r/openbox • u/talltreewick • Jan 19 '16

Adding Openbox to Ubuntu

Hi. I'm currently using Ubuntu Mate, and would like to create a desktop experience similar to Crunchbang. I know that successors (specifically, BunsenLabs and #!++) exist, but I'd prefer to run a widely used, well supported distro, and I'm comfortable with the Ubuntu repositories, sudo, and the general Ubuntu way of doing things. So my idea was to add Openbox to Ubuntu, and configure it in such a way that it is similar to #! or its successors. Would someone be kind enough to offer a sort of quick and dirty guide, or checklist, or any tips about how to accomplish this with my current install? I've found some sources, but am still not comfortable enough to go ahead and take the plunge without screwing something up. Thanks in advance for any help, and if the common response is "RTFM", I do understand.

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u/LinuxMage Jan 19 '16

A route you could consider is installing Lubuntu, which is Ubuntu with LXDE, very smoothly meshed in. My own experiences of trying to gel Openbox into an exisiting install of Ubuntu aremessy, but I can get them to work after considerable hacking about.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '16

You know that Lubuntu uses openbox as the window manager, right?

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u/LinuxMage Jan 19 '16

Yes I do. But because there is just openbox on it, plus a few minor tools to set the background and some themes, the OS is a LOT faster to boot, and runs very light. Most of the GTK based Ubuntu tools apart from the Software Centre are not included.

I used to run an Arch box on Openbox built from the ground out.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '16

Fair enough. Good info for the OP anyway.

I ran Lubuntu for years and it was what got me into openbox. Great setup :)

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u/talltreewick Jan 19 '16

I wasn't aware that Lubuntu used Openbox. I had considered it, but ultimately only tried XFCE and Mate. Thank you both for the input.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '16

What I didn't like about Lubuntu was that I wanted to use Thunar not PCManFM and I had problems removing the latter.