[SOLVED] xfce is buggered (window manager mostly)

Hi. I recently did an upgrade (including kernel), but I'm not sure what caused the problem. When I log into xfce4, a few weird things happen.
1) My cursor is a black "X" instead of the usual arrowhead.
2) My windows no longer have borders (i.e. titlebar and "minimize","maximize","close" buttons are gone), and all windows open in the very top-left of screen ON TOP of my panel. And I can't seem to move the windows.
3) I only have one workspace in my switcher, even though when I go "Menu" > "Settings" > "Settings Manager" > "Workspaces" I have "Number of workspaces" set to 3.
4) Everything seems to lag a tiny bit longer than usual, (especially loading the panels upon login, and also getting control of the prompt in a terminal)
I tried re-installing xfwm4, but it didn't help. Also, if I do ps -A | grep xfwm, I get no result, which I think means that xfwm4 isn't running. Not sure what to do. Any help would be great.
Edit: Just checked pacman log, and didn't find anything fishy. Only thing I notice is that a lot of xorg stuff was upgraded recently including "upgraded xorg-xinput (1.5.99.1-1 -> 1.5.99.901-1)". The reason I point this out is the .1 and .901. Seems like a big jump to me, but I know nothing about what motivates the convention for version numbers.
Last edited by Pacopag (2012-04-16 18:28:54)

It's probably a problem with a cached session. Backup your ~/.cache folder and create a new, empty folder:
~ $ mv .cache cache.bak
~ $ mkdir .cache
You should do this from a tty, without X running. Then start X.
This is admittedly a brute force method, but I never had any luck in determining exactly what was the cause of the problem. If it works, you could always restore the backup piecemeal (or in whole, then take a more surgical approach to removal). The few times I did this, the only apparent effect was fixing xfce. I didn't seem to lose anything.
Last edited by alphaniner (2012-04-16 18:19:33)

Similar Messages

[Solved]Cannot execute i3 window manager

I installed i3 tiling window manager along with kde(kde could be executed),and follow the step written in i3's wiki:
Edit ~/.xinitrc and add:
exec i3
exec i3 -V >>~/.i3/i3log >&1
and cp /etc/i3/config ~/.i3/config,after these steps I still cannot execute i3 wm, could anyone tell me what I missed?
appreciate your reply.
Last edited by tomisacat (2012-07-20 05:14:29)

hesse wrote:
tomisacat wrote:
I installed i3 tiling window manager along with kde(kde could be executed),and follow the step written in i3's wiki:
Edit ~/.xinitrc and add:
exec i3
exec i3 -V >>~/.i3/i3log >&1
You should add just one of the above exec statements by the way, and it should be on the last line in ~/.xinitrc. The second line is preferred if you want to log messages from i3 while it's running. To start a window manager manually from a console use
xinit /full/path/to/i3
Thank you,it seems worked.

[SOLVED] Mouse-friendly dwm window manager?

Dear all,
I use the dwm window manager (version 6.0). I think I remember that some time ago in the suckless website
there was some part where they presented some configuration for extended mouse support. Not sure if I
recall correctly but, in any case, I can't find something like this any more.
Does anybody have any hints on that? Any links or advice regarding extended mouse support for dwm?
Thanks in advance..
Last edited by geo909 (2012-04-23 19:52:45)

Unia wrote:
What exactly is it you think is 'extended'? DWM supports the mouse as much as any other tiler, ie you can move windows with the mouse. There's also the tilemovemouse patch/extension that I think (never used it myself) lets you move tiled windows with the mouse. Find it here:
https://github.com/ok100/dwm/blob/maste … ovemouse.c
wolfcore wrote:Well for starters you can customize the button definitions in config.h...
Thanks! The tilemovemouse patch will definitely help.. And I realize I wasn't clear enough
when I was saying 'extended'.
I eventually found many of the things that I was looking for here:
http://dwm.suckless.org/customisation/customfuncs
and that helped me understand better how the config.h works..
I think some customization along with the tilemovemouse patch
would be pretty complete for me..
Last edited by geo909 (2012-04-23 19:52:32)

XFWM (XFCE Window Manager) hover effect for inactive windows

I use XFCE and its window manager, XFWM, and I quite like it. The only little thing that XFWM does not do, and that I really would have liked, was a visual effect: When hovering titlebar's buttons, there is usually a little effect. It's just a visual thing, but it also "confirms" which button you're about to click, and - maybe as a Windows user - I'm used to it, and to rely on it to check responsiveness and whatnot.
Anyways, while XFWM does support such a thing (depends on your theme, actually), it does so only for the active window. Inactive windows, or their decorations/button, will not react to mouse hovering. So I looked into it, and while this isn't supported by XFWM, it's quite easy to change it.
So I did, if anyone is interested the modified source code is available on this BitBucket repository, and you can also find a PKGBUILD in the AUR.

