Minimal DE/WM with desktop icons

[jerramy]

It's been sort of covered before, but I still haven't found a solution I like.  I'm hoping someone has a few good suggestions (or links).

I absolutely love the speed that the default Tiny Core WM boots up.  I can get by without most of the cruft that Desktop Environments provide, but the one thing that kills me is the lack of ability to drag items onto the desktop (or even just links to things, for that matter).

DSL uses fluxbox, but when I tried that WM with TinyCore, no icons. (I saw somewhere that iDesk should be used with it, though that's not a provided extension).

hackedbox didn't do it.  Installing rox-filer didn't do it (though maybe it's possible if I did some magic somewhere).

It was possible in LXDE.  I couldn't drag from the file manager, but I could copy and paste an icon onto the desktop. Even for all that, it seemed more bloated that I was looking for.  XFCE let me drag stuff to the desktop, but it took forever to download all the dependancies, and and everything in it is so SLOW (despite its claims to be fast).

Any suggestions for a fairly minimal way to get draggable desktop icons (that can be drug to and from some file manager), using the available extensions (or externally aquirable with few to no dependancies), that's quick to download and provides a very responsive system?

[jerramy]

Okay, stupid question, but how do I change my window manger?  I don't see it in .xsession, or any other thing I can find in /home/tc .  

Never mind, found it in /etc/sysconfig/desktop

[gerald_clark]

That should be automatically set when the tcz is loaded.

[jerramy]

Yes, it is.  But I have several installed, and want to try going between them.

Also, after having tried the last one I downloaed (which sucked), I wanted to revert to an earlier one.


Currently I'm debating trying to install Rox-Desktop (not a supported extension).  Either that, or I just suck it up and use LXDE or XFCE.

Maybe IceWM and Rox-Desktop (can I do that?)

[tinypoodle]

hackedbox didn't do it.  Installing rox-filer didn't do it (though maybe it's possible if I did some magic somewhere).

Code: [Select]

-S, --rox-session     use default panel and pinboard options, and -n

[tinypoodle]

Currently I'm debating trying to install Rox-Desktop (not a supported extension).  Either that, or I just suck it up and use LXDE or XFCE.

Or you could make an extension request for ROX Desktop in the adequate subforum 

[jerramy]

Thanks, I got Rox-Filer to work using the -S option. 

Annoyingly, it covers up the desktop, preventing me from getting the menu or even the wbar icons.

If I open a window, it'll only stay on top until I click on the background, then it goes behind Rox-Filer.  Only way I can get it back is to kill Rox-Filer.


I'd say it's a sub-optimal solution presently. 

[jerramy]

Opened windows stay on top using iceWM, and having followed the directions for that window manager on the Rox site.

It still covers up the wbar though, and iceWM never did show TCL's pop up menu available in flwm.

[jerramy]

Fixed the problem with Rox hiding other windows by selecting "Override window manager..." in Rox options.  Also, selected "Pass mouse clicks on background to window manager", which gives me the TCL menu.

It now works fairly okay.  I could live with this.

[tinypoodle]

You may need to experiment with 'Compatibility' options on a per wm base.
Hint: If you rest pointer on an option, you will get context help.
It may work better with some wm's than with others.
I have never tried out OroboROX wm, but would expect compatibility to be ideal there.

YMMV

[jerramy]

My understanding is that OroboROX is the window manager for ROX Desktop.  That and ROX Filer essentially make up ROX Desktop (along with a bunch of other nifty tools).

So far my questing for desktop icon managers has come up with:
kdesktop (used by KDE)
Gnome
PCManFM (which is used by LXDE)
XFDesktop (used by XFCE)
ROX Filer

I'm kinda trying to avoid going down the path of KDE or GNOME.

PCManFM is alright, except that it keeps crashing on certain actions.

XFDesktop is pretty nice, but if I run it outside of XFCE, it behaves like a window, just like everything else, with a window bar, and doesn't stay on the bottom.

ROX Filer behaves fairly nicely, except that it just uses links in a file, not actual files in a directory.  On the upside, it keeps track of the icon positions.

If anyone knows of any others, please enlighten me.

[tinypoodle]

ROX Filer behaves fairly nicely, except that it just uses links in a file, not actual files in a directory.  On the upside, it keeps track of the icon positions.

If you refer to the panel and pinboard, the info is stored in xml files, not in links.

[jerramy]

Sorry, that is what I meant.

[curaga]

Well there are "mere" icon managers like idesk and xtdesk, but they don't often support dragging or other file manager actions.

[jerramy]

Yes, you're right, what I want is "drag and drop to desktop", not necessarily just icons. 

Most of the things you pointed to in .../IconMgmt/ were for creating icons on the desktop that launch programs.  Very useful indeed, though not what I'm looking for.  DFM actually does look like what I'm looking for, and its even in the extension list!

It made draggable icons.  It used it's own special desktop directory (not /home/tc/.Desktop), and I couldn't drag onto the desktop (though I can drop files in it's desktop directory, and then they show up on the visable desktop).  The icons are massively hokey, but I'm glad to add another extension to the list of things that support what I want.

Thanks!