--- Randy McMurchy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Dan McGhee wrote these words on 09/28/05 19:10 CST:
>
> > I know that I could just go find a file manager to use with fluxbox.
> > Would I be heading for the "bloat" that I'm trying to avoid if I tried
> > the WindowMaker-GNUstep combination? I am also willing to try this
> > combination to see how it works and provide input to this list with the
> > purpose of adding it, if it's good enough, to "the Book." Good enough
> > means, lean, fast, and little overhead compared to Gnome and KDE.
>
> Just out of curiosity, what don't you like about KDE?
I'll second the no-KDE vote: I don't like the main elements of KDE: The
Desktop manager (kdesktop), the file manager (konqueror), or the panel
(kicker). But, it's similar to Windows, so I guess that's why people like it.
However, on equivalent hardware, Windows still has always seemed more
responsive than KDE. Or course, GNOME is even worse in this regard.
About "panels" that most desktop environments provide---I don't really think
a lot of users like them. I don't either. You know--the panel that shows what
windows you have open. I always watch people who have "too many" things open
and then start shutting programs down. I do it too when I'm in that
environment, but I think to myself that there's no reason to shut it down
("The OS should just swap it to disk if it needs more RAM"). And then there
are these fools that run everything in the world in the system tray, as a
solution to the problem with the panel becoming cluttered as I mentioned.
Enter Window Maker. It has no panel, but it provides a Dock and "Miniwindows"
which serve the same purpose, but in a much cooler way. You have two choices
with Window Maker: you can hide individual windows in the usual way (and they
become "miniwindows", or icons, similar to the buttons on your
run-of-the-mill panel), or, you can hide the whole application (and all its
windows). That's really cool; all its Windows get pulled into the Icon that
represents the application, which is the same as the launcher icon, so when
you go to "launch" it again, it really just restores the windows for you.
It's a little hard to describe. Just try it. I'm absolutely addicted.
As far as the file manager, I've been using the ROX-Filer, and one thing it
excels in is its speed. So, if you want "bloat-free" give it a try. It has a
pretty good-looking interface, customizable icon themes, and etc. And I've
found it is an awesome combination with Window Maker, provided you compile
Window Maker with the XDND support--that way you can drag files from the
filer to your Docked Application Icons to launch them with a specific file.
Of course, you can also set the Filer to do a certain action on double-click,
and so on.
I posted a screen capture of my desktop running Window Maker and the
ROX-Filer if you want to see it; the icons on the right edge and bottom-right
are part of the "Dock" and "Clip" respectively; they save between sessions
and also persist if you close the application. The icons on the bottom left
are the temporary ones. If you run a (graphical) application that's not
already on your dock, it appears on the lower left; then all you have to do
is drag it to your Dock and it will save there as a launcher. Of course,
that's just how I have mine set up. You can move your Dock/Clip to wherever
you want on the screen. I just chose the bottom right as it seemed logical
for users used to "panels".
[Low Quality Version]
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/6962/windowmakerchumbo018ta.jpg
[High Quality Version]
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/2226/windowmakerchumbo012gf.png
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