There is an option in SpaceFM to open a root window. This opens, but with colours that make the menu bar unreadable.

I found no way to change this, so logged on as root. I was unsuccessful in fixing the colour issue, but also found I was unable to logout or shutdown from a root desktop.

Any suggestions on how to make the SpaceFM root window readable please?

Chris

chrispop99 wrote:There is an option in SpaceFM to open a root window. This opens, but with colours that make the menu bar unreadable.

I found no way to change this, so logged on as root. I was unsuccessful in fixing the colour issue, but also found I was unable to logout or shutdown from a root desktop.

Any suggestions on how to make the SpaceFM root window readable please?

Chris

OK, I've found in Preferences>Interface there is a tick box for 'Show root user indicator color', but un-ticking that removes the indication you have root authority. I would really like to have some indication, but not one that makes things unreadable.

Chris

I think the indicator color is one of the few things you cannot change in spacefm. However...

you could change the root account gtk theme.
I chose albatross for the root account and the spacefm menu headings were readable again.

the other thing is that except for a couple of items, almost everything in spacefm can be done from the right-click menu as well. and at any rate, only the menu headers should be tough to read in root mode, the menus themselves should be OK.

Thanks DO; I was heading in that direction, albeit somewhat slower!

It looks much better; perhaps this should be default for Final?



Chris

I disliked the root theme as Albatross; things like Synaptic didn't look good. I changed it to Bluebird, which I think looks great:



Chris

I agree that applying a different gtk theme to su/sudo/gksu -permissioned application windows to serve as a visual reminder is a great (helpful) configuration choice.
I hope the final antiX16 iso will ship with demouser vs asRoot configured to use differing window themes.


(a short rant, inspired by your screencap)
You use"icon view" layout in filemanager?
How the heck can you tolerate reading wordwrapped (and truncated) filenames?
The scroll scroll scrolling because only a dozen or so items are visible per pageful, that would drive me to drink.
I can understand the appeal of icon-centric navigation in the context of using tiny screen mobile (or touch) interface,
but am baffled at seeing so many folks use/choose that in a desktop computing environment.

skidoo wrote: (a short rant, inspired by your screencap)
You use"icon view" layout in filemanager?
How the heck can you tolerate reading wordwrapped (and truncated) filenames?
The scroll scroll scrolling because only a dozen or so items are visible per pageful, that would drive me to drink.
I can understand the appeal of icon-centric navigation in the context of using tiny screen mobile (or touch) interface,
but am baffled at seeing so many folks use/choose that in a desktop computing environment.

With most of these decisions, familiarity is what conditions you. Yes, I automatically change to icon view in any file manager I use in any operating system.

Perhaps if you see so many folk use this view, it's because it works best for the majority. __{{emoticon}}__

Chris

spacefm provides a pref to disable root indicator color.
Click"View" in spacefm toolbar, then"Preferences", then untick the indicator color checkbox in the dialogbox.

Changing the GTK theme to Bluebird for root is much better for spacefm.

I tried unchecking the root color, and will say I do want it to be visibly obvious when I'm running as root, so I changed it back.

I hate icon lists, usually. The only time they are useful in my view is when the icons are used as the menu. I do like the windoze setups where I can drag or paste an icon onto a screen, in a window on a screen, or onto a menu, change its settings (like a desktop file here) and click it to run that program. I would like to have that here, but not at the expense of making it all run slow.

I don't really understand why linux has desktop files that specify icons, but I don't know how to make them appear in a window or on the desktop itself to run. Maybe I just don't know how to set it up, as I've been using personal menus for that here, instead, which does work, but seems redundant.

A lot of icon display options can be played with using the view>panel option.

rokytnji wrote:A lot of icon display options can be played with using the view>panel option.

LOL, I never noticed spacefm had multiple panels. That might avoid the need for Double Commander, Worker, or Emelfm type programs.

As far as using the Icons as a menu, I didn't mean from spacefm, but I can see how that might work if that were its own window, or I suppose even as a panel.

I should probably go find a spacefm tutorial...

}}} I should probably go find a spacefm tutorial

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It's so painstakingly-detailed, and dry, that probably no mere mortal could read it entirely in one sitting.

I tried unchecking the root color, and will say I do want it to be visibly obvious when I'm running as root, so I changed it back.

