| 1 |
nightmorph |
1.1 |
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
|
| 2 |
|
|
|
| 3 |
|
|
<!-- $Header $ -->
|
| 4 |
|
|
|
| 5 |
|
|
<!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd">
|
| 6 |
|
|
|
| 7 |
|
|
<guide link="/doc/en/xfce-config.xml">
|
| 8 |
|
|
|
| 9 |
|
|
<title>The Xfce Configuration Guide</title>
|
| 10 |
|
|
|
| 11 |
|
|
<author title="Author">
|
| 12 |
|
|
<mail link="nightmorph@gentoo.org">Joshua Saddler</mail>
|
| 13 |
|
|
</author>
|
| 14 |
|
|
|
| 15 |
|
|
<abstract>
|
| 16 |
|
|
This guide provides an extensive introduction to Xfce, a fast, lightweight,
|
| 17 |
|
|
full-featured desktop environment.
|
| 18 |
|
|
</abstract>
|
| 19 |
|
|
|
| 20 |
|
|
<!-- The content of this document is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license -->
|
| 21 |
|
|
<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 -->
|
| 22 |
|
|
<license/>
|
| 23 |
|
|
|
| 24 |
nightmorph |
1.2 |
<version>1.1</version>
|
| 25 |
|
|
<date>2007-01-26</date>
|
| 26 |
nightmorph |
1.1 |
|
| 27 |
|
|
<chapter>
|
| 28 |
|
|
<title>Introduction</title>
|
| 29 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 30 |
|
|
<title>The Xfce desktop environment</title>
|
| 31 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 32 |
|
|
|
| 33 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 34 |
|
|
<uri link="http://www.xfce.org">Xfce</uri> is a fast, lightweight desktop
|
| 35 |
|
|
environment for Unix-like operating systems. It is designed for productivity,
|
| 36 |
|
|
and is quite configurable while still adhering to the <uri
|
| 37 |
|
|
link="http://www.freedesktop.org">Freedesktop</uri> specifications.
|
| 38 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 39 |
|
|
|
| 40 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 41 |
|
|
Unlike heavier desktop environments, such as Gnome and KDE, Xfce uses far fewer
|
| 42 |
|
|
system resources. Additionally, it offers greater modularity and fewer
|
| 43 |
|
|
dependencies; it takes up less space on your hard disk and takes less time to
|
| 44 |
|
|
install.
|
| 45 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 46 |
|
|
|
| 47 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 48 |
|
|
This guide will not only show you how to install and configure a minimal Xfce
|
| 49 |
|
|
environment, but will also explore options to create a full-featured desktop in
|
| 50 |
|
|
keeping with the Xfce philosophy: light, fast, and modular.
|
| 51 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 52 |
|
|
|
| 53 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 54 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 55 |
|
|
</chapter>
|
| 56 |
|
|
|
| 57 |
|
|
<chapter>
|
| 58 |
|
|
<title>Installing Xfce</title>
|
| 59 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 60 |
|
|
<title>The basics</title>
|
| 61 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 62 |
|
|
|
| 63 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 64 |
|
|
Before we install our fully-functional yet minimal desktop, let's take a moment
|
| 65 |
|
|
to review the basic packages we'll be emerging.
|
| 66 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 67 |
|
|
|
| 68 |
|
|
<table>
|
| 69 |
|
|
<tr>
|
| 70 |
|
|
<th>Name</th>
|
| 71 |
|
|
<th>Description</th>
|
| 72 |
|
|
</tr>
|
| 73 |
|
|
<tr>
|
| 74 |
|
|
<ti>xfce4</ti>
|
| 75 |
|
|
<ti>The base Xfce desktop environment</ti>
|
| 76 |
|
|
</tr>
|
| 77 |
|
|
<tr>
|
| 78 |
|
|
<ti>xscreensaver</ti>
|
| 79 |
|
|
<ti>
|
| 80 |
|
|
A screensaver with powersaving features and the ability to lock the screen
|
| 81 |
|
|
for security
|
| 82 |
|
|
</ti>
|
| 83 |
|
|
</tr>
|
| 84 |
|
|
<tr>
|
| 85 |
|
|
<ti>hal</ti>
|
| 86 |
|
|
<ti>
|
| 87 |
|
|
A Hardware Abstraction Layer. HAL enables desktop applications to locate and
|
| 88 |
|
|
use hardware devices. This makes it easy for you to work with removable
|
| 89 |
|
|
media, such as USB sticks and CD/DVD drives. Installing <c>hal</c> will also
|
| 90 |
|
|
install <c>dbus</c>, a simple way for applications to talk to each other.
