Not so Common Desktop Environment (NsCDE)
Notices:
- For a full documentation, see share/doc/NsCDE/*
- FAQ: https://github.com/NsCDE/NsCDE/wiki/NsCDE---Frequently-Asked-Questions-(FAQ)
Screenshots:
Video Presentations and guides:
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwuTOghS3ac&list=PLpVwwj0aIJjeHbA38F1z693-fKIC8IHS5 Set of 12 NsCDE video presentations (commented and titled screen captures) on NsCDE Youtube channel.
-
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpVwwj0aIJjcaTFrZ5FLokl-kAMwmBxux Set of newer 7 NsCDE video presentations, describing features implemented in the last two years and for NsCDE 2.X
The author would like to apologize for bad English in the docs. A rand() function putting (the, a, an) in articles would probably be more accurate.
Introduction
What is NsCDE?
NsCDE is a retro but powerful UNIX desktop environment which
resembles the CDE look (and partially feel) but with a more powerful
and flexible framework beneath-the-surface, more suited for 21st
century unix-like and Linux systems and user requirements than
original CDE.
NsCDE can be considered as a heavyweight FVWM
theme on steroids, but combined with a couple other free software
components and custom FVWM applications and a lot of configuration,
NsCDE can be considered a lightweight hybrid desktop environment.
In other words, NsCDE is a heavy FVWM (ab)user. It consists of a
set of FVWM applications and configurations, enriched with Python
and Shell background drivers, couple of the additional free software
tools and applications. FVWM3 is also supported.
Visually, NsCDE mimics CDE, the well known Common Desktop Environment
of many commercial UNIX systems of the nineties. It supports CDE backdrops
and palettes with FVWM colorsets and has a theme generator for Xt, Xaw,
Motif, GTK2, GTK3, Qt4 and Qt5. Integrating all these bits and
pieces, the user gets a retro visual experience across almost all X11
applications. Enriched with a bunch of powerful FVWM concepts and functions,
modern applications and font rendering, NsCDE acts as a link between
classic CDE look and a fast and extensible environment, well suited for
modern day computing.
NsCDE can even be integrated into existing desktop environments as a
FVWM window manager wrapper for session handling and additional DE
functionality.
Nevertheless, NsCDE is designed for UNIX oriented users, and
generally technical people, and not as something for general public
use or for introducing beginners to Linux or some other unix-like
system.
As previously said, NsCDE's main goal is to revive the look and feel of the Common Desktop Environment found on many UNIX and unix-like systems during
nineties and the first decade of the 21st century, but with a slightly
more polished interface (XFT, unicode, dynamic changes, rich keyboard and mouse
bindings, desk pages, rich menus etc.). The goal is a comfortable retro
environment which is not just eye candy toy, but a real working environment
for users who contrary to mainstream trends really like CDE, thus making
a semi-optimal blend of usability and compatibility with modern tools with
a look and feel which mainstream abandoned for some new fashion, and ... in a
nutshell, giving the best of both worlds to the user.
The excellent FVWM window manager is the main driver behind NsCDE with its
endless options for customization, GUI Script engine, Colorsets, and
modules. NsCDE is largely a wrapper around FVWM -- sort of like a
heavyweight theme.
Other main components are GTK2, GTK3, Qt4 and Qt5 themes for unifying
the look and feel of most Unix/Linux applications, custom scripts which are
helpers and backend workers for GUI parts and some data from the original
CDE, such as icons, palettes, and backdrops.
Why NsCDE?
Since the nineties, I have always liked this environment and its somewhat
crude socrealistic look in a contrast to the "modern" Windows and GNOME
approach which is going in the opposite direction from what I always liked to
see on my screen. I have created this environment for my own usage 8-10
years ago and it was a patchwork, chaotic and not well suited for sharing
with someone. While it looked ok on the surface, behind it was years of
ad-hoc hacks and senseless configurations and scripts, dysfunctional menus,
etc. Couple of months in a row I had the time and chance to rewrite this as
a more consistent environment, first for myself, and during this process,
idea came to do it even better, and put it on the web for everyone else who
may like this idea of a modern CDE.
NsCDE is intended for people who don't like "modern" hypes, interfaces that try to mimic Mac and Windows and reimplement their ideas for non-technical user's desktops, and reimplement them poorly. Older and mature system administrators, programmers and generally people with a Unix background are more likely to have attraction to NsCDE. It is probably not well suited for beginners.
Of course, the question arises: why not simply use the original CDE now
that it is open source?
Apart from its desirable look, because it has its own problems: It is a
product from the 90s, based on Motif and a long time has passed since then. In
CDE there is really no XFT font rendering, no immediate dynamic application changes.
Besides that, I have found dtwm, CDE's window manager,
inferior to FVWM and some 3rd party solutions which can be paired with it.
So I wanted the best of both worlds: good old retro look and feel from
original CDE, but more flexible, modern and maintained "driver" behind it,
which will allow for individual customizations as one find's them fit for
their own amusement and usage. As it will be seen later, there are some
intentional differences between CDE and NsCDE - a middle ground between
trying to stay as close as possible to look of the CDE, but with more
flexibility and functionality on the second and third look.
Components of the NsCDE
Components overview
NsCDE consists of 7 main facilities
- extensive
FVWMconfiguration and customization - FvwmScript GUI programs
- GTK2 and GTK3 theme based on pixmap engine
- Icon theme
- Python programs and Korn Shell scripts
- Miscellaneous pieces for integration, like CSS for
FirefoxandThunderbird, etc... - Integrated free software components for desktop environment tasks
Central "driver" or framework is FVWM Window Manager. FVWM is in my opinion
a model of free choice for people who like to have things set up as they
wish and and who are aware of what real freedom of choice is. A stunning
contrast to policies forced on Linux users in the last decade by the
most mainstream desktop players.
NsCDE is by default installed in /usr/local ($NSCDE_ROOT), but it can
be relocated to any other installation path during pre-installation
configuration.
It is not using the default configuration directory $HOME/.fvwm but sets it's
own $FVWM_USERDIR to $HOME/.NsCDE, and uses NsCDE private
$[FVWM_DATADIR] as a source of configuration.