• Registered: 2011-06-26
  • Posts: 292

Topic: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

Feedback:
Wow#!!!! yikes... I've been through quite a few distros until I ended up here, and I found more than I expected. I am actually amazed.

Suggestion:
Make the wow obvious to the new comer. I didn't see it coming so I was shocked to find all these bonuses (I though I'm in for some lightweight wm-ed debian and that's it), I thought it was some useless fork, thus..

While I stumbled upon #! a month ago, I still kept looking for alternatives. I didn't install it, though I had it downloaded. People have no idea what treasure they stumbled upon at first glance. If it weren't for liquorix, I wouldn't be here today. When I finally installed it I expected something childish. Something unstable (chrunch,, bang.. poffff... booom.... ). But what I found is... genious, elegance, functionality...

...and even a sense of relief.

Someone knows how to create a useful interface. It's like I arrived into a different dimension. Alt-menu for speedy launches. Shortcut keys listed in conky ! Superkey ! Shortcuts to config files !!! It's all about speed... Desktop is gone - it forces you to get organized... it probably makes the system faster too...

Things didn't stop here... I've seen things on the forum too. Smart things again...

On top of it all it works... well, i do have an issue with virtualbox but... that's nothing compared to what I've been through with other distros.

So my point is... DON'T STOP what you're doing. Useful forum... links in the config files ? It all takes the guess work out of the math.

Alt menu could perhaps be beautified... just a tad. How do I change Alt-F3 to ctrl-space ?

You might need a new name too. Spa linux or something. No bang at all linux, better linux,... something like that smile) The ! - is right


(As a side note. I could see software such as: workrave, taskcoach and wikidpad being available at least in the repos. If people here are actually efficient and technically savy...

Wikidpad is hard to find as a .deb... maybe the guys here would be interested in supporting such a masterpiece.)

Something else that you could improve is doing something the screenshots that disappear, expire...

So, simple and effective. Anything else I'm about to discover about #! that will blow my mind ? Anything else I'm in the dark about ? Com'on ! Hit me ! Hit meee !!! I want to hear that bang....

btw... you could get quite some attention if you'd add some witty and smart sound theme to it.  Something minimal.... A crunch sound... something short... actually.... here I go:

something that would sound as a series of keystrokes, with a satisfied snappy Enter on the end. not longer than 1.5 seconds right after login... for example..

I'm in love with #! can you tell ?

Last edited by crunchworksyeay (2011-06-26 23:57:28)

What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer. - Francis Bacon.
  • From: Santa Fe, NM, USA
  • Registered: 2009-09-14
  • Posts: 1,404

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

You want awesome? 

#!Crunchbang does not have a Team of Devs.

#!Crunchbang is the pet-project of one man  >  corenominal

corenominal is the only Developer and Maintainer of #!Crunchbang and the #!Repros.

How's that for awesome.  tongue
.

Last edited by vrkalak (2011-06-27 00:34:21)

Registered Linux User: #497030
LinuxMint Forum | DeviantART page | Lost-in-the-Box Forum  |  Ask.Debian
#!Crunchbang 'Statler' (Openbox) -- LinuxMint-Debian-Fluxbox Edition
  • From: California, USA
  • Registered: 2008-11-29
  • Posts: 8,647

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

@crunchworksyeay - Glad to see you are enjoying #! smile

For the programs you want, at least workrave should be available in the repos:

http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/workrave

For the Alt menu shortcut, if you are using Openbox you just need to edit the rc.xml file and change:

    <keybind key="A-F3">
      <action name="Execute">
        <startupnotify>
          <enabled>true</enabled>
          <name>dmenu-bind</name>
        </startupnotify>
        <command>~/.config/dmenu/dmenu-bind.sh</command>
      </action>
    </keybind>

to

    <keybind key="C-space">
      <action name="Execute">
        <startupnotify>
          <enabled>true</enabled>
          <name>dmenu-bind</name>
        </startupnotify>
        <command>~/.config/dmenu/dmenu-bind.sh</command>
      </action>
    </keybind>

Then just go to Menu -> Settings -> Openbox Config -> Reconfigure

As for a startup sound, you should've heard the sound that was included in 9.04. I don't know if someone has a copy of the sound file though.

