[Xfce-advocacy] 4.0 -> 4.2 log
Brian J. Tarricone
bjt23 at cornell.edu
Sun Nov 14 02:34:22 CET 2004
hi all,
attached are my revisions. a few language changes, and i removed
something from the xfdesktop list that isn't true ^_~.
a few general style-guide-ish tips we should go along with:
1) bullet points should start with a capital letter and end with a
period, even when it's not a complete sentence.[1] the idea here is
consistency. using lowercase letters and commas tends to make things
run together.
2) use consistent capitalisation for acronyms and proper names, e.g.
"PNG", "X Composite extension", etc.
3) use 3rd person at all times if possible. that means never using "i"
or "you", or the plural forms of those.
4) using consistent tense in verbs and verb phrases. e.g., i should
have started this point with "use", not "using".
i didn't really focus too much on #4, because i got tired, and the list
is long. perhaps someone else can do it. my suggestion is to use
present tense verbs, e.g., "Uses new Freedesktop spec to have more
reliable foobars." note that "Improved Xinerama support." is also
correct, as this doesn't have a verb; "improved" is an adjective in this
context.
-brian
[1] sometimes i advocate using capital letters to start, and no
punctuation at all on the end. but then what happens if the bullet
point consists of two sentences? put a period after the first one but
not the last? so my general policy is just to put periods in to
terminate the bullet points regardless.
Olivier Fourdan wrote:
>Oki,
>
>Here is my modified version. The goal is to make it less "technical",
>allowing people who aren't on the devel list to understand what we are
>talking about :)
>
>I think it's still "improvable".
>
>HTH
>Olivier.
>
>On Sat, 2004-11-13 at 08:32 -0600, LostSon wrote:
>
>
>> If you ever need some help writing up docs and or readmes send a few my
>>way. Would love to be os some assistance.
>>
>>On Sat, 2004-11-13 at 15:24 +0100, Olivier Fourdan wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I'm reviewing the document, I'll come up with a modified version
>>>soon... :)
>>>
>>>Cheers,
>>>Olivier.
>>>
>>>On Sat, 2004-11-13 at 08:20 -0600, LostSon wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Ahh i get it then. I thought you were getting at just eliminating the
>>>>actual terminology of the programs. My bad didint realize that. Too
>>>>early yet my caffeine level isnt high enough lol
>>>>
>>>>On Sat, 2004-11-13 at 15:11 +0100, Olivier Fourdan wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>On Sat, 2004-11-13 at 08:00 -0600, LostSon wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hello
>>>>>> Well thats an interesting idea but the one problem i would see is that
>>>>>>with xfce being modular as it is it is sometimes good to know the actual
>>>>>>name. So that you can run certain commands for certain things like xfwm
>>>>>>and the like.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>That's why I've put the actual name between brackets.
