What is your favourite desktop?

[wread]

@brokenman
I am uploading kde4.7.3-32-bits to mediafire in 2 folders: one is deps (222.7 MB) and the other is kde4 (292.4 MB). They run under Porteus v1.1-rc1 substituting 004-kde, 005-kdeapps and 006-koffice in "base". Besides, I have in "modules" mysql-5.1.46 to get a local DB for akonadi. Using a remote mysql is a first step towards cloud computing; I think even dedicated applications could be stored in a remote DB administered through akonadi.

The biggest file is qt4.7.4 (125.4 MB of the 222.7 MB in deps), which could be offered separatedly.
In kde4 the biggest files are kdeartwork (107.6 MB), kdewallpapers (47.0 MB) and oxygen-icons (27.7 MB), which could be reduced conveniently. Also docs and manpages can be stripped down to reduce the
292.4 MB to an affordable extent.

Give it a try, maybe we find interested souls in cloud computing around....

These are the big folders
http://www.mediafire.com/?p426142uhu6n1

Regards

I will come back with an EDIT when the upload is ready!
EDIT: Files are uploaded.
BTW, can you give me a copy of /etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules of the 64 bit version?, I need it for this version. I am having the same effect (xzm-files displayed in the panel as drives)

EDIT1: Never mind, I already downloaded and installed it (in rootcopy). It works for me! Posted in mediafire.
I still have a problem: it cannot be shutdown the regular way (clicking Leave).
The konsole commands poweroff or halt do the job instead. Maybe fanthom can fix it.

EDIT2: I had to add kate-4.7.3; without it you won't have kwrite and blogilo crashes!

EDIT3: Added module "xine-libs" to deps; now kde4 shuts down ok! (thanks, fanthom!)

[BlackRider]

nobody wants kde-4 as is too heavy, nobody wants Trinity as it's not modern enough.
is LXDE the only way to go for Porteus?
should we drop second DE and focus on LXDE as the only option?

I don't like when a distribution drops a given package, but I suppose that being a distro manager means taking hard decisions like this. KDE and Gnome have been trying really hard to get rejected by distro makers, so I would not miss KDE4 very much if it was tossed away. This does not mean I would vote for its removal from Porteus.

That said, I think that Porteus would surely be better if it was shipped with only a default desktop and there were optional environments available in a repository. That way, the core system would be cleaner, while the user could chose the environment he wants.

As I said some months ago, in order to choose a default DE for Porteus, you'd better decide who is the distro aimed at. LXDE or a simple window manager is fine for me.

[edge226]

I said KDE-4 because it is the most like what I would use myself.

Personally I enjoy a stand alone Compiz mixed with dmenu and cairo-dock setup in a functional manner and not a eye candy manner.

ctrl + alt + W = Expose mode.
ctrl + alt + numpad = resize window.
` = dmenu lancher.

Fastest WM I've ever used.

[bigbass]

for Porteus these are good choices

Kde-3 Trinity
Lxde
Xfce

I dont agree with building a distro around a desktop though (testing this way is fine and welcomed )
meaning that it should be able to be added on as a package(s) /modules
so as not to fork the main distro we just have a few developers lets not split them up
this doesnt mean we should stop development just that we should do it with more careful long term thinking
in place lets say I want to add a new desktop to the latest Porteus ok link me to a how to install the desktop


with all that said I have seen so many sub projects since I started linux I like to see work more sharable thats all
but it will take more effort but its worth it in the long run

*now on a personal level (not the best choice for the Porteus community)
I like just JWM and ROX mainly because its lite and X doesnt lag behind needing a refresh
Porteus is very fast the desktop is what slows it down just a little bit

*I may build a package for JWM and ROX that could be added onto to any version of Porteus
if someone would like to just try it out ....maybe I will need to just break an old habit so that I have more free time so I can focus on coding some things in BaCon and gtkdialog

I am currently using Kde-3 Trinity its a good choice
however KDE4 is sadly bloated to the point of it isnt practical for a live cd could someone
give them(official KDE4 devs ) a swift kick in the arse and get them back on track

Joe

[Ahau]

Thanks, Joe. Having added a desktop myself, I'm somewhat familiar with the process of integrating it, and I have to say that porteus is organized an a way that makes this pretty straightforward once the developer understands some of the concepts in how to go about it; if prepared properly, the "HOWTO" for the end-user to install the desktop would be: Step one: download this module to /porteus/modules. Step two: boot with this cheatcode. done.

