Salix Xfce 15.0beta1

[missTell]

THE reason for setting up Whisker menu as default is not that it looks more modern, but that it offers a modern menu search function.

[missTell]

'Colorful Salix' ...

https://ibb.co/SPpNdHM
https://ibb.co/9vgy1X3
https://ibb.co/q1zt6sL
https://ibb.co/PtFGnN0

https://ibb.co/hY46H2g
https://ibb.co/PCBwWwQ
https://ibb.co/ChdXK4j
https://ibb.co/xsmKZWm

https://ibb.co/X3PS9GM
https://ibb.co/r2tzhTs
https://ibb.co/DrTQw4n
https://ibb.co/9cGdpR8

https://ibb.co/WG3nFNp
https://ibb.co/42Tn6XZ

[gapan]

This second Newaita-Breeze icon also breaks past 48 Px taskbar height, but that's Xfce (extension) issue (that could be easily fixed).

I don't like it as much.

I'd say, that's how it should look like:

Login screen:

https://ibb.co/x62Pkt1

or better so:

https://ibb.co/q17DxtR

Maybe, for the 1st one, but definitely no for the 2nd.

I'll probably remove the logo from the bottom right though.

1. There are many better cursor themes ...

My vote goes for Openzone.

Link?

2. New Xfwm4 theme, specially made for Salix ... has an issue ...

On the screenshot, one can clearly see the issue and what and where needs to be repaired.

https://ibb.co/fkzQ5RD

Apart from the color, which is a matter of taste (and doesn't really look appropriate), there is a 'form issue'.

Namely, start menu, elements on the taskbar etc. have rounded corners.

The default Salix theme has sharp square corners.

That feels ... not exactly right.

So, switching to whiskermenu should fix that. It has square corners.

And you need to upgrade your system. The salix-xfwm4-theme has been upgraded and already looks different than in your screenshots.

It should look so:

https://ibb.co/ySXKhr1

No.

3. Light panel at the bottom is always wrong, despite of someone's taste, and those vertical gray lines ('spacer'), don't belong there.

We're not using a dark panel (or anything else "dark") in the default desktop and that's final.

I agree about the spacers.

Some applications need dark backgrounds (Darktable, GIMP, RawTherapee, Shotwell, Totem, VLC), some need light backgrounds (LibreOffice), and with some it doesn't matter and is solely a matter of taste.

The problem with a light taskbar is that it is very disturbing to have a 'wide white line' on the dark screen, whereas, it's never a problem to have a 'wide dark line' on a light screen -- it just makes the screen appear smaller, as the screen frame is also black (for a reason).

No.

4. Qogir icon set issue ...

On the following screenshots, one can see how the Qogir icon set is built and why it has an issue.

https://ibb.co/F6yzsBW
https://ibb.co/XCrQYLF
https://ibb.co/dGQ2VXR

As of the web browser icon, the file here could help to fix it, but it's not only that one single icon ...

https://gofile.io/d/zb8qSW

It should give you the following result (in range 28 - 47 Px):

https://ibb.co/BgY1hwN
https://ibb.co/zVRP4ZK
https://ibb.co/mJ1mX2G

I can probably think of some ways to fix this for all icons. I'll try.

5. This is how Salix default should approx. look like, if we keep the rest of the momentary configuration:

https://ibb.co/cLC2BY5
https://ibb.co/v1kvtqR

No.

Using Orage Clock would benefit the user / broken Xfce panel, as the Orage Clock integrates automatically and offers the possibility to set up the font size and change some other details, which the default Xfce clock is missing.

Too bad. Orage doesn't build anymore in xfce 4.16.

THE reason for setting up Whisker menu as default is not that it looks more modern, but that it offers a modern menu search function.

Agree.

[missTell]

Liking or not liking an icon set is a matter of taste.
Working or not working is a matter of fact.

The main point is in 'windowed'.
Night windowed would also be an option.
But, day 'windowed' would just make more sense.

I would remove logo too. The user uses something because 'it just works'.
Not because of the logo.

OpenZone 'clean and sharp' should be in that Slackware 15 VM.
If you didn't delete it.

https://www.gnome-look.org/p/999999

See it anyway you want, but Whisker is a better default choice.

Dark panel or not is your choice.
Just make sure there is one, at least as an option.
I can tell what's better or why, but it's neither my distro, nor do I care.
And also, just because you like or dislike something, doesn't make it "right" nor "wrong".
The experience shows ... (the dark panel is always the better choice)

Didn't know that Orage doesn't build anymore, on the other side, no wonder.
My Gnome 42 doesn't really need Orage, neither do Mac and Windows.

* The Ubuntu screenshot was there just as example for the round windows corners -- just for the case.

P.S.
You have my email address. Drop me a note if you need some missing icon.
However, I won't attempt fixing the whole icon set.
Don't have so much time.

[missTell]

2. New Xfwm4 theme, specially made for Salix ... has an issue ...

On the screenshot, one can clearly see the issue and what and where needs to be repaired.

https://ibb.co/fkzQ5RD

Apart from the color, which is a matter of taste (and doesn't really look appropriate), there is a 'form issue'.

