Project: 3rd party screenlets

This is a little late, but I figured I should blog about Project: 3rd party screenlets. It is hosted on Launchpad. The team is also on Launchpad. The idea is to collect all those 3rd party screenlets that are on Gnome-look.org and not in the official Screenlets trunk.

In doing so, we can achieve several important things:

For the users:

• One place to get all individual screenlets
• Follow updates easily with bzr
• Get a package with all screenlets available — probably even a package and a repo for Fedora, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, etc.

For the developers:

• Easy maintenance of their screenlets
• Keeping close to official Screenlets
• Get input and fixes from other developers, because they can access bzr themselves, and not just post a comment
• Maybe translations down the road
• More users!
• Getting individual screenlets included in the official Screenlets
• Get bug reports

There are probably more upsides for all, but this was my first ideas.

Now, to get the show on the road, we need:

• Developers to register for a Launchpad account
• Apply for the team
• Set up their own project with their screenlets
• Starting using bzr. Short howto and a guide
• Developing screenlets
• Merging with 3rd-party-screenlets branch

This post is tagged Compiz and Compiz Fusion for the likely interest people have in both projects, not because CF is necessary for Screenlets. Because it isn’t anymore 🙂

A new windowlist/taskbar screenlet is needed

I’m having some problems with the WindowlistScreenlet. That spurred me to think about how a dreamy windowlist/taskbar screenlet would be. With AWN’s new launcher-only functionality, I really need a great taskbar. So, here’s my points. Please add yours.

• Picks up all applications open that would ordinary be on a taskbar
• Use the highest quality icons available, maybe make icons for known bad ones
• Let the taskbar be placed on a horizontal line, vertical line, curve, in a rectangular box (any proportions given)
• A set maximum size for the windowlist (or -box). If too many icons are kept there, they should be shrinked
• Minimize, maximize, restore works as they should
• Minimized/maximized apps should draw the Compiz Fusion animations properly to/from the icons where they belong (I know AWN sometimes interfer, but I don’t know why)
• Grouping of apps

Maybe someone can use this as a start? It’s in C and Python.

New development on Screenlets

RYX, the original author of screenlets is apparently MIA, so Whise has continued development on Screenlets, making them even better. He now merged with trunk, after not getting feedback from RYX for a while.

I use bzr to get the latest and greatest, but I wrote a howto on setting up for Gilir’s Ubuntu repo. See this thread on the Screenlets forums (which is located on Compiz Fusion forums) or check the Screenlets wiki (help out getting rid of the spam if there is any!)

My approach is using bzr. In order to do that, do:

bzr co http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~screenlets-dev/screenlets/trunk screenlets
cd screenlets
sudo python setup.py install

Regularly, do:

cd screenlets
bzr update
sudo python setup.py install (if there were updates)