# A movie-like desktop - HOWTO (DRAFT)

## Janne Pikkarainen

Hello,

Whilst having a horrible toothache I got this idea about creating a desktop which would be familiar from scifi-movies. You know, the blinking lights and all the eye-candy stuff. Usually I'm using xfce4, fluxbox, Gnome or KDE, but this time I decided to give Windowmaker a try. So I created a toy-account (movie) to my box and let it roll. Just for kicks.

This is _very much_ work-in-progress, as I started this thing less than two hours ago, but decided to follow the golden "release early, release often" rule. Feel free to suggest how to make this thing more cool, how to make more programs support this, how to automate things I currently align & do by hand, how to make this under different windowmanager, or whatever you may have in mind.

So here we go, I won't write very detailed instructions before I've heard comments from you, fellow Gentoo-users.  :Smile:  Please bear in mind that currently this is "optimized" for my 1280x1024 desktop and my Final Destination(tm) is to have a movie-like desktop which interface would still be at usable level. And also remember that usually I'm after usability, not eye-candy, so that's why this stuff is unusual to me. Just for change I wanted to try this, and I think this is a great opportunity to learn something new. Please help me with this!  :Smile: 

A MOVIE-LIKE DESKTOP - HOWTO (DRAFT)

============================

Downloading & Installing required software

--------------------------------------------------

1) Get Windowmaker: emerge windowmaker

2) Get Windowmaker-themes: emerge windowmaker-themes

3) Get rxvt: emerge rxvt

4) Get gkrellm: emerge gkrellm

5) Get root-tail: emerge root-tail

6) Download CoplandOS-theme from www.muhri.net (for gkrellm)

7) Unpack CoplandOS to your ~/.gkrellm2/themes/

Starting programs

---------------------

1) Change your theme to "Cold" by right-clicking your desktop and selecting Appearance --> Themes --> Cold. 

2) Start root-tail with "root-tail -color green -g 80x50+0+100 -shade /var/log/messages" (or whatever logfile(s) you want to follow)

3) Start rxvt with "rxvt --inheritPixmap -fg white -fn fixed +sb" (I changed that to be my default rxvt via the WindowMaker control panel, the greenish icon on the right-hand side of your default WindowMaker-desktop)

4) Move your new window to position of your choice and after that right-click its titlebar & disable titlebar and all the other visible stuff via Options. Save. Apply. Enjoy.

5) Start gkrellm with "gkrellm"

6) Change your gkrellm theme to CoplandOS by right-clicking gkrellm and selecting Theme-->CoplandOS.

7) If you want, add some themes to your gkrellm: there are plenty of them available at Gentoo Portage.

At this point you are free to suggest how to continue with this theme, or if you are already created one, please point me to it.  :Smile: 

Things I'm going to integrate with this toy (at least):

- 3ddesktop (for 3d switching between desktops)

- tdfsb (for 3d file browser, as seen in Jurassic Park)

- Some fancy applets... I'm not sure, but something like 3dload provided a rotating 3d object indicating the current system load - the faster the object rotated, the higher was the load.

- Some fancy background effects... ideas, anyone?

- Superkaramba-like more interactive background-desktop-stuff.

And if I'm taking completely wrong direction by starting with WindowMaker, please say it.  :Smile:  This is gonna be a nice toy project...

----------

## oisch

hehe I like this idea!

But have you ever noticed that in movies all the good guys use apple and the bad guys are using windows? (Apple pays good money for this practice, as I've read)

At least I have never seen a movie with a Linux desktop. Or did I miss anything?

