Openbox 1.0 is ready for use.

System information

Base: Debian Trixie (stable)

Version number: 1.0

Desktop Environment (DE): Openbox session

Window Manager (WM): Openbox

Processor architecture: 64-bit

Disk usage: ~8 GB

RAM usage: ~320 MB

Kernel: 6.12.111+deb13-amd64

Icon theme: besgnulinux-frame-dark

System theme: besgnulinux-dark

Installer: Calamares

GRUB installation: UEFI and BIOS

It had been a long time since I last tested Openbox. I initially created this version for testing purposes. However, once it turned into such a great system, I thought it would be a good idea to adapt it for general use and share it.

Having another window manager as an alternative to JWM offers users a second choice.

Getting Openbox to its current state certainly required a lot of effort. After all, Openbox doesn't come with built-in components to function as a standalone system on its own; it is built using various tools and custom configurations. Yet, with the right setup, it can become a fantastic system. That is precisely the beauty of window managers: they allow users to customize the experience to their own liking. This version was born out of that very appreciation.

What was done for the Openbox 1.0 release?

After experimenting with various panels, I decided that Tint2 was the best fit for Openbox. However, the default Tint2 panel doesn't appeal to every user, so—as I will explain later—I performed several customizations on it. The biggest challenge with window managers (as I’ve mentioned before) is the file manager. Among the available options, I found Nemo to be the best fit for this Openbox build. Thunar sometimes suffers from memory leaks, occasionally exceeding 1GB of RAM usage. While PCManFM works well, I ultimately chose Nemo; for some reason, Nemo plays very well with Openbox. Nemo handles desktop management, and the desktop is enabled by default. However, transparency must be enabled for the desktop wallpaper to appear; if you prefer not to use transparency, you can disable the desktop feature. This isn't a major drawback, but it is something that can be overlooked given the use of Nemo.

Feh manages the background images for both desktop and non-desktop modes.

I adapted two themes for Openbox: dark and light. These themes are integrated with the system theme; when the system theme color changes, they adjust their colors accordingly.

What was done to the panel?

I’ve dedicated a separate paragraph to the panel because it required the most work. Let’s start with the menus on the panel.

I adapted three different menus for the panel to suit various preferences:

The "Screen menu": A visually appealing menu created using the *xlunch* tool; it opens in full-screen mode and includes an application search feature. I also automated this menu so it updates whenever the system icon theme changes.

The "Application finder menu": A modern-style menu that is customizable and features search capabilities, categories, and the ability to add applications to bookmarks.

The "Openbox menu": A fast, dynamic menu created using the *Obmenu-generator* tool. It supports both icon-based and icon-free modes.

By right-clicking the menu icon, you can easily switch between these menu options via a small window I created.

While the Tint2 panel has built-in functionality for adding applications, I created a separate tool to make the process more practical. With the "Add to panel" tool, you can add or remove applications with a single click.

I created 10 plugins for the panel. You can add or remove these plugins using the "Add plugin" tool I developed.

I implemented a custom tweak for the workspace switcher to ensure faster switching; it allows you to quickly move between workspaces with a single click or by using the mouse wheel. Using the window that appears when you right-click the workspace switcher, you can instantly send any window to a specific workspace.

I implemented a toggle feature for the "minimize all windows" button: clicking it minimizes or restores windows. You can also achieve this using the mouse wheel.

You can add or remove a calendar display from the clock; hovering your mouse over it also reveals the calendar.

I added a feature to position the Tint2 panel on any of the screen's four edges. You can move the panel to the right, left, bottom, or top using the "Panel position" tool.

Plugins I created for the panel:

CPU and memory usage monitors, volume display and control, battery indicator, weather indicator, command runner, network monitor, exit tool, and window minimizer.

Additionally, right-clicking these plugins provides access to various related functions.

The Cbatticon tool has also been included for battery monitoring; you can enable it via the "Activate tools" utility.

Tools I created for Openbox:

Add key, Add panel, Panel plugin, Panel position, and Startup settings.

Furthermore, many tools I originally developed for JWM have been adapted for Openbox.

Some pre-installed software:

Flatpak, Brave browser, LibreOffice, Nemo, Tint2, Mtpaint, Gparted, Synaptic, Mousepad, Mintstick, Touchpad indicator, Lxrandr, Grsync...

I still need a bit more time to work on the JWM version.

You can download this Openbox edition—which started as a test project but grew into something I enjoyed enough to refine for general use—via the link below.

I would appreciate it if you shared your experiences and provided feedback.

