Arch Linux

whitetimer

Member

Registered: 2010-05-23

Posts: 207

Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

Hi All ... I am loving my Archlinux journey and so pleased that i made the change, and the community are just awesome and so helpful .. Anyway

When i set up my system, i installed XFCE4 which is all ok, but i hardly use many of the apps that come a default.  I tend to only use a handful of stuff for as/flex/coldfusion, playing music, surfing the net and network stuff etc and so had considered making the swap from xfce4 and looking at openbox instead ....

What are peoples thoughts on using openbox instead of XFCE4 ?

Is there a tutorial anywhere about removing XFCE4 & installing openbox ?

Would a clean install of arch and then openbox be better ?

Any help & advice would be warmly welcome

Many thanks

Whitetimer

lucke

Member

From: Poland

Registered: 2004-11-30

Posts: 4,018

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

Just install Openbox, give it a spin and see if you like it. There's a lot of useful information in the openbox article in Arch's wiki.

A lot of Archers use Openbox; if you're minimalistic and want to build your own workspace, it could be indeed for you. I myself prefer pekwm, which is similarish.

tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

Here's a tutorial about removing XFCE4 and installing Openbox:

pacman -R xfce4 xfce4-goodies && pacman -Syu openbox

and no, reinstalling is definitely not required.

whitetimer

Member

Registered: 2010-05-23

Posts: 207

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

@lucke
Many thanks and yes, i am rather a minimalist, thats why i left windows and found Linux and eventually ARCH !!!!

@tomk
Was that the tutorial 'pacman -R xfce4 xfce4-goodies && pacman -Syu openbox '  ?

Many thanks for the advice

tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

Was that the tutorial?

Yes - the long version. The short version is:

man pacman

drcouzelis

Member

From: Connecticut, USA

Registered: 2009-11-09

Posts: 4,092

Website

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

Is there a tutorial anywhere about removing XFCE4 & installing openbox?

I realize it's a small detail, but I recommend you install Openbox and then remove XFCE.

Leave XFCE installed and leave the XFCE hidden configuration files in your home directory. Install Openbox and start setting it up the way you like it. If you decide you don't like Openbox, just logout of X and log back in using XFCE, and it will be as if nothing changed. You could even leave both installed, and just switch back and forth. XFCE and Openbox can exist together.

I speak from experience. Sometimes I would get too exited about using a new window manager, delete everything from my old setup, find out I don't like the new window manager, and then not have anything to use.

whitetimer

Member

Registered: 2010-05-23

Posts: 207

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

@drcouzelis

Thanks for the advice.  I have just installed openbox and decided to do as you suggested, tweak openbox and then if i do like, uninstall xfce ...

Thanks to all for there advice & help ..... Its an awesome community

Have only been using Arch for about a Month and i love it !!!!!

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 19,804

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

XFCE and Openbox can exist together.

Indeed. I've a system with Awesome, KDE, Gnome, Xfce and Openbox installed.  Why?  When I develop code in one environment, it is nice to see how it will behave in the others.  Works like a charm.

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How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

whitetimer

Member

Registered: 2010-05-23

Posts: 207

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

The tweaking so far is going ok

Anonymo

Member

Registered: 2005-04-07

Posts: 427

Website

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

There is also LXDE, which to me is something in between Openbox and XFCE.  It uses Openbox as it's WM.

whitetimer

Member

Registered: 2010-05-23

Posts: 207

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

I did look at lxde when i first started with ubuntu, just didn't inspire me for some reason ....

qchapter

Member

Registered: 2009-06-17

Posts: 43

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

I use openbox, tin2, and conky.  Quite pleased with these three.

whitetimer

Member

Registered: 2010-05-23

Posts: 207

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

I'm now trying to decide which panel to use ... looking at tint2 or xfce4-panel or fbpanel ... Cant decide .... Will be adding conky though at some point

Leonid.I

Member

From: Aethyr

Registered: 2009-03-22

Posts: 999

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

There is also LXDE, which to me is something in between Openbox and XFCE.  It uses Openbox as it's WM.

Tried those -- could not find a Solaris-like (or CDE, with the square buttons and such) window theme... And then, window borders are too thin, which makes it hard to read text in two overlapping windows... Everytime I went back to xfce.

Last edited by Leonid.I (2010-11-08 19:54:38)

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Arch Linux is more than just GNU/Linux -- it's an adventure
pkill -9 systemd

drcouzelis

Member

From: Connecticut, USA

Registered: 2009-11-09

Posts: 4,092

Website

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

And then, window borders are too thin, which makes it hard to read text in two overlapping windows

Oh my goodness I know what you mean! It seems like too many Linux user interfaces suffer from too-small-title-bar-itis. I've been a happy Window Maker user for a long time, what with its big, thick, CHEWABLE title bars. It even puts title bars on the window icons!

Awebb

Member

Registered: 2010-05-06

Posts: 6,311

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

And then, window borders are too thin, which makes it hard to read text in two overlapping windows

Oh my goodness I know what you mean! It seems like too many Linux user interfaces suffer from too-small-title-bar-itis

It's the other way round. Most OS's suffer from omg-big-bars-big-buttons-syndrome.

I'd love to see a WM like Openbox that can use my gfx card to render windows. Would be the perfect match.

Meyithi

Member

From: Wirral, UK

Registered: 2009-06-21

Posts: 550

Website

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

And then, window borders are too thin, which makes it hard to read text in two overlapping windows

Oh my goodness I know what you mean! It seems like too many Linux user interfaces suffer from too-small-title-bar-itis

It's the other way round. Most OS's suffer from omg-big-bars-big-buttons-syndrome.

I'd love to see a WM like Openbox that can use my gfx card to render windows. Would be the perfect match.

That's called Compiz Standalone, and it's perfectly possible.

Last edited by Meyithi (2010-11-08 20:23:38)

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whitetimer

Member

Registered: 2010-05-23

Posts: 207

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

How do i add the logout, restart & shutdown commands to the openbox menu.xml & what are the commands ?

Many thanks

ngoonee

Forum Fellow

From: Between Thailand and Singapore

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 7,356

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

@whitetimer, please search before asking. The forums are NOT for general easily answered questions. Every project you've asked about has their own webpage and mostly some form of FAQ and wiki which answers your questions.

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Allan-Volunteer on the (topic being discussed) mailn lists. You never get the people who matters attention on the forums.
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Leonid.I

Member

From: Aethyr

Registered: 2009-03-22

Posts: 999

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

@whitetimer, please search before asking. The forums are NOT for general easily answered questions. Every project you've asked about has their own webpage and mostly some form of FAQ and wiki which answers your questions.

sudo shutdown...

But I wonder, if HAL/console can be used...

EDIT: Crap... wrong citation

Last edited by Leonid.I (2010-11-09 00:04:22)

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Arch Linux is more than just GNU/Linux -- it's an adventure
pkill -9 systemd

whitetimer

Member

Registered: 2010-05-23

Posts: 207

Re: Advice on using Openbox instead of xfce4 ....

@ngoonee
Yes i have generally found the answer myself, so thanks for the prompt. I am not so nervous of using Linux now as i was a month ago when i started, so will refrain from ask simple & mundane questions in future.

@Leonid.I
Creating the menu entry for shutdown, reboot etc was a breeze

Last edited by whitetimer (2010-11-09 05:40:39)