Xfce Forum

poltiser

Member

Registered: 2011-05-14

Posts: 23

Minimal install - what I really need to run xfce - leafpad etc. ?

XFCE - correct me if I am wrong - it is a modullar system. If I want to install it on any OS what is a minimal set of modules - would it be possible to create minimal Desktop XFCE components list like:
- program (dependencies) - what I need it for - can I do without - lost functions if not installed
I was looking for this kind of information elswhere in linux forums and to my surprise I found very few informations - usualy people describe their preferences which is fine but not enough to choose right set of modules...

Best regards

Last edited by poltiser (2012-12-14 19:21:36)

Ahau

Member

Registered: 2011-12-22

Posts: 27

Re: Minimal install - what I really need to run xfce - leafpad etc. ?

Well, given that it is modular and we don't know what distro you're using as a base, giving a full list of dependencies would probably be way too much redundant information (i.e. all of the X libs, glibc, gtk+, etc., for most every module).  I package Xfce for Porteus Linux, which is a lightweight live cd/usb distro based on slackware.  I've tried to trim it down to be functional but still light, and here's what I've got:

(note that you will need libwnck, libsoup, and libunique for some or all of this -- many distros have them already but I have to add them.  This assumes everything necessary for working Xorg and gtk+2 are already in place)

Minimal Xfce build (All are Required):
xfce4-dev-tools (note, I'm not sure, but I don't think this is required at run-time)
libxfce4util
xfconf
libxfce4ui
libxfcegui4
exo
garcon
xfce4-panel
xfce4-session
xfdesktop
xfwm4

That would give you a working system with pretty much nothing inside.  To make this useable, I add the following optional components:
gvfs (requires udev and udisks2 or udisks1+gnome-disk-utility) -- trash and usb drive automounting
thunar-volman (show/mount removeable volumes in thunar)
tumbler (show preview icons in thunar)
thunar-archive-plugin (right-click menu for archives in Thunar, I use it with file-roller)
thunar
orage
Terminal
gtk-engines-2 (for some 3rd-party gtk2 themes)
xfce4-appfinder (could live without it, but I'm packaging for a wide audience)
xfce4-xkb-plugin (again, I'm packaging for a wide audience; this requires libxklavier)
xfce4-notifyd (get notifications working and add the notification area to the panel for network/audio/battery etc)
xfce4-power-manager (give power options and show battery charge in the panel)

I also add gtk+3 because I use some applications that require it (but it is not required for Xfce 4.10) so I also added gtk-xfce-engine-3.0 for some gtk+3 themes (many gtk+2/3 themes also require the murrine and unico engines)

You will also need a display manager if you want a graphical login or autologin (I use lxdm because it's very light and doesn't bring in any extra dependencies for me) and an icon theme.

I don't include the xfwm4-themes package in my build, I only include one theme by default (currently Evolve, you can find it on gnome-look.org).  I also don't use xfce4-mixer or xfce4-volumed because I hate gstreamer.  Instead I use volumeicon+alsamixer.  Note that you'll have no screen locker installed with this unless you already have xscreensaver or something else; I use slock because it has no extra deps.  I include a dozen or so plugins for the panel, but that's all user preference.

I know you weren't looking for a "this is what I do", so I hope the information above is still at least a little helpful.

poltiser

Member

Registered: 2011-05-14

Posts: 23

Re: Minimal install - what I really need to run xfce - leafpad etc. ?

Thanks it helped... I still use xUbuntu

Spect73

Member

Registered: 2013-10-31

Posts: 17

Re: Minimal install - what I really need to run xfce - leafpad etc. ?

Thanks for this information.  I'm currently playing around with Linux From Scratch and was wondering what I would need for Xfce4.  This helps alot.

Coordially

---

Coordially,
Spect73