Xfce Forum

Rava

Member

Registered: 2007-03-06

Posts: 9

Is XFCe still in development?

As I read on Tomas M's blog (the core programmer of the Slackware Live Linux Slax

http://www.slax.org/blog/

Why don't you use Xfce, Enlightenment or OpenBox?

OpenBox is mostly just a window manager, not a desktop. XFce was nice few years ago, when the last version has been released, but it's too outdated for today. (Well the whole KDE4 look a bit outdated already).

When I look ito the main site of xfce, the version 4.10 (that I use, of course) is the most recent one.

According to wikipedia, it's from April 28, 2012, and so approx 2 years without a new version...

Is the development of XFCe dead? Why no new alpha or beta versions? Let alone new RC1 or RC2 versions?

Cause I like XFCe a lot, and would have liked it to be Slax new main Desktop...

jsalpha2

Member

Registered: 2013-07-25

Posts: 23

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

I love the xfce desktop, and wish it had a little more support.  It needs to get rid of the idea that it is only for old hardware.  I find it to be the most customizable, easiest to use DE.

mattdocs12345

Member

Registered: 2014-04-07

Posts: 4

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

If you can find something as easy to customize and as easy on resources then I will try it. So far I am happy with XFCE but if all else fails then maybe LXDE will be my next choice.

thiskurt

Member

Registered: 2014-04-26

Posts: 1

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

I was wondering the same thing, because the last version you can download is 4.10 from two years ago and all the 'roadmaps' and 'release schedules' on the site seem to just be abandoned.
But xfdesktop 4.11.6, the desktop manager, was released March 7th, so obviously it's still in development. In fact if you look at the git repository (http://git.xfce.org/), there seems still be a lot of healty development. So I guess it's still doing fine, it's just the site that's stopped updating, I mean you can't even download, heck it doesn't even mention, 4.11 from there.

http://git.xfce.org/

cwizard

Member

Registered: 2009-09-05

Posts: 7

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

Xfce had a great opportunity with the "retirement" of m$-windows XP, but missed the boat.

I've been following several threads on various boards about which Linux distribution and desktop would best suit former m$-windows XP users and it appears the move has been away from Xfce and towards MATE. So much so that I recently installed MATE to see what the fuss is all about and after using it a while came to the conclusion it is what Xfce could or should be, and, hopefully might become, i.e., improve to the point it is competitive with MATE. Heck, MATE even has a built-in menu editor.  
I've since gone back to Xfce, but if the Xfce developers are not careful, MATE is going to "eat their lunch."

At this point it has been so long since the last major Xfce release (two years), that when the new Xfce arrives it will have to have a significant "wow" factor to renew the interest of many people.

BTW, The Whisker Menu would be a nice addition to Xfce, and should be, IMHO, the default menu.

Last edited by cwizard (2014-04-26 13:53:06)

Jerry3904

Member

Registered: 2013-11-09

Posts: 862

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

BTW, The Whisker Menu would be a nice addition to Xfce, and should be, IMHO, the default menu.

Agreed, if for no other reason than that the incremental search box of name and description is so fast--and makes Application Finder (Alt-F2) look absolutely neolithic...

Last edited by Jerry3904 (2014-04-28 00:29:31)

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MountainDewManiac

Member

From: Where Mr. Bankruptcy is Prez

Registered: 2013-03-24

Posts: 1,115

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

I have been running Mint 14 (XFCE, of course) for a year or so. When I installed it, I added XFCE's 4.10 & 4.12 PPAs to my sources list. I immediately received some newer versions of XFCE-related files - and have received quite a few more in the time since.

As far as missing a great opportunity - regarding those who kept using Microsoft's Windows XP - my thoughts are as follows: Those people are three (major) OS releases out of date. I'm guessing that if they travel by air, they exit the plane after everyone else has already made it home... And, in fact, they had to be physically booted off, lol. Meaning no... undue... disrespect to those people, but I do not foresee any great potential benefit in courting a group of people who are - statistically speaking - running computers that are years older than average and an OS that has more or less been on extended life-support for some time. An OS, I might add, that they are probably using "because that's what the computer came with." Furthermore, it appears (to me) that the average linux developer isn't overly concerned with playing the numbers game. I know that Clem once said he had no idea how many people used his OS (Mint) because he hadn't added any kind of counting mechanism to it. If you use it, great, but if not, no worries.

