A Tour of the AntiX LXDE Desktop | |  |
The AntiX distro is based on a fusion of Debian and Ubuntu sources, and ships with an LXDE based GUI/desktop. If you are familiar with the Linux Mint LXDE desktop, you may experience some feelings of deja vu! Like it's larger sibling, SimplyMEPIS, AntiX aims to provide a complete O/S that is usable straight out of the box - albeit one that is lighter on resources and more suited to older/low specification hardware.
..we see AntiX as a direct competitor to Puppy Linux in that it can run on antiquated or low-powered hardware..
If SimplyMEPIS is aimed at Linux Mint, we see AntiX as a direct competitor to Puppy Linux in that it can run on antiquated or low-powered hardware - and with a similar set of pre-installed applications (-see below).
One of the huge plus points of AntiX over it's rivals is the ability to run on low-specification hardware. However, this does not mean that it is a bare-bones installation! In fact, it comes pre-loaded with most of the applications you will need - meaning that you can start using it straight out of the box.
..the applications installed differ almost completely from it's SimplyMEPIS stablemate..
One thing to note here, is that the applications installed differ almost completely from it's SimplyMEPIS stablemate - and instead pretty much mirror those of Puppy linux. Here is a taster of some of the applications that AntiX release (11) is currently shipping with:
| Application | Package Used |
|---|
| Word Processor | AbiWord |
| Image Editor | mtPaint |
| Spreadsheets | Gnumeric |
| Email Client | IceApe Mail |
| Media Players | Gnome Player, ALSA Mixer |
| Video Editor | N/A |
| Internet Browser | IceApe |
| Chat | Pidgin,ChatZilla |
| CD/DVD Writer | Asunder CD Ripper,CD Ripper |
| Web Support | Adobe Flash Support/Zathura (PDF Reader) |
| Package Manager | Synaptic |
In addition, it comes with all the system tools you would expect - as well as the ability to customize the look and feel should you so desire.
Note that even if an application is not in the default installation, it can be easily downloaded using the Synaptic Package Manager within minutes.
In summary, AntiX could be a good option for users new to Linux, who wish to give old hardware a new lease of life. If you can meet it's minimum requirements, we would recommend SimplyMEPIS over AntiX, mainly due to the impressive list of applications pre-installed. It's Debian base should ensure that there is no shortage of applications available should you find a gap in those that ship as standard.
AntiX is unusual in that it allows the user a choice of different window managers at boot time:
Both are light on scare resources but deliver a perfectly usable desktop: they perhaps lack the glitz/slickness and polish of a Gnome or KDE - but those are just eye-candy anyway.
For most of this section, we will concentrate on the [default] IceWm desktop shipped with AntiX version 11 (-which was the latest version at the time of writing) - but the Fluxbox desktop is very similar.
When you boot AntiX, the desktop will display:
As can be seen, the default desktop is a fairly spartan one - with a few icon shortcuts in the top left and the AntiX Toolbar along the bottom of the screen. The desktop background can be customized as desired, using the Control Center.
The shortcut icons displayed by default are shortcuts to the File Manager, Browser,Gnome MPlayer, QMMP MP3 Player, Command Line Window, Control Center, Word Processor and Installer.
Open windows and applications display in the main desktop area.
AntiX allows files and shortcuts to be saved to the desktop, by simply dragging the desired file to the "Desktop" heading in the left hand pane of the File Manager window. An icon will then appear on the desktop, which can be dragged around or renamed / deleted as desired.
If you decide to boot AntiX into the Fluxbox desktop, you will see it looks very similar to the IceWm equivalent:
The major difference from the IceWm desktop is that the AntiX Toolbar is reduced to just the workspace-switcher, volume and time icons. To gain access to the Main Menu you need to use the Context Menu - by right-clicking on the desktop background.
FluxBox seems to be slightly more basic than IceWm, so is probably lighter on resources: we would suggest using it only if you dislike IceWm -or are particularly constrained by resources.
The bulk of your desktop interaction with AntiX will be through the AntiX Toolbar at the bottom of the desktop:
This can be divided into four main parts:
| Clicking on the large icon in the bottom left hand corner of the screen displays the Main Menu, which allows the user access to all the AntiX functions |
- Next, is a series of shortcuts:
| Icon | Usage |
|---|
| The icon immediately to the right of the Main Menu cog is minimizes all open windows to reveal the desktop: useful if, for example, you need to access an icon |
| The next icon is the File Manager icon. Click this and a Thunar window will display |
| The next icon will bring up a Command Line window when clicked |
| The next icon is the Internet Browser icon. Click this and (by default) a IceApe browser window will display |
| The next icon is a shortcut to the Control Center area: click this and a new window will open up, allowing you to customize the desktop and other O/S features |
| This icon is a shortcut to the Logout Menu |
| The series of icons immediately to the right of the Main Menu cog are the Workspace Switcher icon(s). Click one of the four numbered icons to switch between the available workspaces |
In the middle part of the toolbar, the thumbnails of all open applications are listed: click on these to jump directly to that window -or to restore it to it's former size if it was previously minimized (iconified)
On the right hand side of the toolbar is the system tray: this allows you to interact with any system program and processes (daemons) running in the background. What appears here depends on what you are doing and what it running on your system, but in the case above, the icons are as follows:
| Icon | Usage |
|---|
| The icon immediately to the right of the application area is the Volume icon. Click this to mute or alter the sound volume |
| The next icon is, in fact, just a display of the current system time. Unlike SimplyMEPIS, clicking this does not access the calendar |
| Clicking the carat icon toggles between the currently displayed icons and any additional ones that there is insufficient space to display on the current screen |
AntiX uses the Thunar File Manager - and this works very much like that of it's Ubuntu counterpart with only superficial differences (-mainly the general LXDE look and feel).
The File Manager can be accessed directly from the icon in the AntiX Toolbar - or via the "System Tools" option on the Main Menu. Both will open up a window to your user home directory, similar to that below:
Left-click any item to select it -or double-click a directory to navigate down into it. Double-click a file to either open it or run it (-depending on whether it is executable or not). Right click a file to access the context menu - which allows you to rename, delete, copy the file, etc.
If you right-click on any blank area of the MEPIS desktop, the Context Menu will display:
Unlike SimplyMEPIS, this displays a menu containing the same options as clicking on the Main Menu icon.
If you click either on the icon in the AntiX Toolbar or the "Control Center" icon on the Desktop, then the Control Center window will open up:
This allows you to configure the operating system to your specific needs.
If you select either of the "IceApe Mail" options, in the "Internet" category of the Main Menu then a window to the IceApe email client will open up:
Initially, this will allow you to configure the email client, then to read and write emails from these accounts.
When you have finished with AntiX, select the "Logout..." option in the Main Menu, followed by the "Logout" option:
From here, you can select from a number of options:
Where:
- Log Out : log out of the current user session
- Lock Screen : lock the terminal (e.g. while you are away from the PC)
- Suspend : save the current state in RAM and go into power-save mode
- Hibernate : save the current state to disc and power down
- Reboot : power the PC down, then back up
- Shutdown : power down the PC, losing everything in memory
Simply choose the desired option in order to carry it out. If you decide you wish to continue with the current session, simply on the "Close" button.
If you choose to shutdown the PC, you will be asked to confirm your choice, prior to carrying out the action.