----------

## Janne Pikkarainen

Oops, sorry fellas - almost forgot to post a screenshot about what this pet project currently looks like.  :Smile:  Please be nice to my poor server, as it's only a P166 MHz / 48 Mt / SLOW ide-drives oldie...

http://jaba.mbnet.fi/pictures/movie_theme.jpg

----------

## Janne Pikkarainen

 *oisch wrote:*   

> hehe I like this idea!
> 
> But have you ever noticed that in movies all the good guys use apple and the bad guys are using windows?
> 
> 

 

Yes, I've noticed that. In some old movies they're also using Amigas.  :Smile:  And some recent movies (Matrix Reloaded nmap scene) could be anything...

 *oisch wrote:*   

> 
> 
> At least I have never seen a movie with a Linux desktop. Or did I miss anything?

 

Right now I don't have any links to movies with Linux desktop but I'm pretty sure there are already some of those. And you never know, maybe those fancy-looking UI mock-ups are already created with Linux, since modifying and customizing everything up to your taste is very easy with Linux.

----------

## SmackMyBishop

Antitrust.

The good guys, and even the bad guys I think all used Gnome desktops.

It was a cool movie to boot.

----------

## TGL

Any idea for a "Jurassic Park"-like desktop? Remember, in the first movie, the young-but-brilliant-intelligent-à-la-Spielberg girl looks at a screen full of 3D boxes and she exclaims "I know this system, it's Unix!"   :Shocked: 

Maybe 3DFM and 3Dwm could make this possible   :Wink: 

Oh, and also, does somebody remember what is the hacker's desktop in "The Score"?  When I've seen the movie, I've thought it might be Enlightenment, but I was not sure...

----------

## carambola5

 *TGL wrote:*   

> Any idea for a "Jurassic Park"-like desktop? Remember, in the first movie, the young-but-brilliant-intelligent-à-la-Spielberg girl looks at a screen full of 3D boxes and she exclaims "I know this system, it's Unix!"  
> 
> 

 

I remember someone telling me that the program that was shown in that movie was actually a legit security package created before the movie.  We all know the movie came out when computers weren't all that great at on-demand 3D stuff, so it must've been a pretty uncommon piece of software suitable only for big-time corporations.

But yeah, the girls exclamation is most definitely stupid.

----------

## snakü

That Jurassic Park desktop actually was/is a real desktop for SGI's version of UNIX, IRIX.

check here:

http://www.sgi.com/fun/freeware/3d_navigator.html

you can download it, but the site says that its only for IRIX 5.3 and below.

----------

## bssteph

 *snakü wrote:*   

> That Jurassic Park desktop actually was/is a real desktop for SGI's version of UNIX, IRIX.
> 
> check here:
> 
> http://www.sgi.com/fun/freeware/3d_navigator.html
> ...

 

http://fsv.sourceforge.net/

Linux compatible clone. Makes for decent show-off material to all your Windows friends.

----------

## OneOfOne

i'm currently using kde-3.1.3 but wouldn't e17 by the closest to those movies? (i havn't used it myself)

just a thought  :Smile: 

good work, i'll try it tonight  :Smile: 

peace

----------

## viperlin

for a virual 3D filesystem i like to use TDFSB

----------

## Janne Pikkarainen

I made a very minor change: I added tdfsb to my desktop. See it here: 

http://jaba.mbnet.fi/pictures/movie_theme_030831.jpg

In the picture you can see how I'm surfing around the portage directory via tdfsb.  :Smile: 

----------

## jesterspet

I don't know how it was done, but a former co-worker of mine had his winamp visualisations running in the root window of his Gnome desktop. 

It looked like his desktop was animated.  Pretty cool effect.  If someone knows how this is done in Gnome (or can be done in WindowMaker), I think you could be a bit closer to your desired Movie-OS effect.

----------

## Janne Pikkarainen

 *jesterspet wrote:*   

> I don't know how it was done, but a former co-worker of It looked like his desktop was animated.  Pretty cool effect.  If someone knows how this is done in Gnome (or can be done in WindowMaker), I think you could be a bit closer to your desired Movie-OS effect.

