Stage: alpha

Short description: A desktop gnu/linux distribution with added utilities for access to documentation, editing apps source, and publishing.

Longer description: A set of applications that strengthens the feedback from desktop users to their developers, and also introduces motivation and more easily accessible venues for the end users to contribute. This will include ui to make package source more discoverable and venues to access free (libre) programming training for desktop users.

2022-09. version 1 in progress

2021-10. Current progress:

  • We wrote 'xappnap' application, a helper for task (a), as a small exercise in identifying PID that corresponds to a window so that, when a widnow is minimized, we put its PID to sleep to save energy and reduce load on a computer. We are interested in your testing of output of «xprop | grep PID» when your favourite application windows are clicked; so far, it appears that sylpheed, firefox, xfce4-terminal have the same PID for multiple windows, and terminal.app does not provide a PID. More testing is required to find the correct solution to this issue; however, it is not blocking future progress.

  • We are starting to write 'xappsrc' application for task (a). We are interested in testing out bash one-liners at various distributions. For instance,

    • «equery b $(xprop -notype WM_COMMAND | sed -e 's/.* "//' -e 's/" .*//')» for Gentoo;
    • «xprop -notype WM_COMMAND | sed -e 's/.* "//' -e 's/" .*//'» for any distribution (appears to return no output for firefox and xfce4-terminal)

  • Once a command to output package name for a clicked window is determined for one or several Linux distributions, the next question is how to present it to the user without asking them to open terminal and type a command. A one-click taskbar launcher would be ideal. What frameworks are available for this? Is zenity the optimal solution?

As before, answers to these questions are welcome by clicking contact and opening live chat.

2021-09. Welcome your help with hosting a multilingual, preferably static and without JavaScript, website for this.

2021-09. How you can get involved: Please contact us and test the following. We will add documentation how to test the existing software on your platform. Current notes:

  • Linux/Debian: install 'xprop' and share output of 'xprop | grep PID' command for applications that you use most often; if they have multiple windows, then whether the command outputs different PID or the same; the name of your operating system and window manager.
  • Not listed above: please contact us and share the name of your operating system and window manager, we will upload instructions. :)

Output of current testing done so far:

  • Linux/Debian:
    • xfwm:
      • same PID for multiple windows: sylpheed, firefox, xfce4-terminal

The purpose of this test is to plan what to do with the 'xappnap' app which freezes processes for minimized windows; and to also plan development of 'xapphack' software, which will allow the user to browse packages related to a running window, and download their source code, without necessarily using the terminal.

2021-05. In brief, the key goals here include the following:

  • more visual documentation
  • venue for easy graphical feedback
  • more exposure to source code of apps and tinkering
  • friendly apps for common web tasks
  • more clear publishing, translation, file and message sharing venues
  • artificial intelligence to facilitate users' work, as well as their access to documentation and contributing

I expect that showing this information will engage more desktop users in contributing, and possibly motivate the upstream to make the desktops (and their documentation) more concise, consistent, and navigable. I also expect there will be increased awareness of content licensing and engagement in writing, translations, and development of free resources.

Packages will be created for existing distributions. Also there will also be a reference GNU/Linux distribution, made as a Debian Blend so that separate infrastructure will not need to be maintained, which will include tools to accomplish all of these tasks.

See also: plan (includes links to source), people, contact.