antiX transformation pack – antiX FT 10

[Member marcelocripe]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Hello PPC.

Like FT10, Translate and Debinstaller will always be in my future installs of antiX, and if anyone needs it, I will continue to point to antiX Cloud as the perfect solution for accessing files and folders in the cloud via the file manager.

My suggestion is to include by default Debinstaller in FT10 and include Translate and antiX Cloud in the window that appears right after clicking on the “FT10 – Activate…” menu. All of them will be available with just 3 or 4 clicks.

Robin has already managed to do another “magic” (with a lot of work, I imagine) by finding a way to send all the antiX 21 .desktop files (full 64 bits sysVinit) to Transifex, now the .desktop files that are in the GitLab and that are not yet on Transifex.

– – – – –

Olá PPC.

Assim como o FT10, o Translate e o Debinstaller sempre estarão nas minhas futuras instalações do antiX, e se alguém precisar, eu continuarei indicando o antiX Cloud como a solução perfeita para acessar arquivos e pastas na nuvem por meio do gerenciador de arquivos.

A minha sugestão é de incluir por padrão o Debinstaller no FT10 e incluir na janela que é exibida logo após clicar no menu “FT10 – Ativar…” o Translate e o antiX Cloud. Todos eles estarão disponíveis com apenas 3 ou 4 cliques.

O Robin já conseguiu fazer outra “mágica” (com muito trabalho, imagino eu) ao encontrar uma forma de enviar todos os arquivos .desktop do antiX 21 (full 64 bits sysVinit) para o Transifex, agora faltam os arquivos .desktop que estão no GitLab e que ainda não estão no Transifex.

[Member PPC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Hi, everyone
Version 1,2 final is up for download here: https://gitlab.com/antix-contribs/ft10-transformation/-/blob/main/packages/ft10-transformation_1.2_all.deb

Changes:
– Fixed a few ft10-clock bugs
– Improved the look of the Tiled menu
– Included Cloud, Translate and Debinstaller (any dependencies that Cloud and Translate require will be installed, if the user so wishes at the first time these scripts are run).

Debinstaller is meant to be a simple gdebi replacement, to allow for easy installation of .deb packages from a GUI file manager (associate .deb files with debinstaller in your file manager and you are set)
Cloud mounts any cloud drive and uses your default file manager to access it.
Translate uses the trans command to display a localized version of any highlighted text.

Except for any urgent bug (or the inclusion of new translations) this will be the last version for a while…

I have no idea if (or when) the package in the antiX repository will be updated.

Enjoy,
P.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by PPC.

[Member PPC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Since FT10 development is, for now on hold (no new features will be added) I would like to address what I consider the main missing feature- there is no GUI to edit the “Tiles” on the “Tiled menu layout”. That does not mean that you can’t change any Tile… Here’s a short how-to:

– Open the config file tiles.csv, that’s located in your home folder, in the hidden ./config/jgmenu folder. The fastest way to edit it is: Menu > Terminal and enter this command:
geany ~/.config/jgmenu/tiles.csv
-You will see the config file’s content. There are 21 “Tiles”, divided by 7 lines, 3 Tiles per line. In the config file, each Tile is identified by a number. The first Tile is the one on the top left, the second one is the second Tile on the first line, etc…
There’s a comment line (starting with an # ) that identifies to which Tile the following lines refer to…
So the 2 lines after the line “#Tile1” refer to the very first icon.
The first line after that identifier, starting with “@icon” is the Tile itself, the second line, starting with “@text” is it’s subtitle.
On the line related to the “icon” the first field, that appears after the first comma, is the command associated to that Tile. The last filed, that appears after the last comma, it’s the Tile’s icon.
On the @text lines, the only interesting field is the last one, after the last comma- that’s the Tile subtitle. Do not use more than 9 characters here, or you risk “overwriting” the following Tile’s subtitle, or place it out of the menu.

-Where do you get the command and the icon and description of the app you want to place in a tile?
If you don’t already know all this info, there’s an easy way- using app-select… Menu > Terminal and run this command:
app-select --s
~Search for the app you want to place in a Tile and select it. The terminal window will display, divided by “|”, all the related app’s info:
desktop file (you can ignore this one) | Name of the app (place this in the Tile’s @text line last field, after the last comma)| command that executes the app (you’ll have to place this in the Tile’s @icon first field) then, the icon is the last field displayed on the terminal results (you’ll have to copy that to the Tile’s @icon last field)

Save the tiles.csv file and the changes will take place instantly, when you open FT10’s menu, no restart needed…

Warning 1: don’t forget to back up your tiles.csv file, before editing it!!! Even if you forget to back up the original file, it’s no big deal, see Warning 2, on how to restore it back to the original contents…
Warning 2: Also back up any edits you make to the tiles.csv file- if you run the FT10 configure script (that enables/toggles FT10’s menu layout) the tiles.csv file can be restored to it’s original state!!!

