Trying various window managers with rolling 20170611 (core)

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Trying various window managers with rolling 20170611 (core)

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Started 6 years ago by Ceel
Latest reply from aledie
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Ceel

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Hi all,

Pressing [F1] when the SLiM window is opened allows to choose between openbox / e17 / jwm and lxde but e17 and jwm are not installed... Install e17, jwm and awesome.
1. Try to open a session with openbox -> the login windows disappears but the screen stays freezed on the picture. Press [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[BackSpace] to restart SLiM.
2. Select lxde; OK
3. Open a session with jwm; the Application menu is really poor...
4. Open a session with e17. Click on the desktop and point on Application, then on any of the submenus -> no applications; after a few seconds, an Enlightenement error window opens. Press/click on F1/Recover; now e17s works correctly.
  Note each time you close e17, the message Failed to execute login command displays a few seconds and then SLiM restarts.
5. Open a session with awesome -> Failed to execute login command; after a few seconds SLiM restarts.
Note the letters xs are added at the end of lxde after installing e17; then it's not possible to open a session with lxde.
Login without pressing [F1] always works.
Posted 6 years ago #
fredyfred

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I tried out those too…but couldn't find any real improvement over the default so went back to that..

Posted 6 years ago #
aledie

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Ceel, maybe it's an old topic, but I'd like to comment, as I'm also interested in WM topic and tried them out (see my previous post few days ago):

-openbox doesn't really freeze after login with SLIM, it just uses SLIM background for wallpaper for some reason. If you click the desktop with your right mouse button you will see the OB menu. Yes a bit confusing I also guessed first the login failed... If you want to change the wallpaper you probably need to install nytrogen or feh package. Or see if can change it with PCmanFM or rox-filer as they should have a function in menu for managing desktop background.
-for other WMs agree with you, if I recall correctly, some don't work, some would start if logged in as root account, some are too ancient noone would use except under justx.
-You may also try starting them from within running lxde or openbox session by for example $killall openbox; awsome

New topic, we'd need some newer FMs where development is going on:
1) Windowmaker 0.95.8 released a year ago (http://windowmaker.org/). I tried compiling it with toolchain and slitaz-dev-pkgs (./configure && make && make install). There were just few Dev packages missed, which I installed. Process took 5 minutes and was flawless. I was impressed by this version. Very nice, light and working well, installed some new good looking theme downloaded online. Great look and feel!

2) FVWM 2.6.7 released end 2016 (http://www.fvwm.org/). Compiled no problem same as above. Looks great even without installing additional themes like fvwm-crystal, fvwm-nightshade or fvwm-themes. Started from running openbox or lxde session $killall openbox; fvwm2

3) Afterstep 2.2.12 released 2013 (http://afterstep.org/). Similar look to Windowmaker, probably more difficult to configure, haven't tried compiling yet, but it seems not having many dependencies, would definitely work.

4) CDE Unix is now open source, 2.2.4 version some end of 2016. Haven't tried compiling.

All these 3 WMs look like a gois, clean, lightweight, recent up-to-date alternative WM. Would give it a shot. Windowmaker is probably the better choice, or Fvwm. You cannot just convert them from .Deb or .rpm or txz, I tried different even few years older versions from Ubuntu, Debian, slack or void, in most cases it fails on the old or different glibc version used in slitaz, or libpng, ...

Now, for my own usage this traditional compilation is ok. But would be great if someone experienced with slitaz packages cooking would make tazpkg normal way, which I am not versed in, and put it in the repos. Also, I assume to have all the functions (which I don't need personally, but others may), may need to add langues support say for German and french and Russian at least. I could not see the title of a Chinese website on Windowmaker for example...

Just ideas... Anybody of same interest?

Posted 6 years ago #
aledie

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Pressing [F1] when the SLiM window is opened allows to choose between openbox / e17 / jwm and lxde but e17 and jwm are not installed... Install e17, jwm and awesome.

I handled this by editing the file /etc/slim.conf
-Changed the line: sessions openbox,e17,jwm,lxde
-Removed jwm, lxde and added wmaker: sessions openbox,lxde,wmaker

Now can start wmaker from SLIM F1 menu

Posted 6 years ago #
aledie

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Here it comes, compiled a package WindowMaker-0.95.8.tazpkg with cook. Seems to work just fine, even can import the menu from LXDE session and have wmaker in SLIM selection menu. Installed XFE file manager and aterm additionally which suits Wmaker well.

As i compiled it in a private wok and it is my first try with cook on slitaz, just attach the receipt (renamed to.txt). Someone more experienced may want to test it.

Also, Wmaker has really many so called dockapps, like CPU monitor, mount tool, network monitor... but these have to be compiled separately, which i would not bother. Maybe can just install additionally some panel (tint2 or just use customised lxpanel, or some recommend perlpanel which isnt in our repos), which could be customized to fit into the desktop design and accommodate the applets you need. Maybe also conky or gkrellim. Also there is a destribution Windowmaker Live based on Debian which has some of dockapps inside, probably, as they are simple applets they could be just converted to tazpkg!?

Would love to hear your opinion about this stuff.
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screen-wm.jpeg (86.8 KB, 819 downloads) 6 years old
receipt.txt (1.3 KB, 487 downloads) 6 years old
Posted 6 years ago #
aledie

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1) regarding wmaker dockapps, there is an rpm package with a collection of many applets in suse can be converted to tazpkg and used, see my post here: http://forum.slitaz.org/topic/windowmaker-and-afterstep-applets

2) to have Slitaz menu loaded in windowmaker menu, you can edit file
#leafpad ~/GNUstep/Defaults/WMRootMenu

and add section somewhere, for example before (Run...),:

(
SliTaz,
OPEN_PLMENU,
"|| find /usr/share/applications -type f -name '*desktop' | xargs wmmenugen -parser:xdg"
),

or in Window Maker Preferences GUI under menu edit section, add a Generated PL Menu and above command in a command line.

3) A very nice theme pack with a dozend themes can be downloaded as rpm package from Opensuse and converted to tazpkg, it works, from here: https://ftp5.gwdg.de/pub/opensuse/distribution/openSUSE-current/repo/oss/suse/noarch/WindowMaker-themes-0.1-400.1.noarch.rpm

Other themes can be downloaded here: https://www.box-look.org/browse/cat/144/ord/top/
or here: http://windowmaker.org/themes.php

Here my new Slitaz feeling flavor ;)
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wmaker-screen.jpg (100 KB, 816 downloads) 6 years old
Posted 6 years ago #

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Trying various window managers with rolling 20170611 (core)

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