For a Lightweight Linux Desktop, Try the New Xfce 4.10

[vasa1]

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/255134/for_a_lightweight_linux_desktop_try_the_new_xfce_410.html

-{ Quote: "With a new MIME type editor in Xfce, you can easily change the applications used to open different types of files. " }- It's not so easy in vanilla Ubuntu :(

[NGRhodes]

Like the idea of the deskbar mode !

[mack_guy911]

4.10 look pretty good :))


-{ Quote: "Like the idea of the deskbar mode !" }-

:thumb:

thanks from posting vasa1

i like also Collapsed view of app finder

and

Applications Autostart, Settings Manager many good improvements

[vasa1]

Any idea on how to install it on 12.04? Regular Ubuntu, not Xubuntu. One link to a launchpad ppa (https://launchpad.net/~xubuntu-dev/+archive/xfce-4.10) has "This PPA does not contain any packages yet".

[mack_guy911]

i guess we have to wait little for ppa :)

or

by default they add in xubuntu backport ppa

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "i guess we have to wait little for ppa :)

or

by default they add in xubuntu backport ppa" }-
Will wait :thumb:

[vasa1]

Install XFCE 4.10 In Xubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin Via PPA (http://www.webupd8.org/2012/05/install-xfce-410-in-xubuntu-1204.html)

I got "tired" of waiting and so installed 4.8. Liking it so far. Now, I'll wait till 4.10 is in the USC.

[NormanF]

In Open SUSE, no need for a dedicated PPA. It was introduced into Tumbleweed.

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "In Open SUSE, no need for a dedicated PPA. It was introduced into Tumbleweed." }- Isn't that the purpose of Tumbleweed? To have the latest since it's a rolling release? Meanwhile, since I'm new to Xfce, I hope the change to v 4.10 won't involve too much re-learning.

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Any idea on how to install it on 12.04? Regular Ubuntu, not Xubuntu. One link to a launchpad ppa (https://launchpad.net/~xubuntu-dev/+archive/xfce-4.10) has "This PPA does not contain any packages yet"." }-
And now it has -{ Quote: "Xfce 4.10 packages for Xubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin).

Please note that only Xfce 4.8 is officially supported on Xubuntu 12.04. Therefore, any bug report filed with this PPA enabled is likely to get rejected, or you may be asked to reproduce the issue with Xfce 4.8. The first Xubuntu release to feature Xfce 4.10 will be Xubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal)." }-

Who's going first?

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Like the idea of the deskbar mode !" }- So you have a wide-screen. Mine's just a laptop so I'll have to make the best of the vertical panel which I've set to appear on hover so that there's no permanent hogging of space.

Forgot to mention, I installed 4.10 via the ppa from Launchpad.

[Ocky]

-{ Quote: "

Forgot to mention, I installed 4.10 via the ppa from Launchpad." }-
I am glad to see you trying out Xubuntu. I like it a lot, but 4.10 ? I am not keen on vertical panels, surely one can change that ? Also, what about panel applets like sensors and so forth, do they all work as they did in 4.8 ?
Time to dual boot vasa1 ? ;)

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "I am glad to see you trying out Xubuntu. I like it a lot, but 4.10 ? I am not keen on vertical panels, surely one can change that ? Also, what about panel applets like sensors and so forth, do they all work as they did in 4.8 ?
Time to dual boot vasa1 ? ;)" }-
The P sensor and the System Load Indicator work as they did in Unity. I had to fiddle a bit with the latter. There are two little green men. One in the top right corner and the other in the Applications Menu drop down. The former only allows me to log out. The latter has the shut down option as well.

Yes, I guess everything is tweakable but I don't like the bottom horizontal panel ergonomically that's why I set it up to be vertical.

For the most part, my Ambiance theme which I tweaked in Unity works just fine for me.

Sensu stricto, I'm not sure whether I'm using Xubuntu: it's Ubuntu 12.04 with Xfce slapped on but if it smells as sweet who cares ;)

(I've started terrorizing people over at the Xfce forum for a change ;) )

[vasa1]

BTW, one thing that isn't perfect is my mouse cursor/pointer. It's the glassy red one with a shadow but the hourglass is missing. I get an (ugly) black arrowhead with a clock next to it.
I had it set up just right in Unity but now I have to read and understand this (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=11929215&postcount=17).

Done!

[vasa1]

One thing that is different in 4.10, at least from my limited use, is that some keyboard shortcuts don't work. All of these involve the "shift" key.
For example, in 4.8, I could set "ctrl+shift+f" to open Firefox. In 4.10, I get no response. And the shift key is functional. If I change to "ctrl+alt+f", all is well. Feature / bug / issue at my end, I don't know. I've asked at the Xfce forum as well.

The other thing for the top panel (and I presume other horizontal panels (?)), is that one now has to use separators (set to expand) to make things look like 4.8. Otherwise, the top-right corner is bare: the various indicators that populated that area in 4.8 slid over to the left. And that is a feature.

