Bug 37349 - make the greeter skinnable
Summary: make the greeter skinnable
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: kdm
Classification: Miscellaneous
Component: general (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Platform: Compiled Sources Linux
: VLO wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: kdm bugs tracker
URL:
Keywords:
: 53591 64411 65824 78155 98137 111265 118733 132164 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2002-01-20 20:18 UTC by Edf Iceburner
Modified: 2008-05-19 17:30 UTC (History)
17 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:


Attachments

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.
Description Edf Iceburner 2002-01-20 20:18:00 UTC
(*** This bug was imported into bugs.kde.org ***)

Package:           kdm
Version:           KDE 2.2.2 
Severity:          wishlist
Installed from:    Compiled From Sources
Compiler:          Not Specified
OS:                Linux
OS/Compiler notes: N/A

KDM should be as customizable as the login manager coming in GNOME 2.0. The GNOME login manager can be customized with XML and from what I've seen looks very slick. I can't remember where I saw the screenshots though but I hope we get a login manager as cool as the one coming in GNOME 2.0.

In fact I should had made the short description: "Make the KDM look more slick".

(Submitted via bugs.kde.org)
Comment 1 Oswald Buddenhagen 2003-01-29 15:55:16 UTC
*** Bug 53591 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 2 Oswald Buddenhagen 2003-09-17 11:03:51 UTC
*** Bug 64411 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 3 Oswald Buddenhagen 2003-10-10 23:49:45 UTC
*** Bug 65824 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 4 Kenny Smith 2003-10-25 12:30:31 UTC
Could we also make this slick KDM able to load GDM themes?  God, this would be sweet. 
Comment 5 Wilbert Berendsen 2003-10-25 13:26:10 UTC
Yes, I second this last statement. It would also remove some duplicate work and some user confusion if KDM and GDM would share their theme format.
Comment 6 Thilo Bangert 2003-11-05 09:55:53 UTC
also, it might be a good idea, to look at what happens right after the user logs in...

to make the whole login process more smooth (make it look like it anyway) one could make KDM load the desktopwallpaper of the just authenticated user and fade the KDM background to the user wallpaper... then start ksplash/ml on top of that (doesn't work for full-screen splashs)

Windows XP does this pretty good (looks smooth anyway), but unfortuneatly it lacks customization  (from what i know)...

Comment 7 Quique 2003-12-05 10:05:47 UTC
Yes, the GDM2 theming capabilities just rock. In fact many people use GDM to boot into KDE.
 
Making KDE able to load GDM2 themes would be a dream, as there are great looking themes available out there.
 
It would also be some kind of a step in the right direction for desktop environment 
"compatibility". Maybe a freedesktop.org standard for display manager themes?
Comment 8 Oswald Buddenhagen 2004-03-21 18:36:37 UTC
*** Bug 78155 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 9 g1gsw 2004-03-21 21:17:53 UTC
I agree we need to update kdm so it is themeable.  Also to keep every one happy a choice between the current style and the new would be nice.
Comment 10 Sebastien 2004-03-23 19:18:45 UTC
I would just want to add, for the actual KDM we can configure theme and colors.
But XCursors still are uglly : would want to replace them by Crystal ones.
So, for the actual KDM it is possible to allow this configuration.
Can you include it in KDE 3.3 ?

Or, if the new theme manager is done in time, just select entire themes...

After, yes all those advanced theming are good and I can't wait to use them :-)
Comment 11 Oswald Buddenhagen 2004-03-23 19:55:13 UTC
for Xcursor stuff, see Bug #60242 and Bug #66829.
Comment 12 Niek van der Maas 2004-03-25 09:06:51 UTC
I noticed this application on kde-apps.org:
http://kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=11536
What about replacing KDM with this login manager when it's stabalised?
Comment 13 Cle 2004-03-25 09:33:36 UTC
> http://kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=11536 
seems like some functionality is missing... in addition to that i don't think many 
peope, including me, want to have kdm look like that annoying, ugly win xp stuff.

what about http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=9097
(http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=78155)
if someone coded a new kdm with the look and functionality of that... :)
Comment 14 Davide Ferrari 2004-03-25 09:42:52 UTC
Well but while http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=9097 is only an idea, http://kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=11536  is an implementation! I think if the author gains lots of feedbacks, he will for sure make it more skinnable! And to be true, actually we don't know how much is already skinnable. 
Comment 15 Unai Garro 2004-03-25 19:33:54 UTC
>
> ------- Additional Comments From n.v.d.maas hccnet nl  2004-03-25 09:06
> ------- I noticed this application on kde-apps.org:
> http://kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=11536
> What about replacing KDM with this login manager when it's stabalised?

