MX Linux Forum

Posted: **Sun Dec 22, 2019 6:55 pm**

https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/best-xfce-2019.html

Posted: **Sun Dec 22, 2019 8:22 pm**

Hmm, All I can say is MX 19 has been running flawlessly for me.

Posted: **Sun Dec 22, 2019 10:05 pm**

ForWIW wrote: Sun Dec 22, 2019 8:42 pm FYI ... a quick search on the Forums Search found 1987 matches: mx19 problems ... some solved ... many not ... lucky you!

Correlation =/= causation. Number of forum posts could simply indicate the rise in popularity of MX. More users, especially newbies, means more problems and questions just like with any distro or version. And regarding those not marked solved, who can say? There are one or two regular posters here who almost never mark theirs solved or provide any feedback whether people's suggestions were helpful or not. Plenty of newbies do the same thing: pop in and ask a question, are given an answer, and are never heard from again. And so it goes.

Posted: **Sun Dec 22, 2019 10:25 pm**

Regarding the article, I'd like to remind Dedo that MX-18 is a year old and is already at it's third dot release while MX-19 has only been out for two months, plus Debian Stretch and Xfce 4.12 are also very mature products, so much so that they've already been replaced with newer ones. Of course 18 will offer a smoother, less glitchy user experience, while 19 is still undergoing a few expected teething pains. That's to be expected on any recently-released major version. Even the versions of Debian and Xfce that MX-19 is based on/uses are less than a year old.

Posted: **Sun Dec 22, 2019 10:26 pm**

The review is one tech's opinion. How can he be so right and wrong at the same time? Opinionated SOB. I just found the December MX-19 snapshot on a mirror in Utah. Running the iso directly in VirtualBox was reasonably flawless, except I can't get sound to work in the VM (couldn't do sound in the the VM with 18.3 directly from the ISO either, but it works find once installed into its own VM). Ran the appimage of Live-usb-maker in Gentoo to make a full-featured Live-USB, and everything works without tweaking. The desktop defaults don't suit my tastes, but that would be 10 minutes of tweaking. Number one hands down. Nothing else has ever worked this well by default. What else could he have chosen?

Posted: **Mon Dec 23, 2019 12:32 am**

Dedo states at the end of the article:

Looking at the Xfce desktop, it feels cyclical, with a two-cadence, and I am not sure if the plateauing signifies the beginning of a fresh slump that will ripple across the entire desktop environment,

[emphasis mine]

Well of course it's cyclical, since xfce just released 4.14, so various teething problems and bugfixing are still being sorted, compared to version 4.12 which is a mature desktop.

But why would a new release mean that xfce is plateauing? Should it not mean the opposite, ie a period of tweaks and fixes of the new release to improve it? Remember when Plasma was first released? Or how Gnome3 is still being tweaked and changed all the time?

That sentence doesn't really make sense.

Posted: **Mon Dec 23, 2019 1:31 am**

Yes - agree ...

I like Igor - he has a certain wit about him, we share a lot of synergy in some aerospace sectors,
his writing is improving in leaps & bounds - but he does have a cynical, if not a derogatory twist
to his ramblings & writing occasionally, which I find refreshing ...he's usually right-on-the-money,
technically ... would never want his gig - he obviously enjoys it [still] and makes a decent living

Regards

Jack

asqwerth wrote: Mon Dec 23, 2019 12:32 am Dedo states at the end of the article:

Looking at the Xfce desktop, it feels cyclical, with a two-cadence, and I am not sure if the plateauing signifies the beginning of a fresh slump that will ripple across the entire desktop environment,
[emphasis mine]

Well of course it's cyclical, since xfce just released 4.14, so various teething problems and bugfixing are still being sorted, compared to version 4.12 which is a mature desktop.

But why would a new release mean that xfce is plateauing? Should it not mean the opposite, ie a period of tweaks and fixes of the new release to improve it? Remember when Plasma was first released? Or how Gnome3 is still being tweaked and changed all the time?

That sentence doesn't really make sense.

Posted: **Mon Dec 23, 2019 7:06 am**

seems like this thread is going the way of the other dedo's reviews that jerry posted, eventually was locked. as rixh says - i have it running on 4 different laptops and i have no issues.

