Remarks about Xfce 4.10

VinzC · 2012-07-21 21:46:09

Hi all.

I have installed Xfce 4.10 (upgraded from 4.8, kinda) on my Gentoo home machine. There are many enhancements I found useful and quite interesting. Here are some remarks though.

1. The run command (alt+F2)

The previous implementation (Xfce 4.8) was super efficient if one had to run a previously typed command again. My favourite example: xfdesktop --reload . Under Xfce 4.8, all you had to do (if you had already typed the command) was hit Alt+F2 then Enter. Now with 4.10 it's Alt+F2, Down, Down, Left, Down, Right, then all the way down for commands are sorted aplhabetically...

Honestly, this is the worst kind of change I've seen. Of course it concerns my own little case (selfishly, I admit) but if only the Run applet just did remember the last command I typed, I wouldn't have minded the change.

I know I can type the first characters of a command instead but what if I don't remember the command? For instance, I'd have expected pressing the Down key would have brought the history of commands I typed, like in web browsers when you press Down in a field when Autocomplete is enabled. And then only bring the list of application icons with a Browse button. But the latter shouldn't be the default action, IMHO.

2. Minor this time: the tooltip over special folder icons on the desktop. There's no left/right margin in the tooltip. Would be prettier with a few pixels margin.

3. The classical wish-to-have: tabs in Thunar. PCManFM crashes too often (e.g. dropping from Xarchiver) to be used as a viable alternative.

4. Thunar plugins to show info about media files, at least more than just the resolution and size of images. Like ID3Tags, audio/video codec infos...

Other than that Xfce has been my favourite desktop for years. Thanks for the work anyway.

jeromeg · 2012-07-22 10:11:52

Hello,

1. A lot of your concerns are already filed as bug reports on the Xfce Bugzilla. I invite you to go through the list (https://bugzilla.xfce.org/buglist.cgi?r … -appfinder) and to file addtional bug reports if some of your concerns are not already reported. Please file one bug report per issue to ease the work of developers.

2. Please file a bug report about that on bugzilla.xfce.org.

3. Last thread about that: http://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=6726 Summary: unlikely to happen.

4. There is http://goodies.xfce.org/projects/thunar … ags-plugin, I don't if it's compatible with Xfce 4.10 though (the wiki page is outdated).

Cheers,

Jérôme

VinzC · 2012-07-22 22:55:25

Thanks a lot Jerome.

Be sure I'll file bugs wherever applicable. Thanks for the hints.

As for Thunar media tags plugin, it seems to do the trick. FYI I asked because a couple of months/years ago Gentoo maintainers retired the media plugin that was then used because of various unfixed bugs and because the project seemed to be dead. Never saw there was a new one (or the old one was continued, I don't know) so this one comes handy.

Now about tabs in Thunar, I haven't personally followed the long (and probably boring, as far as Xfce developers have been requested) story but I'd say, in all objectivity, that a response like "they think it's useless and thus don't want to waste their time to implement it" is bound to attract the kinds of reactions I have read.

First because "think" is an opinion, not a fact. Second because the number of requests for tabs is enough of a justification there are people who'll use them. Lastly because it has a name when the opinion of a few takes precedence over the desires of many. I'd say it is but show humility and openness of mind. However I haven't said Xfce developers lack openness of mind and humility, there's a difference between "show" and "be".

I know, as a developer myself, there have been moments I tried to convince people their requests didn't make more sense than using a workaround they knew, which brought them perfect satisfaction. I just find it sad that Thunar won't include tabs unless a good willing soul takes it up on herself. In the facts all the file managers I know of (Konqueror, Nautilus, PCManFM) do handle tabs, Thunar does not and is the only one I know which doesn't. That again should be a good indication there has to be at least a few more people than there are Thunar developers who find it useful, right? wink

But I will do with your reply. And if one day I'm feeling brave enough to implement those tabs, well, why not, let's see.

Thanks again for your insights.

Last edited by VinzC (2012-07-22 22:56:49)

VinzC · 2018-08-22 14:46:08

jeromeg wrote:

3. Last thread about that: http://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=6726 Summary: unlikely to happen.

See? It happened! Never say "never" again ;-) .

Just revisiting my older posts.

ToZ · 2018-08-22 17:30:45

Please don't necrobump really old posts.

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#1 2012-07-21 21:46:09

Remarks about Xfce 4.10

#2 2012-07-22 10:11:52

Re: Remarks about Xfce 4.10

#3 2012-07-22 22:55:25

Re: Remarks about Xfce 4.10

#4 2018-08-22 14:46:08

Re: Remarks about Xfce 4.10

#5 2018-08-22 17:30:45

Re: Remarks about Xfce 4.10

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