OpenBox Re-spin

[AVLinux]

FWIW,

The AVL-MXE (AV Linux MX Edition) Respin ISO comes with XFCE4 + Openbox (xfdesktop and xfwm are removed), now you may not want all of the multimedia programs and specialty stuff but it is based on MX 19.4.. The next AVL-MXE ISO based on MX-21 will have a much more refined Openbox experience hopefully more akin to the fit and finish of BunsenLabs..

http://www.bandshed.net/2021/05/22/avl- ... so-update/

[manyroads]

@AVLinux FWIW. I have successfully used the Beryllium (BunsenLabs) experimental repos (setup) with MX21. see: https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewtopic.php?id=7357

[figueroa]

The way I set up OpenBox on recent versions of MX, starting with the XFCE version, is to install LXDE with MX Package Installer. (LXDE pulls in OpenBox.) The whole footprint is tiny, besides, I'm using a significant number of the LXDE components with OpenBox and it leaves me the option to run LXDE if I were to want to do that. (Note: I never remove any of the XFCE or LXDE components. XFCE also contains many useful components that you can continue to use with OpenBox on the desktop, including the possibility of using the xfce4-panel as your OpenBox panel.)

I use pcmanfm to manage the desktop and lxpanel to provide an easily configured panel and dynamic menu button and systray which just works with default settings. In fact, LXDE is little more than those components and a few well designed accessories.

To get OpenBox to use those two components working together, just add to ~/.config/autostart:

Code: Select all

lxpanel &
pcmanfm --desktop &

My full ~/.config/autostart is:

Code: Select all

numlockx &
setxkbmap -option terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp &
lxpanel &
pcmanfm --desktop &
volumeicon &
#xscreensaver &
#xautolock -time 30 -locker slock
pause 5
conky -d &

I also use the openbox-menu package to generate a nice right-click dynamic menu on the desktop.

I started a thread on the Gentoo forums with a fuller discussion of my conversion from LXDE to OpenBox on the desktop. The configurations and scripts posted there are fully cross-platform. That post is here: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-1 ... enbox.html

An internet search for "configure openbox" will provide a rich trove of alternative components that can be used with OpenBox instead of running a full desktop environment. I'm a big fan of OpenBox.

[AVLinux]

@figueroa

Handy info, thanks! Just thought I'd also mention that for power users of Openbox MX now has 'obmenu-generator' and it's related components so if you want you can have pretty snazzy OB menus with your system Icon theme without requiring any D.E. components from LXDE or XFCE4..

OBMenu.png

[manyroads]

Also I think you may have the option to use wayland with Johann Malam's openbox wayland re-write sometime in the near? future.

EDIT: @AVLinux here's the github for labwc
https://github.com/johanmalm/labwc

[figueroa]

@AVLinux, Thanks -- obmenu-generator looks nice. I'll make a note in case I feel like I'm getting in a rut.
ADDED: openbox-menu also generates icons; it's good to have an endorsement for an alternative.

[S.t.e.P.]

I'd like to install MX with Openbox on an old PIII PC. The thing is: The MX installer in the live session stops after 15% every time. What I can do is install MX via cli (adding 3 in the live boot screen). But afterwards neither the Fluxbox version nor XFCE are loading properly.
That's why I would like to install MX with Openbox. What I'm wondering now is how can I make Openbox the default DE during installation via cli so that Openbox is loaded as DE. Do you have an idea or suggestion [sorry in advance if the solution is actually obvious but I don't see it]?

[Jerry3904]

Please show us Quick System Info (--> menu, then just paste into the post)!

[figueroa]

I'd like to install MX with Openbox on a old PIII PC. The thing is: The MX installer in the live session stops after 15% every time. What I can do is install MX via cli (adding 3 in the live boot screen). But afterwards neither the Fluxbox version nor XFCE are loading properly.
That's why I would like to install MX with Openbox. What I'm wondering now is how can I make Openbox the default DE during installation via cli so that Openbox is loaded as DE. Do you have an idea or suggestion [sorry in advance if the solution is actually obvious but I don't see it]?

Try to do it in steps. Boot the live-usb with persistence. Install LXDE. Log out and log back in with LXDE. LXDE is littel more that OpenBox with PCManFM running the desktop and LXPanel and very little else.

Reboot, saving your persistence file and be sure you are logged in with LXDE. Now, make a snapshot for safekeeping somewhere other than on the booted USB flash drive. Once the snapshot is created, see if you can install.

If not, make the changes necessary to login to your Live-usb with just OpenBox. I suggest as a minimum you add the following to your .config/openboox/autostart:

Code: Select all

lxpanel &
pcmanfm --desktop &

This will give you a default usable panel with an application menu in the lower left-hand corner. From here you should be able to again try to install. That's my best shot for an easy way to get to the destination.

I'm following this thread and will look in again, hopefully to see that you succeed.

[S.t.e.P.]

It worked! Thanks to your advice figueroa!
Now this machine from 1999 (was "powerful" at the time and cost me 2.600,00 DM) has an up to date OS.
Also thanks to the whole MX team. You, providing 32bit, saved resources - this PC can now still run.