 

Hey, thanks for the idea! I think that in WindowMaker this could be accomplished by starting xmms, selecting a nice visualization plugin, run it in a window, resize window to some cool size & move it to desired position and then remove all the window decorations, titlebars and stuff via WindowMaker menus.  :Smile:  Will try it soon.

----------

## TGL

 *jesterspet wrote:*   

> I don't know how it was done, but a former co-worker of mine had his winamp visualisations running in the root window of his Gnome desktop. 

 

This can also be done with any screensaver, which is also cool...:

```
/usr/lib/xscreensaver/xmatrix -root
```

----------

## Janne Pikkarainen

 *TGL wrote:*   

>  *jesterspet wrote:*   I don't know how it was done, but a former co-worker of mine had his winamp visualisations running in the root window of his Gnome desktop.  
> 
> This can also be done with any screensaver, which is also cool...:
> 
> ```
> ...

 

Thanks for the tip! This thread is already a great learning-experience.  :Cool: 

----------

## koala

 *TGL wrote:*   

>  *jesterspet wrote:*   I don't know how it was done, but a former co-worker of mine had his winamp visualisations running in the root window of his Gnome desktop.  
> 
> This can also be done with any screensaver, which is also cool...:
> 
> ```
> ...

 

For kicks, do this with the Real Slick Screensavers. 

I think "The Score" (Edward Norton, Robert de Niro, IIRC) had what looked like an X11 desktop, but I don't remember now. The 'hacker' was shown playing Q3 too...

----------

## TGL

I didn't know this screensavers, some are really splendid. (For those who wonder if it is in portage, answer is yes. The package is called "x11-misc/rss-glx".)

About "The Score", I've watch the divx again, but I don't really know what the desktop are. There are several, probably real, X11 desktops, which are all different. But the only one we can see full screen is much more simple, probably a fake. 

And there is a Tux mascotte one top of one of the computers.  :Wink: 

----------

## jesterspet

Just found something that my be interesting for the Movie-OS.

http://electricsheep.org

Fractal images generated by distributed computing displayed as a screensaver.

Combining this with the desktop root window idea, I think it may have some great geek potential!

----------

## red_over_blue

Another cool effect is using mplayer with the --rootwin option, thus playing the movie on the root window.

This looks especially cool with a matrix reloaded trailer running with --loop 0 (infinite) as your background.

This only works with certain -vo options, such as xv and x11 (man mplayer for more info)

----------

## charlieg

Another incredibly cool background is XPlanet.

With this you can have rotating planets with orbiting satellites as your desktop.

[img:da451ea04b]http://xplanet.sourceforge.net/Images/IoFromMercury.png[/img:da451ea04b]

[img:da451ea04b]http://xplanet.sourceforge.net/Images/EarthFromMoon.png[/img:da451ea04b]

----------

## charlieg

Just to follow up to that, you can add cloud maps and weather notes, as well as recent volcanic activity... it's pretty versatile and very cool.

Note to self: must upgrade computer to be able to have xplanet running all the time.

----------

## Janne Pikkarainen

Thanks again for all your suggestions.  :Smile:  I will try these tonight!

----------

## tukem

Why this topic is in "Documentation, Tips & Tricks"?

----------

## rezza

hmm... using /usr/lib/xscreensaver/xmatrix -root doesn't work for me... neither does any other screensaver...  :Sad:  anyone have any idea why not? the terminal i tried from just sits there doing nothing 'till i ^C it.

----------

## proxy

rezza, using kde?  cause kde has a fake root window which prevents these thigns from working too well  :Sad: 

proxy

----------

## TGL

I think you'll have the same issue with Gnome if Nautilus desktop is enabled.

----------

## nephros

Just a tip to make it more "realistic":

remember to use RIDICULOUSLY LARGE FONTS for all dialog windows.

Also, remember to use two-by-four sized status bars.

On login screens, ACCESS DENIED must be in large red flashing letters, and can be circumvented by typing in "override" or "upload bypass" somewhere.

