- This topic has 122 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated Oct 18-8:59 am by PPC.
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PPC
@anticapitalista – I just sent a merge request to https://gitlab.com/antiX-Linux/icewm-goodies/-/tree/main/bin?ref_type=heads
Please wait a couple of days before approving it. I tested extensively the changes, but I’ll be happier if at least another set of eyes takes a look at the updated entries…P.
Brian MasinickI toggled the text display; I’m the opposite of you; I prefer to see the text – which in some applications, varies depending on the app and what it displays on the title bar of the app.
I’m pretty happy with the other settings, but it looks like none of the “new stuff”, other than testing it with you and others, is stuff I’m personally interested in; besides, I already know the variables in the icewm preference file.
Let me know what you would especially like to test and I’d be glad to at least try it out. I did already download it.
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Brian Masinick@Mr Masinick – many thanks! If you already tested the toggle text on toolbar option, please take a look at the option to switch IceWM themes (that was completely rewritten) and the option to change toolbar width (that did get a small update)…
Brian MasinickI checked out the wallpaper and theme settings; that works fine and it seems to be a useful addition.
Also added a program to the IceWM start file. That could come in handy.
Finally, I’m running this from a USB of an ISO Snapshot of one of the two antiX installed instances I use – in this case the runit instance, which is the one I use the most. I’m also going to copy the script from here to my two installed antiX instances on this system.
Looks like things are working; anything else I should try to “exercise” a bit more?
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Brian MasinickBrian Masinickswitch IceWM themes (checked)
toggle text on toolbar option (checked)
change toolbar width (checked)Anything else? I’ve tested most of the other stuff in previous changes.
Am I caught up with the latest changes?--
Brian MasinickThanks once again, Mr Masinick – you covered every new/updated feature! I hope anticapitalista now accepts my commit, so every antiX 23 user can have this (I hope) fully featured IceWM Control Centre working – the “themes” part of the script was the one that bothered me the most, because I knew it did not allow users to access “sub-themes”- it was a bit of a pain, but I got it working last night and finished testing this morning.
One of the suggestions I’ll be making to @anticapitalista is adding IceWM’s Control Centre’s icon to IceWM desktop – it will be closest antiX users will get to a kind of “welcome screen” that help them adjust antiX to their personal needs… I think this GUI’s main problem is that new users do not know it’s there… If I replace the final button, the one to manually edit the config files, with a button to run antiX’s Control Centre (or change window focus to it, if it’s already running)- then I think new users are set, having an easy way to access all most all antiX’s settings in a fully GUI way (by this I mean, no need to run terminal commands, even if some apps available in C.C. are cli driven). What do you think about this idea?
P.
Brian MasinickThat’s good. When I start the tool it comes up using the entire workspace. It can be adjusted; maybe that’s the best setting.
Looks good and the tool is able to adjust many of the settings.
(Certainly all of the most common ones)
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Brian MasinickBrian MasinickIf the tool is easier to access that may be a further benefit, otherwise it’s still quite useful.
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Brian Masinick
blur13Maybe include some help/info button that brings up a window explaining what the GUI is actually doing, ie editing icewm pref. override file.
When I was new to antiX, I used the included antiX updater program. It took me a while to realize that all it was doing was running sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade -V. I found that out by looking at the script itself. The whole time before that I thought it must be doing something more than that, otherwise, why would there be a specific program for updating antiX? So a little info button that brings up some sort of documentation along the lines of “this program is the equivalent of running sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade -V in the terminal” would have been nice.
- This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by blur13.
Brian Masinick@blur13 – I always re member the pain it was to start using antiX – it lacked many of the GUI features that I expected any modern (“modern” some 6-7 years ago) should have. I’ve been using computers since the zx-spectrum days, then DOS, then window 3 – windows XP… and Linux Mint.
