Desktop/File manager for Fluxbox

[Dark_Stang]

I've got fluxbox setup and going and I'm looking for a Desktop/File manager to go with it now. I really like the way nautilus handles the desktop icons with the desktop folder, but this breaks the fluxbox menu.

Does anybody know of anything that works like that, but wouldn't break the fluxbox menu?

Thanks in advance.

[Javasnob]

You might be able to configure nautilus to not "break" the fluxbox menu, and if you can't but you're willing, you can always hack it. =D I've also heard IDesk is a pretty good icon program.

[Cabhan]

iDesk has worked for me before as far as desktop icons go. There's also an app (I believe it's called Fluxdesk?) specifically made for Fluxbox for icons.

As far as a file manager, I myself use Rox, and it is absolutely fantastic. Give it a shot.

http://rox.sourceforge.net/desktop/static.html

[Dark_Stang]

Does idesk allow me to simply have a desktop folder or do I have to have a configuration file? I've tried a few things with fluxbox and everything was a configuration file. That's why I liked nautilus so much.

Rox is fighting me at the moment but I'll work with it and see what happens. Can I configure rox to display everything in a folder or is it a config file too?

[Cabhan]

iDesk essentially involves setting up a configuration file for each desktop icon you want that tells it the icon, the executable name, the text of the icon, etc.

I've never used fbDesk, but it may be easier for you:
http://www.fluxbox.org/fbdesk/

Fluxbox is a different philosophy than GNOME. GNOME has wizards and a ton of built-in functionality; Fluxbox is a minimalist WM, which gives you nothing more than you need. As a result, it is significantly simpler and faster, but if you want everything automated, you will miss out.

EDIT:

Regarding Rox, I don't use the Rox desktop: I use the Rox file manager, which is fantastic. I've never used the desktop before, so I don't know how its configuration works.

[Dark_Stang]

Well... I've downloaded tars of Natuilus, iDesk, and fbdesk. I'm gonna be going home from college this weekend and hopefully a friend and I can help me go through the source and find what we need.

I guess I'll just be looking for how Nautilus reads the desktop and try to incorperate that into iDesk or fbdesk. I said try...

[psic]

To get only file-managment out of nautilus, run it with --no-desktop --browser. This way, it won't take over the whole desktop.

[Dark_Stang]

I saw that the other day but I never went and tested it. I assume it's still going to take up close to 18mb. Which, isn't a big deal because I have a gig. But the whole point of me doing this is to see how slim and light I can make it while keeping it as functional and easy to use as possible.

Edit: Yeah... but then that doesn't manage my desktop. Oh well. I just wish I had a copy of the unparsed source code.

[psic]

I assume it's still going to take up close to 18mb. Which, isn't a big deal because I have a gig. But the whole point of me doing this is to see how slim and light I can make it while keeping it as functional and easy to use as possible.

I totaly understand. I'm actually waiting for Xfce's new file manager, thunar, to hit the gentoo portage servers, as I use xfce myself. Nautilus uses about 8 Mb of ram on my sistem, but that's because I already have most of the GTK stuff loaded, so 18 is a good estimate for your fluxbox setup.

For just putting icons on the desktop, though, fbdesk is great. You might also want to check out fbpager (for switching between desktops).

[NetBSD]

rox filer and idesk best way to get a decent desktop on any lightweight WM