several defects and enhacement-wishes

[Carl]

On Monday 09 October 2006 8:03 am, samo wrote:
> > > do u suggest svn-head?
> >
> > I'd suggest using Debian official sources. (I'd suggest using
> > Debian, but we're not there to talk about distribs). If you don't
> > want to screw your install by accidentally install Debian packages
> > other than Xfce, you may want to use following sources:
> >
> > deb http://debian.corsac.net unstable/
> > deb-src http://debian.corsac.net unstable/
> >
> > (see http://www.corsac.net/?rub=xfce (in french) and
> > http://www.corsac.net/?cat=3 )
>
> Just for the protocol, yesterday i did downgrade all to ubuntu-edgy
> (4.3.90-99) level, and then the keyboard shortcuts for switching
> workspaces / sending windows to workspaces stopped to work. Then i
> upgraded back to ubuntu-unstable (4.3.99), no change.
> The keys are recognised (and eaten) (even Terminal's cursor changes
> while key is pressed), but nothing else.
>
> today i'll check these repos above, as if they are official (-;.
> Any idea what went broke - and doesn't want to come back sane?
> would 'rm -rf ~/.cache' help? i'll try anyway.
> i'm near sure it is not because of version - edgy works ok on another
> machine.
>
> > > > >  + window-manager: need keyboard shortcut for opening the
> > > > > window-menu, (one which is opened by mouse-right-click on
> > > > > window-heading, or by the icon-buton there.)
> > > > >    alt-space is a good default comnbination.
> > > > >    this will free (for me) all the
> > > > > move/resize/whatever-window-related shorcuts
> > > >
> > > > You can use xfce4-popup-menu if you have a panel plugin menu.
> > >
> > > umm, no, not the desktop-menu (apps etc), but the window-menu -
> > > maximize, minimize, hide, sticky, send-to-workspace...
> >
> > Ah yes. But all those item can be binded to commands in window
> > manager settings, aren't they ?
>
> yeah, about 15 keys for things not used that often at all...
>
> > > And another thing there - are the table/panel sizes fixed in the
> > > code or what? e.g. i never see the right column of that
> > > shortcut-assignment table, only the left one.
> >
> > Maximize the window helps.
>
> yes, but this is not a fix.
> should i just shut up and leave u alone?
> one of the big problems of the free software is the near-complete
> absense of usability-analysis and _especialy_ synthesis; and the
> hack-it-workaround-it attitude, thus making temporary solutions
> permanent, doesnt help that either.
>
> ciao
> samo
This has a lot to do with xfce+ubuntu. The xfce mailing list has had numerous 
messages related to getting xfce working with ubuntu.

The version of xfce you are using is beta (or maybe release candidate to be 
more technically correct). The xfce maintainers have spoken of having at 
least one more rc before final. If you want finished software, don't use 
betas.

I am a fairly new xfce user who discovered the hard way that the ubuntu 
repository wasn't giving me the desired results with xfce. The primary issue 
was that the required xfce packages in the ubuntu repository were not all of 
the same vintage. Installing from source was the only way that I could get 
what I wanted. But I did it with the recognition that I may encounter some 
problems.

So...no you shouldn't just shut up and leave [the xfce mailing list] alone. 
You could do something to make it better, even if only reporting things that 
don't work. Whining doesn't make a difference. This--" one of the big 
problems of the free software is the near-complete absense of 
usability-analysis and _especialy_ synthesis"--makes no difference. The very 
thing that you are complaining about is one of the reasons that open source 
(free) software is fixed 8 times faster on average than comparable (in terms 
of function and quality) proprietary software.

Are you willing to participate in usability analysis and synthesis? Are you 
willing to contribute what you can to improve xfce and other free software 
that you use? Or are you just going to use it and complain about the 
ineffectiveness of other people's volunteer efforts?