As with Darkness Returns, Brightness uses the Clearlooks GTK+ engine. I have made the theme available on my wiki. I have used the theme under Openbox with no known issues. I have not tested the theme under GNOME.

Regarding the origin of the theme, if I remember correctly, I used the Gilouche theme as basis to work from. Even though I prefer to use a darker theme, I still really like the openSUSE artwork, it is professional and consistently good.

Tags: artwork, crunchbanglinux, openbox, themes, ubuntu

The theme I have settled into using is called Darkness Returns. I named it so because CrunchBang Linux was originally distributed with a dark theme, then it changed to a light theme, before moving back to a dark theme for the last release; hence, Darkness Returns — pure genius :)

Darkness Returns is based on the Clearlooks GTK+ engine. It is not actually as dark as some dark themes, instead it is more of a halfway house between the lightness and the darkness; maybe I should have named it "Sitting On The Fence"? Anyhow, a couple of people have asked me for the theme and so I have made it available on my wiki. More screenshots of the theme can also be seen on my wiki: CrunchBang Linux 8.04.01 Screenshots. Feel free to use and abuse :)

Tags: artwork, crunchbanglinux, openbox, themes, ubuntu

The current version of Xpad available from the Ubuntu Hardy repositories [2.13] suffers from a rather drastic 100% CPU bug; therefore, I have updated the package to the latest 2.14 release and uploaded it to the CrunchBang Linux repositories. I have also filed a small bug report on Launchpad and I am looking for a mentor to help me update the package; I understand it is a busy/hectic time for Ubuntu developers at the moment, so I will not hold my breath while I wait for a reply :)

Tags: crunchbanglinux, openbox, software, ubuntu

I have been running this release on my own systems for a number of weeks and it seems to be quite stable. Having said that, this release is based on a "development" release of Ubuntu and therefore is not recommended for anyone needing a stable system or anyone who is not comfortable running into occasional, even frequent breakage.

What's new?

I am really quite happy with how CrunchBang Linux is developing. This release sees numerous improvements and when installed makes for a really usable, fast and attractive system. I would really like to thank the users on the forums for all their suggestions and feedback; I have implemented many improvements based solely on their input. See below for a list of changes.

Major updates:

• CrunchBang Linux is now based on Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron". This brings many new improvements and package updates; most notably an updated 2.6.24.15 Linux Kernel, and Xorg 7.3.
• Openbox 3.4.7-pre2, this release includes many improvements including the GDM control mentioned here.
• CrunchBang Linux repositories are now enabled by default. The repositories include CrunchBang Linux specific packages and fixes, plus Openbox related updates etc.
• A new default theme based on Clearlooks, "Darkness Returns". See the screenshots.

Other changes:

• Firefox 3 Beta 5 is now the default browser, replacing Epiphany.
• Claws Mail replaces Thunderbird as the default e-mail client.
• Mirage replaces EOG as the default image viewer.
• Easy enabling of compositing via xcompmgr and a new Openbox pipe menu.
• tablaunch application launch bar installed by default. Easy configuration via "Preferences" menu.
• Parcellite clipboard manager, replaces Glipper. Fixes this.
• Skype and Gizmo VoIP clients removed.
• Osmo PIM installed and linked to pypanel clock. Thanks to K.Mandla for the suggestion.
• pysdm "Storage Device Manager" added to "Tools & Utilities" menu.
• Xpad sticky notes added to "Tools & Utilities" menu.
• Gtk+ 2.0 Change Theme added to "Preferences" menu.
• Nitrogen GUI desktop background/wallpaper setter installed.
• Numerous other minor fixes and improvements.

Download

The CrunchBang Linux ISO image is approximately 614MB. It can be downloaded from the following locations:

• http://crunchbang.net/pub/linux/crunchbang-8.04.01.i386.iso
• http://www.dropshock.com/pub/crunchbang-linux/crunchbang-8.04.01.i386.iso - courtesy of Jason Liquorish
• http://stas.nerd.ro/pub/cbl/crunchbang-8.04.01.i386.iso - courtesy of Stas Sushkov

MD5: 90c83bac8ec4411fea422b439bfbcc65

Screenshots

Disclaimer

CrunchBang Linux is not recommended for anyone needing a stable system or anyone who is not comfortable running into occasional, even frequent breakage. CrunchBang Linux could possibly make your computer go CRUNCH! BANG! Therefore CrunchBang Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Tags: crunchbanglinux, openbox, projects, ubuntu

It is a simple Bash script, but quite effective. Please feel free to modify/improve as you see fit.