[MessageBoxA]

Hi,

Xfce 4.10 is looking great. As vasa1 noted... I am also having some minor issues with shortcuts. Which is particularly annoying... because I cannot stop myself from using the keyboard shortcuts even though they are broken.

-MessageBoxA

[Ocky]

Just upgrded to 4.10 on my old low spec standby laptop. It's great !
I see that the notification settings have been removed from system settings,
you have to use the settings editor instead.

When hovering over icons on the desktop, the thumbnails are HUGE. Anyway to
adjust their size ?

232869

[Ocky]

@vasa1,

I still get the zombie process when running top. See here http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=1998775&postcount=14

mack_guy also got it with 4.8. Just wondering whether you also see it.

[mack_guy911]

sorry for late replay i had xfce too but on other drive which show badsector few ago i put it in dump for a while ;D

i check again with it few days later still have old xfce install on 2 i remove one and install rosa lab maybe and upgrade other one and update everyone when done ;D

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "@vasa1,

I still get the zombie process when running top. See here http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=1998775&postcount=14

mack_guy also got it with 4.8. Just wondering whether you also see it." }-

Ocky, it appears that even zombies don't appreciate hanging out with me. But I am not using the xfce4-term thing. I'm using the gnome one. And I'm not using Xubuntu proper. It's regular Ubuntu 12.04 with Xfce 4.10 slapped onto it.

[mack_guy911]

yes zombies itself is

xfce4-terminal process when you run you see that if you remove it i guess no zombie its bug not big deal ;)

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "yes zombies itself is

xfce4-terminal process when you run you see that if you remove it i guess no zombie its bug not big deal ;)" }-
You are right. I just tried it and I got my zombie. I feel much better now ;) but, in future, I'll stay with gnome-terminal.

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Hi,

Xfce 4.10 is looking great. As vasa1 noted... I am also having some minor issues with shortcuts. Which is particularly annoying... because I cannot stop myself from using the keyboard shortcuts even though they are broken.

-MessageBoxA" }-
Well, I just had to redo them with alt instead of shift. But I can't find anything "official" to indicate that shift won't work in 4.10 keyboard shortcuts.

[Ocky]

Ctrl+Alt+Backspace was not available in 4.8 neither compose key.
If this is still the case with 4.10, see this thread: http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=1996816&postcount=1

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Ctrl+Alt+Backspace was not available in 4.8 neither compose key.
If this is still the case with 4.10, see this thread: http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=1996816&postcount=1" }-
I think running this command shows what combinations are available (by default?):
xfconf-query -c xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts -l -v
And, I guess one could assign something to "xfce4-session-logout".

[vasa1]

In Xfce 4.10 (Ubuntu 12.04), putting this code into ~/.gtkrc-2.0 removes the "rounded boxes" around icon text on the desktop by making the area transparent.


style "xfdesktop-icon-view" {
XfdesktopIconView::label-alpha = 0

fg[NORMAL] = "#83aab7" #clock blue
fg[SELECTED] = "pink" # pink
fg[ACTIVE] = "yellow" # yellow
}

widget_class "*XfdesktopIconView*" style "xfdesktop-icon-view"

[Ocky]

I did similar..

style "xfdesktop-icon-view" {

XfdesktopIconView::label-alpha = 0
font_name="Droid Sans"

base[NORMAL] = "#ffffff"
base[SELECTED] = "#ffffff"
base[ACTIVE] = "#fefefe"

fg[NORMAL] = "#ffffff"
fg[SELECTED] = "#000000"
fg[ACTIVE] = "#D17100"
}
widget_class "*XfdesktopIconView*" style "xfdesktop-icon-view"

[mack_guy911]

here check nisby79's

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=232753&page=30


some awesome stuff :)

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "In Xfce 4.10 (Ubuntu 12.04), putting this code into ~/.gtkrc-2.0 removes the "rounded boxes" around icon text on the desktop by making the area transparent.
..." }-
And this may be the official link: http://docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/advanced with http://docs.xfce.org/start being a nice starting point.

[vasa1]

Some posters indicate that ~/.gtkrc-2.0 could get "reset" by some update or the other. They suggest having another file, called ~/.gtkrc.xfce or whatever, and putting one's code there. Then, the actual ~/.gtkrc-2.0 will need to be edited to include this line pointing to ~/.gtkrc.xfce:
include "/home/<YOURUSERNAME>/.gtkrc.xfce"

[Trespasser]

Nice info, dudes. Thanks.

Later...

Bob

[sunoracle]

-{ Quote: "I am glad to see you trying out Xubuntu. I like it a lot, but 4.10 ? I am not keen on vertical panels, surely one can change that ? Also, what about panel applets like sensors and so forth, do they all work as they did in 4.8 ?
Time to dual boot vasa1 ? ;)" }-

I thought it might be good to clarify... you can still set the panel to be horizontal or vertical. If you do set it to vertical (which I do at home where I have a wide-screen monitor), the appearance and functionality have been improved (IMO anyway) in 4.10 over 4.8.

