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List:       cygwin-xfree
Subject:    RE: Using KDE as default desktop under Windows
From:       Stuart Adamson <stuart.adamson () evolution ! net>
Date:       2002-09-03 9:55:03
[Download RAW message or body]

As somebody else that has replaced explorer with cygwin/Xfree86 - have you
solved the program of being unable to install windows programs via MSI when
explorer isn't running?


Stuart

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Harold Hunt [mailto:huntharo@msu.edu]
> Sent: 03 September 2002 01:29
> To: cygwin-xfree@cygwin.com
> Subject: RE: Using KDE as default desktop under Windows
> 
> 
> Interesting.
> 
> Harold
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: cygwin-xfree-owner@cygwin.com
> > [mailto:cygwin-xfree-owner@cygwin.com]On Behalf Of David Fraser
> > Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2002 12:55 PM
> > To: cygwin-xfree@cygwin.com
> > Subject: Using KDE as default desktop under Windows
> >
> >
> >   Hi there
> > I posted this to the kde-cygwin mailing list and someone suggested
> > reposting it here.
> > Basically an explanation of my kde setup under Windows...
> >
> > I am now using KDE as my default shell under Windows.
> > Thanks to everyone for the effort - it's so much nicer than 
> explorer :-)
> > I thought it would be nice to have a page on the web site 
> explaining how
> > to do it,
> > and indicating status as more integration gets done...
> > basically this is what I did (this is for Windows 2000 but should be
> > portable to others):
> >
> > make XFree86 server run full screen without window decoration
> >   change ~/.xserverrc to include -fullscreen in the parameters:
> >     exec X - screen 0 1024 879 -engine 4 -fullscreen -depth 32 -ac
> > -nowinkill -noreset -emulate3buttons 100
> >   you can say -nodecoration (which -fullscreen implies) 
> instead if you
> > want a non-fullscreen window without border etc.
> >
> > replace the default shell, explorer.exe with X-windows
> >   change the following reg entry under from explorer.exe to
> > c:\cygwin\bin\bash --login -c startx
> >     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows
> > NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell
> > Once this is done, logging in starts up the X server but no Windows
> > desktop, Start bar etc.
> > Note: if you want to run windows programs from here, on 
> Windows 2000 you
> > can press Ctrl-Shift-Esc
> > which brings up the Task Manager, then go File/Run.
> > Logging out from KDE doesn't actually log out, you need to 
> close KDE in
> > another way and then press Ctrl-Alt-Del
> > and choose logout. Depending on your .xserverrc parameters,
> > Ctrl-Alt-Backspace or Alt-F4 can be made to close
> > the X server. Otherwise, you can close it from the Task 
> manager (select
> > the Cygwin task and say End Task).
> > This also brings up a bash shell window which is behind the 
> X server. I
> > tried to get rid of it by running
> > cmd /c start /b bash ... but this was unsuccessfull.
> > If you switch to any windows applications, the X server 
> will be minimised.
> > I seem to remember some discussion on slashdot or somewhere 
> about how
> > Cygwin XFree86 cannot run in rootless
> > mode (as the actual background window like Windows exlporer 
> does for the
> > desktop). Does anyone have any info
> > on why this is, or on how we could patch it so that it 
> will? That way
> > windows apps will run in front...
> >
> > Next step: get KDE to run windows applications from short cuts.
> > I created a simple script called "win32start":
> >
> > #!/bin/bash
> > startpath="$*"
> > if [[ -L "$startpath" ]]
> >   then
> >   # this is a symbolic link. find the actual file, start that
> >   startpath=`find "$startpath" -printf %l`
> > fi
> > startdir=`dirname "$startpath"`
> > startfile=`basename "$startpath"`
> > cd "$startdir"
> > cmd /c start \"starting application\" "$startfile"
> >
> > This is put in /usr/bin
> > It handles cygwin unix-style symbolic links to Windows 
> shortcut files as
> > well (both are given
> > the extension .lnk, but have different stuff inside ... if 
> you create a
> > link to a shortcut it is thus
> > called .lnk.lnk).
> > Basically it gets whatever parameters are given (it needs 
> to use them
> > all so you can pass spaces
> > without it separating them out; escaping the spaces with backslash
> > confuses cmd, although they
> > could be unescaped) and works out what directory the file 
> to start is in.
> > It's easiest to get into this directory as we then don't 
> have to convert
> > the path from unix to windows
> > style. Then it runs cmd and tells it to start the 
> application. The first
> > parameter to start is the window
> > title which has to be given if we quote the start file. But 
> this window
> > title only applies to cmd, which
> > just starts the application and quits.
> > Example:
> > $ win32start /c/Documents\ And Settings/All\ Users/Start\
> > Menu/Programs/Acrobat\ Reader\ 5.0.lnk
> > on my system this starts up Acrobat.
> >
> > Now we want to make KDE associate these files with 
> win32start so we can
> > click on them from konqueror
> > and put them in menus.
> >
> > First we need a mime type for the Windows shortcut files...
> > Add the following to a new file
> > ~/.kde2/share/mimelnk/application/win32shortcut.desktop
> > (on most systems, it could be ~/.kde/... - I've had KDE 1 
> installed ...)
> > This users the link icon which just looks like a shortcut. 
> It would be
> > nice to get KDE to read
> > the windows Icon out of the shortcut file but probably lots of work
> >
> > [Desktop Entry]
> > Comment=Win32 shortcut file
> > Hidden=false
> > Icon=link
> > MimeType=application/win32shortcut
> > Patterns=*.lnk
> > Type=MimeType
> >
> > Then create the association. To do this, create a desktop file under
> > ~/.kde2/share/applnk/win32start.desktop
> > and place the following into it:
> >
> > [Desktop Entry]
> > Comment=Start Win32 applications or files
> > Exec=win32start
> > Icon=exec
> > InitialPreference=3
> > MimeType=Application;application/win32shortcut
> > Name=Win32 Starter
> > Path=
> > ServiceTypes=
> > Terminal=false
> > TerminalOptions=
> > Type=Application
> > X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false
> > X-KDE-Username=
> >
> > This can also be done through control panel if you want to make life
> > easier ... but on my system it
> > gave some trouble ...
> >
> > Now you should be able to for example browse to your Start 
> Menu on your
> > windows drive and start
> > programs.
> >
> > I then added a nice second start menu to kicker by using a 
> QuickBrowser
> > linked to my Windows Start Menu
> > folder ... (actually I now have a subdirectory of ~ called 
> Start which
> > contains links to everything
> > in the All Users Start Menu and my user's Start Menu .... 
> with a simple
> > shell script to update the links)
> >
> > I've created a nice icon for this as well, with a "exec" 
> icon background
> > with the four coloured windows
> > from the Linux samba icon on top. It sits next to the K 
> menu icon, so I
> > can launch either KDE or standard
> > windows apps.
> >
> > Any feedback/comments? Is this what other people are using
> > kde-cygwin to do?
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > kde-cygwin mailing list
> > kde-cygwin@mail.kde.org
> > http://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-cygwin
> >
> >
> >
> 
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