Flowe Desktop

Chickpea · l33t Joined: 03 Jun 2002 Posts: 846 Location: Vancouver WA

Was curious to know if anyone out there has used the Flowe Desktop. I was flipping thru the June 2002 issue of the Linux Journal and there was an advertisement for this desktop which I have never heard of. It can be found at http://www.codeflex.com

It looks as if it is primarily geared to the new linux convert from windows. I am thinking of installing it so that I can get my husband using Linux more. He is still a little shy around Linux.

Any thoughts?

Cat

cranch · n00b Joined: 02 Jul 2002 Posts: 47

That all depends on what your husband likes to use... If hes Windows based, I'd stick with something like KDE or Gnome. They are more user friendly for the most part. It's alot easier for a Windows user to use KDE than it would be to use Fluxbox... (for the most part). Never used it, but it doesn't look like anything TOO spectacular to me...

pjp · Administrator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 20067

Haven't used it, but it looks fairly Windows like, so I don't think it'd be a big visual issue. There is a free version, so downloading and checking it out is probably the best option. Also, if you do, you must post a report on the forums

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aardvark · Guru Joined: 30 Jun 2002 Posts: 576

Tried it! It works on gentoo but is a bit broken (some things don't work/ should have redhat or other big)
It is not complete yet and is basically only a file browser that looks like konqueror or windows explorer ,a dektop and a config tool. All other apps are basically existing ones as netscape xmms etc. that ic calls from it menu and that it uses from the system. One other possibly interesting part that isn't working yet is a media player. The looks are ok and the speed is a bit higher that kde. It does not appear to be open source, to it somehow clashes a bit with the linux spirit.

The funny thing is that these codeflex guys are very quiet about it. I only ran into it on one occasion where I read a small news posting about.

Let's all try it!

Swishy · Guru Joined: 06 Jun 2002 Posts: 491 Location: NZ

hey aardvark , what would be the main difference for a windows user between it and kde , looks VERY much like a kde style interface without all the shiny bits by the pics on the website.....

Cheers
Dale...
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aardvark · Guru Joined: 30 Jun 2002 Posts: 576

It may indeed be more like konqueror than explorer, but then again, konqueror also looks and feels a bit like windows explorer. It (the flowe) lacks the ability to view (internet) html in the filemanager however.

The big difference to windows is I guess that you can change the content/function of the left pane just like in kde. I'm pretty sure that it is not based on kde though.
The difference to kde is that it still misses a lot of integration and uses many "3rd party" stuff like netscape. The help functions seems pretty good to me. There is a lot of (pop-up) help!
I already erased it from my crowded gcc2.95 partition (wont work on a gentoo 1.3b system), So I can't give any more details

Russki · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 9:35 pm Post subject:

Thay do have a bad taste in wallpapers...
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pjp · Administrator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 20067

I'd be curious to know what their code is based on. I find no mention o it on their website.
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goldorak_dan · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 10:32 pm Post subject: License agreement...

http://www.codeflex.com/license.html

I guess it's not GPL

pjp · Administrator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 20067

I was thinking more along the lines of, 'from scratch', based on KDE etc.
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rac · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 10:58 pm Post subject:

pjp · Administrator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 20067

Wow. I was more impressed with "did all of the work -- nights and weekends from 1988 to 2000, and >> full-time in 2001." than "Flowe got started from 1998, not 1988 -- My typo!"

I'm still amazed with what can be found on the internet.
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bjork · n00b Joined: 09 Aug 2002 Posts: 2 Location: oakland, ca

my eyes! they burn! the goggles, they do nothing!

looks a lil tooo much like windows for my tastes... :roll:

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pjp · Administrator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 20067

Spark · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 30 Jun 2002 Posts: 87

Nah, using a proprietory desktop like that that is even a cheap ripoff of another proprietory desktop will just make your system a cheap alternative to the other system. :/ It costs less but can also do less. What's the point.
I do like their windowmanager theme though, maybe I will use the buttonspart as "inspiration" for a new Metacity theme.

Chickpea · l33t Joined: 03 Jun 2002 Posts: 846 Location: Vancouver WA

Yea, after looking at it again, I think I like it less. I guess I will just stick to what I got and make my husband learn it. He'll come around eventually.

C

neuron · Advocate Joined: 28 May 2002 Posts: 2371

pfft.. if you want something like windows there are plenty of better window managers to choose from. I ain't ever installing a closed source window manager with so many better ones to choose from

pjp · Administrator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 20067

Other than it being closed source, what is bad about it? Give us a detailed review of your experience using it. I'm curious about it, just not enough to install it. Supposedly it is leaner than many others. That would be an advantage.
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neuron · Advocate Joined: 28 May 2002 Posts: 2371

ebrostig · Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2002 8:56 pm Post subject: Flowe...

I decided to give the Flowe desktop a go.
I downloaded the parts from their website and ran the installer. It all went very smooth.
After the install I ran startflowe from the command prompt and boy was I surprised!!!!
The full load of the desktop took only a few seconds, very fast!
Personally I think it looks nice. They have obviously done a lot of work on the GUI. To me it looks more like KDE than Windows.

I think the buttons and panels and window decorations have a mor
e soft feeling to them than much of the crappy themes and decorations seen for both Gnome and KDE. There are a lot of good themes/decorations for KDE/GNOME but most of them are unusable in my opiono. They are nomrally too intrusive and to much contrast/color. Or even too much decoration. Kind of reminds of old paintings with ENORMOUS gold frames. The frame gets the attention and not the picture (here the contents of the window).

I think the Flowe desktop is a good thing. It looks very solid, very fast. It is not GPL, but frankly I couldn't care less. I have no intention of messing around with the source, nor do I have any intention of writing any extensions to the desktop.

Too many people have been hooked on the thing that a program without the source code available is an evil program and should never be touched. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Let me ask you all a question since we are running Gentoo and building everything from scratch:
- How many of you have made modifications to the source that you compiled in order to get Gentoo up and running.
- How many of you have submitted the changes to the maintainer of the code?
- How many of you have even the knowledge to make any source code changes to the programs that Gentoo is based upon?

Personally, I have the knowledge and the understanding in most cases, but I have other more productive things to do, I have a life! LOL, hard to believe but it is true!

I have messed around with the source on a couple of file-systems on kernel level, but it has been because I have done so to get better performance on my company's main application, not because I just had the source available

Erik

pjp · Administrator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 20067

Thanks for the review. I was hoping someone was adventurous enough to check it out. I also have no problems with it being closed source (and a version for $).

neuron · Advocate Joined: 28 May 2002 Posts: 2371

ebrostig · Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2002 9:09 pm Post subject: Re: Flowe...