The problem with that one is it doesn't have the required features. The kdm 
code is plugin based, so from my understanding point, you can create your own 
new login methods (from normal passwords, to finger prints, or whatever you 
may have in mind).

That code completely drops the KDM implementation.

What I was/am trying to do in /kdenonbeta/kdmthemes, is to create new fully 
themeable widgets, and make it 100% (or as much as possible) gdm themes 
compatible. Now, I was stuck with the layouting (gdm is quite flexible while 
creating layouts)

Anyone is welcome to help in the project.

Comment 16 Casper Planken 2004-03-25 20:23:24 UTC
How about added support for SVG based KDM theming? If ever KDE gets so far that SVG icons can be personalized with personal colour preferences, perhaps the greeter could be fitted into a personalized theme this way also?
Comment 17 Eduardo Robles Elvira 2004-05-07 17:38:54 UTC
This is a big problem. However, I think that the best way to solve this problem could be to develop a standard specification for themes with freedesktop.org people so that everyone agrees with it (KDM from KDE, GDM from Gnome, or maybe even Entrance (it's amazing, check it in http://xcomputerman.com/pages/entrance.html#screenshots)!

That way everyone could benefit from the shared common themes, and maybe other apps could use them also. How ? Maybe that specification could also *consider* the splash theme, so that both login manager and splash behave and look similar (¿ksplash-ml 2 for kde 4 anyone? :P).

Just my 2 cents!
Comment 18 Rene Horn 2004-05-07 18:46:04 UTC
On Fri, May 07, 2004 at 03:39:01PM -0000, Eduardo Robles Elvira wrote:
> This is a big problem. However, I think that the best way to solve this problem could be to develop a standard specification for themes with freedesktop.org people so that everyone agrees with it (KDM from KDE, GDM from Gnome, or maybe even Entrance (it's amazing, check it in http://xcomputerman.com/pages/entrance.html#screenshots)!
> 
> That way everyone could benefit from the shared common themes, and maybe other apps could use them also. How ? Maybe that specification could also *consider* the splash theme, so that both login manager and splash behave and look similar (¿ksplash-ml 2 for kde 4 anyone? :P).
> 
> Just my 2 cents!

I'm not so certain about that.  With a login manager, all you are
really dealing with is getting the user logged in, and skinning should
be something an individual ability.  It's not as though one is running
applications within the login manager.  At the very least, I don't
think that inter-operable skins is something of a big deal for login
managers because most people will just pick one login manager and
stick with it.

At the very least, if there is a standard, it should be flexible so
that each login manager is able to experiment with different ideas.

Rene Horn
Comment 19 Dan Leinir Turthra Jensen 2004-05-09 21:24:35 UTC
The current work into creating a skinable greeter for KDE actually works directly with the format used by the GNOME Display Manager (GDM). Found in cvs at http://webcvs.kde.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/kdenonbeta/kdmthemes/ it currently (as I understand it) works as a standalone program that will render a GDM theme in the folder where it is started (check the README). Looks promising to me :)
Comment 20 Markus Mauder 2004-05-28 13:07:50 UTC
I dont know, if anybody has noticed this yet:
From the KDE 3.3 feature plan page (http://developer.kde.org/development-versions/kde-3.3-features.html):

(in progress) Themable Greeter Unai Garro <uga@ee.ed.ac.uk>, Enrico Ros <eros.kde@email.it>, Oswald Buddenhagen <ossi@kde.org>
Comment 21 Unai Garro 2004-05-28 15:41:46 UTC
> ------- Additional Comments From m.mauder gmx net  2004-05-28 13:07 -------
> I dont know, if anybody has noticed this yet:
> From the KDE 3.3 feature plan page
> (http://developer.kde.org/development-versions/kde-3.3-features.html):
>
> (in progress) Themable Greeter Unai Garro <uga ee ed ac uk>, Enrico Ros
> <eros.kde email it>, Oswald Buddenhagen <ossi kde org>

I'm not sure where Enrico is at this point with the code, but I doubt it's 
releseable yet. Especially because the code has not yet been integrated into 
kdm...