I just installed 4.10 on top of Xubuntu 12.04 using the PPA, and I like it so far. I haven't run across any issues, but I've only been using it for a few hours.

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "I thought it might be good to clarify... you can still set the panel to be horizontal or vertical. If you do set it to vertical (which I do at home where I have a wide-screen monitor), the appearance and functionality have been improved (IMO anyway) in 4.10 over 4.8.

I just installed 4.10 on top of Xubuntu 12.04 using the PPA, and I like it so far. I haven't run across any issues, but I've only been using it for a few hours." }-
It's not an issue of "you can still set the panel to be horizontal or vertical." I have a top panel and a vertical (left) panel which I've set to appear on hover.

[vasa1]

http://git.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/plain/README
Do!

XfdesktopIconView::tooltip-size = 128
-{ Quote: "...
The tooltip-size determines how large the image preview will be when the mouse is hovered over an icon (allowed values are from 0 (not shown) to 512, values larger than 256 may cause poor image quality however.)
" }-
I played with the values without any change. I have other stuff going and so can't check if a log-out, log-in is needed.

Edit: A value of 32 seems decent and looks like it needed a LOLI to take effect.

[sunoracle]

-{ Quote: "It's not an issue of "you can still set the panel to be horizontal or vertical." I have a top panel and a vertical (left) panel which I've set to appear on hover." }-

I thought you could add extra panels in previous versions too? (Horizontal or vertical.)

What I thought was new in 4.10 is that they can be horizontal, vertical, or deskbar.

[cet]

After reading this post I would like to try the XFCE environment.I am using Ubuntu LTS 12.04 If I install the xfce environment on top of this will there be anything wrong.This is my main PC.and also I can not find the xubuntu-desktop in the software center.Thanks in advance.
Or should I install the Meta-package for the Xfce Lightweight Desktop Environment?

[apathy]

I tried XFCE today which was version 4.8. I really like it. It is fast, light and there's no sign that gnome apps have any issues with it. Their settings manager makes things easy. Can someone point me to a place where I can learn how to pimp xfce out.

I'll let you know about 4.10 later..

[funkydude]

-{ Quote: "http://git.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/plain/README
Do!

XfdesktopIconView::tooltip-size = 128

I played with the values without any change. I have other stuff going and so can't check if a log-out, log-in is needed.

Edit: A value of 32 seems decent and looks like it needed a LOLI to take effect." }-

Do you know if there's a similar such tweak to have launcher icons become process indicators after they have been launched?

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "After reading this post I would like to try the XFCE environment.I am using Ubuntu LTS 12.04 If I install the xfce environment on top of this will there be anything wrong.This is my main PC.and also I can not find the xubuntu-desktop in the software center.Thanks in advance.
Or should I install the Meta-package for the Xfce Lightweight Desktop Environment?" }-
I installed from this ppa (https://launchpad.net/~xubuntu-dev/+archive/xfce-4.10) on top of Ubuntu 12.04. Now, at login, I have a choice of Unity (2D or 3D, some Gnome stuff and Xfce).

I did not pick up anything from the Ubuntu Software Center because that is related to 4.8 and not to 4.10. If one wants to get 4.10 from the USC, one will have to wait for 12.10 (QQ).

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Do you know if there's a similar such tweak to have launcher icons become process indicators after they have been launched?" }-
Sorry, I don't.

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "After reading this post I would like to try the XFCE environment.I am using Ubuntu LTS 12.04 ..." }-
One more thing ... from my limited reading, I get the impression that using Nautilus or Main Menu (alacarte) in an Xfce session may cause problems.

[Ocky]

-{ Quote: "http://git.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/plain/README
Do!

XfdesktopIconView::tooltip-size = 128

" }-
Thank you Senõr vasa1.

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Thank you Senõr vasa1." }-
De nada (I guess)!

[Trespasser]

Since we're talking xfce tweaks, does anyone know how to make Desktop icons open on one left click? I set thunar preferences to one-click, and that works fine in folders, but on Desktop I have to double-click real fast before anything will open. Also, is anyone else experiencing long delays between clicking on an application, or folder, and it actually opening? I've had delays up to 20 to 30 seconds.

I'm again thinking Xubuntu is not my cup of tea....hot tea that is...I love iced. ;).

Gnome Fallback plus Cairo Dock or Dockbarx is really not that bad.

Have a good one.

Later....

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Since we're talking xfce tweaks, does anyone know how to make Desktop icons open on one left click? ..." }-
This?

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "... Also, is anyone else experiencing long delays between clicking on an application, or folder, and it actually opening? I've had delays up to 20 to 30 seconds.
..." }-
Not me. The only delay, maybe five seconds or so, I see is on opening Thunar for the first time in a session. After the first time, there's no delay.

[Trespasser]

Thanks, vasa1. For a dude who hasn't been at Linux that long you sure have picked things up mighty fast. I compliment you on that.

Again, thanks. :).

Later...

