Adjusting looks

[Member iRay]

Hi all,
Let me say I’m very new here and at linux at all. Been trying Ubuntu last 2 weeks and now Elementary for a few days. I have a late 2011 MacBook pro which still runs on High Sierra, but is getting slower and slower. Came across Antix now. Technical side looks very good to me in aspect to speed, CPU usage, user settings, etc. Only thing I have: It looks very much like Windowns as I remember from years ago.
So my question: How much can you change that? I really don’t like that column-popup-menu thing to find all your programs and stuff. And don’t want to put my desk top full of icons ( actually hate that).
I’ll get it that I don’t get to keep an Apple like machine, but can I make enough changes to AntiX to make myself feel at home a bit??

Thanks for any answers.

[Member marcelocripe]

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Hi iRay,

Welcome to antiX Linux and the forum.

If I managed to correctly understand the translation from English to my own language, I believe that the solution created by PPC can serve you very well. The script he created allows you to install the Tint2 toolbar and have several features, accessing all of them through the bar, without having to use shortcut icons on the desktop or access the menus. However, all menus will be available and you can access them when and if you want.

Access this forum page https://www.antixforum.com/forums/topic/antix-transformation-pack-min-fluxbox-with-tint2-toolbar-antix-ft-10/, download the script at https://gofile.io/d/rA8FR6 or https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g3njbppcma87fwp/AADEXZ7RxETYwmIrr0rxCczCa?dl=0, follow the PPC instructions that everything will work correctly.

https://www.antixforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FT10screenshot.jpg

For other changes in appearance, access the Menu, Themes and choose with one click the one you prefer.

I don’t know how to write in English and I will send you my texts translated by the internet translator, I hope you can understand everything.

When you start a topic or participate with a post, remember to check the option “Notify me of follow-up replies via email”.

marcelocripe
(Original text in Brazilian Portuguese)

———-

Olá iRay,

Seja bem-vindo ao antiX Linux e ao fórum.

Se eu consegui compreender corretamente a tradução do idioma inglês para o meu idioma, eu acredito que a solução criada pelo PPC possa te atender muito bem. O script que ele criou, permite você instalar a barra de ferramentas do Tint2 e ter várias funcionalidades, acessando todas elas através da barra, sem precisar utilizar ícones de atalho na área de trabalho ou acessar os menus. Contudo, todos os menus estarão disponíveis e você acessa eles quando e se quiser.

Acesse a página deste fórum https://www.antixforum.com/forums/topic/antix-transformation-pack-min-fluxbox-with-tint2-toolbar-antix-ft-10/, baixe o script no sítio https://gofile.io/d/rA8FR6 ou https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g3njbppcma87fwp/AADEXZ7RxETYwmIrr0rxCczCa?dl=0, siga as instruções do PPC que tudo funcionará corretamente.

(A URL da imagem está no texto traduzido em idioma inglês)

Para outras modificações na aparência, acesse o Menu, Temas e escolha com um clique o que você preferir.

Eu não sei escrever em inglês e te enviarei os meus textos traduzidos pelo tradutor da internet, eu espero que você consiga compreender tudo.

Quando você iniciar algum tópico ou participar com alguma postagem, lembre-se de marcar a opção “Notify me of follow-up replies via email”.

marcelocripe
(Texto original em Português do Brasil)

[Anonymous]

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don’t want to put my desk top full of icons

You can right-click and delete each of the few existing icons.
Also, you can DesktopMenu}Logout and, on the “login” screen, press F1 repeatedly…
choose “icewm” or “min-icewm” as the session type before you login
(or explore the other choices, any without “space-” or “rox-” in the name will provide an icon-free desktop)

Only thing I have: It looks very much like Windowns as I remember from years ago.
[..]
How much can you change that?

You can choose from among many (many!) installable components.
Maybe skim the screenshots shown here —-v
https://old.reddit.com/r/unixporn/new/
and for whichever screenshots show a “look” that appeals to you, read to find out “to achieve THAT look, what program or component do I need?”

I really don’t like that column-popup-menu thing to find all your programs and stuff.