>>>>>
>>>>>Cheers,
>>>>>Olivier.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>>Xfce-advocacy mailing list
>>>>>Xfce-advocacy at xfce.org
>>>>>http://lunar-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/xfce-advocacy
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>Xfce-advocacy mailing list
>>>>Xfce-advocacy at xfce.org
>>>>http://lunar-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/xfce-advocacy
>>>>
>>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>Xfce-advocacy mailing list
>>>Xfce-advocacy at xfce.org
>>>http://lunar-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/xfce-advocacy
>>>
>>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Xfce-advocacy mailing list
>>Xfce-advocacy at xfce.org
>>http://lunar-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/xfce-advocacy
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> *General*
>>
>> * improved xinerama support,
>> * improved support for Cygwin,
>> * support for partial struts in xfwm4, xftaskbar4 and xfce4-panel,
>> * freedesktop specifications compliance for menu and icons themes,
>> * new file locations based on Freedesktop.org xdg basedir
>> specification <http://xfce.org/%7Ebenny/#fl> (all Xfce settings
>> are now stored under "~/.config directory"),
>> * new and updated translations,
>> * minimum required gtk version is 2.2 (2.4 is recommended),
>> * support for "kiosk mode" (in which you can restrict the actions
>> users are allowed to take) in xfce4-session, xfce4-panel,
>> xfdesktop (see included doc/README.Kiosk files)
>>
>> *Window Manager (xfwm4)*
>>
>> * native multiscreen support (manage all screens from a single
>> window manager process),
>> * enhanced support for Xinerama,
>> * support for more hints from the Freedesktop.org Extended Window
>> Manager Hints specification version 1.3 and above,
>> * supports the "show desktop" protocol,
>> * supports the KDE context help,
>> * support KDE system tray icons,
>> * menu window features an "Always on top" option,
>> * graphical keyboard shorcuts editor included in the xfwm
>> settings manager dialog,
>> * xfwm4 now has his own optional compositing manager (a manager
>> for the new Xorg
>> compositor extension). This adds a dropshadow to all windows
>> and supports setting transparency by applications themselves or
>> by using a tool like transset,
>> * improved focus management,
>> * support for image composition with PNG images layered above the
>> pixmap frame, allowing for gradients or other color effects,
>> * completely new default look. Several new themes added,
>> * change location of themes to be more in line with gtk,
>> metacity, and others,
>> * application's icon and name shown in the "Alt+Tab" dialog.
>>
>> *Setting Manager (xfce-mcs-manager)*
>>
>> * new dialog layout: buttons have label below icon and are
>> arranged in multiple columns,
>> * font rendering setup dialog,
>> * merged Desktop workspaces and Workspaces margins dialogs (so
>> for a 4.0.x to 4.2 upgrade, you will need to remove
>> workspaces_settings.* and margins_plugin.* from
>> /usr/local/lib/xfce4/mcs_plugins/ or it won't work),
>> * display resolution and gamma correction dialog,
>> * customizable icons.
>>
>> *New Session Manager (xfce4-session)*
>>
>> * new module in 4.2: manage applications on Xfce startup,
>> * themeable splash screen engines,
>> * system shutdown/reboot support using the "sudo" mechanism,
>> * major performance improvements over the previous snapshot versions,
>> * Gnome/KDE compatibility,
>> * Native multihead support (Xinerama and multiscreen),
>> * doesn't rely on smproxy (or any rewrite like gnome-smproxy),
>> but provides (partial) session, management even for non-sm or
>> X11R5-sm aware apps.
>>
>> *Desktop (xfdesktop)*
>>
>> * gradient support for background color,
>> * brightness adjustment for the backdrop,
>> * real multiscreen and xinerama support,
>> * "don't set background" option to allow apps such as xplanet to
>> be displayed correctly,
>> * support for icons in windowlist and desktop menu,
>> * ability to disable/enable icons in each menu, or the menus
>> entirely,
>> * graphical menu editor with DND support from xfce4-appfinder and
>> .desktop files from Rox, Konqueror, Nautilus, Xffm, etc.
>> * add "-menu", "-windowlist" and "-reload" options for
>> "xfdesktop", to be use in keybindings,
>> * support for 'system' menu, which lists all apps that install
>> *.desktop files according to the Freedesktop.org Menu Spec,
>> * panel plugin to show the menu (yes, it's a "Start button")
>> * use a menu cache to improve performance after it has been
>> generated once,
>> * kiosk mode support?
