A Saturday Project

[msuggs]

Well, it was a horrible windy Saturday so what else does one do but start a new Linux experiment

I started with a minimal install of Intrepid as per Aysiu from Ubuntuforums guide which gives you a basic icewm environment, Firefox and Synaptic. From there I just added what I wanted (felt like I was using Arch again) which was a basic gnome, compiz and all the current mint tools which are working without hiccups. I'm still working through adding my favourite apps but some screenshots of how it's going are below. I kept the same theme I'd been using so it feels pretty much the same as my stable box

My only major issue so far was getting the gnome network manager working (at all) so I've replaced it with wicd which is doing a great job. I'm also enjoying tabs in Nautilus (long overdue) and the version of OpenOffice 3 available in launchpad seems very solid.

Mint Menu and tabs in Nautilus


GNOME Do, Terminal and Conky


OpenOffice 3



Overall a very pleasant start to the weekend

[kanishka]

Hey this is so interesting I fear I will try it
Can I ask you if something doesn't go as planned?

[exploder]

omns, looks like a fun project and your results were really good! Thanks for posting the screen shots of your work!

[msuggs]

Can I ask you if something doesn't go as planned?

Of course just remember things can and will go wrong Maybe horribly. The laptop I put this on is very Linux compliant so there were no major hassles. A different type of machine may be a nightmare.

I mainly did this to get a feel for what Felicia might be like and will probably blitz this effort once RC1 comes out. Then again I like the feel of a system put together to my liking. Time will tell I guess

[knuckles]

I have made a similar system, but took an other way,

From an other post from me:

It was a very dirty way, so i have done it:

Install Elyssa64 in Virtualbox
-->upgrade it to Intrepid
-->change the Elyssa Repo to the one of Felicia
-->update every Mint-package
-->make a new Live-System with remastersys -->burn it to a dvd
-->make a clean new install with the remastersys-iso on my main system

et voila, my new "Felicia" System, the only issues that exist are:
-only black and with grub
-no startup screen
but with that i can life.

with some tweaks, i can make it better, but for the moment i let my system so, until Felicia (maybe beta) is officialy released.It was a very dirty way, so i have done it:

Install Elyssa in Virtualbox
-->upgrade it to Intrepid
-->change the Elyssa Repo to the one of Felicia
-->update every Mint-package
-->make a new Live-System with remastersys -->burn it to a dvd
-->make a clean new install with the remastersys-iso on my main system

et voila, my new "Felicia" System, the only issues that exist are:
-only black and with grub
-no startup screen
but with that i can life.

with some tweaks, i can make it better, but for the moment i let my system so, until Felicia (maybe beta) is officialy released

The feeling is already very good, i will love it to install the final Felicia, she will be beautiful and make Mint a lot more popular (i hope so)

[msuggs]

et voila, my new "Felicia" System

I think it's important that we don't refer to these experiments as Felicia. People might get the wrong idea.

Mine is a custom built Ubuntu with some Mint tools added that I nicknamed Ginux. How about yours?

[knuckles]

ok, i understand why not tell it as Felicia but i don't give it a special name because it is only for my use, and it is only for a little time until Felicia will be released.

But if i nicknamed it, i choice Foxtrot (i must know the nato alphabet because of my Job)

[msuggs]

...it is only for my use, and it is only for a little time until Felicia will be released.

ditto

[msuggs]

Another Experiment.

I've been testing CrunchBang Linux recently and am very impressed with it. A really slick openbox based Ubuntu derivative.

This install is a standard CrunchBang install as a base then in the package manager I used the Mint Meta packages to mark a mint like gnome environment for install. After some further fiddling with the packages to be installed and some to be removed (e.g Evolution in - Thunderbird out), the packages were installed for the results below. A bit more fiddling and I have a nice result. A slick openbox environment when desired and nice Minty Gnome when wanting to work in that environment as well.

Overall I'm very happy with it

My Minty desktop environment with CrunchBang style theme


Mint menu in action

[badmotor]

wow - cool! I just installed Cruchbang Linux - total virgin to Openbox so it's a bit freaky....
I managed to install VLC and I didn't realise I'd have to manually make menu entries in config files for new programs, but here you go: total newb and I worked it out quickly. I really like how this distro looks and acts so far

[deadguy]

Hmm,

sounds interesting this CrunchBang..

I'll have to check it out.........

[badmotor]

Actually - I have a question for omns: how do I get icons on the desktop (CrunchBang)?

[msuggs]

I really like how this distro looks and acts so far

Me to , here's my current openbox desktop. Nothing special, mostly the defaults. Wallpaper is available at my deviantArt Gallery

[deadguy]

hey guys,

found This on customizing openbox.

Cheers,


Deadguy

[msuggs]

Actually - I have a question for omns: how do I get icons on the desktop (CrunchBang)?

There is no support for adding desktop icons by default, which I prefer. Philip Newborough explains it this way;

I know this sounds trivial, but it really isn't, at least not for me; I've found that by removing the desktop items I'm more inclined to save my data in a more logical fashion. Previously under GNOME I used to save data to "temporary" directories on the desktop — I've lost count of the amount of data I've lost by doing this. Therefore, by default CrunchBang comes with no desktop icons or options for creating directories on the desktop.

[badmotor]

I guess I agree with that - I was just thinking if someone like my wife were to use my laptop, it would be more visual. But I guess this is more for people who have been using Linux for a little while. Talk about nice and snappy! Must be the first time I have enjoyed a dark theme as well....

edit: Hang on - I just plugged in a USB flash drive and it has not mounted and I can't see it anywhere.... dang it, this might be a show stopper.
2nd edit: It's working now.... must've been 'user error'

[msuggs]

I guess I agree with that - I was just thinking if someone like my wife were to use my laptop, it would be more visual. But I guess this is more for people who have been using Linux for a little while.

Yes and I don't think there are any plans to change it from being that way. One thing you could do is install the mint meta packages (plus some other stuff) on top of ChrunchBang as I did in this example. Knowing Mint fairly well it wasn't hard to make it pretty Felicia like. Depending on mood I have the best of both worlds right now

[Zwopper]

Personally I would like to base it around LXDE something like PUD.
If only there was more time...