Oh My! Has The Dock Revolution For Linux Begun?!?

Originally posted by GreySim@Oct 4 2003, 01:55 AM

:woot:

That program of yours looks nice, richardve.  I've been thinking about how to go about writing a program like that myself...

What exactly is it for though?  I mean, what GUI does it(/will it) make widgets for?  GTK?  QT?  If your program covers GTK and Metacity, I can stop making my brain hurt figuring out how to go about making such a program. 

Thanks

Well, lets start with some history; last year, I wanted to create a complete widget style + windec for GNOME2. I found it was very hard to do, and thought it could be much much much easier (looking up style properties for the Gtk pixmap engine is not a nice thing to spend your time with).

At that time, I was also trying to learn Gtk+ (and other GNOME API's), so it was a nice way to bring that knowledge into practice. The result was UniTheme.

However, because I got less free time to spend after that and I sort of lost interest in the GNOME-like API's, I decided to put the project in my virtual refrigerator for a while.

Though I used to be a GNOME(2)-man (and still am), my interest in KDE had been awoken once again, which also made me do some experiments with Qt and the KDE API's (once again, I had used Qt before I became a GNOME(2)-man, but it sucked quite badly at that time (KDE-1/2 period)).

Anyway, because I'm now using Qt instead, I've renamed the program to 'Appearance'.

It may get renamed back to UniTheme some time in the future, but I actually like the current name better. I guess it will all depend on what the people out there think about these names

And yes, it was and still is meant to provide a cross desktop solution (the program uses Qt only, extensions for integration with both GNOME/KDE will be optional, like support for native file dialogs, etc). That is; a very easy way to theme/skin Gtk+ 2.x, Metacity, Qt 3.x/4.x, KWin and perhaps some time in the very far future: Wine (uxTheme), Mozilla/XUL and other themable toolkits.

I've also become a bit more wise now, and decided that all of this should be implemented as a library or daemon (like Windows XP, which uses a service for the theming stuff) so resources can be kept as low as possible (ie. using shared pixmaps across multiple toolkits/desktops, or perhaps by letting X or Cairo or DirectFB draw into a given window instead of letting a toolkit query for pixmaps (which is slower because it requires an extra copy operation and less possible acceleration using video hardware)).

This standard could be comitted to freedesktop.org, but all that is very far away from today, so don't get too excited yet

What I'm trying to achieve with this program is to make theming for the Linux desktop even easier than it currently is on Windows (using programs like Style Builder) by making it more WYSIWYG-like.

Example: using Style Builder you can't interactively modify those image margins (have to use some numeric input fields for that) - using Appearance you will be able to do that interactively by dragging around a few slice handles (and using the input fields, for more precision, of course)).

I'm also hoping to attract some of the better Windows/Mac artists/porters so we Linux users can enjoy all those nice and professional looking styles as well. :naughty:

Well, hope that's enough information for now

And sorry for the long offtopic post :joystick:

btw. There's one very big issue left; I still haven't told the guys at gnomesupport.org about this renewed version of UniTheme (basically because I'm a bit affraid of the replies I could receive for using Qt instead of Gtk)). Personally, I don't really care anymore if it's Qt or Gtk, Qt fits my preferences better (because I love C++ and dislike GTK/GNOME-style C) and in the future you won't see the difference anyway (all using the same style), very nice for people like me who use a mixed GTK/GNOME/Qt/KDE desktop. Now you might ask yourself the question: why? why being affraid of the replies? well.. I'm a (currently less active) moderator at those forums :goku's job: so it's a bit weird if I would start promoting a Qt program up there :6

#61775

i've been in contact with the gDesklets developers because i wanted a transparent/always on top dock, but they told me it could not be done because X does not yet have transparency.

#63097

Hey Guys,

I don't suppose some really nice person would post some screenies for these new Linux docks. I use Linux myself, and if these docks are any good, I just might look into downloading one.

:smiliemaker:

AquaKid 3D

#63679

Anyone know of a Gnome alternative to this? I would love to have something like this but I refuse to install KDE. :rant:

#80824

Use gdesklets with a dock Sensor.

http://gdesklets.gnomedesktop.org/

#80826

Can anyone send me the GOOD version of ksmoothdock with the magification?

#81052

Originally posted by contrasutra@Nov 20 2003, 12:06 PM

Use gdesklets with a dock Sensor.

Thank you Contra, but aside from downloading the file, and un zipping it I have no idea what to do next/

#81082

well then you gotta compile the dude

go to twistedcpu forum (a redirection url in this very forum) and read contras good tutorial on install /compiling software from different formats

-bolero

#81401

[malignity@x1-6-00-04-5a-43-e0-19 malignity]$ cd gDesklets-0.24

[malignity@x1-6-00-04-5a-43-e0-19 gDesklets-0.24]$ ./configure

checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c

checking whether build environment is sane... yes

/home/malignity/gDesklets-0.24/missing: Unknown `--run' option

Try `/home/malignity/gDesklets-0.24/missing --help' for more information

configure: WARNING: `missing' script is too old or missing

checking for gawk... gawk

checking whether make sets $(MAKE)... yes

checking whether to enable maintainer-specific portions of Makefiles... no

checking build system type... i686-pc-linux-gnu

checking host system type... i686-pc-linux-gnu

checking for style of include used by make... GNU

checking for gcc... gcc

checking for C compiler default output... a.out

checking whether the C compiler works... yes

checking whether we are cross compiling... no

checking for suffix of executables...

