Some default settings

johnraff · 2025-10-27 08:04:58

Bark or Sage
Simple question: some people prefer bark, some sage. Maybe it's bikeshedding, but the default wallpaper+theme+icons is the first impression new users get, and also determines some hard-coded widgets like dmenu which don't follow the GTK theme.

My vote? Bark, but only by a narrow margin. I think they both look nice, but Sage is just a little bit chilly or something.

vertical or horizontal panel
I've always preferred horizontal, but @hhh and a lot of others like vertical.
Let's go with the consensus.

Anyway, throw in your preferences!

PackRat · 2025-10-27 09:49:04

Bark theme, vertical panel.

sleekmason · 2025-10-27 12:54:37

Bark

Sage

trinidad · 2025-10-27 13:36:26

The default conky with the keystrokes should run a simple lua-background script with alpha adjustments so the text would show better on uneven desktop background images, or the default desktop background should be flat. New users on lap or small screen resolutions will have difficulty reading the conky on bark the way it is. I don't currently have a BL example but here's one from Linux Lite.
https://dbts-analytics.com/prpcll7.html

Preferences bark theme, panel either/or.

TC

Last edited by trinidad (2025-10-27 13:41:32)

unklar · 2025-10-27 13:39:52

Sage + vertical panel

unklar · 2025-10-27 13:54:33

trinidad wrote:

The default conky with the keystrokes should run a simple lua-background script with alpha adjustments so the text would show better on uneven desktop background images, or the default desktop background should be flat. New users on lap or small screen resolutions will have difficulty reading the conky on bark the way it is. I don't currently have a BL example but here's one from Linux Lite.
https://dbts-analytics.com/prpcll7.html
Preferences bark theme, panel either/or.
TC

Give it a try.

--  End Miscellaneous Section
-- LUA --	
	lua_load = '$HOME/.conky/lua/draw_bg.lua',
	lua_draw_hook_pre = 'draw_bg 5 0 0 0 0 0x000000 0.4',

};


conky.text = [[

--[[Background originally by londonali1010 (2009)
    ability to set any size for background mrpeachy 2011
    ability to set variables for bg in conkyrc dk75

  the change is that if you set width and/or height to 0
  then it assumes the width and/or height of the conky window

so:

lua_load ~/Conky/LUA/draw_bg.lua
TEXT
${lua conky_draw_bg 20 0 0 0 0 0x000000 0.4}


${lua conky_draw_bg corner_radius x_position y_position width height color alpha}

covers the whole window and will change if you change the minimum_size setting

20             corner_radius
 0             x_position
 0             y_position
 0             width
 0             height
 0x000000      color
 0.4           alpha

]]

require 'cairo'
require 'cairo_xlib'
local    cs, cr = nil
function rgb_to_r_g_b(colour,alpha)
return ((colour / 0x10000) % 0x100) / 255., ((colour / 0x100) % 0x100) / 255., (colour % 0x100) / 255., alpha
end
function conky_draw_bg(r,x,y,w,h,color,alpha)
if conky_window == nil then return end
if cs == nil then cairo_surface_destroy(cs) end
if cr == nil then cairo_destroy(cr) end
local cs = cairo_xlib_surface_create(conky_window.display, conky_window.drawable, conky_window.visual, conky_window.width, conky_window.height)
local cr = cairo_create(cs)
w=w
h=h
if w=="0" then w=tonumber(conky_window.width) end
if h=="0" then h=tonumber(conky_window.height) end
cairo_set_source_rgba (cr,rgb_to_r_g_b(color,alpha))
--top left mid circle
local xtl=x+r
local ytl=y+r
--top right mid circle
local xtr=(x+r)+((w)-(2*r))
local ytr=y+r
--bottom right mid circle
local xbr=(x+r)+((w)-(2*r))
local ybr=(y+r)+((h)-(2*r))
--bottom right mid circle
local xbl=(x+r)
local ybl=(y+r)+((h)-(2*r))
-----------------------------
cairo_move_to (cr,xtl,ytl-r)
cairo_line_to (cr,xtr,ytr-r)
cairo_arc(cr,xtr,ytr,r,((2*math.pi/4)*3),((2*math.pi/4)*4))
cairo_line_to (cr,xbr+r,ybr)
cairo_arc(cr,xbr,ybr,r,((2*math.pi/4)*4),((2*math.pi/4)*1))
cairo_line_to (cr,xbl,ybl+r)
cairo_arc(cr,xbl,ybl,r,((2*math.pi/4)*1),((2*math.pi/4)*2))
cairo_line_to (cr,xtl-r,ytl)
cairo_arc(cr,xtl,ytl,r,((2*math.pi/4)*2),((2*math.pi/4)*3))
cairo_close_path(cr)
cairo_fill (cr)
------------------------------------------------------------
cairo_surface_destroy(cs)
cairo_destroy(cr)
return ""
end

