Revisiting lxp-icewm

Window managers, icon programs, widgets, etc.
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musher0
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Revisiting lxp-icewm

#1 Post by musher0 »

Hello, all.

Here's a little gem of a window manager, derived from icewm, called
"lxp-icewm", from http://lxp.sourceforge.net/

New download URL (as of 2014-04-18):
http://www.datafilehost.com/d/c1db7f05

Screenshots:
http://lxp.sourceforge.net/Vista_1024.jpg
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... h&id=54257

Its interest lies in that it uses an extra image library. Because of that, it
has one feature not readily available in the regular icewm:

1) it's advertized as being able to mimic XP -- but it does an even better
job of mimicking Ubuntu!

And with some of the themes provided in the package (e.g. ekexinfonia),
you can even give it the look of the pekwm or oroborus window
managers. So lxp-icewm is very versatile.

And because it uses its own directory in ~/root/.lxp-icewm, the menu in
~/.icewm can be processed differently than in the regular icewm:

2) from the standpoint of configuration, lxp-icewm makes it very easy to
get the maximum out of the icewm taskbar and menu. What happens is
this: it uses the icewm menu called from the usual fixmenus to process
the bar and the menu in an original way.

The way this is done, the actual "menu" file is freed so the user can insert
his favorite programs and utilities, while preserving access to the Puppy
menu. You find a similar approach to the menu in openbox and pekwm,
for example.

This archive (~7.9- Mg) contains:

1 ) the wm itself

2 ) adapted icons (~800 K)

3 ) two original backgrounds and one original screenshot

4 ) localizations

5 ) the imlib library for better rendering of icons and pictures (a peculiarity
of lxp-icewm; the regular icewm doesn't need it).

6 ) 29 themes (including the original lxp themes, with some additional ones);

7 ) full docs for icewm (since that's what it is, beneath the pretty costume).

And for convenience:

8 ) stalonetray, and

9 ) the icewm menu editor.

I compiled it for lupu, but I believe that my main merit is that I've
gathered all of the elements needed to provide the user with a complete
package. No need to roam for various "parts" of a program on the web
or in the Puppy forum with this one: it's all here! :)

It works very well on lupu 5.25 retro and dpup 4.85. It probably will work
on all Puppies, since it is not new: member "gray" (known for his NOP
Puppies) based a Puppy on it in 2008.
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 5552fd7918

It is provided with no menu button: since all the sub-menus have buttons
on the taskbar, you don't actually need a menu button. As to the taskbar,
I've tried to make it as compact as possible, on one line only.

It is recommended to use an independent tray called stalonetray
(included in the package).

If you don't like compact taskbars, you can restore the defaults by
copying them from /usr/share/lxp-icewm to ~/.lxp-icewm, or by
re-processing the "preferences" file.

Voilà!

Tell me if you like it?

BFN.
Last edited by musher0 on Mon 21 Nov 2016, 20:28, edited 4 times in total.
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Tman
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Re: Revisiting lxp-icewm

#2 Post by Tman »

It looks interesting, I will have to take a look at it when I get home.
musher0 wrote: 2) from the standpoint of configuration, lxp-icewm makes it very easy to get the maximum out of the icewm taskbar and menu. What happens is this: it uses the icewm menu called from the usual fixmenus to process the bar and the menu in an original way.
I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but you can create separate menu entries (along with the standard xdg ones) in regular icewm by editing the file named: /etc/xdg/templates/_root_.icewm_menu

The same can be done for jwm. I don't have the exact name for it becuase I removed it, but in jwm-based pups the menu configuration file is also in the /etc/xdg/templates folder

musher0
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Joined: Mon 05 Jan 2009, 00:54
Location: Gatineau (Qc), Canada

#3 Post by musher0 »

Hi, T-Man.

Thanks for your reply.

You're not bursting any bubble. The expression "No bubbles were bursted while filming this movie" comes to mind. :lol: As in "The SPCA certifies that no actual puppies were hurt creating the Puppy distros." (hehe) 8)

Back to being serious:

If some user wants to create some categories at the /etc/xdg level. that's fine. I'm all for it. No problem whatsoever. What I'm talking about is completely different. Try to follow, please:

fixmenus creates the icewm (and/or jwm) menu with the "xdg" process from the "*.desktop" files in /usr/share/applications. The resulting menu for icewm is put in file ~/.icewm/menu. So far, so good.

