Every application looks too big

[cdupree]

I've just installed Kubuntu 12.04 on a Gateway netbook (LT4009u) for my mom. It looks exactly like my model but is a year newer and a few things are different. In addition to problems with the function keys discussed in another post, I'm seeing every application produce windows that look too big. The fonts seem intended for a larger screen. This netbook's screen size is exactly the same as mine, but the two machines look quite different running the same versions of the same software. Windows on the newer one often fail to fit onto the screen, and few of them are resizable.

Is there any way to reduce the default size of everything, windows and fonts alike?

[Dutchman]

The first question I'd have to ask is if you checked in 'System Settings > Display and Monitor > Size and Orientation' to see if the monitor's set at it's highest resolution? You may want to check on Gateway's website or your user's manual to see what the highest supported resolution is.

If it is, then the next place to go would be 'System Settings > Application Appearance > Fonts'. There you can try setting all the system fonts to something smaller. The user interface will adjust itself to the smaller font setting, meaning title bars and menus and such will get proportionally smaller. You may also want to go to 'System Settings > Workspace Appearance > Window Decorations' and change some settings there. If you're using the default Oxygen style, you can change the button and border sizes to "Tiny" instead of "Normal". Other styles like Qtcurve and many of the Aurorae decorations have their own configurations too.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you make out.