Hybrid Openbox Crunchbang

It turns out there is at least one very nice slim operating system based on Thunar and Openbox and unencumbered by any full desktop, namely, Crunchbang. Crunchbang Linux is a Debian GNU/Linux based bare-bones distribution with the immense Debian repository system available to build on. It comes with many of the LXDE components, with the main difference between the Crunchbang Openbox desktop and the LXDE-core desktop being pcmanfm, lxpanel, lxterminal and lxsession. I replaced only the Crunchbang panels and main terminal with lxpanel and lxterminal, and configured everything as outlined in LXDE-OPENBOX Guide, as if I had the complete LXDE Desktop. However, I did not install lxde-core, because I saw no need for pcmanfm and lxsession, and, therefore, did not have the complete LXDE desktop. Application comparison of the start and finish is in the box on the right.

Some characteristics, both pro and con, of the converted configuration are the following:

• I installed Lxpanel [2901 kb], which brings with it the lxde-menu and the LXDE Run function. The LXDE Run has a drop-down box offering suggestions after only a few letters are entered, and has a cancel feature, neither of which is in the Crunchbang Run function. The lxde-menu is a bonus with the only item not working being the shutdown entry, which apparently depends upon the parts of the lxde-core not installed. A shutdown-log-out, if desired, can be put in any category of the lxde-menu, using exec=cb-exit, or by just using command=cb-exit in /home/me/.config/lxpanel/LXDE/panels/panel. Multiple lxde-panels can be put up using any edge, and lxde-panel is easy to configure. I removed xfce4-panel [4604 kb] and tint2 [535 kb], thus, saving 3038 kb in panel space!


• I installed lxterminal, which has all the features that I use, and removed the slower terminator. A word of caution is needed here. Some of the cb-pipemenus are attached to terminator, so you may want to keep it.


• Lxmed, a .desktop GUI (lxde menu editor) for creating, editing and placing desktop files, can be installed even though lxde-core is not present.


• The nice pcmanfm wallpaper rotator is no longer available, but available (from the Crunchbang forum) is a random one-click changer, and Conky can be used to make it a rotator (see set-up below).


• The global autostart file and directory are at /etc/xdg/openbox/autostart and /etc/xdg/autostart. A user-related autostart file and directory are at ~/.config/openbox/autostart and ~/.config/autostart.


• Oracle Java, which is needed for lxmed and java -based applications, can be installed as described in LXDE-OPENBOX Guide. The cb-welcome, which launches after the initial operating system install, offers to install open-jdk-icedtea, which I refuse, because there is at least one must-for-me Java application that I cannot get to work using open-jdk.


• Dual arch in 64-bit, wine and skype can be installed following the recipes described in LXDE-OPENBOX Guide.


• Openbox menu and Conky can be configured as described in Openbox Menu.

The latest version of either 32-bit or 64-bit Crunchbang can be downloaded from Crunchbang. I generally do not install a 64-bit system in a computer with less than 4 GB ram. The advantage of a 32-bit system is that one does not have the fight of installing the dual-arch system required to run 32-bit applications like wine and skype. With less than 4 GB ram, the performance difference is essentially negligible, so why bother with 64-bit. The Crunchbang installer has a nice guide for adding additional applications and doing the usual after install updating. It appears immediately after the basic install has finished. I chose to not install the Openjava-icedtea in favor of installing Oracle Java later. Oracle Java is easier to configure and has always worked for me, which has not been the case for Openjava-icedtea.

The table on the right shows the installed version and the completed version . The applications with an astrick are the ones that I chose to keep. Use Synaptic, or sudo apt-get, to install the missing Linux controls and apps:

sudo apt-get install bleachbit filezilla flpsed gucharmap gthumb ispell leafpad lxpanel lxrandr lxterminal startup-manager xpad upgrade-system.

Of course, you can elect not to install some of these items and/or to install others. These are just my favorites to have a powerful useful system. See LXDE-OPENBOX Guide for a guide to installing the wine applications. I removed the following applications:

sudo apt-get remove gcalctool gftp gimp gnome-alsa-mixer gnome-user-guide grandr terminator tint2 viewnior xfce4-mixer xfce4-panel.

Below is an image of a Crunchbang desktop with the wallpaper changer icon on the far right of the lxde panel, the lxde menu at the far left, Conky on the right side, an open Openbox menu and the PhotoFiltre app open but rolled up.