Here are some more suggestions.

----------

## Garbz

 *tukem wrote:*   

> Why this topic is in "Documentation, Tips & Tricks"?

 

every post looks like a tip to me   :Rolling Eyes: 

----------

## nephros

 *Garbz wrote:*   

>  *tukem wrote:*   Why this topic is in "Documentation, Tips & Tricks"? 
> 
> every post looks like a tip to me  

 

from dictionay.com:

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> trick, n. : 
> 
> 1. An act or procedure intended to achieve an end by deceptive or fraudulent means. See Synonyms at wile.
> ...

 

Most of these apply to the topic, don't you think   :Smile: 

----------

## tukem

I guess if one looks up the dictionary definition for "trick" this is the correct  place. I would however like to keep this area clean from these relatively useless projects so that "Documentation, tips & trics" would contain useful information (docs and tips).

Finding useful information from the forums is already a pain so it would be great if one area contained only really useful stuff. This is by no means the only topic that doesn't have very much information. A topic about don't do "emerge -C python" is a good example. It doesn't really require much brains to know this without somebody telling it.

But all this is oftopic so I'll just shut up and let the big boys handle this.

----------

## curtis119

I downloaded all the trailers( including the 4 animatrix movies), from the matrix website and use xine to display them on the root window. It is the coolest thing in the WORLD!!!!!!!!! It barely even uses any resources, except when the movie changes. 

I turned off the sound after the first 2 hours though. It was interfering with my audio stream.

COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

----------

## Vanquirius

 *proxy wrote:*   

> rezza, using kde?  cause kde has a fake root window which prevents these thigns from working too well 
> 
> proxy

 

Yep... Does anybody have a way of doing it? I just love KDE too much to give it up for this reason...

BTW, this thread is an excellent idea. If you don't like it, don't read it.

----------

## Janne Pikkarainen

Ok fellas, here's the latest screenshot from me.  :Smile:  Messy and everything, but hey, that's the case in movie screens, too.

http://jaba.mbnet.fi/pictures/movie_theme_030907.jpg

I know this may not be the most useful thread around, but I think that many of eye-candy tips presented here can be used in normal desktop use too, and then it suddenly can be useful... at least I use a bit of eye-candy whenever I'm converting someone from Windows to Linux.  :Smile: 

Edit: Whoops, forgot to mention that the blue rectangle in bottom left corner is supposed to be mplayer playing The Matrix trailer, but screenshotting it seems to be tricky. How to take screenshots from mplayer, anyone?

----------

## pmatos

I have a similar desktop with the earth on the background, Police skin for gkrellm and I advise gdesklets which is beautiful eyecandy.  :Very Happy:  Try it and love it!

Oh, and I don't like the 3d win manager.. not very useful.

 *Janne Pikkarainen wrote:*   

> Ok fellas, here's the latest screenshot from me.  Messy and everything, but hey, that's the case in movie screens, too.
> 
> http://jaba.mbnet.fi/pictures/movie_theme_030907.jpg
> 
> I know this may not be the most useful thread around, but I think that many of eye-candy tips presented here can be used in normal desktop use too, and then it suddenly can be useful... at least I use a bit of eye-candy whenever I'm converting someone from Windows to Linux. 
> ...

 

----------

## Janne Pikkarainen

 *pmatos wrote:*   

> I have a similar desktop with the earth on the background, Police skin for gkrellm and I advise gdesklets which is beautiful eyecandy.  Try it and love it!
> 
> 

 

Ok, will try gdesklets.  :Smile: 

 *pmatos wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Oh, and I don't like the 3d win manager.. not very useful.
> 
> 

 

Granted, it's not very useful, but that kind of thing was used in Jurassic Park 1 so that's why it's included in my screenshots.