Besgnulinux Openbox 1.0

Other images

System information

Based on: Debian Trixie (stable)

Version number: 4.1

DE: JWM

WM: JWM

Processor architecture: 64bit

Disk usage: average 8 GB

Ram usage: average 320 MB

Kernel: 6.12.96+deb13-amd64

Icon theme: besgnulinux-frame-dark

System theme: bes-gradient-dark

Installer: Calamares

Grub installation: UEFI and BIOS

Newly added

Flatpak isn't something I particularly prefer, but it's installed by default in version 4.1 due to high user demand. I've created a tool to make Flatpak easier to use. With this tool, you can search for packages in the Flatpak repository, install packages, and uninstall packages. It's not limited to that; you can also update the repository, get a list of installed packages, troubleshoot bugs, and run installed packages from a single window. If you wish, you can install flatpakref files downloaded from the Flatpak repository using this tool or by right-clicking the file. In short, this tool will easily handle many tasks related to Flatpak. Actually, I created this tool years ago, but it wasn't very usable. Since Flatpak is installed in version 4.1, it became necessary to make this tool more user-friendly. Before using this tool, update the repository using the "Repo update" button so it's ready to use.

The second innovation was in sound management. As you know, Pavucontrol was previously replaced by Pasytray. This time, Pasytray has been replaced by Mate Media, which I find more user-friendly. Mate Media is very similar to the Pavucontrol tool. It's a lighter, smoother-running sound control tool that does its job well. I guess it's because I liked this software, but I made the volume tool on the panel more usable. Visually it got better, and also a Pulseaudio refresh feature was added in case there’s a possible sound issue.

The third innovation was made to the media player. VLC, a player not included in any previous Besgnulinux versions, has been made the default player in this version. In my tests of various players, I can say that VLC uses fewer resources than the others. While VLC was the most resource-intensive player in previous versions, this time it stands out with its minimal resource usage. Other players like MPV, Smplayer, Haruna, Kmplayer, Mplayer GUI, Parole, and Celluloid failed this time. I was surprised that the MPV player used more resources than VLC. However, it's important to remember that things can change with software updates. QMPlay2 is the second player I would recommend; it's very feature-rich and quite useful. Those who prefer QMPlay2 can install it with a single click using a third-party software tool.

A special method has been created for the 20 most used social media platforms in the world. Clicking the "Social" icon on the desktop will bring up shortcut files for all platforms, which can then be removed. This allows you to easily access social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube from your desktop. Additionally, a dedicated menu tab has been created for these platforms, allowing you to access them from there as well.

The newly added package is the Gtkhash software. With this software, you can obtain the hash value of everything on your system, including ISO files. Obtaining these hash values is especially necessary for verifying files downloaded from the web for security reasons.

For various needs, 20 tasks have been added to the Thunar right-click context menu. These added tasks are not all visible at once; they appear when you right-click on various files.

A separate font editor was made for JWM for users' convenience. With this tool, you can easily change JWM's (not the system's) font and font size.

The USB printer has been changed. Mintstick was added instead of the Rosa imagewriter. I used to prefer Rosa writer because it recognized the file with a right-click, but it doesn't get updated much. That's why Mintstick, which does its job well that most of us know, was adapted to the system.

The image manager now has a feature to extract images from animated GIFs. So, 11 tasks have been added to the image manager.

Updated tools

- There are two output managers, one is full screen and the other is in a small window. A feature was added that changes the background images in slideshow mode as a screensaver, with adjustable timing.

- The Conky control tool has been updated. An issue where Conky would sometimes move behind the background image and cause transparency problems has been fixed.

- The screen recorder I added to the Screenshot tool has been updated. The sound level is automatically set to 30 during recording.

- A search software icon has been added to the menu to find and run apps.

- The theme color changing tool has been updated, or rather, renewed. Users can see a screenshot with a different color from the tool.

- The Window Control tool has been updated.

- The third-party software tool has been updated.

- The issue of the reload process sometimes not working at system startup has been resolved. This problem was causing the icons not to refresh.

- All background images used for the system itself have been changed.

- My latest Frame icon set has been updated and is now the default system icon set.

- The previous flat system theme has been supplemented with new, non-flat themes – dark and light – which have been set as the default.

- The Qemu virtual machine, which I call a virtual machine, has been updated. You can test ISO files, install them, and run the installed file.

- I didn't really like the kernel in version 4.0, so this time I was more selective and built the system on the kernel I thought was most suitable.

- The menu font was set to monospace because it looks clearer.

