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Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 12 Aug 2014, 03:28
by brokenman
After an earlier thread about unified applications our aim for the next release is to try to unify applications across desktops. So for the gtk desktops (xfce/mate) many of the apps will be the same for both desktops.

What would you like to see included (keeping in mind we want to keep a lightweight environment).

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 13 Aug 2014, 03:53
by brokenman
This release will be much lighter than the previous. I have removed gtk3 and gstreamer and stripped python by half its size. The consequences are:

1) The volume icon in the tray will not open a GUI mixer. It will open the alsa console.
2) Music will not be previewable by hovering your mouse over the audio file
3) People wanting to compile gtk3 or gstreamer based apps will have to download them

I have replaced leafpad with mousepad (it gives a root warning) and replaced deadbeef (gtk3 now) with audacious and its plugins.
Samba has been removed as the file manager (caja) now mounts many protocols without it.
I am debating whether to remove claws email as most people use online emails (am i right here?)

Overall this has almost halved the size of the memory footprint and module alike. Speak up now about any errors you think I have made above and about any other applications you would like to see in the mate desktop.

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 15 Aug 2014, 11:02
by francois
This is a very find idea to standardize applications thru the DE for the next version of porteus. Stability and uniformity will help people to fearless our distribution. I am surprised that you did not get much more interventions yet.

Mousepad is a good choice. However, scratch is really top (you will find it on EOS. You don't have to save the file when closing the application, see:
http://www.addictivetips.com/ubuntu-lin ... lementary/

Some packages that I would like. My preference goes to gparted, even in kde environment. Thunar as my preference. In the past k3b had my preference to manipulate iso files, but now I seldom use it. An encrypting software would be an asset. I would like to have grub2 packed in as a possibility but not as a the main bootloader.

Chrome browser is my favorite, but chromium would even be better. The issue of private browsing has been dealt with standard in EOS, why should'nt we provide such an option.

It would be great to add photoprint to the printing package.

I am debating whether to remove claws email as most people use online emails (am i right here?)
Please do so! I hate being directed to a specific email application while I do not use it.

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 15 Aug 2014, 12:51
by donald
I can not decide.
My favorite DE is XFCE, that's why I would like to have apps which will work/belong/integrate in/to XFCE without pulling in extra dependencies.
Sometimes I take a look at the other DE's but I don't care that much which apps they have or if they are the same as in XFCE.
And as Porteus is meant to be a portable OS, I'm a friend of a "clean" and "what I don't use,I don't want in my system" philosophy.
(no email app,avahi..why is this daemon running by default? etc..)

If one can type text in mousepad, he/she could surely do the same in leafpad
or whichever app is provided by the DE,no?

btw.
I think Linux is designed to have choices, not uniformity.. 8)

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 15 Aug 2014, 18:45
by brokenman
I think Linux is designed to have choices, not uniformity
This is a complex subject. Choices. I think the reason the linux world is such a mess is precisely because of this. Another fork, another choice, another three dependencies required for that freedom. I believe uniformity in the linux world will bring stability and faster development. If we had uniformity in certain core and development areas for linux it would remove so much hassle. One boot loader. One development platform. One sound layer control.

From a maintenance point of view, uniformity is so much easier. A set of applications that are shared between desktops is much easier to maintain. Users are welcome to install/remove whatever they want for linux as they see fit, but my aim is to streamline time and effort so a uniformed set of applications between MATE and XFCE is what I am aiming at.

This thread is about giving the community that choice. The choice of preferred applications to include.

Francois many of the apps you mention are out of my control such as bootloader or 'k' based apps that probably relyon qt. Gparted will be included although right now i have a bug that cause caja (file manager) to max out the cpu when gparted is started. Weirdness.

Browser choice is outside of desktop choice so I will keep this thread about MATE.

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 15 Aug 2014, 18:49
by brokenman
Scratch will pull in vala and gtk+3 and probably gtksourceview for gtk3.

For this next release I would like to keep both XFCE and MATE as gtk2 only. Eventually we will be forced to move towards gtk3 but right now linux is in that transition period where most stuff is still gtk2 but newer apps are gtk3. I am torn between keeping the size down and still providing useful apps.

Any opinions on leaving gtk3 in MATE/XFCE?

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 15 Aug 2014, 21:55
by donald
Well, I think one can have uniformity in a Company where the Boss decides what to do and how it should look like, but not in a community of free people.
Who decides which platform/ DE etc. to use? How many devs would agree and how many would say NO, that's not what I want/like....and split again.

--> From a maintenance point of view, uniformity is so much easier.<--
I agree
------------------------------------------
gtk2 only is ok

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 15 Aug 2014, 23:15
by francois
Any opinions on leaving gtk3 in MATE/XFCE?

Comparisons between gtk2 and gtk3:
http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/ ... ween_gtk2/
http://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=6685

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 16 Aug 2014, 00:00
by Ed_P
donald wrote:NO, that's not what I want/like....and split again.
So long as they have the time and resources and servers to support the split good for them. Otherwise it dies as quickly as it is born.

Speaking of unifying desktops, what about RazorQT?

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 16 Aug 2014, 03:57
by brokenman
Perhaps that's a question for the razorQT thread but I am pretty sure fanthom will be unifying applications between KDE and lxqt. I will take care of the gtk based dekstops and he the qt based desktops.

Francois I just took a look at elementary and really like what they have done with the gtk3 stuff. It is visually stunning. It is a polished OS but weighs in at almost 700Mb. Maybe I can leave xfce with gtk2 and lightweight and mate can be the gtk3 heavier desktop.

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 16 Aug 2014, 05:11
by Ed_P
brokenman wrote:Perhaps that's a question for the razorQT thread
Maybe the title of this thread should be changed then to "a couple of desktops"? Granted it is in the Help section for Mate.

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 16 Aug 2014, 08:38
by fanthom
I am pretty sure fanthom will be unifying applications between KDE and lxqt.
correct.
no voting planned - may change the application set if users complain a lot after rc1.

Re: Unified applications between desktops

Posted: 20 Aug 2014, 21:32
by francois
Happy to read that!