ArcoLinuxB lXQt has been created

When developing LXQt we found the super key not opening the menu. As a result we googled our way into the solution ksuperkey, which did the trick.

Only to find out later that right mouse click in the menu the super key can be set and is set on ALT + F1.

On ArcoLinux is now set to Super key. No need anymore for ksuperkey as package.

When typing in the menu, the previous search will no longer stay and block the view of the complete menu. Also setting in Application menu.

Basically we are finetuning the application menu.

Notification daemon is on boot off. You can reactivate it if you want.

Xscreensaver is installed as lock mechanism.

Created a special package for people with dual screens. LXQt does not support setting a wallpaper on 1 screen – it will be stretched over to two screens with strange results.
Not with our wallpaper package and the settings in desktop preferences – Slide show.

ArcoLinuxB Gnome restyled

We themed ArcoLinuxB Gnome so it is in line with the other desktops and more importantly all the usual keyboard shortcuts are now also available in this desktop.

If there was already a keyboard shortcut available the general rule was to keep it.

We just overwrote one keyboard shortcut.

Not ALT + F4 is going to close a window but SUPER  + q.

We also gave gnome/budgie more keyboard layouts so that if you do a skel and the new dconf sets your computer back to BELGIAN keyboard you can easily switch back to yours.

Qtile 0.14-2 and its configuration

Qtile released a major version of its desktop. Hence we had to go over and change our config to match the new application.

We have removed the alternative battery widgets and stick with just one battery widget to maintain.

calamares can be started in debugging mode

It was always possible to start calamares in debugging mode with

calamares -d

but now we have actually added a menu to your system so you can just click.

The debugging link is hardly visible.

You will find it in the bottom left corner.

New choices to install ArcoLinux in GRUB

On the forum we have supplied many solutions for booting up and changing the grub line. Those solutions are now in the standard startup.
If one line does not work, try another till it works on your hardware.

Awesome

Changed our config so that when you move an application to a different workspace, the focus will be on that new workspace.

General updating

5 changed files with 31 additions and 26 deletions

Xmonad

Changed our config so that when you move an application to a different workspace, the focus will be on that new workspace.

Qtile

Changed our config so that when you move an application to a different workspace, the focus will be on that new workspace.

calamares

We are using the Calamares 3.2.8 release.
You can read about it here.

We have used this release to work on our configs (including ArcoLinuxB) as well.

Due to the fact that we have changed both the calamares version and the calamares configuration files, we have build and tested all isos.

All 26 ArcoLinuxB isos have been build.

Qtile Oblogout

A new oblogout configuration file lets us shutdown faster. No waiting time.

 Use the keyboard shortcut  Super + X to access it.

 sudo reboot in the terminal is NOT DONE on qtile – ends up in a waiting period

Qtile Memory Widget

At some point in time we noticed that the amount of memory usage was different in the Qtile widget against the conky, htop, gtop,…

We have filed an issue on the qtile github and the changes have been implemented in the qtile core code already. We know have to wait for an official release.

In the meantime we have our own arcomemory.py that works.

Once the update comes in, this file can be deleted.

Qtile Net Graph Widget

While making tutorials we went to the qtile documentation website and we created this new widget called NetGraph.

More info here : https://arcolinuxd.com/21-creation-of-a-new-widget-on-qtile-called-netgraph/

Qtile Net widget

While making tutorials we went to the qtile documentation website and we created this new widget called Net.

More info here : https://arcolinuxd.com/20-creation-of-a-new-widget-on-qtile-called-net/

Qtile Battery

We have been developing widgets  for laptops to display the state of the battery.
We created 4 different options to display the condition of your battery. So just for laptop users.

In order to keep our config.py in a ‘clean’ state we have chosen for one design and we move the code for the other three widgets to a folder called backup.

From left to right you see the following trials 

1. horizontal changing icons depending on state of battery – no text
2. vertical changing icons depending on state of battery – personal icons
3. vertical changing icons depending on state of battery – qtile icons
4. fixed image + text

Option 1 will become our default look.
The first blue horizontal battery icon you see in the image.

Project ArcoLinuxB Xfce Bare

A conversation between two people turns into a what if and turns into a project.

Let us make and ArcoLinuxB Xfce edition but let us strip the iso even more than the minimal version.

ArcoLinuxB Xfce Bare was born.