I know, this looks like a very complex procedure, but it really isn’t. Lets see an example.
Change the 7th icon (the “video” player Tile) to Celluloid:

– geany ~/.config/jgmenu/tiles.csv
– app-select –s > search for celluloid and then copy and paste the relevant field until you get this lines in the tiles.csv:

#Tile7
@icon,celluloid,630,141,52,52,2,left,top,auto,#000000 0,/usr/share/icons/papirus-antix/48×48/categories/io.github.celluloid_player.Celluloid.png
@text,,630,190,220,22,2,left,top,auto,#000000 0, Celluloid

Save the text file and you’r done! Check the Tiled menu- oops… For some reason, JGmenu can’t process the original icon…
So, let’s use the terminal and do a
search Celluloid.png

We have another icon available, let’s try using /usr/share/icons/papirus-antix/48×48/apps/io.github.Celluloid.png instead. Replace the icon on the Tile, and you’ll get this:

#Tile7
@icon,celluloid,630,141,52,52,2,left,top,auto,#000000 0,/usr/share/icons/papirus-antix/48×48/apps/io.github.Celluloid.png
@text,,630,190,220,22,2,left,top,auto,#000000 0, Celluloid

Check the menu… and it works!
Hum… probably not such an easy procedure after all, that’s why I wasn’t able to make a GUI for doing this… 🙂
Ok, ok, I took an extreme example, most app’s icons can be added directly to a Tile- probably JGmenu gets confused with the underscore on the original file icon’s name…

P.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by PPC.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by PPC.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by PPC.

[Member Wallon]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Dear all,

The French translation (fr and fr_BE) is done at Transifex.
Thanks to the team for bringing the translations to Transifex.

Best regards,
Wallon

[Member PPC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

@Wallon – many thanks! That will be included (as soon as I figure out how to do it) in the next version!

@All – FT10 1.2 just hit the repos, with the changes I mentioned here: https://www.antixforum.com/forums/topic/antix-transformation-pack-min-fluxbox-with-tint2-toolbar-antix-ft-10/page/12/#post-75530

Enabling Visual Effects:
One small change that was not included in version 1.2 is an easy way to turn visual effects on and off, straight from the menu:
1- On the FT10 enable window, select to install Compton (this has do be done only once)
2- FT10 menu > Favorite Applications… > Click the first button (advanced options) > On the config file that pops open, insert this line, anywhere you want that entry to appear( I advise after the line “### Separate list ##”) -you may translate the text on the start of the line, if you so wish:

Toggle Visual Effects (requires the Compton package), killall compton || compton -f -F -c -e 0.9 -i 1,/usr/share/icons/papirus-antix/48x48/apps/compton.png

Save the file and the new option appears instantly in the menu.

3-Click the “Toggle Visual Effects” menu entry to… well enable (or disable) the visual effects- When you enable Visual Effects, the Compton Compositor starts running, with the default settings I chose for it- this means that you get a small animation when you open or close windows, all windows have a small “shadow”, also the title bar of any window that used the default window decoration is a bit transparent, the toolbar and the menu are also a bit transparent- this does use a little bit of RAM and system resources, but I can freely activate this in my 32bits/1gig of RAM laptop, and it still works speedy as ever (ah ah, well, as speedy as it can).

Warning: please note that the default fluxbox setting used in antiX has some weird choices concerning transparency!!! If you use fluxbox and enable the visual effects, you may prefer to edit some fluxbox settings… (That’s not a FT10 problem not even a Conky problem, it has to do with that window manager defaults)

P.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by PPC.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by PPC.

