Xfce Spin - status

[Saist]

... going to try not to go silent running on this. Right now I'm currently pursuing a couple of different avenues to pull this off.

1st: one of the... "questions" that gets tossed around a lot is a theme for the OS. Right now I already have a theme in mind, and it's one I use with the customized Mepis Computers: that of the artwork from OCremix's Chrono Symphonic. I've opened up a thread on OCremix asking if it is alright to include the artwork and mp3 files as part of the iso file : http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13213

2nd: I'm also working on spinning an i386 kernel version. Right off hand, I should be able to do this by installing AntiX base on an i686 processor, compile an i386 kernel, swap it out, then create the .ISO file... and that should give a bootable installation for all of the K6 users... (given that I have 2 K6's this is sort of a priority for me to get right).

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I'm also considering the following changes to make to the install:

using KDM instead SLiM for the login manager. I know how to work KDM and it will help the startup process a bit more Mepis Like.

including Amarok and Ksnapshot. Granted Amarok is a little on the heavy side... okay, a lot on the heavy side... I just already know that the celeron I'm using for testing will run it just fine. Ksnapshot is more of a "because I can" item.

Adding the opera repository to the default repositories list.

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now would somebody throw me some dynamite so I can continue digging this hole I dug for myself?

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oh yeah... planned versions: I'm probably going to have more "spins" than other projects... 4 in total.

i386 : K6
i686 PII / Celeron
I686 PIII

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Depending on how... "tough" this is... I might go for an Athlon/P4 spin, although I don't think there is going to be much performance difference between XFCE aggressively compiled for a Pentium III and XFCE compiled against an Athlon or a Pentium4.

My hoped for goal is to synch releases of this spin to XFCE releases. Granted... I'm not sure how well that might work in the long run.

[eriefisher]

It looks like your going to be busy. Instead of kdm what about XDM. I think if you include some kde apps your going to end up with alot of stuff from kde that only those few packages will need increasing the overall size for just a few apps.

[/opinion]

eriefisher

Originally Posted by Saist

using KDM instead SLiM for the login manager

I'd rather go for GDM - it's easy to handle and blends better with Xfce, which is much closer to Gnome than to KDE ... (proof of concept feat. automatic log-in to the live but not to the installed system).

[Jerry3904]

What's your concept, Saist? I for one see a MEPIS Xfce build as a mid-level build: not as skinny as antiX, not as *cough* fat as the full MEPIS. If you sort of agree, then that concept should shape your choices as you go along.

From my upper Userspace perspective: Amarok and Gimp are too much. The first could be replaced by, what, xmms? The second: Krita? In general, maybe the KOffice apps would fill the void between the Abiword and Gnumeric of antiX and the OpenOffice of the Big Boy?

Don't know if this helps.

[anticapitalista]

Saist,

I for one want to use a 586 or 386 kernel for antiX too. The 686 kernel is great, but for k5/k6 users in particular, a no-no.

The reason I produced the antiX-xfce basic was to stimulate discussion on where to go next. I think this base is a good one for potential devs to use.

Now specifically to some of your questions.

I agree with UnicornRider to use gdm rather than kdm for the reasons he mentioned. xdm is ok, but I think slim (default antiX) is better than xdm.
Kdm will pull in a lot of kde stuff.
Now if you want to produce an xfce distro, then kde is out IMO. You need to find alternative apps. There are plenty (not that I am an expert, far from it) to choose from. Otherwise go for a basic-lite kde (as sidux lite has)
To be honest, an xfce full distro ends up (it seems to me, but I may be mistaken) using a lot of gnome apps rather than kde, simply because gnome is not as integrated as kde is (plus and minuses here).

I have never used Xubuntu, but IU'm sure someone could post to say what it uses (or any other xfce distro) to give help.

[eriefisher]

I tend to agree with Anti. Kde is nice because of it's integration. But this integration usually means you need most of kde to run a few apps. This is alot of overhead if you objective is to remain lite.

Gnome apps will tend to work better with XFCE. I think this is because of GTK which is used by both gnome and XFCE. Besides you can always add prefered apps after the install.

What exactly is the goal? Full featured or light weight? Something in between?

eriefisher

[Saist]

the goal is to have something between AntiX and Mepis.

The target platform for me is a K62 500mhz and a Celeron 466mhz with 256megs of ram.

[Jerry3904]

Another one: do you have a clear profile in your head of the typical person, machine or use? Or is this to be just another pretty face, a *skin*? The old form/function thing...

Originally Posted by Saist

the goal is to have something between AntiX and Mepis.

The target platform for me is a K62 500mhz and a Celeron 466mhz with 256megs of ram.

Maybe consider taking back to K6-2 333mhz if possible

System

Aptiva
333 mhz AMD K6-2 w/3DNow
6.44 HDD
Linksys USB 2.0 10/100 Adaptor

tia
oldcity

[Saist]

Originally Posted by oldcity

Maybe consider taking back to K6-2 333mhz if possible

System

Aptiva
333 mhz AMD K6-2 w/3DNow
6.44 HDD
Linksys USB 2.0 10/100 Adaptor

tia
oldcity

I can pretty much already tell you something that low isn't going to happen oldcity. 450mhz was about the breaking point for running XFCE on a K62 last year when we were doing the Reiser4 / ext4 comparisons, and when I put the videos up on youtube. Higher memory counts really don't help either.

Jerry : the profile in my head is for the loadout to be used as an audio server. Harddrive space is relatively cheap now. You can pick up a 160gib IDE drive for only $50. Hence putting in Amarok. Hence also wanting to have some MP3 files included on the ISO.

I also ran GDM on the test build I ran the first "XFCE on AntiX" base and I absolutely hate it.

Basically I'm being selfish in this in making an exact copy of what I run on my older Gateway E-3200, so the profile is... well. me. What I turn the older systems into. Thing is, by using the XFCE desktop you do have a relatively fully functional desktop enviroment from the start. Amarok fills in the media requirements, and Ksnapshot because that's what I use to snapshot everything. (The snapshot function in M7 got on my nerves after a while of having to manually rename and then move each snapshot to the external memory stick.