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AfterStep, A alike X11-Window Manager

1. Introduction
2. Versions
3. Primary Resources
4. AfterStep Clients
5. Features and Disadvantages
6. Sample popup menus
7. AfterStep Clock
8. Sample Screenshot

AfterStep is an X11 Window-Manager of one of the best designed. Nowadays Enlightenment and WindowMaker provide more up-to-date design approach, but still lack of a good Pager.

AfterStep comes with it where you can create multiple "virtual-screens" which each can be 2x2 to physical size each. The Pager has been ported from FWVM which is very stable, but doesn't look that well.

Future will be Enlightenment and WindowMaker, hope they implement a good Pager. KDE or Gnome are more wholesome approaches. See for more WindowManagers:

XWinMan.Org X-Window Managers Overview

AfterStep 2. Versions

There are now two AfterStep developed (fortunatly or unfortunately):

• AfterStepClassic 1.x (1.0 with bug fixes), check ftp://ftp.afterstep.org/pub/devel/ for most recent code.
• AfterStep 1.x, more configurable, for those who like, check ftp://ftp.afterstep.org/pub/

I personally go for AfterStepClassic.

AfterStep 3. Primary Resources

Official AfterStep.Org Frank S. Fejes's maintained web-page, there you find mini-FAQ, latest distribution etc. check his site first, before you read this webpage.

GnutStep.Org OpenStep by GNU

Other Sites

Themes.Org theme collections Themes for AfterStep dedicated themes Sasha Vasko's AfterStep Page up-to-date infos) Matthew Kramer's AfterStep Page personal site Alan's Homepage personal site David Figueiredo's AfterStep for Solaris personal site

Icons

AfterStep Icon Collection Our collection, individually pickup your icons ... ICONS Store Very good place to get icons Anthony's Icon Library Huge library, but qualityicons are rare James A. Robinson's Icon Collection (XPM) tar.gz 440KB - High quality icons (out of next-icons@gun.com and other collections) next-icons@gun.com (3Q94) tar.gz XPM format (2.6MB) - Comprehensive, but not all high-quality icons (10-20% are good)

AfterStep 4. AfterStep Clients

AfterStep Applications ftp-site with over 20 apps	Collection of dockable Applets For WindowMaker and AfterStep	ASClock Included in AfterStep distribution already (no need to download it)
ASCD AfterStep CD-Player	ASMIXER AfterStep Mixer	ASMail Email Indicator
SystemViuw The-Labs: AfterStep SystemViuwer	NetViuw The-Labs: AfterStep NetViuw	MyDesk The-Labs: Nice desktop add-on
MountIt The-Labs: Mounting interface

AfterStep 5. Features and Disadvantages

FEATURE: AfterStep is a NeXT-Desktop alike X11-window manager, it has some advanced design and look-and-feel better as many other X11 window managers (twm, fvwm). The main reason why I use AfterStep because of the design (yup, I like things which look good on screen).

DISADVANTAGE: As AfterStep is even alike NeXT-Desktop look-and-feel, all icons have always the same size (64x64 on screen), not all people like this unflexibility. Iconified applications haven't any label, this means you can't immediatly see what is what (except it has its own unique icon), but there the Window-list module helps you there:

---

So, if you are interested you have a good-looking window-manager, you may consider to use AfterStep for sometime. If you don't like the design implied restrictions, choose FVWM.

Since AfterStep is based on FVWM, you can share all your modules (like FvwmPager) and so, but keep in mind, that Wharf's ModuleShallow in your .steprc can only shallow quadratic windows (ie. FvwmPager 0 3, 4 virtual screens) in 48x48 doesn't look good at all. You have to run FvwmPager indepedent of Wharf then, .steprc:

Function "InitFunction"

Module  "I"     FvwmPager 0 3

EndFunction

Function "RestartFunction"

Module  "I"     FvwmPager 0 3

EndFunction

AfterStep 6. Sample popup menus

In the sample.steprc in the distribution are popup menus defined, here two examples:

Popup "Window Ops" Title "Window Ops" Function "Move" Move-or-Raise Function "Resize" Resize-or-Raise Raise "Raise" Lower "Lower" PutOnTop "(Un)PutOnTop" Iconify "(De)Iconify" Stick "(Un)Stick" Function "(Un)Maximize" maximize_func Nop "" Destroy "Destroy" Close "Close" Nop "" Refresh "Refresh Screen" EndPopup

Popup "HotList" Title "HotList" Exec "Xterm" exec xterm -e tcsh -l & Exec "Netscape 1.12" exec netscape.12 -geometry 585x565 & Exec "Netscape 3.0" exec netscape -geometry 680x565 & Nop "" Popup "Applications" Applications Nop "" Popup "Utilities" Utilities Nop "" Popup "Games" Games Nop "" Popup "Modules" Module-Popup Nop "" Popup "Exit" Quit-Verify EndPopup

For detailes how to change or add menus, look at sample.steprc.

AfterStep 7. AfterStep Clock

AfterStep.98a16 or later you need to MaxShallow the asclock in your .steprc, also with -shape option:

*Wharf asclock  nil   MaxSwallow "asclock" asclock -shape &

Beside, you may consider to add SmartPlacement in .steprc so if there is space on your desktop the applications will be placed automatically. Advantage: when you start AfterStep all started application which get shallowed in Wharf (as example) appear without your interaction, else you have to set a position first if you haven't SmartPlacement set. Or explicit add in your .Xresources or .Xdefaults following line:

asclock.geometry:    -0-0

AfterStep without asclock wouldn't be AfterStep! Thanks to Beat Christen who programmed asclock.

Finally I implemented asclock as NeXTClock in Java.

AfterStep 8. Sample Screenshot

That's a clean (means almost empty) desktop screenshot:

1280x1024 (reduced to 10%) and my .steprc,

and check my backgrounds

More information on AfterStep later ...

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