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Jo’s Alternative Desktop: ROX are transferring files to a floppy, creating a link on the desktop or a program icon in the . Drag & Drop is normally just a file operation. If you look more closely, you normally discover a RISC rocks task ideally suited to a . Not satisfied with a and overawed by KDE or GNOME? Just Helping Hands The file manager is thus a core use your window manager to create an environment! BY JO MOSKALEWSKI component of any modern . A file manager with a good range of features can supplement a window manager and hopefully provide a desktop environment that supports Drag & Drop, coordinated file management, session management and desktop icons. deskTOPia has already looked into two special file managers of this kind: DFM [2] and XFTree, both in the context of our article on the desktop environment [3]. The ROX-Filer, the core component of the ROX desktop, offers fuller features

aiVih www.visipix.comMali Veith, and is easier to use, although this does place heavier demands on the support- ing window manager. The window manager needs GNOME compatiblity to leverage the full functionality, although the ROX desktop can be used with more basic window managers.

inux may look back with pride at its Normal users are not interested in files Tried and Trusted, but not ten year history, but there is one but in the availability of the information obsolete Lthing that immediately strikes you, they require. If you are looking for ROX on the Web, if you venture off the beaten track of Of course there is some argument as to try http://rox.sourceforge.net/. This desktop environments such as KDE and what constitutes effective use of a address should provide you with the GNOME: Linux just was not designed as (Linux) computer ranging from the latest version. The subscription disk a quick seller by marketing strategists, purists’ prompt-based approach to contains the latest stable release, but by programmers interested in banning use of the keyboard in favor of whereas the newer version on the ROX developing their own ideas based on a the mouse. In the long run the site has been ported to GTK+ 2 and is trusted workhorse. This can make one or principle of “Everything is a file” available as a development release (i.e. two things seem strange to recent remains. If you need to access a floppy intended for developers only and not converts. Suddenly you are required to drive, for example, you simply look for necessarily stable or bug-free). However, know what files you possess, what /dev/fd0 and can access the medium just deskTOPia does not typically investigate purpose they serve and even the best like a single file. Also system information experimental file managers, so we intend place to store them. is always processed in file format, as was to concentrate on the stable version in evident in our previous deskTOPia this issue… The User Perspective article on ProcMeter3 [1]. So far ROX has been written and Demands for a more “intuitive” interface What this boils down to is that an maintained for the most part by Thomas increased and continue to increase: intuitive desktop must primarily provide Leonard, who found Linux lacking in computers should be easy to use. easy file manangement – whether you some functions that his former – RISC OS – offered. The name DESKTOPIA GLOSSARY actually expands to “RISC OS on X”; the Only you can decide how your desktop Session Management: In the context of a software is freely available under the looks.With deskTOPia we regularly take you desktop environment this generally means General Public License (GPL). with us on a journey into the land of keeping track of the programs a user has window managers and desktop launched to provide the user access to a Installation environments,presenting the useful and stored desktop configuration after logging Every major distribution includes ready the colorful viewers and pretty toys. off and back on. to run packages that can be installed

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using the distribution’s own resources. your changes for future But the sources are also available and sessions, you should use the fairly simple to install (Box 1). Save button to close the ROX is comprised of two packages: window instead of just The so-called Base package creates the clicking on OK. environment required by the ROX ROX filer can perform Drag package proper. It contains the & Drop tasks, allowing you information required by the ROX filer on to drag files from one ROX MIME types (which you may have read filer window to another – about in the last issue of deskTOPia[4]) Figure 1: ROX filer as a simple file manager of course you can drag them and their corresponding icons, and must to an editor or any other be installed first. The ROX package exception to this rule and will instead be program that provides appropriate proper contains the file manager, ROX displayed in a new ROX filer window functions, or to a program icon. filer, which provides complete desktop (i.e. directories are linked to ROX). Since moving multiple files in this way functionality. The third (right) mouse key opens a would be extremely time consuming, that allows you to delete, you can not only use the left mouse key Rules and Regulations rename, show the size, change file to launch or move single files, but also After installing both packages you can rights, assign a different icon, edit the drag a frame around multiple files to use the rox command to launch the file MIME type or select Options… move these files as a group (Figure 3). manager and open a simple file manager window (Figure 1). Left-click a file to Individual Bag of Tricks execute it; if the file is not executable, The Options window that then appears Things start to get interesting when you ROX will launch a suitable application (Figure 2) provides access to the use ROX filer to enhance the desktop and and pass the file to it. Clicking on a complete range of ROX configuration not just as a simple file manager. ROX directory will change to that directory. options allowing you to select a provides you with so-called panels, If you use the center button on the language, configure the toolbox and even (Start-) bars that attach to one of the four mouse instead of the left button, the ROX define a maximum window size (ROX margins of the screen and make icons filer terminates after performing the filer dynamically adapts to the required available. specified task. Directories are an size; empty space that occurs when You can attach a panel to each margin, displaying a single file is thus a thing of assign various layouts to the panels, and Box 1: ROX from the source the past). name the layouts. If you want to attach The Options provide buttons marked actions and content to the left margin To create ROX from the source code you will OK, Apply and Save: If you want to save and call this panel main, you can use the need GTK+ Version 1.2 or later,including the following syntax to do so: developer package,(-dev,gtk-devel or similar) and header files.You will also need to install the developer package for the rox -l=main (often referred to as libc6) and the complete libpng library.These components Should you now need to remove the should be available in any recent panel from the left margin, just tell ROX distribution.The whole installation filer to place an unnamed panel at this procedure is extremely user-friendly.Ensure location: that you are the root user to extract both archives,change to the directories you have Figure 2: Focussed Configuration – the Options rox -l= just created,and launch the install.sh scripts in those directories: tar -xvzf rox-base-1.0.2.tgz cd rox-base-1.0.2 ./install.sh

