CDE to Gnome Migration Notes and Interoperability between Gnome on different HW/SW Platforms

Michael Wilson
August 7th, 2003


Contents

Introduction

CDE to Gnome

Session Login
Window Managers
Principal CDE to Gnome "look and feel" changes
Principal CDE to Gnome style changes
Configuration Files
CDE Front Panel
Clock
Calendar
File Manager
Text Editor
Mailer
Work Space Switch
Print Manager
Style Manager
Application Manager
Desktop_Apps
Desktop_Tools
Help Manager
Trash Can

Introduction

 Migration between different desktops involves :

  •  changes to "look and feel";
  • changes to style and features;
  • use of applications provided by the desktop and customised by the user;
  • reuse or transformation of data and configuration files.

    •  

    Interoperability between different HW/SW platforms supporting the Gnome desktop involves :

  •  customisation supplied/imposed by a particular distribution, e.g. RH9;
  • availability of applications for different HW/SW platforms, Linux/AIX;
  • reuse or transformation of data and configuration files.

    •  

     

    Supplier customisation is generally aimed at providing some distinguishing added value and should not impede useability of standard Gnome features.
    Gnome is architectured for a distributed, heterogeneous environment and file formats are often in ascii/XML, therefore reuseable.
    Open source and Linux applications are largely available for AIX.
     

    CDE to Gnome

     Session Login

    To choose/switch desktop sessions, the usual X11 display manager XDM launched on the console display (:0) must be replaced by using GDM, the Gnome display manager.
    For the graphics console, add the following line to /etc/inittab :

    gdm:2:wait:/opt/freeware/sbin/gdm

    For an X terminal session, add to the user HOME directory the empty file .Xfailsafe  and a file .usersession containing :

    PATH=/opt/freeware/bin:$PATH
    export PATH
    exec /opt/freeware/bin/gnome-session
     

    Window Managers

     The usual CDE/Motif window manager is replaced by the default Gnome/Metacity (was previously sawfish).

    Principal CDE to Gnome "look and feel" changes

    CDE has a default front panel containing 15 main panel controls/icons and 3 subpanel controls :
    Clock, Calendar, File Manager, Text Editor, Mailer Lock, Graphical Work Space Manager, Work Space Switch, Busy Light, Exit Control, Print Manager, Style Manager, Application Manager, Help Manager, Trash Can ; Text Editor - Personal Applications Subpanel, Personal Printers Subpanel and Help Subpanel.
    Applications may be added to the CDE subpanels by icon drag/drop from the application manager.

    Under Gnome, application launchers may be added to the background (right button click on background) for which desktop information is added to directory $HOME/.gnome-desktop.
    An application launcher may be added to the Gnome panel by drag/drop.
    A draw may be added to the Gnome panel by right button click on the Gnome panel and appropriate menu selections.
    A CDE Application Manager icon may be assigned to a Gnome panel draw.
    An application launcher may be added to a draw on the Gnome panel by drag/drop.
    An application may be added to the Applications menu.

    Principal CDE to Gnome style changes

    CDE has the Style Manager containing :
    Color, Font, Backdrop, Keyboard, Mouse, Beep, Screen, Window, Startup and Workspaces
    Gnome proposes equivalent functions in the Applications/Desktop Preferences menus. Beep control is grouped with Keyboard, Color is managed in Theme.

    From CDE Style Manager Window preferences, the icon box is replaced in the Gnome desktop by the Control Panel Window List applet.

    The CDE Startup is replaced by Gnome's Applications/Desktop Preferences/ Advanced/Sessions.

    When logging on GDM, one of possibly multiple saved Gnome sessions can be selected.
     

