Alternative Desktop Options

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stevie pup
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Alternative Desktop Options

Post by stevie pup »

I've been following the "Show us your desktop" thread with great interest, and I must say there's some brilliant stuff on there, far better than I could manage I reckon. I was just wondering, has anyone ever done a puppy with a Gnome 3 desktop? Is it even possible? If so, how to go about it?

Yes I know the Gnome 3 desktop is relatively "heavyweight", and it has it's critics. It's certainly not liked by a lot of people, but I happen to like it.

Thanks

Last edited by stevie pup on Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Gnome Desktop

Post by mikewalsh »

stevie pup wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:00 pm

I've been following the "Show us your desktop" thread with great interest, and I must say there's some brilliant stuff on there, far better than I could manage I reckon. I was just wondering, has anyone ever done a puppy with a Gnome 3 desktop? Is it even possible? If so, how to go about it?

Yes I know the Gnome 3 desktop is relatively "heavyweight", and it has it's critics. It's certainly not liked by a lot of people, but I happen to like it.

Thanks

Not being funny, but.....I honestly don't see why any sane-thinking individual would want to. Especially in light of the fact that current releases are apparently removing functionality left, right & centre....

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2021/07/why ... as-bernard

However, if that's your "bag".... I don't know if any Puppians have attempted this. Where Puppy is concerned, the issue is the high degree of integration into almost every aspect of the system. By the time you've finished, it's not really Puppy any longer!

Mike. :?

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Re: Gnome Desktop

Post by mikeslr »

"I was just wondering, has anyone ever done a puppy with a Gnome 3 desktop?"

josejp2424 publishes puppys with alternative desktops. I know he's published one with using the Mate desktop, viewtopic.php?f=40&t=442. Isn't Mate a rebranding of Gnome? If not, you might search, plugging his name and the term "Gnome" into https://rockedge.org/psearch/

The author of a Puppy named "Precise apt-get", whose name escapes me, also published several alternative desktops. I don't know if Gnome was among them.

And then there are the DebianDogs whose 'build-scripts' may enable creating one with the Gnome desktop, either OOTB or after some editing.

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by fredx181 »

And then there are the DebianDogs whose 'build-scripts' may enable creating one with the Gnome desktop, either OOTB or after some editing.

Not Gnome OOTB, but the Bullseye build script has option 'Mate Desktop' (minimal) viewtopic.php?f=46&t=1857
ISO of the Starter-kit + Mate: https://github.com/DebianDog/MakeLive/r ... md64-2.iso (remaster of Starter-kit from rcrsn51 viewtopic.php?f=46&t=644 with Mate Desktop).

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by stevie pup »

Ok, let me put it this way. Although I was a Windows user for 15 years I was never too keen on scrolling my way up and down a menu to find a particular bit of software. In fact on my Windows machines you often couldn't make out what the desktop background picture was, due to the number of shortcuts I had put on it.

On another machine I'm running Manjaro, with Gnome desktop. One click of the mouse and all the apps installed are spread across the screen. Which I quite like and find much easier to use, and to find things. Previously I've ran Emmabuntus, with the Cairo Dock, and again I quite liked that as well. Purely my personal preferences.

So to put my original question another way - What are my desktop options if I don't like scrolling up and down menus?

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by fredx181 »

stevie pup wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:22 pm

Ok, let me put it this way. Although I was a Windows user for 15 years I was never too keen on scrolling my way up and down a menu to find a particular bit of software. In fact on my Windows machines you often couldn't make out what the desktop background picture was, due to the number of shortcuts I had put on it.

On another machine I'm running Manjaro, with Gnome desktop. One click of the mouse and all the apps installed are spread across the screen. Which I quite like and find much easier to use, and to find things. Previously I've ran Emmabuntus, with the Cairo Dock, and again I quite liked that as well. Purely my personal preferences.

So to put my original question another way - What are my desktop options if I don't like scrolling up and down menus?

