I have built a Linux from scratch system to learn. I am using kernel 2.6.8 with icewm, I have been using command line to do the file manipulation so far. Here is my problem, this computer will eventually be a family computer so it needs a desktop file manager that is similar to windows, so everyone else in the house doesn't have a heart attack. I have tried rox-filer, dfm, idesk and nautilus, dfm and idesk won't work for my purposes so that leaves rox and nautilus. Rox works well and does not interfere with icewm, Nautilus is the closest to windows but will not allow icewm to shutdown or reboot (I have to do this thru command line). From what I have read Icewm will only shutdown if all the other programs will shutdown, so I guess Nautilus will not give up easily. Does anyone have a solution.

"I have built a Linux from scratch system to learn. I am using kernel 2.6.8 with icewm, I have been using command line to do the file manipulation so far."


Do you mean you're launching Nautilus from the command line?


"Here is my problem, this computer will eventually be a family computer so it needs a desktop file manager that is similar to windows, so everyone else in the house doesn't have a heart attack."

Using Nautilus defeats the purpose of using IceWM, it's heavy and slow. Install 'xfe' it doesn't get any more 'windows-esque' than that, it is fast as lightning and after you configure it and change the base, background colors plus the size of the fonts, looks pretty spiffy.


"I have tried rox-filer, dfm, idesk and nautilus, dfm and idesk won't work for my purposes so that leaves rox and nautilus."


IIRC, dfm and idesk are programs to place icons on the desktop, not file managers, is that what you are trying to do?

You can place icons on the taskbar with 'iceme', or launch them with the Fn keys, see the sticky on Debian Configuration.

"Rox works well and does not interfere with icewm, Nautilus is the closest to windows but will not allow icewm to shutdown or reboot (I have to do this thru command line)."

Please elaborate, what does Nautilus have to do with shutting down the machine, i'm confused. If you look at the icewm preferences, the shutdown command is 'sudo /sbin/shutdown -h now' or halt. Install 'sudo' and follow the instructions from the sticky above mentioned.


"From what I have read Icewm will only shutdown if all the other programs will shutdown,"

Not true. At least not on Debian, i don't use LFS, so...

"so I guess Nautilus will not give up easily. Does anyone have a solution."

Install xfe and under View, enable 'hidden files', configure the looks to your liking, and install sudo, read the sticky. In there, there is a posting by yours truly (IceWM Tips)

Happy trails...


..

I guess I need to post more info, I am trying to make the system as familiar as possible to everyone that wil be using it and it be totally linux. I am currently using xfe and command line to add and change things to the way I want, please don't yell at me, i.e look and behave similar to M$ windows, so Nautilus and Rox have desktop icons and the ability to drag and drop.

I launch (nautilus or Rox) and icewm from .xsession

I do have sudo installed and running correctly to shutdown and reboot, until nautilus is running and then the shutdown and reboot stop working. If I kill nautilus first then the shutdown and reboot work again. That is what I am wondering about.

I am going to look into xfe more it sounds like I am not using it to the fullest.

I will also go and read what you wrote about icewm.

Thanks, macondo

Xfe is nice. For desktop icons use idesk. First install idesk and xdialog using apt-get. Then go to this page: http://users.netwit.net.au/~pursang/idesk-extras.html to download the tarball that contains the idesktool script and some pretty icons plus the instructions on how to use idesktool. Soon you'll have your Windows-like desktop -- only better, of course, because it's GNU/Linux.

"please don't yell at me, i.e look and behave similar to M$ windows,"

A man has to do, what a man has to do. Ultimately, no Linux nazi, is gonna be there when your folks start complaining and asking the same questions over and over.
In addition to the regular apps, i also use Opera and Pine, that's what i like, and the few times that somebody has started pontificating, he has been subject to my self-righteous wrath.

XFE: during the configuration do it in stages, first the colors, say yes, it shut off, and it will come back with the new colors, then the fonts and size. If you do everything at once, it won't work.

Here's part of my ~/.icewm/keys:

key "F1" aterm
key "F2" xfe
key "F3" xchat
key "F4" mozilla-firefox
key "F5" opera
key "F6" oowriter

once i discovered this, there was no need for icons.

As for closing all the apps before shutting down the box completely, i guess i do it automatically, one by one, with Alt + F4 in IceWM and then press F1 and once in aterm, use sudo, it's faster, but that's just me.

I am using icewm/nautilus in a lab setting, mostly because nautilus comes the closest to a "familiar" experience for most users (newbies) when it comes to auto-mounting usb devices. (I'll probably go to the lighter rox solution when I can figure out halevt.)

I start nautilus through the icewm 'startup' script (/etc/X11/icewm/startup):

#!/bin/sh
# start nautilus on icewm startup
nautilus &


I have a custom /usr/local/bin/icewm-exit script that does the following:

pkill -u $USER nautilus; pkill -u $USER icewm


I set up the /usr/local/bin/icewm-exit script to be called through the icewm 'preferences' file (/etc/X11/icewm/preferences):

...
# Command to start logout
# jchung set this:
LogoutCommand="/usr/local/bin/icewm-exit"
...

If you want a quick fix for usb mounting, why don't you just make a quick scrip they could run, that way you wouldn't have to deal with nautilus? Really that's all it is, a script, if you want "windows" like features scripts are easy enough. I could run a mount scrip through init or cron or whatever (it's 4am) for cds and if i had the mount folders set up in thunar as soon as i pop in a disc and it's mounted it would show up in thunar. I think there's an automount for debian somewhere... Or, if it's for home, you could make a shutdown scrip to kill nautilus before it shuts down. Really idk, that might be part of the problem that it's not terminating running processes for shutdown.