You should submit this upstream! Looks like a nice feature to add, imo

[SOLVED!] KDE 4.11 - Window Manager seems not to be running?

Greetings,
I still seem unable to fix the fact that systemsettings will run. However it will run if you do kdesu systemsettings.
Doing so I started checking around in it and thought I'd look at the desktop effects, when I was greeted with this:
So, I am guessing that the window borders and buttons are a figment of my imagination....
This is after me pretty much starting over with KDE, removing the .kde and .kde4 folders.
Help?
Edit: That pic seems to not link right. Yay. Basically it says that effects can not be activated or whatever because a window manager seems not to be running. The irony of it is you can see the fact that there are window borders and buttons and such, evidence of a WM...
I wonder if there is something here that is related to me not being able to run systemsettings... yet systemsettings will run fine in any other environment - including Gnome Shell.
Another thing, KDE 4.11 ran great in testing and kde_unstable. Once it went to extra, things happened. I find that odd. Maybe something is missing on my end that most archers already have?
Edit2: fixed image link
Last edited by mythus (2013-08-25 20:49:38)

No omeringen, Nvidia user.
I can try again Thaodan since I've had some updates come through (and weeded out some dot files). Last time I tried I saw OpenGL 2 selected. Trying to change to 3 or anything else also got the screenshot in my OP.
I'll log into KDE and see if it still does the same, after a brief check for last minute updates.
EDIT: OK, so I can mark this as solved. I found an odd dot file, who's name excapes me but deals with kde sessions, just sitting around in the home folder. Once I deleted it and restarted, I found that not only System Settings finally ran again as a user, but I could also change and apply desktop effects. Peculiar. I thought that maybe it was a dot file that was causing the problem, that wasn't in the .kde or .kde4 folder. It just took finding it and removing it.
I wish I knew more to tell, but this at least solves my issue, and the issue with the non-running-as-user system settings I had posted in another thread (thinking that they were separate events. Thanks again for all your help guys!
Last edited by mythus (2013-08-25 20:49:05)

[SOLVED] XFCE - Incorrect windows placement

Hi,
I'm currently having a issue with XFCE's window placement. In the settings panel, under Window Manager Tweaks > Placement, window placement is set to Center for all windows, but this option has no effect. I tried changing it to place windows under the mouse, but it also has no effect on the windows placement. Windows keep opening on the screen corners.
I checked the forums for similar problems, and found some results, but none of the solutions worked for me. Also, those are quite old topics.
[Solved] XFCE - Having Trouble Centering Windows
[solved] Xfce4, new windows position
Xfce 4.8 xfwm4 window placement settings no longer have any effect.
This is not a big problem, but I'm kind of picky, so if anyone knows a solution to this problem, please share it.
Best Regards,
Agkel0s
Last edited by Agkel0s (2014-07-14 21:37:54)

Agkel0s wrote:Currently the slider is on the minimum value, and windows of all sizes should open centered on screen.
Shouldn't you actually have it on the maximum value?
I believe the way this works is that the size (or ratio, the option is actually called placement_ratio IIRC and is a ratio of window size vs screen size) you specify here is the minimum to trigger "smart placement." If the window isn't (at least) of that size, then the default (i.e. center or under mouse pointer, as defined below) will be used. So if you want every window to use the default placement, you should set the minimum size for smart placement to be as large as possible. (In fact, I believe with a ratio set to 100 (i.e. slider to the max) it should always use the default placement, regardless of window size, which is want you're after if I'm not wrong.)
If even with the slider to the max you get new windows placed using smart placement, then it sounds like a bug I'd say.
(Also, just as FYI and though you might simply want all windows to be centered, I wasn't happy with xfwm's smart placement myself, you can see this topic for a (IMO) better alternative.)

