Custom Pantheon DEs (Compiz and Openbox)

[quequotion]

ElementaryOS's Pantheon DE (cerbere, slingshot-launcher, wingpanel, plank) can be installed independently of elementaryOS.

Add the PPA:

apt-add-repository ppa:elementary-os/stable

and if you're feeling adventurous:

apt-add-repository ppa:elementary-os/testing

and if you're crazy:

apt-add-repository ppa:elementary-os/daily

Update

apt-get update

Install the desktop components:

apt-get install pantheon-shell cerbere plank

Install these to satisfy some configuration dependencies:

apt-get install gala elementary-default-settings

Time to set up some pantheon-derivative desktops!

[quequotion]

Pantheon 3D:


Replaces gala with compiz for a 3D, light and fast alternative to Unity.

Create a compiz profile with Unity disabled either from Unity, or another DE.

Install the window manager and configuration app:

apt-get install compiz compizconfig-settings-manager

Create the session files:
/usr/share/xsessions/pantheon-compiz.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Pantheon 3D
Comment=This session provides elementary-3d experience
Exec=gnome-session --session=pantheon-compiz
TryExec=compiz
Icon=
Type=Application

/usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/pantheon-compiz.session

[GNOME Session]
Name=Pantheon
RequiredComponents=compiz;
FallbackSession=ubuntu
DesktopNames=Pantheon

[Dry Lips]

Interesting! I'm definitively going to bookmark this thread!

[quequotion]

Pantheon Lite:


Replaces gala with openbox for a very light 2D alternative to Pantheon.

Install the window manager and configuration app:

apt-get install openbox obconf

Create the session files:
/usr/share/xsessions/openbox-pantheon.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Pantheon Lite
Comment=This session provides elementary-lite experience
Exec=gnome-session --session=pantheon-openbox
TryExec=openbox
Icon=
Type=Application

/usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/pantheon-openbox.session

[GNOME Session]
Name=Pantheon
RequiredComponents=openbox;
FallbackSession=ubuntu
DesktopNames=Pantheon

Openbox is still not getting packaged correctly, and the .desktop file has been removed as a result of the confusion.

This desktop file is needed to start openbox (eg, pantheon-lite) with gnome-session:
/usr/share/applications/openbox.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Openbox
Exec=openbox
Icon=openbox
NoDisplay=true
# name we put on the WM spec check window
X-GNOME-WMName=Openbox
# gnome-session autostart
X-GNOME-Autostart-Phase=WindowManager
X-GNOME-Provides=windowmanager
# Ubuntu stuff
X-Ubuntu-Gettext-Domain=openbox
# back compat
X-GNOME-Autostart-Notify=true

Please chime in on my bug report and insist that this be fixed (by packaging the correct .desktop file in "data/openbox.desktop").

[quequotion]

Interesting! I'm definitively going to bookmark this thread!

Thanks!

I've got some updates already!

For a better looking Pantheon-lite (transparency, etc), add compton as a compositor:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:richardgv/compton
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install compton

/usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/pantheon-openbox.session

[GNOME Session]
Name=Pantheon
RequiredComponents=openbox;compton;
FallbackSession=openbox
DesktopNames=Pantheon

Compton features a dbus interface which can do amazing things!

To start pantheon-lite with dbus-enabled compton, create an additional .desktop file:
/usr/share/applications/compton-dbus.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=compton (dbus enabled)
GenericName=X compositor
Comment=A X compositor
Categories=Utility;
TryExec=compton
Exec=compton --dbus

Then specify compton-dbus in the session file:
/usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/pantheon-openbox.session

[GNOME Session]
Name=Pantheon
RequiredComponents=openbox;compton-dbus;
FallbackSession=openbox
DesktopNames=Pantheon

Adding a compositor will improve the look of the desktop, but it also consumes more resources (though certainly less than compiz and probably less than gala).

As an example of what to do with the dbus interface, assign this script to a hotkey to invert the color of the currently focused window.

[quequotion]

Optional stuff

Elementary Themes
For compiz apply the elementary theme with GNOME Tweak Tool, Ubuntu Tweak, or dconf-editor
For openbox, there are several options. I reccomend to apply the eGTK theme for openbox with obconf.

Super-wingpanel
Super-wingpanel re-implements the original "super-sexy, space saving" design of wingpanel.

apt-add-repository ppa:heathbar/super-wingpanel

or

apt-add-repository ppa:heathbar/super-wingpanel-daily

Super-wingpanel has not been updated upstream since Precise, but I have patched in support for new indicators and build fixes for newer versions of Ubuntu in the archlinux packaging.
If anyone who understands debian packaging wants to turn my version into a PPA, please do. I find debian packaging to be more difficult than writing programs.

[quequotion]

I gathered some statistics on each desktop's resource consumption.
The process statistics come from top running in gnome-terminal while no other windows are open.
The VRAM statisic comes from nvidia-settings GUI, while no other windows are open.
CPU usage was not enough to make note, although compiz consumes more than gala, openbox, or compton.

Pantheon Lite (with compositor)

CMD       VIRT      RES  SHR
openbox   151m      10m  6336
compton   94812     20m  11m
VRAM: 49m

Pantheon

CMD       VIRT      RES  SHR
gala      613m      48m  31m
VRAM: 82m

Pantheon 3D

CMD       VIRT     RES  SHR
compiz    681m      186m 39m
VRAM: 201m

Ayatana (Unity)

CMD       VIRT      RES  SHR
compiz    1491m     301m 51m
VRAM: 291m

To enable vsync and improve performance (with the nvidia binary driver), I added some options to compton in Pantheon Lite. The increased resource consumption is still lower than the standard Pantheon desktop:
~/.config/compton.conf

# Other
backend = "glx";
vsync = "opengl-swc";
paint-on-overlay = true;
unredir-if-possible = true;

Pantheon Lite (with configuration)

CMD       VIRT      RES  SHR
openbox   151m      10m  6356
compton   112m      28m  17m
VRAM: 73m

[oldfred]

reopened

[flaymond]

What is the difference between XFCE customized dock panel?

[quequotion]

What is the difference between XFCE customized dock panel?

...and (super-)wingpanel?

You can customize XFCE panel to look and do the same as wingpanel, but not super-wingpanel.
Wingpanel is gtk3(+granite?) and a little shinier than xfce-panel, with several eye-candy features (but no hiding).

Super-wingpanel is another thing. The application launcher and status icon area can be split into two, independently auto-hiding panels. There's no better screenspace saving panel available (except perhaps the earliest versions of wingpanel).

Both have support for Unity 7 indicators (super-wingpanel does, with patches from me, in the Arch User Repository), but wingpanel is undergoing an identity crisis, hopefully becoming a little less dependent on Canonical-patched code.

Super-wingpanel is abandoned by it's creator. I'm considering making an official fork, but bzr gives me headaches.

Also, this thread is ancient: Ask the Elementary people about their panel! There's lots of stuff I don't know. I'm sure they visit these forums; they also have a handy irc channel on freenode.