Desktop Environment switcher (Muppywmchooser)

Under development: PCMCIA, wireless, etc.
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MU
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Desktop Environment switcher (Muppywmchooser)

#1 Post by MU »

Note: this is a TEST-Release!
It might be a good idea, to backup your save-file, especially if you use Muppy 008!
It overwrites several important files of Muppy!

This solution will allow to:

switch to a different desktop environment "on the fly", without restarting X.
New environments can be added by adding a single new configfile.

Definition Desktop Environent in this case:
It can be a full featured, "selfcontaning" Desktop like KDE.
Or a combination of WindowManager, with optionally in addition: Rox Filer, Panel, Conky Systemmonitor.

Before you install, backup /usr/sbin/fixmenus
That will be overwritten.

First you should comment lines in /root/.xinitrc, that run
rox -p
and
setbackdrop
by adding a leading "#".
The launching of the pinboard will be managed by muppydesk if required.

Then install the PET, and exit X.
Now type:
xwin

This launches "xwin muppydesk", that uses JWM as preset.
You will find a new menu-entry:
Desktop - Desktop Environment

If you click on it, you will see a dialog, as shown in the attached picture.
Yours will have less buttons, as you certainly have other windowmanagers installed than I have.
If you click on a button, the desired Desktop should be activated.

------------------------------
Settings:
To add a new desktop, you must add a file:
/usr/local/Muppywmchooser/resource/settings/desk-NAME
Instead of NAME use a short word, like "fluxbox".

It must have such lines:

Code: Select all

Icewm + LXPanel
starticewm
#kill fixmenu rox conky muppypanel lxpanel kicker
/usr/local/Muppywmchooser/resource/killicewm
1
1
1
0
1
0
The lines mean:
1.) The text of the button
2.) the executable to run the windowmanager
3.) Just a comment, describes the following lines shortly.
4.) the command to kill this windowmanager
5.) if Puppys fixmenus shall be used. For examle,KDE or Muppypanel do not need it.
6.) If the Rox-Pinboard is used. E17 and KDE do not use it, so it should not be launched.
7.) If conky shall be launched. KDE cannot display it. E17 shows it in a window.
8.) If Muppypanel (GtkBasic-Panel) shall be used
9.) If lxpanel shall be used
10.) If Kicker (KDE-Panel) shall be used.

It seems to work fine in Muppy 008.3e, and an older Puppy 4 Beta I checked.
But use it at own risk!

If something fails, exit X, and run
xwin jwm
And restore your old "/usr/sbin/fixmenus".

I will check it more detailed within the next days.

If you run Muppy 008.3, you can use an older SFS of Enlightenment DR 17:
ftp://ks301128.kimsufi.com/Muppy0083/EN ... 17_083.sfs (15 MB)
It was made for Puppy 2.15 or so, but works in Muppy.
Maybe also in other Puppys.

Mark
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sunburnt
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#2 Post by sunburnt »

This looks great Mark!
I wondered if WMs could be stopped & started without dropping in & out of X.

Q; Possable to run several WMs simultainiously like they they were multi. desktops?
Good possability that there'd be conflictions between the WM environments?
Each WM manages it's own multi. desktops & that should work normally.
A "Master Desktop Manager" would need to load before any WMs & display your list.
The list would start & stop the WMs independently, not stopping one to start another.
There would have to be hot keys and/or an icon on the top of each WMs desktop that'd popup your WM list.
If gtkBasic can handle it, the buttons for each WM would change text and/or icon to show load/unload.
To load or change to a WM, just click the button, when in the WM click the button to unload.
Or perhaps 2 buttons side by side for each WM, load & unload.

Wacha think?

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MU
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#3 Post by MU »

I wondered if WMs could be stopped & started without dropping in & out of X.
Yes.
The basic concept was described here:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=155550

That is the old version, that still is in current Muppy-releases.
It was not flexible (to add other wms or combinations with panels), and had unnessecary redundant code, but worked for Icewm/jwm.

You cannot run 2 wm simulataneously on the same display.

Try this, while you run icewm:
jwm
You will get:
# jwm
JWM: error: display is already managed
To run 2 wm at the same time, you need 2 displays:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=156051

Alternatively,you can simulate a second display, that runs in a window of display 1, you need "xnest" for this.
http://dotpups.de/dotpups/XServer/Xnest.pup
It displays a short info on how to use it.

Mark
[url=http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=173456#173456]my recommended links[/url]

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sunburnt
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#4 Post by sunburnt »

OR... Perhaps running 2 copies of X, there's probably problems with this as well...
In this case you'd have to switch instances of X instead of the WM, & sharing between WMs probably is a no go.

Q: Mark, have you ever messed with simultainious multi. user desktops?
I think X supports this now & maybe the kernel for supporting the extra keyboards.

The idea s that 1 PC has 2 or more keybds., mice, video bds., & screens for more than 1 user at the same time.
Last I heard up to 5 user seats were made to run from 1 PC at the same time!
With multi processor CPUs & PCs having tons of memory, running 5 user seats is no problem at all.

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MU
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#5 Post by MU »

no, I have no experience at all with that.
Mark
[url=http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=173456#173456]my recommended links[/url]

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