It's worth mentioning one point: In every release, existing software is tested against its counterparts. Video players, web browsers, file managers, text editors, audio managers, background processes, and others undergo repeated testing with each release. Therefore, there's no guarantee that something that works well in one version will work well in another. For this reason, Besgnulinux never hesitates to perform these rigorous and demanding tests. Because our goal is to use a user-friendly, stable, and trouble-free operating system. Besgnulinux is based on Debian Stable for this reason.

Some of the installed software

LibreOffice (included in this version with all its tools), Brave browser, Flatpak, Touchpad Indicator (also touchegg), Youtube downloader, Uget, Deluge, Sylpheed, VLC, Guvcview, Synaptic, Network editor, Viewnior...

Many more improvements were made to the system. These improvements were especially focused on lightness, stability, and usability.

For example, the image preview plugin for Thunar is ruthless with system resource usage. A script was made to prevent excessive resource use for this.

The background image viewer was removed. It was made healthier manually.

Another example is the Debian Bookworm and Bullseye repositories, which have been enabled. The reason for enabling these repositories is that some older computers lack Nvidia drivers. This allows them to install drivers up to Nvidia version 390. Some older computers may not work with the current kernel or may fail to log on. This is a general problem unrelated to Besgnulinux. Another reason for the login failure could be some minor errors the system detects in the graphics card. In such a case, after passing the BIOS screen, you can try logging on using the 'nomodeset' option from the screen that appears.

If the RAM size in your machine is very low, disable the 'Desktop' option in the settings. That way, you'll gain about 50-60 MB of memory.

Let me give a little warning. JWM system files (xml) are very sensitive. Even a tiny mistake in these files can cause the system to crash and boot back to the login screen. Also, these files are specifically configured for Besgnulinux. So, if you're not familiar with the JWM session, I suggest not messing with the JWM system files.

After touching on these details, you can download and try out or install the Besgnulinux 4.1 version, carefully prepared from start to finish and, as always, tested with various tests, from the link below. The most important thing for a developer is user feedback. So don’t hesitate to give your feedback.

Download

Besgnulinux jwm 4.1

Video

Besgnulinux JWM 4.1 Video

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A quick reminder

On the Distrowatch website, Besgnulinux is listed as version 4-0. I believe Distrowatch is basing its information on major releases. Although 4-0 is the major release, version 4.1, which has been updated, includes new features, and fixes known bugs, is the final version. I felt the need to mention this because the most current version should always be preferred.

System information

Based on: Debian Trixie (stable)

Version number: 4-0

DE: JWM

WM: JWM

Processor architecture: 64bit

Disk usage: average 8 GB

Ram usage: average 320 MB

Kernel: 6.12.90+deb13-amd64

Icon theme: bes-own-dark

System theme: besgnulinux-dark

Installer: Calamares

Grub installation: UEFI and BIOS

Password

-Normal login-

Name: besgnulinux

Password: live

-Other logins-

Name: user

Password: live

This version is a major release developed as a result of meticulous work carried out since version 3-0. Particular emphasis was placed on stability and lightness. It has been purged of leaking, conflicting, or background processes. Healthy, functioning tools have been replaced with alternatives. Some software has been removed while others have been added. It was created with a "install and use" approach, requiring minimal customization beyond user preferences. To this end, all software necessary for basic needs has been adapted to the system. Both GUI and CLI software have been added for the touchpad. Pavucontrol has been removed and replaced with Pasystray, which performs the same function. A separate process has been implemented for panel icons. Panel icon colors can be changed using the "Panel Manager" tool. Icons can be added to the panel, menu, and desktop. This version includes four different icon sets. Different-looking folders can be changed using the icon color change tool. You can run over forty tools to manage the JWM system from the desktop icon. In addition to the power manager in the panel, another manager, also customizable by user preference, has been added. You can change the sound card either from the Pasystray tool or from the sound icon in the panel. Version 4-0 has been adapted to work on multiple monitors. It automatically detects multiple monitors. To move windows between monitors, you can add the "Send windows" plugin, which I adapted myself, to the panel using the "Panel Manager" tool. Many other improvements have been made to JWM version 4-0. Our goal is always to make it fast, lightweight, stable, and user-friendly. Therefore, it is suitable for both older, less powerful computers and newer ones.

Download Besgnulinux 4-0 main version from here.

Besgnulinux JWM 4-0 ISO

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Addition

Dots Per Inch (DPI) feature added.

DPI settings are available in version 4.0.

You can change the system font size with this feature.

This feature is useful on some large screens. In the "Panel Manager" tool shown in the image, you can choose between a minimum of 72 and a maximum of 240 DPI in the "DPI font value" option. It is usually 96 by default.