Note: ** Please read before posting **

BTW if you wish to contact me, send me an e-mail instead of a PM.
  • Registered: 2009-10-01
  • Posts: 497

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

Just wanted to mention the 9.04 sound, which was awesomeawesome.

i asked a while ago for that sound:
http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/post/101725/#p101725
and here's a link to a wav: http://db.tt/6dZmYPV

eee701/4gb/512ram
  • pvsage
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  • Registered: 2009-10-18
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Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

Apparently wikidpad should be fairly easy to build for Debian:
http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/w … itle=Linux

while ( ! ( succeed = try() ) );
  • From: L5 - DBAA23 - C2187
  • Registered: 2009-11-06
  • Posts: 16

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

original sound (computer sound 1?) and more:
http://www.joelowens.org/space1999/sfx.htm

  • Registered: 2008-11-24
  • Posts: 2,085

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

Welcome to the forums! CrunchBang has made quite a splash for itself, especially when you consider it's a one man project. According to Distrowatch, #! is ahead of Kubuntu, Xubuntu (and even Red Hat!) and closing on Gentoo. smile

  • Registered: 2011-06-22
  • Posts: 12

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

Yeah I'm pretty new here too OP and I was very very pleased with #!. It's simplistic, fast, and neat/orderly which is why it's quickly becoming my favorite distro!

Go big or go home.
  • Registered: 2011-06-26
  • Posts: 292

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

An active forum on top of it all... why am I even surprised.

Exactly because it's a one man project, and also because I read "CrunchBang Linux is not recommended for anyone needing a stable system or anyone who is not comfortable running into occasional, even frequent breakage. CrunchBang Linux could possibly make your computer go CRUNCH! BANG! Therefore CrunchBang Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by applicable law." I almost missed out on #!.

THE ABOUT PAGE MUST URGENTLY BE CHANGED. IT SCARES PEOPLE AWAY.

Associating the name of the distro with "going bang..." is the worst thing possible. It's not funny. This joke made me turn my back on #!. It goes beyond a typical disclaimer and says: "This is a distro with so many issues we've named it after this quality of it". This is WRONG ! I only came back because on the liquorix kernel and by accident ...and found that it has less issues than some other distros I tried...

NOTHING ON THE ABOUT PAGE TALKS ABOUT THE CHERRY ON THE CAKE.

#!'s not crunch bangy at all... it's orderly, it's tailored to suit the efficient. The black and white theme is not poorness of color, or lack of imagination, it's something that shows things are clear cut and we have a non-distracting interface designed for usability. Black backgrounds reduce the power consumption of your monitor and is easier on the eyes. #! makes life easier. We've put brains into #!.

Be positive ! You want to make jokes ? Offer the money back if you can find a more comfortable interface.

Last edited by crunchworksyeay (2011-06-27 09:58:44)

What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer. - Francis Bacon.
  • Registered: 2011-06-26
  • Posts: 292

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

snowpine wrote:

Welcome to the forums! CrunchBang has made quite a splash for itself, especially when you consider it's a one man project. According to Distrowatch, #! is ahead of Kubuntu, Xubuntu (and even Red Hat!) and closing on Gentoo. smile

I heard it's popular, but Ubuntu is popular too... and that I knew I didn't want. Popular isn't enough. People need to know HOW #! is different before they try it.

Last edited by crunchworksyeay (2011-06-27 09:01:05)

What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer. - Francis Bacon.
  • Meik
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  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2011-06-24
  • Posts: 25

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

Hmm...  Perhaps this forum and this community is what it is BECAUSE of this "Disclaimer"...  Perhaps it's exactly that kind of guys who nevertheless (or actually because of) that warning try it and look deeper that make this unusual gorgeous spirit of this community...

For me, as I stumbled upon the #! homepage shortly, I was instantly ATTRACTED by this warning in particular!

Ook!

Meik's Website

  • Registered: 2011-06-26
  • Posts: 292

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

About the sound.