tar -xvzf rox-1.2.0.tgz cd rox-1.2.0 ./install.sh The typical ./configure,make and make install commands are not required at this point as install.sh will perform these tasks. Users might appreciate this help,but it does make troubleshooting more difficult if things go wrong. Figure 3: Copying Multiple Files

74 October 2002 www.linux-magazine.com deskTOPia LINUX USER

Since there is no such thing as an unnamend panel, the main panel will simply disappear. Figure 4: Adding StarOffice to a Panel

Construction Work or less GNOME compatible. This will files ~/.xinitrc (via startx at startup If you have recently edited a panel and prevent any mouse actions on the time), ~/.xsession (graphic login via used Drag & Drop to place a file from the desktop being assigned to the window kdm, gdm or xdm), or ~/.Xclients are file manager window in it, your action manager and allow them to be evaluated normally responsible for the initial will have been stored in ~/Choices/ROX- by ROX instead. configuration of your user’s X sessions. Filer/pan_main (you do not need to However, you may be able to place And this is typically the place to launch remember this) and is available for icons on the desktop, even though it is your window manager. You will need to continued use. If you then decide to not GNOME compatible. To enable ROX start ROX before this happens ( in place the modified panel on the right for your desktop, also referred to as the our example): margin, no problem: Pinboard, you can launch the program with the -p flag. You will need to supply #!/bin/sh rox -r=main a name, which means that you can work rox -b=main with multiple sets of desktop icons: rox -p=desktop You use l for left and r for right, t to place exec icewm a panel at the (top) and b to place a rox -p=desktop panel at the (bottom) margin. If you The typical & at the end of a command want to launch a new and empty panel, Your window manager must permit line is not required for ROX – ROX just create a panel with a different name. frameless and transparent windows for happily retires to the background and You can then drag directories and files of this option. releases the that spawned its any type to the panel allowing you to If you have compiled multiple panels process. But there is more! Even though utilize it more quickly (Figure 4). or icon collections, you do not need to ROX is called twice (once as a panel and terminate one element before viewing once again for the desktop icons), it only Ranking the next element at the same position. launches a single instance. ■ You have very little influence on the Just add the element you require. If the icons in your panels; they are organized desktop or panel position is already in INFO from one corner of the panel towards the use, the previous occupant will simply [1] Jo Moskalewski:“A Thousand Words”, center – you get to decide which corner be replaced. To completely remove an Linux Magazine Issue 22,p70 ff and can use your mouse to do so. element you will need to call an [2] Jo Moskalewski:“Background Menu”, However, you can change the order: To unnamed panel, as previously discussed. Linux Magazine Issue 17,p74 ff do so pick up an icon you want to move with the middle mouse key and drag it to For Ever and Ever [3] Jo Moskalewski:“XFCE”, Linux Magazine Issue 13,p76 ff the desired position. To completely If you have come to like the ROX remove an icon from a panel, use the desktop, you will definitely want to [4] Jo Moskalewski:“The Right Type”, right mouse key to open the menu (the launch the desktop automatically. The Linux Magazine Issue 23,p86 ff left key will simply execute the file represented by the icon). If your window manager insists on adding unwanted ornaments to your panels, just add -o to the command for launching ROX (rox -o -t=main). This will not take effect while any ROX windows are open. If your window manager still insists on drawing frames around your panels, although the rox command contains the option -o, you will probably have to live with the fact that the window manager does not permit framless windows. Out of Room? If you need more room for icons than your panels provide, simply use the desktop surface. In this case, you should ensure that your window manger is more Figure 5: A Complete ROX Desktop

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