Which desktop?

BluPhoenyx · 2003-01-29 21:31:56

Ok, I know a great many AL users favor the CLI for so many things. But I can only guess the lack of traffic here means that people either don't use X and a GUI desktop or hate them so much they don't want to talk about it.

.....[climbing onto soapbox]

IMHO, I really dislike those large resource intensive desktops. You know, the ones which try to emulate features from that other OS (which for the sake of etiquette will remain nameless.) I don't necessarily dislike them for those features, although some of them are pretty useless to me. I dislike them because they are huge, resource intensive behemoths and I can find other, faster ways to do what I want done without them.

Now I don't want people to misunderstand me. I think the folks who designed and built these systems are very intelligent. It takes some creative genius to build such a masterpiece. Never mind how huge these desktop systems are or the fact that they run best on the absolute newest hardware. No matter what else, they look good and those looks are going to help them compete against the big boy in the desktop OS market. Ultimately, that is all that really matters because the small minority of us who won't conform to the mainstream OS vendors have already been accounted for. They know that a certain amount of people won't fit in with their system and could really care less about us. They want the mainstream PC users. They want those folks who sit at home or in a small office and use a PC for 'average' business apps and WWW access. After all, that big company in Redmond WA. makes a lot of money selling to that same group of users.

[climbing off of soapbox].....

Ok, now that that's said, how about you tell us about your desktop, graphics not necessary, a site exists for that. Come on, we all know you use one...

All right then, I'll start. I use ROX and a window manager. For those who don't know, ROX is a filer but ROX is also a (possible) desktop with a panel and pinboard. There are a growing variety of small apps which support the ROX environment. Likewise you can create your own in either Python or C and this is really cool, IMHO. Which window manager I use really depends on the system. Originally I used xfwm and then xfwm4 until recently when the xfwm4 developers changed the default startup mode. This caused a conflict in the ROX session manager program. When ROX gets this small conflict fixed, I will probably go back. In the meantime, I'm using metacity on my AL box. Who knows, I might get to like metacity. I might even adapt my custom themes to fit. When I get my laptop back from the wife and can get AL running on it, I hope to post a graphic of the desktop. The box I'm on right now has a huge screen (1600x1200) and might take me a while to upload.

Ok then, your turn. Who's next?

beniro · 2003-01-29 23:08:14

I'm a Linux newbie, so I'm still forming my ideal desktop...

Right now, after going through KDE, Gnome and IceWM, I've settled (for the moment) on Fluxbox. I'm trying to set it up with Idesk (cuz I do still miss the purty pictures of that other OS at times ).

I abandoned KDE/Gnome as soon as I ran IceWM for the first time. It made my PIII feel like a supercomputer. I won't go back.

I've got gkrellm running, ogg's playing, console open. I'm stylin'.

rasat · 2003-01-30 03:42:43

My favorit desktop is Blackbox. It is fast, lightweight, flexble and simple.... same aim as Arch Linux .

Only drawback with Blackbox, losing speed, when all my favorit applications are KDE (Koffice, Konqueror, Kbear (unfortunatly there is no AL package), and Mozilla. Now I am using KDE.

sarah31 · 2003-01-30 04:39:17

i use a WM because i find it easier to manage all my work in vertual terminals. i like the scrolling feature in terminals as that is a very lacking feature in console. i am not opposed to working in console though right now i am working in console on my other computer and my router uses only console as well.

anyway my WM of choice is Openbox. it seems less spartan looking than Black/Fluxbox or waimea. and has a few interesting features added. it is also very very stable even their "unstable" releases are a dream to use. i also like the lack of desktop icons which i have hated for a very long time (even before i switched to linux)

deepfreeze · 2003-01-30 22:55:18

Right now I'm using KDE only because it's what I'm most familiar with. However, I'm becoming more and more interested in fvwm, due to good things I've heard about it plus the fact that KDE is bogging down this older system. Has anyone successfully configured fvwm in Arch? My very elementary attempts to configure fvwm have been ok, but I'd really like to get into it more in-depth.

BluPhoenyx · 2003-01-30 22:58:02

sarah31 wrote:

i also like the lack of desktop icons which i have hated for a very long time (even before i switched to linux)

Do I detect a bit of anti-MS there??? That's ok, it's the company we all love to hate. :twisted:

sarah31 · 2003-01-31 03:02:19

actually no i have nothing against MS at all. I never have liked Windows though. I am a Mac person turned linux after a short manditory stint in windows. I thought XP was ok -- as long as you don't change any key hardware. I started hating icons before OSX came out and was really happy when i only had to have one icon on the desktop becuase everything i needed was in the dock.

mordantly · 2003-02-01 23:25:44

being the visually orientated type that i am, i tend to find more-than-u-can-count-useless-shit-icons rather comforting and commonly suffer from whitdrawl symptoms not having them to help me in ways i dont need. so i had to get back on the kde wagon until i can ween myself free. but once an addict, no matter how many times ur in a clinic, ur never completely cured i guess.

