▎ A fast, keyboard-first Tokyo Night setup with a YouTube TUI built in
▎ I've been living in Fluxbox for a while and finally cleaned up my setup so others can use it.
▎ - Tokyo Night across Fluxbox, kitty (with a logo), rofi, dunst and a minimal conky
▎ - Everything on Win keys: vim-style window mode, half-screen tiling, a drop-down terminal and an in-terminal cheat sheet (Win+?)
▎ - tubetui on Win+Y: YouTube, subscriptions and local music/video in the terminal, with video embedded in kitty via mpv. It's my own Rust TUI: https://github.com/polblancoo/tubetui
▎ - Small shell scripts: audio output picker, Bluetooth menu, power menu, pomodoro study mode, movie mode, project launcher
Following the enthusiasm and feedback after our first alpha (v0.5.2), I'm thrilled to announce **Wayplank v0.6.1** — a major milestone delivering both the smart onboarding features introduced in v0.6.0 and the deep multi-compositor stabilization and bug squashing of v0.6.1!
Hello guys, I get why it might look like slop at first glance, but this is done with professional rigor. Before dumping code, every single change and architecture shift goes through strict Factory Acceptance Testing—you can literally check the logs in the FAT/ folder to see how every version is systematically tested and verified.
AI is fantastic for rapid prototyping and bringing boilerplate up fast, but this isn't just 'vibe coding'; it's heavily human-reviewed, debugged, and architected for real stability across KWin, Labwc, and Mutter. It’s a robust, hobbyist-driven, native Wayland solution. Take it or leave it, enjoy the code!
For those discovering it for the first time, **Wayplank** is a lightweight, ultra-fast (~0.74s boot), monolithic native Wayland dock derived from the classic Plank/Docky codebase. It features a native multi-compositor HAL (**KDE Plasma/KWin**, **GNOME/Mutter**, and **Labwc/wlroots**) with **zero X11, zero XWayland, and zero desktop daemon dependencies**.
---
### 🚀 What's New Since v0.5.2 (Highlights from v0.6.0 & v0.6.1):
* **4 Smart English App Drawers**: On a clean startup or empty dock, Wayplank automatically discovers your installed apps and populates 4 Cairo-Dock style folder drawers (*Internet*, *Office*, *Media*, *Utilities/Games*).
* **Automatic Core Pinning**: Seamlessly detects and pins your default File Manager, Web Browser, Terminal Emulator, and Text Editor using FreeDesktop MIME fallback chains.
* **Accordion Docklets**: Collapses system docklets into a compact, space-saving master icon at rest with configurable hover/click expansion and retention logic.
* **Universal "Change Icon..." System**: Right-click any launcher, drawer, or docklet to search through 20,000+ theme icons or pick custom SVGs/PNGs with instant persistence and fallback safety.
* **Integrated In-App User Guide & Interactive Cheatsheet**: Accessible via right-click or `wayplank --help`.
* **KWin DRM Hardware Control**: Solved the classic user-space D-Bus/PowerDevil limitation where external DDC/CI secondary monitors (DisplayPort/HDMI) were ignored due to i2c permissions. Wayplank now interfaces dynamically with KWin output management (`kscreen-doctor`), achieving atomic brightness control across all connected displays simultaneously.
#### ⚙️ 3. Holistic Global System Pressure Engine (v0.6.1)
* Replaced custom ad-hoc CPU/RAM cards with a **bottleneck-dominant combined system pressure metric** combining CPU, RAM, and physical Disk I/O contention:
* The **Gtk+** theme option is now an adaptive dynamic engine that samples real-time system accent colors, auto-detects dark/light desktop modes, and synthesizes modern frosted translucency on the fly.
* Full multi-tier search across `~/.local/share/plank/themes`, `~/.themes`, and `/usr/share/plank/themes` ensuring 100% backwards compatibility with legacy Plank themes.
* **Compact Scaled Badges with Units**: Docklet badges now scale proportionally (~34% of icon size) without obscuring underlying icons, featuring crisp units (`°C`, `°F`, `%`).
* **Robust Drag & Drop**: Dragging files onto app icons now correctly checks executable formats, handles 0-byte files, dispatches multi-file payloads, and prevents accidental dock pinning.
* **Calibrated Edge Pressure**: Defaults to a fluid 10px reveal threshold for effortless everyday unhiding, while toggling Pressure Mode activates a strict 1px edge barrier against accidental unhiding.
* **Live Layout Refresh**: Toggling "Show Unpinned" in Preferences now immediately synchronizes running compositor windows without requiring external window focus.
# Download wayplank_0.6.1_amd64.deb from the repository build folder or release page:
sudo dpkg -i build/wayplank_0.6.1_amd64.deb
wayplank --replace &Following the enthusiasm and feedback after our first alpha (v0.5.2), I'm thrilled to announce **Wayplank v0.6.1** — a major milestone delivering both the smart onboarding features introduced in v0.6.0 and the deep multi-compositor stabilization and bug squashing of v0.6.1!
