Xfce Forum

the98

Member

Registered: 2009-11-10

Posts: 39

Suggestion for Xfce projects

Hi. I'd like to suggest a few projects for the next release 4.10. The objective of these projects is to stop depending so much on Gnome's applications. I mean, Xfce is becoming more and more independent with time. It's coming with more and more features (e.g. Parole Media Player). Here there are some suggestions I thought of... Maybe someone who knows how to write software can start working on them (I don't exactly how these kind of stuff are handled by Xfce Project):

Xfce Display Manager: which would have the same features as the old GDM. This feature would include allowing multiple users to log in (something I think SLiM is incapable of). Of course a new button should be added in Xfce's Exit menu that would allow you to change the current session without logging out, thus allowing the multiple user log in feature mentioned before.

Xfce-su: like gksu. This is also related to the Display Manager, avoiding installing a lot og Gnome's dependencies.

Xfce calculator: this is an easy one. Would you believe that I haven't found a calculator which works in the same way as gcalctool? I mean, been able to edit the expression you're trying to calculate is basic stuff. Otherwise I'd just buy a solar-powered calculator and have next to the computer. It doesn't even have to be a scientific calc, just one that allows to edit the expression you're calculating. I'd keep gcalctool, but now it works with gtk 3, and besides it installs a lot of crap.

XScreen-Saver: Nothing really, just been able to deactivate forever. With 4.6 you could do this in xfce4-session-settings menu. Now I have to do it manually every time I log in. Of course I could make a script, but that's not the point. It should be possible from xfce settings manager.

Anyway, that's all I can of now. Maybe you guys can add some suggestions, but of course, nothing will assure us that they'll be implemented.

Thanks to the Xfce Team for the great work. I hope you consider this for the future.

Regards.

Havoc

Member

Registered: 2011-02-20

Posts: 34

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

A screensaver might be nice, but with a recent display the powersave cuts in before a screensaver would activate.

Calculator: good idea, but it should understand RPN and be usable with only the keyboard.

angstrom

Member

Registered: 2011-08-13

Posts: 263

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

I think that your wishes will be more "visible" to the developers if you put it on the wiki wish list

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Xfce is NOT Xubuntu. Bugs in Xubuntu don't mean that Xfce is buggy ...

Nick

Dev

From: ~

Registered: 2005-02-17

Posts: 1,142

Website

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

There are a lot of login manager out there that are independent enough to be used for Xfce, appart from Slim, LXDE and LightDM are good alternatives.

Apart from gconf, we can't do much better then gksu.

Screensavers are a wast of time. A good screen locker is fine and there is indeed room to improve that, but screensavers are old and a wast of energy (just suspend the screen).

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the98

Member

Registered: 2009-11-10

Posts: 39

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

I don't want an ScreenSaver. I have XscreenSaver installed, I just think there should be a "GUI" way to deactivate from default.

I haven't tested LightDM, do you happen to know if it allows multiple logins and if it works with xfswitch-plugin?

mmassonnet

Moderator

From: the milky way galaxy

Registered: 2006-07-30

Posts: 99

Website

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

No. No. No. No.

Display manager is not a task for the desktop environment.

Gksu is alright, there is an existing alternative with less dependencies that is ktsuss.

Galculator or Gcalctool.

Screensavers, a lightweight system to lock the screen could be necessary of course... but who is going to write and maintain it?

Thanks for your feedback

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Mike

Tal

Member

Registered: 2011-08-11

Posts: 11

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

No. No. No. No.

Display manager is not a task for the desktop environment.

I do get the idea, but is it possible to switch user in Xfce without logging out?(Is this related?)

Last edited by Tal (2011-08-28 09:20:46)

the98

Member

Registered: 2009-11-10

Posts: 39

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

You can do so using gdm and xfswitch-plugin. I think a button on the exit box would be nice, instead of a plugin. Maybe you can configure different display managers (I understand xfswitch works only with gdm, maybe kdm) in the Settings Menu, so xfswitch knows which one you're using.

Anzhr

Member

Registered: 2011-03-13

Posts: 72

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

I had stopped using screensavers for years until I found electricsheep. Now I run it on all my boxen and I have one laptop always open so I can see it.