Now I've made it so that lxp-icewm (which is in ~/.lxp-icewm) symlinks its "toolbar" file to the ~/.icewm/menu file. And we link once more: the "programs" file in lxp-icewm symlinks to ~/.lxp-icewm/toolbar.

Result so far in lxp-icewm:
we have a toolbar with sub-menus accessible on it (Figure 3). This actually saves you one mouse click or more to get to any program.

we have a "programs" sub-menu in the menu file (provided you configured your preferences file for it; figure1), which is actually the "menu" created by fixmenus. This appears under "programs" when you right-click on the backdrop (as is customary for most window managers).

But... ha-ha! The ~/.lxp-icewm/menu itself still remains untouched. The user can put anything (s)he likes in it. See figure 2. If the user adds the proper entry in the menu, we have recursion in the icewm menu, and the user can change it on the fly.

This is how it is done.

Code: Select all

menu Favoris "" {
prog rxvt xterm rxvt -bg "#541212" -sr -cr green -fg white -C -fn 9x15 -sl 500
# -fg wheat
prog rox home24 rox / /root
prog leafpad leafpad leafpad
prog Seamonkey www24 seamonkey
separator
prog "Mes documents" "" rox /root/my-documents
prog "Mes applications" "" rox /root/my-applications
prog "Capture d'écran" "" /root/my-applications/bin/capture-ecran.sh
separator
prog "Éditer ce menu" edit24 geany /root/.lxp-icewm/menu
prog "Répertoires .icewm" /usr/local/lib/X11/folder-dore.png rox /root/.lxp-icewm /usr/share/lxp-icewm
}

separator
menufile Programmes /usr/local/lib/X11/folder-dore.png programs
Part of the magic is in the last line. The "menufile" command, which I didn't invent: it's been there all along.

The only other place I've seen such customizability is in the old aemenu. Forget it if you're using jwm: no "on-the-fly" capacity there. In spite of excellent programming efforts by amigo, technosaurus and others, the jwm menu still remains "remote access" from the primary user. You cannot in jwm say: "Oh, I have to change this entry" and change it now. It's not immediate, which is why I say, it's a "remote" process.

Same with xfce menu, which can be more adaptable than the jwm menu, but still a complication for the user. Because not all xfce incarnations are shipped with the proper menu change utility.

I hope I have not been too abstract and that this helps in understanding what I've brought to the Puppy user.

Best regards.
Attachments
Figure3-submenus_in_toolbar.jpg
(31.58 KiB) Downloaded 2038 times
Figure2-personalized_menu.jpg
(16.89 KiB) Downloaded 2115 times
Figure1.jpg
The usual Puppy menu, but under sub-menu "Programs" in lxp-icewm.
(44.85 KiB) Downloaded 2004 times
Last edited by musher0 on Mon 16 Apr 2012, 05:57, edited 1 time in total.
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Tman
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#4 Post by Tman »

hi Musher,

What a very thourough explanation, thanks. I see what you mean now about the separae menu. I have already downloaded your tarball and will test lxp-icewm over the next few days.

Question: do any of the pets overwrite settings for the old icewm and what is the command to start lxp-icewm from the console?

-

musher0
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#5 Post by musher0 »

Hello.

Here's an alternative set of localisation files for lxp-icewm, derived directly from icewm. (icewm.mo files simply renamed to lxp-icewm.mo.) Use if the previous ones don't work properly. (34 languages or so.)

BFN.
Attachments
lxp-icewm-1.2.30-1b_locales-2.pet
Alternative set of locale files for lxp-icewm.
(182.66 KiB) Downloaded 821 times
musher0
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oldyeller
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#6 Post by oldyeller »

Hi Musher

how do you do this file in order to use it?

Thanks
oldyeller

musher0
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#7 Post by musher0 »

oldyeller wrote:Hi Musher

how do you do this file in order to use it?

Thanks
oldyeller
Hello, oldyeller.

I'm not sure I understand. "Do this file", like in "make a file" ? Eh, I would think that the files available for download are already "made"...

lxp-icewm is a window manager derived from icewm. You have to download and install the packages mentioned in the first post to have it running.

In the previous post, I attached an alternative locales set if people are interested. There's already a localisation set in the initial package, but this latter set presents straight "icewm.mo" files renamed for use with lxp-icewm. Some people might prefer this wording.