[solved] OpenGL apps in window do not obey window manager

Hello,
I have another X related problem, the first one resulted in downgrading my X
(see http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=44460 )
Now I am finally able to run both xv (video rendering) and dri (3d rendering), but
I have a problem, that when I run an opengl app in window (for example glxgears, but also game emulators and games in Wine), it does not move or resize when the window manager tells it to, e.g. when I move or resize the window. This makes 3D in window nearly unusable.
In my previous linux (suse) this worked normally; DRI was on and I was able to resize or move the 3D apps windows
card:
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Graphics, Inc. MGA G550 AGP (rev 01)
X version:
[danny@zdroj ~]$ X -version
X Window System Version 7.2.0
Release Date: 22 January 2007
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0, Release 7.2
Build Operating System: UNKNOWN
Current Operating System: Linux zdroj 2.6.24-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Wed Feb 27 01:15:32 CET 2008 i686
Build Date: 08 April 2007
Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
to make sure that you have the latest version.
Module Loader present
xorg.conf:
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "X.org Configured"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection
Section "ServerFlags"
Option "IgnoreABI" "True"
Option "AIGLX" "False"
EndSection
Section "Extensions"
Option "XVideo" "enable"
EndSection
Section "Files"
RgbPath "/usr/share/X11/rgb"
ModulePath "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/misc"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/local"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/TTF"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/artwiz-fonts/"
EndSection
Section "Module"
Load "xtrap"
Load "dbe"
Load "GLcore"
Load "extmod"
Load "record"
Load "dri"
Load "glx"
Load "drm"
#Load "xv"
Load "freetype"
#Load "type1"
#Load "v4l"
#Load "drm"
#Load "type1"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbLayout" "us,cz_qwerty"
Option "XkbModel" "pc104"
Option "XkbOptions" "grp:alt_shift_toggle,grp:switch,grp_led:scroll"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
DisplaySize 380 300 # mm
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "BNQ"
ModelName "BenQ FP91G+"
### Comment all HorizSync and VertRefresh values to use DDC:
HorizSync 30.0 - 83.0
VertRefresh 43.0 - 76.0
Option "DPMS"
UseModes "Modes[0]"
EndSection
Section "Device"
### Available Driver options are:-
### Values: : integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz"
### [arg]: arg optional
#Option "HWcursor" # [<bool>]
#Option "PciRetry" # [<bool>]
#Option "SyncOnGreen" # [<bool>]
#Option "NoAccel" # [<bool>]
#Option "Overlay" # [<str>]
#Option "MGASDRAM" # [<bool>]
#Option "ShadowFB" # [<bool>]
#Option "UseFBDev" # [<bool>]
#Option "ColorKey" # 
#Option "SetMclk" # <freq>
#Option "OverclockMem" # [<bool>]
#Option "VideoKey" # 
#Option "TexturedVideo" # [<bool>]
#Option "Int10" # [<bool>]
#Option "AGPMode" # 
#Option "AGPSize" # 
#Option "DRI" # [<bool>]
#Option "OldDmaInit" # [<bool>]
#Option "ForcePciDma" # [<bool>]
#Option "AccelMethod" # [<str>]
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "mga"
VendorName "Matrox Graphics, Inc."
BoardName "MGA G550 AGP"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
Option "HwCursor" "off" #protoze jinak tam neni
Option "DRI" "on"
Option "AGPMode" "4"
#Option "OldDmaInit" "true"
#Option "ShadowFB" "on" # 1
#Option "TexturedVideo" "on" # 2
#Option "VideoOverlay" "on"
#Option "AccelMethod" "EXA"
#Option "Overlay" "24,8"
#Option "NoAccel"
EndSection
Section "DRI"
Group "video"
Mode 0666
EndSection
Section "Modes"
Identifier "Modes[0]"
Modeline "640x480" 25.20 640 656 752 800 480 490 492 525 -hsync
-vsync
ModeLine "1280x1024" 108.00 1280 1328 1440 1688 1024 1025 1028 1066 +hsync +vsync
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 16
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 1
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 4
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 8
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 15
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 16
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