|
| 91 |
|
|
</ti>
|
| 92 |
|
|
</tr>
|
| 93 |
|
|
<tr>
|
| 94 |
|
|
<ti>gamin</ti>
|
| 95 |
|
|
<ti>
|
| 96 |
|
|
This file alteration monitor keeps track of file changes; it's very handy
|
| 97 |
|
|
when used in conjunction with a graphical file browser
|
| 98 |
|
|
</ti>
|
| 99 |
|
|
</tr>
|
| 100 |
|
|
</table>
|
| 101 |
|
|
|
| 102 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 103 |
|
|
You're free to install any other packages you wish, but for now, we'll stick
|
| 104 |
|
|
with these suggestions for a fast, minimal working environment. Double check
|
| 105 |
|
|
your USE flags in <path>/etc/make.conf</path>; you'll probably at least want
|
| 106 |
|
|
<c>USE="-gnome"</c> to avoid pulling in unnecessary dependencies.
|
| 107 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 108 |
|
|
|
| 109 |
|
|
<pre caption="Installing Xfce">
|
| 110 |
|
|
# <i>emerge -avt xfce4 xscreensaver hal gamin</i>
|
| 111 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 112 |
|
|
|
| 113 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 114 |
|
|
Next, add your regular user(s) to the following groups, so that they can take
|
| 115 |
|
|
full advantage of <c>hal</c> and be able to mount and use devices such as
|
| 116 |
|
|
cameras, CD-ROMs, CD-RWs, and USB sticks:
|
| 117 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 118 |
|
|
|
| 119 |
|
|
<pre caption="Adding users to the hardware groups">
|
| 120 |
|
|
<comment>(Remember to replace username with your actual user)</comment>
|
| 121 |
|
|
# <i>gpasswd -a username plugdev,cdrom,cdrw,usb</i>
|
| 122 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 123 |
|
|
|
| 124 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 125 |
|
|
Next, update your environment variables:
|
| 126 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 127 |
|
|
|
| 128 |
|
|
<pre caption="Updating environment variables">
|
| 129 |
|
|
# <i>env-update && source /etc/profile</i>
|
| 130 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 131 |
|
|
|
| 132 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 133 |
|
|
Now start up <c>hald</c> and add it to the default runlevel:
|
| 134 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 135 |
|
|
|
| 136 |
|
|
<pre caption="Starting hald">
|
| 137 |
|
|
# <i>/etc/init.d/hald start</i>
|
| 138 |
|
|
# <i>rc-update add hald default</i>
|
| 139 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 140 |
|
|
|
| 141 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 142 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 143 |
|
|
</chapter>
|
| 144 |
|
|
|
| 145 |
|
|
<chapter>
|
| 146 |
|
|
<title>Configuring Xfce</title>
|
| 147 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 148 |
|
|
<title>Starting Xfce</title>
|
| 149 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 150 |
|
|
|
| 151 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 152 |
|
|
Now that Xfce is now installed, we'll configure it to be the default desktop
|
| 153 |
|
|
environment when we issue the <c>startx</c> command. Exit your root shell and
|
| 154 |
|
|
log on as a regular user.
|
| 155 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 156 |
|
|
|
| 157 |
|
|
<pre caption="Setting Xfce as the default desktop environment">
|
| 158 |
|
|
$ <i>echo "exec startxfce4" > ~/.xinitrc</i>
|
| 159 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 160 |
|
|
|
| 161 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 162 |
|
|
Now start your graphical environment by typing <c>startx</c>:
|
| 163 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 164 |
|
|
|
| 165 |
|
|
<pre caption="Starting Xfce">
|
| 166 |
|
|
$ <i>startx</i>
|
| 167 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 168 |
|
|
|
| 169 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 170 |
|
|
Congratulations, and welcome to your new Xfce desktop environment. Go ahead,
|
| 171 |
|
|
explore it a bit. Then continue reading to learn how you can configure Xfce to
|
| 172 |
|
|
suit your needs.
