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A better GUI

Last response: in Linux/Free BSD
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April 11, 2014 8:29:59 AM


While working to rebuild the power-supply on my vintage Hanns-G_28" monitor I've had time to appreciate the lagging performance of my nominal GNOME3-classic/FireFox GUI on my Xeon/Auria_27" system.

Allow me to lump GNOME and browser together, as most casual Linux lusrs see & treat it that way. Anyrate ... that system is non-'sparky', constantly over-writes various web-pages(THW login is one!) , ill-proportions buttons & slides, often generates page displays leaving most of the screen blank, eats HUGE amts of vertical screen realestate with 1/3 used toolbars and gives no-way to rotate toolbars to-the-side. GNOME EXTENSIONS whatever they are... are to this-lusr a Chinese box.

MATE looks like an anorexic 13-yo.

I run robust high-value hardware ... in YOOL 2014 why do I have to suffer with Poettering/Cannonical visuals and florid front-ends that would embarrase a DrDOS lusr from 1986? Honest-2-gawd available GUI are every bit as careless, self-serving, feature-starved and ill-considered as the self-advertizing drool I get from my AT&T DSL provider.

Please ... no adverts for a Mac: I did that in 1981!

More about : gui

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April 11, 2014 8:55:16 AM

Honestly I think you should give XFCE another look. It looks great and is very fast.
http://www.xfce.org/

http://elementaryos.org/
is pretty nice looking too
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April 11, 2014 9:37:25 AM

nss000 said:
Please ... no adverts for a Mac: I did that in 1981!

First Mac was released 1984... And from what I see, noone forces you to use anything. Sit on your $$$, and design something better!
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April 11, 2014 5:09:05 PM

BigAL:

Nothing needs to be designed. GNOME-2.x was smart, clean, workmanly perfection. It required only a yearly "waxing" to preserve the glow. Or are you the type who would repaint LOST ON THE GRAND BANKS every 20 years just to (sic) keep the canvas fresh ?
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April 11, 2014 6:45:48 PM

BigS:

Once downloaded and installed, does Xfce "drop" right into my list of GUI choices on the LOGIN screen ?
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April 12, 2014 4:23:58 AM

nss000 said:
BigS:

Once downloaded and installed, does Xfce "drop" right into my list of GUI choices on the LOGIN screen ?


Yes
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April 12, 2014 9:42:32 AM

I installed Xfce with no problems. It's a very clean, straightforward GUI. Sadly the first thing I tried ... entering text in-TERMINAL failed. I get a nice black rectangle(with function-bar) into which **no typed-text** or copy/past may be inserted. Nothing/nada/nix! The black rectangle just sits there DARING you to insert anything.

That's a bad sign ... when (the 1st) randomly chosen usrland function fails-to-function. Perhaps there's some terminal "prep" that needs to be performed ... like a foreign traveler sacrificing a chicken to the local village-goddess before you can drink from the local water-well.
That's why some people choose cruise-liners for a vacation. I really don't like being surprised!

skittle said:
Should note: xfce 4.10 much more polished than 4.8 that is in Ubuntu 12.0!
Xfce 4.12 is even better, but still beta :( 

http://ubuntuportal.com/2012/05/easy-way-to-install-xfc...

(Obviously don't run dist-upgrade if you want to stay on 12.04 )


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April 12, 2014 6:09:35 PM

Can you confirm your xfce terminal color is correct/ usable? Edit->preferences-> colors

Personally this why I don't care for Debian/Ubuntu based Linux. I don't trust the magic auto configuration.

Much prefer Slackware/gentoo/archlinux which give control to user.
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April 13, 2014 6:09:43 AM

Just made PANEL#2 go-away; trivial. That panel carried redundant icons, and buys another 1/3" space on either top or side. So DISCOVERY is easy for lusrland in Xfce. I am really liking it !

IDIOT! In terminal --> edit --> profile preferences ... I unchecked the **use colors from systems theme** box and expected text appears in the terminal. Pretty obscure eh, but right in front of my face! You hit that nail right on the button; thanks a ton BigS!


The TERMINAL task bar functions, a color-palette shows, but the controls are "greyed" out -- non-functional -- that is to say I CANNOT choose a SCHEME, TEXT or BACKGROUND color.

Kinda makes sence ... if I cannot pick a display or background color then of-course I can see nothing. It's 1/2 true, but, the TERMINAL area IS black (background color??) and I can choose transparent!

skittle said:
Can you confirm your xfce terminal color is correct/ usable? Edit->preferences-> colors

Personally this why I don't care for Debian/Ubuntu based Linux. I don't trust the magic auto configuration.

Much prefer Slackware/gentoo/archlinux which give control to user.


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April 14, 2014 7:37:35 PM

Yep, I'm totally impresed with Xfce and intend using it in-place-of GNOME ... which has its own biz-nazi problems. Anyrate I will use Xfce always ... except on this site! Toms HardWare page displays are totally messed up 9(?) different ways ... over-written and unreadable text, chopped-off pages and overlayered sections. I can't even login !

So for THW I use GNOME-CLASSIC ... for everything else I use the superior kitty-kat friendly Xfce which even lets me create pea-soup green VERTICAL panels making best use of my 27" Auria monitor and reducing eyestrain(?) Wish Toms would hire a coder ..... but I guess if something works for GNOME and Win7 you can't complain.
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April 14, 2014 8:02:12 PM

Am curious, did you install just 'xfce' or 'xubuntu-desktop' package?
"xubuntu-desktop" should provide a more polished experience coming straight from ubuntu. may have solved some of the transistional hickups you are experiencing.

btw when xfce 4.12 is finally out of beta (4.12 has been "beta" for 2 years already) you may enjoy it even more! 2 years of polishing and needed features like tabbed file manager, an already great desktop enviorment means a lot of work has been done to improve things (and not like gnome2->gnome3 ;)  )

toms renders just fine on xfce 4.10 on archlinux
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April 14, 2014 8:36:56 PM

BigS:

I'm using "pure" Xfce, not the xubuntu-package desktop for fear of bringing in junk. Yes I have got frustrated a couple times, but the DISCOVERY factor(?) for Xfce is very high; the no-nonsense layout helps. Even a casual linux lusr can install, poke around and 'discover' desirable behaviors and features of Xfce W/O 100% pro support. Yes yes I know a pea-soup green vertical task-bar may not SEEM like much , but it's more than I could ever imagine generating in GNOME and ... it was kinda fun doing it !!!

Yes I TRIED to read the docs ... //rant/endrant//... Anyrate all the basics **just-work** and bet there's other stuff I can discover seat-of-my-pants.

skittle said:
Am curious, did you install just 'xfce' or 'xubuntu-desktop' package?
"xubuntu-desktop" should provide a more polished experience coming straight from ubuntu. may have solved some of the transistional hickups you are experiencing.

btw when xfce 4.12 is finally out of beta (4.12 has been "beta" for 2 years already) you may enjoy it even more! 2 years of polishing and needed features like tabbed file manager, an already great desktop enviorment means a lot of work has been done to improve things (and not like gnome2->gnome3 ;)  )

toms renders just fine on xfce 4.10 on archlinux


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April 15, 2014 5:12:06 PM

"Server not found"
HAHA !! Snatched GOODIES from the UBUNTU repository! Now I have a VERY cluttered toolbar !!!


skittle said:
For example the "xfce4-goodies" package (that are standard on xfce installations.

http://goodies.xfce.org/


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