Various installable “runner” aka “finder” programs are available.
For starters, search this forum for topics discussing the “rofi” program…

[Moderator BobC]

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You should say what you *DO* want it to look like if you want the best suggestions…

Give examples. Investigate the names of the packages that produce an interface you like most.

It may well be they will also make your system slow but you won’t know unless you try them. Depending on your level of expertise, they might also take more than you have time, effort and skill to run, also, but it’s worth a try if you are willing to put the effort in.

[Moderator BobC]

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PS: did you try the Fluxbox desktop?

[Member PPC]

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Hi iRay – since you are new to antiX, let me try to give you some tips to costumise it more to your liking:

1- Unlike most OS, antiX come with many interface options: 3 “desktops” (they are thecnically window managers): the default is IceWM, but there is also JWM and Fluxbox.
You can select the desktop you want by selecting it Menu > Desktop…
Each “desktop” has several options the ones starting with “rox” or “space” use Rox or SpaceFM file manager to allow users to have icons on their desktop. If you don’t use desktop icons, choose a “desktop” that starts without “Rox” or “space”…
2- By default every “desktop” is made to resemble a bit WindowsXP – I belive IceWM was made exactly by that very same reason- to a have a very like Windows like interface.
You can choose several options, if you really want an interface that resemble more what you are used to in a Mac… You can choose a Fluxbox desktop, configure it to show the toolbar on the top section of the screen; use Package Manager to install Plank or Tint2- Marcelo has already pointed out tint2- it’s very powerful, and can mimic both Windows 10 toolbar and a Mac’s dock, but it can be a pain to configure. So try out Plank- it’s a simple dock, it just sits there on the bottom, right where you are used to it being…
3- Window decorations- there’s a IceWM theme that mimics MAc’s: “icenoir” (it even features an Apple like logo).
if you are really used to having to close/minimize/maximize icons on the left of the window, there’s a similar IceWM theme called “Thruth ice” that has just that and also has an “Apple like logo)

4- So, my quick advice is:
– Menu > Desktops… > Select “IceWM” (this removes all desktop icons, saves some RAM to boot)
– Menu > Definitions/configurations (sorry, I’m using a localized version of antiX, not sure what that says is English, it’s the light blue gears icon) > “themes” > “Thruth ice” (it has several sizes, pick the one you like best)
– Menu > Definitions > Preferences > taskbar > taskbar at top ; then Menu > Definitions > Preferences > save…; Menu > Restart IceWM – there you are – toolbar at the top, Mac OS like window decorations on the left
Click Package Manager’s icon (the one that looks like a shopping bag) – search for “plank” (without quotation marks), select it, click “install”
-launch “plank” (it can be configured by default to auto hide), so move your mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen to make it pop up.
– add “plank” to your start up config file (search the forum on how to do that), if you want to automatically start it

There you have it- a Mac OS “clone” running on antiX Linux – it does not mimic every single feature of Mac OS interface, but it will probably give you a better user experience…

I didn’t get what you mean by “column-popup-menu thing” – if you mean the “menu”- you are not required to use to launch apps – try out “app-select”- if you like it, add it your toolbar/dock – it’s a window that lists all available app’s, searchable by app name/description. – if you like it, search the forum for ways to add icons to the toolbar or add it to your dock!

Edit; I never really used MacOs (I helped a friend install some sotfware, years ago)
There’s really no way, as far as I know of making the apps’s menu options appear on the toolbar of any antiX Desktop, like they do in MacOS, but, if you want a “clean” toolbar, that does not list all the open windows, you can also do this:
Menu > control centre > Edit IcewM… > “Preferences” tab > Scroll to the end of the text file and paste there:
TaskBarShowWindows=0

Save the text file, restart IceWM- now the toolbar does not list all open windows, you can use the dock to select what window you want to switch to. You loose some functionality – Plank dock only allows you to switch to or close an open window (or pin it to the dock), and nothing more.