----------

## TenPin

I'm not too fussed about having a movie like desktop, I like my desktop to like like this:

http://basic-rip.co.uk/tenpin/tenpin-desktop-4.png

BUT, I would like my login screen to look like they do in the movies. I boot up to the console, login then run startx so I don't want to modify XDM/KDM/GDM but I would like a funky console login.

When I have an overwhelming abundance of free time I intend to rewrite the login program to do something funky but in the meantime does anyone know of anything already available ?

I was thinking of something along the lines of Matrixesque ascii art/animation or even centered text that appears 1 character at a time as it does in many films.

----------

## JanErik

I find CDE window decorations and Motif widget style to be more movie-like...

----------

## curtis119

 *TenPin wrote:*   

> 
> 
> BUT, I would like my login screen to look like they do in the movies. I boot up to the console, login then run startx so I don't want to modify XDM/KDM/GDM but I would like a funky console login.
> 
> When I have an overwhelming abundance of free time I intend to rewrite the login program to do something funky but in the meantime does anyone know of anything already available ?
> ...

 

Try using the framebuffer with splash. It makes your console very cool. It doesn't work with the 2.5 or 2.6 series kernels yet though.  :Sad: 

how-to https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=49036&highlight=framebuffer+splash

support https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=52290&highlight=framebuffer+splash

There are so many apps available that work with framebuffer I sometimes don't even bother starting X.

----------

## telex4

 *proxy wrote:*   

> rezza, using kde?  cause kde has a fake root window which prevents these thigns from working too well 
> 
> proxy

 

You can do this...

K--- Pref s----Look & Feel ----Desktop ---- Behaviour --- Programs in desktop window

Though I haven't got mplayer to work yet using --rootwin, and windows tent to "scrub" away the screensaver on the background, which rather ruins the effect of many screensavers.

----------

## Garbz

Ok has anyone seen "The Italian Job"  Now Seph Green had a Dell Latitude there with an interface which really looked the part.

Black measurements on the left hand side and right hand side.  Now asside from the actuall structual details of the house and the fact that everytime he logged into a different computer the interface still looked the same, the deskotp itself seems workable.

I could imagine rather than numbers having gkrellm scaleing the entire length of the left wall.  And on the right have the menu / panel / dockapps all with a back / marone interface.  In the middle have an awesom looking terminal.  

I think it would be best to use afterstep or a step derrivative for that, but fluxbox might work too depending on how the slit can be worked on the right hand side.

Once i get some free time i'll invest into working an interface like that.  But it should be really easy to do.

----------

## Roguelazer

EDIT: Oops. I hit reply before noticing that there was a 2nd page.   :Embarassed: 

PS: Hey, has anyone made 3dwm work? All I get is 

```

ExpatParser.cc: In constructor `ExpatParser::ExpatParser()':

ExpatParser.cc:66: invalid conversion from `void*' to `XML_ParserStruct*'

ExpatParser.cc: In destructor `virtual ExpatParser::~ExpatParser()':

ExpatParser.cc:72: invalid conversion from `void*' to `XML_ParserStruct*'
```

Over and over again...

----------

## Garbz

considering the current state of 3dwm (as far as i know it's far from incomplete / stable) i'm not surprised at the errors.

----------

## kannX

hi, try entrance as login manager, the matrix-theme looks realy cool

ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" emerge x11-misc/entrance

edit your /etc/rc.conf, set DISPLAYMANAGER to entrance

and start xdm

----------

## rezza

 *telex4 wrote:*   

>  *proxy wrote:*   rezza, using kde?  cause kde has a fake root window which prevents these thigns from working too well 
> 
> proxy 
> 
> You can do this...
> ...

 

Actually, I'm using Gnome 2.4... anyone know how to stop nautilus from hogging drawing the desktop? i'd love to be able to run stuff like screensavers and movies as my background...

----------

## curtis119

 *rezza wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Actually, I'm using Gnome 2.4... anyone know how to stop nautilus from hogging drawing the desktop? i'd love to be able to run stuff like screensavers and movies as my background...

