What do I want out of my linux desktop?
- Full access to any KDE and Gnome applications I need
- Ability to devote 100% of my real estate to what I’m working on
- Keyboard shortcuts for every common task
- Fast access to multiple workspaces
- Quick access to system monitors, date and time (and perhaps rss, weather…)
- Prettiness 😛
Fluxbox has delivered this functionality with great efficiency. That’s a mixed blessing – I haven’t had a need to shop around, so I’m not sure if there’s something I’m missing out on. Certainly compiz-fusion will be a blast to play with some day, albeit not (yet) necessary. A lot of my linux friends have defected to Macs, but that’s too rich for my blood. Go ahead and rant at me if you’re from another desktop planet. I’m eternally curious.
I’m using the following with fluxbox to keep me happy:
- YAX theme
- slit apps: gkrellm, wmsmixer, wmtop, wmweather+ (replace this!)
- a tricky fluxbox keyboard macro to allow me to pop up the “slit” sidebar – I believe you need fluxbox 1.1.1 or better to do this:
# MDM Key to toggle autohide of slit. Pop it! None F10 :ToggleCmd {MacroCmd {SetResourceValue session.screen0.slit.autoHide false} {Reconfigure}} {MacroCmd {SetResourceValue session.screen0.slit.autoHide true} {Reconfigure}} - conky; really sweet looking, but sits on the desktop, which I hardly ever see; I keep it simple (date, time, machine name)
- and of course, a custom background and customized keys, menu and startup config files
UPDATE: I got Hua to play with compiz-fusion on his new laptop, so I could live vicariously. 3D cubes with windows hovered by z-order, cylinders, flipping windows stuck back-to-back… now I’m burning with desire. But it sounds like I won’t be able to use fluxbox with it, so I’ll have to save that project for a rainy day for now…
