Return to light-desktop.mdwn CVS log

Up to [NetBSD Developer Wiki] / wikisrc

Annotation of wikisrc/light-desktop.mdwn, revision 1.2

1.1       wiki        1: This is a page to track the status and provide details about the "light-desktop" environment and meta-package.  This is a near identical reproduction of the Lubuntu desktop interface. ``*[It] uses the minimal desktop LXDE, and a selection of light applications. We focus on speed and energy-efficiency. Because of this, [it] has very low hardware requirements.*'' The goal is to provide a consistent, standard desktop that is tuned for NetBSD and supported and maintained by NetBSD. Lubuntu's desktop was chosen because:
                      2: 
                      3: - It works for a known audience. (Ubuntu's popularity contest shows 16037 installations and 2779 very recent uses.)
                      4: - It is a simpler case than maintaining Gnome, KDE, or XFce.
                      5: - It is considered "lightweight" versus more popular alternatives.
1.2     ! wiki        6: - By using outsider's choices it alleviates bikesheds. Let's stay with this decision for at least six months. (No bikeshedding until mid-November 2012.)
1.1       wiki        7: 
                      8: The two main packages in pkgsrc-wip include:
                      9: 
                     10: * netbsd-light-desktop-default-settings -- this provides NetBSD-themed default configurations and startup script
                     11: * light-desktop -- meta-package to bring in the entire environment
                     12: 
                     13: The main components:
                     14: 
                     15: * lxsession -- LXDE session manager and Xsettings daemon
                     16: * lxpanel -- menu, taskbar launcher, and notification area.
                     17: * openbox -- window manager
                     18: * pcmanfm -- file manager that also manages icons on desktop
                     19: 
                     20: The meta-package has many dependencies even though it is called "light". It uses cups, foomatic-filters, dbus, abiword, dejavu-ttf, liberation-ttf, elementary-icon-theme, leafpad, xpad, audacious, gnome-system-tools (no GNOME libraries), evince, file-roller, gnumeric, galculator, scrot, pidgin, and many other packages. It is a complete, usable operating system.
                     21: 
                     22: Note that some features of Lubuntu are Linux specific and so NetBSD alternatives are needed.
                     23: 
                     24: The desktop is currently in use and is basically usable.
                     25: 
                     26: The lists of work to do is here: [[light-desktop-TODO]]