customizationgnome-panelindicatorunity
Will it be possible to remove/add indicator-* applets from the panel without using synaptic?
Not installing, just adding/removing installed ones. Now in ubuntu 10.10 we can't remove one applet alone like indicator-messages without uninstalling it or removing all related/grouped indicators.
You can no longer add/remove indicators or panels by right-clicking like you used to with older Ubuntu versions before 11.10.
Warning: The default indicators (messages, networking, power, sound, user accounts, etc.) are tightly integrated with Unity since Ubuntu 11.10, and trying to remove them may cause problems.
You can remove these default indicators without affecting the rest of the system:
indicator-messagesindicator-soundindicator-powerindicator-printers
Removing these default indicators is NOT recommended or not possible without serious adverse effects:
Please see this question for a master-list of all the different indicators -- each answer/comments will tell you if it is available from PPAs or the Software Center:
Each indicator/applet (should) have a user setting letting the user specify autorun on startup. Installing the indicator does not run it as you discovered and a well-behaved indicator will not autorun unless set to do so by the user.
However, in the unity dash, search for "start" and you'll find Startup Applications which will allow you to specify specific programs, including indicators, to run on startup and that will "add the applet to the top panel".
Best Answer
yes, you can, you go remove the .desktop files for the non-desired options somewhere deep in /usr/share/applications/indicator-me or something along that line... best not to fool w/ it too much.