I guess it's like people in a house that's on fire. I might try to help them escape - but if they have to be dragged out against their will, kicking and screaming, well... I might toss a package of marshmallows through the window so they can enjoy one last nicely-toasted snack, lol, but I'll respect their decision to sit on the couch and burn. After all, the gene pool doesn't seem to be getting any smarter and we've broken many (most?) of the evolutionary process' built-in safeguards, so anything that helps, right?

Supporting new users who have computers that are in some cases even older than mine (10+ years old) might be an interesting thing to watch, though .

Oh, and about MATE: I initially installed Mint's MATE edition because I was looking for a GNOME 2.x replacement. It... I've ridden Honda scooters, and I've also ridden those Chinese copies. And MATE... caused me to give XFCE a try for the first time in years. I have been quite happy with XFCE, liking it better than GNOME (both new and old versions), KDE, MATE, Cinnamon, and some stripped-down setups.

But that's the thing about linux: Choice. Use what works best for you. If you like MATE better than XFCE (currently), use MATE. If, in the future, a newer version (of whatever) is released, feel free to try it. I don't think it'll bother anyone.

Regards,
MDM

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rene

Member

Registered: 2011-02-01

Posts: 5

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

Well. here is one user who has indeed jumped ship to MATE. Coming from a *box environment, I ran Xfce for about 5 or 6 years  -- and now MATE.

MATE in its current form, while dragging along unfortunate connotations of GNOME, is almost exactly the same with respect to infrastructure as Xfce is (or can be) because Xfce adopted a lot of the same GNOME infrastructure such as gvfs anyway. In MATE however, GIVEN its background as the desktop that developped/spearheaded the technologies that were then forced down everybody else's thoat... that infrastructure actually tends to work somewhat better... :-/

It's not more heavyweight (or lightweight) than Xfce, my 'ps ax' is completely comparable between the two envirionments as is combined memory use, but it's a lot more polished, even if only due to the above mentioned reason. Together with the stand-still that public Xfce development has come to, I frankly at this point see hardly any niche that Xfce still fills that MATE isn't very busy kicking it out of. Clearly, Wayland is going to be the big thing and as such it's going to depend on who gets THERE first -- but that would seem to be MATE as well; its GTK3 port is quite far, whereas Xfce is still dragging its feet.

Now, I know these things tend be fairly religious -- but I don't believe that there's much of a future for Xfce. It'll be here for a while, but with the current lack of developpers and likely little new influx due to users who are not ALREADY wed to Xfce picking MATE instead.... I don't see it going anywhere anymore.

Last edited by rene (2014-04-28 01:47:34)

kurisu

Member

Registered: 2014-04-29

Posts: 3

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

I have been running Xfce on various Gentoo boxes since version 4.4 and I think it is the best and most easy-to-use DE I have ever had. So I do appreciate the work very much. Furthermore, I am running the current version, i.e. 4.10, without any flaws since it was released and am completely happy with it. I do not need hasty improvements and can patiently wait until the developers decide the next release is ready. And like user thiskurt has already pointed out, there is still active development on GIT. So I guess, it will be done when it is done. Maybe a port to GTK3 would be nice some day in the future, however, for now no worries whatsoever ;-)

Edit:

I would basically agree with user rene. MATE is indeed an alternate solution for bleeding-edge guys. Let us hope this project will keep up in the future. For my part, I will still stick to Xfce ;-)

Last edited by kurisu (2014-04-29 04:26:13)

Chazza

Member

Registered: 2013-07-31

Posts: 18

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

If I could just say, Xfce actually isn't dead. Work is still continuing in their git repos. Only the other day, xfce4-power-manager was patched in git to work with a new version of upower that has changed.

rijnsma

Member

From: NL

Registered: 2011-09-05

Posts: 38

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

I use Mate in Mint 13 Maya LTS and PCLOS 2014.
Xfce in Ubuntu 12.04 and I've seen it in Ubuntu 14.04 (which is not quite ready in my opinion).

