dCore X Window System

Booting with only the dCore-*.gz (base file system) and vmlinuz-* (Linux kernel) files initially provides a CLI environment only until additional graphic extensions are imported. Although the smaller dCore-*.iso provides a boot loader it also initially only boots into CLI.

The larger dCorePlus ISO contains a boot loader plus Xvesa or X.org, the flwm_topside Window Manager, wbar application launcher, built-in terminal, FLTK-Editor and graphic dCore System Tools.

As dCore is modular and extensible, installing or switching Window Managers and Desktop Environments is simple. Depending on the Window Manager, additional system monitors, launchers and panels (task bar) may be added. Users who desire a built-in panel can switch to Window Managers like Fluxbox, IceWM or JWM, alternatively install a Desktop Environment.

For users not yet running a graphic system, the following links explain how to import an X Window System and Window Manager or Desktop Environment:

• dCore Desktop Quicky
• dCore Graphic Drivers
• Basic Desktop Installation
• Essential dCore READMEs

Numerous Window Managers work with dCore, these have integrated dCore OnDemand and System Tools menus as well as official READMEs:

• Enlightenment
• Fluxbox
• FLWM and FLWM_topside
• IceWM
• JWM
• Openbox

Several Desktop Environments also work with dCore. Although lacking dCore OnDemand menu integration, they provide auto-populated menus based on a loaded application's desktop file. They also typically provide customizable menus, panels and application launchers.The following Desktop Environments have official READMEs:

• LXDE
• Xfce

Visit the Official dCore Screenshots page to see them in action.

LXDE notes: LXDE can be modified to use Openbox's OnDemand menu, see Migrate from FLWM to LXDE. LXDE displays a popup error at boot, which delays desktop loading, on dCore-jessie and dCore-wily. This is an unresolved bug reported in the LXDE mailing list, not dCore specific. Alternatively import these for a similar LXDE experience: openbox, obconf, lxpanel or tint2 (nice built-in panel configuration GUI), leafpad, lxterminal and pcmanfm. This provides a modular setup with an integrated OnDemand menu. Right click lxpanel crashing may be experienced.

As numerous alternatives are available in Debian/Ubuntu repositories, dCore users can import other graphic environments. Most work without much effort aside from any custom configurations. Feel free to post results and/or link a User Contributed Screenshot.

Unofficial Window Managers:

• dwm: Lean, efficient, tested on dCore-wily (screenshot, dCore dwm with dmenu and conky-cli Tutorial).
• FVWM: Tested on dCore-wily. Run sce-import -b fvwm, boot code desktop=fvwm.
• i3: Tested on dCore-wily. Run sce-import -b i3-wm, boot code desktop=i3.
• Window Maker: Tested on dCore-wily (screenshot). Run sce-import -b wmaker, boot code wmaker. Search using sce-import -b wm for additional Window Maker packages.

Unofficial Desktop Environments:

• FVWM-Crystal: Tested on dCore-wily (screenshot). Run sce-import -b fvwm-crystal, boot code fvwm-crystal.
• Gnome: Gnome is known to work in dCore-wheezy, possibly in dCore-jessie, likely not in the Ubuntu-based dCores.
• MATE: Tested on dCore-wily (screenshot). Run sce-import -b mate-core, boot code mate-session.

Visit the User Contributed Screenshots section to see some of them in action.

Although unofficial graphic environments may lack pre-configured dCore OnDemand and System Tools menus, this has little relevance to experienced dCore users. Importing a dynamic menu, like dmenu, provides quick access to all system applications without configuration. It is also known to work in various graphic environments. To install and use dmenu:

• Run sce-import -b suckless-tools to install.
• Configure a keyboard shortcut or menu entry to dmenu_run.
• Run dmenu_run to access all applications in the system's $PATH (run echo $PATH to confirm), including all OnDemand SCEs and dCore System Tools, these applications display across the top of the screen.
• Begin typing the name of the desired application, the menu auto-sorts and highlights the closest match. Press Enter to select, PageUp/Down to scroll, Escape cancels.
• OnDemand SCEs are automatically loaded and launched provided they have a proper desktop file (ie. most graphic extensions). CLI applications still need to be opened via terminal.

For unofficial graphic environment users manually setting up custom menus:

• dCore commands are in /usr/bin/ (eg. backup, sce-import, sce-update, version).
• dCore System Tools are in /usr/local/bin/ (eg. aterm, cpanel, exittc, fltk-editor, mnttool, sce-tools, wallpaper)
• OnDemand SCEs are in /etc/sysconfig/tcedir/ondemand/.

Note to keen dCore and Tiny Core users. Although both provide a similar list of official Window Managers, subject to change, only dCore supports Enlightenment and only Tiny Core supports Hackedbox. Regarding Desktop Environments, both have been known to run Gnome and only dCore supports LXDE and Xfce. Due to direct access to Debian and Ubuntu repositories, dCore also runs numerous additional Window Managers and Desktop Environments, some noted above.

Migrate from default FLWM to a full function LXDE desktop by exploiting it's Openbox roots:

> Migrate from FLWM to LXDE

Essential READMEs for setting up a system, importing extensions and setting up graphics:

• README parent directory
• README-1st.txt
• README-import.txt
• README-X-Desktop
• README-enlightenment
• README-fluxbox.txt
• README-flwm.txt
• README-flwm_topside.txt
• README-icewm.txt
• README-jwm.txt
• README-lxde.txt
• README-openbox.txt
• README-xfce4.txt

Fonts are generally found in /usr/share/fonts and /usr/local/share/fonts. They may be installed seperately or as a dependency of a Debian package. For example, an Abiword dependency is gsfonts (Ghostscript fonts). Installed fonts only become available when the applicable SCE is loaded. To find additional fonts it is useful to use the -c (contains) option with sce-import (eg. sce-import -bc fonts).

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