EndSubSection
EndSection
glxinfo:
name of display: :0.0
display: :0 screen: 0
direct rendering: Yes
server glx vendor string: SGI
server glx version string: 1.2
server glx extensions:
GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating,
GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap, GLX_OML_swap_method,
GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_hyperpipe,
GLX_SGIX_swap_barrier, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_MESA_copy_sub_buffer
client glx vendor string: SGI
client glx version string: 1.4
client glx extensions:
GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_import_context,
GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_MESA_allocate_memory,
GLX_MESA_copy_sub_buffer, GLX_MESA_swap_control,
GLX_MESA_swap_frame_usage, GLX_OML_swap_method, GLX_OML_sync_control,
GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGI_swap_control, GLX_SGI_video_sync,
GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_SGIX_pbuffer,
GLX_SGIX_visual_select_group, GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap
GLX version: 1.2
GLX extensions:
GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_import_context,
GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_MESA_swap_control,
GLX_MESA_swap_frame_usage, GLX_OML_swap_method, GLX_SGI_make_current_read,
GLX_SGI_video_sync, GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig
OpenGL vendor string: VA Linux Systems Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: Mesa DRI G400 20061030 AGP 4x x86/MMX/SSE2
OpenGL version string: 1.2 Mesa 6.5.2
OpenGL extensions:
GL_ARB_multisample, GL_ARB_multitexture, GL_ARB_texture_compression,
GL_ARB_texture_env_add, GL_ARB_texture_env_combine,
GL_ARB_texture_env_crossbar, GL_ARB_texture_rectangle,
GL_ARB_transpose_matrix, GL_ARB_vertex_program, GL_ARB_window_pos,
GL_EXT_abgr, GL_EXT_bgra, GL_EXT_blend_logic_op, GL_EXT_clip_volume_hint,
GL_EXT_compiled_vertex_array, GL_EXT_copy_texture,
GL_EXT_draw_range_elements, GL_EXT_fog_coord, GL_EXT_multi_draw_arrays,
GL_EXT_packed_pixels, GL_EXT_polygon_offset, GL_EXT_rescale_normal,
GL_EXT_secondary_color, GL_EXT_separate_specular_color,
GL_EXT_stencil_wrap, GL_EXT_subtexture, GL_EXT_texture, GL_EXT_texture3D,
GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp, GL_EXT_texture_env_add,
GL_EXT_texture_env_combine, GL_EXT_texture_object,
GL_EXT_texture_rectangle, GL_EXT_vertex_array, GL_APPLE_packed_pixels,
GL_ATI_texture_env_combine3, GL_IBM_rasterpos_clip, GL_MESA_ycbcr_texture,
GL_MESA_window_pos, GL_NV_light_max_exponent, GL_NV_texture_rectangle,
GL_NV_texgen_reflection, GL_NV_vertex_program, GL_NV_vertex_program1_1,
GL_OES_read_format, GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap, GL_SGIS_texture_edge_clamp,
GL_SGIS_texture_lod, GL_SUN_multi_draw_arrays
visual x bf lv rg d st colorbuffer ax dp st accumbuffer ms cav
id dep cl sp sz l ci b ro r g b a bf th cl r g b a ns b eat
0x23 16 tc 0 16 0 r y . 5 6 5 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 None
0x24 16 tc 0 16 0 r . . 5 6 5 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 None
0x25 16 tc 0 16 0 r y . 5 6 5 0 0 16 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 Slow
0x26 16 tc 0 16 0 r . . 5 6 5 0 0 16 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 Slow
0x27 16 tc 0 16 0 r y . 5 6 5 0 0 16 0 16 16 16 0 0 0 Slow
0x28 16 tc 0 16 0 r . . 5 6 5 0 0 16 0 16 16 16 0 0 0 Slow
0x29 16 tc 0 16 0 r y . 5 6 5 0 0 16 8 16 16 16 0 0 0 Slow
0x2a 16 tc 0 16 0 r . . 5 6 5 0 0 16 8 16 16 16 0 0 0 Slow
0x2b 16 dc 0 16 0 r y . 5 6 5 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 None
0x2c 16 dc 0 16 0 r . . 5 6 5 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 None
0x2d 16 dc 0 16 0 r y . 5 6 5 0 0 16 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 Slow
0x2e 16 dc 0 16 0 r . . 5 6 5 0 0 16 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 Slow
0x2f 16 dc 0 16 0 r y . 5 6 5 0 0 16 0 16 16 16 0 0 0 Slow
0x30 16 dc 0 16 0 r . . 5 6 5 0 0 16 0 16 16 16 0 0 0 Slow
0x31 16 dc 0 16 0 r y . 5 6 5 0 0 16 8 16 16 16 0 0 0 Slow
0x32 16 dc 0 16 0 r . . 5 6 5 0 0 16 8 16 16 16 0 0 0 Slow
can anyone please help me?
Last edited by danielsoft (2008-03-04 16:22:32)

solved with unofficial drivers http://forum.tuxx-home.at/viewtopic.php?t=153

[SOLVED] Odd window manager problem...