Additions

Some great features have been added to the Font Manager tool. This tool automatically selects the most suitable font according to the system language. This prevents font incompatibility with the system language. Fonts incompatible with the system language can cause some characters to appear distorted, affecting both visual appeal and reading fluentness. I developed the Font Manager tool with this in mind. To prevent font problems, the fonts-noto-cjk tool, which has a wide range of language fonts, has been added to the system. It largely solves font problems in Latin languages, Asian languages, and other languages. Besides the automatically selected fonts, you can also use your own preferences with this tool. You can also install the Fcitx package with this tool to control the input method. The Font Manager tool is available in version 4-0.

Addition

If you want to switch between the JWM menu and the Modern menu.

1- Menu > User menu > Add to menu.

2- Click the "Add-Remove menu" button in the window that opens.

3- Select one of the Classic menu, Modern menu, or Dual menu and apply.

Follow the instructions below to install the Nvidia driver

Become root first with this command.

sudo -i

If you want to install Nvidia, first enter the entire command below into the terminal.

cat >/etc/apt/sources.list<< EOF

# See https://wiki.debian.org/SourcesList for more information.

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security/ trixie-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

deb-src http://security.debian.org/debian-security/ trixie-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

# Backports allow you to install newer versions of software made available for this release

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie-backports main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie-backports main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

EOF

Update the repository.

sudo apt update

Install the Nvidia driver.

sudo apt install -y nvidia-driver

Restart the computer.

systemctl reboot

I'm designing a GUI tool for using dual monitors in a JWM environment, which I'll include in a future release. Arandr and Lxrandr are good tools, but they require users to perform some manual operations. This requires further research for those unfamiliar with them. Furthermore, they aren't designed for JWM, meaning dual monitors in a JWM session will be inconsistent. For example, when dual monitors are active, one monitor might have a panel while the other doesn't. To simplify things and improve dual monitor usage, I'm developing a GUI tool, as mentioned earlier. Until then, I'll try to help those who want to use dual monitors with commands here. The operations I'll describe here are valid for Besgnulinux JWM sessions.

Let's begin if you want to use dual monitors in a Besgnulinux JWM environment.

I will explain it using HDMI-1 and VGA-1; you should replace these with your own monitors. To find your monitor connections and with two monitors connected, first enter the following command into the terminal.

xrandr | grep -w "connected" | awk '{print $1}'

This is the output I get from this command; it might be different for you.

VGA-1

HDMI-1

We get the resolution with the command below.

xrandr --current | grep '*' | awk '{print $1}'

This is the output I got; yours might be different.

1440x900_60.00

Now we will place the outputs we obtained from these two commands into the command below.

xrandr --output HDMI-1 --mode 1440x900_60.00 --output VGA-1 --auto --right-of HDMI-1

In this configuration, HDMI-1 is the first monitor, VGA-1 is the second monitor, and VGA-1 is on the right.

If you want to do the opposite, i.e., make HDMI-1 the second one, the command should be as follows.

xrandr --output VGA-1 --mode 1440x900_60.00 --output HDMI-1 --auto --right-of VGA-1

If you want to move it from the right to the left, simply change the word "right" to "left".

If you understand the dual monitor operation so far, let's now integrate it with Besgnulinux JWM. To do this, simply execute the command below. Enter the entire command into the terminal at once.

cp -a ~/.config/jwm/tray.xml ~/.config/jwm/tray3.xml

sed -i 's|screen=.*|screen="1"|g' ~/.config/jwm/tray3.xml

sed -i '/tray3/d' ~/.config/jwm/jwmrc

sed -i "/tray.xml/a $HOME/.config/jwm/tray3.xml" ~/.config/jwm/jwmrc

To make it run at startup, add a desktop file like this to the "autostart" directory. This file will execute the command you added to the `Exec="` line every time the computer starts.

cat >~/.config/autostart/userrandr-auto.desktop<< EOF

[Desktop Entry]

Type=Application

Name=Besrandr automatic start

Comment=Start xrandr with the settings made using Besrandr

Exec=bash -c "xrandr --output HDMI-1 --mode 1440x900_60.00 --output VGA-1 --auto --right-of HDMI-1"

EOF

If you wish to disable it, use the commands below.

sed -i '/tray3/d' ~/.config/jwm/jwmrc

rm -r ~/.config/autostart/userrandr-auto.desktop

This process will make dual monitors more functional in the Besgnulinux JWM environment. As I mentioned earlier, in the next version, it will be possible to perform this process and more, namely using dual monitors compatible with JWM, via a GUI interface.