 

use gconf editor(gnome-panel>applications>system tools>configuration editor) and turn off the following keys:  "/apps/nautilus/preferences/show_desktop", "/desktop/gnome/background/draw_background". If you start Nautilus from the commad-line make sure to use "nautilus --no-desktop".

----------

## rezza

thanks, curtis119  :Smile: 

----------

## ranmakun

 *telex4 wrote:*   

>  *proxy wrote:*   rezza, using kde?  cause kde has a fake root window which prevents these thigns from working too well 
> 
> proxy 
> 
> You can do this...
> ...

 

I couldn't make this to work either, other programs work in the background, like xplanet.

This is what I did: First, in the control pannel I went to desktop and clicked on "programs on desktop window", then I went to background in themes & appearance -> background in the KDE control pannel, then I set "Mode" to background program, and there I added a new program and under command I added the following line:

mplayer -rootwin -vo xv /path/to/movies/animatrix.avi

When I click accept, I start hearing the sound of the movie but I see no video, so, I dont know. Is that command ok?, I think this way it should work.

----------

## curtis119

ranmakun,

I haven't used KDE in a while(about 9 months) but I -believe- that you need to remove the --rootwin option from mplayer. KDE sets that option for you when you set "Mode" to background program. Try it and see if that works.

----------

## ranmakun

curtis119, that didn't work, since I get a video in full screen; but, I discovered that if I kill kdesktop it works, so it's kdesktop that is bothering. The problem it that I get no icons in the desktop or wallpaper   :Confused: 

I was thinking in something like a movie in a corner that ocupies 1/4th of the screen and have my icons in the rest of the desktop. Maybe it's not possible.  :Crying or Very sad: 

----------

## curtis119

That is tricky. There has to be a way though.

----------

## daha

great thread indeed .-]

Im going to mod my fluxbox soon with basic addons like idesk & fluxter.

----------

## ranmakun

Ok, this is what I was thinking about, I made this in a few minutes, so it's not very well done.

It's my actual desktop but I added a TV picture (the first one I found in google pics) and I would like to play movies there.   :Very Happy: 

I'm sure there are others that will have more imagination.

[img:038dbd4db6]http://kaori.com.ar/idea.jpg[/img:038dbd4db6]

What do you think?

----------

## Moled

nice  :Smile: 

you need the ultimate movie tool

xtraceroute \o/  :Razz: 

----------

## vlack

Another great terminal is Eterm. I do 

```
Eterm --trans --shade 75
```

 and my Eterm is readable even on a bright part of the background... whereas with rxvt, you had to keep the term off of the brighter areas of your background image. I looked in rxvt's man page for a 'shade' option, and there wasn't one, but it's possible that they called it something else  :Smile: .

----------

## vlack

@TenPin: what's the terminal that you're running? It looks like you've got tabs.. is that correct?

----------

## nephros

someone has to make a xine skin out of the TV in ranmakuns shot. pleeeease!

----------

## vlack

I saw that you had rxvt running with top in a window in the borrom right corner. Is there any way to run that actually on the "root" window, like with root-tail? I don't seem to be having any luck with pipes or anything like that, but I don't really know what I'm doing. Thanks

----------

## dr_strange

try this:

Eterm --scrollbar false --buttonbar false -x --trans --font-fx none --exec top

----------

## vlack

I can get rxvt to do the same thing (sort of...).

The difference is that root-tail is not moveable or resizeable or anything -- it just is a bit of your background that happens to be able to scroll text. I want top to be on the background like root-tail can be. 

Is that possible?

----------

## Garbz

vlack on the subject of tabs they are part of the the Fluxbox / blackbox / whatever box style wm he's using.  I think he's running 5 eterms and the window manager has grouped them and tabbed them

----------

## AGM

Hi!

Here is my "movie-like" desktop... It's fluxbox with a theme I've done some months ago to match a xmms theme...