You may like "Xlunch" https://oldforum.puppylinux.com/viewtop ... 2#p1003532
(it's very flexible, tweakable e.g. full screen display or not, or ..., see for options xlunch --help)
edit: installi the pet from above link and there should be 3 example entries in the Menu for xlunch, also entry to update the applications.
EDIT: Screenshot:

2021-08-29-011355_1280x800_scrot_780x488.png
2021-08-29-011355_1280x800_scrot_780x488.png (730.77 KiB) Viewed 2484 times
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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by JASpup »

I'm noticing this strange world where insiders do incredibly useful things a broad audience does not understand.

E.g., How many people who use Ubuntu MATE would try Puppy MATE if they knew it existed?

I booted the Slacko6 32-bit version for a couple months: viewtopic.php?p=10279#p10279

A puplet is going to be something people use if they're already involved in Mainline editions or culled in by someone they know. Otherwise what is not publicized is for others already in-the-know, and a non-market model makes creations underutilized... ironically.

How many Windows users would try Linux made facile and non-interruptive?

If you like GNOME 3 & Puppy it seems logical to want to use them together even though a heavyweight desktop is antithetical to Puppy's design.

If not on sites like Sourceforge I look for the possibility of alt-DEs in the PPM, have used XFCE from there which is always better as a puplet or developer offering, but still usable manually installed.

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by JASpup »

stevie pup wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:22 pm

So to put my original question another way - What are my desktop options if I don't like scrolling up and down menus?

What I'm doing now when I boot a JWM pup is weening off its mentally strenuous menus for a custom launcher and taskbar system. I could show you what they look like, but I'm in XFCE at the moment.

Basically a custom icon sitting on the desktop is a folder, and when you click on it, it opens a roxfiler window with launchers in it. Instead of the traditional JWM layout I have four icons: one for any partitions I might use, system apps, general apps, and a unique folder just for browsers.

Only two are up here: http://forum.puppylinux.com/download/file.php?id=5386

Places and Browse are folders. No menus required.

Xenial onward also have a second tray you can load, and if you don't like JWM trays you can install alternates.

This requires effort but is definitely doable.

The other thing I'm doing is training myself not to read the JWM menus but seek the direct app I'm trying to run - wrote memory, or I'll run basic apps like leafpad or mtpaint from the command line if I remember their names, just to avoid JWM's menus.

Cairo works too (bottom center): https://postimg.cc/BtqkW6ch

So two caveats: avoiding menus is a customization time-sink, but you can do it, and I can sympathize with loading a big DE to avoid them, but it wouldn't be enough of a reason.

Newest JWM pups also have an app finder.

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by mikewalsh »

JASpup wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 7:01 pm

How many Windows users would try Linux made facile and non-interruptive?

Y'know, maybe I've got you all wrong. But from the sound of your many posts over the months, you're all for an intuitive, easy-to-use experience, from cradle to the grave. About the only way we'll see such a thing is for MyCrudSoft & Crapple to join forces, embrace, extend & extinguish the Linux universe, and the upshot would be ONE "official", universal OS for everybody. No questions asked.....no options.....no choices.....no arguments. (At least we'd all be singing from the same hymn-sheet, eh?)

As to whether the resulting OS would be intuitive or "usable".... (*shrug...*)

Is that really what you'd want to see? :roll:

Mike. :?

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by mikewalsh »

JASpup wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 7:33 pm

What I'm doing now when I boot a JWM pup is weening off its mentally strenuous menus for a custom launcher and taskbar system. I could show you what they look like, but I'm in XFCE at the moment.

Basically a custom icon sitting on the desktop is a folder, and when you click on it, it opens a roxfiler window with launchers in it. Instead of the traditional JWM layout I have four icons: one for any partitions I might use, system apps, general apps, and a unique folder just for browsers.

Nice to see somebody else has finally "seen the light". Praise the Lord..!! :D :lol:

I've been doing summat like this since the tail-end of Win 2000/early days of XP. It's a simple method of organisation for those who prefer short-cut launchers.....as I do.

You've obviously seen some of my desktops. Many have the same layout, which I've been honing & evolving since I started with Puppy. Several of the icons down the left-hand edge of the right-side "sys-info" panel ARE just that; ROX windows that then contain another whole bunch of related launchers.

