Linux Flavours that DO!

[richmond62]

I am starting this list so that anyone who wants to work with OXT Lite on a Linux distro but has not yet chosen a distro can be aware of those where OXT works.

[richmond62]

Just installed OXT Lite 1.04 on Devuan Daedelus 5 64-bit with XFCE and it works perfectly (Message Box receives focus).

https://www.devuan.org/

On a side note: the LiveCode Open Source 9.6.3 Message Box cannot receive focus.

[tperry2x]

There are options in the compatibility section to adjust the message box, based on what works for your distro.
Most of it is caused by the inspector. Particularly the 'Stack Inspector' throwing everything off (it makes multiple calls to show itself and this plays havoc with window managers). This is also why I'm rewriting the Inspector as the "Properties Inspector" (nothing to do with domestic housing).

Sometimes the really weird palette behaviour on Linux can show up when the message box and the stack inspector are both open. Then, adding a script editor into the mix used to send a ubuntu-based-xfce distro into a CPU loop (shouldn't anymore).
This is partly because the linux engine has no concept of "systemWindow" (float above everything on the inspector). This is mentioned in the guides > 'System Palettes': So rather than cause a crash - the decision on how to render the window is sent back to the OS to decide how to best render the window. This is why we get the varied behaviour. XFCE and IceWM can both have problems with this with the window frame and window title bar flashing repeatedly causing a CPU use loop.

Just to throw another spanner in the works, many distros offer multiple flavours of window manager and desktop environment, and also file manager. So it's going to be hard to cover each and every one.

[richmond62]

Just installed OXT Lite on Xubuntu 24.04

Works!

But, in the program listing it is listed as OXT 0.9.

[tperry2x]

Just installed OXT Lite on Xubuntu 24.04 Works! But, in the program listing it is listed as OXT 0.9.

Can you provide a screenshot of where this shows as 0.9 please. I'm not asking that because I don't believe you, I'm asking that purely so I know what to correct.
Thanks.

[richmond62]

hereWeAre.png (262.25 KiB) Viewed 10798 times

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Sorry I took so long to respond: packing bags as off to Latvia tomorrow.

[tperry2x]

No problem.
That error is...um... interesting
I suppose you can right-click that and edit the name, but thought I changed all those to read simply OpenXTalk Lite.
I'll have to go check my install script...

I see it can't find the icon either, so you might want to add that if you edit the shortcut. (That should be in /opt/openxtalk/openxtalk_x86_64/OpenXTalk-lite 48px.png).

If you open it, I assume it is indeed showing OpenXTalk Lite 1.04 in the splash screen and under help > IDE information?

Edit: found why. Somehow my old shortcut has found it's way back in, so thank you for finding that error.

found-why.png (26.71 KiB) Viewed 10791 times

I had at one point already changed the "name" entries, so this didn't have a number - because just like the mac version, as soon as any update occurred, that would be incorrect. As on Windows, it's just called 'OpenXTalk Lite' on the desktop. I'll make sure that linux shortcut is right on the next version.

Ah, I had edited it - just on the other test computer (oops!)

edit-shortcut.png (30.28 KiB) Viewed 10781 times

[richmond62]

Well, well, well, I scrieved too soon . . .

I cannot type into a scriptEditor window on Xubuntu.

Further poking around: certainly NOT in a stackScript, YES (but a bit odd) in a buttonScript or a cardScript.

[tperry2x]

I only just spotted this. Seems to have got lost in a storm of previous posts.
If you check for more updates (yeah, I know - there have been 8 in total since 1.05 was released), I'm hoping ubuntu / xubuntu is a little better - but it really depends on your window manager, desktop session and other factors.

To add to the "Linux Flavours that Do", I've just also tested on antix with IceWM window manager.
Works quite well on there now too, aside from a small fight with the inspector now and again.

antix-icewm.png (243.48 KiB) Viewed 10354 times

[tperry2x]

Off the back of this post, here's a list of "Linux Flavours that DO!"