[NormanF]

I've asked Mrkvonic to update his Xubuntu review to evaluate this new desktop.

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Thanks, vasa1. For a dude who hasn't been at Linux that long you sure have picked things up mighty fast. I compliment you on that.

Again, thanks. :).

Later..." }-
Thank you for the kind words!

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "..., but on Desktop I have to double-click real fast before anything will open. ..." }-
In the drop-down when we click on Applications Menu, there's Settings Manager right near the top. That has a section on Mouse and Touchpad. In that there's the Behavior tab and in there one can set the time for when two clicks are considered as a "double click". There's a write-up over here: http://docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfce4-settings/mouse

Edit: I slid mine to the far right ;)

[adam993]

Does anyone know which version of Xfce is in Debian repo?
I'm planning to install Debian (testing branch) with Xfce on my notebook ;)

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Does anyone know which version of Xfce is in Debian repo?
I'm planning to install Debian (testing branch) with Xfce on my notebook ;)" }-
I'm not familiar with dealing with Debian directly so I Googled and found
http://wiki.debian.org/Xfce
and
http://packages.debian.org/source/sid/xfce4-panel
and
http://pkg-xfce.alioth.debian.org/

More "joy" here: http://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=7041

[sunoracle]

-{ Quote: "I'm not familiar with dealing with Debian directly so I Googled and found
http://wiki.debian.org/Xfce
and
http://packages.debian.org/source/sid/xfce4-panel
and
http://pkg-xfce.alioth.debian.org/

More "joy" here: http://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=7041" }-

For testing, use: http://packages.debian.org/testing/xfce/

[cet]

I installed the xfce from the software center which is xfce 4.8 So far I love it.The boot up screen has changed,it says Debian at the bottom,but I liked the purple Ubuntu screen more.But I have only 1 problem,whenever I try to open a folder the first 3 tries takes 20 seconds then it opens fast.There must be some kind of conflict between nautilus but I do not know how to make it work better?Any ideas
And one more question am I going to update both Ubuntu and XFCE or is it still 1 system ?

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "... But I have only 1 problem,whenever I try to open a folder the first 3 tries takes 20 seconds then it opens fast.There must be some kind of conflict between nautilus but I do not know how to make it work better?Any ideas
And one more question am I going to update both Ubuntu and XFCE or is it still 1 system ?" }-
For me, the just first time I open Thunar takes a while. Subsequently, it's normal. I think this is a known issue and may not have anything to do with nautilus, but I'm not sure. The same thing happens in 4.10.

[vasa1]

Some people think something called gvfs is to blame for the delay in Thunar opening for the first time. Don't know more than that. But since it's a one-off event per session, I doesn't really inconvenience me.

Edit: keep in mind I'm just pasting what I've read and cannot comment on whether it's the correct thing to do!
From: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Thunar
edit /usr/share/gvfs/mounts/network.mount and change AutoMount=true to AutoMount=false.

The same advice is repeated here: http://asthecodegrows.robertbeverly.com/2012/01/18/laggy-file-navigation-at-startup-with-xfce-thunar-fix/

[Ocky]

That doesn't happen me, in fact damn fast even on old low spec laptop. Why you have this delay I don't know. However remember that I did a clean install.
(Wiped the wife's Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and also put her on Xubuntu with Xfce 4.10.
She's pleased as punch :) )

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "That doesn't happen me, in fact damn fast even on old low spec laptop. Why you have this delay I don't know. However remember that I did a clean install.
(Wiped the wife's Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and also put her on Xubuntu with Xfce 4.10.
She's pleased as punch :) )" }-

As I said, it happens just the first time for me and isn't really a problem. Had me worried a bit until I came to know about it though! Does your kit have just the one partition?

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "...
And one more question am I going to update both Ubuntu and XFCE or is it still 1 system ?" }-
I'm not sure I understand but once you've installed it, Ubuntu will take care of everything. You just have one more choice at login: after you enter your password, click on the little logo next to it to choose whether you'll boot into gnome, unity, or xfce or whatever. But it's still all Ubuntu!

[Ocky]

-{ Quote: "As I said, it happens just the first time for me and isn't really a problem. Had me worried a bit until I came to know about it though! Does your kit have just the one partition?" }-
Correction to my saying I did a clean install. That only applied to the wife's laptop. On my old one I upgraded from 11.10. No thunar delays on both these laptops and both are single boot with root, home and swap partitions.

In fact I like Xubuntu so much that I will soon wipe Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on my triple boot desktop and replace it with Xfce 4.10.
Might be something in the forums about this - will have a look later.

[vasa1]

It maybe bug 7373 (https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7373).

[cet]

Thank you for the answers.
I think I will be using the XFCE session.I loved Unity but on Ubuntu I had a weird problem.Whenever I closed the web browser Chrome or Firefox the screen got distorted and some letters got distorted too.But this does not happen on XFCE.I have 2GB of memory I am not sure if this is the problem.

