Xfce display manager on ubuntu 18.04
 

Can someone tell me how I can run this? I have installed xfce4, but cannot figure out how to run it. I have tried several things that web pages have suggested, but none of them worked, my installation keeps gdm3 (the default) no matter what I have tried.

Try to look at the xubuntu code for that. Note that xfce does not come with its own DM (Display Manager), so it will have to be started through another one.
I, myself, use KDM (the KDE 4 Display Manager) for that, but xubuntu probably does it from gdm (the Gnome Display Manager) or LightDM.

Look at the guide on easylinuxtipsproject. Not everything he or she writes will necessarily apply to you, but I found the instructions excellent (I tried this on Ubuntu 16.04) for this and other Ubuntu flavour/derivative setup.

This is written for 20.04, but should apply to 18.04. If you really want the 18.04 version, you might find it in an internet search.

https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspo...buntu.html?m=1

Edit: if you do this, read the warnings and disclaimer first, then back up your data.

TKS

Thanks for the help. I tried some more stuff, but it all just gave problems, and I decided it is better to just live with gdm3 (gnome, the default X window manager) and be done with it. I did look at the link given, and it seems to be good, maybe at some point I will do this, but maybe not.

You could upgrade to xubuntu too, if you want to try-out xfce
It should be easier to add gnome to xubuntu then xfce to the "normal" release.

Okay, I am up for it. I will put the Xubuntu on my spare computer, and see how it goes. If all goes well, will probably also install it on my primary.

Looks like I can choose the installation, do normal install then modify it to Xubuntu, or just install Xubuntu originally. So I will have to decide which way to go.

Is there any problem with keeping system updated if you make it an Xubuntu installation, instead of a normal installation? Is updating going to be any different?

There is no problem keeping Xubuntu updated. Xubuntu updates are set up the same way as Ubuntu updates.

For whatever is in both Ubuntu and Xubuntu, updates are available to Xubuntu (no idea if there is any delay on anything from Ubuntu issuing to being available in Xubuntu.)

Anything different between Ubuntu and Xubuntu - like Xfce (as rendered by the Xubuntu project), and maybe kernel versions - has its own update schedule, but is also updated through the software updater. It works seamlessly.

The same repositories are available for Xubuntu as for Ubuntu.

TKS

I downloaded xubuntu 20.04, made a bootable thumb drive with it, and installed it. It lets you run it from the thumb drive without installing so I tried it out. I was disappointed in the xcfe because it is much different than the one I was using on Slackware. The older one had some stuff built right in that I liked, but the new one is pretty much like using gdm3 if you use it as is. You can add features to it, but I don't want to spend hours doing that, at least right now.

I ordered regular ubuntu 20.04 thumb drive off ebay a couple days ago, so I will have both install disks shortly. Maybe I will install them side by side on the secondary computer, the install directions said I can do that and then use either one.

Maybe it will be more apparent later which one I like better.

..

If the version of that xfce is 4.14: that one probably will arrive in Slackware soon; it is the GTK 3 port of the 4.12 version that is the version in Slackware-current at the moment (and was the one in 14.2 too, the one in Slackware 14.1 was 4.10)
They are not all that different in functionality.

You’re at a point where it’s worth making more distinctions.

I use the Xfce Desktop Environment on SlackwareARM -current and on OpenBSD 6.6.

I use the Xubuntu Desktop Environment on Xubuntu 18.04.

The differences you see is that SlackwareARM -current and OpenBSD 6.6 use stock Xfce, where Xubuntu configures Xfce to make it look and work a certain way. They also make different choices in which applications they use.

Slackware with Xfce will look like stock Xfce (or very close, with minimal changes) and have the applications you chose when installing Slackware.

OpenBSD with Xfce will look like stock Xfce. If you want xfce-extras or any applications not in the base installation, you choose which to install separately.

Xubuntu modifies Xfce quite a bit. If you don’t like it, there’s no way around making some choices and a bit or a lot of work, depending on what combination of Ubuntu, Xfce and applications you want:
- Download one of: Ubuntu Core (minimal Ubuntu, with the Ubuntu 3rd party apps stripped out), Ubuntu, Xubuntu Core (Xubuntu with its 3rd party apps stripped), or Xubuntu. If you want one of the Core versions you’ll have to dig for them yourself. I don’t have the links handy.
- If Ubuntu or Ubuntu core, install one of: Xfce DE or Xubuntu DE (remember to change the DM per easylinuxtipsproject.) Optionally, remove GNOME, but you can have both and choose which to log into.

Back to your original point, I don’t remember which Display Manager each uses, nor which Window Manager your Slackware installation uses (if that matters to you), but from what you’re saying now, I don’t think that matters.

And as ehartman points out, the differences between Xfce 4.12 and 4.14 are mostly porting from GTK2 to GTK3. I haven’t noticed a difference in functionality, nor much in look and feel. And thank goodness for that! No astonishing changes that had me cursing the Xfce project’s choices.

Well, maybe one astonishing change: the single change I had to make in Xfce 4.14 on OpenBSD 6.6 was to turn off compositing to fix screen freezes. The change was easy, but the investigating to find out why I was having screen freezes and how to fix that took awhile, but in the process I learned some things about Xfce, desktop environments and OpenBSD and Slackware, so not entirely wasted time.

TKS

It all sounds a bit involved and maybe more than I want to get involved in. I have now loaded 20.04 ubuntu on one of my machines, and the gnome seems to do most everything without too much fussing around. 20.04 lets me change the display colors, and I like that. Also I changed the application display from the left side vertical to the bottom horizontal. Using the - button on any window you can remove it from the screen and have it there on that bottom horizontal strip. That gives me instant access and keeps screen clutter down, and that sort of takes the place of having several different windows available on the xfce that I was using on slack 14.2. All in all, it does a pretty good job. For now I am happy with the standard ubuntu, but I can use it or the xubuntu if I get inspired to go that way and check out the xfce some more. I will install both on one of my machines shortly in case I want to investigate it further. Thanks all, for the responses.

That depends on how much you want to modify things. I didn’t modify much when I first added Xubuntu desktop to Ubuntu, and adding the desktop didn’t take much.

Glad you found something you like and can work with. I still don’t like GNOME, but I’m trying 20.04 GNOME just to stay up to date with it.

I made some changes to make Ubuntu’s GNOME a bit more tolerable for me, installing gnome-tweaks for things not configurable in the default GNOME.

TKS