I have installed Arch and a full Gnome DE. However when I start gnome, I get an odd window manager. I tried metacity and metacity --replace in a terminal, but I just get "Window manager warning: Screen 0 on display ":0.0" already has a window manager"
Here is what it looks like:
Any way I can get some metacity going?
Edit: [SOLVED]
I just put metacity as startup application and restarted. Still not sure what that window manager was, but I'll be okay I guess...
Last edited by phohammer (2010-03-03 02:59:43)

sand_man wrote:
haha you had gnome running with twm as the window manager instead of metacity.
You need to put 'exec gnome-session' in your .xinitrc file.
twm huh? Well that's a new one for me!
I tried to do that but the .xinitrc file didn't exist yet and I wasn't sure if I should make it...I think I tried ~/.xinitrc . Would it be in another directory?

Xfce Windows Manager not working.

Hey guys, my Windows Manager [Xfwm4] upon logging into my main account is not working for some reason. I can not see the windows borders, exit/min./max. buttons, only 1 work space is available, and over all the DE just looks "weird". I was on a previous xfce4 on main and preformed a GTK theme install [http://xfce-look.org/?xcontentmode=100& … a4461bc34d], and got it working, then i edited my /etc/slim.conf folder because I wanted a new slim login theme. And then rebooted, but when I rebooted my WM was not working [I cant even access setting -> Windows Managers]. I try googling this and checking the wiki but with no avail. How can I fix this? Also if you need more info on what I did before the WM stopped working just ask...
Thank...Ace
Last edited by ace_w1zard (2011-06-30 07:49:49)

jasonwryan wrote:
Don't apologize for asking for help. We all have to do it from time to time.
Fix you post as I asked to - remove all the extranaeous stuff in it so that it is easier for people to read and you will likely get some assistance.
Ok will do, Sorry for making my post annoying... I just want to get my WM working again

[Solved] XFCE - Having Trouble Centering Windows

So I am a bit OCD, and I would like my terminal window to open up perfectly centered on my screen (actually, I would prefer everything to open in the center). I tried Window Manager Tweaks --> Placement, setting the size to small and to open at the center of the screen, but it still does not work. Thunar nor the terminal will open in the center of the screen while some settings menus will. Any idea what I could do here to fix this? I read up about xfwm4-tiling package, and to be perfectly honest I am not entirely sure how to use it. From the looks of it, this is probably much more than I need, but if it works - great. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :-)
- Yorak
Last edited by Yorak (2012-10-01 03:29:05)

I solved this problem by using devilspie. I remember that package from a long long time ago, surprised it still works so well. I did not have anything specific for the window to do other than to open centered on the screen, so the following script worked wonders:
(if
(is (application_name) "Terminal")
(begin
(center)

[Solved] systemd/user : how to exit window manager & stop X?

Solution: Jump to https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 6#p1262166
I have set up my system to user systemd units to start my environment (roughly following the wiki).
My problem is that I cannot exit my window manager (using “io (exitWith ExitSuccess)” in Xmonad): the service file starting the WM (xmonad) stops/exits with success, but the xorg.service keeps
running. I need to switch to TTY2, systemctl --user stop xorg.service by hand, then switch to TTY1, execute Ctrl-C, and then I finally get my login
prompt back.
This is a bit annoying, and I don't know how to fix it.
Here are the relevant (I think) unit files:
# xmonad.target
[Unit]
Description=XMonad
Wants=xorg.target
Wants=xinit.target
Requires=dbus.socket
AllowIsolate=true
[Install]
Alias=default.target
# xmonad.service
[Unit]
Description=Starts Xmonad
Before=xinitrc.target
After=xorg.target
Requires=xorg.target
[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/xmonad
Environment=DISPLAY=:0
Restart=no
[Install]
WantedBy=xmonad.target
RequiredBy=xorg.service
As you can see, I have added the RequiredBy=xorg.service line at the bottom, hoping that if xmonad.service exits, so should xorg.service - but to
no avail.
What do I have to do in order to completely stop X and get my login prompt on TTY1 back?
EDIT: I am of course using the user-session-units.
Last edited by Stalafin (2013-04-22 13:54:45)