Posted: **Mon Dec 23, 2019 8:25 am**

asqwerth wrote: Mon Dec 23, 2019 12:32 am ...
But why would a new release mean that xfce is plateauing? Should it not mean the opposite, ie a period of tweaks and fixes of the new release to improve it? Remember when Plasma was first released? Or how Gnome3 is still being tweaked and changed all the time?

This is exactly why I prefers the XFCE DE (as well as the WMs like IceWM too)... the changes are mostly inside (not outside) so no need to learn the new version of XFCE , and it stays user friendly as before.

Posted: **Mon Dec 23, 2019 8:58 am**

winemaker wrote: Mon Dec 23, 2019 7:06 am seems like this thread is going the way of the other dedo's reviews that jerry posted, eventually was locked. as rixh says - i have it running on 4 different laptops and i have no issues.

It was only locked after lots of debate, when the thread had run its course.

It's not that I totally disagree with everything Dedo says. I do think there are some small niggles with XFCE 4.14.

But I don't see it as XFCE or distros using XFCE having plateaued, that's all.

Posted: **Mon Dec 23, 2019 9:59 am**

not intended to your or your statement. i love mx and am new to it. i do not see any issues as such to mek me hate the choice of moving to mx after running another distro and DE for 5-6 yrs. i guess i meant the die-hard people that always have to have some comeback in order to prove or keep proving their point. not you in the least!

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 12:46 pm**

“And the best distro of 2019 is ..."
Updated: December 30, 2019

"First place: MX Linux MX-18 Continuum”

https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/bes ... -2019.html

*********************************************
The best distro of 2019. TWENTY-NINETEEN! is MX-LINUX, version EIGHTEEN.

I told you guys you'd better pay attention...and quit trying to be cute.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:22 pm**

LadyLou wrote: Mon Dec 30, 2019 12:46 pm “And the best distro of 2019 is ..."
Updated: December 30, 2019

"First place: MX Linux MX-18 Continuum”

https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/bes ... -2019.html

*********************************************
The best distro of 2019. TWENTY-NINETEEN! is MX-LINUX, version EIGHTEEN.

I told you guys you'd better pay attention...and quit trying to be cute.

This is what you choose for your second post on this Forum?! Great attitude...

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:30 pm**

LadyLou wrote: Mon Dec 30, 2019 12:46 pm The best distro of 2019. TWENTY-NINETEEN! is MX-LINUX, version EIGHTEEN.

I told you guys you'd better pay attention...and quit trying to be cute.

And the Best distro of 2020 will MX-Linux 19

With 2 posts on the forums, you haven't told us much at all.

I think we should be cuter from here on out...... rainbows, kitties, flowers, and stuffs.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:39 pm**

SwampRabbit wrote: Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:30 pm I think we should be cuter from here on out...... rainbows, kitties, flowers, and stuffs.

Ponysay! You could have it run every time the terminal is opened

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 3:43 pm**

I read the link. Only saw three distros of XFCE mentioned. I've used two of them in Xubuntu and MX. I can't say I agree with his take. After all it is only his opinion. I don't get excited about any of them. I don't know what he is expecting from a DE. I like the Desktop to be tweakable and generally stay quiet and out of the way.

I like MX-18 and I like MX-19. I don't see a difference in use. MX-19 seems current and the latest to me and I haven't had any issues. In fact didn't MX-19 get the updated installer first? and the MX-Fluxbox. That gives MX-19 the edge in my book.

Seaken64

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 3:50 pm**

Head_on_a_Stick wrote: Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:39 pm
SwampRabbit wrote: Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:30 pm I think we should be cuter from here on out...... rainbows, kitties, flowers, and stuffs.
Ponysay! You could have it run every time the terminal is opened

The XFCE notifications already can be set to a "ZOMG Ponies!" theme, too!

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 4:07 pm**

Much ado about nothing.

MX-18 is mature, based on Old-Stable, Stretch.
antiX, Xfce_4.12 & Gtk2

MX-19 is fresh, based on Stable Buster (which is the new stable), antiX, Xfce_4.14 & Gtk3.

