0
How-To: Install Openbox on Ubuntu 7.10
by akiratheoni
The main difference between Openbox and a desktop environment like GNOME or KDE is that Openbox only draws the windows; there are no panels or anything of that sort with Openbox. Instead, you can use pypanel that provides a panel for you. The payoff of this is that Openbox is very configurable and is very fast.
I had used GNOME with Compiz-Fusion when I first started with Ubuntu. Then I moved to KDE, just to see how it was like. After attempting to update Compiz-Fusion to bleeding edge, I inadvertently broke Compiz-Fusion. So after hearing nice things about Openbox, I installed it. It took me quite awhile to get used to configuring everything using text files and having to hunt down pypanel and such, so this tutorial will help you get Openbox set up with pypanel.
Note: This is my first tutorial so please give constructive criticism! I know I did not cover everything; rc.xml and menu.xml editing and assigning gmrun to Alt+F2 will come later. Also, this was done on a default installation of Ubuntu 7.10. If you have tweaked Ubuntu such as changing the default file manager or default web browser, some steps may be different for you; since I do not know what your defaults are, I do not know if I can help.
For the terminal commands, you can copy and paste the commands I give you. If you're using the default gnome-terminal, you will need to press CTRL+Shift+V to paste, not CTRL+V.
Step 1: Access the terminal. You can do this by going to Applications > Accessories > Terminal.
Step 2: Enter
sudo aptitude install openbox obconf pypanel python2.5 python-glade python-gtk2And enter your password.
Step 3: Log out of Ubuntu.
Step 4: Type in your username then hit enter.
Step 5: Type in your password but do NOT hit enter.
Step 6: In the bottom left corner, click Options then select Select Session
Step 7: Select Openbox Session from the list and hit enter.
Step 8: You will get a message that asks if you want to make Openbox your default session.
Step 9: You will get a blank, gray screen. Do NOT panic. This is normal; Openbox logs into a blank minimalist screen. Simply right click anywhere on the screen and you will get a menu similar to the one in the screenshot below.
Step 10: Select "Terminal emulator" from the right click menu and a terminal will open.
Type in
cp /etc/xdg/openbox/menu.xml ~/.config/openbox/menu.xmlhit enter, then type
cp /etc/xdg/openbox/rc.xml ~/.config/openbox/rc.xml
This will copy the default menu and right click menu to your preferences. Don't worry -- we'll get to editing them soon.
Step 11: Type
sudo apt-get install gmrunthen enter your password when it prompts you to.
Step 12: Press the Windows key + D (or the super key) to access the desktop. Right click on the desktop then select Web browser.
Step 13: In Firefox, go to http://obmenu.source...t/download.html
Step 14: Click on the latest version of obmenu, obmenu 1.0.
Step 15: Save obmenu-1.0.tar.gz to your desktop.
Step 16: On the Downloads menu, right click on the obmenu-1.0.tar.gz entry and select Open Containing Folder.
Step 17: Nautilus will appear. Right click on obmenu-1.0.tar.gz and select Extract Here.
Step 18: Access your desktop again. Right click on the desktop then select "Terminal emulator".
Step 19: Type:
cd DesktopHit enter then type
cd obmenu-1.0/Hit enter then type
sudo python setup.py installEnter your password if prompted.
Step 20: Test out obmenu by typing into the terminal
obmenuIf a window similar to the one in the screenshot appears, obmenu is working.
Step 21: Type into a terminal
gedit ~/.config/openbox/autostart.shthen type into the text editor that appears:
#!/bin/bash . $GLOBALAUTOSTART
#Programs to launch at startup gnome-settings daemon & gnome-screensaver & gnome-power-manager & gnome-keyring-daemon & pypanel &
then save it and close it. This should start up pypanel when you log in as well as other daemons to connect you to the internet and such.
Step 22: Access the desktop then right click and select Exit. This will log you out.
Step 23: Log back in. If you did not select Openbox as your default session, you will need to repeat steps 4-7 again. When you log in, pypanel should load.
Thanks for reading my tutorial on how to install Openbox on Ubuntu 7.10. Feel free to give constructive criticism; this tutorial isn't done and I'd like to improve it.