I know it's an old thread (not really old) but I have the same problem. The question is your solution doesnt work with me. It just give me an error like this:
Failed to issue method call: The name org.freedesktop.login1 was not provided by any .service files
Failed to issue method call: Process /bin/false exited with status 1

[SOLVED]Useless after set xfce4's Window Manager Tweaks

My xfwm4's theme is 'B5',when I opened a new window,the window always will pop-ups at the left top of the screen and I just want it to pop-up at the center of the screen.
Then I set the Window Manager Tweaks program, I chose the 'Placement' tag and click on whether 'At the center of the screen' or 'Under the mouse pointer' is useless.
How to fix the set?
Last edited by fool (2014-02-27 05:51:58)

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fo … way_Street

Looking for a new window manager

Hello all!
My first post here and I'd like to share a little discussion.
So I have this idea of "perfect desktop" in my mind:
- It must be lightweight
- Very clean.
- No menus
- Highly customizable.
- Able to run compiz
I've come to Enlightenment 17 on Fedora and that was close to perfection.
I just loved, everything I wanted. Nice animations, clean, and man you can change absolutely everything there.
But then I started getting frustrated with bugs since it's not stable and I had to move on.
Then I came to XFCE4.6. Great, fairly customizable. Fewer bugs that you can live with it.
And I could run compiz. I just love using compiz here and got used to it. I use compiz to be more productive with the desktops , shortcuts and just a few animations.
But I few like trying something new. XFCE is just here for a lack of a better choice. It doesn't feel it fits me.
So maybe someone could recommend a new Window Manager for me?
I am interested in OpenBox and FluxBox.
I'm astonished with some OpenBox screenshots where you don't have anything, just the right-click menu and some apps running.
That's exactly what I would want.
But then, things like NetworkManager. How do you connect to internet (wireless)? On the command line?
What if I'd need to scan for open wireless networks..everything would have to be on command line?
Laptop Battery widget that warns when it's almost over, etc..
Are those WM really that raw or am I missing a few hidden goodies?
Would LXDE be a better choice?

m4co wrote:
Wow is this forum active. Makes me feel welcome here
The thing about wireless, I actually like command line, but there are a few things that are worth having a applet or something.
And wireless is one of those. I guess I can take a look on wicd.
It's a good idea to have compiz as the WM actually. Would it be lightweight to have it like that?
Is there anybody here that uses compiz as a WM?
For the xfce4-panel, is it possible to get transparency on it? That's probably the only thing holding me back with xfce4-panel.
If "able to run compiz" wasn't a requisite, what other WM would you suggest for my "profile" ?
I would like to hear other users opinions who like to customize everything on a WM.
I recommend running Compiz by itself. There is a good wiki page on it in the Arch wiki. Some apps you'll want to go with it are:
LXAppearance --change GTK/icon theme
Feh or Nitrogen --Set Wallpaper
Xfce4-panel --The lightest one that works with Compiz properly
Or, if you don't want a panel: stalonetray
Compiz-deskmenu --For a customizable right-click main menu
Gmrun --Run dialog (Alt+F2 in most DEs)
And this helped me a lot.
Thank you all for the replies. I appreciate.
Xfce4-panel can have transparency. The only problem is that everything become transparent: text, icons, everything.
I use Compiz as a standalone WM and it is much lighter than DE+Compiz. My Compiz setup uses about 30MB(out of 1GB) more RAM than my Openbox setup (which are both the same except for the WM).

What do you value in a window manager?

I have discovered that Metacity (the default window manager for Gnome) has compositing. This compositing is very basic, mostly adding shadows to windows, but it makes the desktop look and feel very nice (at least to me). I find Compiz-Fusion or just plain Compiz too much, and this very refreshing. There is how ever some functionality that I find myself missing. The most notable is the ability to drag windows from one workspace to another. This got me thinking about what functionality I value in a window manager:
It looks pretty -- Inviting window dressing with shadowing and fading. The transparency effects I never found that interesting. I have tried Openbox numerous times (played with its themes and everything) and I always find it dull and never used it for long. This realization came as a bit of a surprise to me, I had no idea that I valued looks so much.
Fast and clear way of browsing and selecting open windows -- I like it when this is not limited to one workspace, but does give distinction between the workspaces. The window selector in the top right corner of the Gnome desktop or clicking the third button on the desktop in Xfce is prime examples of this. Also, I like to have the option of doing this with the mouse or keyboard and I am annoyed that Alt Tab is limited to one workspace in most cases.
The ability to drag windows from one workspace to another
Simplicity -- I find that Compiz is too much.
I am curious as to what functionality or aspects of window managers others value, and would appreciate any feedback.
Thank you
Last edited by Smith oo4 (2008-04-24 22:26:41)

