DSL v4.2

Forum: Site News
Topic: DSL v4.2
started by: roberts

Posted by roberts on Dec. 18 2007,03:28

Change log for v4.2

* New mtpaint replaces xpaint.
* New black/blue theme with "Fractal Movements" background.
* New folder for better support of Visual Styles for JWM .jwmrc-theme and downloadable themes.
* New setTheme.lua, drag-n-drop or double click application style.
* New folder for better support of backgrounds, downloadable "DSL Classics"
* New generic folder.xpm link for easier themeing of folders.
* Updated wallpaper.lua, drag-n-drop or double click application style.
* Improved support for JWM keybindings with .jwmrc-keys
* Improved support for battey names in torsmo, fetched from /proc
* Improved handling of multline menu items as MyDSL folder application shortcut icons.
* Improved cleanup of shortcuts upon normal shutdown.
* Fized bug so that /cdrom/mydsl is not processed twice.
* Fixed "?" icon to open "Getting Started"
* Updated iconViwer for mtpaint change.
* Many icons have been changed, updated, or replaced.
* Updated /opt/.dfmext with more associations.
* Cleanup of xmms when started from dfm icon.
* Cleanup of usused files, modules, and directories (pnp,xfs, hfs,hfsplus,bfs,befs,adfs,ujs,minix,efs)

Files that have changed and likely in your backup (since v4.1).

.bash_profile
.dfmdesk/
.dfminfo
.fluxbox/menu
.jwmrc
.jwmrc-tray
.xinitrc
/opt/.dfmext

File that have changed since 4.2RC1

.dfminfo
.jwmrc
/opt/.backgrounds
/opt/jwmThemes
/opt/.dfmext

Posted by Onyarian on Dec. 18 2007,15:18

Great!!
Superb!!

Thanks!!

Posted by jaapz on Dec. 18 2007,21:17

looks like a great update!
going to install it tomorrow!
thx for your efforts to make us a cool linux-system

Posted by meo on Dec. 18 2007,22:08

Hello Robert!

I've tried this version both on my 2GB usb stick and now on my 512MB usb stick but not in any of them there appears an entry for optional extensions. They both have FAT16 fs and a single partition. Am I doing something wrong? With DSL 4.1 RC3 I got two entries of optional extensions and now none. I might mention that they are discovered during boot but still no entries in the menu. As usual I'm using the embedded version.

Hope this can be solved and have fun,
meo

Posted by JohnJS on Dec. 18 2007,22:13

FYI
Xmms thru dfm still results in libasound errors at shutdown.

Same as with 4.2rc1

To me it's just a minor detail.

Posted by kuky on Dec. 18 2007,23:49

Nice work

A different aesthetics, my pc screen 800*600 seems a 1200*800...pink and gold...

i have installed in hd and have problems with ndiswrapper in console �aterm? can�t locate fontl bla bla

Happy Christmas to all and a new year ...

especyally to juanito,stid,theheat,mick,meo,pirata,onaryan,curaga,jls...all the geeks of dsl ,jhon and roberts...and 99 guest and 0 Anonymous Members

Posted by roberts on Dec. 19 2007,07:55

Quote (meo @ Dec. 18 2007,14:08)

A 4.2.1 with fix will post soon. It has been very difficult to map xtdesk icons with embedded menus to dfm.

Posted by roberts on Dec. 19 2007,07:57

Quote (JohnJS @ Dec. 18 2007,14:13)

FYI
Xmms thru dfm still results in libasound errors at shutdown.

Same as with 4.2rc1

To me it's just a minor detail.

Did you update your .dfminfo file?

The entry for xmms should look like:

_DFM_~/.dfmdesk/Apps/Sound/xmms_START;!0! 2>/dev/null

Posted by roberts on Dec. 19 2007,07:59

Quote (kuky @ Dec. 18 2007,15:49)

There has been no change to any fonts.
You can check the default font for Aterm by looking in .Xdefaults
It should look like:

Aterm*font: fixed

Posted by curaga on Dec. 19 2007,13:11

I think we should add screenshots of the 4 series to the front page

Posted by JohnJS on Dec. 19 2007,18:10

Quote (roberts @ Dec. 19 2007,02:57)

Did you update your .dfminfo file?