If I was left to my own devices, I wouldn't bother putting owt in the Menu at all. But because I package a lot of stuff for the community, those packages will put entries in the Menu, one way or another.....because it's expected.

We're ALL different, mate. You're never going to turn our Pup into a clone of every other mainstream distro out there, no matter how much you try.....and you wouldn't be doing this community any favours if you could. Sure, it'd be nice to have more folks out there running Puppy, but it's nowhere near the top of the list of priorities. Nothing like.....

As you've found out yourself, if you want to turn Puppy into something else completely, it CAN be done.

Mike. ;)

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by JASpup »

@mikewalsh I try to view macro even when compelled to factionalize.

Linux is refreshing in that it doesn't dispel of computing complexity.

A classic example is how we install packages, with that warp speed text displaying the progress.

A second is the ready use of the command line, even though Barry mentions weening off it in EasyOS.

In the other corner, too complex and it's not going to be used for people doing Android & ChromeOS, etc. instead. This is not my cynical thinking but practical reality.

In my case I'm using it, but not productively.

So that would be my hope of a shared goal, though it's always understandable when people seek others who feel like themselves, even though by concept, the door is open.

The phenomena of Bill Gates' wealth & his near monopoly are an injustice, and user-friendly open source is fighting back.

I'm still trying to graps the level of productivity in a non-capital model. There are several factors for another topic.

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by wizard »

@stevie pup

I have never used gnome desktop, but from your description of what you like it would seem you can create something similar in puppy like this:

-create a new directory, say in /root/mystuff
-add symlinks to all the programs/directories you like to the mystuff directory
-using rox drag the mystuff directory to the desktop
-add the mystuff directory to the jwm taskbar

Now anytime you want to access your favorites you can either click on the desktop icon or the taskbar icon. It is very convenient and have used this setup for years, mine is named mydesk. I like it because it's totally customizable, it can be as little or much as you want.

mydesk.jpg
mydesk.jpg (26.7 KiB) Viewed 2044 times

Additonally, jwm will let you add a dock to the desktop or you can install cairo dock if you prefer.

Sorry if I misinterpreted your intent

wizard

Last edited by wizard on Sun Aug 29, 2021 12:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by JASpup »

@wizard you're showing him similar to my technique.

I gathered he meant general menu avoidance, 'I don't like scrolling through menus' taken at face-value.

'I don't like scrolling through menus' AND 'I want it to feel like GNOME 3' is altogether different.

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by williams2 »

drag the mystuff directory to the desktop

You can set a keyboard shortcut to a desktop icon.

You can right click the icon, select Edit Item and click the box to set the shortcut.

for example, if you set the shortcut to ctrl+esc then
the mystuff dir will pop up if you press the ctrl+esc keys.

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by mikeslr »

stevie pup wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:22 pm

Ok, let me put it this way. Although I was a Windows user for 15 years I was never too keen on scrolling my way up and down a menu to find a particular bit of software. In fact on my Windows machines you often couldn't make out what the desktop background picture was, due to the number of shortcuts I had put on it.

On another machine I'm running Manjaro, with Gnome desktop. One click of the mouse and all the apps installed are spread across the screen. Which I quite like and find much easier to use, and to find things. Previously I've ran Emmabuntus, with the Cairo Dock, and again I quite liked that as well. Purely my personal preferences.

So to put my original question another way - What are my desktop options if I don't like scrolling up and down menus?

My preference is also to avoid desktop launchers. But it seems to me that replacing "scrolling up and down a menu" with launchers "spread across the screen" is trading one devil for another.