|
| 173 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 174 |
|
|
|
| 175 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 176 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 177 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 178 |
|
|
<title>Program access</title>
|
| 179 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 180 |
|
|
|
| 181 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 182 |
|
|
You might notice right-clicking on the desktop shows you the menu of all your
|
| 183 |
|
|
applications. It's useful, but your desktop can easily be completely obscured by
|
| 184 |
|
|
open windows, making it hard to to launch a new program. So, one of the first
|
| 185 |
|
|
things you may wish to do is give yourself a handy application menu on your
|
| 186 |
|
|
panel. Right click on this panel, and choose "Add New Item". Scroll through the
|
| 187 |
|
|
list of choices and select "Xfce Menu". You can choose where you want it to be
|
| 188 |
|
|
displayed on your panel. When clicked, it displays the application/preferences
|
| 189 |
|
|
menu, providing a nicely categorized list of your installed programs.
|
| 190 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 191 |
|
|
|
| 192 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 193 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 194 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 195 |
|
|
<title>Sessions & startup</title>
|
| 196 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 197 |
|
|
|
| 198 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 199 |
|
|
If you've installed (or plan to install) popular Gnome or KDE applications such
|
| 200 |
|
|
as <c>k3b</c>, <c>nautilus</c>, <c>kmail</c>, <c>evolution</c>, etc. then you
|
| 201 |
|
|
should make sure that Xfce launches the appropriate services for these at
|
| 202 |
|
|
startup. Navigate to Menu --> Settings --> Sessions & Startup. On the
|
| 203 |
|
|
"Advanced" tab, select the appropriate checkbox. This might slightly increase
|
| 204 |
|
|
Xfce startup times, but it decreases load times for KDE and Gnome applications.
|
| 205 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 206 |
|
|
|
| 207 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 208 |
|
|
Xfce has the ability to save your session settings and running programs from the
|
| 209 |
|
|
"General" tab in the Sessions & Startup menu. They can be automatically
|
| 210 |
|
|
saved when you logout, or Xfce can ask you each time. This feature is
|
| 211 |
|
|
particularly useful for undoing configuration mistakes. Accidentally killed a
|
| 212 |
|
|
panel? Just select "No" when prompted to save your current session, and the next
|
| 213 |
|
|
time you start Xfce, your old desktop is restored. Want to automatically launch
|
| 214 |
|
|
your open webbrowser, terminal, and email client the next time you login? Just
|
| 215 |
|
|
save your session before logging out.
|
| 216 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 217 |
|
|
|
| 218 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 219 |
|
|
You've now got a basic working environment installed and configured. But if
|
| 220 |
|
|
you're interested in doing more, then continue reading!
|
| 221 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 222 |
|
|
|
| 223 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 224 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 225 |
|
|
</chapter>
|
| 226 |
|
|
|
| 227 |
|
|
<chapter>
|
| 228 |
|
|
<title>Additional Applications</title>
|
| 229 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 230 |
|
|
<title>Panel plugins</title>
|
| 231 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 232 |
|
|
|
| 233 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 234 |
|
|
In this chapter, we'll discuss some useful plugins and applications for everyday
|
| 235 |
|
|
use within Xfce.
|
| 236 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 237 |
|
|
|
| 238 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 239 |
|
|
There are many plugins for the panel available in Portage; see for yourself with
|
| 240 |
|
|
<c>emerge --search xfce</c>. Though for the most part their names are self
|
| 241 |
|
|
explanatory, a few deserve some attention, as they are quite helpful. To use
|
| 242 |
|
|
them, simply <c>emerge</c> them. They'll be added to the list of available items
|
| 243 |
|
|
in the "Add New Item" menu.
|
| 244 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 245 |
|
|
|
| 246 |
|
|
<ul>
|
| 247 |
|
|
<li>
|
| 248 |
|
|
<c>xfce4-mount</c> gives you a handy method of mounting devices listed in
|
| 249 |
|
|
<path>/etc/fstab</path> just by clicking your mouse
|
| 250 |
|
|
</li>
|
| 251 |
|
|
<!-- xfce4-taskbar is integrated into the panel in 4.4; remove when stable -->
|
| 252 |
|
|
<li>
|
| 253 |
|
|
<c>xfce4-taskbar</c> can replace the windowlist panel entirely. It's
|
| 254 |
|
|
useful if you want to conserve screen space (for small monitors), or don't
|
| 255 |
|
|
want your desktop cluttered with more than one panel. Add the taskbar to
|
| 256 |
|
|
your main panel, and then you can remove the separate windowlist panel by
|
| 257 |
|
|
running <c>killall -9 xftaskbar4</c> from an xterm, thus displaying your
|
| 258 |
|
|
application launchers, Xfce menu, clock, etc. all on just one panel.
