(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

I am so used to using Puppy 5.2.8 with Openbox that now that I am trying Precise 5.6.1, I need to learn how to use, configure JWM to my liking. What is the best guide for me to look at. I am hoping there is something in the Puppy forum. I tried searching but there were so many entries that came up, I didn't know where to go.

Thanks in advance!!

Hello, rmcellig.

How about http://joewing.net/projects/jwm/config.shtml ?
However, you'll need a good computing dictionary and all your wits
about you, because that doc is extremely difficult to understand.

I am doing this only as a curtesy, because, all should know this by
now, the best window manager is undoubtedly pekwm !
https://www.pekwm.org/

Regards

musher0

Thanks Musher0!!

So it looks like jwm is not the easiest guide to understand. You mention another window manager that you prefer to jwm. Is it possible to replace what precise puppy comes with, with the one you mention? What is involved? You have really peaked my interest

If I can find something that is better than jwm that I can try out, that would be great.

Btw what is so great about pekwm. I'd really like to know why you like it so much.

Thanks again!!

My pleasure, rmcellig!

Long story short, pekwm has:

• a list of running programs that you call by left click
  the plain text menu is easy to edit by the user
  you're informed when you change desktops
  20 functions to modify the size, length, width, borders, etc., of a running window
  about as many key combinations to go from one desktop to the next, call the console, iconify, 7/8 full screen from top, remove/put back the title bar, etc., etc.

With just a little more know-how,

• you can have the sub-menus stand on their own
  tweak key combinations to command almost any aspect of the wm
  or call commands you specify.

This forum has a couple of threads on pekwm, with ready-made pets:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 84&t=81062 (in French)
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 84&t=80137 (in English)

Happy exploring!

musher0[/list]

Thanks!! I'm hoping on trying it out in precise 5.6.1. I'm sure it must be possible to switch WM's. I'll checkout the links you mentioned.

What puppy distro do you use? I don't see pekwm in the repos. Is there a .pet available? I am currently bouncing between puppy 528 and puppy precise 561. There are things I like in 528 that I don't see in 561 like WMswitcher and pupcontrol.

Hello, rmcellig.

I am currently using pekwm on wary 5.5 and WheezyPup 3.5.2.5. I also
used pekwm successfully in dpup 4.85 and lupu 5.25.

There are no pekwm pets in the Puppy repos, AFAIK. You should be able
to find the latest pekwm pet by going to one of the threads mentioned
above and working your way backwards (for the latest pekwm pet).

The latest pekwm is referenced here: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 363#697360

You'll also need the menu kit from here: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 363#651224

That entire page could be useful, too.

Happy pekwm'ing!

musher0

PS. As to the WMswitcher and pupcontrol programs you mention, if the
Puppy version does not have those programs, well, it doesn't have it.
Those are not included in a window manager.

In particular, no window manager that I know includes an utility to start
another window manager. That would be like Coke advertising Pepsi --
impossible, a no-no!

As to a pupcontrol program, one that I like is the one from MyWolfe, at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mywolfe ... t/download.
But there are of others referenced on this forum, and that you can be re-
discover with the forum search engine.

I hope this helps.

Have a great day!

Sounds great! Thanks for the help!

My pleasure!

just kibbitzing multi-wm switchers exist such as..

plogout does the 'clean-break' method with a fast gui interface (it's more for several wms if you swing that way)

and there's also the hot-swap option for some wms like pekwm.

As to the op topic, joe's help page is more of a general reference for puppians - updated info for the latest version(s) is in the man created at compile-time. For sure it's somewhat dense, even if you man2html it.

On the other other hand, pekwm's help page is extensive and fairly easy to follow, with examples and so on

Joe's help page is comprehensive, but it's pretty straightforward. Puppy has split jwmrc into several files, notably jwmrc-personal, jwmrc-tray, and jwmrc-theme. Say you want to increase the size of the clock font in the tray... you would add this to jwmrc-theme: ...and to change the clock format? Joe's help page says "See strftime(3) for more information"... apparently that's a reference to some external source, because strftime(3) is nowhere else on the page. Why, it's a function from the Linux man page. Try this in jwmrc-tray: How did I know which setting to put where? Well, I didn't, (if you read the documentation closely, Joe tells you) I just kind of guessed and checked. It helps to be able to reload JWM quickly; put this in jwmrc-personal: Now ctrl+alt r restarts the wm. Tinker with it for a while, and you'll pick it up rather quickly...

Hello, "session".

Thanks for the tips concerning the appearance of the clock in jwm.

I find this interesting in your post:
> How did I know which setting to put where? Well, I didn't, (if you read the documentation closely, Joe tells you) I just kind of guessed and checked.

Not all users will be as patient and perseverent as you are. The problem with the jwm docs is that Mr. Wing seems to thing that users are at his level. The docs do not have enough simple examples showing how to implement the choices he makes available. And if the user cannot use the choices for lack of a good quantity of simple examples in the docs, poor Mr. Wing is losing his time inventing them, 'cause the users won't be able to use them.

One other block in making jwm accessible to the average user, is the use of XML language. XML is not easy to learn for most people.

After trying to figure jwm out for a while, I decided it was too "high and mighty" for me, too "snobbish" in a way (hey! I'm a fairly intelligent guy! why is this Mr. Wing making me doubt about my intelligence?) , so I turned to more accessible window managers : icewm and pekwm, and it turned out they had more features anyway.

Just my 2 cents. (And good luck with your jwm, of course.)

musher0

Fair enough.

Though, the world of Linux documentation is often dryly written. You look at the available options, you see how Puppy implements it, and you experiment from there.

Actually you can have Openbox in Precise Puppy, even with a utility to switch between any window managers you have installed:

OpenboxPlus (Lxpanel/Tint2)
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=86206

Openbox-P (FBpanel)
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=86290

PupControl is an app by Radky, you'll find it along with his other utilities here (note that PupShutdown is already included in OpenboxPlus):
http://www.smokey01.com/radky/PupMates.html