In antiX I disliked having to use the terminal to check for updates… I did know how to do it… I just did not like not having an easy GUI way to do it. I remember Skidoo telling me that there was a simple GUI to update antiX already – Synaptic – clicking the first button, wait for the repositories to be updated, and then click the second button, to update the installed packages (and if memory serves me right, the third button to apply the updates). I replied that it was too complex for most computer users, that just know how to perform simple tasks. To be fully usable by non geeks, antiX, in my opinion, lacked the closest thing possible to a single-click-updater…
antiX updater, currently does much more than just sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade… If users select the “automatic” upgrade, the script will always select the default answer to any question that appears, that is not always “yes” (anticapitalista himself commented that using the -y flag could be dangerous, so I digged around the web until I found a safer way).
All my scripts, like IceWM Control Centre, just automate stuff that can be performed just by using the terminal or manually editing config files… but you and me are the minority of computer users, some 90% do not like having to do that, and are completely happy clicking away buttons to perform tasks, even if it takes more time.
I use antiX-updater frequently, but I also update from the terminal frequently, I’m at ease with both ways of doing stuff around my computers.Many thanks for the suggestion, but I won’t be changing the script any time soon, unless something unforeseen happens- the GUI is handy for both hardcore users (that know their way around the terminal) and newbies (that run away from the terminal just like the devil running from a crucifix). Advanced users know that antiX is debian based and that they can use apt to manage it’s packages via the terminal… new/basic users don’t know/don’t care about using the terminal, unless they are forced to use it, so I think not many people would beneficent from having the indication that the script uses apt… Maybe in some future update, I’ll find a convinient way to sneak that info in… it can be something simple, like adding that to the .desktop file’s info (so folks that use app-select to learn about antiX’s software learn that info)
EDIT: unlike antiX updater, IceWM control center does point out the option to manually manage the config files, via it’s button on the bottom right…
P.
- This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by PPC.
Brian MasinickI get a LOT done with a ONE character alias command – u – which stands for UPDATE, and that means:
alias u='sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get dist-upgrade; sudo update-grub;sudo apt-get autoremove'--
Brian Masinick
sybok@masinick:
A small improvement to your alias command (closer to something that I use):
sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade && sudo apt autoremove; sudo update-grub
Comments:
1) Fancier ‘apt’ shows progress-bar, I believe apt-get did not.
2) Updating grub is meaningful if a new kernel or a new multi-boot OS was installed (or its kernel updated).
As I learnt on this forum, kernel is not auto-updated in antiX unless one has a kernel meta-package installed.
Hence the ‘update-grub’ would be called unnecessarily in many cases and make the execution of the alias longer.
If anyone plans to use this alias, you may consider whether the ‘update-grub’ is of relevance for you.BTW, I have modified my ‘/etc/sudoers’ file (‘sudo visudo’) to run at least the ‘update’ part without requiring privileges.
Cmnd_Alias UPDATE_CMDS = /usr/bin/apt update, /usr/bin/apt-get update, /usr/bin/aptitude update <username> ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD: UPDATE_CMDSIt reduces the number of cases when a sudo password time-out is reached (especially useful when on wi-fi).
Brian Masinick1) Fancier ‘apt’ — Nala
2) RE Grub and update-grub: those commands are not necessarily intended to be
for anyone else; I was merely sharing alternatives, not to suggest them,
only to show the flexibility and the fact that there are numerous choices
and possibilities available. For ME personally update-grub is a necessity
because I boot five different distributions on this system; at least TWO
of the five get numerous changes every day, and all five do have kernel
changes from time to time.
3) sometimes I tweak my sudoers file; however those who do so should
exercise GREAT caution, particularly those who are already paranoid
about intrusions and institutions trying to capture information;
opening up a system for convenience is a certain way to open it up
for such outside “exploration” and “exploitation”.For the casual user, I definitely would NOT try any of the stuff
I mentioned or the suggestions you just shared; those are ONLY
for people who understand what they do and are willing to take
on risks for the sake of speed and convenience.--
Brian Masinickblur13I usually find it easier to edit /etc/sudoers.d/antixers
You dont really wanna mess with /etc/sudoersAnd if you check out the /etc/sudoers.d/antixers you’ll find that there are quite a few commands that require sudo and therefore a password, but are exempt by being included in this file. You wouldnt be able to shutdown/restart/suspend the computer without typing a password, among other things. In my opinion its ok to add a few more if it makes the system more convenient to use. Especially on a single user system.
- This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by blur13.
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