#!/bin/bash
# Openbox Pipe Menu for xcompmgr
################################

# Set xcompmgr command options
EXEC='xcompmgr -c -t-5 -l-5 -r4.2 -o.55' #basic compositing
#EXEC='xcompmgr -cCfF -t-5 -l-5 -r4.2 -o.55 -D6' #more effects

# Toggle compositing. Call with "myxcompmgr --startstop"
if [ "$1" = "--startstop" ]; then 
    if [ ! "$(pidof xcompmgr)" ]; then
      $EXEC
    else
      killall xcompmgr
    fi
    exit 0
fi
# Output Openbox menu
if [ ! "$(pidof xcompmgr)" ]; then
    cat << _EOF_
    <openbox_pipe_menu>
        <item label="Enable Compositing">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>myxcompmgr --startstop</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
    </openbox_pipe_menu>
_EOF_
else
    cat << _EOF_
    <openbox_pipe_menu>
        <item label="Remove Transparency from Target Window">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>transset 1</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
        <item label="Set Target Window Transparency to 10%">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>transset .90</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
        <item label="Set Target Window Transparency to 20%">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>transset .80</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
        <item label="Set Target Window Transparency to 30%">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>transset .70</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
        <item label="Set Target Window Transparency to 40%">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>transset .60</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
        <item label="Set Target Window Transparency to 50%">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>transset .50</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
        <item label="Set Target Window Transparency to 60%">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>transset .40</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
        <item label="Set Target Window Transparency to 70%">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>transset .30</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
        <item label="Set Target Window Transparency to 80%">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>transset .20</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
        <item label="Set Target Window Transparency to 90%">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>transset .10</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
        <separator/>
        <item label="Disable Compositing">
            <action name="Execute">
                <execute>myxcompmgr --startstop</execute>
            </action>
        </item>
    </openbox_pipe_menu>
_EOF_
fi
exit 0

How to use the script

Follow the instructions below to install the script and set-up the Openbox pipe menu:

1. Open a terminal and download the script with the following command:

wget http://crunchbang.org/misc/myxcompmgr

2. Move the script to your "bin" directory and make executable:

mv myxcompmgr ~/bin/myxcompmgr && chmod +x ~/bin/myxcompmgr

3. Open your Openbox menu.xml file for editing:

gedit ~/.config/openbox/menu.xml

4. Insert the following code where you would like the menu to appear, save and exit:

<menu execute="myxcompmgr" id="CompositingPipeMenu" label="Compositing"/>

5. Issue the following command to update/reconfigure Openbox:

openbox --reconfigure

Optional: You could also place the following entry in ~/.config/openbox/autostart.sh to start xcompmgr on boot:

# Enable Eyecandy, see ~/bin/myxcompmgr for more info
myxcompmgr --startstop &

Tags: bash, crunchbanglinux, openbox, ubuntu

I have written the following PyGTK script to take advantage of the new GDM control. Python is not currently a language that I am too familiar with, so please feel free to rip the script to bits improve as you see fit.

#!/usr/bin/env python

import pygtk
pygtk.require('2.0')
import gtk
import os

class DoTheLogOut:

    # Cancel/exit
    def delete_event(self, widget, event, data=None):
        gtk.main_quit()
        return False

    # Logout
    def logout(self, widget):
        os.system("openbox --exit")

    # Reboot
    def reboot(self, widget):
        os.system("gdm-control --reboot && openbox --exit")

    # Shutdown
    def shutdown(self, widget):
        os.system("gdm-control --shutdown && openbox --exit")

    def __init__(self):
        # Create a new window
        self.window = gtk.Window(gtk.WINDOW_TOPLEVEL)
        self.window.set_title("Exit? Choose an option:")
        self.window.set_resizable(False)
        self.window.set_position(1)
        self.window.connect("delete_event", self.delete_event)
        self.window.set_border_width(20)

        # Create a box to pack widgets into
        self.box1 = gtk.HBox(False, 0)
        self.window.add(self.box1)

        # Create cancel button
        self.button1 = gtk.Button("Cancel")
        self.button1.set_border_width(10)
        self.button1.connect("clicked", self.delete_event, "Changed me mind :)")
        self.box1.pack_start(self.button1, True, True, 0)
        self.button1.show()

        # Create logout button
        self.button2 = gtk.Button("Log out")
        self.button2.set_border_width(10)
        self.button2.connect("clicked", self.logout)
        self.box1.pack_start(self.button2, True, True, 0)
        self.button2.show()

        # Create reboot button
        self.button3 = gtk.Button("Reboot")
        self.button3.set_border_width(10)
        self.button3.connect("clicked", self.reboot)
        self.box1.pack_start(self.button3, True, True, 0)
        self.button3.show()

