Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 10:26:20 -0700 From: <dteske@FreeBSD.org> To: "'Polytropon'" <freebsd@edvax.de>, "'Matthias Gamsjager'" <mgamsjager@gmail.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: RE: FreeBSD is really great.. BUT.. Message-ID: <01c701cf4398$58e97aa0$0abc6fe0$@FreeBSD.org> In-Reply-To: <20140319160246.a0aec5be.freebsd@edvax.de> References: <CAFNm86TGi5VDznAg3FU%2BVLWD9b3fLo-gA1fzhEhseMZfe2hNuA@mail.gmail.com> <53297C5C.5030608@gmail.com> <CANMDHqce0_4p4Ox7BKAAYyo6pL1wr_TWRJRJ7JJOQzjFMGd2Dg@mail.gmail.com> <CA%2BD9QhsY3-73PDPezby%2BJ-91eRS1KoOi9UPjUiNADtrVUUzNpQ@mail.gmail.com> <20140319160246.a0aec5be.freebsd@edvax.de>
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I will add my personal notes atop Polytropon's... reinforcing the "FreeBSD as a Desktop" concept: > -----Original Message----- > From: Polytropon [mailto:freebsd@edvax.de] > Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2014 8:03 AM > To: Matthias Gamsjager > Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > Subject: Re: FreeBSD is really great.. BUT.. > > On Wed, 19 Mar 2014 13:15:30 +0100, Matthias Gamsjager wrote: > > Well for pure desktop use FreeBSD still doesn't cut it. > > Allow me to add a personal note: > > I'm using FreeBSD _exclusively_ on the desktop since 4.0 for entertainment, > multimedia, development and testing, even though it's a home desktop > computer. I'm more than happy with it because I could do what the "cool > kids" > could do _before_ they could do it, and even _after_ they stopped being > able to do it, even with limited, primitive and el cheapo hardware. > > I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. :-) > I too must be doing something wrong. Been using FreeBSD as a desktop for work, play, fun, since 4.8. Using it as a Desktop right now with FreeBSD 10. Recently for fun, I decided to load up a few different window managers just to see how many choices I had for a desktop environment. Here's what I ended up with (NOTE: I got tired when I hit "w", going from the A-Z on the freshports.org website under x11-wm category): devin@scribe10 ~ $ ls .XSM* .XSM-fvwm2 .XSM-jwm .XSM-new .XSM-sawfish .XSM-xfwm4 .XSM-gnome .XSM-lxde .XSM-piewm .XSM-tvtwm .XSMlock-fvwm2 devin@scribe10 ~ $ ls XSM-profiles/ .XSM-blackbox .XSM-jewel .XSM-oroborus .XSM-sapphire .XSM-windowlab .XSM-fluxbox .XSM-mate .XSM-pekwm .XSM-swm .XSM-flwm .XSM-matwm2 .XSM-phluid .XSM-twm .XSM-icewm .XSM-openbox .XSM-pwm .XSM-w9wm I only made it from A through half of W, so I'm sure if I kept going, I'd have things like windowmaker and anything starting with a latter X-Z. NOTE: I use "xsm" as a tool for choosing which window manager I want to run during login and I use "xdm" as a login screen. I also use other "cool" things like compton, conky, and transset. All of which (including each/every one of the above window managers) run decently with 1GB of RAM or higher (maybe less, but I've got ZFS as a root filesystem on this FreeBSD 10 desktop). > > I am still trying > > to get any form of Eclipse running here in 10Stable. > > Have been using Eclipse previously without any problems, but no experience > on v10. Address the list with more details to improve that situation. > I can similarly attest to running Eclipse, but haven't yet tried to load it onto FreeBSD 10 (running fine on a 9.x laptop). > > The gfx driver lack > > behind (tho we are catching up) and things like GNOME3 etc. it's so > > Linux centric that using a newer WM on FreeBSD is like using a > > smartphone in the middle of the desert. > > You're comparing things and stuff here. Gnome 3 isn't a window manager. > It's a desktop system that is, as you said, quite Linux-oriented, that's why the > port to a different operating system (which FreeBSD is in relation to Linux) > requires time, so functionality is lacking. > There are other desktop systems that tend to work better than Gnome 3, for > example Xfce 4 or LXDE. > Both Xfce and LXDE are quite new, I think LXDE is even newer than Gnome or > KDE. :-) > > If you want to use a _real_ window manager, maybe even a tiling WM, > there's plenty of choice. > I've given a good list of window managers that I've tested to be working as-expected when loaded using "pkg install -y", but for reference, here's there port names and how to invoke them from (say) an XTerm (after which if you like it, you can either make a .xsession file or create an XSM profile): fvwm2-i18n: Port name: x11-wm/fvwm2-i18n How to run/test-drive: fvwm2 & gnome2: Port name: x11/gnome2 How to run/test-drive: gnome-session & NB: For XSM profile, you also need (first) "xhost si:localuser:USERNAME" Joe's Window Manager (extremely fast and light): Port name: x11-wm/jwm How to run/test-drive: jwm & LXDE: Port name: x11/lxde-meta How to run/test-drive: lxsession & PieWM (David Wolkskill's fork of Tom's Virtual WM; a fork of TWM): Port name: x11-wm/piewm How to run/test-drive: piewm & Sawfish (fast and compatible with smproxy): Port name: x11-wm/sawfish How to run/test-drive: sawfish & Tom's Virtual WM (fork of TWM): Port name: x11-wm/tvtwm How to run/test-drive: tvtwm & XFCE4: Port name: x11-wm/xfce4 How to run/test-drive: xfwm4 & Blackbox: Port name: x11-wm/blackbox How to run/test-drive: blackbox & Fluxbox: Port name: x11-wm/fluxbox How to test-drive: fluxbox & flwm: Port name: x11-wm/flwm How to run/test-drive: flwm & IceWM (support smproxy): Port name: x11-wm/icewm How to run/test-drive: icewm & Jewel: Port name: x11-wm/jewel How to run/test-drive: jewel & Mate: Port name: x11/mate How to run/test-drive: mate-session & marco & NB: For XSM profile, you also need (first) "xhost si:localuser:USERNAME" matwm2: Port name: x11-wm/matwm2 How to run/test-drive: matwm2 & OpenBox (supports smproxy): Port name: x11-wm/openbox How to run/test-drive: openbox & Oroborus (Mac Classic look by default; supports smproxy): Port name: x11-wm/oroborus How to run/test-drive: oroborus & pekwm (fast; light; "Orange" and minimalist): Port name: x11-wm/pekwm How to run/test-drive: pekwm & Phluid: Port name: x11-wm/phluid How to run/test-drive: phluid & pwm: Port name: x11-wm/pwm How to run/test-drive: pwm & Sapphire: Port name: x11-wm/sapphire How to run/test-drive: sapphire & SWM: Port name: x11-wm/swm How to run/test-drive: swm & TWM (supports smproxy): Port name: x11-wm/twm How to run/test-drive: twm & w9wm (fork of 9wm): Port name: x11-wm/w9wm How to run/test-drive: w9wm & WindowLab: Port name: x11-wm/windowlab How to run/test-drive: windowlab & Just to name a few. -- Devin _____________ The information contained in this message is proprietary and/or confidential. 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