Mint 19.3 Xfce THEMING

I'm still playing around with Mint 19.3 and there's a new release due next month with some exciting features like a simple file transfer system that was tested a long time ago and is being revived.

I think I have ironed out most of the wrinkles in my move from KDE based Linux back to Xfce using Mint although I'm sure I have more stuff to work out, but the basic aims were:

1 - Move from KDE Plasma back to something that 'feels like' it has less overhead (even it doesn't really).

2 - Retain some of the playful stuff I like such as transparency in some apps and the ability to use Kvantum styling on as many of my qt apps (from KDE) as possible.

3 - Find a theme I like for the GTK stuff.  Preferable not one of the new modern 'flat' themes, and preferably a 'dark' theme to be easier on the eyes with the 55 inch monitor.

4 - Said theme must have big enough borders to grab easily with the mouse, because I am constantly resizing programs to make best use of the large screen.

While I was playing with the wider borders thing, which looked decidedly ugly, I discovered that drop shadows achieved the same thing.  The area of the shadow provides the exra pixel area to grab with the mouse cursor.  I might look weird and playful to have coloured drop shadows - bu tit tells me at a glance which windows are focused at the same time.

5 - I must be able to run xwinwrap for video.


6 - I would 'like to have' have the compositing features I had in KDE/Plasma.

For some reason kwin killed my Mint Xfce.  So I reinstalled Mint 19.3 Xfrce and played with Compiz, and after a few fails, I modified a Metacity theme to give me decent min/max and close buttons on the Title Bar.

Still Playing with Mint 19.3 Xfce and Compiz

Compiz is still throwing some challenges at me.  I was warned that it has a few 'quirks' and I'm finding some of them.
I've played with quite a few of the weird things it can do, and now the novelty is wearing off I am settling back into a combination of the things I actually like about what it can do, and the things I used to like about KDE.

Finding out just which underlying GTK themes from xfwm4 work well in conjunction with the Metacity themes in Compiz.  Some of my favourite themes look fine, then I find something broken.

Like the GT3 theme I was using.  It worked nicely and looked good, but interfered with Thunar's ability to select text in various operations like 'Rename' for example.

I think I sorted it out though.  In the mean time my Cube has eight faces, six sides plus a top and bottom, instead of being a cylinder.

A Compiz/Xfce/Mint 19.3 Update - 2020 May 04

I've been playing with Compiz and working out a few changes to make it more stable.

Compiz uses Metacity for theming and there some really annoying things that Compiz does when it is working with Mint 19.3 Xfce that are worse than simply annoying.
Other things that 'are simply annoying' are the result of the themes for Window decorations clashing with GTK themes for Xfce.  Things like tiny or otherwise unreadable control buttons on the Titiebars for example. 

In a couple of themes I do like a lot, Compiz does strange things. The DarkCold theme for example, looks nice and works well, until I try to use the mousewheel on the Titiebar to shade the window. If the window is not Maximised, it works perfectly.
If the window IS Maximised, and I scroll the mouswwheel on the Titiebar to shade the window - I lose all Titiebars on ALL windows!

 I managed to find a little script on the web that allows me to select a Metacity friendly theme (out of those installed in Xfce) to use with Compiz. Running the script brings up a Zenity Dialog that lets me select from available themes easily.

As you can see from the Titiebar in the image, while it is still pretty plain, it is easy to see and the Buttons on the right for Min, Max and Close in the 'Human' theme are clear and big enough to use. 
In some of the other themes the buttons are almost impossible to see or to find with the mouse.

Having this script makes it simple to test which Window Decoration themes look ok and 'work', and which ones don't.

I found the Theme Selector script at:
Metacity Theme Selector

The script for the Theme Selector is:
<code>
#!/bin/bash

SAVEIFS=$IFS
IFS=$(echo -en "\n\b")

if [ ! -f /usr/bin/metacity ]; then
  zenity --warning --text="<b>You do not appear to have Metacity installed.</b>\n\nThe Compiz GTK window decorator uses Metacity libraries to operate. The Metacity theme is what this tool adjusts.\n\nInstall the metacity package if you would like to use the Compiz GTK window decorator."
fi

main_window() {
  selection=$(
    zenity --height 450 --width 320 --list --ok-label="Apply" --cancel-label="Close" --title="Metacity themes" \
    --column="Current theme: $( if [ $(gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences theme) == "''" ]; then
        echo Default
      else
        gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences theme
      fi)" \
    "Compiz GWD default" \
    $(
      for d in /usr/share/themes/*/metacity-1; do
        echo $d | sed 's:/usr/share/themes/::' | sed 's:/metacity-1::'
      done
    )
  )
}

while [ $? = 0 ]; do
if [ "$selection" == "Compiz GWD default" ]; then
  gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences theme ""
elif [ "$selection" != "" ]; then
  gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences theme "$selection"
fi
main_window
done

IFS=$SAVEIFS

</code>

Ok, here's the Desktop Sphere in Compiz. It's the Cube plus 'Cube Reflection and Deformation' in Compiz Configuraton Settings Menu. The YouTube video will take up the fill width of the page on a computer. Not sure what it will do on a phone. I had to make it 800x600 to get decent resolution. Video Linked: This is still only the little i5-4590T, which is more or less a medium laptop processor, and onboard i915 graphics.