More info can be found here : 

https://arcolinuxb.com/project-arcolinuxb-xfce-bare-let-us-make-the-smallest-iso-possible/

Qtile Tutorials

We started creating qtile tutorials on 

https://arcolinuxd.com/category/arcolinuxd/qtile/

23 articles and as much videos and counting

Qtile Keyboard Shortcut Super + Shift + X

We have put a hashtag in front of this keyboard shortcut. 

If you accidentally press this keyboard shortcut, qtile shuts down without asking for confirmation.

Too many tutorial videos have been lost with this super speedy shutdown sequence.

Awesome

Lain has been updated in the Awesome config.

• 2 additions
• 15 deletions

awesome

We restyled the Awesome desktop and updated our Awesome configuration.

• 19 files changed
• 231 additions
• 317 deletions.

We have added a new keyboard shortcut to toggle the visibility of the system icons i.e Super + –

There are no icons anymore in the menu when you right mouse click on the desktop.

mate

We restyled Mate desktop and added our ArcoLinux custom keyboard shortcuts to it.

More in this article.

Cinnamon

We restyled Cinnamon desktop and added our ArcoLinux custom keyboard shortcuts to it.

We have added gnome-keyring to this desktop and all desktops so that vivaldi can ask the password when it starts for the first time. Otherwise it will not start with the latest release of Vivaldi.
More in this article.

qtile

We kept working on the configuration of qtile and made it a great window tiling manager just out of the box.

As always all improvements on the ArcoLinux 19.04.4 iso will reflect on this one.

Plasma lightdm

Since the ArcoLinux iso has a new welcome screen, we update the welcome screen for Plasma as well.

Plasma setting

We took a look at the settings of Plasma to set the missing elements that we so love having around on our other desktops. For example our keyboard shortcuts. Let us give a summary of all the changes.

• sardi-arc theme is now standard
• numix-theme is installed
• no splash screen so we boot up faster
• gtk theme has been set to sardi-arc
• desktop effects : desktop cube
• desktop effects : wobbly effects
• desktop effects : grid effect
• 4 virtual desktops in 2 rows with slide effect
• 30+ keyboard shortcuts – same as on other desktops
• start with empty session on next boot

In the other video we see Plasma on SSD (that one has the wobbly effect – virtual box will not) and we go over the same content but this time we check the files that are coming to your system via /etc/skel. A more technical approach and a way to look at the source of all the plasma settings.Talking about skel and bupskel.

Deepin sardi and surfn proof

All Sardi and Surfn icons got an update so that they look consistent in deepin.

New icon has been created for dde-file-manager. Now we can tell the difference between dde-file-manager and thunar.

Deepin re-examined

After an issue, reported on the forum, regarding icons and themes that did not change, we investigated the matter. Keep reporting issues on the forum. We can track issues that way.

We discovered Deepin reacts completely different, if you install qt5ct.

IF you install qt5ct, you can only change the icons and themes with qt5ct and NO LONGER with the deepin-control-center. (transparent bar at the right). We prefer that we can set our icons via the deepin-control-center so we do NOT include qt5ct on the iso anymore.

We gave Deepin its own configuration package : arcolinux-config-deepin-git.

Now we can change and tweak deepin any way we want without interfering with the other desktops.

We have already added tons of keyboard shortcuts that we use all the time on all our other desktops.

We have already chosen a deepin–terminal theme that is very similar to our own. There are many more to choose from and the terminal can be made transparent.

Compton config

We started out with a compton.conf that was the same for all 5 desktops

• awesome
• bspwm
• i3
• openbox
• xmonad

Soon we realized that we had to make adjustments to the compton.conf depending on the desktop but also depending how they react on Virtualbox.

We will probably make more adjustments until we find the “sweet spot”. Users are encouraged to do just the same. Experiment with the settings until they are suited for your HARDWARE.
See tutorials about compton. 

New calamares version

New version for calamares 3.2.3 – more info

transmission is out and qbittorrent is in

Updated AUR packages

• conky-lua-archers
• i3-gaps-next
• inxi
• oomox
• pamac-aur
• perl-linux-desktopfiles
• vivaldi
• vivaldi-codecs-ffmpeg-extra-bin
• yay-bin
• zafiro

Rebuild of Calamares (qt version to 5.12) + added package qt5-xmlpatterns