[Member PPC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

On a personal note, I recently tried to make a comparison between antiX, with FT10 enabled, and one of the most used distros in the World, Ubuntu (in a virtual environment, nor bare metal). Here’s the honest result:
-Ubuntu used way over 1gig of RAM. antix run on little over 100mb of RAM. Ubuntu used a little big more CPU on idle
-Ubuntu’s search field, by default allows the user to search both apps and files. FT10’s menu search field only serchs applications. To search for files (by name or even a word inside a document) you have to click Seamonkey’s icon, on the toolbar.
-Ubuntu allows you to install packages in snap format (even forces that on you). antiX does not work with snaps, but you can install flatpaks (you do have to install the flatkpak package it self first, and add a repository) or appimages freely
-Ubuntu looks great and modern, with a nice work flow- FT10’s work flow, at least to me is great (if you are used to Windows or any major Linux distro, you have almost no learning curve for regular actions, like opening apps, switching betting apps, searching for apps, installing apps, using the web, e-mail, a calendar, etc. But Ubuntu deals much better with multi workspaces (antiX with FT10 works great too, you can switch workspaces with keybinding or using the scroll button on the desktop- I didn’t really implement workspaces on FT10 because probably most users comming from Windows get confused by that… I never really got used to using more than one workspace myself)
-On the applications: Ubuntu has a nice choice of default apps, includes LibreOffice, a Web browser, Thunderbird e-mail client, a nice file manager and nice and simple to use Calendar and to do list apps. antiX matchs those generic features: it come (the full version) with LibreOffice, firefox-esr and Seamonkey Internet Browsers, zzzfm as a fully feature, simple to use GUI (although antiX lacks, by default, a Trash can- you can add one to zzzfm manually, following an how-to available here in the forum), Seamonkey and Claws e-mail clients, Seamonkey calendar and todo list, and a simple calendar (completely unrelated with Seamonkey’s) that can displays daily events (but not set alarms or search for events- like you can in Ubuntu’s calendar – implementing the “search” feature is easy, and I even have a calendar script that does set alarms, I just did not include it in FT10 because Seamonkey’s calendar is way better).
– By default, Ubuntu comes with visual effects turned on- they look great but use system resources. Se my previous post on how to toggle on some very nice looking visual effects on antiX with FT10.
– Installing new applications – Ubuntu comes with a very nice looking Application Store, almost like most people are used to in mobile devices (and, more recently on Windows too). antiX comes with Package Installer – it’s basically a simple app store, that does not show any images (not even the app’s icons) but allows you to search for and install over 100 of the most used apps (it has a huge Browser section, allows you to install localization packs, the latest LibreOffice and Gimp versions, Java, Steam, etc). For all other applications you can install them with Synaptic – one of the best GUI package installed ever devised by any Sentient Being – it gets some getting used to- but it explains everything to you (what dependencies you will have to install, how big will the download be, how much disk space will the packages use). On both systems you can install any application you want without ever needing to use the terminal.
-antiX does not, by default check automatically for updates. You can click the “antix updater” icon on the toolbar to check for updates (you do not have to use the terminal). You can install, from the Package Installer, an application that checks automatically for updates (but you’ll have to make a small edit to a system file to be make it start automatically every time you boot)
– Ubuntu has some great looking Wallpapers- antiX as a few, but also very nice ones- you can download any image you want and easily set it as your wallpaper (that a possibility in any OS, ops, except for “free” Windows 10 and 11 users…). Changing wallpapers is more intuitive in Ubuntu (just click the wallpaper and choose the option to change it). In antiX you have to do it via the Control Center.

All that taken in consideration, antiX with FT10 (and Visual Effects activated) feels in now way inferior to what is (still) the de facto standard of desktop Linux distros, and using less than 10% of it’s system resource, making it able to run effortlessly even in ancient hardware …

P.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by PPC.

[Member ModdIt]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Thanks PPC,
I now use antiX with the FT10 mods as showpiece on my EEPC, very nice work, it makes acheiving a streamlined good looking environment very quick
and easy.
On installing applications, Synaptic also lists what is installed or initialy written to which location in the filesystem, something I often find very useful.

For Fun: Will take a look at making a mac like transformed, transformation pack desktop similar to that of the one created by Emmabuntus.
Cause even more eye boggling when demonstrated, as is windoze users seem to think its somehow a cheat or a video not a script installing software to make the
system look more flash and more easily usable without hours of learning.

OT: Emmabuntus is a very interesting social project, well worth taking a look, the project promotes a meta search engine called Lilo which if installed from
their page brings money for social projects. Search results seem good so will use it alongside Metager as a support option.

