Mint like XFCE Spin

Mint XFCE has a rather nice interface. It has a better file search in folders and search bar in the application launcher along with many other things that make the interface more usuable. It doesn’t have the back end that Fedora does though as it is Ubuntu based. This includes the higher efficiency I have noticed on Fedora’s XFCE, better compatibility, Selinux and built in computer encryption. The update system is also much better on Fedora with the exception of having to use terminal commands to update/install flatpaks. People looking for a stable experience are more likely to not customize the interface for fear of causing their system to become unstable. Would you consider creating and maintaining an XFCE spin of Fedora that has an interface more like Mint’s XFCE. Combine that with a software manager that is compatible with Flatpaks as well. An interface lighter then gnome but more usable then then Fedora’s XFCE would be rather popular because of the advantages of Fedora’s back end.

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I’m not sure the people who manage that spin monitor this site. You might have better luck emailing your request to spins@lists.fedoraproject.org.

Alternatively, if you know exactly what you want done, you could submit a pull request directly against the config script here: Tree - fedora-kickstarts - Pagure.io

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Fedora follows the idea of “Vanilla”, means be able to run all desktop spins but let them as they come from the original project like Gnome, Mate, KDE and Xfce etc.

There are a lot of apps already available also on fedora, you just need to install them extra manually.

As I know Xfce uses dnfdragora and this is also a external project. For inclusion of Flatpak you would check with them best. GitHub - manatools/dnfdragora: dnfdragora is a dnf frontend based on libyui abstraction

Except for the fact that I had to install File-Roller to get a reasonable archive management into the system, which unfortunately does not adhere to the preset color scheme=Black, I am satisfied.
Gnome just, cruel.
This is my next construction site, but I can live with it at the moment.
Which programs are bothering you?

It can’t be the color scheme where you have infinite possibilities.

I don’t think the fedora xfce spin uses dnfdragora.

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What about Blueberry which is a development of Mate and was taken over by Xfce? Apparently there is a little movement in the software development whether Gtk3 or Gtk4.
Somehow the boundaries are blurred!

I can not answer that because I do not use that and can only talk about the normal spin.

Ok, at least people use it with Xfce too :blush: :

https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/dnfdragora-update-notification-not-disappearing/73623/2

Edit:
Fedora Xfce spin delivers dnfdragora as it is originally a rpm based installer.

Does the Thunar replaced or it has plugin for thunar for that?

It most certainly does. That is the first thing I myself uninstall after installing xfce spin.

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Also worth speaking to the XFCE SIG which maintains the XFCE packages and the spin. Find them here:

https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/SIGs/Xfce

As I mentioned already Fedora comes with the default and just adds tools who supplement the distribution. Some of them are installed but not active by default.

You can try the Whisker Menu. It has a search field on the bottom of the pull down menu.
It is available by default to add it to xfce4-panel

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The XFCE mailing list only allows certain people to mail it. I found a list of developers that I mailed this idea to. The only response I have gotten so far is from one person saying they no longer work on the XFCE project.

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Just going by the README in the fedora-kickstarts repo, it looks like the people who maintain those files expect people to contact them by filing “bug reports” here: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/enter_bug.cgi?product=Fedora&component=spin-kickstarts

People do sometimes use bug trackers to request “enhancements”. They usually make it clear that that is what they are asking for by prefixing the subject line with [RFE] (Request For Enhancement).

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Did you subscribe to the mailing list before trying to post?

Yeh, that’s a common occurrence in volunteer based projects, unfortunately—there’s usually a high turnover of contributors. Folks come in, work intensely on projects but then get busy with other things (jobs, life) and drop out sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently. There are usually a few folks that constantly remain in the long term, so it’s a question of figuring out who these are.

Worth trying the maintainers listed in the maintainers file too (that’s their fedora account system name, so you’ll e-mail fas@fedoraproject.org where fas is the username. More info here: EmailAliases - Fedora Project Wiki ):

https://pagure.io/fedora-kickstarts/blob/main/f/maintainers.toml#_8

If they aren’t able to immediately help, they will at least be able to fill you in with the state of things.

Note that a question we all ask before coming up with something new is “will I have the time to maintain this in the long run?” So the maintainers may be completely open to the idea, but they may not necessarily have the extra bandwidth to also support a new spin. In general, Fedora tends to ship “vanilla” software bundles without a lot of customisation. We “stay close to upstream”. I.e., the Gnome workstation product is just how the Gnome developers ship it, and the XFCE spin similarly, is how the XFCE upstream developer ship it.

FWIW, It looks like nonamedotc was the last person to touch one of the XFCE files (Commit - fedora-kickstarts - d40c77b3d1f83816156c182b0946247c303d0e45 - Pagure.io). So he might be your best bet if you are looking to email someone directly.

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Authored and Committed by a4e28cee59366a10ad6ea3ab05e67f71ae05da04.png 2 years ago

It is also a few versions ago he committed last :wink:

That’s fine though. These files don’t change often because the package sets and configurations remain same. What changes is the versions of packages.

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I added that. I am going to have to suggest that to the developers as a default. I can’t believe it wasn’t. Are they any alternative folder structures built in or will that have to install seperately. The way files are searched for are rather clunky. I do want to maintain XFCE lightness of the OS.

Are we still talking about the whisker menu?

Just have a look on the xfce website. There it is still promoted with the “Aplications” plugin. So I guess when they would change there, fast there will be other requests to undo it again because they want it as they are used of it.

Instead you could promote your own script to automate this changes for executing after a new installation.

Maintain this on your own on GitHub or Gitlab gives you new abilities to propose in future pull requests to help make such changes.

I do not want to disappoint you just try to show how opensource really works. Encourage you to get in to it.