you can select the location of panel to be placed: top, bottom, left or right on your screen.
I like the top with left alignment. That lets me have the rest of the desktop for whatever I want.

In the third tab, select the Application launch bar, then select the Preferences. This will open another menu window from which you can add programs to the panel. You can move the programs up and down to change their order.

Otherwise, search the forum for Panel Settings, Application launch bar for more information and instruction. Also do a google search of the same topics for LXDE.

[Hoser Rob]

Of course it's more limited than KDE. KDE is one of the heaviest and probably the most powerful Linux DE. LXDE is the lightest and doesn't have anywhere near the features. Beware of adding things to lightweight DEs. They often won't run as well and you won't have quite so light a DE anymore.

One thing I'd try, since you installed Openbox as an LXDE dependency, is running KDE using OPenbox as a windpw manager. it takes some config but it's actually quite nice. Openbox is designed for that purpose, and while it's still KDE it runs much faster. I run Xfce now but I've done this before.

[blockhead47]

I believe the whiskermenu only works with the xfce panel, not with lxde.

[NessM]

This might get you going:

Right click the panel. This will open a menu window. Select the Panel Setting option with a left click.
This will open another menu window. The first tab is Geometry where you can select the location of panel to be placed: top, bottom, left or right on your screen.
I like the top with left alignment. That lets me have the rest of the desktop for whatever I want.

In the third tab, select the Application launch bar, then select the Preferences. This will open another menu window from which you can add programs to the panel. You can move the programs up and down to change their order.

Otherwise, search the forum for Panel Settings, Application launch bar for more information and instruction. Also do a google search of the same topics for LXDE.

This... And google search is highly recommended afterwards if you are new to LXDE (or new to any other subject in general). At first it seems like a huge thing, but once you've got the hang of it, you'll see it wasn't that bad.

LXDE has a different approach, but it's worth the effort. I work often with old hardware and I sure do appreciate the efforts of the developers.