[Member PPC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Hi, Moddit – I just tested that distro in a VM – it looks cool – if all you want is to make antiX look like MacOS, a while ago I did a post about that, and if I may say so, antiX with my suggested changes does look and feel like MacOS much more than Emmabuntus- now picture FT10 adapted to look work with some of those changes- with the right visual effects and the right icon set (that is available on-line), antiX can be made to emulate almost all the features MacOS has, except for the universal top bar menu thingie…
If I wasn’t so exhausted from FT10 I would give you a hand- my tip would be start with the procedure I followed in my old post, and adapt it to your liking- then think of a way to script and automatize the process – and then package it- I was only able to create FT10 the way it is now because Xecure handled the initial packaging for me. You may want to download the compressed source code that’s available in FT10’s gitlab (that’s more up to date than the uncompressed code), and work your way up from there- making the package install the dock and app launcher- and any icon set and wallpapers you want to include, then edit the menu and tint2 templates (for example- in tint2- up the toolbar on top, remove the stuff you don’t want to see- like the window list, launchers, buttons, etc). Then edit the “ft10-create” script to auto start the dock you choose, and you’re set… Hum… It’s hard work, even just adapting FT10’s scripts… Good luck, mate! Just ask if you need a hand!

P.

[Member madibi]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Dear PPC,
I tried Antix FT10 for 5 days and I am very happy with it.

My personal evaluations are:
easy of use for former windows players: 10/10;
look: 8/10 (according to my taste it is still a bit spartan – I know that everything has a cost in Mb);
resources used: 10/10,
Evaluation Over All: 11/10 🙂

The only prob concerns the translation of the menù “windows like” (not the tiles one). In fact the titles of the “groups” of menus, the ones on the left, are still in English. (Accessories, Development, Games, Graphics, Internet, etc.)
This fact is rather surprising because I read that the Italian translations are done 100%.
I should point out that this is not a problem for me, but I’ve just installed your FT10 to a person that is new to linux and doesn’t know very well English. May be I missed something..

For me and my future help in installing FT10 I saved your posts 75530, 75555 and 75801 in my “computer aid notes”. I think that it will be a pity to loose it hidden in k of posts: don’t you have a solution for that?

@moddit I am very interested in your project of a package to transform Anrix in something MacOS like. I studied that topic last august, then this January I arrived to my solution using JWM (see post 74796), that avoid the problem described in the post 64110. I wish you the best and many thx for your try 🙂

[Member PPC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

FT10’s “home page” was revamped- a screenshot was added, along with a short explanation on how to install and configure it. You may check it out over at https://gitlab.com/antix-contribs/ft10-transformation/-/blob/main/README.md

@madibi – Many thanks for the kind review!
The localization files are currently available over at https://www.transifex.com/antix-linux-community-contributions/antix-contribs/language/it/ are being worked on (you may have to log into transifex to see them and maybe, help us finish the localization). I’m happy to tell you that the Italian localization is being worked in- although the main “ft10-variables” file is still untranslated (that’s the part about the menu and toolbar tooltips).

Please note that the .deb package does not automatically integrate the localizations- I have to insert them into the source code and then inform anticapitalista, that will then compile the .deb file for antiX and send it to be pushed to the repository… The french localization is already done, but, not to overwhelm anticapitalista with constant updates to the ft10 package, I’ll wait for a while until I add all the localization files to the package.

Please, feel free to suggest any change to FT10 that you think would make it better (I consider all suggestions, even when I don’t follow them- Hi, Marcelocripe 🙂 ).
There are a few visual touches that will probably be included in the next version, along with the localizations, but I have nothing of real importance to add:
-I’ll try to center the tiles vertically
-I’ll try to change the search field size to look better in as many screen resolutions/fonts I can
-I’ll add a “volume” icon to the Volume control window, also maybe a way to direcly access the alsa mixer (I’ll have to think that one over).
-I’ll probably add a “search” button to the Calendar – yes you can add entries to the calendar, just by clicking any date- The current day’s events will show up on the top of the calendar’s window.
-I’ll probably add a .desktop file to toggle (Compton’s) visual effects on and off – that will improve FT10’s visuals a bit, in computers that can handle the small increase in resources usage…

Also, now you don’t need that many notes on how to install FT10, since it’s included in the antiX repository, you can install it from the terminal or Synaptic, as you would any other package!

P.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by PPC.

