The GNOME blog article going off about "fascist maggots" was taken down (out of shame), but you can read the latest archived version here.

Looks cool. What toolkit are you using?

Apart from probably the search bar, you could also create this using YAD (maybe even Zenity). I've been studying up on some custom GUI boxes using this method. This example for reading system information is one of my favorites I've come across so far (a nice drop-in replacement for Hardinfo). It looks good on GTK2.

Some useful information here:

https://wiki.artixlinux.org/Site/XlibreOnArtix

Yeah, I can't wait to finally start using XLibre by means of DEB files. I know I could just compile, but I'd rather trust an experienced packager with getting that available on Debian (whether officially or unofficially) first.

If and when I am forced to move on from Daedalus (because there's going to be even more Systemd when Debian releases Trixie, plus more bloated horseshit from upstream) or onto some rolling release distro, XLibre will be mandatory for me to install and use.

I VIL not install Wayland and I VIL be happy.

Do the happy dance! I finally got rid of Thunderbird as my e-mail client, thanks to the versatility of Claws Mail (last GTK2 version being 3.17.8). Much like SpaceFM, it's very customizable, and you get a lot of handy plugins for security and encryption. I recommend this guide to hardening your Claws Mail profile(s). Claws Mail's official wiki can also be a good resource on setting things up. Surprisingly, the ArchWiki does not have a page on Claws Mail (they usually do).

For a worthy RSS feed reader, I recommend using the last GTK2 version of Liferea, which is 1.8.7, but the last one Debian packaged is 1.8.6. The dependencies should be resolvable if using the standalone DEB from sometime in 2012 (the current Debian stable release at that time was Squeeze, but Wheezy was a year away from the testing freeze).

Anyway, Liferea is great, and it has some cool features, like managing different categories for your feeds, opening an item within the program (in a new tab, as if it were a browser), minimizing to a tray icon with notifications and total new feeds, and setting up proxy connections and what to use to download file enclosures (e.g. Mpv for videos, Leafpad for text files). It's a great tool that's still useful to this day.

Thanks to Liferea's exceeding pros, I no longer have a use for Newsboat, which was already freezing up at random and has Rust stains in its code...

@greenjeans:

Good call on the AppImages. They can be a simple and efficient way to access software rarely packaged onto your distro without the need for building or installing from third-party repositories. Besides, you could use the LibreWolf AppImage for the time being to get a feel for the browser -- try it before you actually do install it from their Debian repository. Just remember to set it as executable (or chmod +x it), or it won't launch.

Might I also recommend, while we're on the subject of AppImages and modern browsers, to have a look at the FreeTube privacy client for watching YouTube videos ad-free? It's very user-friendly, "modern", and uses their own servers for their API (Invidious relies on Google's servers). There are DEB files available, but you could also try their AppImage, Flatpak, and other provided packaged binaries for GNU/Linux.

I would be a lot more excited to see SpaceFM (particularly the GTK2 version) continue to be maintained by someone who believes in the software without it losing its features (e.g. customization) or having all sorts of modern dependencies slapped on it (the Thermitegod fork is a shining example of that, which I couldn't even build with Devuan Ceres), when it literally "just works" with or without much of the accursed UDisks2 or D-Bus infestations.

In contrast, Thunar, Caja, Nemo, Dolphin, Konqueror, PCManFM-Qt, Xfe, Gentoo, etc. are all slow, bloated, and/or featureless pieces of software. SpaceFM is also the only GUI file manager that allows you to have four panels (among the keybinds you could set), which makes it a lot more comfortable for a power user on the desktop. It truly sucks that IgnorantGuru stopped maintaining it, and the GitHub repository has over two hundred reported issues. Using patches to work around some of these issues for now.

With that said, good luck with "GNOME/2". Besides, how would that even look if you wanted to install it on your distro? Something like sudo apt install gnome-2? (Since the forward slash would designate a different version of the software you'd like to install, such as sudo apt install xfce4/beowulf signifying you want the Xfce 4.12 desktop metapackage instead of 4.16, 4.18, or 4.20.)

I recommend the following retro and indie game emulators (most can easily be installed with your package manager):

• DeSmuMe

• Dolphin Emulator

• DuckStation (download the last functional AppImage for Daedalus here)

• EasyRPG Player (use the official repository here)

• FCEUX

• I.K.E.M.E.N. GO / Ikemen GO (download the official binary here)

• Kega Fusion (download the DEB binary here)

• mGBA

• Mupen64Plus-Qt

• PCSX2 (use the 1.7.0 64-bit version from the official PPA)

• RPCS3 (download the AppImage here)

• Snes9x (download from their GitHub or use the 1.60 DEB binary that one of the project's maintainers Bearoso compiled)

Just install Xfce 4.12 if you want GTK2 back, which Devuan Beowulf still provides. You can do it easily without taking down your entire system, since Xfce's dependencies are more from within. Just some packages like xfce4-helpers that you'll need to remove to get the 4.12 or earlier versions back. With proper Apt pinning work, you can prevent Xfce from being changed any further. Keep in mind that you might have to redo your Thunar Custom Actions, so back up all of your Xfce configs.

Nearly all laptops released after 2014 are pretty much pozzed with the planned obsolescence crap sprinkled on top. I got multiple Dell Latitudes sitting here ("latest" one being from 2018), and the ones from 2012 through 2014 are certifiably rock-solid products.

My main two laptops that I take with me on trips are both E6440 models, with three storage devices each (including the WWAN slots where I placed the mini SSDs on as my OS partitions, as well as the optical disc drives being replaced with those inexpensive secondary HDD adapters you can find via eBay and elsewhere), at least six or seven hours of OEM battery life guaranteed, and comfortable enough to type on. Those things just aren't being made anymore, and it annoys me how cheaply plastic and thin those newer Latitudes are. I get that the Haswell CPUs run pretty hot at times, but I got the i7-4712MQ on them running like a charm for the most part.

Interestingly, my Dell Inspiron B130 from 2006 (original owner) still boots up its ancient Pentium M CPU with a single core. Since I know it'd be overkill to upgrade, I keep Devuan Beowulf on it, using the lighter Xfce 4.12 instead of the bloated newer versions that only use GTK3 now. Only thing I need to do is replace the CMOS battery, although my chances of getting a functional OEM battery for that model are slim, so I just keep it plugged in when in use.