Xfce is more configurable then Mate. And it is just a little more snappy.
Panels are a little easier for a user in Mate.
After a days work or longer Xfce behaves better in Ubuntu. It has tiny more bugs then Mate.

I love them both and I would not dump any one of the two. Maybe such would be nice for MS
just like the destruction of old KDE or other disasters... but I really wouldn't advise so.

rene

Member

Registered: 2011-02-01

Posts: 5

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

Yah. I'm quite sure that Microsoft is anxiously keeping tabs on these desktops, which together make up probably less than 5% of the total Linux desktop, which itself makes up approximately 1.5% of the total desktop. Now, I suppose that can and will be considered troll-ish by some so I'll STFU -- but you are approximately 10 years too late for considering there to be a competition. Linux has long lost.

rijnsma

Member

From: NL

Registered: 2011-09-05

Posts: 38

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

That is true, Rene. But better in their eyes would be Linux-eliminated. Just like Androïd (biggest en derived from the Torvalds kernel) and Apple.
These are hard times for men like Gates, although he will have a fantastic future with all those billions of dollars.

https://www.google.com/search?q=gates+s … d=0CCYQqAI

:smile:

I hope the developement of Xfce goes on, because it is a fine desktop.

Last edited by rijnsma (2014-05-04 15:39:00)

Jerry3904

Member

Registered: 2013-11-09

Posts: 862

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

These are hard times for men like Gates, although he will have a fantastic future with all those billions of dollars.

A good hunk of which is being applied to solving incredibly complicated social problems:

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-W … s-Database

I don't like the OS or the marketing, but a simplistic characterization won't work.

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rijnsma

Member

From: NL

Registered: 2011-09-05

Posts: 38

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

He is doing a great job in that respect.
But also this would be a too simple characterization of course.
It was not only 'building things' they did...

dollyp

Member

Registered: 2014-03-09

Posts: 35

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

As I read on Tomas M's blog (the core programmer of the Slackware Live Linux Slax

When I look ito the main site of xfce, the version 4.10 (that I use, of course) is the most recent one.

According to wikipedia, it's from April 28, 2012, and so approx 2 years without a new version...

Is the development of XFCe dead? Why no new alpha or beta versions? Let alone new RC1 or RC2 versions?

Cause I like XFCe a lot, and would have liked it to be Slax new main Desktop...

What seems odd to me is that there is v4.11 bundled with Xubuntu so there must be some development going on, but there is no reference to it on the Xfce site. I really can't decide whether to bet on Xfce or Mate (although even that's development is slow). I do like Xfce a lot. Wish I could help with the development but I can't code.

David

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Linux Mint 17 Xfce
Lenovo IdeaPad U410

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 11,430

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

What seems odd to me is that there is v4.11 bundled with Xubuntu so there must be some development going on, but there is no reference to it on the Xfce site. I really can't decide whether to bet on Xfce or Mate (although even that's development is slow). I do like Xfce a lot. Wish I could help with the development but I can't code.

David

The Xubuntu team has bundled alot of the post-4.10 bugfixes and enhancments into a 4.11 release even though the Xfce team has not officially launched 4.12. If you look at the 4.12 roadmap (more specifically, the modules linked at the bottom of the page), you will see the goals for each module listed and a completion percentage. Perhaps the 4.12 release is dependent on those components being completed?

There also seems to be a very close tie between the Xfce developers and Xubuntu maintainers. I've noticed that with every Xubuntu release, there is a flurry of activity on the Xfce git tree. Can't say I've noticed it with any of the other distros, but in all fairness, I don't use those distros.

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MountainDewManiac

Member

From: Where Mr. Bankruptcy is Prez

Registered: 2013-03-24

Posts: 1,115

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

That is true, Rene. But better in their eyes would be Linux-eliminated.

Well... No. If Microsoft eliminates ALL its competition, it becomes a monopoly. It can then be legally broken up by the government. Remember "Ma Bell," lol?

There's also the fact that Microsoft could use things that come from linux development in its own OS. (Idk if they do or not.)

Maybe that's why Microsoft donates so much money towards linux development?

