If you’ve ever experienced the simplicity and minimalism that is Fluxbox. Fluxbox is a minimalist window manager for the Linux operating system that requires very little in the way of resources, can be easily configured to keep users from launching applications you don’t want them to launch, is lightning fast, and is very reliable.

In this tutorial I will show you how to install Fluxbox and configure it so that users will only find access to the applications you want them to use.

Installation

Because Fluxbox is an aging application, you will certainly find it in your package manager. What you want to look for (and install) are the following:

• fluxbox: Fluxbox Window Manger
• fluxconf: Graphical configuration tool. Use very carefully as this tool can wreak havoc on your configuration files. I do recommend getting used to configuring Fluxbox using your favorite editor in place of this tool. But if you have to have a graphical tool – just remember, you’ve been warned.
• bbtime: Time applet to site in the Fluxbox slit (panel)

After you install these, you will probably want to install a style (if you want to make Fluxbox look a bit better). But there are plenty of built-in styles that will probably do.  Before we start, however, I want to introduce you to Fluxbox. To learn more about the basics of Fluxbox read my article “Get to know Linux: Fluxbox“.

Minimizing and relocating the menu

Now that you know a bit about Fluxbox you are ready to start chipping away at the menu so that

Upon starting Fluxbox, you will notice very little. That is exactly what we want. But out of the box there is a behavior we will want to change. Out of the box to get to the application menu you have to click the right mouse button. This is counter-intuitive to most users. So let’s switch this menu to the left mouse button. To do this you have to open up a terminal window. So click the right mouse button, select Applications, go to the Terminal Emulators sub-menu, and select a terminal window from the list.

What you want to do is open up the ~/.fluxbox/keys file. At the top of that file you will see three lines:

OnDesktop Mouse1 :HideMenus
OnDesktop Mouse2 :WorkspaceMenu
OnDesktop Mouse3 :RootMenu

Change this to:

OnDesktop Mouse1 :RootMenu
OnDesktop Mouse2 :WorkspaceMenu
OnDesktop Mouse3 :HideMenus

Now save that file and restart Fluxbox (right mouse click and select Restart from the menu). The root menu should now be found with the left mouse click.

Time to cut out all that we don’t want in that root menu. For our example we are going to set up a menu with a single entry – a browser. Of course before you deploy this you would need to set up a proxy server to keep customers from going anywhere you wouldn’t want them. You might want to limit them to only your website.

When you first open the ~/.fluxbox/menu file you will see:

[begin] (fluxbox)
[include] (/etc/X11/fluxbox/fluxbox-menu)
[end]

What this is doing is including the full system-wide menu found in /etc/X11/fluxbox. You want to wipe that out and replace it with something like:
[begin] (Click Below)
[exec] (BROWSE OUR PRODUCTS) {google-chrome}
[end]

Figure 1

Now, when a user/customer clicks the left mouse menu all they will see is what you see in Figure 1. The only tool the user has access to is a browser.

Of course for the administrator you can always hit <Alt>F2 to open up the run dialog and open whatever application you like. But to the average user, this PC will do one thing and only one thing.

Final thoughts

If you have a need for single-purpose machine to be used as a customer kiosk PC you don’t have to worry about looking for tools to lock down a Windows machine. All you have to do is have a Linux machine up and running and use Fluxbox.

Fortunately there are composite managers that help you bring your old school desktop into the modern ages without having to lose your mind. One of those composite managers, xcompmgr, is really quite easy to use. For most window managers it’s as simple as installing and running a command with desired arguments. Let’s take a look at how this is done.

Getting and installing

Xcompmgr will most likely be found in your distributions repositories, so you can just open up your Add/Remove Software utility, do a search for “xcompmgr”, select the results, and apply the changes. Or, if you prefer the command line, you can install xcompmgr with a command like:

sudo apt-get install xcompmgr

or

yum install xcompmgr

NOTE: The first is a Ubuntu-based command the second is a Fedora-based command. When using the Fedora command you will have to have root permissions.

Once installed, you are ready to go.

Basic usage

The syntax of the xcompmgr command is simple:

xcompmgr OPTIONS

Where OPTIONS is a single letter or group of letters representing various options.