|
| 259 |
|
|
</li>
|
| 260 |
|
|
<li>
|
| 261 |
|
|
<c>xfce4-battery</c> is perfect for laptop users. It displays battery
|
| 262 |
|
|
percentage, time remaining, power source (AC or battery), fan status,
|
| 263 |
|
|
warnings, and can even be configured to execute commands at certain power
|
| 264 |
|
|
levels. This feature can be used to put the laptop into hibernate mode when
|
| 265 |
|
|
the battery is almost exhausted.
|
| 266 |
|
|
</li>
|
| 267 |
|
|
<li>
|
| 268 |
|
|
<!-- xfce4-minicmd has been superceded by verve in 4.4; remove when stable -->
|
| 269 |
|
|
<c>xfce4-minicmd</c> is a small command line embedded into the panel. It's
|
| 270 |
|
|
quicker than opening up another terminal when you want to run a command.
|
| 271 |
|
|
</li>
|
| 272 |
|
|
</ul>
|
| 273 |
|
|
|
| 274 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 275 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 276 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 277 |
|
|
<title>Useful programs</title>
|
| 278 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 279 |
|
|
|
| 280 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 281 |
|
|
Now let's see about adding some useful yet lightweight applications, in keeping
|
| 282 |
|
|
with Xfce's philosophy.
|
| 283 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 284 |
|
|
|
| 285 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 286 |
|
|
First, let's replace the plain, boring old <c>xterm</c> with
|
| 287 |
|
|
<c>xfce-extra/terminal</c>. <c>Terminal</c> is far more configurable and useful
|
| 288 |
|
|
than xterm, and supports Unicode text, pseudo-transparency and accelerated
|
| 289 |
|
|
transparency via Xfce's built-in compositor, all out-of-the-box.
|
| 290 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 291 |
|
|
<!-- Remove the warning about ~arch once 4.4 and terminal go stable -->
|
| 292 |
|
|
<note>
|
| 293 |
|
|
At the time of writing, <c>Terminal</c> may not be marked stable for your
|
| 294 |
|
|
architecture, so you will need to add it to
|
| 295 |
|
|
<path>/etc/portage/package.keywords</path> before emerging it.
|
| 296 |
|
|
</note>
|
| 297 |
|
|
|
| 298 |
|
|
<pre caption="Installing a better terminal">
|
| 299 |
|
|
<comment>(Only run this command if you receive a warning about Terminal being masked)</comment>
|
| 300 |
|
|
# <i>echo "xfce-extra/terminal" >> /etc/portage/package.keywords</i>
|
| 301 |
|
|
|
| 302 |
|
|
<comment>(Otherwise, you can emerge Terminal without any extra steps)</comment>
|
| 303 |
|
|
# <i>emerge -av xfce-extra/terminal</i>
|
| 304 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 305 |
|
|
|
| 306 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 307 |
|
|
Once it's installed, you may want to change the default action of the terminal
|
| 308 |
|
|
launcher on your panel to run <path>/usr/bin/Terminal</path> instead. Just
|
| 309 |
|
|
right-click the launcher and choose "Properties" to change the command.
|
| 310 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 311 |
|
|
|
| 312 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 313 |
|
|
You may want to replace the rather confusing default filemanager, <c>xffm</c>,
|
| 314 |
|
|
with one that's more intuitive and helpful. The <c>rox</c> file manager is
|
| 315 |
|
|
icon-based and behaves much more like a traditional file manager. If you're
|
| 316 |
|
|
looking for something even more minimal, yet still extremely flexible, then try
|
| 317 |
|
|
out the <c>gentoo</c> file manager. (The <c>gentoo</c> file manager is not
|
| 318 |
|
|
related to the Gentoo Linux distribution.) Both file managers are lightweight
|
| 319 |
|
|
and fully configurable, and are only a short <c>emerge</c> away.
|
| 320 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 321 |
|
|
|
| 322 |
|
|
<!-- Remove the note about masked thunar once 4.4 is stable -->
|
| 323 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 324 |
|
|
In the future, <c>thunar</c> will replace <c>xffm</c> as Xfce's default file
|
| 325 |
|
|
manager, but it is still masked at the time of this writing. However, the most
|
| 326 |
|
|
recent versions have been quite useful for daily work, and show great promise.
