XFCE

For those who insist on an alternative to fvwm, we currently have installed on a semi-supported experimental basis XFCE. This is just a window manager and desktop, so, just as with fvwm2, the usual KDE, Gnome and straight X applications exist.

To try XFCE, the simplest way is to type xfce-setup, log out, and log back in. This script places the one line xfce4-session in a file called .linuxwm in your home directory, and makes a sensible (XDG) bookmarks file if you have none (not to be confused with you web browser's bookmarks file).

When you are fed up with XFCE, revert to fvwm2 with

pc0:~$ rm ~/.linuxwm

XFCE and XDG

XFCE is a somewhat lightweight XDG compliant-ish window manager. It has quite a few applications on its menus, which historically has been found to be a source of confusion. Just because something is not on its menus does not mean that it is not installed!

It has a desktop, which shows the contents of a directory called Desktop in your home directory, as well as icons for removable disks etc. In a similar fashion to MacOS and Windows, one can put in a USB drive, see an icon appear on the desktop, double-click on it, and it will be mounted. However, one still has to explicitly "eject" it from a menu item before removing it.

XFCE and configuration

Most of the configuration for XFCE is stored in ~/.config/xfce4. However, the "bookmarks" (shortcuts in left-hand column) for its filemanager, thunar, are currently stored in ~/.gtk-bookmarks, and not ~/.config/gtk-3.0/bookmarks where they "ought" to be.

Some menu items will be merged in from ~/.config/menus/applications-merged.

XFCE and modern working

XFCE defaults to having a non-uniform background colour, and allows one to make windows semi-transparent as they are moved. This interacts really badly with remote desktop software. Over home broadband I barely notice when I am running fvwm remotely, whereas XFCE with transparency turned on is so slow as to be amusing rather than usable. With transparency off XFCE is at least usable.

Beware the Trash Can!

XFCE's file manager, thunar, and its desktop, both believe in a trash can. Files "deleted" from one's home directory get moved into ~/.local/share/Trash, so no space is freed up. Files deleted from /scratch get moved to /scratch/.Trash-uid and no space is freed. And in /rscratch the trash can does not work at all, which is arguably an improvement.

Technical Details

XFCE comes in several parts. The window manager is xfwm4. The desktop is separate, and controlled by xfdesktop. The file manager is separate again, and is called thunar. The magic allowing one to mount USB disks is controlled by udiskd/polkitd.

XFCE has remarkably few applications. Its unexciting terminal, xfce4-terminal is installed, as is its screen-grabbing program xfce4-screenshooter.