If the visual interface is black and white. Why would the auditive be transparent (mute) ?

It would add to #! to crunchbang's perfection. It would add to the fun - if well chosen. It would make it rounder. Though I think it needs something that sounds more like a square. Something dark - as in deep and low, something bass. Maybe the sound of an engine that springs on. I don't know... wish I had the vocabulary to draw it for you. Something snappy and confident.

Something high-contrast... well defined... nothing noisy.

While I like star trek, that sound isn't a startup sound. It's a "command processed successfully" or unsuccessfully type of sound. The wav offered above could be an error signal. At the very least, it should be something that builds up... but builds up to confident readyness. Not something chaotic like that. I'm not asking you to add clutter, I'm saying - we have a way to make #! even more awesome.

Is there a sound engineer in the house ?!

Is there a thread on this ?... or where should I make one ?

What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer. - Francis Bacon.
  • Registered: 2011-06-26
  • Posts: 292

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

@Meik ...I'm not getting it. Try it because it's defective ?... Huh ? Like going for riddles ?

Shouldn't sid based distros be more fun then ? Tinkering is fun only for those who know where to find the screwdriver. I'm not there yet.

What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer. - Francis Bacon.
  • Registered: 2011-06-26
  • Posts: 292

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

Why #! and not Semplice ? - things like these should be made obvious on the about page...

What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer. - Francis Bacon.
  • Meik
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  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2011-06-24
  • Posts: 25

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

Hmm, I think I never took the statement seriously, I rather immediately liked the humour and irony behind it, and the guy who put this on his site, in capitals...  And it's somehow not only ironic but also true, in a way (isn't it for all distros, or even OS's? ;-)...

Admittedly, I first heard of #! in the comments section of the official release annoncement of Linux Mint XFCE which I actually wanted to install at that time. Several recommendations there (and many more around the web)!

Last edited by Meik (2011-06-27 09:23:24)

Ook!

Meik's Website

  • Registered: 2011-06-26
  • Posts: 292

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

How can I not take it seriously ? You associate your name with trouble despite being based on a stable base ?

recommendations are good if you get them. Other distros are popular too, they have recommendations too.
It's hard enough to find #!... then when you go over to the about page and you're sent away....

People who fall into this trap probably don't come back to complain !!! That disclaimer needs to be fixed. Actually, no. It doesn't need to be fixed - it can stay as it is, defective. But does that fit #! ?

Does anyone agree ? Do I make sense ?

Last edited by crunchworksyeay (2011-06-27 09:56:44)

What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer. - Francis Bacon.
  • Registered: 2010-03-26
  • Posts: 237

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

I think we all know what you mean, this is not the first thread to have this discussion.

Try to look at it from corenominal's POV: the more users the OS gets, the harder it gets to control. The disclaimer helps to keep the user-base small, friendly and knowledgeable, which (I'm guessing) is one reason why he keeps this project going.

I don't think corenominal is interested in a larger market share, he just wants to share the distro he made for himself.

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2011-03-30
  • Posts: 59

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

cchhrriiss121212 wrote:

I don't think corenominal is interested in a larger market share, he just wants to share the distro he made for himself.

And that is, at least in my imagination, why it is so excellent. No one wants you to use #!, but you are welcome if you do.
I see the disclaimer as a sort of initiation. If you use #! regardless of the warning, you won't complain later if you have to sort something out, like driver-problems and the like. If there were a text that only told you how marvelous #! is, you would possibly expect it to run without any problems whatsoever and that is something no OS can do.

The sound at startup would be fine. I just listened to the old one and I like it.

  • scket
  • #! CrunchBanger
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  • From: West Midlands
  • Registered: 2009-01-16
  • Posts: 168

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

I think Corenominal has posted that he likes the disclaimer there so he can sleep at night.
smile
http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … isclaimer/

I use that sound posted above as my sms notification on my 'droid. Love it!
lol

  • pvsage
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  • Registered: 2009-10-18
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Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

crunchworksyeay wrote:

How can I not take it seriously ? You associate your name with trouble despite being based on a stable base ?