1. EndeavourOS
https://endeavouros.com/

2. Debian
https://www.debian.org/

3. Manjaro Linux
https://manjaro.org/

4. Fedora
https://fedoraproject.org/

5. SparkyLinux
https://sparkylinux.org/

6. Solus
https://getsol.us/

7. Ultramarine Linux
https://ultramarine-linux.org/

8. ExTiX
https://www.extix.se/

9. SpiralLinux
https://spirallinux.github.io/

10. Ubuntu Pack
https://ualinux.com/en/ubuntu-oem

11. Ubuntu Budgie
https://ubuntubudgie.org/

12. mAid
https://maid.binbash.rocks/

13. Linux Mint (LMDE)
https://linuxmint.com/

14. OpenSUSE
https://www.opensuse.org/

15. FreeBSD / GhostBSD
https://www.freebsd.org/

16. Garuda Linux
https://garudalinux.org/

17. Calculate Linux
https://www.calculate-linux.org/

18. Devuan
https://devuan.org/

19. Mageia
https://www.mageia.org/

20. PorteuX
https://github.com/porteux/porteux/

21. ALT Linux
https://en.altlinux.org/

22. MakuluLinux
https://www.makululinux.com/

23. Artix
https://artixlinux.org/

24. Porteus
http://www.porteus.org/

25. Feren OS
http://ferenos.weebly.com/

26. Pop!_OS
https://system76.com/pop

27. Nobara
https://nobaraproject.org/

28. VanillaOS
https://vanillaos.org/

29. KDE Neon
https://neon.kde.org/

30. Kubuntu
https://kubuntu.org/

31. Slackware
http://www.slackware.com/

32. KaOS
https://kaosx.us/

33. Nitrux
https://nxos.org/

34. BigLinux
https://www.biglinux.com.br/

34. Gnoppix
https://www.gnoppix.com/

35. br-OS
https://br-os.com/

36. SysLinuxOS
https://syslinuxos.com/

37. MX KDE
https://sourceforge.net/projects/mx-lin ... Final/KDE/

38. MX Mate
https://sourceforge.net/projects/mx-respin-mate/

There are probably more, but this is what I've turned up initially. Some of the ones on this list also offer options to use the "Ubuntu Desktop" - so please choose either Debian, KDE, Mate, or something else. At the time of me typing this, there seems to be an issue with Ubuntu Desktop that you'd find in the public repos.

[OpenXTalkPaul]

I was playing around a bit with GNUStep with Window Maker as my DE and funny enough that works with the browser widget's 'native layer' perfectly as far as aI can tell, no losing keyboard focus and no phantom offscreen rendering widget showing up! So I'll have to check what window compositor that uses and try to stick with that (Window Maker is a bit too NeXTstep-centric for my liking, I would prefer a DE that is more macOS-ish like Pantheon).

[richmond62]

GNUStep seems to me a bit like Richard Stallman: the ever-so-slightly embarrassing spiritual brother of Linus Thorvalds.

Major flavours of Linux, BSDs and MinGW are supported.

https://www.gnustep.org/getit.html#automated

emphasis is mine.

I wonder HOW one determines if your Linux distro of choice supports GNUStep.

AND, frankly, this looks both retro and fairly revolting:
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This looks 'a bit better':
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Although the presence of 2 "docks" (left-hand side and bottom-right) might make me run round the house shouting "too much desktop furniture" in a falsetto voice.

A lot of my criticism may be unfair, as like most desktop things in Linux one can muck them about to one's heart's content: but initial screenshots on home pages do tend to give a general impression.

and the message "unable to use GNOME shell" makes me feel 'neg' right off.

Even be that true, why have it on a promotional desktop screenshot?

[OpenXTalkPaul]

GNUStep is NOT a desktop environment or window manager (in the way that is used in the Linux world), you're thinking of 'Window Maker' or WMMaker (fork), or 'AfterStep'(fork). You can run GNUStep frameworks and applications that depend on that from other desktop environments (even including on macOS if you install it with Homebrew).

I'd much rather have a brother that's only slightly embarrassing, and damn sure has been proven correct about a lot of things as time has gone on, than one that is fully embarrassing and always wrong or completely silent about anything that effects all of mankind (but that's personal, I'm not talking about Linus here).

[richmond62]

but that's personal

Ouch.

Having lived in the world of XFCE, GNOME, Enlightentment, KDE, and LXDE perhaps you would like to 'enlighten' your
brother who OFTEN gets things wrong as to HOW exactly GNUStep differs from those . . .