Regards,
MDM

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rijnsma

Member

From: NL

Registered: 2011-09-05

Posts: 38

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

MountainDewManiac wrote:

Well... No. If Microsoft eliminates ALL its competition, it becomes a monopoly. It can then be legally broken up by the government. Remember "Ma Bell," lol?

I think this is not the case anymore now. :smile:

There's also the fact that Microsoft could use things that come from linux development in its own OS. (Idk if they do or not.)

Can't they always do so? If there is no Linux there is free software.

Maybe that's why Microsoft donates so much money towards linux development?

Is that so? I read some time ago it is a mess now at Novell?

Back to the tests here: Xfce does a little bit better then very nice Mate on Mint for example.
In my opinion it would really be a pity  to dump Xfce. :wink:

MountainDewManiac

Member

From: Where Mr. Bankruptcy is Prez

Registered: 2013-03-24

Posts: 1,115

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

What seems odd to me is that there is v4.11 bundled with Xubuntu so there must be some development going on, but there is no reference to it on the Xfce site. I really can't decide whether to bet on Xfce or Mate (although even that's development is slow). I do like Xfce a lot. Wish I could help with the development but I can't code.

David

The Xubuntu team has bundled alot of the post-4.10 bugfixes and enhancments into a 4.11 release even though the Xfce team has not officially launched 4.12. If you look at the 4.12 roadmap (more specifically, the modules linked at the bottom of the page), you will see the goals for each module listed and a completion percentage. Perhaps the 4.12 release is dependent on those components being completed?

There also seems to be a very close tie between the Xfce developers and Xubuntu maintainers. I've noticed that with every Xubuntu release, there is a flurry of activity on the Xfce git tree. Can't say I've noticed it with any of the other distros, but in all fairness, I don't use those distros.

IIRC, 4.11 files are tagged as being "development releases."

Back in February of last year, I added the XFCE 4.10 & 4.12 PPAs to the sources list in my update manager app. I have received lots of updated XFCE & XFCE-related files. (Not a deluge, but they've added up over time.)

If you download source files and compile them yourself, you're probably "advanced" enough that you know where to look for the newest files.  Everyone else (like me) relies on other people. We use an app - I use Mint's GUI update manager, others might use a terminal command - to get updates. I think the developers of our distros share some of the blame for some people having the perception that XFCE development is dead, because they don't always pass on available updates. For example, on March 25, I received a new version of xfce-clipman-plugin (and xfburn) that I wouldn't even have known about had I not added the two XFCE PPAs.

I am sure that the distros' developers have their reasons. For one, they like their users to have stable systems and don't want to release things into the update channel unless/until they have been tested. Still... My update manager ranks updates 1-5, depending on safety/stability. I would have expected these newer files to have shown up - ranked as 5, untested... But without the sources I added, they wouldn't have. So I think that idea isn't working all that well.

If we are not in "Microsoft OS user mode," where we completely rely on someone else to... babysit(?) us, then we do have some responsibility to find out for ourselves whether or not newer files are out there and whether or not we should install them.

Additionally... I do not say this to anger those who run this website, but (IMHO) they also share some of the blame of a perceived lack of XFCE development. The top forum here is "Announcements." The most recent post in it appears to be from August, 2013 - but on the XFCE developers' email list, there are often(+/-) announcements about new versions of files. People who have subscribed to that email list (it's open to all) KNOW that XFCE development is ongoing - because they are routinely presented with the evidence. For example:

DATE: 4/26/2014 5:56PM
FROM: Fabian Nowak
SUBJECT: ANNOUNCE: xfce4-mount-plugin 0.6.7 released
Reply to: Xfce general discussion list
To: xfce-announce@xfce.org

xfce4-mount-plugin 0.6.7 is now available for download from
 
  http://archive.xfce.org/src/panel-plugi … .7.tar.bz2
  http://archive.xfce.org/src/panel-plugi … ar.bz2.md5
  http://archive.xfce.org/src/panel-plugi … r.bz2.sha1
  http://archive.xfce.org/src/panel-plugi … bz2.sha256

What is xfce4-mount-plugin?
===========================

The mount plugin allows you to mount devices such as hard disks,
CD/DVD-ROM and network filesystems listed in your /etc/fstab and to also
unmount currently mounted filesystems. You can specify custom commands
for the mount/unmount operations, eject CDs, run a command after a
device has been mounted (for example, exo-open to browse it in your file
manager), and finally you can quickly see how full a filesystem is, and
whether it's already mounted.