[Member madibi]

Helpful

Up

0

::

help us finish the localization)

Done! 99% (I din’t translate formulas)
It’s my 1st time that I do this job. I saw in Transiflex that someone will double-check my translations. I hope all is good.
This was a lesson to me: it’s very easy to criticize the work done by the others, but when you are the one that has to make a choice, sometimes you think the double and you are still unsure :-).

[Member PPC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

@madibi – thanks for your localization work!
Yes, we, users are quick to complain when everything does not work as it should, but we usually don’t think how much work it goes into making everything work- and in antiX’s and most Open Source projects, free work.
Even small details like the default “white and black” icons the menu and the toolbar use, were created from scratch (or some were adapted from existing ones) so they are perfectly visible in dark or white modes… And I’m not a visual artist, so I had to struggle with GIMP to achieve those results… I’m not a programmer by trade, so every single script you see (for example, the one that manages the menu favorites, or the one that displays the local weather from wttr.in in your region, in your language) I had to write, by constantly searching on-line how to do what I wanted the script to do.

The FT10 project is now well over 1 year old, and gained more and more features until it reached the point where it is now- where combined with IceWM or Fluxbox it feels and acts like an Desktop Environment – it’s not revolutionary- it does not do anything that hasn’t been done before by many D.E.’s- what it does it trying to achieve similar results to the ones those OS’s have using the least amount of resources- you can’t really run KDE or Gnome on a 32bits/1 gig of RAM laptop- but antiX, with FT10 runs great on it, of you like eye candy, you can even turn on compton and have visual effects like shadows and transparencies.

Probably next month, I’ll try to generate the new .deb package, including all the new localizations. I would like to include the full spanish localization and, at least, a german localization of the basic interface (ft10-variables)
Note; it pleases me to think that, since FT10 will be 100% localized in English, Portuguese, French, and it’s already partly localized to Spanish – it will be able to be used across all the American Continent and in a good part of Africa…

P.

[Member marcelocripe]

Helpful

Up

0

::

It’s my 1st time that I do this job. I saw in Transiflex that someone will double-check my translations. I hope all is good.

Hello madibi.

As far as I know, there is no one who does the proofreading, probably the texts you have inserted in your language will be used. There are other volunteer translators of the Italian language, they have a Telegram group, in which I participate thanks to the automatic translator. If you are interested in participating, please contact Spartak77 via private message here on this forum.

… but when you are the one that has to make a choice, sometimes you think the double and you are still unsure :-).

You’re absolutely right, it’s always a big responsibility to translate someone else’s program into your language, it’s not enough just to translate, you have to build or adapt the texts in such a way that most people can understand the sentences, so communication will be carried out successfully and fully.

It’s great to be part of GNU/Linux, whether translating or helping with tests. Only then can I repay a little of all the good that other people do, whether sharing knowledge, programming or developing.

Welcome to the antiX volunteer translator team.

marcelocripe

– – – – –

It’s my 1st time that I do this job. I saw in Transiflex that someone will double-check my translations. I hope all is good.

Olá madibi.

Até onde eu sei, não há quem faça a revisão, provalmente será utilizado os textos que você inseriu em seu idioma. Existem outros tradutores voluntários do idioma Italiano, eles possuem um grupo de Telegram, do qual eu participo graças ao tradutor automático. Se você tiver interesse em participar, faça contato com o Spartak77 por mensagem particular aqui neste fórum.

… but when you are the one that has to make a choice, sometimes you think the double and you are still unsure :-).

Você tem toda razão, é sempre uma grande responsabilidade traduzir o programa de outra pessoa para o seu idioma, não basta apenas traduzir, é preciso construir ou adaptar os textos de tal forma que a maioria das pessoas possam compreender as frases, assim a comunicação será realizada com sucesso e de forma plena.

É muito bom poder fazer parte do GNU/Linux, seja traduzindo ou ajudando com testes. Só assim eu consigo retribuir um pouco de todo o bem que as outras pessoas fazem, seja compartilhando conhecimento, programando ou desenvolvendo.

Seja bem-vindo a equipe de tradutores voluntários do antiX.

marcelocripe

[Anonymous]

Helpful

Up

0

::

For me and my future help in installing FT10 I saved your posts 75530, 75555 and 75801 in my “computer aid notes”.
I think that it will be a pity to loose it hidden in k of posts: don’t you have a solution for that?

Without a provided hyperlink, I don’t know how to jump to a specific post e.g. #75530

[Moderator BobC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Maybe a good solution would be to combine those posts into a sticky thread post?

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by BobC.

[Author]

Posts