I value speed and configurability. Consequently, I use Openbox.
Smith oo4 wrote:It looks pretty -- Inviting window dressing with shadowing and fading. The transparency effects I never found that interesting. I have tried Openbox numerous times (played with its themes and everything) and I always find it dull and never used it for long. This realization came as a bit of a surprise to me, I had no idea that I valued looks so much.
If all you need is shadows/fading, Xcompmgr will work inside Openbox and provide those 'features' (I personally dislike them).
Smith oo4 wrote:Fast and clear way of browsing and selecting open windows -- I like it when this is not limited to one workspace, but does give distinction between the workspaces. The window selector in the top right corner of the Gnome desktop or clicking the third button on the desktop in Xfce is prime examples of this. Also, I like to have the option of doing this with the mouse or keyboard and I am annoyed that Alt Tab is limited to one workspace in most cases.
Xfce can set the Alt-Tab window switcher to work on all workspaces (I think). My favorite option is the Openbox desktop menu (accessible by middle-clicking the desktop), which I have mapped to the desktop button on Pypanel (see attached screenshot).
Smith oo4 wrote:The ability to drag windows from one workspace to another
On Openbox, I just right-click the title bar and select 'Send to desktop...'. If you require the dragging functionality, most pagers (such as those in the GNOME or Xfce panels) allow you to drag windows. Bear in mind that more minimal WM's such as the *boxes and Pekwm can run any panel that you want (or no panel at all), so you can bring your GNOME panel along with you.

[SOLVED] XFCE Crashes

Hi,
I have some 'stability problems' with my XFCE+Compiz installation. I'm using the newest updates and also configured most things as said in the wiki.
Most times I have desktop crashes, wich means restarting the DE.
I use plank & conky. Slim as login manager.
Have an Geforce 450 GTS GPU and an i5-2400 CPU.
Sometimes plank is disappeared from my desktop, but still when hovering over the 'invisible dock' I can see the labels from the icons. (There is no dock visible)
This is my .xinitrc: (modded to load conky and plank)
#!/bin/sh
# ~/.xinitrc
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)
if [ -d /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d ]; then
for f in /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/*; do
# Do not launch dbus before ConsoleKit (FS#25031)
#[ -x "$f" ] && . "$f"
[ "$f" -ne "/etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/30-dbus" ] && [ -x "$f" ] && . "$f"
done
unset f
fi
exec /home/user/.start-everything.sh
start-everything.sh:
#!/bin/sh
cd /home/user
eval `dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session`
/usr/bin/X :0.0 -br -audit 0 -nolisten tcp vt7 &
export DISPLAY=:0.0
sleep 1
startxfce4 > /tmp/xfce4.log 2>&1 &
(sleep 10 && conky -c /home/user/.conky/.conkyrc_bar) &
plank
Hope someone can help me, maybe I'm doing something wrong.
Thanks!
Last edited by beta990 (2012-08-25 13:45:34)

The Wiki states that the 'exec whatever your DE might be' should always be the last command in your autostart file. In other words: first start all the programs you want running (with a 'wait' command if you so choose) and start the DE or WM last.
If you try:
#!/bin/sh
cd /home/user
eval `dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session`
/usr/bin/X :0.0 -br -audit 0 -nolisten tcp vt7 &
export DISPLAY=:0.0
sleep 1
(sleep 10 && conky -c /home/user/.conky/.conkyrc_bar) &
plank &
exec startxfce4
it should work IMO...
Also: is there a specific reason you start a 'start-everything.sh' shell script from your .xintrc, which is also a shell script? You can easily start all the apps you need by putting them all in ~/.xinitrc.
Last edited by Dustbin (2012-05-13 08:56:36)

[SOLVED] xfce is buggered (window manager mostly)

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