Here's what has been working well for me:
gksu lxappearance and choose a theme significantly different from that used for normal (non sudo/root) user.

I hate icon lists, usually. The only time they are useful in my view is when the icons are used as the menu.
I do like the windoze setups where I can drag or paste an icon onto a screen, in a window on a screen, or onto a menu, change its settings (like a desktop file here) and click it to run that program.
I would like to have that here, but not at the expense of making it all run slow.

We are blessed with having 2 available desktop managers pre-installed in antiX ~~ rox, and spacefm.
At the slim login screen, if you choose any of the rox+___ or space+___ sessions, you can (ala windoze) drag icon"stuffs" onto the screen (er, the desktop root window).
Even if you initially start plain ol'"fluxbox" (or whatever) session, you can at any time, on the fly (without logging out), visit desktopMenu --} OtherDesktops
and switch to a rox+ or space+"icon enabled desktop session".

Aside from antiX, very few distros support such on-the-fly switching (hmm, VectorLinux? Voyager?) and I can't recall any others that provide _multiple_ desktop icon mgrs.
BTW,"whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" ~~ any icons added into a spacefm -managed desktop session are exclusive to those session variants. Your collection of desktop icons managed by/for rox sessions is maintained separately. This"switchability" can be immensely helpful if your usage involves jumping between differing task-oriented workflows or projects.

I would like to have that here, but not at the expense of making it all run slow.

If you discover that rox+ or space+ sessions"seem noticeably slower" I would appreciate hearing/knowing about it. Personally, I haven't noticed any difference (and I'm a stickler, with high expectations in terms of snappiness). Although I typically choose"plain ol' fluxbox, with solid color desktop, no icons, and autohiding panel", I do so with intent to minimize distractions. Unless a system is significantly underpowered, resource constrained, to the point of spilling over into swapfile usage due to"storing each displayed icon imagefile in memory adds overhead"... I wouldn't expect desktop (and panel/tray, and optional dock widget) icons to affect system performance.

I don't really understand why linux has desktop files that specify icons, but I don't know how to make them appear in a window or on the desktop itself to run.
Maybe I just don't know how to set it up, as I've been using personal menus for that here, instead, which does work, but seems redundant.

I only"tolerate" icons; I don't favor user reliance on them. Across several years, throughout my distrohopping, my lament has (often!) been"what the heck is a camel? standing on top of a palm tree??? supposed to represent?" Not only are the icon images often"too clever", the raft of designers and packagers and distro maintainers seem to loveLOVElove to arbitrarily change the squiggle I had previously associated with programXYZ and am now looking for. I've read the rationale stating that, due to multilingual considerations (and perenially limited translator resources), presentation of icons is a necessity. I've also read the (admittedly valid) argument"so, if we omit iCoN, and textually display e.g. sPaCeFm instead... how is the user further ahead? I mean, wth is a 'spacefm' anyhow?" Okay, I'm willing to meet in the middle but, for pete's sake, at least provide a textual mouseover tooltip.

In case you care to check it out, available from debian repositories is a package called"mystuff".
Jessie repo IIRC does not have the latest version; author's kornelix.com website has a download debfile package (installable via gdebi).
When launched, its program window provides a drop target where you can maintain an arbitrary collection of iconic an/or textual launchers.
Its window can be minimized (although that sort of defeats its purpose, eh) and if started via session autostart, can serve as an everpresent alternative to using a"desktop root window icon manager" or a docky|adeskbar|cairodock|etc app.

As far as desktop icons go. I set up a AntiX computer laptop. Dell E5510.
========= SCRAPER REMOVED AN EMBEDDED LINK HERE ===========
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linktext was:"To be as autistic friendly as I thought possible for my grandson."
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Who is full blown autistic. I have a soft spot in my heart for him because he is my exact twin brother looking clone when I was his age.

thriftee wrote:I don't really understand why linux has desktop files that specify icons, but I don't know how to make them appear in a window or on the desktop itself to run. Maybe I just don't know how to set it up, as I've been using personal menus for that here, instead, which does work, but seems redundant.