greenjeans · 2025-10-27 16:21:23

Sage - Horizontal

dolly · 2025-10-27 19:42:19

Sage - Vertical

bendingoutward · 2025-10-27 20:06:34

Sage - Horizontal

With the caveat that I don't care so much about the default so long as it's easy to switch to my preference (the panel in the current alpha is a bit of a bear to get looking my definition of "right").

hhh · 2025-10-27 21:24:55

Nice to see some Sage love. I prefer it, though I think Bark is usable with a wider variety of wallpapers.

I'm back to blue and orange on my desktop, so my opinion is colorblind.

johnraff · 2025-10-28 00:11:42

@trinidad and @unklar thanks for your input. There's a separate thread to discuss conky here:
https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewtopic.php?id=9577

johnraff · 2025-10-28 00:13:48

sleekmason wrote:

Bark
https://i.postimg.cc/YjzmtyQM/bark.png
Sage
https://i.postimg.cc/VStdp7YC/sage.png

Confirms my preference for the warmer Bark.
But there are a lot of votes for Sage here!

johnraff · 2025-10-28 07:57:48

hhh wrote:

Nice to see some Sage love. I prefer it, though I think Bark is usable with a wider variety of wallpapers.

To me, it's mostly about the wallpaper. The difference between the sage and bark GTK themes is rather subtle. Of course you have to put the matching icons in too.

It looks as if the sages might have it.
Anyway, I'll make sure there's a BLOB set for the alternative, so switching will be easy.

trilobite · 2025-10-28 18:51:55

For me, prefer Sage.
Only because we're heading into the dark months and Bark is too much like what I see outside and Sage looks more cheerful.

dbvolvox · 2025-11-04 16:23:58

Sage Horizontal

johnraff · 2025-11-05 04:03:26

hhh wrote:

I've been using a horizontal taskbar for the last year, though.

https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewtopic … 14#p145914

Seems about 50/50, so for the Carbon Beta iso (coming soon) let's make the default xfce4-panel horizontal and see what user reaction is like.

micko01 · 2025-11-05 11:45:43

PackRat wrote:

Bark theme, vertical panel.

+1

micko01 · 2025-11-05 11:54:10

Here's bark/labwc/@hhh's older conky suggestion

johnraff · 2025-11-06 00:41:30

^Have to admit that looks nice.

---
That xfce4-panel "workspace switcher" for choosing desktops seems to work OK for you on Wayland? For me it was all messed up (fine on X11) and I had to substitute "window menu".

Is that real hardware or a VM?

micko01 · 2025-11-06 02:56:54

`typing on phone,excuse typos ?

Work spaces in xfce4-panel are working.

It's my bare metal install on my main box but still on debian testing/forky. I might leave it like that and do carbon Wayland dev work on my main laptop on a fresh carbon beta install when it drops.

#1 2025-10-27 08:04:58

Some default settings

#2 2025-10-27 09:49:04

Re: Some default settings

#3 2025-10-27 12:54:37

Re: Some default settings

#4 2025-10-27 13:36:26

Re: Some default settings

#5 2025-10-27 13:39:52

Re: Some default settings

#6 2025-10-27 13:54:33

Re: Some default settings

#7 2025-10-27 16:21:23

Re: Some default settings

#8 2025-10-27 19:42:19

Re: Some default settings

#9 2025-10-27 20:06:34

Re: Some default settings

#10 2025-10-27 21:24:55

Re: Some default settings

#11 2025-10-28 00:11:42

Re: Some default settings

#12 2025-10-28 00:13:48

Re: Some default settings

#13 2025-10-28 07:57:48

Re: Some default settings

#14 2025-10-28 18:51:55

Re: Some default settings

#15 2025-11-04 16:23:58

Re: Some default settings

#16 2025-11-05 04:03:26

Re: Some default settings

#17 2025-11-05 11:45:43

Re: Some default settings

#18 2025-11-05 11:54:10

Re: Some default settings

#19 2025-11-06 00:41:30

Re: Some default settings

#20 2025-11-06 02:56:54

Re: Some default settings

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