Comment 22 Rogério Pereira Araújo 2004-06-06 20:02:42 UTC
Unai, you know when we will have this feature in kdm?

Thanks for any answer...

Rogério
Comment 23 Andrius Kazimieras Kasparavičius 2004-10-06 16:04:03 UTC
after half year, HELLEU, how it's going? Anybody count's our votes? :)
Comment 24 jos poortvliet 2004-10-06 16:27:49 UTC
well, I guess these guys are volunteers afterall, they just code what they like... and coding calculators seems to be more fun :(

aaah, once someone will step up and :D
Comment 25 Stephan Kulow 2004-10-06 18:10:27 UTC
who is coding a calculator? None of the people listed to finish the theming kdm afaik.
And to answer #23: mysql does
Comment 26 Colinet Sylvain 2004-10-11 12:18:07 UTC
See kde3.4 features plan
http://developer.kde.org/development-versions/kde-3.4-features.html
Comment 27 jos poortvliet 2004-10-11 13:32:35 UTC
looks like its almost finnished, and we can stop arguing, and bothering the developers about this, and start arguing, and bothering the developers about something else :D

thanx guys!!!
Comment 28 Casper Planken 2004-10-11 13:56:33 UTC
>>....and we can stop arguing ..and bothering the developers about this ..and start arguing ..and bothering the developers about something else :D

They can run, but they can't hide. *MUHAHA* (echo echo echo)


Comment 29 Rene Horn 2004-12-18 16:38:40 UTC
In my personal humble opinion, I think that the KDM developers aim to try to make it more like Entrance rather than GDM.  Or somewhere in between.  Of course that might be a rather lofty goal for themability.  Those Enlightenment goes often go to graphical places where no/few other graphics people have gone.

http://xcomputerman.com/pages/entrance.html
Comment 30 Matías Costa 2004-12-20 02:45:19 UTC
I have retired my votes thinking about speed. To show an image and a window is fast. Parsing a xml file, and display all the nice stuff with transparency and all the eye candy not. And all for a screen you see ¿5 seconds?.
Comment 31 rgpublic 2004-12-20 08:55:21 UTC
To #30:

As a programmer I can assure you that parsing an XML file once
for the login screen will certainly not pose any speed problems 
on even older processors. Imagine that they will have to do
much more difficult tasks while playing MP3s or videos. And
no other major applications are running on startup so memory
still available.
Now, transparency and eye candy will depend on which skin you choose.
I'm almost certain there will be a simple login screen without much
eye candy available once this gets implemented.
Not that your single vote matters much looking at how many votes
this bug has but you might want to reconsider voting anyway ;-)

Comment 32 Stephan Binner 2005-01-29 10:24:29 UTC
*** Bug 98137 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 33 Becheru Petru-Ioan 2005-02-06 23:29:31 UTC
Matías Costa  wrong thinking ... i want my eyes pleased ; i want skins; i want aqua graphics ; i want the future to look brighter for free apps; i want to have time to develop FREE apps and earn money from other sources not from my pleasure of giving a program "to the world"
Comment 34 Becheru Petru-Ioan 2005-02-06 23:31:42 UTC
in 5 secs u cant chose betwin gnu and windows... 5 secs counts
Comment 35 Ismail Donmez 2005-02-11 11:27:03 UTC
Kdm has now theming support. Should we close this bug now?
Comment 36 Oswald Buddenhagen 2005-02-11 11:29:19 UTC
*grrr* - how many more times am i supposed to point this out? the theming is _not_ complete and not officially announced. the report will be closed when it is really done.
Comment 37 Ismail Donmez 2005-02-11 11:50:19 UTC
> ------- Additional Comments From ossi kde org  2005-02-11 11:29 -------
> *grrr* - how many more times am i supposed to point this out? the theming
> is _not_ complete and not officially announced. the report will be closed
> when it is really done.