        # Create shutdown button
        self.button4 = gtk.Button("Shutdown")
        self.button4.set_border_width(10)
        self.button4.connect("clicked", self.shutdown)
        self.box1.pack_start(self.button4, True, True, 0)
        self.button4.show()

        self.box1.show()
        self.window.show()

def main():
    gtk.main()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    gogogo = DoTheLogOut()
    main()

Tags: code, crunchbanglinux, openbox, python

Yes, it's the age old question — what is your preferred desktop manager? This time we ask you to not only cast your vote but to follow-up with a comment below. We'd like to know if you've switched your "favorite" in the last year or two and why. Did you use to be a KDE fan but recently switched to GNOME? Or perhaps you're exploring with something less mainstream (so to speak) and are loving it. Inquiring minds want to know…

I've cast my vote and posted the following comment:

I've switched from using GNOME to Openbox. I find that Openbox is faster and more hackable. Strictly speaking though, Openbox is a Window Manager as opposed to a Desktop Manager — therefore it requires some additional applications to provide the same functionality as a Desktop solution. Either way, I prefer it over GNOME and I can't see me moving back any time soon.

I could have written more, but I'm not sure that a comment form is best place to off-load. Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see which is the most popular "Window Manager" :)

Tags: linux, openbox

• Supports png, jpg, svg, xpm, gif, bmp, tiff, and others
• Cycling through multiple images (with preloading)
• Thumbnail pane for quick navigation
• Slideshow and fullscreen modes
• Rotating, zooming, flipping, resizing, cropping
• Saving, deleting, renaming
• Custom actions
• Command-line access
• Configurable interface

I've now switched to using Mirage over Eye Of GNOME. While EOG remains a great application, Mirage offers the same functionality but without the GNOME hooks, it's perfect for my Openbox systems.

I've packaged the latest version and made it available via the CrunchBang Linux repository. Mirage will replace EOG in the next release of CrunchBang Linux.

Tags: crunchbanglinux, openbox, ubuntu

As luck would have it, somebody had already found a solution for this and published details about it on the Arch Linux wiki. The solution involves installing a small utility called xdotool. There's no package for xdotool in the Ubuntu repositories, so I've created one and placed it in the CrunchBang Linux repository.

For future reference; follow the steps below to install xdotool and configure Openbox so that you can summon the main menu from a command:

1. Install xdotool, either from source, via the .deb file, or via the repository with the following command:

sudo apt-get install xdotool

2. Edit Openbox's rc.xml file and add the following code to the "keyboard" section:

<keybind key="A-C-q">
  <action name="ShowMenu">
    <menu>root-menu</menu>
  </action>
</keybind>

3. Reconfigure Openbox to apply the changes, enter the following command:

openbox --reconfigure

4. Call the Openbox menu with the following command:

xdotool key ctrl+alt+q

It should now be possible to bind the menu to your favourite application launcher, such as tablaunch or wbar.

Tags: crunchbanglinux, openbox, ubuntu

After a very long time without any news, we are proud to present you the new released version 1.0. A lot of things did change, in fact, it is a complete rewrite of the whole application. We now use python instead of C, which also makes the code much smaller and simpler to understand. Unlike the previous versions, Glipper is now a GNOME only application, because it makes heavily use of different GNOME techniques, like being a GNOME panel applet and using gconf for storing the configurations. If you are not a GNOME user, but want to use Glipper anyway, we feel sorry for you, but the older version are still available of course ;) .

This is great news for GNOME users, but not so great for others like myself :( I use Glipper all the time and it's an integral part of my Openbox desktop. I've had a quick look for alternative clipboard managers, but I've not found anything suitable, yet.

I'm not quite sure of the best course of action to take — it shouldn't be too difficult to grab the Glipper sources from Gutsy and rebuild the package using a different package name - 'glipper-pre1', 'glipper-old', or 'glipper-pre-gnome-love-affair'. Is this an acceptable practice? I can't think of any reason why not.

Tags: crunchbanglinux, openbox, software, ubuntu

tablaunch is an application launch bar that sits at the top of my screen and displays user defined applications as tabs. What I really love about tablaunch is how it neatly hides itself away when I'm not using it — providing a clean unobtrusive way to quickly launch my favourite applications. Watch this short video of tablaunch in action.

tablaunch can be configured to display both icons and text, but personally I prefer to use the "text only" option. It can also be set-up, via the command line, to display a variety of mouse-over effects etc. I've uploaded a copy of tablaunch to the CrunchBang Linux repository and I 've also written a wiki page, "tablaunch Application Launch Bar" for anyone interested in giving it a try.

