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Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
Yesterday I published Darkness Returns, a GTK+ and Openbox theme. Today, in an effort to move more CrunchBang Linux material onto my site and wiki, I am publishing Brightness, another GTK+ and Openbox theme. I no longer use this theme myself, but I know some users have stated they prefer the theme which was used in CrunchBang Linux 7.10.2 [I guess you cannot please all of the people all of the time.] Personally, I prefer the increased contrast between application and data provided by Darkness Returns, but there you go.
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.
Monday, May 12th, 2008
It occurred to me this morning that I have been using the same GTK+ theme for a couple months. I consider this fact to be a result; I have comfortably settled into using a theme and I had not fully realised it, that has to be a good sign! While I enjoy playing around with the look 'n' feel of my desktop, I can not help but think it is a waste of time and I should be doing something more constructive; therefore, this morning's realisation comes as something of a relief.
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 :)
Monday, May 5th, 2008
Other than Ubuntu, Puppy Linux is probably the only Linux distribution I follow. I have been a Puppy fanboy [yeah, I do not mind admitting it!] for a long time, so I was thrilled to read about the latest release, version 4.00. From the release notes:
Finally it has happened! The last 'official' release of Puppy was version 3.01, released October 15, 2007. Version 4.00 is happening 6 months later, which is an incredibly long time considering the previous frenetic schedule of releases. Anyway, here it is: the live-CD file is 'puppy-4.00-k2.6.21.7-seamonkey.iso' and is just 87.1MB. Download from http://puppylinux.com/download/.
Also from the release notes, and something that I am particularly pleased with:
GTK1 and Tcl/Tk abandoned. The decision was made to go for a totally GTK2-based system. This meant that there could be a consistent user-interface throughout and further reduced the size.
I am downloading the live-CD as I type. I will give the system a run tomorrow night, and if I get time, I will post with my initial thoughts/feedback.
Sunday, April 13th, 2008
Xpad is a sticky notes application written in GTK+ 2.0. It is a simple little application which can be used to help you remember important stuff. I really like Xpad, mainly because it does exactly what I would expect it to do, without suffering from feature bloat; it is an ideal utility for my Openbox based systems.
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 :)
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
This is the third release of CrunchBang Linux. This release is based on the current development version of Ubuntu, "Hardy Heron". As with the previous releases, I have developed CrunchBang Linux for personal use; however, I have released it as a download on the off chance that others may find it useful.
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:
Download
The CrunchBang Linux ISO image is approximately 614MB. It can be downloaded from the following locations:
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.
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
I have been playing around with and writing a Bash script pipe menu for xcompmgr under Openbox. The script has dual functionality; firstly, it acts as on/off toggle for xcompmgr; secondly, it produces a conditional menu depending on whether or not xcompmgr is running — if xcompmgr is not running, an "Enable Compositing" menu item will appear; if xcompmgr is running, a "Disable Compositing" menu item will be offered along with a list of "Set Target Window Transparency to XX%" items.
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 &
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
Just a quick note, I have been performing some virtual housekeeping tonight and as a result I have had to move the CrunchBang Linux 7.10.xx APT repository. I have placed some redirects on the server, but APT will probably fail when an update/upgrade command is issued.
I have updated my original post and wiki page to reflect tonight's changes. If you are currently using the repository, please update your APT sources. Apologies for any inconvenience/disruption this might cause. FWIW, this will definitely be the final location for the 7.10.xx repository; also, the move was necessary to accommodate a new 8.04.xx repository. More details on that soon.
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
I have been using the latest Openbox release [3.4.7-pre2] for the last few weeks and so far I have been impressed. One of the new features from the latest release is a GDM control script. The script basically allows for a user to send reboot and shutdown signals to GDM from within the Openbox environment. This provides a means to reboot/shutdown an Openbox system in a clean and efficient manner.
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()
Wednesday, March 26th, 2008
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" :)
Monday, March 24th, 2008
Andrew [aka rugby471] has started a new blog dedicated to tips 'n' tricks for CrunchBang Linux users. Contraband CrunchBang is looking great and already has some useful information such how to install a Usplash theme. Andrew has also written Ambience, a PyGTK application to effectively and easily set startup & shutdown sounds. Great stuff :)
URL: http://crunchbang.wordpress.com/
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