-{ Quote: "You just have one more choice at login: after you enter your password, click on the little logo next to it to choose whether you'll boot into gnome, unity, or xfce or whatever. But it's still all Ubuntu!" }-
SO I have Ubuntu and it will be supported for 5 years.I thought maybe it was going to be supported for only 3 years because I installed the XFCE.

[cet]

Is there a way to change the boot up screen to the old purple ubuntu look.Now I have the Debian boot up screen with the stars.

[Ocky]

-{ Quote: "It maybe bug 7373 (https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7373)." }-
See also this thread post #6 as well as the whole thread. http://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=6987

[cet]

-{ Quote: "See also this thread post #6 as well as the whole thread. http://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=6987" }-
Thanks but I do not have Nautilus running.

[sunoracle]

-{ Quote: "I installed the xfce from the software center which is xfce 4.8 So far I love it.The boot up screen has changed,it says Debian at the bottom,but I liked the purple Ubuntu screen more." }-

It's possible to change the boot up screen, and the associated files are in /lib/plymouth/themes/ However, I haven't tried doing this myself, so I can't give you step-by-step instructions for it.

I see that there is a utility for this, Plymouth Manager. If you search for plymouth manager ubuntu on your favorite search engine you should find a lot of info. I haven't used this utility myself, I just know that I've seen people talking about it.

-{ Quote: "
And one more question am I going to update both Ubuntu and XFCE or is it still 1 system ?" }-

From your description of how you installed XFCE, I would say that you still have one system (Ubuntu) and all of the updates will be through Ubuntu's Update Manager, so you won't have to update XFCE separately.

[cet]

Now I can play Castleville easily,XFCE session uses less CPU and less memory compared to Unity.Castleville is more responsive.Thanks again for the people who have started and contributed to this thread.

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Correction to my saying I did a clean install. That only applied to the wife's laptop. On my old one I upgraded from 11.10. No thunar delays on both these laptops and both are single boot with root, home and swap partitions.

In fact I like Xubuntu so much that I will soon wipe Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on my triple boot desktop and replace it with Xfce 4.10.
Might be something in the forums about this - will have a look later." }-
That's what I'm wondering about: what do you see in the file manager's left pane under Network? Do you have other "devices" listed there? The first delay in opening Thunar in each session seems to be related to the presence of other devices, from what I understand.

Anyway, I made the change to false and it does help a lot but the second opening is as "instantaneous" as could be.

Waiting patiently for your feedback on the compose key post (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=2059810&postcount=45) about the LibreOffice extension .... :)

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "...
SO I have Ubuntu and it will be supported for 5 years.I thought maybe it was going to be supported for only 3 years because I installed the XFCE." }-

Yes, Ubuntu 12.04 will be supported for 5 years but I don't understand whether those who have installed Xfce 4.8 will be upgraded (or not) to 4.10 at the time that Xfce 4.10 becomes official along with the release of 12.10.

Anyone?

(In any case, I'm not staying with the LTS. I'll be moving to 12.10, 13.04, etc along with whatever changes are offered here (https://launchpad.net/~xubuntu-dev/+archive/xfce-4.10).)

[mack_guy911]

As you install xfce on ubuntu so you get update for 5 years without problem for xfce you already switch to new one

because you not using base of xfce 12.04 (ie pure xfce) but ubuntu + xfce desktop envirment from ppa please correct me ::)

and xfce ppa is rolling for desktop Environment while base is ubuntu which is supported for 5 years

[vasa1]

I installed Opera 11.64 yesterday but then came across rumors that it may get Zucked (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=324818). It may never happen but even the possibility demotivates me from spending time tweaking Opera. So now I'm going to try Web, the erstwhile Epiphany, pretty sure that it won't get Zucked. I wonder how it will behave in an Xfce session since it is a Gnome thing. I had tried Epiphany while on Ubuntu 11.04 (Unity 3D mode) and wasn't happy. Let's see.

[vasa1]

Very fast (assuming I'm not just lucky with my internet). Couldn't figure out how to get the "built-in" HTML5 player to work on YouTube with a video I know is available in HTML5 format. Scrolling up or down with mouse or keyboard gives some sort of blinking effect, at least for me. Clicking on any question in askubuntu.com makes the browser take 100% CPU. I closed the browser without waiting to "see what will happen". Gmail was fine as was my bank site. I still have to check Google Drive.

Edit: that works as well.

I think it's much improved since the last time I used it. Now for the tweaking.

Oh, and it's the only browser that lets me use the overlay scrollbars which I find very convenient. (I have them since mine isn't just Xfce but Xfce on top of Ubuntu 12.04.)

[awkwardpenguin]

Thunar alwasy starts kinda slow the first time after bootup. Launching it starts Thunar's daemon which runs in the background until shutdown and makes it quicker to open. For me it takes a few seconds on the first time, but after that it's instant. The daemon can probably be forced to start on boot by making a script for your runlevel or user account.


