Subjective XFCE4 Ubuntu Studio Natty 64-bit report

[Ralf Mardorf]

Hi :)

to ensure that issues aren't caused by the kernel-rt I'm testing with
the kernel-generic.

My approach is completely subjective, OTOH I'm familiar with switching
DEs, I'm not accustomed to use one DE only.

First of all, it's a PITA that sometimes even for the vanilla Ubuntu
Studio install GNOME falls back to the WM. Log in and out or reboot will
fix this. I don't have this issue for Maverick. On Maverick I've never
seen the WM, the DE always is active.

Okay, I like the XFCE4 background artwork for GDM more than the Ubuntu
Studio artwork for this usage, but I wonder that GRUB menu and startup
also switched to home entertainment, fortunately I can restore my
customized grub.cfg, that by the way still isn't perfect, but anyway
less iMicrosoftoid than what update-grub2 will cause and btw. my
customized grub.cfg doesn't add imaginary Linux installs. The updater
for earlier releases sometimes added a Windows. On my HDDs there never
ever was any other OS, but Linux, I just used two ntfs partitions, one
was a primary, that never was used for anything, now there's only one
logical ntfs partition kept.

After installing XFCE from packages, GNOME sessions now always starts
with a "Mail Notification Properties" window, that doesn't include an
option to stop opening when a GNOME session is started. That's annoying.

Log out 'Ubuntu Classic (No FX)'
Log in  'Xubuntu Session' for the very first time on this install.

"Mail Notification Properties" window opened, hopefully now for the last
time.

Ugly, by default the Desktop is swamped with HDD icons and a
wastebasket. The light seem is ugly too, e.g. bad shadows and without
the advantages that light seems usually do have compared to dark themes.

I'm gifted to arts and sciences and unfortunately this comes with (let's
call it) "neurosis". Regarding to my "neurosis" I would be unable to use
the XFCE defaults. The grotesque shadows cause physical indisposition.
You're allowed to laugh :D, but I'm serious!

Mouse behaviour is ok, seems to be a little bit sluggish, but anyway,
this is all right. My mouse wheel doesn't work here too.

If I should get rid of all the unneeded desktop icons, I need to edit
the main menu, because it's different to GNOME's main menu and file
management seems to be removed. I fear freedesktop issues when editing
the main menu.

Opening the file manager by clicking ... oh no! ... double-clicking one
of those desktop icons. Switching to single-click by the preferences is
easy and the additional option might be an advantage to GNOME, didn't
tested it jet. Switching between 'show hidden files' and not is ok, but
the single-click doesn't work for icons on the desktop.

The window buttons are on the right side, IMO the correct default, but I
prefer the buttons to the left. Current Thunar 1.2.1 is ok, as weak as
Nautilus, but seems to be not less good.

It's also using PulseAudio.

There's a settings editor and a settings manager.

Until now there's one advantage compared to GNOME. Until now all windows
could be maximized by a button. "Always on top" and vice versa ("Same as
Other Windows") is one option I sometimes need and it's ok.

Setting Editor > xfwm4 > general > multiple-click 'show_frame_shado' and
show_po_up_shadow' enables to disable those shadows. Anyway, the appeal
reminds me at a mix of WM and DE.

Settins Manager > Window Manager > Style > switching from "greybird"
to ... hm? ... let's say ... "Therapy", a therapy might help ... no,
lifelike not really, switching between several themes until now only has
marginal influence to the appeal, for the moment I switched to
'Bluebird', for Appearance I switched to Kiwi, now the colouring still
is ugly, but recognisability became good, as expected for light themes.

Hm? Perhaps I can mix something similar to this, with some other theme:
http://xfce-look.org/content/show.php/Atolm+Unity+Remix?content=141918

A first résumé: Perhaps it's possible to replace GNOME by XFCE, I didn't
really work with it now. Getting a suitable theme that isn't outdated or
isn't simply up to date mainstream, seems to be harder than for GNOME
and IMO it's already hard to set up a theme for GNOME. At the moment I
randomly got a blue-green mix that isn't that bad, but the white/beige
window colour FX are bad. Switching from GNOME to XFCE isn't switching
from one DE to another DE, it's switching from one DE to a less good DE.
I already switched from KDE3 to a less good DE, called GNOME ;).

This desktop issue is similar to the loudness war issue. Old recordings
get remastered to sound louder by less dynamic range, to please entirely
superficial people. For DEs on Linux it seems to be identically. Why
don't get people iMicrosoft, if they prefer this?

I'm a little bit pissed off that KDE4 and perhaps GNOME3 differ that
much to KDE3 and GNOME4. I like progress, especially KDE3 versions
differ much, but KDE4 is a completely different DE.

Hopefully GNOME3 isn't that much different to GNOME2.

I'll go on testing and setting up XFCE, but I'll stop reporting details.

0,02 EUR,

Ralf

PS: Yes, XFDE behaviour and work flow are similar to GNOME.

PS OT: Right now the parcel post delivered XLR to 6.3 jack adapters and
other stuff I ordered yesterday at my semiconductor dealer, they didn't
do the direct debit until now, I still have got the money. This dealer
is a very good dealer, having a kind of monopoly here in Germany,
regarding to fair dealing and prices. They use the German Post aka DHL,
that is known as a bad parcel service here in Germany. They got
relatively less money from me, but the consumer is the boss.
My music dealer already has got the money, I ordered a day earlier and
the postman didn't deliver my sound card and the other needed stuff
until now. This dealer has a kind of monopoly for Europe regarding to
prices and also fair, but less fair dealing and compared to some other
German music dealers, they're seemingly losing their monopoly at the
moment. They send by UPS, in Germany known as a good parcel service.
They already got a lot of money from me and when ordering some days ago
I was a suer. Seems to be time not only to switch the DE, haha.