Suggestions of applications for Wolvix 2.0.0

[Wolven]

What you're talking about here could be done fairly easy with meta packages (an empty package which only has dependencies to other packages) I plan to make a few of these meta packages for a few "application suites". Example KDE. Installing the 'meta-kde' package will download and install a complete KDE desktop, which in reality consists of eight or so different packages. Another meta package I'm going to make is one for Compiz-Fusion, which will install all the packages needed to run a fancy 3D desktop. OpenOffice wouldn't need a meta package as it's just one large standalone package.

Taking this one step further and out of the slapt-get/Gslapt package manager and into a simple GUI with nice icons shouldn't be too much work for someone who knows a bit of bash scripting with the use of xdialog and/or zenity. (For those of you who've tried GoblinX have probably seen the UI tools which Flavio has made using this method. And I think the control panel in Zenwalk use this too.) I'm a rather novice bash scripter though and I've got my hands full with developing Wolvix as it is, combined with maintaining the website and the servers. And Oithona is busy with developing and improving the WCP, so I wouldn't want dump even more work load on him. But if anyone steps up and are willing to create such a UI for installing (meta) packages/modules I'd gladly include it in Wolvix.

[oithona]

This looks like a job for super-wcp

Not a lot of work - packages panel, few buttons each linked to a metapackage install command.
Don't know if you remember Wolven but the original mock-up I did of the panel to show you what it might look like had just such a panel. Cos the Libranet Adminmenu (on which I based it) had one too - mostly for non-free stuff such as flashplayer, turboprint, etc. 

[Tom]

Ok, if the WCP is going to be an even more important place than it already is then could it be given a more prominent position than tucked away at the bottom of such a scary menu as "System" my favourite place for the LiveCd would be on the main "paw button" menu or to have the link appear in a coupl of different places or for a separate WCP type thing to cover some of the safer options.  Even if it's no more important it'd still be good to have it a lot more obvious.

Happy hunting to all
Regards from
Tom

[oithona]

Tom, wolven must be reading your mind. In the latest development release he's put a wcp link on the desktop

[Tom]

lol, well they say "fools never differ" or is it "great minds think alike"? 
The Wcp is excellent and looks cooool too.  I think this distro seriously rocks

One thing that would be really fantastic for noobs is if the default type of install when hitting that "Install to hard-drive" would be to install as a dual-boot on a system that already had an ntfs or fat32 partition.  I know it's easy to sort out resizing a partition down by a couple of Gb's and creating a new partition for linux-swap and ext3 but if that was the automatic default for installing then noobs would have hugely less to worry about in their first experience of linux.  At the moment the installer on 1.1.0 is superb but i can't remember it very well.  I remember that it asked all the questions at the start so i didn't have to wait around to press a key every half-hour.  And the grub installer at the end did the same.  i thought that having them separate like that was superb and it taught me a lot about installing linux which had been a bit baffling previously.  Certainly i found installing 1.1.0 was practically a tutorial on how to install linux.  Enough advice and information given without being overwhelming  and it wasn't patronising and didn't seem to be hiding much from me either.  A thoroughly good & painless install.

[YoYote]

As per Harry Nilsson's edict the Arties'sts offer another Point to view.
This is again gets very close to the Usr/Dev theology blackhole so I want to be careful...


In my experience you don't want anything on the desktop that you don't want people clicking hell out of for the wrong reason.
When I set up a machine for someone I hide the icons on the desk and show them the file manager icon.
Maybe people have been trained by Uncle Bill to know the bits at the bottom of the screen do big things so don't mess about there I don't know but even those get abuses some.

With the possible exception of a "ReadMe/ReadMeFirst/Instructions/Manual"
 - that people will NEVER click no matter what -
everything on that desktop will be miss-used/abused multiple times.

This is not a problem with drives and media because they just end up with 35 Thunar windows open.
I have recently seen that with the "Auto up Thunar on new media" that 2.0 has.
The "Auto up Thunar" makes the desktop icons redundant in a way dosen't it?

The blackhole draws near.

One of the really cool things about Wolvix is the toolbar across the bottom - not quite MS yet User friendly - and it really works well.
The PAW and file manager at one end and the WCP clearly iconed at the other. Aesthetically pleasant and properly utilitarian. Form function and beauty - It don't get no better than that

I like the "Right click" on screen settings menu because I am always messing with things.
New Users just find it in the way. They want their Utube and "what's all this computer crap in the way I want my itunes" or whatever.

Even with a clearly simple app bar and great menu I have watched people open WCP trying to change the wallpaper and open "Settings" to run Xine.


The blackhole draws nearer.

Experienced Users are going to set up the tool bar with their icons and configure the desktop and menus anyways. Wolvix makes that easy and transparent.
Those people keen on tweaking MODing and learning are going to end up doing the same.

