LXP

[Colonel Panic]

Seeing as we've got more Linux first timers now than we used to have, has anyone thought of packaging and including lxp as an option on Vector 6? It's a desktop based on IceWM, xfe and idesk which aims to get as close as posible to Windows XP in function and appearance.

I've downloaded and installed it recently (part reason being a badly mauled Windows partition), and I can confirm that it looks very slick and works well although it takes a lot of setting up (most of an evening in my case).

[The Headacher]

I don't think you get a more user friendly distro by looking more like windows xp. A lot of the current windowmanagers /Desktop environments work or can be made to work pretty similar. You know, menu in the bottom left corner, some shortcuts next to it, then the window list and in the right corner the tray & the clock (using Windows now ). I use a very windows-like setup in KDE, so I don't have to switch my brain around too much when I have to use windows.

I really dislike the use of M$ icons on the desktop. Linux is not windows, people who use it should be aware of this. I'm sure people can get used to a lot of other window managers as well.

[exeterdad]

I agree with the icon cloning being a bit disturbing.  But that theme might be the key to getting my wife to move to Linux.  I've been getting her to try open source software for a while now.  Especially software that looks identical in Linux.  But she can't get over how "alien" the desktop looks to her.  That theme might help her be more comfortable.

That said....   Colonel Panic's post about making Linux newbies more at home may have some merit.

[The Headacher]

But then again, why do we have to do everything to please the linux newbies? How's about all us normal Linux users (e.g. not first timers)? IMO we should worry more about the people who actually use it and less about the people who MIGHT perhaps one day in a distant future try some Linux.

[M0E-lnx]

But then again, why do we have to do everything to please the linux newbies? How's about all us normal Linux users (e.g. not first timers)? IMO we should worry more about the people who actually use it and less about the people who MIGHT perhaps one day in a distant future try some Linux.

We really dont, but it's nice to have lots of features...
With that said, I dont see why we can't host this in the repos...
I mean, a lot of us might not use it, but there might be others who want to keep the xp look (although most DE's look better than Wind Os's best looks IMO).

It should go without saying that if anyone does package this, make sure to include all the config files, otherwise, You'll have a newbie saying it looks good, but it doesn't work...

[exeterdad]

I've been putting a lot of thought into this topic.  I think I will build and play around with it.  At least for the sake of my wife.  I'm kinda excited about the possibility of getting her Microsoft free.  She uses XP that might fail soon (*cough*),  and her upgrading to Vista has been forbidden so using this window manager for the transition seems like a Godsend.

Moe is entirely correct about making darn sure it works well with VL before releasing it as a package.  It has to be a turnkey solution as the people interested in it would most likely be very new to Linux. I'm interested if the menu's are generated automatically or if they have to be done my hand.  I'm sure a nifty "auto-menu" script, tailored to VL can be written.

I think it would be a embarrassment to VL to have it as a default desktop, but I do believe it would be a asset to have it available to those who want to use it.

[M0E-lnx]

I think it would be a embarrassment to VL to have it as a default desktop, but I do believe it would be a asset to have it available to those who want to use it.

Couldn't agree more

[lagagnon]

... It has to be a turnkey solution as the people interested in it would most likely be very new to Linux.

The way I see it is that those who are don't like slight differences to their desktop or who need things to be always the same either because they like it that way or are unwilling to consider changes are also highly unlikely to consider a switch to Linux and we are very unlikely to see them here on the forum asking how to swap xfce or KDE for LXP ! IMHO anyways. 

[Colonel Panic]

Some good responses here, but I think the one area where it's a good idea to get as close as possible to XP is in the internet cafe / community centre "market", which is, by and large;

1 / used to XP,

2 / very conservative (I know of one which runs on Windows XP and took the best part of a year even to persuade some of its users to use Firefox!), and

3 / short of money, therefore open to lower cost solutions than installing Windows on its computers.

There's a thread on the Puppy forum where someone describes how he set up an Internet cafe in the north of England using Puppy (adapted to look like Windows XP) and a batch of donated computers.

I have to admit I've gone back to standard IceWM because I know where all the files are (including the config files) and it's easier to "tweak".

[exeterdad]

... It has to be a turnkey solution as the people interested in it would most likely be very new to Linux.

The way I see it is that those who are don't like slight differences to their desktop or who need things to be always the same either because they like it that way or are unwilling to consider changes are also highly unlikely to consider a switch to Linux and we are very unlikely to see them here on the forum asking how to swap xfce or KDE for LXP ! IMHO anyways. 

That's a very good point.  You so wise.

[rbistolfi]

Hey, Lagagnon has a very strong point there! If you ask to me, a lot of desktops are already xp-like, as The Headeacher said, A menu button, launchers, systray, clock. Well, the colors are different. Why will switch to linux a person who can´t change a desktop color, a button, a simple launcher? And perhaps a more important question: we really want to convert that person to linux? My answers: I hope most people uses linux in the future, including that guy, but I think we don´t need to try to convince him. I want to be loved because of who I really am     
You are right, Colonel. In an internet cafe, a XP-like desktop is a must. But that is a hole different situation. A guy is renting a computer for a short time, he is not switching to another os. There is some distros for internet cafes, all tweaked to look like xp, firefox with an ie7 theme, thunderbird with a ms-outlook theme, amsn and so on.
Moe has a point too, the linux desktops looks far better than xp and vista toghether 

[M0E-lnx]

Some good responses here, but I think the one area where it's a good idea to get as close as possible to XP is in the internet cafe / community centre "market", which is, by and large;

I have to disagree there...

I say show off your beryl or compiz-fusion loaded desktop and let them gather 'round and be impressed.

[Colonel Panic]

You could be right M0E. I haven't seen beryl or compiz-fusion yet, but don't they require more resources than computers donated to an Internat cafe (probably 128-256 MB of RAM) are likely to have?

Thanks for the replies anyway.

[M0E-lnx]

Fusion should run on that... as long as they have a descent video card, (32mb ram for video) either intel ATI or Nvidia... it should run

[Will]

Putting it up in Repo would be great. I personally like the idea of XFCE. However this...looks like a way I could introduce my family to Linux. I wonder if it includes a file manager or not.

Edit: Just saw it uses XFE. I know its a capible file manager but no...just...BLEH. I hated it in vector 4.2. I hate it now. Still. I like the concept of LXP's up front look enough to want to see what could be done to put it more in line. Just wish there was a file manager that did a better job at mimiking 9x's explorer. Yes I like how windows explorer presented things. I do NOT like file explorer, or this bastardized thing XP has(not even sure WHAT vista has going on, not sure if i want to know either).