pdaXrom-Fvwm

[Zumi]

Let this screenshot talk for itself first:

[Zumi]

OK, now it's my turn.

I saw matchbox on pdaXrom and I tought I can have better than that. I was playing with Fvwm since ...well, quite a long time now.
I decided to recreate the pdaXrom's graphical user interface (GUI) with Fvwm, because I tought it does the job better than Matchbox does.

I worked hard in the last week and I created something you might find nice.

What this GUI does have now:
- a taskbar at last - now you can switch between apps easily using the touchscreen
- it has a clock, a battery display, a CPU frequency display, and a mouse-button display
- you can adjust the backlight, the cpufrequency and the used mousekey with two clicks
- more eyecandy - Translucent menus and titlebars
- an onscreen keyboard with xkbd, configured more useful than in matchbox (well, I think it's better, but I don't use it very much, post your comments)
- I wrote a parser that converts the entire matchbox menu to fvwm menu

What it doesn't have _yet_:
- it doesn't have tool to set the screenoff, suspend timeout, use the one comes with the rom (first thing I will do when I will have time again)
- you don't have icons for applications in the root menu, because Fvwm can't resize the icons dinamically, and I haven't compiled ImageMagick yet, which can resize the images easily with a little script)
- screen doesn't switch off if you close it (I haven't studied the working mechanism yet)
- portrait mode doesn't work, no rotation (I think this can be nicely with fvwm in the future)

Fvwm config is a bit hard, but I added a lot of comment to the config file to help you in the altering of the default for your needs. You can find everything about the configuration here and you can ask questions from me, ask them here or on irc.freenode.net, the #fvwm channel.

It was kinda big task for me alone to make all this, and I don't think I'm the fisrt one who wrote something without fault. So: post your bugreports, ideas, or "oh, this is very nice indeed" comments here to retain my lust for working on this thing.

If you already have a /home/root/.fvwm/.fvwm2rc file and/or /home/root/.icons/ directory (for custom cursors), please backup, because the ipk overwrites them.
The pdaxrom-fvwm package is dependent on the fvwm package. I asked Bastichelaar, who compiled the 2.5.10 fvwm for the Zaurus, to upload it again to the unstable feed, but he forgot the dependencies of the fvwm package. So grab the files from here 'till he uploads them.

Well, I'm eager to read your comments!
Zumi

[jerrybme]

Zumi:
Great work! I didn't see where you posted your fvwm config file. I've been using fvwm on my gentoo box & since I started playing with bastichelaars' fvwm port for RC 2 on my Z.

Cheers,
Jerry

[sriley]

Beautiful!

[Foxdie]

Zumi, I think you should contact the pdaXrom team and work with them on RC6 as this WM appears to have many features that the standard WM is missing, yet the standard WM is more complete. Perhaps working together you can create a much better standard WM that will be ready in time for the release?

[Zumi]

Zumi:
Great work! I didn't see where you posted your fvwm config file. I've been using fvwm on my gentoo box & since I started playing with bastichelaars' fvwm port for RC 2 on my Z.

Cheers,
Jerry

It's in the unstable feed. The package called "pdaxrom-fvwm" put things where they have to be.

I haven't overwritten the default .xinitrc, the package adds a .xinintrc.fwm in the /home/root
To use it, move your existing .xinitrc and copy the new one.

Code: [Select]

$ mv /home/root/.xinitrc /home/root/.xinitrc.mb
$cp /home/root/.xinitrc.fvwm /home/root/.xinitrcWell, that's it.
Zumi

[Zumi]

Zumi, I think you should contact the pdaXrom team and work with them on RC6 as this WM appears to have many features that the standard WM is missing, yet the standard WM is more complete. Perhaps working together you can create a much better standard WM that will be ready in time for the release?

I don't know whether it's a good idea to change the default WM in the last release before the stable.
Yeah, I had world dominating plan with this config , but it's not mature yet.
If I make the functions above ("doesn't have yet" part) it's functionally ready to be used by everyone. (but after that there are a lot more things to improve, simple configuration with a program, for example)

A busy week coming for me, that's why I tried to release it now. I will continue to work on it afterwards.
I encourage everyone now to try it, see the ~/.fvwm/.fvwm2rc file and set things for his/her needs.

Zumi

[Laze]

Zumi i like the look and feel very much - but as you point out yourself its not a good idea chaning it right now - but we will contact you later if its okay - maybe we can make a possibility to switch between different WM etc. later. I love you work!

We are very aware of the memory footprint Matchbox leaves and the "limitations" it sets but at the moment we are hoping that future version are better and more optimized.

Btw. When i get the time i will abbandon the stupid python scripts for settings tool - that way we don't need python included as default.

Zumi: What panel are you using?

[Zumi]

Zumi i like the look and feel very much - but as you point out yourself its not a good idea chaning it right now - but we will contact you later if its okay - maybe we can make a possibility to switch between different WM etc. later. I love you work!

We are very aware of the memory footprint Matchbox leaves and the "limitations" it sets but at the moment we are hoping that future version are better and more optimized.

Btw. When i get the time i will abbandon the stupid python scripts for settings tool - that way we don't need python included as default.

Zumi: What panel are you using?

I'm happy you like it!

