[PLUG] Asus 1015pem running Xfce

[Denis Heidtmann]

I installed Ubuntu 11.10.  It comes with Unity.  After some exposure to
Unity (see wireless comments below) I decided that Unity with its huge
icons and slow behavior does not suit a minimalist machine.  I should try
Xfce.  So I downloaded the meta-package xfce4.  I really like it--fast and
does not fill up my small screen with stuff, but some of the function keys
do not do what is intended, the battery state is not available, the power
controls are absent, it does not suspend on closing the lid, and I suspect
there are other things I would find troubling if I continued.

My first question is would starting over with a clean install of Xubuntu
11.10 behave any better?  Is it possible that there is an interaction
between the gnome/unity stuff on the thing causing a problem?  I have done
some googling on xfce-ubuntu but have not found this problem exactly.  I
see in the package manager that xfce4 is listed as "Canonical does not
supply updates for xfce4" yet xubuntu comes from Canonical and xubuntu uses
xfce!  This is confusing.

With Unity, after some considerable effort following the wireless trouble
shooter I got the wireless to work.  I am not sure what fixed it since the
trouble shooting send me on a long path through various checks (lshw,
lsmod, iwconfig).  But it worked after rebooting.  The issue was that it
seemed to be using a driver (Ralink) for a 2800 card; it has a 3090 card.
 My hesitation with starting over with Xubuntu is having to go through all
the wireless hassles again.

Advice welcomed.

-Denis