Re: [gentoo-user] Deficient Gnome Window Frames

[Alan McKinnon]

On 08/09/2013 12:02, gevisz wrote:
> 2013/9/6 Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@×××××.com
> <mailto:alan.mckinnon@×××××.com>>
>
>     On 06/09/2013 20:55, gevisz wrote:
>     > 2013/9/6 gevisz <gevisz@×××××.com <mailto:gevisz@×××××.com>
>     <mailto:gevisz@×××××.com <mailto:gevisz@×××××.com>>>
>     >
>     >
>     >     2013/9/5 Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@×××××.com
>     <mailto:alan.mckinnon@×××××.com>
>     >     <mailto:alan.mckinnon@×××××.com <mailto:alan.mckinnon@×××××.com>>>
>     >
>     >         On 05/09/2013 14:51, gevisz wrote:
>     >         > Usually, when I open a new window frame in Gnome 2, I have a
>     >         Close,
>     >         > Maximize/Restore and Minimize buttons on its upper-right
>     corner.
>     >         >
>     >         > Sometimes, however, especially when I open a supplementary
>     >         window frame
>     >         > from a running program, its upper (text) bar contains
>     only the
>     >         Close
>     >         > button with no possibility to maximize the window frame
>     to the
>     >         whole
>     >         > screen, and it is extremely inconvenient.
>     >         >
>     >         > I do remember that I had a similar problem in Gnome 2 under
>     >         Ubuntu but
>     >         > somehow managed to get to the configuration where almost all
>     >         my windows
>     >         > had Maximize/Restore and Minimize buttons. The only
>     exception
>     >         was the
>     >         > Firefox sub-window to save a bookmark. :^(
>     >         >
>     >         > Just now, I have tries FXCE and found out that it opens
>     all the
>     >         > sub-windows with the Maximize/Restore, Close and Minimize
>     >         buttons "out
>     >         > of the box" and without recompilation of all the
>     programs that
>     >         do not do
>     >         > the same in Gnome (except for the Firefox bookmark
>     sub-window,
>     >         of course).
>     >         >
>     >         > However, I am reluctant to migrate to FXCE right now because
>     >         at the
>     >         > moment I cannot achieve the same look-and-feel as in my
>     Gnome
>     >         > (especially, I miss the the all-in-one
>     clock-calendar-weather
>     >         applet
>     >         > with the world map showing the daytime at different
>     locations).
>     >         >
>     >         > Could anybody advise me how to get the Close,
>     Maximize/Restore and
>     >         > Minimize buttons in all window frames in Gnome 2.
>     >
>     >
>     >         I think the true answer is
>     >
>     >         "You can't. The Gnome devs know better than you what you want"
>     >
>     >         I'm happy to be proved wrong though.
>     >
>     >         If it bothers you, just migrate to XFCE and deal with the
>     pain.
>     >         It will
>     >         last only a short time.
>     >
>     >         Alan McKinnon alan.mckinnon@×××××.com
>     <mailto:alan.mckinnon@×××××.com>
>     >         <mailto:alan.mckinnon@×××××.com
>     <mailto:alan.mckinnon@×××××.com>>
>     >
>     >
>     >     Currently, Gnome works better than Xfce for me, because so far
>     >
>     >     1)  I found no way to switch keyboard layout from English to
>     any other
>     >          language (while Gnome and DWM do this after tackling with
>     evdev
>     >          configs),
>     >
>     >     2) Gnome allows more combinations for hot key bindings, for
>     example,
>     >          I can not assign <Win>+<Shift>+<any letter> to any
>     program launcher
>     >          in Fxce, while it does work in Gnome,
>     >
>     >     3) installing Orange in FXCE involves unmasking some dependent
>     >         packages, but I like to stick to the stable thread.
>     >
>     >     All in all, I do understand why Linus said that Xfce is a step
>     back
>     >     compared to Gnome 2
>     >     (but I still have not got why Xfce is a big step forward compared
>     >     with Gnome 3 :^), as
>     >     have not tried it so far).
>     >
>     >     P.S. I will probably post a separate question, but if somebody can
>     >             explain how to setup language keyboad layout switch in
>     Fxce,
>     >             you are welcome. :^)
>     >
>     >             I set up toggling the keyboard layout to <rWin> key in
>     >            /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-evdev.conf as follows:
>     >
>     >            Option "XkbOptions"
>     >
>     "grp:rwin_toggle,grp_led:scroll,compose:menu,terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp"
>     >
>     >            It works for  Gnome and DWM but not for Xfce. :^(
>     >
>     >            Moreover, I need the keyboard layout indicator somewhere on
>     >     the Xfce panel,
>     >            but could not find any.
>     >
>     >
>     > A short update: after installing xfce4-xkb-plugin, which was not
>     > included in the xfce4-meta package
>     > (and I did not noticed it earlier), I finally got a keyboard layout
>     > indicator. At first, it did not work, that is,
>     > I could not switch a keyboard layout in no way. However, later, after
>     > changing some of the plugin's
>     > settings, it suddenly started to switch the keyboard layout.
>     > Interestingly, the applet continued to switch
>     > the keyboard layout even after I have changed all its settings to the
>     > original ones. Magically, the <rWin>
>     > key also started to switch the keyboard layout.
>     >
>     > So, my first and most important objection against Xfce4 is no more
>     > valid. The third one is not
>     > so important. Only the second is a bit annoying but one can live with
>     > it. :^)
>     >
>     > Now, my Xfce4 looks almost like my Gnome2. Its weather applet is even
>     > more informative. :^)
>     >
>     > However, my original question about Deficient Gnome Window Frames is
>     > still valid.
>     >
>     > But not so important any more. :^)
>
>
>     Window decorations are usually done by the window manager, I assume
>     Gnome2 is no different?
>
>     Have you tried running a different window manager that supports what you
>     want?
>     What is the Gnome2 wm anyway? Metacity? (it's been so long since I
>     looked, I've forgotten)
>
>
> Yes, the Gnome 2 window manager is Metacity.
>
> However, I never configured my Gnome 2. :^)
>
> I migrated to Gentoo from Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and, after mounting my old
> home partition,
> Gnome 2 transparently used its old configs from Ubuntu.
>
> I think that that old Gnome 2 configs may be the reason that, at first,
> I could not get
> the keyboard layout switch in Fxce4.
>
> However, now I have found all that need in Xfce4 and almost completely
> satisfied with it.
>
> The only two features that I do not like in Xfce is
> 1) the ugly icons of Xfce4 weather applet (Gnome 2 had much better ones)
> and that

Installing and using an icon theme you like ought to fix that. or you
can just find the icon the applet uses and replace it.

> 2) I can not assign <Win>+<Shift>+<any letter> to any program launcher
> in Fxce4, while it does work in Gnome

Keybindings are often set by the DE in use, according to some form of
plan/spec/look'n'feel/guidelines followed by the devs.

Why don't you just shift to using some different meta key that Xfce does
support? You'll need to work through the 10 days or so it takes to
change the muscle memory in your fingers, but it's an option



>
>
>
>
>
>     --
>     Alan McKinnon
>     alan.mckinnon@×××××.com <mailto:alan.mckinnon@×××××.com>
>
>
>


-- 
Alan McKinnon
alan.mckinnon@×××××.com