The options

Here is a list of the more useful options used in xcompmgr:

-r Specify the blur radius for the shadows.

-o Specify the opacity for the shadows.

-l Specify left offset for shadows (default is right offset.)

-t Specify top offset for shadows (default is bottom.)

-I Specify the opacity change between steps for fading in.

-O Specify the opacity change between steps for fading out.

-c Soft shadows with translucency support.

-f Enable smooth effects for transient windows in hiding and restoring. Only used in conjunction with the “c” option.

-C Disable shadows for panels and docks. Only used in conjunction with the “c” option.

-D Specify time (in milliseconds) between steps in a fade.

Before and after

Figure 1

Let’s take a look at before and after shots of the same desktop with and without the use of xcompmgr.

Figure 1 shows the Fluxbox desktop with a few windows open (some shaded). You see no drop shadows here.

Now we’ll employ xcompmgr with the following options:

xcompmgr -c -r10 -F -f -D5 -C -o0.8 &

As you can see there are some numerical values with the options. Here’s what they mean:

r10 – Radius of 10 pixels.

D5 – 5 millisecond fade

o0.8 – Not sure what value this represents, but I know the default is .75. Play with anything between these and you’ll find a setting to your liking.

NOTE: The & is added to the end of the command so you can get your bash prompt back. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to u

Figure 2

As you can see, in Figure 2, the desktop has an added dimension it didn’t have before. It adds just enough eye candy, without taking a hit on your performance, to keep people from saying “Your desktop is old-school UNIX!”

Make it stick

The easiest way to make this stick is to make use of the .xinitrc file. This file will start your window manager exactly how you want it. If you are using Fluxbox your ~/.xinitrc file would look like this:

xcompmgr -c -r10 -F -f -D5 -C -o0.8 &


exec fluxbox

Of course, when using .xinitrc, you would have to not use your graphical log in and then use the command startx to start your window manager.

Final thoughts

No, it won’t make you a better user, programer, or win you any awards; but xcompmgr can at least make your desktop look more like it belongs in the current era.

But just what does Fluxbox offer if it is so minimal? Believe it or not it offers everything you need on a desktop to get your job done. Let’s take a look at the latest version of this old-school Linux desktop.

Features

Figure 1

• Mouse menu: This is the only menu you will find on the desktop.
• Slit: This is a dock for any application that is “dockable”.
• Toolbar: This bar (by default at the bottom of the screen) shows all of the windows of your desktop and contains the system tray, current workspace name, and more.
• Workspaces: Switch between different workspaces to keep your desktop organized.
• Tabs: Organize windows together into one or multiple tabbed windows to keep clutter to a minimum.
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Create your own keyboard shortcuts via simple flat text configuration.
• System Tray: This tool is used to house tiny applications that serve specific purposes (such as the Network Manager applet.)

Figure 1 shows the Fluxbox desktop. As you can see it is, in fact, very minimal yet doesn’t suffer from a loss of useability.

Configuring the menu

By default you will notice a single right click on the desktop will bring up a rather barren menu. Figure 1 shows a menu with a couple of additions: Firefox, Thunderbird, Songbird, and GIMP.  Adding to this menu is simple. One of the entries in the menu is xterm, which you will need to open in order to edit the menu text file.

Once xterm is opened issue the command:

nano ~/.fluxbox/menu

to open up the menu configuration file. Each menu entry consists of a minimum of:

[exec] (NAME) {COMMAND}

Where NAME is the name of the application and COMMAND is the command to start up the application. So an entry for Firefox would look like:

[exec] (Firefox) {firefox}

You can also create submenus by starting each submenu with:

[submenu] (SUBMENU NAME)

Where SUBMENU NAME is the name of the submenu you want to use. So a Networking submenu could look like:

[submenu] (NETWORKING)
[exec] (Firefox) {firefox}
[exec] (Thunderbird) {thunderbird}

Once you have finished your menu, save it and you will automatically see the changes (no need to restart Fluxbox.)

Tabs

Figure 2

This is one of the more unique features to Fluxbox. Tabs are similar to browser tabs in Firefox. You can join various windows together into one tabbed window in order to keep things organized. As you can see, in Figure 2, Firefox and Thunderbird have been joined together in one window. To switch back and forth between each just click the respective tab for the application you want to work with.

