Can xfce4 iconize to the desktop

Nepple, Bruce bnepple at networkelements.com
Thu Jul 1 23:00:42 CEST 2004 

> as i've pointed out on this list before:
> http://spuriousinterrupt.org/xfce4/#faq
> granted, this hasn't specifically answered the minimised-apps 
> question 
> until i just added it now, but the general statement about 
> icons should 
> have been enough of an answer.

Sheesh --- what an arrogant attitude.

Too bad the official xfce site doesn't point to that obscure faq.

> huh?  i hardly see this as "CDE's defining feature".  one thing that 
> makes xfce CDE-like is the panel, with its category/drawers model.  
> being "similar" to something doesn't mean you do everything the same 
> way.

It is the central defining behavior of the CDE workspace.  Because you have a
CDE-like panel does not mean you are CDE-like.  Loosely, you have a taskbar, does that
make you windows like?  But, I don't expect to change your mind about this.

Obviously xfce4 is not for me.  Thanks anyway.

Bruce

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brian J. Tarricone [mailto:bjt23 at cornell.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2004 8:49 AM
> To: XFCE general discussion list
> Subject: Re: Can xfce4 iconize to the desktop
> 
> 
> as i've pointed out on this list before:
> http://spuriousinterrupt.org/xfce4/#faq
> granted, this hasn't specifically answered the minimised-apps 
> question 
> until i just added it now, but the general statement about 
> icons should 
> have been enough of an answer.
> 
> i personally am not a big fan of having minimised apps turn 
> into regular 
> desktop icons.  xfdesktop 4.4 will probably have some kind of iconbox 
> embedded into the desktop which you can resize, move around, 
> etc., but 
> the icons will auto-place themselves in rows/columns.  actually, now 
> that i think about it, it should be possible to be a little bit more 
> general so you can essentially set the iconbox to the screen size.  i 
> suppose the ability to move them around isn't too much to ask.
> 
> one thing to remember: while i acknowledge xfce's roots, 
> xfce4 is not a 
> CDE clone.  it has some CDE-ish features, but, to be 
> perfectly honest, i 
> don't like CDE all that much, and i don't plan on turning 
> xfdesktop into 
> a clone of CDE's desktop.  if your users require a CDE-like 
> environment, 
> perhaps xfce3 might be more suitable.
> 
> just a quick response from something the original poster 
> said, because 
> it bugs me:
> 
> > 1. active applications can be iconized to the desktop, remembering 
> > where they belong
> > (this is CDE.  If your windowmanager can't do this, how are you 
> > similar to CDE?)
> 
> huh?  i hardly see this as "CDE's defining feature".  one thing that 
> makes xfce CDE-like is the panel, with its category/drawers model.  
> being "similar" to something doesn't mean you do everything the same 
> way.
> 
> 	-brian
> 
> 
> On Fri, 2 Jul 2004, roger wrote:
> 
> > Hi,
> > 
> > I'm not sure that these basic requirements are unpopular... 
> and I'm not the 
> > only one thinking so.
> > 
> > At work, we've got numerous (not so antique) Sun and AIX 
> workstations/servers 
> > as well as cheap Linux-based PC's, which we mainly use just 
> for connecting to 
> > the Sun's and AIX's, then displaying applications running 
> on those boxes.
> > 
> > For us, who simultaneously run a lot of applications 
> (mainly xterm's and 
> > editors), a taskbar (or even an iconbox) is not up to the 
> job: we definitely 
> > prefer the CDE/Motif icons for minimized applications.
> > 
> > For that reason, we've been running Xfce3 on our Linux 
> boxes until recently.
> > Unfortunately, after having swapped our old Sun Workshop's 
> with newer 
> > SunOneStudio's, we found out that the Xfce3 window manager 
> wouldn't display 
> > properly these IDE's (parts of them were just out of screen!).
> > 
> > So we upgraded to Xfce4, which is much better that Xfce3 in 
> any respect... 
> > except for minimized application icons!
> > 
> > Personally, I've been running Xfce4 (with iconbox) since 
> its first release on 
> > my home desktop, but here I don't have the same constraints 
> I have at work (I 
> > don't own 20 other machines on which I would have 10 
> connected xterm's per 
> > each :-)
> > 
> > Months ago I inquired about the prospect of having 
> CDE-style icons within 
> > Xfce4 (features wish). I then was nicely answered to be 
> patient since someone 
> > was already working on this.
> > 
> > Is this project still on?
> > 
> > Thanks for your time,
> > Roger.
> > 
> > On Thu, 1 Jul 2004 03:09 am, Nepple, Bruce wrote:
> > > I currently use CDE, and was told that XFCE was similar.
> > >
> > > From http://xwinman.org/xfce.html
> > > XFce is a lightweight desktop environment for UNIX platforms.
> > > It is similar to the commercial CDE, and is now based on 
> the GTK+ toolkit
> > >
> > > My requirements for a desktop/windowmanager are simple 
> (but, it seems,
> > > unpopular):
> > >
> > > 1. active applications can be iconized to the desktop, 
> remembering where
> > > they belong (this is CDE.  If your windowmanager can't do 
> this, how are you
> > > similar to CDE?)
> > >
> > > 2.  Multiple workspaces
> > >
> > > 3.  right click or some other simple application startup method
> > >
> > > Shading doesn't cut it, although it would be neat to have 
> shading & icons.
> > >
> > > I typically have 8 or 10 terminals with 30 to 40 edit 
> sessions in a single
> > > workspace, and they are organized by desktop position.  It is very
> > > cluttered, as is my real desk. I may have up to 10 active 
> workspaces of
> > > similar complexity.
> > >
> > > (What use is a desktop if you can't put anything on it :)? )
> > >
> > > Anyway, can xfce4 be forced to work that way (iconize to 
> desktop).  I
> > > disabled the taskbar and got no icons whatsoever.
> > >
> > > BTW,  If you know what other window/desktop manager might 
> work for me,
> > > please let me know. (maybe CTWM?).  I just have to get 
> away from our
> > > friggen solaris antique iron.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Bruce
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> > 
> 
> 
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