For the person who doesn't like the Debian grub display, you can open up /etc/default/grub and add
GRUB_BACKGROUND=/my/image/filepath.png
to replace the default. Then run
update-grub
Grub online manpages
http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html

A second method would be from our very own Dedoimedo.
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/grub-2.html


For those who were talking about mouse & trackpad functions, I've found xfce 4.8 to be lacking without some config fixing. Check out the Arch wiki for super customization of Synaptics, Elan and Alps touchpads.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Touchpad_Synaptics#xinput

All possible synclient touchpad functions
http://www.x.org/archive/current/doc/man/man4/synaptics.4.xhtml#heading4

[cet]

I am using XFCE 4.8 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. I installed the shiki-colors-xfwm-theme from the Ubuntu Software Center.When I open the appearance under the styles there is no Shiki theme.Shiki is only under the window manager.Am I doing something wrong? In Ubuntu when I had installed Shiki it was a complete theme with panels, icons etc.

[mack_guy911]

sorry in xfce its diffrent check other options as well to change you have to change lot of other option in xfce its not like gnome

i never installed any theme in xfce but what i did is i create .icon and .themes and extract theme/icons into then and select options form window manager

please check all windows managers options you find it there sorry as i didnt have XFCE desktop right now

try windows manager and apperance they should be there if not it might be permision problem or link problem.

best easy way is create 2 hidden folders name .themes and .icons in home folder and extract theme icon in them and select

or

create root access folder and copy paste them to /usr/share/icons usr/share/theme

[vasa1]

I have stayed away from installing themes. I use one that comes with the distro and that mostly closely meets my needs. Then, I make minor modifications to get things just so. I haven't messed with icons either. I don't much care about the appearance of the desktop, per se, since I mostly run whatever I run maximized. Boring but true.

[cet]

-{ Quote: "i never installed any theme in xfce but what i did is i create .icon and .themes and extract theme/icons into then and select options form window manager
" }-

I put the shimmerproject greybird folder into .themes. Now I have the grey panel and the greybird theme.I love it.Thanks. I downloaded the tarball for the greybird theme from the shimmerproject page.I hope the file is safe.

[vasa1]

A review of 4.10: http://www.datamation.com/open-source/is-xfce-a-gnome-and-unity-replacement-1.html
-{ Quote: "and support for GNOME and KDE apps can be enabled -- or disabled -- from Session and Startup, depending on whether convenience or speed is more important." }-
Any idea what support implies? I've left it at the default "disabled". I guess I could turn it on and then turn it off but I'd rather find out without doing so in case the on/off thing leaves traces behind.

[mack_guy911]

cet i download from these site

http://gnome-look.org/

http://xfce-look.org/

http://kde-look.org/

they are pretty safe for extra security what i do is from virus total site i scan then folder

https://www.virustotal.com/

or if you want extra

you can check webup8 themes

http://www.webupd8.org/p/ubuntu-ppas-by-webupd8.html

they added in launchpad and used and reviewed by many so they are very much safe

edit: also this site i get my all themes icons from http://www.deviantart.com/ and http://gnome-look.org/ alone

3rd go for safe themes like faenza ...common type

[apathy]

XFCE is the sweet spot for me, a major plus is that I can use all my favorite Gnome/KDE apps such as Krusader, Basket, Guake, Glippy, etc..

Easy to configure and super fast.. what more do you need.

[Beavenburt]

-{ Quote: "XFCE is the sweet spot for me, a major plus is that I can use all my favorite Gnome/KDE apps such as Krusader, Basket, Guake, Glippy, etc..

Easy to configure and super fast.. what more do you need." }-

Agreed, it strikes the perfect balance of speed, configurabilty and features. I'm still back on 4.6.2 which is perfect for my old P4.

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Thank you Senõr vasa1." }-

Okay, I finally fixed that ;)

[Trespasser]

The following is my .gtkrc.xfce4 info which makes the Desktop Icon text box transparent, changes the text to white, and adds a black shadow to the text (so you can see the icon's name even on a white background).

It also allows for changing the panel font to anything you wish (but not the digital clock..it has its own separate function for changing the font)....

## Icon View Text Appearance
#
style "xfdesktop-icon-view" {

## transparency (alpha) factor
# original: XfdesktopIconView::label-alpha = 75
# set transparency of icon text background to 100%
XfdesktopIconView::label-alpha = 0
XfdesktopIconView::selected-label-alpha = 170
XfdesktopIconVIew::ellipsize-icon-labels = 1

XfdesktopIconView::shadow-x-offset = 1
XfdesktopIconView::shadow-y-offset = 1
XfdesktopIconView::shadow-color = "#000000"
XfdesktopIconView::selected-shadow-x-offset = 1
XfdesktopIconView::selected-shadow-y-offset = 1
XfdesktopIconView::selected-shadow-color = "#ffffff"