>>
>> *File Manager (xffm)*
>>
>> * two independent panes (eliminated confusing behaviour from 4.0.x),
>> * completely reworked toolbars and menus,
>> * better archiving support (creating tar/tar.gz/tar.bz2 archives),
>> * improved trash handling with support for GNOME and KDE trash bins,
>> * use global icon theme (user interface dialog),
>> * allow user customization of icon themes,
>> * improved samba support (allow mount/unmount, double click,
>> monitor downloads),
>> * keeps track of recently and frequently opened files,
>> * applications branch is now a toolbar (only avaiable if compiled
>> with "--enable-panel"),
>> * ability to change file name, group, owner and mode allowed from
>> inline row editing,
>> * dynamic sidebar,
>> * improved asian language support,
>> * pastelink option added (i.e., create symlinks to pasteboard
>> elements),
>> * recursive scrambling of directories (only avaiable if compiled
>> with "--enable-scrambledir"),
>> * mount/unmount of fstab points allowed from outside fstab branch
>> (by popup menu),
>> * mouse selection behaviour configurable by user,
>> * verbose/nonverbose diagnostics configurable by user,
>> * renaming of bookmark elements allowed,
>> * noticeable performance improvements under the hood,
>> * search window called directly by invoking xfglob4,
>> * files opened directly with associated mimetype application if
>> invoked with "xffm filename" (path to filename can be absolute,
>> relative or relative to homedir).
>>
>> *Panel (xfce4-panel)*
>>
>> * new look with smaller move handles and new default icons,
>> * use global icon theme setting (in user interface dialog),
>> * improved resizing and moving behaviour; panel is forced to be
>> on the edges of the screen,
>> * the panel is now a dock type window, which means it will always
>> be on top,
>> * improved focus handling; clicking on the panel will not remove
>> the focus from the currently active window,
>> * there can be only one panel per X screen. Multihead supported
>> when environment is set up properly (DISPLAY variable),
>> * support for kiosk mode,
>> * unload unused plugins and dynamically update plugin list. Use
>> dialog to add new panel items, instead of a submenu,
>> * mail checker now supports mbox, Maildir and POP3,
>> * support for dragging applications from xfce4-appfinder to a
>> launcher properties dialog,
>> * transparency when XOrg Composite extension is enabled and the
>> window manager supports it,
>> * backward compatibility with the Xfce Goodies plugins available
>> from
>> http://xfce-goodies.berlios.de/
>>
>> *Utilities (xfce-utils)*
>>
>> * taskbar can be less than 100% wide,
>> * taskbar has "always group tasks" option,
>> * taskbar has selectable left/center/right alignment and variable
>> width,
>> * taskbar has right-click action menu,
>> * call 'xfrun4 filename' to get an 'Open with...' dialog,
>> * taskbar has option to show only icons,
>> * about dialog can be compiled with extra vendor information,
>> * run dialog now properly checks if command fails,
>> * updated user guide,
>> * small changes to startup script and xfhelp4 script.
>>
>> *Sound Mixer (xfce4-mixer)*
>>
>> * complete rewrite of the mixer with settings manager dialog,
>> * mixer profiles,
>> * support for alsa, oss and sun audio.
>>
>> *New Application Finder (xfce4-appfinder)*
>>
>> * new module in Xfce 4.2: find (and run) applications,
>> * alternative interface to the application menu.
>>
>> *Icon Box (xfce4-iconbox)*
>>
>> * make iconbox a dock type window (always on top), like the panel,
>> * make the iconbox transparency configurable when using Xorg >= 6.8
>>
>> *Printing Helper (xfprint)*
>>
>> * xfprint can now use either CUPS, BSD-LPR or a file as
>> destination, and
>> printers are retrieved from the printing system you choosed (no
>> more need to
>> add your printers to the list manually).
>>
>> *Calendar and Appointments (xfcalendar)*
>>
>> * first day of the week option removed (Managed through the
>> "locale" settings in gtk 2.4 and above).
>>
>> *Icon Theme (xfce4-icon-theme)*
>>
>> * new module in Xfce 4.2 : Freedesktop.org icon theme with
>> special icons for Xfce; it includes both png and svg icons.
>>
>> *Tpys (xfce4-toys)*
>>
>> * updated tips.
>>
>> *GTK Theme Engine (gtk-xfce-theme-engine)*
>>
>> * completely new default theme,
>> * improved drawing of radio and check buttons in menus.
>>
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Xfce-advocacy mailing list
>>Xfce-advocacy at xfce.org
>>http://lunar-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/xfce-advocacy
>>
>>
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