Ok didn't see this explanation maybe just missed it. Sorry.

Comment 38 Davide Ferrari 2005-02-11 12:35:24 UTC
So why all the others bugs and features requests are being marked as FIXED ASA the fix/feat is committed to CVS?
Comment 39 Oswald Buddenhagen 2005-02-11 12:37:36 UTC
because the other committed features/fixes are complete, maybe?
Comment 40 Davide Ferrari 2005-02-11 12:45:59 UTC
Well, we are in beta2 now, don't know how much more work could be done before RC1 more than debugging. The feature as generically requested in this BR I think it's done, other more specific bug reports could be opened if something is missing and/or broken. Otherwise people will continue to mark bugs as duplicate of this feature request.
Comment 41 Oswald Buddenhagen 2005-02-11 12:52:01 UTC
very simple: this is not going to be ready for 3.4.
and yes, any bugs that are a result of the incomplete implementation will be marked as dupes of this one.

btw, the TODO lists the remaining issues. quality patches or even only brilliant ideas to overcome the design problems are welcome.
Comment 42 Davide Ferrari 2005-02-11 12:56:03 UTC
So it won't be provided in KDE3.4 final? are you saying this?
Comment 43 Oswald Buddenhagen 2005-02-11 13:02:30 UTC
it will stay as it is now and it will not be listed in the 3.4 feature list.
Comment 44 Mircea Bardac 2005-07-02 13:44:50 UTC
Am I missing something or..
Shouldn't this bug be closed since KDM is skinnable in 3.4.1 (at least)?
Comment 45 Christoph Brill (egore) 2005-07-02 14:30:13 UTC
Right, it is skinnable, but there is no UI for configuration, afaik. And for "mainstream acceptence" (aka the normal user) that isn't acceptable.
Comment 46 Yves Glodt 2005-07-03 13:24:01 UTC
There is a theme manager available:
http://www.kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=22120

It would be great if it would be merged with the kdm configuration, as an
additionnal tab e.g.
Comment 47 John Vance 2005-10-11 11:41:31 UTC
Theming is not complete and therefore should be BACKED OUT until at least a core of useful functionality is supported.  Specifically, KDM themes do not support user lists.  Google on kdm themes user list: 

http://www.google.com/search?q=kdm+themes+user+list&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

You will see lots of frustrated people.  They installed KDE 3.4, and suddenly their nice clickable user lists are gone! 

People want functionality before eye candy.  Check out the grateful responses when someone posts instructions on how to turn themes off. 
Comment 48 Stephan Kulow 2005-10-11 11:59:59 UTC
The last comment is pretty pointless as kdm didn't make it default. it's the distributions that decided to go for a themed one. But you're just using the wrong distribution then ;) http://ktown.kde.org/~coolo/list-kdm.png
Comment 49 migo 2005-10-24 17:24:46 UTC
i wish semitransparent windows option.
Comment 50 Gary Greene 2005-10-25 00:11:23 UTC
Comment #49 should be moved to a new bug report as that is a new feature wish.
Comment 51 Sebastian Kügler 2005-10-25 00:33:17 UTC
The semitransparent widgets will be natively supported by Qt4 (in fact a full alpha channel). Since there won't be another feature release in the meantime, it's probably not even worth opening a new bug report / wishlist item.
Comment 52 Oswald Buddenhagen 2005-10-25 07:17:13 UTC
see bug 83032 (ha! now it's crosslinked both ways :).
Comment 53 Oswald Buddenhagen 2006-01-15 20:57:52 UTC
*** Bug 118733 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 54 Oswald Buddenhagen 2006-10-13 19:03:05 UTC
*** Bug 132164 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 55 Oswald Buddenhagen 2006-10-13 19:48:28 UTC
*** Bug 111265 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 56 Oswald Buddenhagen 2006-10-16 23:26:18 UTC
implemented for kde 4.0.