There would be some more work on the developer's end to get some of the default programs working properly with some of the functionality in /opt/porteus-scripts -- there have been a lot of changes in 1.2, but it's very do-able. If you decide to move forward with a JWM/ROX module and would like some help/direction, just let us know.

[bigbass]

Hey Ahau

If you decide to move forward with a JWM/ROX module and would like some help/direction, just let us know.

its still a maybe but I would be thankful for your help

to clear up some things that may not have been clear I like that you are thinking about a lighter desktop and that you installed xfce a lot of people default to xfce on slackware so its popular

so as not to sound critical to anyone else
I also had done a lot of customizing to another "distro" and would have liked to have added my work to the current version (in packages) but the current version updated so frequently I had no choice to stick with one version and keep it updated the end result is there were many people working on different versions and sharing work was big mess to sort out .... been there done that

whatever desktop is chosen for Porteus its still Porteus

I would like to take a step back away from sorting out all the changes and start coding some apps
I find it fun and it keeps my mind busy its like therapy from my busy real world day

and to all the guys and gals making different desktops have fun enjoy but please just a polite request document the steps so we can all share (when you get the bugs ironed out ) and you have some free time

*when I said (official KDE4 devs ) I am talking about the people that write code for KDE4
not the Porteus team if a smaller faster KDE4 can be made that would be great
but KDE4 will most likely keep growing in size making it difficult to impossible for older machines to use
most people that download a live cd have older computers that the new operating systems wont work on anymore ... just a thought

try running the new desktops on a p3 and even a p4 with 256MB ram
this group gets left out and its a very large percent of users that look for a live cd

Joe

[Ahau]

Thanks, bigbass. I didn't take any of your comments as critical, and agree with you that we should be thoughtful in our approach and careful to not split the distro into so many splinters that it's hard for new users to understand which version to get, hard for existing users to switch between them, and hard for developers and maintainers to contribute.

I've not tried every desktop out there, but I have built or repackaged xfce, icewm, jwm, windowmaker, and I think fluxbox and run them (at least for brief testing periods) on Porteus, and it is safe to say that any of them can be built as add-on modules that sit on top of the standard kernel, initrd, 000-kernel.xzm, 001-core.xzm and 002-xorg.xzm modules. These modules could be added to the repo and downloaded and installed just like any other package.

The fine lines from a maintainer's standpoint are introduced by some of the tweaks and modifications that will be required within 001-core.xzm and 002-xorg.xzm. For example, lines need to be added to /etc/rc.d/rc.M for each desktop that is supported, the scripts inside /opt/porteus-scripts/xorg also need to have customizations added for each DE, and /opt/porteus-scripts/activate and deactivate need some additions as well. Do we want to introduce code to accomodate every conceivable DE inside the mainline distro (complicating it and bulking up some processes that are commonly run), or do we have each module overwrite or modify the scripts for their own use? That would be easier for the mainline, but it would start to introduce problems for users who added multiple DE modules, and it gets to the problem you mentioned already -- DE module maintainers would need to actively update their modules to keep them working with newer versions of Porteus (luckily we're not a rolling-release distro). What I see is that some of these DE-specific customizations start to compound on each other, because one DE might handle something differently than another, and the tweaks for one will break the other (for example, trinity requires an alias in .bashrc for 'su' to avoid a DCOP server bug -- this 'fix' breaks module activation/deactivation for the guest user in XFCE). It's not an impossible task, but a decision would need to be made regarding where and how these customizations are maintained. The good news is that we're learning more with each release and with every DE, and getting better at building robust solutions to deal with these problems.

