XFCE's Standard Dock is Suboptimal for Touchscreens

I should think that if LinuxCNC is using mailing lists for its normal development, there is a serious problem, somewhere.

Additionally, if the developers aren't checking the forums for user feedback (aside from my own), there's another problem that should be fixed.

Are the developers working in a vacuum?

Are they still alive, in some 1990s imaginary plane?
Is there some particle like a tachyon that connects their plane to ours?
Would the developers be larger or smaller than these "vibrating strings" that make up Developer Space?
If it takes so much energy to communicate with the developers, then how do we know they really exist at all?
Now, the big question: do they know we exist? Or is this a one-way paradoxical universe?

I am just a piano player but have to ask, are you for real?

All kidding aside--is that what you want?

Nevertheless, I feel that LinuxCNC is at a crossroads. I worry that development has slowed. I think that there are several other projects which might someday occupy the brain-share and creative talent that now makes up LinuxCNC, unless things change.

With that stated, I think that LinuxCNC is an elegant, adaptable, and sophisticated CNC system. Call me judgemental, but I want LinuxCNC not only to survive, but to thrive. In this crazy world of CNC expansion, where the CNC machine is found an just anyone's garage, next to the jack jack stands and the engine hoist--if LinuxCNC isn't gaining brainshare--then it's actually dwindling.

As a new user, having this new user objective and naive take on things notices something out of place, well I am going to call it out.
Your friends will tell you there's toilet paper on your heel; your enemies will not.

Anyway, I am envisioning a LinuxCNC 3.0, a big release that makes it's way to Slashdot and everything, where programmers flock to help with of the burden.

[While I've done some programming, I am way out of my league here. So, wanting to return something, I've been trying to mock up a new user interface, elsewhere on this forum.]

My touch-compatible user interface design aside, someone worked hard on Gmoccapy. On the OS side, if there is something that can be done to help users use LinuxCNC not only for touchscreens, but small screens--then why has not it already been done?

Do most CNC users have huge monitors, or little ones?

Does it make sense to dedicate so much real estate to application switching on a machine that does one thing?

If even amongst Linux users, XFCE might not be the most common interface, should LinuxCNC expect users to innately know how to reconfigure their screen--for what should be standard?

If even amongst Linux users, XFCE might not be the most common interface, should LinuxCNC expect users to innately know how to reconfigure their screen--for what should be standard?

Everyone is going to have a different view as to what is standard......Neither my own nor yours can dictate that.

Maybe Machinekit maybe more to your liking ( a lot of the internal code has been rewritten ). They have networked interfaces, interfaces you can run on a tablet or whatever device you want, even windows if you are brave....A whole lot of features that maybe more to your liking.

There's that many desktop environments around that whatever was picked for Linuxcnc was going to be new to someone somewhere....After being a member of the forum for 4 or so years I can't remember anyone else raising a issue regarding the desktop used.

I can understand the separation of users & developers......most if not all of the topics on the forum relate to use, configuration & installation. Serious issues regarding internal workings are discussed on the mailing list.

I've been holding off saying this but.......you raised the issue of the desktop as it was not the best option for something you were working on. You are wanting the desktop changed in the distribution so you can gain about 20 or 30 pixels at the bottom, even tho it was suggested that the bottom panel can be removed with 2 seconds worth of mouse clicks.

LXDE is simple enough to install, the only thing that needs doing is unchecking the starting of lxpolkit on startup and this conflicts with the XFCE one that is running........This appears to be a debian issue.

I personally feel that a small cluttered touch screen wont be the best option, even more so on a small screen.....damn it's bad enough using a smartphone, with work beaten fingers.

Touchy is a good example of a touch screen I feel, buttons are nice & big and the screen is non too cluttered.

Regarding monitors I'll make an educated guess and say many are using old 17" to 19" 4:3 monitors. I think once you get your machine up and running you may see that a larger monitor is easier to see than a smaller one.

Use google and search for some setups others are using, whether it be Linuxcnc or Mach 3 or 4, almost all are using the previously mentioned size monitors.

As stated, what I am working on is merely and mix of Axis, Gmoccapy, Blender, and a few more interfaces.
Screen area is an issue with all touch screen interfaces, and likely all interfaces, not just mine.

I think that if XFCE changed it's default, it would be more popular than it is now. I don't have anything against XFCE other than the dock.

Who could not like an interface with a mouse mascot?

To have a command-bar and a dock is a waste of screen. The era of the 4:3 monitor is over. On 16:9 monitors, vertical real-estate is valuable, while more horizontal area is afforded.

If you do a search on Amazon, you may see, just as I just have, that you have to scroll past 14 16:9 touch monitors to reach a 4:3 one.

Either LinuxCNC can be backward-thinking or forward-thinking.

The thing is, if you already have a 4:3 monitor the touch screen overlays are a cheaper alternative, plenty on ali express, especially if you are not located in the USA.

16;9 might be fine for a smaller monitor, but if there is a want\need something bigger, it will take up more horizontal workshop real estate.....Something to keep in mind. Anyways not everyone is going to run a touch screen.

As to forward or backward thinking (which is a bit rich from someone who hasn't got a running machine yet, unless things have chaged).......The internals are what counts when all is said and done.

That's one thing I had been thinking about, an interface that would work on a vertical wide screen monitor.

In my CNC machine, I have old stepper motors, which use special code, which might rarely ever be needed in LinuxCNC. I realize that at some point the very code my machine runs on likely should be removed for the advancement of LinuxCNC. In the same way, I don't think that LinuxCNC should remain optimized for large 4:3 monitors.

I stand by my assertion that XFCE's standard dock is wasteful of screen area, and as a default it should be changed so it can be used better with modern monitors.

I implore those who stand against something that may help new LinuxCNC users acclimate, to try moving the icons to other command bar, shut off the dock, use LinuxCNC for a while, and then switch back.