How to make start menu look like Windows 7 (or Kubuntu)

[fkervin]

Hi all,

I've recently move from kubuntu to lubuntu and one of the things I would like to customize is que start menu.

I've install "alacarte" and with it I can add-remove elements, but the menu result tiny, and I would like to make font bigger, any idea?

I really would like to transform the menu to be as similar as possible to Windows 7 start menu, althought I also like a lot the menu of kubuntu. Is there any way to do this? It must not be impossible since Zorin OS (linux with LXDE) includes an start menu at the most Windows 7 style.

Many thanks in advance and regards

[fkervin]

Hi again,

I've spent a lot hours trying to do it but I'm unable to, I ask for some help.

I told what I've done:

From the options I had I've discard gnomenu since seems to be outdated and I've read that can have problems with it. So, I have 2 options of panels, on one one we have the whisker menu, and in the other hand there is the xfce4-appfinder.

Whisker menu:

I've install by:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin xfce4-panel

I have no find a way to add it to this panel, on Panel configuration, in the section I can add/remove elements it does not appear, even if i go to edit an application bar (I think it is not compatible with lxpanel)


If I run in terminal "xfce4-panel", this panel appears on top, and I can add whisker menu to it, but I think that this panel is not going to be ok for me since I can't add opacity to the panel without enabling compositing (and I don't want this), while lxpanel allows transparency without using compositing.

xfce4-appfinder

I've install by:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install  --no-install-recommends xfce4-appfinder

I can launch it from terminal with "xfce4-appfinder":



Althought appears with the window bar, I suppose it will not appear if I can make it work via the start button.

The problem is that I'm completely unable to make "Menu" button launch this menu instead of lxpanelctl. I've try here:



In the place where says "Launcher manager" I've replace lxpanelctl with xfce4-appfinder with no result (I've restart and the menu is still the same"). I've also edit this file:

/etc/xdg/lxsession/Lubuntu/desktop.conf

And I've change this line:

launcher_manager/command=lxpanelctl

To this:

launcher_manager/command=xfce4-appfinder

I have no result, I still have the lxpanelctl in the start menu.
Any idea?

Manu thanks in advance

[seppalta]

I think that you are trying to combine apples and oranges in ways that are not compatible. There are many ways to configure the Openbox Root Menu (http://lxlinux.com/openbox.html), the Lxde-menu (http://lxlinux.com/#9), the applications menu in pcmanfm (http://lxlinux.com/#11), which is very similar to xfce4-appfinder menu, and various other menus like the Kornelix MyStuff Menu, the fbpanel menu, etc, to get just about any menu set-up that exists. These are all compatible with the LXDE desktop. In general, just make a .desktop file as described in http://lxlinux.com/#11 for your menu (for example, the pcmenu.desktop explicitly displayed there, or an xfce4-appfinder.desktop, or a mystuff.desktop), put it in /usr/share/applications. This will put it in the lxde menu, from which you can add it to the panel whereever you like in the usual way.

[fkervin]

Hi seppalta,

To start: Many many thanks for your answer, I'm quite lost after hours researching and I've nothing clear.

I've been using kubuntu for a time but I'm completely new on Lubuntu and not an expert un linux. I'm afraid that there are concepts thar are not clear to me: I know that lxpanel is the default panel in lxde and also know that default menu is lxpanelctl. I also know Openbox is a light window manager that is even lighter than lxde, but i'm not sure in what -buntu comes from by default.

In Lunbutu I've spent some time customizing the aspect and I've left this in way I like, but I still have the problem of the start menu, I still have lxpanelctl by default. In the link you attach me I understand that I can do something like this:



I know I can change the links contained in the menu using alacarte, and I guess there is way to change the white background color of it, I still would need to increase the size of icons and fonts since in a full-HD screen the menu seems tiny by default.

