xfce with taskbar

[Collins]

xfce hasn't produced a release with this code, but it is committed in
CVS and quite stable.  

Unlike the minority opinion you got earlier, I touch this everyday
with or without a fork <grin>  

Of course, if you keep 40 or 50 open tasks, your taskbar is going to
be quite crowded!  I keep about 16 active tasks, and thus I love the
hell out of it.  The advantage of using it is that clicking on a
taskbar button takes you to the appropriate desktop and raises/focuses
the selected window all in one operation.

Here's how to get it.  (All of this is pieced together from various
emails on the xfce-user list.)

1. su -
2. cd to desired directory to hold cvs image
3. cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous at cvs.xfce.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/xfce
co xfce-stable (it really helps if you have installed cvs <grin>)
4. cd to directory downloaded (xfce-stable)
6. ./autogen.sh     --prefix=/usr \
       --datadir=/usr/share \
       --sysconfdir=/etc/X11 \
       --enable-xft \
       --enable-taskbar \
       --enable-gdm && \
    make [-k] install-strip (the -k is needed for some later versions
of
                                          autoconf)
7. restart xfce and enjoy
8. To activate the taskbar, click in the miniscule space between the
bottom of the panel and the dividing line for the buttons area.  Once
opened, the taskbar will remain open when you restart xfce

Some notes
======

Depending on your colour palette, some of the taskbar buttons can have
different background colour to distinguish between current and other
screens' windows. Window which has focus (is active) is indicated by
'pushed' (selected) button. By
clicking that button the window can be minimalised and maximised
alternatively.
To select (make active) another windows click corresponding button --
it
will be maximised. Taskbar can be closed by clicking leftmost, small
button (so called close button). When you click right mouse button (in
fact >=second) on that
button, pop-up menu appears. From it you can:
	- make taskbar standalone window (Windows-like behaviour) and switch
	   that feature off
	- chose buttons order on taskbar. They can be sorted by Xwindow id,
	   name, desktop they appear on or remain unsorted.
	- turn on/off indicator of processor load. It is available only (?)
on
	   linux when '/proc/stat' pseudo-file is present. When turned on 
	   t askbar close button changes colour according to current
processor load.

Hovering over a taskbar button displays a hint with wider version of
name

There are some additional features like "jared tasks" that I haven't
experimented with.  This feature combines all like programs under one
task button and a popup window opens to let you select the appropriate
one.

<a real hoot>
There, I managed to post an email without a single reference to the
dreaded distro, except for my signature.  dep will be so proud of me!
</a real hoot>

Enjoy,
-- 
Collins Richey - Denver Area - WWTLRD?
gentoo(since 01/01/01) 2.4.18+(ext3) xfce(taskbar)-sylpheed-galeon