    Configuration Files


    CDE and associated tools create configuration and working files in directories under $HOME/.dt :

    .Printers, Desktop, Trash, appmanager, help, icons, palettes, sessions, tmp, types, ...
    and files :
    .dtscript.errlog, .dt/dtwmrc, .dt/errorlog, .dt/startlog, ...
    Gnome and associated modules/tools create configuration and working files in directories under $HOME :
    .gconf, .gconfd, .gnome, .gnome-desktop, .gnome2, .gnome2_private, .gtkrc-1.2-gnome2, .metacity, .nautilus, .Trash, ...
    and files :
    .recently-used, .xscreensaver
    Database for nautilus menu item names in xml files :
    nautilus-shell-ui.xml
    nautilus-directory-view-ui.xml
    nautilus-desktop-icon-view-ui.xml
    nautilus-icon-view-ui.xml


    CDE icon search paths in Gnome

    iconsearchpath[] =

    /usr/dt/appconfig/icons/$LC_CTYPE
    /etc/dt/appconfig/icons/$LC_CTYPE
    $HOME/.dt/icons
    /usr/dt/appconfig/icons/C
    CDE icons used by Gnome for default CDE menu in directory /usr/dt/appconfig/icons/C/
    "Applications" Dtapps.m.pm
    "Cards" SDtCard.m.pm
    "Files" Dtdata.m.pm
    "Folders" DtdirB.m.pm
    "Help" Dthelp.m.pm
    "Hosts" Dtterm.m.pm
    "Links" SDturlweb.m.pm
    "Mail" Dtmail.m.pm
    "Tools" SDtGears.m.pm
    "Windows" DtDtwm.m.pm
    CDE menu files (7) scanned by Gnome

    The gnome-panel has been compiled adding AIX to the list of distributions which support "CDE Menu" and search for CDE window manager configuration files  "dtwmrc".  The menu items of the CDE DtRootMenu are made available under the main Gnome Applications menu with item name "CDE".

    cdemenufiles =

    $HOME/.dt/$LC_CTYPE/dtwmrc
    $HOME/.dt/dtwmrc
    /etc/dt/config/$LC_CTYPE/sys.dtwmrc
    /etc/dt/config/sys.dtwmrc
    /usr/dt/config/$LC_CTYPE/sys.dtwmrc
    /usr/dt/config/sys.dtwmrc
    /usr/dt/config/C/sys.dtwmrc
    User customisable features of CDE which may require migrating manually :

    left/centre/right button menus on CDE background

    $HOME/.dt/dtwmrc window manager specific menu definition file
    CDE Front Panel drawers
    $HOME/.dt/appmanager $HOME/.dt/app-defaults front panel customisations

     CDE Front Panel

     

     

    The CDE front panel displays 15 main panel controls/icons :

    Front Panel Clock Control
    Front Panel Calendar Control
    Front Panel File Manager Control
    Front Panel Text Editor Control
    Front Panel Mailer Control
    Front Panel Lock Control
    Front Panel Graphical Work Space Manager Control
    Front Panel Work Space Switch Control
    Front Panel Busy Light Control
    Front Panel Exit Control
    Front Panel Print Manager Control
    Front Panel Style Manager Control
    Front Panel Application Manager Control
    Front Panel Help Manager Control
    Front Panel Trash Can Control
    and 3 subpanel controls :

    Text Editor - Personal Applications Subpanel

    Install Icon
    Text Editor
    Terminal
    Icon Editor
    Personal Printers Subpanel
    Install Icon
    Default Printer
    Print Manager
    Help Subpanel
    Install Icon
    Help Manager
    Desktop Introduction
    Front Panel Help
    Welcome to AIX CDE 1.0
    Basic Desktop Customization
    On-Item Help
    AIX Documentation

    CDE Clock

    The CDE front panel contains a clock.

    CDE Calendar

    The window displays the CDE dtcm application. The window displayed contains 5 menus - File, Edit, View, Browse and Help.

    CDE File Manager

    The window displays the CDE file manager and the file system under HOME. The window displayed contains 4 menus - File, Selected, View and Help.

    CDE Text Editor

    The window displays the CDE text editor dtpad. The window displayed contains 5 menus - File, Edit, Format, Options and Help.

    CDE Mailer

    The window displays the CDE dtmail application.