Website:
  http://goodies.xfce.org/projects/panel- … unt-plugin

Release notes for 0.6.7
=======================
Fixed several bugs and feature requests:

- menu does no longer overlap the panel

- wildcard option for devices or mountpoints that are to be excluded

- no duplicate entries for e.g. /media and /media/

- use LABEL from /etc/fstab

- More freedom for translators and enhanced R2L language support
thereby

- More i18n work done by translators

Note that this is an "odd" release with the next "even" release
appearing when most translations are complete.
_______________________________________________
Xfce-announce mailing list
Xfce-announce@xfce.org
https://mail.xfce.org/mailman/listinfo/xfce-announce

These posts should appear in this website's "Announcements" forum - but they never seem to make it there. I'd post them there, myself (as/when I am able), but AfaIK only forum staff members may make new threads there. (This) one assumes that if there were regular posts in that forum about new versions of files, people would not find themselves asking, "Is XFCE development dead?"

Regards,
MDM

Last edited by MountainDewManiac (2014-05-05 20:37:37)

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Chazza

Member

Registered: 2013-07-31

Posts: 18

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

As I read on Tomas M's blog (the core programmer of the Slackware Live Linux Slax

When I look ito the main site of xfce, the version 4.10 (that I use, of course) is the most recent one.

According to wikipedia, it's from April 28, 2012, and so approx 2 years without a new version...

Is the development of XFCe dead? Why no new alpha or beta versions? Let alone new RC1 or RC2 versions?

Cause I like XFCe a lot, and would have liked it to be Slax new main Desktop...

What seems odd to me is that there is v4.11 bundled with Xubuntu so there must be some development going on, but there is no reference to it on the Xfce site. I really can't decide whether to bet on Xfce or Mate (although even that's development is slow). I do like Xfce a lot. Wish I could help with the development but I can't code.

David

If I understand correctly, version 4.11 is a development release of Xfce in the same way that version 3.13 is a development release of GNOME. When Xfce 4.11 is ready it will become Xfce 4.12. Likewise, when GNOME 3.13 is ready it will become GNOME 3.14.

jessejazza

Member

Registered: 2007-09-10

Posts: 10

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

...
But that's the thing about linux: Choice. Use what works best for you. If you like MATE better than XFCE (currently), use MATE. If, in the future, a newer version (of whatever) is released, feel free to try it. I don't think it'll bother anyone.

Regards,
MDM

I use xfce on a two year old PC, I like it because it is basic and as you say linux is about choice. I don't want the 'bells & whistles'. xfce does suffer from a stigma though - it's the light desktop for the old PC. It's not as LXDE is now in that position (along with other light desktops).

It would help xfce appeal if it was marketed as the 'bling free' desktop... or something similar. I thought the Xubuntu 13.10 was the best they've done.

rijnsma

Member

From: NL

Registered: 2011-09-05

Posts: 38

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

I completely agree. But this helping the 'appeal' or not has always been a point of critics for me with Linux. Not only with Xfce.

jsalpha2

Member

Registered: 2013-07-25

Posts: 23

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

While trying to change the volume icon in Xubuntu 14.04, (they have a music player tied into the volume control), I discovered that Xfce-4 and Xfce4 goodies were not even installed.
I installed both with synaptic and then was able to put the old volume control back.

videodrome

Member

Registered: 2010-11-11

Posts: 7

Re: Is XFCe still in development?

I am a long time user of XFCE. A very long time lol.

Anyhow, what frustrates me is not the lack of development, but rather the lack of communication.

Not updating the XFCE website for years is quite unfortunate. Even if the developers were to chime in every couple months so as to not have threads like this one start, well that would seem wise, placate everyone, etc.

Unfortunately when you leave everyone in the dark, they jump ship eventually, no matter how great the ship.