Namely, start menu, elements on the taskbar etc. have rounded corners.

The default Salix theme has sharp square corners.

That feels ... not exactly right.

So, switching to whiskermenu should fix that. It has square corners.

I was thinking about this part, and I am not sure if you properly understood what I was trying to tell.
Or the other way round, maybe I just didn't explain the issue clear enough. Whatever.

The issue is not the classic menu itself, and switching to whiskermenu alone, probably won't fix it.
Didn't try to install it on Salix yet, but based on the previous experience ...

You might get square corners on the main frame, but the elements inside will very probably again have rounded edges.

That's the theming (Adwaita) 'issue' -- no issue if you want the rounded edges; an issue if you don't want.

Namely, the classic start menu form is only one thing of many. That pattern repeats everywhere, through the whole system.
Most obvious on the start menu edges or on the taskbar -- every highlighted element will have the rounded edges.

With other words, if you want to get rid of rounded corners, you must get rid of Adwaita.

See this? The very slight, almost invisible curvature on one, and no curvature at all on the other screenshot.

https://ibb.co/CWTJHSD
https://ibb.co/PzYMstC

Here you can easily compare the two different themes and check the rounded edges, as well as the contrast and spacing's.

https://ibb.co/cTFh7kV
https://ibb.co/4RLw8fh
https://ibb.co/rd7vJ2K
https://ibb.co/cvnFYnf
https://ibb.co/TcT6y52
https://ibb.co/sss9ndx

You could easily try it yourself, and see what happens.

https://gofile.io/d/YyzBG1

[missTell]

3. Light panel at the bottom is always wrong, despite of someone's taste, and those vertical gray lines ('spacer'), don't belong there.

We're not using a dark panel (or anything else "dark") in the default desktop and that's final.

Some applications need dark backgrounds (Darktable, GIMP, RawTherapee, Shotwell, Totem, VLC), some need light backgrounds (LibreOffice), and with some it doesn't matter and is solely a matter of taste.

The problem with a light taskbar is that it is very disturbing to have a 'wide white line' on the dark screen, whereas, it's never a problem to have a 'wide dark line' on a light screen -- it just makes the screen appear smaller, as the screen frame is also black (for a reason).

No.

I did read AND understand, and those, no need to repeat yourself.

However, the 'No' is very obviously wrong.

Easy to see why ...

https://ibb.co/h9fZBd9
https://ibb.co/dc0ZPqN
https://ibb.co/bsBBdJN

https://ibb.co/R25Bf5d
https://ibb.co/mChgWPx
https://ibb.co/G2KQTRC

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS did the same terrible mistake.

https://ibb.co/T2CQCyT
https://ibb.co/027S91V

https://ibb.co/2KdxFH2
https://ibb.co/T8htNfn

Fortunately, Fedora 36 took over the original 'as it should be' Gnome theme.
The user has the choice between the light or the dark theme.
If the users choose the dark theme, it'll be all dark.

BUT -- if the users choose the light theme, it'll be mixed -- the things that need to be dark, will be dark, the rest will have the light theming.

That's what gives:

https://ibb.co/zhGzxsq
https://ibb.co/DGZ5RYN
https://ibb.co/py6Z6Lj
https://ibb.co/QP2KS0Q

[gapan]

With other words, if you want to get rid of rounded corners, you must get rid of Adwaita.

Agree. Your post yesterday made me realize what didn't look right about adwaita but I couldn't quite place it. It was round menu corners. And it's not just the applications menu in the taskbar, it's all right click menus. Except the main window menus which are always square. This is inconsistent.

And then there are the rounded buttons, which also mean that the taskbar app tiles are also rounded, which doesn't quite look right either.

I have already forked adwaita and turned all menus and buttons to squares. Here's a screenshot:
https://people.salixos.org/gapan/img/square_adwaita.png

I have a right click menu open. Not 100% decided on the square buttons yet, but for menus it's done.

[missTell]

Except the main window menus which are always square. This is inconsistent.

... on a 'broken' Xfce, where some ancient engine draws the borders.

Gnome 42 and Adwaita have rounded corners everywhere.

Xfce, Mate and the 'broken Co.' mix and match.

[gapan]

No, it's not about gnome vs xfce. Open any GTK+3 app with an app menu in gnome and you'll see the same square menus. It's just that gnome applications have gotten rid of application menus to shove them into the abomination that is hamburger menus.

[missTell]

No, it's not about gnome vs xfce. Open any GTK+3 app with an app menu in gnome and you'll see the same square menus. It's just that gnome applications have gotten rid of application menus to shove them into the abomination that is hamburger menus.

Truth, but not.

The most part of the Gnome 42 is actually already GTK4, however, the catch is that most of the non-Gnome-project SW isn't.

Will say, the Gnome 42 itself, and the Gnome projects applications will look different from the rest.

And 'the rest' is almost everything that one need for work ...