Replace metacity by xfwm4

[manicka]

Just to repeat myself, to configure the shortcuts you can also run xfce-setting-show, go to window manager settings (bottom left corner), keyboard and add the command you need
"gnome-screenshot" and press "Print"
"gnome-screenshot --window" with alt+print
"xfce4-taskmanager" with Control+Alt+Delete
"gnome-terminal" with Control+Alt+T
"gnome-panel-control --run-dialog" with Alt+F2
and so on..
I still don't know how to show the desktop

Geez, missed that one.

I should read threads more closely. Thanks

[magnusbb]

I would really like to have this one, but I can't get it to work. I have done all said in the instructions, and the echo command reports that xfwm4 is the exported as an environment variable.

However, Metacity is still running, and it's still the window manager in GNOME. I can't even see the xfwm4 process in "top".

Here's my /usr/bin/gnome-wm, in case there is something wrong with that:

#!/bin/sh

# The user can specify his prefered WM by setting the WINDOW_MANAGER
# environment variable.
#
# If this is not set, we search a list of known windowmanagers and use
# the first one that is found in the users's PATH
#
# This script has been heavily modified to support Debian's
# alternatives system.

# sm-client-id value
SMID=
# default-wm value
DEFWM=

#read in the arguments
GET=
for n in "$@" ; do
case "$GET" in
smid)
SMID=$n
GET=
;;
defwm)
DEFWM=$n
GET=
;;
*)
case "$n" in
--sm-client-id)
GET=smid
;;
--default-wm)
GET=defwm
;;
esac
;;
esac
done

if ! which "$WINDOW_MANAGER" > /dev/null; then
# Get --default-wm
if which "$DEFWM" > /dev/null; then
WINDOW_MANAGER=$DEFWM
if [ "$WINDOW_MANAGER" = x-window-manager ]; then
WINDOW_MANAGER=`readlink /etc/alternatives/x-window-manager 2>/dev/null`
fi
# if nothing is found, first use metacity
elif [ -x /usr/bin/metacity ]; then
WINDOW_MANAGER=/usr/bin/metacity
elif [ -x /usr/bin/sawfish ]; then
WINDOW_MANAGER=/usr/bin/sawfish
else
WINDOW_MANAGER=`readlink /etc/alternatives/x-window-manager 2>/dev/null`
fi
fi

# If no window manager can be found, we default to xterm

if [ -z "$WINDOW_MANAGER" ] ; then
echo "WARNING: No window manager can be found."
WINDOW_MANAGER=`readlink /etc/alternatives/x-terminal-emulator 2>/dev/null`
fi

# If there is no xterm, they're really screwed.
if [ ! "$WINDOW_MANAGER" ]; then
echo "ERROR: No window manager and no xterm!"
exit 1
fi

# Now create options OPT1 and OPT2 based on the windowmanager used
OPT1=
OPT2=
if [ ! -z "$SMID" ] ; then
case `basename $WINDOW_MANAGER` in
sawfish|sawmill|metacity)
OPT1=--sm-client-id=$SMID
;;
openbox|xfwm4)
OPT1=--sm-client-id
OPT2=$SMID
;;
enlightenment|twm)
OPT1=-clientId
OPT2=$SMID
;;
fvwm|fvwm2)
OPT1=--clientid
OPT2=$SMID
;;
lwm)
OPT1=-s
OPT2=$SMID
;;
#FIXME: add all other windowmanagers here with their proper options
esac
fi

exec "$WINDOW_MANAGER" $OPT1 $OPT2

echo "ERROR: No window manager could run!"
exit 1

[manicka]

I would really like to have this one, but I can't get it to work. I have done all said in the instructions, and the echo command reports that xfwm4 is the exported as an environment variable.

However, Metacity is still running, and it's still the window manager in GNOME. I can't even see the xfwm4 process in "top".

Here's my /usr/bin/gnome-wm, in case there is something wrong with that:

An obvious question is did you log out and back in again.

What do the contents of ~/.gnomerc look like.

There should be one line in it's content:

export WINDOW_MANAGER=/usr/bin/xfwm4

[magnusbb]

I did log out and in again, yes.

The contents of my ~/.gnomerc is exactly the line you posted, and that line only.

Is there something with my current session starting Metacity, or what?

[neuschnee]

Try backing up/deleting "~/.gnome2/session" ... then relog and try.

If session gets saved it fixes on metacity instead of gnome-wm.

[ubuntu_demon]

So does the speed of the "final product" more resemble that of xfce4 or more that of gnome (on a pc where you notice the difference) ?

[theine]

So does the speed of the "final product" more resemble that of xfce4 or more that of gnome (on a pc where you notice the difference) ?

It'll definately resemble the overall speed of Gnome.

[ubuntu_demon]

It'll definately resemble the overall speed of Gnome.

did you try ? (I'm not on gnome right now)

[theine]

did you try ? (I'm not on gnome right now)

No, I didn't. There's so much talk about Gnome being slow and why that is and I don't know what to believe, but I'm fairly sure that it's not due to the window manager.

[LaSSarD]

Check /usr/bin/gnome-wm if the entry for xfwm4 looks OK. Also, try

echo $WINDOW_MANAGER

and see whether it says xfwm4. If not, check ~/.gnomerc

the entry for xfwm4 looks ok on /usr/bin/gnome-wm, see:

if [ ! -z "$SMID" ] ; then
  case `basename $WINDOW_MANAGER` in
    sawfish|sawmill|metacity)
      OPT1=--sm-client-id=$SMID
      ;;
    openbox|xfwm4)
      OPT1=--sm-client-id
      OPT2=$SMID
      ;;

but now, that's strange:

:~$ echo $WINDOW_MANAGER
/usr/bin/xfwm4

it looks perfect, but metacity is already running (perfectly, no strange errors)