XfdesktopIconVIew::cell-spacing = 6
XfdesktopIconView::cell-padding = 6
XfdesktopIconView::cell-text-width-proportion = 2.5

base[NORMAL] = "#cccccc"
base[SELECTED] = "#cccccc"
base[ACTIVE] = "#cccccc"

fg[NORMAL] = "#ffffff"
fg[SELECTED] = "#000000"
fg[ACTIVE] = "#000000"
}
widget_class "*XfdesktopIconView*" style "xfdesktop-icon-view"

########
## Panel Font section

style "panel"
{
font_name = "Droid Sans Bold 11" ## change to whatever you wish
}
widget "*Xfce*Panel*" style "panel"

########
##Panel color section


style "panel-color" {
fg[NORMAL] = "#FFFFFF" # was 222222
fg[ACTIVE] = "#111111" # was 111111
bg[NORMAL] = "#EDEFF2"
bg[PRELIGHT] = "#DCD2CC" # was 81756a or CA4C22 or F5D36E or F76738
bg[ACTIVE] = "#DCD2CC" # was 3d6eab
}

widget "*PanelWidget*" style "panel-color"
widget "*PanelApplet*" style "panel-color"
widget "*Panel*" style "panel-color"
widget_class "*Panel*" style "panel-color"
class "*Panel*" style "panel-color"
class "*Tray*" style "panel-color"
class "*tray*" style "panel-color"

##############

Save the above to your Home folder. Be sure to name it ".gtkrc.xfce4".

Next, create another text file with the following in it...

## $HOME/.gtkrc-2.0 may be changed on updates, so just add this line to it
include "/home/your-user-name/.gtkrc.xfce4"

Be sure to name it ".gtkrc-2.0", and save it to Home folder, as well. Reboot, and voila.

BTW, the latest Cardapio unstable version (ppa) now works in Xubuntu. But don't add the ppa to synaptic (that will drag in a bunch of other dependencies that you don't need). Instead go to the ppa site, follow the link to their repo and download it there. I used gdebi to install it. It still will want to install 4 or 5 dependencies (small in size) but that's still quite small compared thru synaptic. I should mention that Cardapio is a menu launcher...an alternative to the xfce4 menu.

Also, if you run Cairo Dock, like I do, I've found a way to run GnoMenu from the dock should you wish. It also works in AWN as well as witnessed in the latest Zorin OS 6.

I hope you find this useful.

Later...

[Ocky]

-{ Quote: "Okay, I finally fixed that ;)" }-
But you fixed that long ago. ???

Something else, how many .goutputstreamXXX files do you have in your home folder (hidden files) ?

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "...
Something else, how many .goutputstreamXXX files do you have in your home folder (hidden files) ?" }-


I used to see them in Unity sessions (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1973925) (can't remember with just 3D or even with 2D) but none if I stay with Xfce. I'm not sure there's a clear explanation. Different people seem to have different explanations. I stopped worrying once I switched to Xfce since I'm not seeing them now.

[vasa1]

Nice post here (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=12038130&postcount=4) introduced me to themerc.

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "... but not the digital clock..." }-
I went analog ;) The color of the "dial" seems to be governed by selected_fg_color in /usr/share/themes/Theme_Name/gtk-2.0/gtkrc.

[Ocky]

-{ Quote: "Nice post here (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=12038130&postcount=4) introduced me to themerc." }-
Very nice link(s), thank you. :thumb:
BTW. If you arrange items by name/modification date etc. unfortunately it seems to globally apply, eg. if I want to sort stuff in Documents by name this will apply to all folders unlike with Ubuntu/Kubuntu where I can arrange items in different folders uniquely. Do you have a tip on how to get around this ?

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Very nice link(s), thank you. :thumb:
BTW. If you arrange items by name/modification date etc. unfortunately it seems to globally apply, eg. if I want to sort stuff in Documents by name this will apply to all folders unlike with Ubuntu/Kubuntu where I can arrange items in different folders uniquely. Do you have a tip on how to get around this ?" }-
Sorry, I haven't looked at that but if I come across anything I'll post here.

[Ocky]

-{ Quote: "I used to see them in Unity sessions (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1973925) (can't remember with just 3D or even with 2D) but none if I stay with Xfce. I'm not sure there's a clear explanation. Different people seem to have different explanations. I stopped worrying once I switched to Xfce since I'm not seeing them now." }-
Definitely a bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lightdm/+bug/984785
I have them in Xubuntu 12.04
Workaround till fixed:- place in startup programs sh -c "rm ~/.goutputstream-*"

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Definitely a bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lightdm/+bug/984785
I have them in Xubuntu 12.04
Workaround till fixed:- place in startup programs sh -c "rm ~/.goutputstream-*"" }-

So it's something that Unity and Xubuntu have in common since I'm not seeing them with plain Xfce 4.10. I wonder if someone would be kind enough to see if they're generated in a GNOME Classic (no effects) session.

