GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 312182
Applets and menus rearranged randomly...
Last modified: 2020-11-06 20:24:55 UTC
Right-click on the panel and choose "properties". Under the "General" tab UNCHECK the box that says "Expand". This allows the panel to shrink down to just enough space to accomadate the applets and menus. Now, log off and log back on. The menus and applets are mixed around. The clock applet will be where the "Applications" menu was and the menu will be somewhere in the middle. The application launch icons will be mixed around as well. To workaround do a right-click on each panel item and UNCHECK the "lock to panel" option. Once ALL items are not locked, right-click and choose the "move" option to move the items back to original positions.
I can reproduce this bug. After you log out and back in the order of the applets is changed, but only if you unselect the 'expand' option in the panel properties.
*** Bug 173029 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Actually, and I think this is related, if you play a game in a resolution different to your desktop and / or change the desktop resolution back and forth to something different, the effect is often much the same. I often experience exiting GuildWars or something and returning to a Gnome desktop with the panel re-ordered a bit. Very annoying.
I can confirm this bug on GNOME 2.20.1 distribution Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibon.
I can also confirm this bug on GNOME 2.26.1 / Ubuntu 9.04
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