DSL 4.x alternate operating mode


Forum: DSL Tips and Tricks
Topic: DSL 4.x alternate operating mode
started by: roberts
Posted by roberts on Nov. 22 2007,00:51
One of my goals for DSL v4 was to achieve Drag-N-Drop folder/document view (similiar to RISCOS/OS2).
Some have expressed dismay or voiced their difficulties with the change in perspective that this presents.
Some just don't like desktop icons period.

Many prefer right click root window manager application menu.
Yet, I hear that desktop icons get covered up by running applications. But so it also is with right click root menus.

Therefore, it would seem that a two panel capable window manager would solve the issue of  "covered up root screen" and "covered up desktop icons" while still supporting application launcher icons.

So if you ....

Don't like desktop icons?
Don't like double click?
Don't like drag-n-drop?
Don't like folder/document view?
Don't like Dfm?

Prefer DSL v3.x application launcher style icons?
Prefer single click?
Don't want icons or menu to be covered up by running applications.

Then take a look < here. >

The centered bottom panel includes all the base DSL application launcher icons that were on the v3.x desktop. The top panel provides the page and task bar. This new desktop is really just JWM with two trays and of course noicons. dfm is not running.

The contents of my .desktop
wm: jwm
icons:

Or boot with noicons options.


This is simple to setup and use with v4.x. Below is the .jwmrc-tray file. This file is in /home/dsl/

Code Sample

<JWM>
  <Tray  x="0" y="0" height="24">
     <!-- Additional Pager attributes; width, height -->
     <Pager/>

     <TrayButton popup="Show Desktop" label="_">showdesktop</TrayButton>

     <!-- Additional TaskList attribute: maxwidth -->
     <TaskList/>

     <Dock/>

     <!-- Additional Swallow attribute: height -->
     <!-- uncomment this section for xload to appear
     <Swallow name="xload" width="64">
        xload -nolabel -bg black -fg red -hl white
     </Swallow>
     -->

     <Clock>xclock</Clock>
  </Tray>

  <!-- Additional tray attributes: autohide, width, border, layer, layout -->
  <Tray  x="0" y="-1" height="32" halign="center">
    <!-- Additional TrayButton attribute: label -->
    <TrayButton popup="Menu Options" label="DSL">root:1</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Terminal" icon="aterm.xpm">exec:aterm -T "Bash" -e /bin/bash</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Editor" icon="edit.xpm">exec:beaver</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Control Panel" icon="cpanel.xpm">exec:cpanel.lua</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Simple Browser" icon="dillo.xpm">exec:dillo</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Sound Control" icon="dmix.xpm">exec:dmix</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="File Manager" icon="filemgr.xpm">exec:emelfm</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Firefox" icon="firefox.xpm">exec:firefox</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="FTP" icon="ftp.xpm">exec:axyftp</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Rdesktop" icon="network2.xpm">exec:rdesktop.lua</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Spreadsheet" icon="spreadsheet.xpm">exec:siag</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Email" icon="mail.xpm">exec:sylpheed</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Word Processor" icon="wp.xpm">exec:Ted</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="VNCviewer"icon="vnc.xpm">exec:vncviewer</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Xmms Media Player" icon="xmms.xpm">exec:xmms</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Paint" icon="xpaint.xpm">exec:xpaint</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="PDF viewer" icon="pdf.xpm">exec:xpdf</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Image Viewer" icon="picture.xpm">exec:xzgv</TrayButton>
    <TrayButton popup="Exit Options" icon="exit.xpm">exec:exit.lua</TrayButton>
  </Tray>

</JWM>


Let me know what you think?
Posted by curaga on Nov. 22 2007,16:30
Nice, but torsmo gets under the top panel?
Posted by roberts on Nov. 22 2007,17:17
.torsmorc is also in your home directory.
Simply adjust:
# Gap between borders of screen and text
gap_x 12
gap_y 12

to your needs.

Sames goes true for the width of the top panel in .jwmrc-tray.
Posted by roberts on Nov. 22 2007,17:53
BTW, I used two panels so that it would work well at 640x480 and 800x600 resolutions. Using one panel is not enough at these lower resolutions.
Posted by humpty on Nov. 22 2007,18:33
asides from the bottom part looking a bit like a mac, i prefer the
launch buttons on the right hand side. seems a waste of the length
of the screen to me.
Posted by roberts on Nov. 23 2007,02:05
Left, right, bottom, centered or not. Whatever floats your boat.

The point of my post was to provide an example that addresses the claims of "covered up" icons and "covered up" root menu.

Posted by humpty on Nov. 23 2007,05:42
what's the beef about icons? users can always minimise the windows or
shift to another virtual desktop.

the great thing about fluxbox is that you can just have the window-title by
double clicking on it.
Posted by roberts on Nov. 23 2007,06:12
I agree. No beed here, I use dfm, I use and like the DND concept. I actually don't like panels as they use up screen real estate. I am using dfm and karmen for maximum screen utilization. But that is a personal preference.

BTW, Right click on the title bar of a JWM window and you can (window) shade it among other options.
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