|
| 327 |
|
|
If you're feeling brave, you can try out the release candidates. Please read
|
| 328 |
|
|
<uri link="doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=3&chap=3#doc_chap3">Using
|
| 329 |
|
|
Masked Packages</uri> to learn how to unmask it and its dependencies. Note that
|
| 330 |
|
|
this software is still unfinished. You have been warned!
|
| 331 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 332 |
|
|
<!-- remove mousepad once 4.4 is stable; right now it's included by default -->
|
| 333 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 334 |
|
|
Let's install a simple graphical text editor. It's easier to use than
|
| 335 |
|
|
<c>gvim</c> or <c>xemacs</c>, and has fewer dependencies.
|
| 336 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 337 |
|
|
|
| 338 |
|
|
<pre caption="Adding a text editor">
|
| 339 |
|
|
# <i>emerge mousepad</i>
|
| 340 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 341 |
|
|
|
| 342 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 343 |
|
|
If you need a full-featured word processor but don't want the bloat of
|
| 344 |
|
|
OpenOffice, try emerging <c>abiword</c>. <uri
|
| 345 |
|
|
link="http://www.abisource.com">AbiWord</uri> is lighter, faster, and is
|
| 346 |
|
|
completely interoperable with industry-standard document types.
|
| 347 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 348 |
|
|
|
| 349 |
|
|
<pre caption="Adding a word processor">
|
| 350 |
|
|
# <i>emerge -avt abiword</i>
|
| 351 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 352 |
|
|
|
| 353 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 354 |
|
|
Need a nice email client/newsreader that isn't as demanding as
|
| 355 |
|
|
<c>mozilla-thunderbird</c> or <c>evolution</c>? Try <c>sylpheed-claws</c>:
|
| 356 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 357 |
|
|
<!-- replacement seems to be called claws-mail, but still in ~arch -->
|
| 358 |
|
|
<pre caption="Adding an email client">
|
| 359 |
|
|
# <i>emerge -avt sylpheed-claws</i>
|
| 360 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 361 |
|
|
|
| 362 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 363 |
|
|
For your internet chat needs, <c>irssi</c> is an excellent, tiny, incredibly
|
| 364 |
|
|
configurable IRC client that runs in your terminal. If you prefer a compact
|
| 365 |
|
|
all-in-one client that handles nearly all chat protocols, you may want to
|
| 366 |
|
|
<c>emerge gaim</c>.
|
| 367 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 368 |
|
|
|
| 369 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 370 |
|
|
If you need movie and music players, look no further than <c>mplayer</c> and
|
| 371 |
|
|
<c>audacious</c>. They can play most every media format available quite nicely,
|
| 372 |
|
|
and have a wealth of additional plugins available for additional functionality.
|
| 373 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 374 |
|
|
|
| 375 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 376 |
|
|
Finally, you'll need a webbrowser. Nearly all graphical webbrowsers require more
|
| 377 |
|
|
resources than most of your other desktop applications. Still,
|
| 378 |
|
|
<c>mozilla-firefox</c> (or <c>mozilla-firefox-bin</c>) is always a good choice.
|
| 379 |
|
|
Alternatively, you may find <c>opera</c> to be quite fast. However, <c>opera</c>
|
| 380 |
|
|
is not available on as many processor architectures as <c>mozilla-firefox</c>,
|
| 381 |
|
|
and it has more dependencies unless you override them with a USE flag.
|
| 382 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 383 |
|
|
|
| 384 |
|
|
<pre caption="Adding a webbrowser">
|
| 385 |
|
|
<comment>(Installing Mozilla Firefox)</comment>
|
| 386 |
|
|
# <i>emerge mozilla-firefox</i>
|
| 387 |
|
|
<comment>(Installing Opera)</comment>
|
| 388 |
|
|
# <i>echo "www-client/opera qt-static" >> /etc/portage/package.use</i>
|
| 389 |
|
|
# <i>emerge opera</i>
|
| 390 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 391 |
|
|
|
| 392 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 393 |
|
|
Now that we've explored some good suggestions for rounding out your desktop
|
| 394 |
|
|
applications, let's see what else we can do to enhance your Xfce experience.