Tags: crunchbanglinux, openbox, software, ubuntu

I was surprised to find that enabling compositing under Openbox was actually quite a straightforward affair, although due to some conflicts with Conky I did manage to explode my desktop on the first attempt.

Fixing Conky for use with xcompmgr

Conky can behave quite badly with xcompmgr, I know this because I've experienced the bad behaviour first-hand. Conky needs to be drawn in its own window, if it isn't it'll cause all manner of funky side effects, including making all your windows disappear completely. To fix this you'll need to edit your .conkyrc file and make sure it includes the following settings:

own_window yes
own_window_transparent yes
own_window_type desktop

Installing & starting xcompmgr

xcompmgr is a compositing manager for X, it enables basic eye-candy effects such as shadows, fading and translucency. It's available to install via the Ubuntu repositories, enter the following terminal command to install it:

sudo apt-get install xcompmgr

Once the xcompmgr is installed, it can either be run from the terminal, or the start command can be placed in Openbox's autostart.sh to start it automatically when you login. Full details of xcompmgr's options are available via the man page:

man xcompmgr

A popular command used to start xcompmgr with shadows is:

xcompmgr -c -t-5 -l-5 -r4.2 -o.55 &

Or, to enable shadows and fading, start xcompmgr with:

xcompmgr -cCfF -t-5 -l-5 -r4.2 -o.55 -D6 &

Setting transparency with transset

Once xcompmgr is running, transparency of individual windows can be achieved by using the transset utility. transset is also available to install via the Ubuntu repositories, enter the following terminal command to install it:

sudo apt-get install transset

Run transset with the following command:

transset X

Where X is a value from 0 - 1. 0 being fully transparent and 1 being fully opaque. Once the command has been entered your mouse cursor should change to a crosshair, simply click on the target window to apply the transparency. For example, the following command will set the target window to 50% transparency.

transset .5

Screenshots of xcompmgr enabled desktop

Screenshot showing various applications, note the drop shadows and transparency:

Screenshot showing a practical use of transparency, reading instructions from a web page whilst typing commands into the terminal:

Regarding the eye-candy

I quite like it. I think the transparency has rather limited practical use, as do the drop shadows and fading;however, the effects do add a certain amount of je ne sais quoi to the desktop. Also, I haven't witnessed any noticeable slowdown of my system or any negative effects, as yet.

Tags: crunchbanglinux, openbox, ubuntu

If you're not aware of Planet Openbox, it's a feed aggregator for Openbox related news and blog posts. It downloads news feeds published by web sites and aggregates their content together into a single combined feed, latest news first. It's a fantastic resource for all things Openbox related.

URL: http://planetob.openmonkey.com/
RSS: http://planetob.openmonkey.com/rss20.xml

Tags: openbox

Anyhow, after a little Googling I found a fix:

1. Install openoffice-gtk package from Ubuntu repositories with this terminal command:

sudo apt-get install openoffice.org-gtk

2. Open your personal Openbox startup file for editing:

gedit ~/.config/openbox/autostart.sh

or system-wide startup file:

gksudo gedit /etc/xdg/openbox/autostart.sh

3. Add the following lines, save and exit:

#Force OpenOffice.org to use GTK theme
export OOO_FORCE_DESKTOP=gnome

4. Restart Openbox.

A couple of screenshots, in case you have no idea what I'm rambling on about :)

Before applying GTK theme:

After applying GTK theme:

Update @ 14:15 23/12/2007

When using Tango icons, don't forget to install the corresponding package for OpenOffice.org:

sudo apt-get install openoffice.org-style-tango

See updated screenshot below, this time with icons :)

Tags: artwork, openbox, openoffice, ubuntu

Darkilouche Openbox Theme

Copy the contents of the code box below into a new file and save to, ~/.themes/Darkilouche/openbox-3/themerc Alternatively, download and extract this tarball to your ~/.themes directory. Note, the tarball contains both GTK and Openbox themes. Use ObConf to activate the theme when ready.

# Name: Darkilouche
# Author: Philip Newborough 
# URL: http://crunchbang.org/archives/2007/12/23/darkilouche-openbox-theme/
# Description: Openbox theme designed to work with Darkilouche GTK theme.