New Users won't and WILL do everything wrong.

So...

Starting from the position:
There should never be anything on the desktop except what is being used unless the User makes it so...
[The reasoned position not the aesthetic proclivity]

A) If the WCP must be on desktop it should have a "HIDE ME" tick box
AND/OR hide itself after the first boot/install.

B) The WCP "Should" have a small "How to do this and that" doc or manual that tells the user how to hide the WCP - and maybe other basic tips and tricks like maybe how use all the cool icons in the WCP.

Of course the Doc would have to be disguised so it doesn't look like a ReadMe or it will never be opened.

[YoYote]

geeze thats effective. I get the message.

Comparing the top ten downloads to the top 30 hits at Linuxpackages gives one PAWs.

[YoYote]

I got Gthumb running today. It is "Almost" as good as ThumbsPlus3.0.
Superior to GQview. It looks like it is moving along as well.

[YoYote]

Installed OO in B37 today for the ladies down the hall. Quick and painless.
They say it is required. As in fix it or I don't get tea.

Bashed hell out of GQview and Comix as browsers for GIMP.
We used them both to slash up a batch of big images.

Comix lacks only slide show and the ability to call an editor and I would keep it and dump GQview.

The EDIT with>GIMP command string from GQview has an error in. The switch "-remote" has to be removed in the "Edit with>GIMP" string.

Gthumb is still superior and has slide show and edit calls. If it had seperate viewer windows I would dump both GQview and Comix for it. I am not clear on the archive viewing Comix does I will try to check it out and get the ladies down the hall to try iy out.

[Midnight]

YoYote -- Comix can open many kinds of archive files, like .tar.gz, .zip, .rar and so on, and display all the images found inside the archive, recursively. I have tested it, and it works quite well. Except it might become a little slow when browsing a large archive. If you want to test it, just make a little archive of a few pictures, and open the archive in Comix yourself.

I'll be sure to test gThumb whenever there becomes a package for it. I can't be bothered to build my own at the moment.

[Tom]

Glad to hear chess packages have been weighed up and a light one found for 2.0.0   I'd not even thought of chess but having one would be great.  I'm not much good but sometimes enjoy a game or two.  Having one in the repos that can easily install into a Live Session sounds great   I guess i'm increasing arguing against having OpenOffice on the Live Cd as i would definitely prefer chess to be on the Cd (and the rest lol)

Regards from
Tom

[YoYote]

Not having integrated search is getting to be a drag fast.
Search is the only thing I use GC for but the GNOME search tool custom action in Thunar would be handy.
There is a script somewhere I read that builds Catfish into Thunar.
Just Catfish  would be an improvement.

I have tried the Comix archive reader. For me (us) - doing lots of images and images for print - we have no use for it. Media and storage are too inexpensive to justify compression. I guess for some dev work it would be handy. Maybe Ecommerce?
Thunar says it is working on viewing archives. Thumbs+ has had archive viewing so I would bet gthumb wants it.
I would trade Comix for Catfish.
I would trade Comix and GQview for a powerful search integrated into Thunar

[marin]

Gthumbs, when you simply want to view, cannot extend image to fill up the screen. it only shrinks images larger than your screen. It offers some simple editing, but that is redundant since you already have GIMP.

It may also help new users that GQview interface resembles ACDSee's. gpicview and ristretto clone other popular viewers but also clone their limited usability.

Comix is handy/indispensable when you want to inspect your grub splashes for example!

Good point though about the string that invokes GIMP from GQview, it was mended here:

http://geeqie.sourceforge.net/

p.s. Search for files in Thunar:
1)  in Thunar under Edit menu choose 'Configure custom actions'
2)  click on + to create new action
3)  Name it 'Search', choose an icon to your liking
4)  enter Command catfish --path%f   (notice that two dashes are used here!)
5)  go to 'Appearance Conditions' tab and there leave the * as a file pattern and tick only 'Directories'
6)  clik OK and now you have the option to search for files in Thunar on right click

[Wolven]

Thanks for the tip about file search in Thunar. Very handy indeed. I'll see if I can't include catfish on the ISO.

[brotherinbluejeans]

hello.. new to the forum here.
i just installed wolvix-2.0 and am using it is my default desktop.

i don't get the logic behind the dock bar at the bottom of the screen.. all apps/settings are accessable  via right click on the destop and what is the point of two workspace switchers? the only non-redundant item on the bar is the system time.
so... this evening i installed wbar-1.3.3  as a replacement, (update imlib2) moved the system clock to conky and am getting rid of the default xfce bar.

all this to say: have you ever considered including a nicer, better laid out launch bar in the package?

thank you wolven and other developers behind wolvix, its a sweet little sysem and i'd be glad to help in what i am able.