# Need your kind help - Making a BSD Desktop



## ekd123 (Aug 16, 2012)

Hi all! 

I'm writing a desktop shell that uses FreeBSD License these days. It uses design from GNOME 3. Many may ask why GNOME3? Well, in my opinion, GNOME3 could be more easier to use and much better. And GNOME3 does NOT work *well* on BSDs. That makes me feel unhappy. x( And I can't even love KDE. KDE makes me feel I'm using Windows. (I don't want to start a war, maybe I'm not clever :r)

Then I started to do my own desktop shell, HShell. It uses FreeBSD License. Firstly I thought that I should release it after it's done. But a bit later, I feel my C/GTK skills are too terrible and my time is too short. So I ask for help here. HShell is not simply a GNOME-Shell copy but a better desktop shell for UNIX-like OSs. Perhaps later there will be a BSD's own desktop environment.

Here is the project site http://projects.ekd123.org/projects/hshell. If you need to run it you may need to write a 'main' extension first. HShell treats it as its configuration. A default conf will be installed automatically.

If you want to join, you may need experience of GTK+ 3, GLib and GIO (depend on what you want to do). First of all, please read the TODO page and see what you can join. 

Thank you for your help! If you don't want to join, thank you for your reading and attention.

Sincerely,
Mike Manilone

PS: Sorry for my poor English.


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## ekd123 (Aug 23, 2012)

Hmmmm... Basically usable. I'm using it to replace KDE.


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## SR_Ind (Sep 1, 2012)

I'm too designing my desktop from scratch, but it Qt (in version 4 and to be ported to Qt 5 when it becomes available. 

GTK+ is a no go area for me. Broken toolkit with no maintenance.


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## expl (Sep 1, 2012)

SR_Ind said:
			
		

> Broken toolkit with no maintenance.



Might want to skip out on uneducated comments in the future.


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## SR_Ind (Sep 1, 2012)

expl said:
			
		

> Might want to skip out on uneducated comments in the future.


Just because a toolkit might be of your interest, its not your prerogative to comment what is an educated observation or otherwise.


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## SR_Ind (Sep 1, 2012)

To the OP of this thread.

There are non-GUI aspects of a desktop system. I'd like to collaborate if areas of interest overlap. I'm working on  MIME database helper library.


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## expl (Sep 1, 2012)

SR_Ind said:
			
		

> Just because a toolkit might be of your interest, its not your prerogative to comment what is an educated observation or otherwise.



That was not a reason for my comment, please avoid stating personal opinions as facts as you are completely wrong with both 'broken' and 'unmaintained' as thousands of programmers and millions of users would not use GTK+ on daily basis. 

Please don't try to push this off-topic with personal agenda, I just hate to see people post personal opinions as dry facts on technical forums and mailing lists. If you have an opinion please express it in a non offensive manner.


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## ekd123 (Sep 6, 2012)

SR_Ind said:
			
		

> I'm too designing my desktop from scratch, but it Qt (in version 4 and to be ported to Qt 5 when it becomes available.
> 
> GTK+ is a no go area for me. Broken toolkit with no maintenance.



May I have a look at your DE?

And GTK+ still has maintenance. But no one is full-time.


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## SR_Ind (Sep 6, 2012)

ekd123 said:
			
		

> May I have a look at your DE?
> 
> And GTK+ still has maintenance. But no one is full-time.


Well can't call it a DE yet. As I'm coding up instead of assembling bits and pieces.

So here it is.
1. A simple editor
2. A basic file manager (just to help you get around like Windows Explorer)
3. A Qt Configuration tool - hacked out of Qt example - gets me done with font and style settings
4. A calculator
5. A FTP Client - might get completed in a week.

I'm not sure how to put the sources for these. What kind of source repo is good to work with? But yeah these are workable apps.

Now, I've not touched window manager, panel and stuff like that. In fact in my last attempt (a year) ago, I started with window manager and left it halfway through.

So one learning was to pick up smaller and simpler applications first. For windows manager I'm thinking of modifying Fluxbox.


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## vermaden (Sep 6, 2012)

SR_Ind said:
			
		

> I'm not sure how to put the sources for these. What kind of source repo is good to work with? But yeah these are workable apps.



You may go for github.com



			
				SR_Ind said:
			
		

> Now, I've not touched window manager, panel and stuff like that. In fact in my last attempt (a year) ago, I started with window manager and left it halfway through.
> 
> So one learning was to pick up smaller and simpler applications first. For windows manager I'm thinking of modifying Fluxbox.


Why not 'use' the LXDE path and just use Openbox while providing other components?


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## ekd123 (Sep 8, 2012)

SR_Ind said:
			
		

> Now, I've not touched window manager, panel and stuff like that. In fact in my last attempt (a year) ago, I started with window manager and left it halfway through.



Just the opposite, I've done a simple panel and a session manager first. 

An integrated WM could give a better user experience, I think. However, there's just one window manager could be embedded, that's mutter. But it's GPL-licensed... x(

And a display manager seems needed too.


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## SR_Ind (Sep 9, 2012)

ekd123,

While it seems a long way off, but I guess at some point in time (I hope so) wayland display server may be available on FreeBSD. 2 / 3 / 5 years? If it happens a new window manager shall be required.

Talking of GPL stuff, why not target MIT/BSD licensed stuff in the first place?

BTW, have you managed to find a way to deal with MIME stuff? 

I'm thinking of putting it all in a SQLite file and then wrap it up with a dynamic library. So, a higher level code will just load the library, register/de- register a MIME type or query the MIME type information of a particular type/extension. Any other ideas?


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## ekd123 (Sep 11, 2012)

Sorry, I have no experience about MIME yet. But your idea sounds good.

It seems that here's already a spec for MIME, http://standards.freedesktop.org/shared-mime-info-spec/shared-mime-info-spec-latest.html. The database is described.

GnomeVFS has one implementation (http://developer.gnome.org/gnome-vfs/stable/mime-registry.html), however, it's not ported into GIO yet.


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## ekd123 (Sep 20, 2012)

Mmmmmm.. OK, It's now got the extensibility - extensions now can insert their own widgets to the panel, or change things offered by default. (since r20)


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## throAU (Sep 21, 2012)

I just wish we had more Etoile / GNUStep developers.

Some level of toolkit compatibility can only be a good thing to encourage people to port applications.


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## multix (Feb 28, 2013)

I'm revamping GNUstep's FileManager (aka GWorkspace) and FTP client (FTP) these days. Once the Calculator gets revamped too... it would fit the list!


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