PekWM FreeBSD Desktop

 

PekWM (Pek Window Manager) is a lightweight window manager which was based on the aewm++ (An Exigous Window Manager) window manager. To set it up on UNIX-like operating systems, and FreeBSD in particular, you need to change some configuration files. This will give you an individuated desktop environment, depending on your preferences. I have customized PekWM as I see fit, as demonstrated in this article and in the video demonstration.

Enough talk, let's get down to business:

 

To get our lightweight window manager PekWM up and running, let's edit .xinitrc, just add to it:

 

exec pekwm

 

The rest is up to you.

 

The configuration files are under /home/user/.pekwm

 

To edit the context menu, change the menu and vars file

 

Part of my menu looks like this:

 

 

# Variables

INCLUDE = "vars"

 

RootMenu = "Pekwm" {

Entry = "Terminal" { Actions = "Exec $TERM" }

Entry = "Run.." { Actions = "ShowCmdDialog" }

 

Separator {}

 

Entry = "Browser" { Actions = "Exec $BROWSER" }

Entry = "Editor" { Actions = "Exec $EDITOR" }

#Entry = "File Manager" { Actions = "Exec $FILEMANAGER" }

Entry = "Office" { Actions = "Exec $OFFICE" }

 

Separator {}

 

Submenu = "File Manager" {

Entry = "PCManFM"{ Actions = "Exec pcmanfm" }

Entry = "Worker"{ Actions = "Exec worker" }

}

 

 

Separator {}

 

Submenu = "media" {

Submenu = "Video" {

Entry = "VLC"{ Actions = "Exec vlc" }

Entry = "SMPlayer"{ Actions = "Exec smplayer" }

Entry = "SMtube"{ Actions = "Exec smtube" }

Entry = "OBS Studio"{ Actions = "Exec obs" }

}

 

 

vars like this:

 

 

$BROWSER="firefox"

#$EDITOR="xedit"

$EDITOR="leafpad"

$FILEMANAGER="worker"

$TERM="sakura"

#$TERM="xterm -fn fixed +sb -bg white -fg black"

$OFFICE="/usr/local/openoffice-4.1.11/openoffice4/program/soffice.bin"

 

In the config file you can change e.g. the path of the theme and the theme itself in the themes directory

 

Also to set the desktop wallpaper and background image scaling you can do the following:

 

$ pekwm_bg Image image.png#scaled

 

BSD this is very easy and fun.