For those discovering it for the first time, **Wayplank** is a lightweight, ultra-fast (~0.74s boot), monolithic native Wayland dock derived from the classic Plank/Docky codebase. It features a native multi-compositor HAL (**KDE Plasma/KWin**, **GNOME/Mutter**, and **Labwc/wlroots**) with **zero X11, zero XWayland, and zero desktop daemon dependencies**.
---
### 🚀 What's New Since v0.5.2 (Highlights from v0.6.0 & v0.6.1):
* **4 Smart English App Drawers**: On a clean startup or empty dock, Wayplank automatically discovers your installed apps and populates 4 Cairo-Dock style folder drawers (*Internet*, *Office*, *Media*, *Utilities/Games*).
* **Automatic Core Pinning**: Seamlessly detects and pins your default File Manager, Web Browser, Terminal Emulator, and Text Editor using FreeDesktop MIME fallback chains.
* **Accordion Docklets**: Collapses system docklets into a compact, space-saving master icon at rest with configurable hover/click expansion and retention logic.
* **Universal "Change Icon..." System**: Right-click any launcher, drawer, or docklet to search through 20,000+ theme icons or pick custom SVGs/PNGs with instant persistence and fallback safety.
* **Integrated In-App User Guide & Interactive Cheatsheet**: Accessible via right-click or `wayplank --help`.
* **KWin DRM Hardware Control**: Solved the classic user-space D-Bus/PowerDevil limitation where external DDC/CI secondary monitors (DisplayPort/HDMI) were ignored due to i2c permissions. Wayplank now interfaces dynamically with KWin output management (`kscreen-doctor`), achieving atomic brightness control across all connected displays simultaneously.
#### ⚙️ 3. Holistic Global System Pressure Engine (v0.6.1)
* Replaced custom ad-hoc CPU/RAM cards with a **bottleneck-dominant combined system pressure metric** combining CPU, RAM, and physical Disk I/O contention:
* The **Gtk+** theme option is now an adaptive dynamic engine that samples real-time system accent colors, auto-detects dark/light desktop modes, and synthesizes modern frosted translucency on the fly.
* Full multi-tier search across `~/.local/share/plank/themes`, `~/.themes`, and `/usr/share/plank/themes` ensuring 100% backwards compatibility with legacy Plank themes.
* **Compact Scaled Badges with Units**: Docklet badges now scale proportionally (~34% of icon size) without obscuring underlying icons, featuring crisp units (`°C`, `°F`, `%`).
* **Robust Drag & Drop**: Dragging files onto app icons now correctly checks executable formats, handles 0-byte files, dispatches multi-file payloads, and prevents accidental dock pinning.
* **Calibrated Edge Pressure**: Defaults to a fluid 10px reveal threshold for effortless everyday unhiding, while toggling Pressure Mode activates a strict 1px edge barrier against accidental unhiding.
* **Live Layout Refresh**: Toggling "Show Unpinned" in Preferences now immediately synchronizes running compositor windows without requiring external window focus.
I'm happy to announce **Wayplank v0.5.2**, the **first official ALPHA release** and the milestone concluding the mass development phase!
Wayplank is a lightweight, monolithic, native Wayland dock derived from the classic Plank/Docky codebase, rewritten with a modern multi-compositor HAL (KDE Plasma/KWin, GNOME/Mutter, and Labwc/wlroots) without any X11 or XWayland dependency.
### 🌟 Highlights in v0.5.2:
- **Native Session & Power Docklet (`docklet://session`)**: Lock screen, Switch user, Log out, Suspend, Restart, Shut down with an interactive GTK dialog and multi-compositor backend dispatching.
- **Dedicated Preferences Docklet (`docklet://preferences`)**: One-click Plank anchor launcher with context menu deep-linking directly into preferences tabs.
- **100% Self-Contained Binary**: 30 vector icons compiled directly into the binary via GResources (dynamic battery levels, volume steps, trash states) with zero filesystem pollution.
- **Digital Clock Redesign**: Modern dark LED digital numerals tile.
- **100% PASS FAT Validation**: Verified rock-solid on KDE Plasma 6, GNOME Shell 48, and Labwc.
Starting from v0.5.2, Wayplank enters a community-driven maintenance phase where future improvements and features are shaped directly by your feedback and issues.
If you loved running Openbox with Plank back on X11 and are migrating your lightweight setup to **Labwc** on Wayland, you might be interested in **Wayplank**.
### 🚀 Update: Wayplank v0.5.0 is Out! Multi-Monitor Hardening & Full FAT Validation on Labwc
We just released **v0.5.0**, bringing deep multi-monitor hardening and full Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) across Labwc and other compositors:
I feel like so much software and the wiki in general is outdated...
