Poll: How many desktop environments do you use in Porteus?

[fanthom]

hello guys,

few words of introduction:

Porteus-2.0 final is not released yet but we have started thinking about 2.1 already
In version 2.1 we may extend our distribution model with a new tool. So far we were releasing an ISO images with static content. this situation is not perfect for people who want to use Porteus in text mode only, or have chrome browser instead of firefox, or have weak/limited internet connection.
this situation may change in version 2.1 as we have plans to introduce a "web wizard" which lets you select only modules you want and download an ISO created from modules of your choice.

so far dev team agreed to maintain following xzm's (same for 32bit and 64bit arch):
a) 'Porteus text mode' would include 000+001 only
b) 'Porteus with GUI' would include 000+001+002+desktop (kde4, xfce, razor, lxde)
c) 'Porteus with GUI and browser' would include 000+001+002+desktop+browser (firefox, chrome, opera)

following optional modules will also be available in the wizard for people who need additional functionality:
a) office (libreoffice, abiword+gnumeric)
b) devel (development tools + crippled_sources)
c) print pack (printer drivers + printer utils + scanner utils)
d) proprietary GPU drivers (nVidia curent and legacy, amd current and legacy)
(we may also include other optional modules but please do not push too hard as our free time is limited, everything is in the repo anyway )

there are still some problems to resolve but the most important thing for us is to know if users use more than one desktop (for example LXDE+KDE4 combination) or rather stick to just favorite one.

please take a part in the poll and help us with creating the shape of Porteus-2.1

thanks in advance.

[hypomania]

hi
about making third 'Porteus with GUI and browser' would include 000+001+002+desktop+browser (firefox, chrome, opera).
I suggest to cancel that idea and make fifth choice in following optional modules will also be available in the wizard for people who need additional functionality which call:
e) browsers (firefox, chromium, opera, waterfox, google-chrom, Konqueror, rekonq).

how do you think ?

[Reticent]

Do you mean 'how many DE's at the same time', - or - 'how many DE's on all your systems' ?
(MultiBooters may gravitate toward tools, not DE's ... perhaps it's a question of priorities. )

[fanthom]

@Arabic_World
firefox, google-chrome and opera are the most popular browsers so will be included in the wizard.
users which are not happy with this selection will be able to choose 'Porteus with GUI', skip browser part, optionally choose other modules, download the ISO, boot from it and then download other browsers through PPM (chromium, midiori, rekonq, etc)

@Reticent

Do you mean 'how many DE's at the same time', - or - 'how many DE's on all your systems' ?

i asked about number of DE's which you use commonly in Porteus.
basically we would like to know if an option for selecting multiple DE's through the wizard is important to the users or not.

[ncmprhnsbl]

i put one, meaning one at a time.
with all the desktops in the repository, i imagine it would be easy to add as many as you want with ppm...

[francois]

This idea of offering choice of browser, office suite and desktop environment is great and this is exactly the advantage of porteus, modularity. Instead of going thru the wizard, why would you just offer to provide it thru the menu as it is done in crunchbang for the webbrowser option?
http://www.photoshop.com/users/franc01s ... 1d54621f55

For example: desktop environment menu would offer the different desktop options lets say xfce, if not in the module/porteus /module/de-option folder, download it and replace the actual-de module (kde) and move kde into the optional folder. If xfce was already in the /option folder, just switch it with kde.

[brokenman]

Isn't this why we have a package manager though? I think the initial choice of desktop environment and perhaps MAJOR apps (like web browser) could be done server side. The other applications should be download and activated through PPM. Less maintenance and also we have to think about dependencies.

[francois]

1) This is a no sweat suggestion for those newcomers. Especially, those with no experience with linux or even those familiar with other linux environment, and package managers.

Crunchbang provides these simple and fast ways to install webbrowsers, though it also provides synaptic gui package manager and the command line apt-get.

In fact they have a command line interactive program at the first time the os is used, by which it proposes a few fundamental changes to the user. A very nice feature.

This is only a suggestion, this is not a must.

2) However, I am so fond of the gnome environment that you have developped:
http://forum.porteus.org/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=1787
This is really a must for laptops. In addition, if you provide it with a wallpaper as sexy as the one coming with the qtrazor environment, I am sure that the porteus forum will be overvloaded by the new members activity. 8)

[Hamza]

Crunchbang provides these simple and fast ways to install webbrowsers, though it also provides synaptic gui package manager and the command line apt-get.

I didn't seen the title of topic was "How to make ads".

2) However, I am so fond of the gnome environment that you have developped

Pro or Against the poll idea? I can't find

This is really a must for laptops. In addition, if you provide it with a wallpaper as sexy as the one coming with the qtrazor environment, I am sure that the porteus forum will be overvloaded by the new members activity.

I'm waiting them with impatient!!

Anyway, thanks for your post!

[francois]

1) Adds: not at all. I am refering to the distribution that presents the option. It could have come from any other distribution. 8)
2) DE: we are talking de, I just thought about pushing brokenman a little more for the gnome environment, though I know he is so much busy

The poll is a good idea. I have voted already, using two environments regularly: kde and xfce. I would have voted three if the gnome de, and four if it came with the openbox de.

Maybe the question should have been:
Would you be interested in having porteus coming modular as to the desktop environment?

[Hamza]

Would you be interested in having porteus coming modular as to the desktop environment?

Yes, should be more attractive. Using KDE4 on 32bit would be an improvement too.

[brokenman]

The poll looks almost unanimous. The idea is to give users more choice and flexibility as to which desktop they will use. There will most certainly be the option to use more than one desktop as there has always been.

Oh, and gnome will follow v2.0 release. I have it ready, just needs some testing.

[claude]

I am for all that was proposed in the first post, the idea of such wizard sounds great. I could definitely use
it a lot, as I use Porteus on several PCs and with different software configurations, depending on the
machine's resources. What I would do, in order not to confuse the inexperienced users which might be
very new to linux and might be discouraged by having to make choices/selections they don't quite
understand, is to offer a standard Porteus downloadable as is and ready to go (no selections needed)
along with the wizard. That of the wizard is a great idea, go for it! If I remember correctly, the Slax
distribution used to offer something very similar - there were a couple of Slax versions ready to be
downloaded as is, and there also was a wizard which allowed Slax users to select modules and
download their own custom version. Thanks for the great work. Keep it up!!

[francois]

So there is superBrokenman, coming on with it supergnome de. I like that.

Happy to learn that DE will become modular.

[UrUtusUbU]

i like kde 3 xD