• Registered: 2009-04-14
  • Posts: 4

Topic: Openbox vs XFCE

Sorry if this has been debated to death before, hopefully somebody will clarify this for me.

What exactly are the diferences/advantages of OpenBox, XFCE over each other? If i am newish to #! ( Moving over from ubuntu, i am getting a relatively old machine, and my work is mostly ssh sessions, python, ruby, html, database development, reason why i am moving to #! ), which of the 2 should i choose?

Thanks in advance

  • omns
  • #! Die-hard
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  • From: non-local
  • Registered: 2008-11-25
  • Posts: 4,406

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

Some light reading smile

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … x-vs-xfce/

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … n-openbox/

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … tler-isos/

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … ame-speed/

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … x-vs-xfce/

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … r-openbox/

A Creative Commoner | My images at Google+ | A Waldorf Review

Silence is sometimes the best answer - Dalai Lama.
  • From: Ontario, Canada
  • Registered: 2009-06-29
  • Posts: 1,420

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

Wow omns, thanks for doing that for me... lol

just call me...
~FSM~
  • Symon
  • New member
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  • From: St.Helens UK
  • Registered: 2011-03-01
  • Posts: 7

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

Only just started on #! but Openbox is the desktop I've always been looking for and I love it. .
Have #! installed an 2 desktops and a laptop so far. So...from a newbie point of view do I still need xfce installed or can I use the package manager to get rid of it and save some disk space - esp on the old vaio laptop?

  • Registered: 2009-10-01
  • Posts: 497

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

probably an easy "sudo apt-get remove xfce" will do the trick. wink

eee701/4gb/512ram
  • From: Nagoya, Japan
  • Registered: 2009-01-07
  • Posts: 1,955

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

xfce's a meta-package so removing it will change nothing unfortunately. You'd have to remove all the apps you don't need individually. Don't forget that even the Openbox version of Crunchbang uses Thunar (the Xfce file manager), and xfce-power-manager... possibly other xfce stuff. Are you so short of disk space? You'd only be saving maybe 1~200MB or so at a guess.

John
------------------------
( a boring Japan blog , and idle twitterings )
“Good morning sir, which way up would you like your reality today?”  "As it comes, Jeeves, as it comes..."

johnraff's Website

  • From: Chattanooga TN
  • Registered: 2009-09-13
  • Posts: 483

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

I think that if you use aptitude (sudo aptitude remove xfce) that will remove all the packages that xfce depends on that nothing else does... or you could definitely do an apt-get remove and then apt-get autoremove. afaik.

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
  • omns
  • #! Die-hard
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  • From: non-local
  • Registered: 2008-11-25
  • Posts: 4,406

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

Symon wrote:

can I use the package manager to get rid of it and save some disk space

Xfce uses very little disk space. I wouldn't worry about it. As mentioned CrunchBang uses elements of Xfce in the openbox version so removing them might cause problems for you.

A Creative Commoner | My images at Google+ | A Waldorf Review

Silence is sometimes the best answer - Dalai Lama.
  • Symon
  • New member
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  • From: St.Helens UK
  • Registered: 2011-03-01
  • Posts: 7

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

thanks for the advice people...I'll leave it were it is.

  • Registered: 2009-10-01
  • Posts: 497

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

I installed the XFCE version first and then OB with the CB-welcome script. but since I've been using OB primarily, I think about doing a reinstall with the statler OB version to keep problems at a minimum. (I am short on diskspace)

eee701/4gb/512ram
  • From: Saanich, BC, CAnada
  • Registered: 2011-04-11
  • Posts: 136

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

Personally, I like both Openbox and Xfce.  But, as I said in another post, I am partial to Xfce just because it's easier to set up a keyboard layout switcher.  In my case, it's because I need to be able to type using the Polytonic Greek keyboard layout.  I know that's a bit of a rarity, but that's because of my studies.

I would have a much harder time choosing between the two if it wasn't for that one issue...

Mind you, if anyone knows how to make an Openbox keyboard layout switcher that could include the Polytonic Greek keyboard layout, I'd like to know about it!