[and while I am pretty good at getting things wrong, I think I can speak for a lot of other people who (also) don't really understand a lot of things
but are not quite so willing to stick their necks under the blade as I am.]

In any given situation there should ALWAYS be a fool, an idiot, a willing victim, who is prepared to "get it wrong" so that those who know (or think they know) can explain things properly to those who don't know instead of riding roughshod over them, and as a consequence, often getting away with things which perhaps they should not.

Luckily, I, unlike an awful lot of other people, have a sufficiently thick skin NOT to take these things too badly.

There are quite a few people, in my experience, who are fairly thin-skinned both "hereabouts" and "thereabouts" (and by "thereabouts" you shoudl understand me completely).

[richmond62]

It should also, perhaps, be explained that, while the title of this thread is "Re: Linux Flavours that DO!"

GNUStep is NOT a Linux flavour, any more than Ubuntu + XFCE (which, oddly enough, is NOT the same as Xubuntu) is somehow a different 'flavour' to Ubuntu.

[richmond62]

completely silent about anything that effects all of mankind

Not sure where that is going.

Certainly, if you want ME to NOT be silent

about anything that effects all of mankind

I can FILL these forums about Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Communist China, and so on, without end.

I probably know more about this than you because my younger son keeps popping over to Ukraine (as well as Cambodia and other places), as he is DEEP in demining, mapping minefields, defence strategy, and so forth: and he is not shy about keeping me informed.

HOWEVER: I had a funny feeling that these forums were meant to be about OpenXTalk: which to be completely honest probably affects about 100 people in ways that, when push comes to shove, is a drop in the ocean that is of no global significance at all: so it does NOT do to get things out of proportion.

[richmond62]

NOW: this COULD turn into a flame war, Paul, but if you can understand 2 things this should die out:

1. I am an ESL teacher (English and a Second Language), and my knowledge about computer systems is informed by that, my qualifications in Linguistics, and so on.

2. I do what I can to contribute:

2.1. edited the Dictionary files (there's more to be done).

2.2. Wrote several "follow me" threads hereabouts for newcomers to learn a few things.

AND I should also add the following:

3. I do beta testing for the OXT Lite releases. [very few other people seem to be prepared to do that]

4. As I work in an area I DO know about (writing specialist language software with OXT) I ALWAYS report on bugs/problems/difficulties I encounter when I do come across them.

[OpenXTalkPaul]

The important thing for OXT is that the Browser Widget seemed to work quite well with the combo GNUStep / Window Maker
But the 'Linux Tools' returns nothing for Desktop Environment with it's current method of determining when running under Window Maker. I'm not sure why (I'll look into other methods), but there is an options for back end window compositing with WM preferences that listed gwm and OpenGL (probably because there's eye-candy effects for windows it creates).

I've moved on to trying Fluxbox now, that seems to work, but there's other issues like sometimes when you hit cntl + C to copy it does the killall on the IDE, and I can't seem to stop it by having on shutdown or on shutDownRequest handlers in the Home stack that trap that message, like whatever is doing it (Fluxbox) is completely bypassing the engine with that process killing. Flux also has redraw issues while dragging during drag-drop. The best thing about Fluxbox seems to be that it's an extremely 'lightweight' low resource requiring Window Manager. Which is great if you just need something to drop down into with a 'single-purpose' machine, I'm talking about distros like OpenELEC (KODI media-center UI) or Batocera Linux (emulator/arcade OS with game-console X-Bar style UI called Emulation Station, https://batocera.org/)

[richmond62]

On a humbler note [now I have exhausted my rant at you ], I installed Enlightenment on Xubuntu 24.10, but on logging out I was NOT presented a choice of , erm, 'Window Manager' (if that's right), to log into: which was annoying, as I wanted to try out OXT Lite with Enlightenment.

[OpenXTalkPaul]

It wasn't about you or who you know who's been where (my oldest brother was lucky to have not been killed in Lebanon in the 80s so...) as I said I wasn't talking about anyone in this forum. I was venting about a personal conflict where I shouldn't have.

But Stallman I think is correct on a lot of what he's said as far as Free (as in Freedom) Open Source Software (and I generally agree with his even more political opinions on his personal blog). However, I can also respect the sedated-socialist benevolent dictatorship of Linus too, that's the pragmatic attitude to take that doesn't scare business people away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHBlxVj6-us