Basically, all my Puppys are now configured to provide access to applications like the one pictured here, viewtopic.php?p=35380#p35380. What it shows are launchers on the Taskbar of 'applications I want right-now, no kidding". On the left is a panel of others also frequently opened. That panel remains hidden unless moused over. This setup is available on every recent Puppy using radky's JWMDesk Manager. A second panel won't appear at all unless you choose to have one via Menu>JWMDesk Manager>Options, put a check in the Accessory Tray box. It will then appear at the top, but clicking the Tray-2 panel which also now appears at the bottom of the GUI enables you to configure it.
Radky also created a Windows manager known as FbBox, https://oldforum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=92982. Among its many 'Bells & Whistles" is a Favorites launcher on the Taskbar and a Favorites category on the Start Menu. The user can assign 'favorites' to either or both. I'm not sure FbBox will function under Puppys newer than Xenialpup, circa 2017. IIRC, the Start Menu also provides a Search box. Typing a couple letters will display relevant applications, fewer as more letters are typed. That facility was introduced by Whisker-Menu which, AFAIK, is only available to the xfce-window manager. https://www.opensourcefeed.org/screensh ... 20Menu.jpg
What is available to every Puppy AFAIK is AppFinder. http://daniel-zellner.de/appfinder.png. One of the really nice things about both Whisker-Menu and AppFinder is that they display descriptions of applications, not just their names. These are read from the "comment"= argument in an application's /usr/share/applications/ desktop file. When the Search box is used, its initial response will be those applications in which the search term is found in either the applications name or comment.
On the screenshot of my 'standard' desktop the AppFinder Launcher is adjacent to the Start-Menu. With 18 panel Launchers (scroll & click) to open frequently used applications and AppFinder when I need to start a application so rarely used that I may recall little about it (a) my desktop remains uncluttered and (b) the Start Menu is a vestigial appendix.

Last edited by mikeslr on Sun Aug 29, 2021 3:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by JASpup »

mikeslr wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 2:34 pm

My preference is also to avoid desktop launchers. But it seems to me that replacing "scrolling up and down a menu" with launchers "spread across the screen" is trading one devil for another.

We need to put those puppies in folders! Then they're excellent!

Using a 2nd tray is dependent upon Xenial or newer or a non-standard tweak.

The elegance of the 2nd tray is it can be hidden. It still demands customization.

Desktop launchers in folders do not require anything extra, standard with how rox works.

Either method is better than the traditional layout that gives Puppy its character. Of course we didn't choose those apps, and they take up too much of the desktop.

The X-series search box is the pinnacle! It's not in every XFCE pup.

custom, custom, custom

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by mikeslr »

"Using a 2nd tray is dependent upon Xenial or newer or a non-standard tweak."
I'm fairly certain that JWMDesk, viewtopic.php?p=32274#p32274 can be used with any Puppy at least from Slacko 5.5 (circa 2012) on, except as noted following. I know I had a version running on Slacko 5.7. Radky works in bash. JWMDesk, and AFAIK all his applications, use bash-scripts and no binaries. So they can be installed into any Puppy.

In Bionicpup32 and perhaps some other recent Puppys, have used a different manager to configure the JWM-Window Manager. These may include a 'cut-down' JWMDesk-manager for some purposes. Installing the full version may result in 'the left-hand not knowing what the right is doing'. I'd backup my SaveFile/Folder before exploring the effects of installation. But, my exploration of that alternative revealed that it, as well, can provide more than one panel (I think as many as four). I'm not accustomed to it: someone more familiar should provide the details.

For puppys published before 2012, evolving from 01micko's work, mavrothol published jwm_app_tray, https://oldforum.puppylinux.com/viewtop ... 94#p613394 which will add a 2nd panel.

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by JASpup »

mikeslr wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 4:27 pm

"Using a 2nd tray is dependent upon Xenial or newer or a non-standard tweak."
I'm fairly certain that JWMDesk, viewtopic.php?p=32274#p32274 can be used with any Puppy at least from Slacko 5.5 (circa 2012) on, except as noted following.

I would venture that it can be used, it's just not a part of Tahr on Upups.

I know Slacko has one, but Slacko6 doesn't have multiple monitor control or the task manager installed ootb. I hung it on the shelf for compatibility reasons, though it does great with DEs and desktop customizations.

They're different playing fields, so I'm always assuming Upup without specificity.

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by Clarity »

What the author of this tread has brought to light is an observation that there are PUPs with other desktops, but none with Gnome. He also shares that in the Linux world, he has observed users camped-out with a hatred or affinity for one desktop display subsystem versus another.