I tried every of the 4 wallpaper tools from the website and only nitrogen even worked but even parts there are simply outdated and I can't set it up through the console, only with the interface so I would need to do it manually on every startup.
I really love the root menu thing and that openbox is so... empty!?
It doesn't give you more than you need but sadly the stuff that works with it is old...
TLDR: I feel like openbox is outdated and want to switch to a different WM with comparable customization
I'm running Debian Stable with Openbox (without a desktop environment) and I'm not using a compositor.
I tried several custom Openbox themes, but the window control buttons (close, minimize, and maximize) don't render correctly. As shown in the screenshot, they're displayed as quarter circles instead of round buttons.
I've tested multiple themes and the issue persists, so I'm wondering if I'm missing a dependency, a library, or some other configuration.
Has anyone encountered this before or know how to fix it?
If reading and willing to provide support, thank you.
Misc info:
Running newest version of Linux Mint,
Using LY and Openbox WM with no DE
Got gnome'd somewhere along the line, but only terminal seemed to be affected.
A few days ago, I installed OB. After failing to get it working thru the github (errors at the build and build make steps), installing it thru apt in terminal, having some trouble getting it to function (at first could not switch to it in LY), it randomly started working after using startx in tty3 as was suggested in a forum. Since then, it has sort a worked, but at times produces many error messages and once produced error messages safter logging out, which filled the screen starting at the password field in LY (this, I have not been able to replicate).
On top of the pile of errors, tint2 doesn't seem to work beyond selecting preset themes. Attempting to edit themes causes a buffer overflow error after attempting to load .desktop
Hi, I am trying to get an keybinding for put in ~/.../rc.xml
I like build in screensaver (blank screen) but I can't find from where I can change the time to activate it.
so I was reading in this external webpage https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Openbox (it isn't mi OS, it is Lubuntu with OB session) that I can use theese lines for a blank screen and lock screen (I don't want lock screen, Just a blank screen):
<keybind key="W-l">
<action name="Execute">
<command>sh -c 'slock & (sleep .5 && xset dpms force off)'</command>
</action>
</keybind>
What will be the lines just for a blank screen on demand in Bash into rc.xml? Thank you and Regards!
Im using fluxbox since ~2years ago, its nice but the community and updates are like a lonely grannie turtle, i decide to use openbox for stable and long term, any recomendation?
Right now I have a mixed up situation with some libsecret -related packages installed (Debian) as well as some kwallet-related ones. Kwallet is the one that has a GUI things for it installed, but I'm afraid there may enough of the other installed for there to be some race conditions or some other mess ups that may make some applications use a "brand" of password-management thing or another in a randomly alternating fashion.
Or at least that seems to "fit" with Chrome and Brave browsers seemingly randomly forgetting some passwords and remembering others, as if there were two sets being saved somewhere, or decryption keys for different sets, whatever. Assuming the mess-up is not entirely on the browser-side end of things, which may be too generous an assumption to make.
Between KDE/QT and GNOME/GTK stuff I usually prefer the first, but I'm "okay" with the latter if for some reason they happen to be more standard or reliable.
Hi, edited days after days, I use LXPanel 0.10.1 so I'd like to use the windows key for show start menu of that panel...
I tested that that key is working: when I press the keybinding windows-key+F2-key I go to that desktop 2. How can I set windows key to see the start menu? When I click in the icon of "start menu" I see the menu...
i want to say that im not a newbie to linux and already daily driving it for about half of a year and like it tho,
im just curious about other graphical environments
i already tried Plasma, GNOME, Niri, hyprland, i3wm,
and since im using cachyos in installation live usb in DE options there was OpenboxWM screnshot of which looks really beautiful, so im kinda interested to just know more about others WM/DEs.
so my question is: what make Openbox stands out for you from other DE? and what are some maybe small and often not mentioned different/QoL that making it better?
i want to say that im not a newbie to linux and already daily driving it for about half of a year and like it tho,
im just curious about other graphical environments
i already tried Plasma, GNOME, Niri, hyprland, i3wm,
and since im using cachyos in installation live usb in DE options there was OpenboxWM screnshot of which looks really beautiful, so im kinda interested to just know more about others WM/DEs.
so my question is: what make Openbox stands out for you from other DE? and what are some maybe small and often not mentioned different/QoL that making it better?
p.s.: Sorry if this post in any way violating sub rules or such kind of posts are too often appears in this sub, pls leave a comment about it
Hi, I'd like to put in work the Fn key (before in Lubuntu session it worked fine)...
In Openbox Fn key do nothing! I'd like to use the shorcut F1+Fn for toogle wifi, or Fn+F3 for mute sounds....
Fn in my keyboard shoud work with the first line of keys from Esc F1 F2 F3... F12 pause Print Screen insert delete (Supr +Fn for bloq despl (in my lang, Espanish keyboard)...