MX provides many utilities and tweaks that were polished on antiX and Stretch. Many of these were broken by Buster.

Keep using MX-18.x if you need it.
Use MX-19 if you wish.
Use whatever you wish.

MX Linux is a work in progress; which is,
based on a work in progress, Debian Buster,
and another work in progress, antiX.
Etcétera.

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:16 pm**

The worst thing about MX Linux is that it uses XFCE. Actually, XFCE is excellent, but the bad thing about it is its Thunar file manager, it's pity, it has a couple of things that are very annoying and very basic, Thunar has not improved at all, so I do not use MX, there are others desktops, which while not as configurable as XFCE, but have a better file manager.

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:33 pm**

Thunar has not improved at all, so I do not use MX

Instead of just replacing the file manager, huh?

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:42 pm**

Jerry3904 wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:33 pm
Thunar has not improved at all, so I do not use MX
Instead of just replacing the file manager, huh?

Naaah, that is just too easy!!

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 4:53 pm**

Eadwine Rose wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:42 pm
Jerry3904 wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:33 pm
Thunar has not improved at all, so I do not use MX
Instead of just replacing the file manager, huh?
Naaah, that is just too easy!!

Maybe I'm missing out on some wiz bang file management improvements by using Thunar and not looking, but it does what a file manager should.

Thunar's lack of rainbows, kitties, flowers, and stuffs make it a subpar file manager for sure.
Lack of "ZOMG Ponies!" theme doesn't help either.

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:36 pm**

i used pcman for 6 years or so and liked it a lot. never liked xfce but in mx i am happy with it as such. (since i knoe so little about mx and linux i would hate to try to get pcman to work with it - for fear of messing things all up or messing up future updates/upgrades.) sorry for the ramble.

as swamprabbit said in xfce it does what it does and is supposed to do so it works for me.

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 7:02 pm**

Jerry3904 wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:33 pm
Thunar has not improved at all, so I do not use MX
Instead of just replacing the file manager, huh?

That sure sounds like one of the bogus Distrowatch reviews we get: "didn't like the default theme, 1/10 points!"

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 7:06 pm**

These people need to get a life--especially on New Year's Eve!!!

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 7:37 pm**

hope i am not on that list!

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 9:29 pm**

winemaker wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:36 pm i used pcman for 6 years or so and liked it a lot. never liked xfce but in mx i am happy with it as such. (since i knoe so little about mx and linux i would hate to try to get pcman to work with it - for fear of messing things all up or messing up future updates/upgrades.) ...

If you are just installing (using mxpi or synaptic) the pcmanfm package already in the default Debian/MX repos of MX, what's the harm in trying it out? I think there is even a "file managers" category in mxpi >> popular apps tab in mx19 (it's there in mx17/18).

It'll just mean you'll have 2 file managers to use. If you decide you don't need it after all, you can uninstall it, again using mxpi or synaptic.

The worry of messing up is more when you just add other repos or PPA without proper checks on their compatibility to your MX system and then just install stuff from there.

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 10:37 pm**

I often run two Thunar windows side by side. But Thunar has many features that don't appear elsewhere, such as a fully customisable right-click menu. Maybe I don't get out enough, but if someone can show me a desktop independent file manager, with the customisable right-click menu AND all the bells and whistles, I might use it instead. I don't find the fact that I can't display two folders, tiled within Thunar too much of a problem. but just in case, I have installed EmelFM2 (not in repos but deb downloadable from its site). SpaceFM is OK, but changing its settings takes a bit of getting used to. And it would be nice if two windows can share a sidebar.

Do you know what would be a killer improvement for me? Maybe it can be done but I haven't worked out how. I'd like Thunar to have an option to always start with hidden files hidden. And the same for new folders. I really can't see that being a big deal for its programmers to add if it's not already tucked away somewhere I've not seen it.

All that said, where XFCE4.12 and 4.14 succeed, is the ability to keep out of the ******* way and let you get on with using the apps. I find so many (OK, every other desktop) either doesn't give enough underlying support (I love XFCE's drop down menus on launchers), forces you have things laid out in a restrictive way (GIMP and all its variants), or just plain takes over (KDE anyone?). For me, the way the MX team has conquered (not Konquered) the XFCE desktop has made it the great distro it is.