The entry for xmms should look like:

_DFM_~/.dfmdesk/Apps/Sound/xmms_START;!0! 2>/dev/null

I did a fresh install (dsl base legacy norestore) as this is on my spare computer and all I have to change is modprobe for sound.
Tried unsuccessfully to edit .dfminfo using emelfm as super user. I get a temp file ".dfminfo.new_z" but it vanishes on mouse movement. Does not save the edited version.

By the way the reason I do a fresh install for each new version is because I haven't been able to find info on how to upgrade changed files.

EDIT:
Fixed it by adding 2>/dev/null at dfm/xmms/options.

Posted by RHTopics on Dec. 20 2007,22:59

First I want to state that I am enjoying using DSL v4.2

I noticed the following mistake:

The Dillo icon on the panel/tray when clicked was trying to open the file /usr/share/doc/dsl/getting-started.html which does not exist.

I fixed the problem by editing the file /home/dsl/.jwmrc-tray and changing the file name to /usr/share/doc/dsl/getting_started.html, saving this file, and then restarted the window manager.

Posted by andrewb on Dec. 21 2007,00:55

Maybe I missed something somewhere, but shading doesn't seem to work as it should for JWM in 4.2. Double-clicking the title bar maximizes / restores the window rather than shading it. According to the JWM configuration info at joewing.net:

Quote

Mouse Bindings

* Any button on the root window will bring up the root menu.
* The right button will show the window menu on the frame.
* The left button will resize if on the border or move if in the title bar.
* The middle button will move anywhere on the frame.
* A double click on the title bar of a window will toggle shading.
* The mouse wheel will move through menus when a menu is open, show the root menu when over root, or switch desktops when over the pager.

Have I missed something?

Posted by lucky13 on Dec. 21 2007,03:39

Quote

Have I missed something?

No, that's what it does. If you have a scroll-wheel mouse you can scroll up and down on the title bar to make it shade. Make sure you're in middle of it because if you get off the title bar you'll scroll through desktops.

Posted by andrewb on Dec. 21 2007,08:35

Quote (lucky13 @ Dec. 20 2007,12:39)

Quote

Have I missed something?

OK, that is what it does in DSL, but it is not how it is supposed to behave & it would be nicer if the two window managers behaved the same. Also it isn't very helpful on laptops with no scroll whel when the shading is probably most useful due to the small amount of screen real-estate. Is there any reason the JWM in DSL doesn't behave as described on the JWM site? (or is this behaviour an update in the current 2.0.1 version, DSL appears to have v2.0)?

Posted by roberts on Dec. 21 2007,16:36

Not likely that the very old fluxbox and jwm are going to behave the same. There is a shortcut key for shading in jwmrc-keys. You can control what key sequence to use. Edit .jwmrc-keys. Every laptop has a keyboard.

Posted by andrewb on Dec. 23 2007,22:36

OK, I can live with using a keystroke, but I was pointing out the JWM in DSL doesn't seem to be behaving as described on the joewing site - i.e. "double-click on the toitle bar shades the window" - in DSL double-click miximizes/restores the window. Is there a reason for this dofference in behaviour - i.e. has the doub;e-click been reassigned somehow & is it a user assignable item like the control-<key> sequences. I can't find a reference to this functionality in any JWM documentation.

Posted by skipshearer on Dec. 24 2007,21:13

I've been using many versions of DSL over the years with Fluxbox as my WM. I must say that 4.2 with JWM has changed my thinking. Lower resource usage with good looks! Thank's Robert and John for a great distro. Happy holidays to you and yours!

Posted by roberts on Dec. 25 2007,00:31

Quote (andrewb @ Dec. 23 2007,14:36)

Wish Granted!

I have compiled in double-click on title bar to shade/unshade window for jwm.

It will appear in the next release candidate for DSL v4.3

Posted by lucky13 on Dec. 26 2007,17:19

Quote

Also it isn't very helpful on laptops with no scroll whel when the shading is probably most useful due to the small amount of screen real-estate.

If you use the default keybindings, alt-F2 will give you a window control menu so you can shade until 4.3 comes out. I have my laptop's jwmrc* files set up so that I don't ever have to touch my pointer or mouse pad. But I rarely shade (and only do it because minimizing requires restoring before an app can be toggled again through alt-tab).