I hope I'm not speaking out of turn on any of this...

I'll add a 'development' HOWTO to my 'ToDo' list for documentation (I'm sad to say that I've been falling behind in writing docs as I've gotten more involved in XFCE) to better describe the process.

[brokenman]

My opinion. Creating a workable solution for all DE's into Porteus would be akin to solving the unified field theory. Not something i have the smarts for.

I am currently developing a script that will allow people to compile and build there own custom Trinity desktop. That is to say ... after downloading the source, users can compile any part of trinity they prefer and leave out what they don't want. Since Trinity is still under (heavy) development i don't expect to finish the script until later this year.

The end result will be a script that allows you to boot into lxde/xfce and then compile the Trinity modules and reboot into your own custom Trinity. The whole hog, or just a bare minimum version if your prefer.

[bigbass]

Ahau

I'll add a 'development' HOWTO to my 'ToDo' list for documentation

brokenman

The end result will be a script that allows you to boot into lxde/xfce and then compile the Trinity modules and reboot into your own custom Trinity. The whole hog, or just a bare minimum version if your prefer.

excellent news guys a great team we got here!

Which desktop should be focused the most in Porteus 2.0?

You may select 1 option

can I give .a 5 to two choices .5+.5=1

Joe

[Rava]

XFCe it is...

but since I was "forced" to use LXDE for quite some months now, I started to like that the standard file manager of it, pcmanfm is able to use Tabs... Now... this is a feature I really miss with Thunar. Sure, I could "EMULATE" that by using the "Short Cuts SidePan", but it would not be the same, since pcmanfm don't remember the tabs, while Thunar would remember all "Short Cuts" I would create.

So, any XFCe fans out there who have any solution for me? Is it possible to tweak Thunar Tabs towards ability? 8)

[Hamza]

So, any XFCe fans out there who have any solution for me? Is it possible to tweak Thunar Tabs towards ability?

It is related to XFCE as it is also a part of the subject but it's not the place where ask some questions about tweaks (It's a poll of which desktops we should be focused for 2.0). The place where put all your questions about XFCE Tweaks should be Development Section.

Please respect entirely this rule

11. Keep on topic - If you are replying about something to do with iptables for example, and someone mentions a configuration tool that runs in KDE, don't start talking about KDE--stick to the topic. Go start a new topic and post a link to the old one if there is relevant information there.

Anyway we would be happy to help you with your tweaks!

[wread]

This is my Porteus kde-4.8.1 32-bits:

http://www.mediafire.com/i/?d37bb2vdsi5n1fb

The base -minimum- stuff of KDE4 is posted in a Porteus iso of under 300 MB (and that includes LXDE).
All of my preferred software I put in optional and activate it only if I am going to use it. It is a beauty, don't you like it? It is posted under Community Effort.

At first I thought kde4 was bloated an sluggish; now you can have it also light and fast!

Regards!

[brokenman]

users that badmouth KDE4 and accuse it of being bloated, unresponsive or slow should be pinned down and made to watch porteus run. They have no argument after seeing a 300Mb ISO with KDE4 running from RAM.

Good job on your latest.

[bigbass]

wread

At first I thought kde4 was bloated an sluggish; now you can have it also light and fast!

*my slackware use gave me the same feelings
I shouldn't have based my thoughts on my past slackware experience only before trying KDE4 on Porteus
(sorry)... opinions can change when more info is given

I am very happy that you can make KDE4 lighter and faster !
Joe

[wread]

@brokenmann,
@bigbass,
I have even posted LibreOffice 3.4.5-32 bits for Porteus, under "xzm-modules". I run it in KDE-4, too (version 3.3.3 has some problems with KDE4); compared with the former Open Office, LibreOffice simply flies....

Try it!

Regards