I cannot get a grasp on what you are trying to do so the following may be irrelevant. The written descriptions are far more complex than actually performing the actions.

thriftee wrote:I do like the windoze setups where I can drag or paste an icon onto a screen, in a window on a screen, or onto a menu, change its settings (like a desktop file here) and click it to run that program. I would like to have that here, but not at the expense of making it all run slow.

That sounds akin to the way that Rox-Filer works. By drag-n-drop techniques you can produce a desktop shortcut launcher (or shortcut launcher in a window) which you can modify to your requirements, e.g.

• Specify arguments to the command
  Use whatever name you want for the shortcut
  Set a keyboard shortcut
  Use whichever icon you prefer via drag-n-drop

Similarly, you can add your own choice of items to its internal menu, again via drag-n-drop methods.

Using Rox-Filer in conjunction with Wingrid is a great partnership. You can obtain a multi-panel file manager which makes the most of Rox's focus on drag-n-drop working. As shipped in antiX-16 the combination provides 1, 2, 3, and 4 panel operation out-of-the-box. In fact you can get 5, 6, 7, and 8 panels by using both workspaces provided in IceWM, but that is just overkill. As a bonus Rox-Filer is more lightweight than SpaceFM.

Example create a desktop shortcut
Activate the Rox-Pinboard (Desktop)
Menu-->Desktop-->Other Desktops-->Rox-IceWM

Open a Rox-Filer window
Browse to /usr/bin/mplayer
Left click on it and drag-n-drop it onto the desktop

Rename the shortcut
Right click-n-hold the the mplayer shortcut
Select Edit Item
Replace the name gnome-mplayer with Media Player
Press the OK button

Provide your choice of icon
Right click-n-hold the Video Player shortcut
Select "File Video Player"-->Set Icon
In the still open Rox-Filer window browse to /usr/share/icons/Adwaita/48x48/categories/applications-multimedia.png
Left click on it and drag-n-drop into the Set Icon window


Although the above relate to icons on the desktop, a similar outcome can be obtained by placing the shortcut launchers in a directory and opening the directory in a Rox-Filer window. It seems a good fit with

thriftee wrote:...I can see how that might work if that were its own window...

Example add an item in the Rox-Filer menu
Open a Rox-Filer window
Browse to /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav
Right click on it-->Send To-->Open With Menu
Note: At this point 3 windows will open. Use the information shown in the open-with-guide. Just substitute gnome-mplayer for mirage and rename as Open With Media Player. Change the icon as above if desired.

Close all windows except /usr/share/sounds/alsa

On any *.wav file, Right click-->Open With Media Player


Example use Rox-Filer in 2 pane mode via Wingrid
Open 2 Rox-Filer windows
Click on one and press the key combo Ctrl+1
Click on the other and pres the key combo Ctrl+2

More info in Wingrid user guide
Menu--Help--antiX-->antiX FAQ-->Wingrid
dolphin_oracle video (starts about 14mins 20secs in)


^---- embedded YouTube-hosted video: https://www.youtube.com/JRO-meyYGWg




Edit
Added link to video by d_o

Seems pretty close to

thriftee wrote:LOL, I never noticed spacefm had multiple panels. That might avoid the need for Double Commander, Worker, or Emelfm type programs.

Off Topic

rokytnji wrote:I set up a AntiX computer laptop. Dell E5510. To be as autistic friendly as I thought possible for my grandson. Who is full blown autistic. I have a soft spot in my heart for him because he is my exact twin brother looking clone when I was his age.

Abstract from linked MX-forum post

rokytnji wrote:Tried to keep it KISS for him. The telephone will be the support line.
For things like installing apps, making desktop launchers, using smtube, running apps, and

Code: Select all

apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade

For really easy and simple way to do the support you might find helpful two apps in the antiX repo

• 1-to-1 Assistance (enables control of remote desktop)
  1-to-1 Voice (provides a way to speak to each other)

Either can be used with or without the other. To use them, the end user (your grandson) needs no special skills at all.

Ref
dolphin_oracle videos
1-to-1 Assistance

^---- embedded YouTube-hosted video: https://www.youtube.com/aEmtZTpKR0A


1-to-1 Voice

^---- embedded YouTube-hosted video: https://www.youtube.com/ED_9MUSjO1s



Online user guides

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Also local versions Menu-->Help-->antiX-->antiX FAQ

antiX forum announcement
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=6004