An easy extension of this observation is looking at the top distros whose desktop offering in multiple display subsystems from each. .... similar to the various PUPs where each developer 'may' release their version with their preference for a particular display subsystem.

In my review, there are several desktop that are not explored or offered in Puppyland. There are reasons, not technical, but varied why Gnome and others are not to the particular developer's preference.

I have seen many different desktops in my lifetime. I, personally, have no particular preference or aversion of any of them as I see their intent is to present selection navigation to the viewing user. Yet, I am smart enough to know that the underlying structure to present is different for every display subsystem. And that features in one might not be present in others.

GNOME and KDE have gotten 'really' smart over the years as they provide the distro developers and distro users means to adapt the desktop into varied genres. They are the oldest and have the largest development worldwide contributers to fashion the outstanding products distro builders use.

  • Will, in the future, some developer come along an offer a PUP with GNOME built-in???

  • Will, in the future, some developer come along an offer a PUP with KDE built-in???

  • Will, in the future, some developer come along an offer a PUP with ???? built-in???

In puppyland, this is a personal choice. And those who do present their distros, take great strives to offer a best of breed to the user(s).

What I like most about this thread is the ideas that members are presenting. It reminds me of the how product developers discuss ideas for a product by demonstrating models for product implementation.

Will the ideas that are shared result in a packages that a user can pick versus steps? Or is the step approach a better means?

Its great to see what each is sharing to present ideas that work! I've tried couple of these idea. :thumbup:

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by MochiMoppel »

wizard wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 8:19 pm

@stevie pup

I have never used gnome desktop, but from your description of what you like it would seem you can create something similar in puppy like this:

-create a new directory, say in /root/mystuff
-add symlinks to all the programs/directories you like to the mystuff directory
-using rox drag the mystuff directory to the desktop
-add the mystuff directory to the jwm taskbar

Now anytime you want to access your favorites you can either click on the desktop icon or the taskbar icon. It is very convenient and have used this setup for years, mine is named mydesk. I like it because it's totally customizable, it can be as little or much as you want.

A low-tech and efficient solution. Add the optional keyboard shortcut as proposed by @williams2 and you don't even have to fiddle with the JWM tray because then you can access your mystuff directory even when a maximized window covers the screen.

Only one little problem: Every time you click on the icon a new ROX-Filer window will open. If you then launch your application the ROX window might get buried beneath other windows. To open the next application you may be inclined to open another "mystuff" window instead of using the existing. Same when you switch desktops: If there is no "mystuff" window you might open one, eventually leading to windows all over the place. Not a huge problem but untidy and inconvenient since you will have to close them all eventually.

There is a way to open only one window at a given time, closing any other window that might be open: Open the ROX "Edit item" dialog and change setting in 1st field to
/bin/bash
and in 2nd field to
-c "rox -D /root/mystuff ; rox /root/mystuff"
This will cause the desktop icon to run a little bash script which will open a ROX-Filer "/root/mystuff" window after closing any such window that might still be open somewhere.

@stevie pup If "What are my desktop options if I don't like scrolling up and down menus?" is what you meant then you should consider to change the thread title. You aren't looking for Gnome, you are looking for a solution to a problem, right?

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Re: Alternative Desktop Options

Post by stevie pup »

I wasn't quite expecting that amount of response, so thank you to everybody that's made comment. I couldn't help smile at the screen print of "Xlunch", reminds me of how my Windows PC used to look. I know some people would call it cluttered, untidy, whatever, but it doesn't bother me, at least it's easy to find things. Never mind, you know what they say, one man's meat is another man's poison, and all that. I distinctly remember installing the VSDC video editor on Windows, and then couldn't find it. Scrolled straight down towards the bottom of the menu, because it'll be under "V" won't it? Well no, eventually found it in a folder called Flash Integro" (parent company) so it was under "F". Silly things like that certainly don't help matters.