[img:ef33ef9363]http://www.agm-homepage.de/gentoo/movie_desk/TheLogin_Blue_thumbnail.png[/img:ef33ef9363]

- This is the blue version -

[img:ef33ef9363]http://www.agm-homepage.de/gentoo/movie_desk/TheLogin_Green_thumbnail.png[/img:ef33ef9363]

- This is the green version -

Here are the xmms-themes (sorry, that I can not give credits to the theme-author, but I can't remerber where I found the themes...)

Blue

Green

And here are the fluxbox styles:

Blue

Green

----------

## nephros

"battlecat" kernel?   :Very Happy: 

Oh, man the eighties. I'm having flashbacks already.

----------

## AGM

Yeah, my other machines are named: skeletor and gwildor   :Very Happy: 

----------

## xavior2180

i used this type if desktop for a really long time now, before i saw this thread.  i just don't like bright desktops.

for those of you who use wmaker, you can easily get rid of the docs at the top left and top right, thus, having absolutely no icons whatsoever.

in .xinitrc:

```

wmaker --no-dock --no-clip

```

----------

## Cicero

Anybody have any idea how to get a program to run in the root window on XFCE? mplayer, xscreensaver, root-tail, etc.

----------

## noff

 *Cicero wrote:*   

> Anybody have any idea how to get a program to run in the root window on XFCE? mplayer, xscreensaver, root-tail, etc.

 

xfdesktop blocks the root window.

Nope but I did figure out how to use xplanet for the background.   :Very Happy: 

Write a script to generate the background using xplanet and the second item is to do xfdesktop to regenerate it.

----------

## Cicero

I just changed the startup script to not run xfdesktop. Problem solved! Uh . . . sorta. Is there another way to get the run program prompt?

----------

## nephros

 *Cicero wrote:*   

> I just changed the startup script to not run xfdesktop. Problem solved! Uh . . . sorta. Is there another way to get the run program prompt?

 

Alt-F2?

----------

## atom

 *Cicero wrote:*   

> I just changed the startup script to not run xfdesktop. Problem solved! Uh . . . sorta. Is there another way to get the run program prompt?

 

executable is xfrun4.

i don't run xfce4, but boy i like that run dialog.  :Smile: 

----------

## SDGR406

Assuming you use the panel there is a plugin to incorporate 'run program' capability.

```

[ Results for search key : xfce4-minicmd ]

[ Applications found : 1 ]

 

*  xfce-extra/xfce4-minicmd

      Latest version available: 0.2.0

      Latest version installed: 0.2.0

      Size of downloaded files: 179 kB

      Homepage:    http://www.xfce.org/

      Description: Xfce4 panel command line plugin

```

It is basically just a text box you enter a program name into. It will accept parameters as well, so if you were to type something like 'scite ~/file.txt' it will open said file in said program. I find it quite handy.

----------

## Cicero

 *nephros wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Alt-F2?

 

That would be it. Thanks.

----------

## arand

This may not be that big of a tip but most people that see this thinks it is neat.  

```
emerge xpenguins
```

This make penguins run around on your tesktop and on top fo your window borders.

I have one questions.

In fluxbox how would you embed a terminal like the root-tail does?

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## Trevoke

*bump*

Does anyone have any more ideas on this? It's been over a year, surely things have improved, eh?  :Wink: 

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## bonginc

just wanted to *bump* this again it looks like a great idea lol 3 years later though oh well

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## alamuru420123

Awesome thread ... Thanks for bumping it guys. Some far out ideas on this thread.   :Very Happy: 

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## truc

 *OneOfOne wrote:*   

> i'm currently using kde-3.1.3 but wouldn't e17 by the closest to those movies? (i havn't used it myself)
> 
> just a thought 
> 
> good work, i'll try it tonight 
> ...

 

e17 in 2003   :Rolling Eyes:  really ?

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