System information

Based on: Debian Trixie (stable)

Version number: 3-3

DE: JWM

WM: JWM

Processor architecture: 64bit

Disk usage: average 8 GB

Ram usage: average 340 MB

Kernel: 6.12.73+deb13-amd64

Icon theme: bes-own-dark

System theme: bes-dark

Installer: Calamares

Grub installation: UEFI and BIOS

Password

Name: besgnulinux

Password: live

Preliminary Information

Besgnulinux JWM version 3-3 is a release where innovations are integrated, some errors are fixed, and it has become more stable. From this perspective, I think it is a necessary and important version. Indeed, the innovations and changes added for user needs will make usage easier. One of Besgnulinux's goals is for users to find many things they are looking for in the system and to complete their work easily. Lightweight and fast tools working without issues need to align with a lightweight and fast system. Besgnulinux version 3-3 was developed at this point.

Innovations

A special study was conducted for Asian languages. Fonts supporting Asian languages were added. A tool called "Font Manager" was created to switch between fonts. With this tool, "Fcitx" can be set up with a single click.

In the live environment, the desired language can be selected from the "Bootloader" screen. That is, the live environment can be tested in the desired language.

Login can be done from the same screen with options like "nomodeset, acpi=force." This can eliminate faulty graphics cards or other obstacles. It will be life-saving for some computers that cannot access the system in this way.

A tool was created to convert RPM to DEB format for the use of packages that are not in the Debian repository but are in repositories using RPM. Many packages I tried with this tool, which is the predecessor of the Alien software, worked without problems. Although not every package worked, many packages from Opensuse, Fedora, and Mageia repositories can work.

A simple tool called "Virtual Machine" was created to easily test various ISO files. With this tool, which is a precursor to the QEMU virtual machine, ISO files can be tested with a single click.

Qt and GTK4 interfaces have been arranged to match the system theme. Along with some additional software added for this purpose, the Besgnulinux system theme and icon theme have been redesigned. There are six interconnected icon themes in different styles in the system.

A GUI-based "Touchpat Indicator" tool has been added. Also, those who want can install Touchegg from "Third-party software." A few more software have been added to the third-party software. You can install Wine and the Liquorix kernel with this tool.

Lxrandr has been added for those who use multiple monitors.

All Besgnulinux tools are gathered in one window. You can access them with the icon on the desktop.

Other performed operations

In a small survey I conducted, Thunar and the JWM menu were set as default according to user preferences. Many items have been added to the Thunar menu for ease of use. Additionally, anyone who wants can add the modern menu with the "Add to Menu" tool.

The brightness setting of the "Brightness" tool was increased.

The "Besrandr" tool was reorganized for multi-monitor use.

Small changes were made to the welcome screen, providing a nicer appearance.

When the Equalizer is enabled, the sound arrangement automatically switches.

The search tool was reorganized so that everything can be managed from a single window.

With the "Keyboard language switcher" tool, the feature to add a flag or text to the panel was added.

A different folder change option was added to the "Theme color changer" tool. You can choose between folders with the same icon theme but different appearances.

A plugin was added to the "Manage Panels" tool for keyboard backlight control. However, this tool is still in the testing phase.

Gufw firewall was removed from the system based on some feedback.

Since Thunar runs in the background, a refresh button has been added to the menu to reset it.

Since the slow opening issue in the Brave browser was not resolved, I put it on hold for a while. Instead, two browsers were added. Chromium was set as the default for normal use. The Tor browser was adapted to the system for VPN use. A separate tool was created for easy updating of the Tor browser.

The desktop is active. The desktop is managed by Xfdesktop, which is integrated with the Thunar file manager.

If you want to install Flatpak software, I recommend installing it through the "Third-Party Software" tool. It will be installed along with the special tools I've created to make using Flatpak easier.

You can see images of the newly added vehicles in the images below (image no: 4).

Also, for those who are curious, I did not find the Simple version necessary. There is not much difference in resource usage compared to the Full version. I find the Simple version unnecessary for a 15-20 MB difference. Therefore, I think the Full version, which meets every need, is better.

Some default software in the system

Thunar, Libreoffice, Touchpat Indicator, Chromium, Tor browser, Mousepad, Lxterminal, Lightdm, Gnome games (20 light games), Inkscape, Mtpaint, Viewnior, Deluge, Sylpheed, Guvcview, Smplayer, Grsync, Gparted, Printer...

Download Besgnulinux JWM 3-3 version here, which includes innovations, ease of use, minor bug fixes, and aims to be stable, lightweight but useful.

Download

Besgnulinux JWM 3-3

Video

Besgnulinux JWM 3-3 video

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