Suggestion for Xfce projects

the98 · 2011-08-23 20:10:39

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 · 2011-08-24 16:55:50

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 · 2011-08-24 20:25:25

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

Nick · 2011-08-24 21:48:33

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).

the98 · 2011-08-26 00:24:41

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 · 2011-08-26 21:18:04

No. No. No. No. smile

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

Tal · 2011-08-28 09:20:11

mmassonnet wrote:

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 · 2011-08-28 14:35:14

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 · 2011-08-28 15:31:36

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.

reguspatoff · 2014-02-20 20:09:38

1) A calculator the understands RPN and works from the keyboard would be great.
2) Screen savers exist, now, because they are fun and that is a good enough reason for somethings to exist.

daggoth · 2014-02-21 21:42:38

reguspatoff wrote:

A calculator the understands RPN and works from the keyboard would be great.

You can try grpn.

Description: GTK+ reverse polish notation calculator
 grpn is an RPN calculator which uses the GTK+ widgets. It works with real and
 complex numbers, has 4 different radix modes, supports general math functions
 along with logarithmic and trigonometric functions.  Calculator stack is only
 limited by free memory.

herbie643 · 2014-02-24 21:42:16

My 2 suggestions for what they are worth are:

1) Have Windows Centered by default and in the Window Manager Tweaks a check box to disable.
2) Enable the Panel to be transparent without the need for xcompmgr, compton or the default composition option.

Otherwise, Xfce is fantastic. Best damned DE there is. Xfce (eXtremely Fast Computer Environment).

the98 · 2014-03-05 20:21:24

I don't know if someone of the Xfce staff is reading or cares about this, but I'm going to insist in a couple of things. I think XFCE really needs its own Display Manager, or XFSWITCH should support light weight DMs. I have upgraded from GDM3 3.4 to version 3.8, and it's a little slow in comparison to previous versions. Plus, it needs lots of dependencies (at least under Debian). I was previously using GDM2, but unfortunately, XFSWITCH does not support GDM2 anymore. I know it's an old DM, but I got the job done.

I would avoid using DM, like I do on my personal computer, but I can't do this on the family's PC. I have two different users running at the same time, so I need a DM that handles that feature.

Just so it's clear: I'm not demanding, I'm suggesting.

Thanks for reading.

Regards.

sixsixfive · 2014-03-23 10:15:20

Well I'm an Xfce user since KDE 4 came out and I still like it but...

>stop depending so much on Gnome's applications

I totally agree with that - it's terrible how Xfce has evolved into something like a gnome clone

Just look at the frontpage it says "modular desktop environment" but thats already history

just a few examples:

thunar:

I still don't get why this now req gvfs to mount my usb pen stick (gvfs takes ~30mb more ram)

ps aux --sort -rss|grep gvfs
root      5633  0.0  0.0 473056  7608 ?        Sl   09:18   0:00 /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfs-udisks2-volume-monitor
ssf       3447  0.0  0.0 459884  6356 ?        Sl   08:46   0:00 /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfsd-trash --spawner :1.9 /org/gtk/gvfs/exec_spaw/0
ssf       2769  0.0  0.0 473056  5584 ?        Sl   08:45   0:00 /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfs-udisks2-volume-monitor
ssf       5651  0.0  0.0 155792  3808 ?        Sl   09:19   0:00 /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfsd-metadata
root      5627  0.0  0.0 232092  3564 ?        Sl   09:18   0:00 /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfsd
ssf       1231  0.0  0.0 232092  1988 ?        Sl   07:31   0:00 /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfsd

Multimedia: Parole, Mixer & Thunar for goddamned thumbnails?

GStreamer... hmm

Just have a look at Deadbeef to see what modular means (install libfaad to get faad support, install libmad to get mp3 support etc.)

It's also amazing that Xfce has media players, web browsers, text editors but no polkit frontend or archive manager(two things I would expect from every desktop environment).

---------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway, the devs should keep in mind that there is now already with Mate a fully fledged gnome based desktop environment but on the other hand the smallest Gtk desktop will merge with Razor and switch to Qt...

Xfce Forum

Sub domains

#1 2011-08-23 20:10:39

Suggestion for Xfce projects

#2 2011-08-24 16:55:50

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#3 2011-08-24 20:25:25

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#4 2011-08-24 21:48:33

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#5 2011-08-26 00:24:41

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#6 2011-08-26 21:18:04

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#7 2011-08-28 09:20:11

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#8 2011-08-28 14:35:14

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#9 2011-08-28 15:31:36

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#10 2014-02-20 20:09:38

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#11 2014-02-21 21:42:38

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#12 2014-02-24 21:42:16

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#13 2014-03-05 20:21:24

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

#14 2014-03-23 10:15:20

Re: Suggestion for Xfce projects

Board footer