To join two windows together you simply middle mouse click (if you only have two buttons click them both at the same time) on the titlebar of one window and drag it to the titlebar of the window you want it to join. So to join Thunderbird with Firefox click on Thunderbird’s title bar with the middle mouse button and drag it to the Firefox titlebar. You can remove an application from a joined window by middle mouse clicking on the titlebar and dragging it out of the window.

Setting a background

One thing you will notice is that Fluxbox is bereft of any tool to help you set the background image. For many this isn’t an issue, but there are those who do prefer to have a personalized wallpaper on their desktop. In order to add a specific wallpaper you have to add a line to the ~/.fluxbox/startup file. This line will look like:

fbsetbg -f /PATH/TO/IMAGE/FILE

Where /PATH/TO/IMAGE/FILE is the explicit path to the background image you want to use.

In the case of the background, you will have to restart Fluxbox in order for the change to take effect.

Who is Fluxbox for?

I get this question a lot. Who would want to use such a minimal window manager? The first, and obvious, answer, is anyone with an older or less powerful machine. Employing Fluxbox on a machine with less power will not gobble up precious CPU or memory leaving more for applications.

I have deployed Fluxbox on kiosk and cafe machines that are used for specific purposes. Say you want to allow only the web browser to be used. For this you can alter the menu file to only include a web browser. That way the user can not run another other program (unless they how to get to a console window).

Fluxbox is also a good window manager for anyone who prefers a very minimalistic approach to computing. There is little to get in the way of your work. And since Fluxbox is so reliable, you won’t be worrying about your desktop crashing.

With that in mind let us begin by illustrating the differences between a desktop environment and a window manager. We’ll begin by showing how the Linux graphical desktop is layered.

As you can see, in the image below, there are basically three layers that can be included in the Linux desktop:

• X Windows – This is the foundation that allows for graphic elements to be drawn on the display. X Windows builds the primitive framework that allows moving of windows, interactions with keyboard and mouse, and draws windows. This is required for any graphical desktop.
• Window Manager: The Window Manager is the piece of the puzzle that controls the placement and appearance of windows. Window Managers include: Enlightenment, Afterstep, FVWM, Fluxbox, IceWM, etc. Requires X Windows but not a desktop environment.
• Desktop Environment: This is where it begins to get a little fuzzy for some. A Desktop Environment includes a Window Manager but builds upon it. The Desktop Environment typically is a far more fully integrated system than a Window Manager. Requires both X Windows and a Window Manager.

A Desktop Environment generally includes a suite of applications that are tightly integrated so that all applications are aware of one another. A Desktop Manager will also include some form of panel that includes a system tray where small widgets can be placed for quick action or information.

Linux Desktop Layering

Much of the confusion starts to peek out when you examine such Window Managers as E17 (Enlightenment 17).

The most recent iteratio of Enlightenment includes many of the elements usually found only Desktop Environments even though Enlightenment is still considered a Window Manager. To this point I generally refer to such desktops as Desktop Managers.

There are two main Desktop Environments: GNOME and KDE. If you are curious as to which is right for you, here is some advice. The latest default GNOME will make users of OS X feel right at home, KDE 3.x will make Windows XP users feel at home, and KDE 4.x will make Windows Vista users feel at home.

[poll id="3"]

As to which Window Manager is best suited for which user? Since there are so many Window Managers I will highlight my favorites.

• Enlightenment: You want plenty of eye candy but not something as resource-intensive as KDE or GNOME.
• Fluxbox: You want minimal and fast.
• Afterstep: You want something old-school to give you hours of tinkering fun.
• Xfce: You want a Windows-like interface without the bloatware of GNOME or KDE.
• Compiz-Fusion: This is a full-blown 3 dimensional window manager rife with plugs that do just about everything. If you want something to seriously impress your friends, this is where you want to look.

One of the most wonderful things about the Linux desktop is that it is only limited to your imagination. You can make the Linux desktop look and feel exactly how you want it. You can go from complete minimalism to the full-blown 3D goodness of Compiz-Fusion. I will give you one warning: Playing with the Linux desktop might be as much of a time-suck as World of Warcraft.