Subject: FVWM: Help me please. Long time KDE user. I don't know where should I start.

From: Jayson Alvarez <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2004 19:51:18 -0700 (PDT)

Hi,

I have some few problems regarding desktop
environment.

Here's my scenario:

I'm using KDE and I never used any other desktop
environment before.
I already know that KDE consists of the following
which I need in accomplishing my daily tasks:

-an internet browser/file manager
-an office suite
-and a Window Manager

Now, what I always wanted to do is to try to use any
other desktop environment which didn't came up in a
package like KDE, meaning, a separate internet
browser, window manager, file manager etc, and learn
how these sorts of stuff work together.

I've already installed FVWM 2.4.18 in my FreeBSD 4.10.
After successful installation and through careful
guessing, when I typed startx, I landed on a pink
desktop with a rectangular bar in the lower right with
a clock at the far right corner of it.

I have browsed the xman and found a very little help.
I have few questions in this list.

How should I install a file manager, or a web browser.
If I will do it in the xterm, where will the newly
installed app, be placed? And where should I begin if
I would want to have a beautiful desktop like what the
screenshots in fvwm.org is displaying?

For ease of instruction, please advice me based on
what desktop components you are using right now(eg;
file manager, web browser..) and I will just make my
own choice regarding those components when I am
already familiar in putting those things up and
running in FVWM.

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---

From: Thomas Adam <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2004 19:19:59 +0100

On Wed, 4 Aug 2004 19:51:18 -0700 (PDT)

> I've already installed FVWM 2.4.18 in my FreeBSD 4.10.

I really recommend you install 2.5.10, since you'll need this version to
use transparency, should you want it. It also has a few more features,
and despite the fact it is the 'Unstable' version, I have found it to be
anything but.

> a clock at the far right corner of it.

Welcome to FVWM. Perhaps it is similar to this one:

http://linuxgazette.net/105/adam.html
 
> I have few questions in this list.

"man fvwm" contains everything you'll ever need. It's all there.

> How should I install a file manager, or a web browser.

By whatever means FreeBSD uses, of course. If you mean which, well,
there are lots. I like and use "moxfm" (motid x-file-manager), but many
advocate "rox" (http://rox.sf.net), and I too used it for a while.

> installed app, be placed? 

Using an xterm bears no relation on installation. For *BSD, all files
are placed in /usr/local/*, and one assumes this will be in your $PATH.

> And where should I begin if

At the beginning. Don't run before you can walk. Take things a step at a
time, do things bit by bit, build upon it. Document your results.
Research, ask here. Read the manpage, ask in #fvwm (irc.freenode.org),
but don't try everything all at once. If you reply back, linking a
screenshot URL, showing us the kinds of things you want, then we can
help.

> file manager, web browser..) and I will just make my

My own stuff is here: http://linuxmafia.com/~n6tadam/fvwm

You may well want to look at Tavis' config file here:

http://dev.gentoo.org/~taviso/fvwm2rc.html

-- Thomas Adam

--
"Frankly, Mr. Shankly, since you ask. You are a flatulent pain in the
arse." -- Morrissey.

---

From: Dominik Vogt <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2004 09:35:37 +0200

> a clock at the far right corner of it.

For a nice initial fvwm setup, you may use the fvwm-themes
package from http://fvwm-themes.sf.net/.  You can them modify the
configuration.

> I have few questions in this list.

fvwm and all the modules have man pages.

> How should I install a file manager,

> or a web browser.

> installed app, be placed?

That depends on the program.  Personally I use the midnight
commander as a text based file manager.  It comes with virtually
all distributions, so you don't have to worry about where it is
installed.

If you use mozilla as your browser, you can download the latest
.tar.gz package from www.mozilla.org (current version: 1.7.2) and
unpack it to /usr/local/mozilla.  Then add

  PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/mozilla"

to your PATH settings.

> screenshots in fvwm.org is displaying?

http://fvwm-themes.sf.net/

> already familiar in putting those things up and

Many people want most of the following components on their
desktop:

 * A clock.  I use xclock, but there are many others: rclock,
   asclock, daliclock, kclock ...
 * A system meter, for example xload, xosview, ...
 * An icon manager that displays and controls iconified windows.
   Fvwm offers a couple of alternatives:  the modules FvwmIconMan,
   FvwmWinList, FvwmIconBox or FvwmTaskBar (I recommend
   FvwmIconMan) or the WindowList command.
 * A mini representation of the desktop and the windows.  This is
   done by the FvwmPager module.
 * A bar that swallows other modules and applications, and has
   buttons to invoke menus, and other actions.  Use the
   FvwmButtons module.  My FvwmButtons contains xload, xosview,
   xclock FvwmPager and FvwmIconMan and has a number of buttons
   and menus.
 * The FvwmConsole module.  Start it from a root menu entry or put
   a button in the FvwmButtons box.  It is a console window that
   allows you to issue fvwm commands without restarting the window
   manager.  Very useful.
 * An X console window to display X and fvwm error messages.

Some other useful modules

 * FvwmAuto to raise/lower windows automatically.
 * FvwmBacker to set the desktop background.
 * FvwmIdent to display some window information (for debugging)

Ciao

Dominik ^_^  ^_^

 --
Dominik Vogt, [email-masked]
Reply-To: [email-masked]