Posted by roberts on Dec. 26 2007,18:35

@andrewb

Perhaps at one time the default behaviour for jwm was double-click-title for shading? I don't really know. But the default is currently maximize. While at friends and relatives over the holidays I saw that Windows double-click-title also maximizes the window. That seems redundant as there already is a button to maximize. Perhaps jwm, trying to emulate Windows, made that the default and did not update the website or documentation that you may have previously seen.

Anyway, I went into source and found where I could implement double-click-title to shade/unshade.

Since most of our users are comming from fluxbox and since jwm already has a button for maximizing, it seems like a good change for jwm hosted in DSL.

Posted by john.martzouco on Dec. 26 2007,19:45

Quote (roberts @ Dec. 24 2007,19:31)

I have compiled in double-click on title bar to shade/unshade window for jwm.

It will appear in the next release candidate for DSL v4.3

Thanks Robert,

This is a welcome change for me as well.

Posted by roberts on Dec. 26 2007,23:09

I will likely issue a v4.2.2. I have been mainly addressing reported typos and bugs.

This way you won't have to wait until I get a sizeable change log worthy of a v4.3 to get this one new feature.

Posted by jpeters on Dec. 27 2007,06:02

Quote (roberts @ Dec. 26 2007,13:35)

Anyway, I went into source and found where I could implement double-click-title to shade/unshade.

Since most of our users are comming from fluxbox and since jwm already has a button for maximizing, it seems like a good change for jwm hosted in DSL.

The smart one's use ice, that already has that feature

Posted by roberts on Dec. 27 2007,06:29

Quote (jpeters @ Dec. 26 2007,22:02)

Quote (roberts @ Dec. 26 2007,13:35)

The smart one's use ice, that already has that feature

But here the mantra is "Small is Beautiful" or the more colloquial "Mine is smaller than yours! And I am damn proud of it!"

icewm 1,089,572 (includes icewm, icehelp, icewm-session, icewmbg, icewmhint, and icewmtray)
jwm 136,304

That makes icewm almost 8X larger than jwm. Plus the extra processes that would be needed for the extra ice... binaries.

Posted by lucky13 on Dec. 27 2007,12:18

Quote

That makes icewm almost 8X larger than jwm. Plus the extra processes that would be needed for the extra ice... binaries.

I posted the following link in a blog entry a couple weeks ago related to this:
< http://www.gilesorr.com/wm/memory.html >

Posted by andrewb on Dec. 27 2007,23:36

Quote (roberts @ Dec. 26 2007,03:35)

Yes that is the behaviour in windows & a right pain it is too after using the shading in fluxbox & then having to use a windows system. I hadn't realised how much I did use it until I switched to JWM & found it didn't work! Keep up the good work!

Posted by jpeters on Dec. 28 2007,02:21

Quote (lucky13 @ Dec. 27 2007,07:18)

Quote

That makes icewm almost 8X larger than jwm. Plus the extra processes that would be needed for the extra ice... binaries.

I posted the following link in a blog entry a couple weeks ago related to this:
< http://www.gilesorr.com/wm/memory.html >

Well, judging from the numbers, the size of ice would be the least of my problems if my concern was low ram (which it isn't)/

COMMAND SZ RSS VSZ
bash 684 2028 3104
startx 76 1084 2312
xinit 156 644 2280
Xvesa 8076 9916 27972
icewm-session 204 1192 4232
dfm 428 2804 4920
torsmo 180 896 2268
firefox 100 1124 2336
run-mozilla.sh 144 1156 2380
firefox-bin 25376 35256 53104
firefox-bin 25376 35256 53104

Posted by roberts on Dec. 28 2007,05:26

The 8x was referring to physical size not memory runtime.
When one is tasked with the limits of 50MB. Physical size, smaller with similar features is better.

I am well aware that advanced users will switch window managers to their favorite one.

Me included.

Discussing the merits of window managers is off topic for this thread.

I have been asked which window manger I use and why.
I will answer in the window manager topic area.

Lets stay on topic here.

Posted by roberts on Dec. 28 2007,17:29

Topic closed beacuse of newer release.