~*~  M_Mynaardt  ~*~
  • Awebb
  • #! Die-hard
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  • Registered: 2009-07-23
  • Posts: 2,471

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

M_Mynaardt wrote:

Mind you, if anyone knows how to make an Openbox keyboard layout switcher that could include the Polytonic Greek keyboard layout, I'd like to know about it!

I'm not sure what the chosen DE has to do with what keyboard layout you set up. Could you provide some enlightenment? I don't see the connection.

I'm so meta, even this acronym
  • Registered: 2011-02-08
  • Posts: 516

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

^I think he's talking about the little applet that you can get in the xfce panel that lets you quickly switch between keyboard layouts.

  • Registered: 2011-02-22
  • Posts: 425

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

M_Mynaardt wrote:

Mind you, if anyone knows how to make an Openbox keyboard layout switcher that could include the Polytonic Greek keyboard layout, I'd like to know about it!

Well, actually a friend of mine has the same needs as yours and he came out with a useful guide that explain many ways to write Polytonic Greek with linux, including Openbox.
You can find the guide here: http://linux4netbook.blogspot.com/2010/ … linux.html but there's a problem: is only on ours Italian blog...no English translation, I'm sorry.

Maybe you can try to look at the autostart proposed by my friend!

Milozzy's Website

  • From: Saanich, BC, CAnada
  • Registered: 2011-04-11
  • Posts: 136

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

Awebb wrote:
M_Mynaardt wrote:

Mind you, if anyone knows how to make an Openbox keyboard layout switcher that could include the Polytonic Greek keyboard layout, I'd like to know about it!

I'm not sure what the chosen DE has to do with what keyboard layout you set up. Could you provide some enlightenment? I don't see the connection.

I just need to be able to switch keyboard layouts quickly so I can type Polytonic Greek (for studying the ancient Greek language and all that).  Xfce allows me to do that quickly, but I haven't figured out a quick and easy way to change keyboard layouts in Openbox nor LXDE.

I know not many people would need something like that, of course.

~*~  M_Mynaardt  ~*~
  • From: Saanich, BC, CAnada
  • Registered: 2011-04-11
  • Posts: 136

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

bobrossw wrote:

^I think he's talking about the little applet that you can get in the xfce panel that lets you quickly switch between keyboard layouts.

Yes, that is correct!

I've not been able to find such an applet in LXDE nor Openbox.  Which is a pity.

It's nice to quickly switch keyboard layouts so I could type things like « χαίρετε, ὧ φίλαι » ("greetings, oh friends") when needed.
big_smile

Last edited by M_Mynaardt (2011-04-14 14:14:52)

~*~  M_Mynaardt  ~*~
  • From: Saanich, BC, CAnada
  • Registered: 2011-04-11
  • Posts: 136

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

Milozzy wrote:
M_Mynaardt wrote:

Mind you, if anyone knows how to make an Openbox keyboard layout switcher that could include the Polytonic Greek keyboard layout, I'd like to know about it!

Well, actually a friend of mine has the same needs as yours and he came out with a useful guide that explain many ways to write Polytonic Greek with linux, including Openbox.
You can find the guide here: http://linux4netbook.blogspot.com/2010/ … linux.html but there's a problem: is only on ours Italian blog...no English translation, I'm sorry.

Maybe you can try to look at the autostart proposed by my friend!

It's hard for me to follow that one, since I know no Italian!  sad

But I'll see if I can pick out some useful bits from it...

~*~  M_Mynaardt  ~*~
  • Registered: 2011-02-22
  • Posts: 425

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

I can understand and I am sorry...maybe try with google translate.
The key points are 

setxkbmap -option grp:switch,grp:alt_shift_toggle,lv3:ralt_switch,terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp it,de,gr

for the autostart.sh and the fbxkb package, a sort of applet for the system tray for easily change keyboard layout.

Milozzy's Website

  • From: Saanich, BC, CAnada
  • Registered: 2011-04-11
  • Posts: 136

Re: Openbox vs XFCE

Milozzy wrote:

I can understand and I am sorry...maybe try with google translate.
The key points are 

setxkbmap -option grp:switch,grp:alt_shift_toggle,lv3:ralt_switch,terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp it,de,gr

for the autostart.sh and the fbxkb package, a sort of applet for the system tray for easily change keyboard layout.

Right on, thanks.

I'll check those out...

~*~  M_Mynaardt  ~*~