|
| 395 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 396 |
|
|
|
| 397 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 398 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 399 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 400 |
|
|
<title>Graphical login</title>
|
| 401 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 402 |
|
|
|
| 403 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 404 |
|
|
Remember when we added <c>startxfce4</c> to our <path>~/.xinitrc</path>? All you
|
| 405 |
|
|
have to do to get into your desktop is type <c>startx</c> after logging in. This
|
| 406 |
|
|
is fine if you prefer a completely text-based boot and login, but let's use a
|
| 407 |
|
|
display manager that will automatically start Xfce after booting (so that you
|
| 408 |
|
|
can login graphically).
|
| 409 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 410 |
|
|
|
| 411 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 412 |
|
|
First, let's make sure Xfce loads at boot:
|
| 413 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 414 |
|
|
|
| 415 |
|
|
<pre caption="Adding xdm to the default runlevel">
|
| 416 |
|
|
# <i>rc-update add xdm default</i>
|
| 417 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 418 |
|
|
|
| 419 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 420 |
|
|
We aren't quite finished yet. We have to pick a display manager and set the
|
| 421 |
|
|
appropriate variable. Though there are a few choices available in Portage, for
|
| 422 |
|
|
this guide, we'll stick with two display manager options: <c>xdm</c> and
|
| 423 |
|
|
<c>gdm</c>.
|
| 424 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 425 |
|
|
|
| 426 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 427 |
|
|
<c>xdm</c> is speedy and lightweight, but it isn't pretty, and isn't really
|
| 428 |
|
|
customizable. If you'd like to use it, first <c>emerge</c> it:
|
| 429 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 430 |
|
|
|
| 431 |
|
|
<pre caption="Installing XDM">
|
| 432 |
|
|
# <i>emerge -avt xdm</i>
|
| 433 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 434 |
|
|
|
| 435 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 436 |
|
|
Then edit the DISPLAYMANAGER variable in <path>/etc/conf.d/xdm</path>:
|
| 437 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 438 |
|
|
|
| 439 |
|
|
<pre caption="Editing /etc/conf.d/xdm">
|
| 440 |
|
|
DISPLAYMANAGER="xdm"
|
| 441 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 442 |
|
|
|
| 443 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 444 |
|
|
While you can choose to stick with (the rather ugly) <c>xdm</c>, why not try
|
| 445 |
|
|
<c>gdm</c> instead? It's far more configurable, and much, much prettier. First,
|
| 446 |
|
|
let's <c>emerge</c> it. Note that though it has a few dependencies, they're
|
| 447 |
|
|
small, and they're not as nearly as numerous as other display managers.
|
| 448 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 449 |
|
|
|
| 450 |
|
|
<pre caption="Installing GDM">
|
| 451 |
|
|
# <i>emerge -avt gdm</i>
|
| 452 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 453 |
|
|
|
| 454 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 455 |
|
|
Next, change the DISPLAYMANAGER variable to use <c>gdm</c> instead of
|
| 456 |
|
|
<c>xdm</c>:
|
| 457 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 458 |
|
|
|
| 459 |
|
|
<pre caption="Editing /etc/conf.d/xdm">
|
| 460 |
|
|
DISPLAYMANAGER="gdm"
|
| 461 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 462 |
|
|
|
| 463 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 464 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 465 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 466 |
|
|
<title>Beautifying your desktop</title>
|
| 467 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 468 |
|
|
|
| 469 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 470 |
|
|
A little customization of your desktop's appearance can go a long way. Xfce has
|
| 471 |
|
|
all the options you'd expect from a modern desktop environment, font
|
| 472 |
|
|
antialiasing settings, color schemes, dozens of window decorations, themes, and
|
| 473 |
|
|
more. If these aren't enough, it's easy to install third-party themes, icon
|
| 474 |
|
|
sets, mouse cursor themes, and wallpapers.
|
| 475 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 476 |
|
|
|
| 477 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 478 |
|
|
A selection of nice Gentoo wallpapers in a variety of resolutions are hosted on
|
| 479 |
nightmorph |
1.2 |
the <uri link="/main/en/graphics.xml">Gentoo website</uri>. If you're looking
|
| 480 |
|
|
for icon sets and complete Xfce themes, <uri
|
| 481 |
nightmorph |
1.1 |
link="http://www.xfce-look.org/">Xfce-Look</uri> has a huge collection. The
|
| 482 |
|
|
important thing to remember about any third-party eyecandy you download is that
|
| 483 |
|
|
it will usually first need to be unpacked and then installed to the proper
|
| 484 |
|
|
directory. Icon sets go in <path>/usr/share/icons/</path>, and themes go to
|
| 485 |
nightmorph |
1.2 |
<path>/usr/share/themes/</path>; use these directories when you want all users
|
| 486 |
|
|
to be able to access themes and icon sets. Individual users can install themes
|
| 487 |
|
|
and icon sets to <path>~/.themes/</path> and <path>~/.icons/</path>.
