AWN-extras only work well in Ubuntu

I got AWN-extras-applets installed in Mandriva today and this OS really does look good.
However, none --not a single one of the applets actually work properly.
The mail applet does appear on the dock. But after I configured it for my Gmail, it would no longer sow up on the dock.
Last.Fm is there on the dock but I can't get it to play. Always gives me a "problem connecting" error. This is in addition to the strange dialog box when the icon is clicked. The dialog box only sometimes allows you to choose the artist you want.
The weather icon also doesn't work being continuously 'fetching data'
Neither the Battery nor the AWN System Monitor applets show anything on the dock.
I've had very similar problems with nearly all distros I have tried with the only exception being Ubuntu where Last.Fm and the Mail applet work perfectly.