Video of Mint 19.3 Xfce with Compiz, plus Video Wallpaper and Transparency

I Managed to sort out my Mint 19.3 Xfce at last.
I have most of the stuff I liked about KDE/Plasma, but saved most of the speed of Xfce on the little Lenovo m93p Tiny.

The m93p only has an intel i5 4590T processor and 8GB RAM, with an i915




Click the BIG RED DOT to Play Video...

Compiz is managing to display the Full Screen Video Wallpaper on all Viewports, and still keeps it playing as I rotate, flip and tumble the cube.
That rather surprised me !
HOWEVER:-
I have the 3D Windows effect enabled.  What that effect does, is to make the windows appear as if they are floating above the faces of the cube.
Because I told my cube to pretend to be a cylinder, it floats the 3D windows as a cylinder, but keeps the desktops as a cube.
And it makes the top and bottom face into disks.

Turning 3D windows OFF makes everything work properly.
Also, if 3D Windows effeect is turned Off, the 'sphere' deformation works, although with modern screen aspects, it is an elipsoid.

I'll do a desktop capture of that soon, but for now, here's a photo:

System Info is:
System:
  Host: ross-ThinkCentre-M93p Kernel: 5.3.0-46-generic x86_64 bits: 64
  Desktop: Xfce 4.14.1 Distro: Linux Mint 19.3 Tricia
Machine:
  Type: Desktop System: LENOVO product: 10AB0039AU v: ThinkCentre M93p
  serial: <root required>
  Mobo: LENOVO model: SHARKBAY v: SDK0E50510 WIN serial: <root required>
  BIOS: LENOVO v: FBKTB4AUS date: 07/01/2015
CPU:
  Topology: Quad Core model: Intel Core i5-4590T bits: 64 type: MCP
  L2 cache: 6144 KiB
  Speed: 1374 MHz min/max: 800/3000 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1568 2: 1450
  3: 1723 4: 1421
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics
  driver: i915 v: kernel
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.5 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa
  resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Haswell Desktop v: 4.5 Mesa 19.2.8

Mint Linux Dolphin File Manager Transparency - Ubuntu

What began as a simple interest in getting some of the Transparency theming across from my old KDE/Plasma desktops, to Mint has got a little bit out of hand.  That's obvious in the last post, but it has given my more insight into what can be done with Mint Xfce.

I started with the Dolphin File Manager simply because I already had it transparent in Plasma and I like having the desktop wallpaper showing through.
Then I discovered I could modify a few themes and have Wide Borders to grab with the mouse, plus some nice colourful big square buttons for Hide/Minimize-Maximize and Close.

The wide borders thing got taken to extremes in the last post.  So I went to work on changing another couple of themes I rather like that have borders smaller, but still bigger than the half a pixel that seem so popular these days - and are bloody near impossible to grab with a mouse.

So - With the exception of the first picture (Brave web browser) here are the most of the programs I have in Linux MINT 19.3 Xfce that have Transparency over large parts of their windows.

I still have only the bits of KDE that the individual applications require in order to function.
I have not installed KDE or Plasma Desktop.
The transparency and other changes are achieved using Compiz, some KDE Apps with some QT config tools, Kvantum theming engine, and some little mods to the window manager themes I'm using.

Theming XFCE - Plasma Apps and Transparency (Dolphin Background) etc

I'm still playing with Theming XFCE and using Plasma Apps and Transparent Dolphin Background

I was trying to get a much faster uniformly themed XFCE that gave me most of the things I missed when I made the move back from Plasma.  I've said often that my biggest gripe with Plasma was that it is so much slower across the board than even KDE4, and the difference is ridiculous between Plasma and XFCE.  But I loved some of the little things KDE and Plasma did with theming.

In the screenshot above I have Mint 19.3 XFCE, with VLC themed to match Kcalc and K partitionmanager.

I dislike the current craze of 'flat' themes.  I also don't mind when some programs themes don't actually match each other - even within qt programs, (all Plasma apps use qt widgets).

With that in mind, when I wanted Dolphin File Manager to have a completely translucent view pane, and opaque files and folders, I had to use a different version of the theme I used for VLC and the others, because I changed a setting and forgot what it is !

Ok, after a little thought I have Dolphin themed with the buttons to match the apps above and a 50^ transparency in the panes.

Transparent Dolphin File Manager Background

The next thing is what I want the rest of my XFCE desktop to look like.  I already like the modified Azenis-One theme I am using.  And it gives a nice patterned background to text input fields like this one on LibreOffice.

Included in that is a very distinct 3D curved effect on the buttons which, while it is very different from the KvCurves3D I use in my KDE Apps, follows the general 3D and curved idea.
Here's an example:

my LibreOffice Writer looks like this now, with lots of bumpy bits

I guess I was just so sick of something as customizable as Linux, starting to look the same on every distro.
And, I was missing the little things I had going in Plasma, but lost because I hated being able to take a shower while I waited for it to load or shut down.