    CDE Work Space Switch

    The window displays 7 categories - Desktop_Apps, Information, System_Admin,

    CDE Print Manager

    The window displayed contains 4 menus - Printers, Selected, View and Help. The window displays printer entries.

    CDE Style Manager

    The window displayed contains 2 menus - File and Help. The window displays 10 categories :
    Color, Font, Backdrop, Keyboard, Mouse, Beep, Screen, Window, Startup, Workspaces (Dtstyle*componentList resource list in the files /usr/dt/app-defaults/<language>/Dtstyle).

    CDE Application Manager

    The window displayed contains 4 menus - File, Selected, View and Help.
    The window displays 7 categories :
    Desktop_Apps, Information, System_Admin, Printer Admin, Desktop_Tools, SampleClients and Custom
    CDE Object/files are stored in file system under /var/dt/appconfig/appmanager, e.g., for user wilson working on TX txwilson.frec.bull.fr

    $ ls  -l   /var/dt/appconfig/appmanager/wilson-txwilson.frec.bull.fr-0
    total 0
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 wilson frec 43 May 23 11:27 Desktop_Apps -> /usr/dt/appconfig/appmanager/C/Desktop_Apps
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 wilson frec 44 May 23 11:27 Desktop_Tools -> /usr/dt/appconfig/appmanager/C/Desktop_Tools
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 wilson frec 42 May 23 11:27 Information -> /usr/dt/appconfig/appmanager/C/Information
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 wilson frec 44 May 23 11:27 SampleClients -> /etc/dt/appconfig/appmanager/C/SampleClients
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 wilson frec 43 May 23 11:27 System_Admin -> /usr/dt/appconfig/appmanager/C/System_Admin
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 wilson frec 42 May 23 11:27 Xcustom -> /etc/dt/appconfig/appmanager/en_US/Xcustom
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 wilson frec 38 May 23 11:27 xpadmin -> /etc/dt/appconfig/appmanager/C/xpadmin

    CDE Desktop_Apps

    CDE Desktop tools are in directories /usr/dt/bin, /usr/lpp/X11/bin on AIX  (dtcalc, dtcm, dticon, dtpad, dtprintinfo tested in Gnome desktop environment)

    $ ls   /usr/dt/appconfig/appmanager/C/Desktop_Apps
    DtPrintManager* Dtcreate* Dtmail* Dtterm*
    Dtappbuild* Dtfile* Dtmanpageview* Dttrash*
    Dtcalc* Dthelpview* Dtpad*
    Dtcm* Dticon* Dtstyle*
     

    CDE Desktop_Tools

    CDE Desktop tools are in directories /usr/dt/bin, /usr/lpp/X11/bin on AIX  (Aixterm, Bitmap, Dtscript, xwd/xwud tested in Gnome desktop environment)

    $ ls   /usr/dt/appconfig/appmanager/C/Desktop_Tools
    Aixterm* File* TarUnpack*
    Bitmap* Grep* Uncompress*
    ChangePassword* Make* Vi*
    Compress* MigrateActions* Wc*
    Console* MigrationTool* Xclipboard*
    Df* Nm* XclockDig*
    Diff* PrintFormat* Xdpyinfo*
    DtEmptyTrash* PrintUnformat* Xfd*
    Dtscript* ReloadActions* Xload*
    DttermConsole* ReloadApps* Xlsfonts*
    DttermDtspcd* ReloadDatabaseCache* Xprop*
    DttermErrorlog* ReloadResources* Xrefresh*
    DttermRlogin* RestorePanel* Xterm*
    Dttypes* Rm* XtermDtspcd*
    DtwmrcEdit* Run_Nav* XtermRlogin*
    DuSort* Spell* Xwd*
    Env* Tar* Xwininfo*
    ExecuteCmd* TarList* Xwud*
     

    CDE Help Manager

    The Help Viewer window displayed contains 5 menus - File, Edit, Search, Navigate and Help, and CDE product documentation.

    CDE Trash Can

    The window displayed contains 2 menus - File and Help.