I actually found, after much experimentation and no help from the documentation at all, a way to move the menus back to the left side where they belong.
I still think this is a bug though, since they jump to the center/right without being told to move, simply by adding an applet (and I filed a report on it in the KDE tracking system), but there is a workaround/fix.
First, right click on an empty part of the menu bar and choose Unlock Menu (if it is locked).
Second, position your mouse cursor over the File menu, and then slide it slowly left. If you hover your cursor over an area JUST LEFT of the file menu, a little black downward-pointing arrow will appear. Click on this.
This will produce a drop-down menu, the first option of which is MOVE MENU. Choose this, and your cursor should change to a compass-type icon. You can now drag the menus back to their proper place on the left.
I suggest once you get them, and whatever other applets you want (clock, sound, KDE menu, etc.) situated, that you then lock the menu, by R-clicking on an empty part of the menu and choosing Lock Menu.
Hope this helps you. I can't believe this took me literally weeks to find, but AFAIK it's entirely undocumented. The little drop-down menu that lets you move the menu, will also let you delete it. If you delete it, then it will appear in the list of Applets that it's possible to Add, I think. But if you already have it up there, then it won't.
Cute, huh? Good luck.
This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "Kadin2048" (Feb 22nd 2006, 2:48am)