Of course, in all this, I still have my video wallpaper happening, but this time I am restricted to using a oval viewport so I can access the icons on the Desktop.

I almost forgot - the Azenis-One theme also has a nice flashy Shutdown Dialog:

Dolphin File Manager scrolls too fast.  This is a bug that has been around for ages.  And I could not find a solution when I was using Plasma.  I searched forums and all I found was bug reports and confirmations that there is still a problem.  And lots of discussions about how the coding is too complex to fix it.  But if you have access to mouse configuration that lets you set the scroll speed, you can do something.  Unfortunately, I don;t seem to have that in XFCE.

Also it may have been fixed already in the latest Dolphin or Plasma, but it was still a problem using Dolphin in XFCE.  However, somewhere along the line I installed a couple of Qt configuration editors.  I accidentally found a fix after installing Qt5 Settings.

So if Dolphin scrolls too quickly.

Open Settings > Qt5 Settings
Open the Interface Tab
Look at the Bottom and change Mouse wheel scroll lines
From 3 To 1

It won;t give 'smooth scrolling', but one line at a time is a huge improvement !!

Mint 19.3 XFCE Current Desktop pics at 22/03/2020

Linux Mint XFCE vs Plasma 5 again

I was switching back and forth between Xfce and Plasma 5 on the M93p today, just out of curiosity to see which one I REALLY like most.  As I probably mentioned many times, the Plasma 5 is left over on my original 500GB drive from the BRIX after I replaced it with an SSD.  Because it had a lot of useful stuff on it, I plugged it into a spare USB 3 port.  It also has KDE 4 .12 on it, and since they both showed up automagically in GRUB I thought I may as well see if they would boot.

So, my preferemces.
For real day to day use, I like KDE 4.12 BEST.  It was the peak of KDE development and does everything more or less perfectly.  Other than the eventual progression path to Wayland, I think that KDE 4.x should have been continued.  Fast to boot, fast to shut down and snappy performance, with features that never made it into Plasma 5.

If it wasn't that I can cook a bacon and egg breakfast while Plasma 5 is booting, and make coffee while I wait for it to shut down, I'd class Plasma 5 as 'almost as good as KDE 4.  It can;t do all the things that KDE 4 can do, but it will be able to do Wayland.

XFCE can't compete with KDE or Plasma for 'Desktop Appeal'.  It does almost nothing in as polished and polite a way.  It is like living aboard a yacht, compared to living in an apartment.  I think that is why I like it though.  It isn;t as cosy and warm feeling.  It is functional in a spartan sort of way.  But if I have to turn the computer on just because I have one thing I forgot to do before I head away for the day - XFCE is what I boot.  I turn on the monitor (a 55 inch screen TV), switch on the wireless keyboard and hit Alt P (turns the m93p lenovo ON), switch on the wireless mouse and take them to my seat. By the time I sit, the screen is on and a print test has been sent to the wireless printer.

It is just that good.  If I know I will not be rebooting the computer during the day I sometimes like the 'plush feeling' of Plasma 5.  Sometimes I'll use it just for the plush feeling and stuff the long boot time.  But the 20 to 30 second boot time of XFCE just feels slick, despite people saying startup time means nothing.

Linux Mint - XFCE Theme Mods updated

I had the chance to do some more work on my window decorations for XFCE today.  In addition to the Wide Borders around the windows and the other things I mentioned yesterday, see the cursor at bottom left below:

I changed the Title bar buttons so that the Maximise / Restore button is small when the window is Maximised, but normal large size when the window is not Maximised.  And I mage it glow when the mouse moves over it.

The whole thing is looking quite nice now, and I like having Squared Buttons.  For some reason it looks better to me than the round ones.

I also added a custom action in Thunar file manager to give me a Right Click menu option to Toggle hidden file visibility.  That saves going to the menu or doing CTRL - h.

Linux Mint XFCE on the Lenovo m93p Tiny - Themes

So the second hand Lenovo Tiny is still chugging along nicely, and so far worth every bit of the $200 it cost me.  It looked like replacing the BRIX would cost me an arm and a leg - if I could get a decent replacement with the specs I like.  This m93p is exactly what I needed for now.

I am not missing KDE / Plasma as much as I thought I might, and I have themed Mint XFCE using a combination of stock or downloaded themes, and my own mods.

My overall theme in Settings > Appearance > Style is called Pop-slim-dark.
My Window Decorations are in Settings > Window Manager > Style and called WM-RAD-OS
My Icon Theme at present in Settings > Appearance > Icons is 'learning-to-fly'

I modified a couple of themes to combine the Wide (grab-able) Borders I like, with the translucent and slightly 3D Titie bar.  Then I modded some buttons from Aeonflux to get some big squared buttons for Minimize-Max/Restore-Close.  Perhaps a bit rough and ready, but it works for me.

The rest of the theme provides a nice translucent panel in the Mint Menu, and with XFCE ticking along nicely, all is good with the world.