[vasa1]

I've started a GNOME Classic (no effects) session (GCne) and there's none so far.
Meanwhile, now that Moody's has downgraded 15 major banks and India is being regularly downgraded, one day by S&P, the next day by Fitch, I'm going to have to hang on to this laptop for dear life and stay away from CPU-guzzling stuff :(

If you don't use your workaround, how many of those files do you generate? Can you make any sort of correlation? Opening GNOME Player to watch Too old to rock (JT) doesn't give me any ;)

Maybe you need to cut down on Opera (not the browser) and switch to RnR ???

Let's see LibO ... nil
Google Chrome ... nil
Opera ... nil

Now I'll go back to my dear Xfce although GCne is certainly not the pits. The bottom panel steals one row of "real estate" but that's about it.

[vasa1]

Nothing as yet. All clear.

[Ocky]

-{ Quote: "Nothing as yet. All clear." }-
Seems to occur on shutdown - but I am not in Xubuntu now so will check on weekend.
RnR is definitely better than opera. I also recommend classical. :gack:

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Seems to occur on shutdown ..." }-
Not for me. But I shutdown from an Xfce 4.10 session. I wonder what the difference is between an Xfce 4.10 session (on Ubuntu 12.04) and running Xubuntu 12.04 (apart from the obvious 4.8 v/s 4.10).

Have you "upgraded" your Xubuntu to 4.10 or will you do so automatically along with 12.10?

[Ocky]

-{ Quote: "Not for me. But I shutdown from an Xfce 4.10 session. I wonder what the difference is between an Xfce 4.10 session (on Ubuntu 12.04) and running Xubuntu 12.04 (apart from the obvious 4.8 v/s 4.10).

Have you "upgraded" your Xubuntu to 4.10 or will you do so automatically along with 12.10?" }-
Confirmed, shutdown triggers those files. Deleted them all then shutdown. On starting again one of those .goutputstream- files was there in all its glory. ;D
One laptop = pure Xubuntu 12.04 (4.10) it was upgraded from 11.10
Other laptop = as above but not upgraded from 11.10
Hoping for a fix. Some folks who never enable 'show hidden files' will of course never notice.

Edit: They are all 0 bytes.
-rw------- 1 ocky ocky 0 Jun 23 14:06 .goutputstream-82PKGW

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "Confirmed, shutdown triggers those files. Deleted them all then shutdown. On starting again one of those .goutputstream- files was there in all its glory. ;D
One laptop = pure Xubuntu 12.04 (4.10) it was upgraded from 11.10
Other laptop = as above but not upgraded from 11.10
Hoping for a fix. Some folks who never enable 'show hidden files' will of course never notice.

Edit: They are all 0 bytes.
-rw------- 1 ocky ocky 0 Jun 23 14:06 .goutputstream-82PKGW" }-
Mine too were zero bytes when I used to see them. Since you're seeing them on both 4.8 and 4.10 whereas I'm not seeing them on 4.10 even after start-up seems to point to something about Xubuntu and Ubuntu (in a Unity session) that somehow isn't going on with an Xfce 4.10 session running on Ubuntu.

[Breakfastofchumps]

I've just this moment tried Xfce for the first time, absolutely fantastic!! :thumb:

[vasa1]

-{ Quote: "I've just this moment tried Xfce for the first time, absolutely fantastic!! :thumb:" }-
4.8 or 4.10?

[Breakfastofchumps]

version 4.8

Edit: Upgraded to 4.10 and now all my panel items have moved to the far left of the panel, I'll do some googling to see if I can find a solution.

[Ocky]

Just noticed that Ristretto image viewer doesn't do svg. It needs to be forcibly killed. Have associated those, mainly icon files, with gthumb.

So far no fix for the .goutputstream files that get created on shutdown. I am still using a workaround:-

Workaround till fixed:- place in startup programs sh -c "rm ~/.goutputstream-*"

Another irritant. If I choose to arrange items for example by modification date for a particular directory, all other directories will adopt that setting i.e. sort one directory and all others will follow suit.

[cet]

Since Ubuntu upgraded to 12.10 is the xfce 4.8 environment going to update on Ubuntu 12.04 or do I have to install xfce 4.10 manually.

[fblais]

Xubuntu 12.10 comes with XFCE 4.10.
-http://xubuntu.org/news/12-10-release/-

[inka]

-{ Quote: "Upgraded to 4.10 and now all my panel items have moved to the far left of the panel, I'll do some googling to see if I can find a solution." }-
Right-click the panel to edit its properties, then navigate to the "items" tab in the properties window.
If you add a "separator" item to the panel, then edit _its_ properties (tick the checkmark for "expand")
the separator will serve to "force right" any panel items trailing it.
Play with moving its relative position (via up/down arrows in the panel properties "items" tab)
~~ best (IMO, seemingly most sensible) placement of the expanded separator is immediately following the "application windows" panel item

[fblais]

Possibly stupid question (noob here!) but is it possible to install XFCE on CentOS?

[Ocky]

-{ Quote: "Possibly stupid question (noob here!) but is it possible to install XFCE on CentOS?" }-
Si senõr, it is. (Epel repository)

yum groupinstall Xfce

[fblais]

Merci beaucoup!
:)