I will be able to make all the configuration dialogs with Fvwm and they are relatively fast too. So separate AC/battery, suspend, screenoff settings will be available if I will have time again to write them. (I don't stick to write it myself, if anybody want to do it, I will merge it in gladly )

The panel is an FvwmButton module cloaked to a Taskbar.  It has 3 buttons in the default config (only you can't see them separatelly because I removed the Frames) and it swallows the FvwmIconMan and one FvwmScript window. (This is why it uses much less memory than the matchbox applets - I packed every functions in one "applet" so it's only one process with about 5% memory usage, not about four times 5 as it would be with sepatate scripts, processes like in matchbox)

Ps.: Anybody tried the ipkg physically? My Z was messed with Fvwm scripts in different places in the end, so I wasn't able to test it 100% it's working like I imagined. I would like to see comments about it.

[Zumi]

Maybe it's interesting to show the memory usage in numbers.
Memory usage looks like this on my Z in this moment (all numbers are in percents, according to the "top" command):

Code: [Select]

With Fvwm:
10.4 fvwm2
8.9 FvwmScript
7.0 FvwmIconMan
5.9 FvwmButtons
2.0 FvwmCommandS
5.7 xkbd
sum: 39.9

With Matchbox:
12.6 openbox
12.2 matchbox-desktop
6.8 mb-applet-menu-launcher
6.4 mb-applet-clock
5.1 matchbox-panel
4.6 mb-applet-launcher
4.5 mb-applet-launcher (I have two quicklaunch icon on the matchbox taskbar too)
4.5 mb-applet-battery
4.2 xmonobut
sum:60.9I know it's not on the same level of functionality yet, but I guess it will not use much more memory if we implement all the stuff needed. Maybe another 5-8% in the worst case.

FvwmCommandS is not necessary, it allows you to change Fvwm settings dinamically with $ FvwmCommand <fvwm command>; it was useful when I set things up but not needed in the default, I think.
xkbd runs in the background because it is swallowed by the Taskbar too. It consumes memory but it pops up very fast if you click on it's icon; I think later I will only allow it to run if the Zaurus is in portrait mode - this make more sense.

From CPU time the only noticable load is caused by FvwmScript process. It uses about 0,5-0,9 percent CPU time (400MHz idle, so 200MHz mode). I could reduce this but then the applet would respond slower to changes (in the displaying side).

Zumi

[freebird]

zumi

first i want think you for this great job

but it dosn't work for me

i entred this code
$ mv /home/root/.xinitrc /home/root/.xinitrc.mb
$cp /home/root/.xinitrc.fvwm /home/root/.xinitrc
 
then i entred startx

i had this message

[w100fb] set 640x480 (vga 90 degree)
Loaded power settings
awk: cmd. line:80: call to undefined function
fvwm2: error while loading shared libraries: libexpat.so.1:cannot open shared
object file: No such file or directory

waiting for x server to shut down


CAN YOU HELP ME


freebird

[Zumi]

fvwm2: error while loading shared libraries: libexpat.so.1:cannot open shared

about this: I passed this problem quickly when I first tried fvwm, so I haven't remembered. You only have to link a lib in the correct place. I will include this link file in the next pdaxrom-fvwm package.
Do this:

Code: [Select]

$ ln -s /usr/lib/libexpat.so.0.5.0 /usr/lib/libexpat.so.1

awk: cmd. line:80: call to undefined function

I can't say anything concrete about this problem. It seems to be a problem with the matchbox2fvwm script, because I used awk only in that, but I don't see anything out of odinary in the 80th line. Make sure you're using the correct awk from the /usr/local/bin (I copied this file from the native sdk to the ipk)
See where the awk binary is:

Code: [Select]

which awkIf it's not in the /usr/local/bin then you have to modify the default path and include the /usr/local/bin dir before anything else.
My PATH settings in the /etc/profile file looks like this:

Code: [Select]

PATH=/usr/local/bin:/opt/arm/3.3.2-vfp/bin:/opt/sdk/bin:/root/bin:/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/X11R6/bin:$QTDIR/bin:$KDEDIR/binI hope these tips help.
Zumi

[keidin]

Hi Zumi,

   I tried it and feel it is lighter. I love it especially the task bar  . But I don't have the menu as you do. I only have a menu like this:

Builtin Menu
---------------
1. XTerm
2. Setuo Form
3. Setup 95 Script
4. Issue FVWM commands
R. Restart FVWM
X. Exit FVWM

    How can I have the same menu as you do??

Keidin

[Zumi]

Hi Zumi,

   I tried it and feel it is lighter. I love it especially the task bar  . But I don't have the menu as you do. I only have a menu like this:

Builtin Menu
---------------
1. XTerm
2. Setuo Form
3. Setup 95 Script
4. Issue FVWM commands
R. Restart FVWM
X. Exit FVWM

    How can I have the same menu as you do??

Keidin

Yes, this seems to be the default Fvwm menu, if you don't have anything specified.
First, quit from the Fvwm and check the console. Maybe you have the same problem as freebird (the awk part). If it's so, try what I wrote there.

Also check whether you have a file called pdaxrom_menu in the /home/root/.fvwm/ dir.
If it's not there, try to make it with this command:

Code: [Select]

$ matchbox2fvwm-noicons > /home/root/.fvwm/pdaxrom_menu(however this is the command which is executed at startup, so basically you don't have to do this, your problem must be the same as freebird)
Zumi

[keidin]

Hi Zumi,

     BINGO!!!! It works now. Fantastic job. Thx.

Keidin