I hope this clarifies stuff a bit. Still at your disposal if you have other questions. BFN.
musher0
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oldyeller
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#8 Post by oldyeller »

Hi musher0

could not get it to work on lupu 525.

How do you start the wm? Tried xwin icewm-session or is it something else?


Thanks

oldyeller

musher0
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#9 Post by musher0 »

Hello, oldyeller.

You start it with the command:

Code: Select all

xwin lxp-icewm
Regards.
musher0
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"You want it darker? We kill the flame." (L. Cohen)

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samira
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Revisiting lxp-icewm

#10 Post by samira »

Hi all,
is there a pet package for lxp-icewm, i downloaded the .deb file from sourceforge last night, but it's not working? and this package mentioned in post #1, where can i get it?

cheers!

musher0
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Re: Revisiting lxp-icewm

#11 Post by musher0 »

samira wrote:Hi all,
is there a pet package for lxp-icewm, i downloaded the .deb file from sourceforge last night, but it's not working? and this package mentioned in post #1, where can i get it?

cheers!
Hi, samira.

I still have it somewhere. I had uploaded it on limelinx.com. It's an excellent site, except that a package stored there is erased automatically if it's not downloaded for 60 days. But no problem. Give me until tomorrow, I'll re-upload it.

And thanks for your interest! BFN.

musher0
musher0
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musher0
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#12 Post by musher0 »

Hello again, samira.

I've re-uploaded the lxp-icewm pets , here: http://limelinx.com/enov4.
There are five lxp files plus stalonetray and a menu editor, bundled in
a bz2 archive. If your mother tongue is English, you don't need to install
the "locales" pet.

Try the package as is, then tell me if you need the libImlib and/or the
libxpm libraries (that'll depend on the Puppy you're installing lxp-icewm
on): I'll upload them also if needed. It's hard to guess sight unseen.

Best regards.

musher0
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oligin10
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Thanks

#13 Post by oligin10 »

Thanks musher0. I assumed these were gone but I should have asked. Tried to download them about a month ago. Thanks for reposting, Rob

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samira
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Revisiting lxp-icewm

#14 Post by samira »

Hi musher0,
Thank you so much for uploading the lxp-icewm file. Tried it with mixed results though. On my pc, it froze when i was installing the pets on pup 4.3 (and i forgot to install imlib). On my laptop, i tried installing imlib firts on lxpup 12.12, then installed the pets. Quit xorg, and invoked lxp-icewm and it's working. Thanks again.

Cheers!

p/s: those vista themes, (vostro if i'm not mistaken) are just lovely!

musher0
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#15 Post by musher0 »

Hello, samira and oligin10.

You're welcome!

@samira
Indeed, the vostro theme is quite impressive!

@oligin10
That's because I'm using limelinx.com, which erases the file after 60 days
of inactivity. For ex., if someone downloads file x on day 59, the storage
for file x is good for another 60 days. Incidentally, if you wish to have
anything that I have uploaded there and it appears to be gone, just ask
and I'll re-upload it.

Best regards. BFN.

musher0
musher0
~~~~~~~~~~
"You want it darker? We kill the flame." (L. Cohen)

musher0
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#16 Post by musher0 »

Hello, all.

I've made available a fresh copy of lxp-icewm, at DataFileHost, today.
(The limelinx site does not exist anymore.) Please click on the new URL
in my first post above.
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... ost#620276

Unpack the archive where convenient for you, then click on all the pets
one after the other. That will install lxp-icewm on any Puppy -- at least
from Puppy 4.31 on.

To restart your Puppy with lxp-icewm,
* type Ctrl-Alt-Backspace; You're now in the initial black console;
* type

Code: Select all

exec xwin lxp-icewm
That will open X with lxp-icewm as the window manager;
* you may have to fiddle with the position of the "stalonetray" tray -- in
/root/.stalontrayrc -- to adapt its position to your desktop. It's the line that
says: "geometry";
* I've included lots of regular icewm themes, in addition to the default
lxp-icewm ones. I made sure that these icewm themes all display
properly in lxp-icewm, To explore the themes, right click on an empty
space on the desktop, click Settings -> Themes. You can't miss it! :)
* There is no menu button because you have buttons for all the sub-
menus on the task bar, starting at the third icon from the left. Hover
your cursor over them and you'll see the sub-menu labels.

Have fun! BFN

musher0
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"You want it darker? We kill the flame." (L. Cohen)

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