1.  The name comes from an alternate pronunciation of the hashbang, which Philip/Corenominal liked for the logo.
2.  CrunchBang used to be based on Ubuntu, but people *liked the old disclaimer* enough to encourage Philip to keep it for the Debian-based versions.
3.  There has to be some kind of EULA, if only to cover Philip's backside.  Why not have some fun with it, rather than using the same biolerplate everyone else has?  The humor definitely fits with Philip's Muppets fetish...which should be obvious from the Statler pic on the home page.

while ( ! ( succeed = try() ) );
  • From: California, USA
  • Registered: 2008-11-29
  • Posts: 8,647

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

crunchworksyeay wrote:

Why #! and not Semplice ? - things like these should be made obvious on the about page...

You realize Semplice is a rather new distro right?

Also #! is corenominal's pet project. It started as a Ubuntu remix and now its a Debian remix. Its not trying to be all things to all people. The beauty of Linux is that there are so many distros, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. If you don't like one, try another, or make your own.

Note: ** Please read before posting **

BTW if you wish to contact me, send me an e-mail instead of a PM.
  • Registered: 2011-03-09
  • Posts: 3,216

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

we find the Holy Grail and then shut up about it. it would ruin its splendor. we tell tales and myths and those who are valiant enough will reach it eventually.

about the sound: i can do sound design, but personally the first thing i do on any OS is turn off the sounds. no matter how cool they are, they are only interesting for a couple of minutes. i loved that #! came without a startup-sound (or error-bleeps or notification-donk or whatever)

Last edited by rhowaldt (2011-06-27 16:25:58)

bash :: @script :: system :: fclean
  • pvsage
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  • From: Section Six
  • Registered: 2009-10-18
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Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

...or navigation-click...as silly to me as the shutter-click noise on a digital camera. roll  When software designers start taking "bells & whistles" literally, I start to worry.

Frankly I blame AOhelL for starting the audio feedback craze...

while ( ! ( succeed = try() ) );
  • Registered: 2011-03-09
  • Posts: 3,216

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

pvsage wrote:

...or navigation-click...as silly to me as the shutter-click noise on a digital camera. roll  When software designers start taking "bells & whistles" literally, I start to worry.

Frankly I blame AOhelL for starting the audio feedback craze...

yeah, same as how i cannot understand key-sounds on mobile phones. don't people get crazy hearing a sound each time they touch something?

bash :: @script :: system :: fclean
  • Registered: 2011-06-26
  • Posts: 292

Re: Excellent distro, but people are in the dark about it...

rhowaldt wrote:

we find the Holy Grail and then shut up about it. it would ruin its splendor. we tell tales and myths and those who are valiant enough will reach it eventually.

Well that explains it. So... this time something like a reversed Occam's law is in action. Usually things are flawed because people don't know better or are negligent; an invisible filter that does it's job, it makes sense... problem is, it filters some of us.

Wouldn't it be easier no to reply, or to reply with a RTFM though ? At least, #! has a manual - or a forum. I don't even know but I get along anyway. Are you sure the people who are supposed to be kept away know what a forum is ? tongue

A larger userbase isn't necessarily a problem. And while I understand what you've been saying, I'm not sure if your point is valid. Sleeping at night is one thing. Making life hard for others by not letting them use the best distro in the world is another thing. Make a "Complaints" subforum and prohibit any postings in it.

about the sound: i can do sound design, but personally the first thing i do on any OS is turn off the sounds. no matter how cool they are, they are only interesting for a couple of minutes. i loved that #! came without a startup-sound (or error-bleeps or notification-donk or whatever)

Agreed. Sounds do get boring. Yet #! deserves a well designed startup sound. I'm not talking about audio feedback... I'm talking about complementing #! I'm talking about making #! whole.

If that means that you need to write a script that randomly stays silent and randomly gives feedback with random sounds, say 4 different error sounds, then who can stop us ? Meik already provided a startup sound here:

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … d-gallery/

...and I'd encourage everyone to "take an ear" at it. And to continue discussing the sound topic there. rhowaldt please take a look.

What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer. - Francis Bacon.