There are plenty of great suggestions here, and I will be looking at each of them in great detail over the next week or two. Some interesting comments about other distros as well. I think Manjaro comes with a choice of something like 5 different desktops? I guess they wouldn't bother doing that if there wasn't a demand for each one. I should also point out I'm not looking to generate any "for" and "against", everyone has their own preferences. To me that's one of the things that Linux is all about, the freedom to set things up just as you please, and not as somebody else dictates. I'm first to admit that my personal preferences override everything else, even if that includes logic and common sense! Then if something doesn't work, I change it for something else, it's not the end of the world.

Just to clarify, my focus is definitely "not scrolling up and down menus", I'm not particularly looking for a "Gnome feel". I initially referred to Gnome as it was the first thing that came to mind that has that "behaviour" i.e. one click of the mouse and all my apps are there in front of my nose. I've now changed the title of the thread to "Alternative Desktop Options", I think that feels a bit more suitable. No doubt the mods will change it again if they think otherwise.

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Re: Alternative Desktop Options

Post by wizard »

@MochiMoppel

Thanks Mochi, you've given me a new trick. I translated your suggestion into a shell script and put it in /root/my-applications/bin. Put a symlink to that on the desktop and in the jwm taskbar. I use the taskbar icon the most since it is never covered up and only takes a mouse click. As you pointed out, sometimes I get more than one Mydesk window open and your code stops that. Here's the script for anyone who might want to use it, make sure to set permissions to executable.

mystuff.sh.gz
remove fake .gz before use
(101 Bytes) Downloaded 30 times

wizard

Last edited by wizard on Tue Aug 31, 2021 2:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Alternative Desktop Options

Post by JASpup »

stevie pup wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 11:16 am

I think Manjaro comes with a choice of something like 5 different desktops? I guess they wouldn't bother doing that if there wasn't a demand for each one.

It's like this:

distrowatch.png
distrowatch.png (29.88 KiB) Viewed 2014 times

I unpopularly propose three for Puppy. Of course they already exist, just not officially.

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Re: Alternative Desktop Options

Post by stevie pup »

JASpup wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:17 pm

I unpopularly propose three for Puppy. Of course they already exist, just not officially.

I really don't get why that would be unpopular. Oh well, perhaps I'm missing something.....

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Re: Alternative Desktop Options

Post by williams2 »

If someone hasn't mentioned it, middle-clicking a file in a roxfiler window does the same thing as left-clicking the file, but the roxfiler window will automatically close.

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Re: Alternative Desktop Options

Post by MochiMoppel »

wizard wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:28 pm

Thanks Mochi, you've given me a new trick. I translated your suggestion into a shell script and put it in /root/my-applications/bin.

You're welcome. If you put it into a script then there are even more tricks you can use.
Firstly, when put into a separate file, you should not use bash -c as this would invoke bash twice. This would do:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
rox -D /root/mystuff
rox /root/mystuff

Secondly, you can use special ROX-Filer instructions ("SOAP RPC messages" - see manual) to open directory windows in ways you cannot do with command line parameters. For example you could open a particular directory with small icons even when you've set your default view to list view.
With a fairly new JWM you could also control size and placement of your window.

Last edited by MochiMoppel on Tue Aug 31, 2021 6:54 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Alternative Desktop Options

Post by JASpup »

stevie pup wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:41 pm

I really don't get why that would be unpopular. Oh well, perhaps I'm missing something.....

It's unrealized popularity, popular with you and I and untold others, but not popular with the people who maintain Puppy, nor its creator I gather inferrentially.

Beyond that it gets involved, but there's no antagonizing your non-standard preferences.

I'm in Puppy XFCE now. It's not heavyweight and visually excellent. I would try to convince you to try it except there are still menus. They're more user-friendly than JWM but still involve scrolling.

XFCE menu names are easier to follow but my favorite feature is you can drag menu items to the desktop as launchers. In Puppy to do that you have to navigate in rox to /usr/share/applications.

The big downfall to alt-desktops is support. Desktop-specific troubleshooting is less available or interesting to advanced users.

An experienced XFCE user is going to be more adept at other distributions and vice-versa, but Puppy structure is still at the core of alt-desktop puplets.