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 11:30 pm**

davemx wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 10:37 pm Do you know what would be a killer improvement for me? Maybe it can be done but I haven't worked out how. I'd like Thunar to have an option to always start with hidden files hidden. And the same for new folders. I really can't see that being a big deal for its programmers to add if it's not already tucked away somewhere I've not seen it.

Doesn't Thunar already do this by default? I know that in mine, if I want to be able to see hidden files and directories I have to press control H or click View/Show Hidden Files to tell Thunar to show them.

Posted: **Wed Jan 01, 2020 7:40 am**

asqwerth wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 9:29 pm
winemaker wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:36 pm i used pcman for 6 years or so and liked it a lot. never liked xfce but in mx i am happy with it as such. (since i knoe so little about mx and linux i would hate to try to get pcman to work with it - for fear of messing things all up or messing up future updates/upgrades.) ...
If you are just installing (using mxpi or synaptic) the pcmanfm package already in the default Debian/MX repos of MX, what's the harm in trying it out? I think there is even a "file managers" category in mxpi >> popular apps tab in mx19 (it's there in mx17/18).

It'll just mean you'll have 2 file managers to use. If you decide you don't need it after all, you can uninstall it, again using mxpi or synaptic.

The worry of messing up is more when you just add other repos or PPA without proper checks on their compatibility to your MX system and then just install stuff from there.

Thannk you!

Posted: **Wed Jan 01, 2020 8:03 am**

Doesn't Thunar already do this by default?

Yes, very handy.

Posted: **Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:30 pm**

JayM wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 11:30 pm
davemx wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 10:37 pm Do you know what would be a killer improvement for me? Maybe it can be done but I haven't worked out how. I'd like Thunar to have an option to always start with hidden files hidden. And the same for new folders. I really can't see that being a big deal for its programmers to add if it's not already tucked away somewhere I've not seen it.
Doesn't Thunar already do this by default? I know that in mine, if I want to be able to see hidden files and directories I have to press control H or click View/Show Hidden Files to tell Thunar to show them.

No. If I exit Thunar with dot files shown, it re-enters on the next run with dot files shown.

Posted: **Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:51 pm**

davemx wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:30 pm
JayM wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 11:30 pm
davemx wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 10:37 pm Do you know what would be a killer improvement for me? Maybe it can be done but I haven't worked out how. I'd like Thunar to have an option to always start with hidden files hidden. And the same for new folders. I really can't see that being a big deal for its programmers to add if it's not already tucked away somewhere I've not seen it.
Doesn't Thunar already do this by default? I know that in mine, if I want to be able to see hidden files and directories I have to press control H or click View/Show Hidden Files to tell Thunar to show them.
No. If I exit Thunar with dot files shown, it re-enters on the next run with dot files shown.

So it remembers the settings from the last time it was run--most folks see that as a feature.

A workaround could be to use a launcher script for Thunar that uses sed to make sure this line always reads

Code: Select all

LastShowHidden=FALSE

in ~/.config/Thunar/thunarrc

Posted: **Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:54 pm**

Think you're misunderstanding. The Ctrl + H is a toggle. Whatever you did the last time is recorded in a config file and will last until you use the toggle again.

Posted: **Thu Jan 02, 2020 5:02 pm**

Stevo wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:51 pm
So it remembers the settings from the last time it was run--most folks see that as a feature.

A workaround could be to use a launcher script for Thunar that uses sed to make sure this line always reads
Code: Select all
LastShowHidden=FALSE
in ~/.config/Thunar/thunarrc

Yes, and there is not a single File Manager as far as I am aware that gives you the choice between start on, start off, and remember last setting. Yet they do it for other things (Numlock?).

P.S. If any app could be created for "Remove kittens from desk" I'd welcome it! A couple of minutes ago the entire desktop was hidden. Or for the keyboard to accept keypresses from humans and not felines...

MX Linux Forum

MX wins best XFCE distro of 2019

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