fluxbox questions.

Trinity22 · 08-24-2003, 04:50 AM

i've been using fluxbox for mere minutes and can't figure out how to do some things.

is there a way of having a wallpaper? or is it just the plain color background that comes with flux?

is there a way of using firebird with it? I can't stand konqueror or mozilla (sadly using konqueror right now) but the firebird file is in /home/trinity/mozilla firebird or something like that. I poked around for awhile but can't find it.

what is it about flux (or I suppose this would apply to any alternate wm than gnome or kde) that is better than kde or gnome? faster or something?

but anyway, the main part of this question was for the firebird thing......i miss my beloved firebird. heading back over to kde to be able to use it.

trinity

slakmagik · 08-24-2003, 04:55 AM

Look into ~/.fluxbox/styles or /etc/fluxbox/styles (I think) if you're using globals. In those is a 'rootCommand' which you can modify, for one way of doing it.

Just 'cd' to the directory in an xterm and run 'MozillaFirebird' or './MozillaFirebird' - plus, you can edit ~/.fluxbox/menu and add it.

flux is faster, lighter, simpler, and keeps your eyes on the apps and not the candy and tweaking. After the initial setup, you don't think about the GUI unless you get bored and then just install a new theme.

And get 'fluxconf' - that'll give you a gui for editing your menu and some stuff. And 'man fluxbox' - all this is in there, plus it'll explain about tabs - xterms like your Firebird.

Here's mine - assuming the link works.

Trinity22 · 08-24-2003, 05:34 AM

thanks for the help

I just compiled (or whatever the term is for the ./configure, make and make install thing) the flux conf utility.

also, under the ~/.ffluxbox/ folder I have only 4 files, fbrun_history, init, keys, menu and slitlist. nothing that says styles or like that.....checked over in /etc/ just for good measure too, nothing there. am i missing it?

and flux is faster and cleaner, eh? seems cool enough. there is something a bit grating about the bright eyecandy that I find with icons and such.

trinity

Proud · 08-24-2003, 05:43 AM

Try copying a style from /usr/share/fluxbox/styles then.

Try whereis MozillaFirebird to get the absolute path to it.

The latest Fluxbox releases have a line in ~/.fluxbox/init to override the rootCommand of any style, to keep your fav background colours or wallpaper.

Yeah, that's the compilation dance all right, but for the cvs releases now you need to do ./autogen.sh before ./configure.

If you're using a release which supports them, try my pixmap based theme FluxAqua, and also I highly recommend Idesk for icons on your desktop. wmdrawer is also a nice slit app for a slide out button menu.

slakmagik · 08-24-2003, 05:44 AM

Yep - compiled.

Hm. You wouldn't have styles in your home directory if you hadn't added any - which I guess you haven't having just gotten the thing. But it should be - ah - I pointed you to the wrong place: should be

/usr/X11R6/share/fluxbox/styles

Sorry about that. Just save the modified theme as 'Trinity'sTheme' or whatever, if you want. That way you can tinker with it and go back to the original if you don't like it.

Yeah - much lighter on the resources and less distracting. Plus, flux maintains the separation between GUI and system. As far as I know, fluxconf changes fluxbox only and fluxbox only changes itself. All other administration is done from an xterm (I like rxvt - another light-weight, few-frills app) or from whatever stray app you may have. No Control Panel-like stuff.

slakmagik · 08-24-2003, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Proud
...and also I highly recommend Idesk for icons on your desktop. wmdrawer is also a nice slit app for a slide out button menu.

Bah! What's the point of having flux then? Might as well use dropline gnome.

The right-click menu does it all.

Proud · 08-24-2003, 05:55 AM

I mean it slides out from the wmDrawer icon in the slit

I think I'll try dropline when I get Mdk9.2

slakmagik · 08-24-2003, 06:01 AM

Ah-ah - you distinctly said 'desktop icons'.

Yeah - if I ran an IDE, it'd be dropline gnome without a doubt, even though it did play hell with my system. Why a new IDE should take it upon itself to delete 'fortune' I have no idea. But I just reinstalled or downgraded whatever gnome screwed up. And, otherwise, it was pretty nice.

Proud · 08-24-2003, 06:09 AM

That was Idesk, not wmDrawer

You may want to alter your ~/.fluxbox/menu file to have a section with

Code:

  [submenu] (User Styles) {Choose a style...}
   [stylesdir] (~/.fluxbox/styles)
  [end]
  [submenu] (System Styles) {Choose a style...}
   [stylesdir] (/usr/share/fluxbox/styles)
  [end]

So you can see which styles are ones you've added/altered in your personal directory.

Also a

Code:

   [exec] (Configure menu) {kwrite ~/.fluxbox/menu}

line can be handy.

slakmagik · 08-24-2003, 06:24 AM

Was that to me or Trinity? Mine goes like

Code:

        [submenu] (Styles) {Choose a style...}
            [stylesdir] (/usr/X11R6/share/fluxbox/styles) {}
            [stylesdir] (~/.fluxbox/styles) {}

so I get all the styles in the same menu, but either works.

The editor>file thing is good - kind of thing I'd normally do - but fluxconf handles that and a few other things. I don't mind editing a GUI's config with a GUI when it's as direct as fluxconf.

Proud · 08-24-2003, 06:34 AM

Trinity22, as both in one listing isnt helpful when you're tweaking one in your personal /styles. I just find it nicer with the two seperate.

If you do wanna try Idesk, here's another nice menu snippet to ease your configuring

Code:

 [submenu] (Idesk) {}
  [exec] (Idesk) {idesk}
  [exec] (Configure Icons) {kfmclient openProfile filemanagement .idesktop/}
  [exec] (Browse Icons) {kfmclient openProfile filemanagement /usr/share/icons/}
  [exec] (Configure Idesk) {kwrite .ideskrc}
 [end]

shermang · 08-24-2003, 06:51 AM

Don't mean to derail this thread, but is Enlightent very heavy on resources? It doesn't look like it is but I havn't tried it myself first person yet.
I want a light WM but black/fluxbox don't appeal to me at all.

Proud · 08-24-2003, 06:57 AM

E seems very light and exceptionally featured, I highly recommend it.

Btw I just worked out a command to kill idesk if running. New menu entry:
Edit: just use:

Code:

  [exec] (Kill Idesk) {killall idesk}

slakmagik · 08-24-2003, 07:09 AM

If you hadn't installed it you wouldn't need to kill it. *g*

Yeah - I gather E is in the realm of XFCE and WindowMaker - kind of middle ground? But I gather it's going through some major changes. Maybe wait for them to roll out the new model. (I could be completely wrong, but that's what I seem to remember.)

I think the thread's derailed already. Trinity just wanted to run Firebird.

Proud · 08-24-2003, 07:14 AM

Lol.

E has some great features, like virtual sized desktops eg. 2 screens by 3 screens, and you can have tonnes of them (32+?)
It has full support for layers, remembering position, style, theme borders... it really rocks.
The ever 'in the pipeline' E 0.17 intends to be a desktop environment, so it'll have a file manager app etc, as well as the window manager.