Comment 13 for bug 223075

My humble contribution (running asus eeepc900 2Gram eeebuntu 2.0):

Unchecking 'show icons in menus' does indeed allow 19pix resizing of panel but has the unfortunate side-affect of INCREASING panel menu item size. Having only 1024x600 real estate, the extra pixels do count. This approach allows you to keep icons in menus and gets the right panel size.

This hack is for the desperate and the curious. It will be overwritten by theme upgrades and pays no heed to security concerns. If you don't understand what the following commands do then PLEASE don't execute them. You should always know how to undo changes YOU make to YOUR system.

I sledgehammered a dirty fix by backing up then soft linking all relevant "icon size" directories to the 16x16 counterpart. e.g. using icon set Gion (these settings trickle through a hierarchy specific to your setup - this is for guidance only!!):

cd /usr/share/icons/Gion
sudo mv 24x24 24x24_bak
sudo ln -s 16x16 24x24

Repeat for any size/icon that you think might be relevant (including 'scalable'). Reboot X.

I suspect a more rigorous approach will identify the panel's interpretation of the 'start-here' icon as the culprit but I am currently too lazy/drunk to prove this. Fyi, I installed a new icon theme (sudubuntu for netbooks) and the correct scale was preserved. Since this theme does not override 'start-here', I am even more inclined to believe that 'start-here' is at the root of this feature.

I will try to upload a screen shot of my darling little eee's desktop (modified BlueHeart controls, Mist borders, Sudubuntu icons).

BTW - I wouldn't hold your breath for a fix for this. It ain't going to happen. People like big icons ;o)

Good Luck Forum Forna
Paul