BluPhoenyx · 2003-02-02 02:42:30

Kde isn't the only desktop where you can have icons. Rox supports them quite nicely with it's pinboard and panel. Some nice features.

They are NOT little text based files cluttering up the file system.

They can be quickly and easily modified for name, program and keyboard shortcut.

Personalized icon images. For example, make your home directory stand out in the filer (or pinboard or panel) with a custom image or drag a program to the desktop and set a custom icon for instant recognition. I have a nice link to my local TV listings setup this way.

If icon is a document, Rox launches the appropriate (mime based & user controlled) program.

Quickly jump to the icon's home directory.

Access to the 'program directory' for Rox programs or 'wrapped' programs.

rasat · 2003-02-04 20:04:33

rasat wrote:

Only drawback with Blackbox, losing speed, when all my favorit applications are KDE (Koffice, Konqueror, Kbear, .....

I solve the KDE apps problem with Blackbox by using instead Openbox. Its a wonderful x-window.
http://www.icculus.org/openbox/

Guest · 2003-04-29 12:35:45

Blackbox - I prefer my system lean.
I dont use any KDE or Gnome apps at all.

Hell - I even run BB4win on the M$ box - just to give it the nix feel

bodgy · 2003-04-29 12:39:31

Hmm - above post is mine - dont know why it said I am a Guest tho....

dariball · 2003-04-29 13:12:15

i use fluxbox and used kde before, but I think flux is a lot faster and you don't have those stupid kde bugs....

and if u want icons on flux ( which i personnaly don't like ) , i would take idesk....

greetz dariball

jlvsimoes · 2003-04-29 19:34:28

kde bugs ? were ?

sarah31 · 2003-04-30 06:23:52

jlvsimoes wrote:

kde bugs ? were ?

right from starting it up to loggging out (if it doesn't crash first)

Arielext · 2003-04-30 09:19:16

you just don't know how to use it
it's not a bug, it's a feature!

jlvsimoes · 2003-04-30 13:29:49

that reminded me . can someone delet the kde 3.1.1a stuff in incoming i failed the uplouding stuff
thank you

dariball · 2003-04-30 16:54:26

if those kde bugs are features, then windows looks like one big feature for me

jlvsimoes · 2003-04-30 19:24:56

:twisted:
i like kde ok
:evil:
and i see no bugs and undocumented features
:evil:
stop flaming

sarah31 · 2003-04-30 20:33:53

kde is pure unadulturated evil i get worried everytime i have to test any kde application. thankfully though i can just ignore it most of the time i never actually have booted into the full desktop for almost 1 1/2 years now.

jlvsimoes · 2003-04-30 22:52:00

ho my god
somes aplications suck big time but on the overall ... its possitive

Arielext · 2003-05-01 07:04:20

I'm using KDE 8 hours a day, without crashes or nasty bugs
so yeah, I do like KDE

Blaasvis · 2003-05-01 10:01:12

well i like gnome most......

dariball · 2003-05-01 11:59:35

arielext :

well in most cases kde is really not that bad, but it's overcrowded with apps u don't need, the startmenu is full of those nearlly useless apps, I don't have enough overview I think ...

but i don't wanna flame *gg* so I like kde a lot, but i don't use it

Flux rulez....

Arielext · 2003-05-08 07:12:46

I'm playing around with XFCE4 now, I just love the way gtk2 looks and feels. Gnome is just not my thing, but with XFCE4 my dreams came through

Arch Linux

#1 2003-01-29 21:31:56

Which desktop?

#2 2003-01-29 23:08:14

Re: Which desktop?

#3 2003-01-30 03:42:43

Re: Which desktop?

#4 2003-01-30 04:39:17

Re: Which desktop?

#5 2003-01-30 22:55:18

Re: Which desktop?

#6 2003-01-30 22:58:02

Re: Which desktop?

#7 2003-01-31 03:02:19

Re: Which desktop?

#8 2003-02-01 23:25:44

Re: Which desktop?

#9 2003-02-02 02:42:30

Re: Which desktop?

#10 2003-02-04 20:04:33

Re: Which desktop?

#11 2003-04-29 12:35:45

Re: Which desktop?

#12 2003-04-29 12:39:31

Re: Which desktop?

#13 2003-04-29 13:12:15

Re: Which desktop?

#14 2003-04-29 19:34:28

Re: Which desktop?

#15 2003-04-30 06:23:52

Re: Which desktop?

#16 2003-04-30 09:19:16

Re: Which desktop?

#17 2003-04-30 13:29:49

Re: Which desktop?

#18 2003-04-30 16:54:26

Re: Which desktop?

#19 2003-04-30 19:24:56

Re: Which desktop?

#20 2003-04-30 20:33:53

Re: Which desktop?

#21 2003-04-30 22:52:00

Re: Which desktop?

#22 2003-05-01 07:04:20

Re: Which desktop?

#23 2003-05-01 10:01:12

Re: Which desktop?

#24 2003-05-01 11:59:35

Re: Which desktop?

#25 2003-05-08 07:12:46

Re: Which desktop?

Board footer