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Re: Any Puppy with Gnome 3 desktop?

Post by geo_c »

wizard wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 8:19 pm

@stevie pup

Now anytime you want to access your favorites you can either click on the desktop icon or the taskbar icon. It is very convenient and have used this setup for years, mine is named mydesk. I like it because it's totally customizable, it can be as little or much as you want.
mydesk.jpg

wizard

It's funny so many people are recommending this approach, because that's the way I handled the desktop when I was a windows user. :lol: Although all this mention of it is tempting me to do it again in puppy. The jackalpup re-master I use has Cairo dock pre-installed, like the old puppy-studio once did, and at first I found it a bit annoying, so the first thing I would do is get rid of it. However, once I looked at what it can actually do, and how to customize it, I'm finding it extremely neat and easy to organize. There are advantages to having a dock below and the taskbar tray/taskbar up-top. When an application is open, the configuration allows any window to be restored with the option nearest the current mouse position.

I always tried to clean up the windows launcher menu, deleting and alphabetizing the entries, etc. In windows I was also an avid user of Classic Shell. But with puppy I tend to view the menu more as a mass repository of installed menu-item applications. Docks, trays, hot-keys, and file-manager windows seem a far better approach.

A couple weeks back my desktop look liked this, and there were launchers I wouldn't use just because the desktop was getting crowded: Image

Everything in the dock
and it now looks like this:

Imagesawmill grill oxford

See the thread broken off from Show Us Your Desktop located here: viewtopic.php?f=100&t=3839 to see the evolution.

@JASpup I have been truly productive and windows free on pup ever since Fossapup rolled out. In the end I believe it's a matter of practice and understanding which tools do the job, and it's similar to the choices I make when playing and composing music. By trial and error I assess things like learning curve, dependability, stability, and flexibility to make decisions on what systems and apps to invest my energy. I started using puppy around the time Lucid hit the scene, so I first was on 433, and I liked it because it reminded me of the 'good-ol days' of computing. Lucid was so much of a step up in my opinion, that it was a no-brainer to go with the next release, and that's has been the case with every mainline distro. The audio studio, puppy-studio/studio 1337, and now the jackalpup re-master of Fossapup, which were so crucial to develop for me to be productive in musical work, represent a 10 year long evolution of practice and development to come to a place where productivity for me is a given.

And that's a great place to be, because now I'm so comfortable with it that I'm more concerned with personalizing the workflow and aesthetic rather than knowing I can accomplish my necessary work tasks.

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Re: Alternative Desktop Options

Post by geo_c »

MochiMoppel wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 2:04 am

Secondly, you can use special ROX-Filer instructions ("SOAP RPC messages" - see manual) to open directory windows in ways you cannot do with command line parameters. For example you could open a particular directory with small icons even when you've set your default view to list view.
With a fairly new JWM you could also control size and placement of your window.

This I would certainly like to explore! Maybe in the workflow/aesthetic thread: viewtopic.php?f=100&t=3839&p=35651#p35651 because window position memory is one the reasons I use XFE so much. I use XFE and ROX about equally, they both have advantages. And one thing I just figured out in ROX is that if you open an enter path dialogue, it can be left open all the time and dual used as an address bar - path entry tool. As far as I can tell XFE doesn't have that function.

That was a welcomed discovery, though I know some might wonder how I missed that after using ROX for 15 years, well I'm dense that way. It was a welcomed discovery because I recently set JWM window effects to make all my window title bars transparent (invisible). Which I am loving because they just seem unnecessary most of the time, take up window space, and are a bit distracting. Window size and position memory in ROX would allow for some powerful multi-pane file managing that opens quickly.

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Re: Alternative Desktop Options

Post by wizard »

@MochiMoppel

Thanks again for the code, I'll edit the mystuff.sh in the previous post to reflect it.

Firstly, when put into a separate file, you should not use bash -c as this would invoke bash twice

I assume this doesn't hurt anything, but is just poor practice.

By the way, your avatar is priceless, made me laugh.

wizard

Last edited by wizard on Wed Sep 01, 2021 1:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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