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Old 01-12-2005, 09:25 AM   #1
gauntalus
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Question What is fluxbox, and why do I want it?


Just wondering, I've heard a lot about fluxbox lately. So apparently its just a windowmanager for X. Isn't that just what gnome is(which is what I currently use)?

Could someone point out what all the fuss is about, and reasons that I would like using fluxbox more than gnome? And with that said, I read on the fluxbox website that it "supports" KDE, and has partial "support" for gnome... I'm really confused...
 
Old 01-12-2005, 09:46 AM   #2
Padma
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Flux is based on BlackBox, which is another lightweight window manager. The big difference between fluxbox and Gnome is Gnome is *more* than a WM - it is a complete Desktop Environment. That means all the different parts are integrated into it, providing a consistent look-and-feel, and it is *heavier* (more resource-needy) than a lightweight WM.

I don't use Flux, myself, but I would guess the "support" question is that it understands/handles KDE/QT-based apps better than Gtk-based ones.

You might NOT like it as well as Gnome. There isn't a taskbar by default, for instance, and there is no consistent look-and-feel. It DOES have a much smaller "footprint" in your RAM, so is good in a low-RAM system. It IS very configurable, so you can make it work the way you like, and not be dependent on what the Gnome folks think is best.
 
Old 01-12-2005, 09:47 AM   #3
320mb
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KDE/Gnome are Desktop Environments

fluxbox,blackbox,ICEwm are window managers
 
Old 01-12-2005, 09:49 AM   #4
Dark_Helmet
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Yes, fluxbox is a window manager. However, GNOME is a "desktop environment". A window manager is one component of a desktop environment like KDE and Gnome. The purpose of a desktop environment is to provide integration between many tools (window manager, file manager, menuing system, etc.) You can kind of think of Gnome and KDE as glue between the applications that perform different tasks.

However, you don't need an entire desktop environment to have a usable GUI. In fact, all you need is the X Window System. X comes with a built in window manager which, in all honesty, is pretty boring and limited in its capabilities (as to be expected). You can use a different window manager instead. The window manager can provide things like background images, virtual desktops, application menus, and window border decorations. The benefit is, your system will be a little more nimble because you've reduced a lot of the overhead Gnome and KDE require. The drawback is you don't have as much functionality and integration. There is no guarantee that you can copy-paste between applications. There is no drag-and-drop between windows. There are no desktop shortcuts. There is no graphical file manager (although you can install one separately).

You can go to the Fluxbox website to take a peek at screen shots. Some of those screenshots have a setup like I was describing: using fluxbox only. You can, however, use fluxbox inside Gnome or KDE instead of their default window manager. If you do that, you're not really gaining a whole lot. In fact, you may be losing functionality, because (as you said) there is only partial support for Gnome. The only reason to do so, would be because you prefer the look the window manager provides.

EDIT: Wow, three well-timed responses. Perhaps I should get in the habit of hitting "preview" more often.

Last edited by Dark_Helmet; 01-12-2005 at 09:51 AM.
 
Old 01-12-2005, 09:50 AM   #5
gauntalus
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ahhh I see. Would I be able to have both installed at the same time, and switch between the two?
 
Old 01-12-2005, 08:29 PM   #6
adam_mccullough
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fluxbox

yes indeedy. In fact, if your system is based on a major distro, there's a very good chance you already have both installed. I did - so obviously fluxbox lives on the slack 10 disks somewhere.

I find it most useful for my laptop (IBM X20, PIII 600, 320MB). Since it chugs a bit in Gnome these days (especially in power saving mode), it's much faster to fire up fluxbox if I'm in a hurry - I can have most things I want to do finished before gnome would even have started up properly. On the other hand, if i'm going to be spending hours working on something, I appreciate gnome.

Then again, if I'm in a hurry and don't need to mess with graphics, good old Alt-F6 is the best way to go... almost anything I need a computer for these days can be done using bash, joe and LaTeX.
 
Old 01-12-2005, 11:40 PM   #7
cs-cam
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While window managers such as fluxbox don't provide a consistant look and feel like desktop environments do, you can do the same yourself but picking either KDE (Qt) or GNOME (Gtk) and only using apps using that widget library so everything still looks like it fits in, then you find matching WM and Gtk themes and you're set
 
Old 01-13-2005, 03:47 AM   #8
shmonkey
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You might as well try it, it's not a big program. Once installed you should be able to select a fluxbox session from GDM OK.

Regards

Shmonkey
 
Old 01-17-2005, 08:51 PM   #9
frob23
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I use fluxbox... I like its smallness and that I can make it look Macish... even though I can't afford a mac.

http://www.lynucs.org/index.php?scre...d9a84&p=screen

This is what my computer looks like right now. I'll admit... it isn't as friendly as KDE. But I like it... and my sister gets around in it okay. She actually prefers KDE on my computer but when I leave my account open she manages just fine in fluxbox.
 
Old 01-17-2005, 10:23 PM   #10
SciYro
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Quote:
You can use a different window manager instead. The window manager can provide things like background images, virtual desktops, application menus, and window border decorations. The benefit is, your system will be a little more nimble because you've reduced a lot of the overhead Gnome and KDE require. The drawback is you don't have as much functionality and integration. There is no guarantee that you can copy-paste between applications. There is no drag-and-drop between windows. There are no desktop shortcuts. There is no graphical file manager (although you can install one separately).
actually the many tools that come with full X install , contain tools to set the background, so the window manager doesn't need to do it, but most do

also cut and paste is part of X .. its not very widely known from what i know, but X does contain the stuff used for cut and paste, so its really a matter of the app ... GTK and QT should be compatible from a cut and paste standpoint (i think) , and also a drag and drop standpoint: gnome and kde use the standards set at freedesktop.org .. so the apps get along with drag and drop just fine

also in kde/gnome the window manager used doesn't provide backgrounds, the file manager does (they take after windows, and kde really takes after windows, using the file manager as a web browser also ... windows couldn't even do that (there file manager "explorer" was there lame attempt at a web browser .. it failed miserably and become that hated file manger)

as already stated the main difference from DE's and "window managers" is that the DE's tend to be slower, and are more space hungry .. think of them as windows, it comes with default apps you'll never use, and also they tend to look like windows, to some degree (usually the taskbar, and layout of buttons on the window decor) ... but the apps that are made for them are more integrated (which i find usually makes the apps run worse .. i don't like integration .. window is the example of why i hate it)

from a usability standpoint .. they are about the same, the DE's tho just stuff things that are preconfigured or such ... kinda like in windows, wereas in the individual window managers, you have to do some hand config, but get a usually faster system, also its the window managers that decide how the desktop looks, you can use window- window managers (were the window managers let you drag and resize windows ... standard), framed windows managers (the screen is a set of frames, each window of a app is confined to that frame .. a example is "ion") ... and 3d styled managers (desktop managers really, just gives you a virtual desktop that you rotate around)
 
Old 02-18-2005, 12:28 AM   #11
cajunman4life
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I'm currently running FreeBSD 5.3 on an old IBM 300GL (Pentium MMX 200MHz, 64MB RAM, 2.5 GB HD) using FluxBox as my wm. I shouldn't even be running X on a box like this, but I'm known for "defying" all odds. This is obvious in the fact that I'm currently running two seperate make processes in two seperate xterms, and monitoring system usage (top) in another xterm, and even checking my disk usage (df -h) in another. And it still is happier than a clam.
 
  


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