Edit2: harder to configure, but there’s a way to mimic MacOs feel using JWM- that does not require you to install plank – but it does require some JWM-fu… You are better off using my previous suggestion. Also, you can try Tint2, and loose some time configuring it to have a better dock (I just noticed Plank glitches when Firefox is running- that does not happen with tint2.
another suggestion is firing up synaptic package manager and search for “dock” – there’s “cairo dock”, that has lots of plug ins, but probably any “dock” that runs on Debian will run on antiX (as long as it does not depend on systemd).

Edit3: Just occurred to me how to fix plank glitchs: install and run “compton” :
To install it, using the terminal:

sudo apt install compton

to run: Menu > Run > compton

If you like the final effect, add compton to your system’s startup, so you don’t have to manually start it every time you restart your system…

I’m not an Apple fan (never owned one of their products), but the end result of this little tweaks does look quite appealing- dispite costing a bit of free RAM, antiX is still quite light running Icewm desktop + plank + compton.

P.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by PPC.
• This reply was modified 2 years ago by PPC.
• This reply was modified 2 years ago by PPC.

[Member PPC]

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I searched on line a bit, about how do people launch applications on MacOS:

-spotlight- app-select, that I previously mentioned works like spotlight- open it, start typing your app’s name, press enter to run it… Search for “Rofi” here on the forum, I recently posted how to install and use that app to launch applications.

-launchpad – antiX has a sort of “poor man’s” launchpad included out of the box, using a program called yad. It’s ugly, but follows the same concept as launchpad:
Menu > Terminal and enter this command there:
yad --icons --read-dir=/usr/share/applications --fullscreen --sort-by-name --undecorated --single-click --skip-taskbar

You can find a better looking version of this kind of app launcher here: http://xlunch.org/

-Applications folder – Launch SpaceFM file manager in the applications folder:

spacefm /usr/share/applications
right click any app’s .desktop file and run it

-use the terminal, if you feel comfortable with it.

Please note that antix has no trash can/recycle bin out of the box – please search the forum to find out how to add that (I posted about that too).

Like mentioned before- if there’s any application you miss in antiX, ask about it here, and folks will try to help you out…

P.

[Member PPC]

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Oh boy, this turned out to be small obsession- this thread will probably give birth to a post about how to configure antiX to look like MacOS (I have a post about how to make it look more like Windows 10).

Just to finish up my tips:
-adding plank and compton to your system startup:
Menu > Control Centre > Edit IceWM … > “startup” tab:
After the first line add these 2 lines (or only the first if you don’t want to use compton), then save the file and restart your session- Plank should load automatically from now on

 plank &
 compton &

– A small optional tweak:
Use (in my opinion much better looking than “Thruth Ice”) “Ice noir” theme with window decorations on the left side of the window:

First, back up the original theme’s default.theme file:
Menu > Terminal >
sudo cp /usr/share/icewm/themes/icenoir-3.3-Small/default.theme /usr/share/icewm/themes/icenoir-3.3-Small/default.theme.BACKUP

Now use ThruthIce config file in icenoir’s theme (that places window decorations of the left side of the window):

sudo cp "/usr/share/icewm/themes/Truth ice-1.0-Small/default.theme" /usr/share/icewm/themes/icenoir-3.3-Small/default.theme

restart your icewm desktop: your “round” window buttons are on the left side of your windows.

Note: I tried this procedure with the “Ice noir” and “Truth ice” small themes – you’ll have to adapt the previous commands if you want to use “Large” or “medium” sized themes

-You can change mouse pointer and the way information is presented inside your windows in:
Menu > Control Centre > Second icon on the right column…

-You can choose a new desktop image, using the first icon on the left column of that main Control Centre Window.

I’m leaving this subject for now, I got into wayyy to much detail!

P.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by PPC.

[Anonymous]

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a program called yad. It’s ugly [by default], but

https://blogs.czapski.id.au/2017/04/yad-styling-a-dialog-with-a-label-and-a-button

[Member userzero]

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iRay wrote:

[…] So my question: How much can you change that? […]

reddit/unixporn

https://www.antixforum.com/forums/topic/icewm-light-rebonito/

[Anonymous]

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https://www.pling.com/

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