checking for suffix of object files... o

checking whether we are using the GNU C compiler... yes

checking whether gcc accepts -g... yes

checking for gcc option to accept ANSI C... none needed

checking dependency style of gcc... gcc3

checking for ld used by GCC... /usr/bin/ld

checking if the linker (/usr/bin/ld) is GNU ld... yes

checking for /usr/bin/ld option to reload object files... -r

checking for BSD-compatible nm... /usr/bin/nm -B

checking for a sed that does not truncate output... /bin/sed

checking whether ln -s works... yes

checking how to recognise dependent libraries... pass_all

checking command to parse /usr/bin/nm -B output... ok

checking how to run the C preprocessor... gcc -E

checking for egrep... grep -E

checking for ANSI C header files... yes

checking for sys/types.h... yes

checking for sys/stat.h... yes

checking for stdlib.h... yes

checking for string.h... yes

checking for memory.h... yes

checking for strings.h... yes

checking for inttypes.h... yes

checking for stdint.h... yes

checking for unistd.h... yes

checking dlfcn.h usability... yes

checking dlfcn.h presence... yes

checking for dlfcn.h... yes

checking for ranlib... ranlib

checking for strip... strip

checking for objdir... .libs

checking for gcc option to produce PIC... -fPIC

checking if gcc PIC flag -fPIC works... yes

checking if gcc static flag -static works... yes

checking if gcc supports -c -o file.o... yes

checking if gcc supports -c -o file.lo... yes

checking if gcc supports -fno-rtti -fno-exceptions... yes

checking whether the linker (/usr/bin/ld) supports shared libraries... yes

checking how to hardcode library paths into programs... immediate

checking whether stripping libraries is possible... yes

checking dynamic linker characteristics... GNU/Linux ld.so

checking if libtool supports shared libraries... yes

checking whether to build shared libraries... yes

checking whether to build static libraries... no

checking whether -lc should be explicitly linked in... no

creating libtool

checking for perl... /usr/bin/perl

checking whether ln -s works... yes

checking for python... /usr/bin/python

checking for python version... 2.2

checking for python platform... linux2

checking for python script directory... ${prefix}/lib/python2.2/site-packages

checking for python extension module directory... ${exec_prefix}/lib/python2.2/site-packages

checking for pkg-config... /usr/bin/pkg-config

checking for gnome-python-2.0 >= 1.99.17 pygtk-2.0 >= 1.99.17 gdk-2.0 gtk+-2.0 libgtop-2.0 >= 2.0.0... Package libgtop-2.0 was not found in the pkg-config search path.

Perhaps you should add the directory containing `libgtop-2.0.pc'

to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable

No package 'libgtop-2.0' found

configure: error: Library requirements (gnome-python-2.0 >= 1.99.17 pygtk-2.0 >= 1.99.17 gdk-2.0 gtk+-2.0 libgtop-2.0 >= 2.0.0) not met; consider adjusting the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable if your libraries are in a nonstandard prefix so pkg-config can find them.

[malignity@x1-6-00-04-5a-43-e0-19 gDesklets-0.24]$ make

make: *** No targets specified and no makefile found. Stop.

[malignity@x1-6-00-04-5a-43-e0-19 gDesklets-0.24]$

#81758

Couldn't you just have narrowed it down to where it hiccups?

#81760

lol yeah seriously, you didnt need to show us what was in the gdesklets directory just after the ./configure

configure stopped because it cannot locate the library it needs.. you need to install gnome-python as what ti says and all the other packages that it needs

also i just edited your post if you dont mind it was extreamnly long.

-bolero

#81763

Originally posted by wizard@Nov 22 2003, 11:25 PM

Couldn't you just have narrowed it down to where it hiccups?

Frankly I have never used Linux before so how would I know where the problem was? Rather than post the final line of text and get a bunch of people saying "well that sure was vague" I decided to post the process from start to end since the problem could have started at the very beginning of the process.

I could have sworn I said I was new at Linux, but I guess you needed me to point out the obvious here at camp stupid. At any rate, what the heck is Python?

#81913

You need the libgtop package :canadian:

#81978

:banging: Whaa....

#82593

What distro are you using?

Tell me and I'll find you the libgtop pkg :canadian:

#82656

Originally posted by malignity@Nov 23 2003, 01:55 AM

what the heck is Python?

It is a programming language. Like C, C++, and VB, et al.

Edit: Link

#82686

completely out of topic..

Wizard.. you know you can be sue for promoting suicide with your signature?, just an FYI.

#82763

Originally posted by ZeroS@Nov 25 2003, 12:21 PM

What distro are you using?

Tell me and I'll find you the libgtop pkg  :canadian:

Fedora core 1

:shy:

#82873

er nm i guess the problem was solved. i just suggested what...was suggested. rofl

#82898

Originally posted by Telmo@Nov 25 2003, 01:25 PM

completely out of topic..

Wizard.. you know you can be sue for promoting suicide with your signature?, just an FYI.

But it is a great song. That is why it is the theme to M.A.S.H.

#82933

since there isn't any transparency in X, yet, would a non-magnifying dock be more feasible?

take every feature that mobydock has, and put it in linux. That would be amazing.

Magnification isn't that important, they have the option to turn it off in the real thing because its almost as annoying as it is good looking.

and yes, its a fecking great song

#82957

well the magnification can be done.. it was done in ksmoothdock, quite well actually but its gone

-bolero

#82963

Originally posted by juno@Nov 26 2003, 12:15 AM

er nm i guess the problem was solved. i just suggested what...was suggested. rofl

And what problem was that?

#82967

Originally posted by malignity@Nov 25 2003, 11:40 PM

Fedora core 1

:shy:

This should work then

ftp://rpmfind.net/linux/redhat/9/en/os/i3...0.0-10.i386.rpm

#83073

Thank you ZeroS. I will give it a try ASAP. :rule:

#83270