|
| 488 |
nightmorph |
1.1 |
</p>
|
| 489 |
|
|
|
| 490 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 491 |
|
|
If you installed GDM as your display manager, take a look at the many GDM themes
|
| 492 |
|
|
available on <uri link="http://www.gnome-look.org">Gnome-Look</uri>. To install
|
| 493 |
|
|
them, you can either unpack and move them to
|
| 494 |
|
|
<path>/usr/share/gdm/themes/</path> on the command line, or you can run
|
| 495 |
|
|
<c>gdmsetup</c> as <b>root</b> and drag'n'drop the archive into the GDM window.
|
| 496 |
|
|
There are some <uri
|
| 497 |
|
|
link="http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php?content=45575">very nice</uri>
|
| 498 |
|
|
Gentoo <uri
|
| 499 |
|
|
link="http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php?content=20071">themes</uri>
|
| 500 |
|
|
available.
|
| 501 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 502 |
|
|
|
| 503 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 504 |
|
|
Finally, Xfce has its own built-in compositor to manage window transparency.
|
| 505 |
|
|
This option can be found in Menu --> Settings --> Window Manager. For best
|
| 506 |
|
|
performance, you will need to be running a graphics card with drivers that
|
| 507 |
|
|
support hardware-accelerated rendering, and you will need to enable
|
| 508 |
|
|
compositing in <path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</path> by adding the following section:
|
| 509 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 510 |
|
|
|
| 511 |
|
|
<pre caption="Enabling composite in xorg.conf">
|
| 512 |
|
|
Section "Extensions"
|
| 513 |
|
|
Option "Composite" "Enable"
|
| 514 |
|
|
EndSection
|
| 515 |
|
|
</pre>
|
| 516 |
|
|
|
| 517 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 518 |
|
|
This is the bare minimum configuration required for Xfce and Xorg-X11. However,
|
| 519 |
|
|
setting up hardware-accelerated rendering depends on your individual graphics
|
| 520 |
|
|
card, and is beyond the scope of this guide. Please see the other guides in the
|
| 521 |
|
|
<uri link="/doc/en/index.xml?catid=desktop">Desktop Documentation
|
| 522 |
|
|
Resources</uri> list to learn about configuring hardware-accelerated rendering
|
| 523 |
|
|
for your graphics card.
|
| 524 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 525 |
|
|
|
| 526 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 527 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 528 |
|
|
</chapter>
|
| 529 |
|
|
|
| 530 |
|
|
<chapter>
|
| 531 |
|
|
<title>Summary</title>
|
| 532 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 533 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 534 |
|
|
|
| 535 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 536 |
|
|
Congratulations on making it this far! You've installed and configured a speedy
|
| 537 |
|
|
desktop environment with a solid suite of applications for your computing
|
| 538 |
|
|
needs.
|
| 539 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 540 |
|
|
|
| 541 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 542 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 543 |
|
|
<section>
|
| 544 |
|
|
<title>Resources</title>
|
| 545 |
|
|
<body>
|
| 546 |
|
|
|
| 547 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 548 |
|
|
Need additional help on configuring and using Xfce? Need more lightweight
|
| 549 |
|
|
application suggestions? Try asking the folks in:
|
| 550 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 551 |
|
|
|
| 552 |
|
|
<ul>
|
| 553 |
|
|
<li><uri link="http://forums.gentoo.org">The Gentoo forums</uri></li>
|
| 554 |
|
|
<li>#xfce on irc.freenode.net</li>
|
| 555 |
|
|
</ul>
|
| 556 |
|
|
|
| 557 |
|
|
<p>
|
| 558 |
|
|
Finally, Gentoo's Xfce team is responsible for making Xfce available in Portage.
|
| 559 |
|
|
Send comments, thanks, and suggestions to <mail>xfce@gentoo.org</mail>.
|
| 560 |
|
|
</p>
|
| 561 |
|
|
|
| 562 |
|
|
</body>
|
| 563 |
|
|
</section>
|
| 564 |
|
|
</chapter>
|
| 565 |
|
|
</guide>
|
Parent Directory
| 
Revision Log