Unfortunately is does not satisfy me since it's the same menu with customize options when I want a modern menu in the style of Windows 7 or Kubuntu (and lxmenu looks to me as Windows 95/98 start menu). When I say this I mean having a menu with 2 different areas, a power off button and menus opening inside it and not by side.

Is there any way to do this in lxde? The most important for me is that I can't use any kind of compositing, I want system as light as possible to avoid problems with XBMC but at the same time I want (inside the possible) the appareance of a modern OS, and actually the result I've archieve with LXDE is really great but start menu is a problem for me. I really can't believe there is no way to change lxpanelctl to another and better menu (maintaining lxde and lxpanel).

My other option is using xfce4-panel in Lubuntu instead of lxpanel, but for this I have the problem I don't know how to, and I think xfce4 menu doesn't support transparencies if I don't enable compositing. The last option is moving directly to Xubuntu, where xfce panel is by default, but.. would this be worse in terms of lightness than using lxde + xfce4 panel?. Its a pity since lubuntu likes me a lot but the start menu.

I hope you can lend me a hand.

Regards and thanks in advance

[drooly]

and also know that default menu is lxpanelctl.

this is wrong.
lxpanel's menu is more-or-less built into it.
lxpanelctl is a helper app to, well, control lxpanel. it doesn't do much.
have you looked closer at lxpanels config files (somewhere in your $HOME/.config)?
it has a few options that are not accessible via gui.

I want a modern menu in the style of Windows 7 or Kubuntu (and lxmenu looks to me as Windows 95/98 start menu).

it is surprising how often people demand this: full-fledged and at the same time lightweight. these two features are mutually exclusive. all i can do is quote:

He wants a shoehorn / the kind with teeth
People should get beat up / for stating their beliefs
He wants a shoehorn / the kind with teeth
Because he knows there's no such thing...

well, don't take it personally. they were a great band.

with what you installed, theres 1 possibility:
- create a simple app launcher on your lxpanel.
- make it point to xfce4-appfinder (the one you managed to start from the terminal)
that should be enough.
if it diesn't pop up close to your panel, you can force it to do so via openbox' rc.xml (check out lxlinux.com or openbox wiki).

btw, changing the colors is gtk's task - lxpanel uses gtk2. there's a lot you can tweak via $HOME/.gtkrc-2.0 and $HOME/.gtkrc-2.0.mine. there used to be a great tool called gnome-color-chooser that provided a gui for that sort of tweaking.

[seppalta]

Use a texteditor to create appfinder.desktop to be the following:

Code: Select all

[Desktop Entry]
Name=MENU
Exec=xfce4-appfinder
Icon=/usr/share/icons/appfinder.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
StartupNotify=true
Categories=Utility

Move or copy it to /usr/share/applications. You will have to find or create an icon for appfinder.png. Just about any small (64x64 or 96x96 or ...) image will work. This wiil put an appfinder launcher in the lxde menu in the utility or accessories category.
To get an xfce4-appfinder launcher on the desktop, put a copy of appfinder.desktop in ~/Desktop.
To get an xfce4-appfinder launcher on the lxpanel, right click the panel and follow the recipe given in http://lxlinux.com/#4 for adding applications to lxpanel. You can remove the lxmenu here and replace it with the xfce4-appfinder menu.

For the record, "...I want a modern menu in the style of Windows 7 or Kubuntu (and lxmenu looks to me as Windows 95/98 start menu)..." is purely a subjective, personal statement, and has no truly objective justification. Both the regular Lxde Menu and the Openbox Root Menu are quicker, require less clicks to launch an app, are easier to configure and, for most of us regular openbox-lxde users, prettier!

[Rex Bouwense]

For the record, "...I want a modern menu in the style of Windows 7 or Kubuntu (and lxmenu looks to me as Windows 95/98 start menu)..." is purely a subjective, personal statement, and has no truly objective justification. Both the regular Lxde Menu and the Openbox Root Menu are quicker, require less clicks to launch an app, are easier to configure and, for most of us regular openbox-lxde users, prettier!

+1