### Menu settings
menu.title.bg: flat
menu.title.bg.color: #424542
menu.title.text.color: #FFFFFF
menu.title.text.justify: right

menu.items.bg: flat solid
menu.items.bg.color: #524D52
menu.items.bg.border.color: #424542
menu.items.text.color: #FFFFFF
menu.items.justify: left

menu.items.disabled.text.color: #CCCCCC
menu.bullet.image.color: #FFFFFF
menu.bullet.selected.image.color: #FFFFFF

menu.items.active.bg: flat gradient vertical
menu.items.active.bg.color: #FE840C
menu.items.active.bg.colorTo: #BA6410
menu.items.active.bg.border.color: #424542
menu.items.active.text.color: #FFFFFF

### Window settings
window.active.title.bg: Raised Gradient Vertical
window.active.title.bg.color: #565656
window.active.title.bg.colorTo: #454545

window.active.label.bg: Parentrelative
window.active.label.text.color: #ffffff

window.active.handle.bg: Raised Gradient Vertical
window.active.handle.bg.color: #565656
window.active.handle.bg.colorTo: #454545

window.active.grip.bg: Raised Gradient Vertical
window.active.grip.bg.color: #565656
window.active.grip.bg.colorTo: #454545

window.active.button.unpressed.bg: Flat Gradient Vertical Border
window.active.button.unpressed.bg.color: #565656
window.active.button.unpressed.bg.colorTo: #454545
window.active.button.unpressed.bg.border.color: #ffffff
window.active.button.unpressed.image.color: #ffffff

window.active.button.pressed.bg: Flat Gradient Vertical Border
window.active.button.pressed.bg.color: #565656
window.active.button.pressed.bg.colorTo: #454545
window.active.button.pressed.bg.border.color: #ffffff
window.active.button.pressed.image.color: #ffffff

window.active.button.disabled.bg: Flat Gradient Vertical Border
window.active.button.disabled.bg.color: #565656
window.active.button.disabled.bg.colorTo: #424242
window.active.button.disabled.bg.border.color: #777777
window.active.button.disabled.image.color: #777777

window.active.button.toggled.bg: Flat Gradient Vertical Border
window.active.button.toggled.bg.color: #565656
window.active.button.toggled.bg.colorTo: #424242
window.active.button.toggled.bg.border.color: #ffffff
window.active.button.toggled.image.color: #ffffff


# Window settings (unfocused)
window.inactive.title.bg: Raised Gradient Vertical
window.inactive.title.bg.color: #565656
window.inactive.title.bg.colorTo: #454545

window.inactive.label.bg: Parentrelative
window.inactive.label.text.color: #777777

window.inactive.handle.bg: Raised Gradient Vertical
window.inactive.handle.bg.color: #565656
window.inactive.handle.bg.colorTo: #454545

window.inactive.grip.bg: Raised Gradient Vertical
window.inactive.grip.bg.color: #565656
window.inactive.grip.bg.colorTo: #454545

window.inactive.button.unpressed.bg: Flat Gradient Vertical Border
window.inactive.button.unpressed.bg.color: #565656
window.inactive.button.unpressed.bg.colorTo: #454545
window.inactive.button.unpressed.bg.border.color: #777777
window.inactive.button.unpressed.image.color: #777777

window.inactive.button.pressed.bg: Flat Gradient Vertical Border
window.inactive.button.pressed.bg.color: #565656
window.inactive.button.pressed.bg.colorTo: #454545
window.inactive.button.pressed.bg.border.color: #777777
window.inactive.button.pressed.image.color: #777777

window.inactive.button.disabled.bg: Flat Gradient Vertical Border
window.inactive.button.disabled.bg.color: #565656
window.inactive.button.disabled.bg.colorTo: #454545
window.inactive.button.disabled.bg.border.color: #777777
window.inactive.button.disabled.image.color: #777777

window.inactive.button.toggled.bg: Flat Gradient Vertical Border
window.inactive.button.toggled.bg.color: #565656
window.inactive.button.toggled.bg.colorTo: #454545
window.inactive.button.toggled.bg.border.color: #777777
window.inactive.button.toggled.image.color: #777777

### Misc
border.color: #424542
borderWidth: 2
padding.width: 3
window.handle.width: 2
window.client.padding.width: 0
window.label.text.justify: left

### Fonts
window.active.label.text.font:shadow=y:shadowtint=70:shadowoffset=1
window.inactive.label.text.font:shadow=y:shadowtint=20:shadowoffset=1
menu.items.font:
menu.title.text.font:shadow=y:shadowtint=70

Darkilouche GTK theme

When running a pure Openbox installation the Darkilouche GTK theme can be activated using the gtk-theme-switch utility. The package is available from the Ubuntu repositories:

sudo apt-get install gtk-theme-switch

Once installed, enter the following terminal command to run the theme switching GUI:

switch2

Tags: artwork, openbox, projects, ubuntu