This is yet another panel program.
I was tired to see the Gnome panel eat so much memory, to see that panel applets were separate processes each increasing memory usage.
Then I saw that "Mac style panel" is a Gtk+ program that does not eat that much memory. This gave me the idea that it may be possible to make a panel with light memory usage, using Gtk+, and with applets running within the panel process to save memory. A few little experiments confirmed this could be a good idea.
So I decided to write this panel program, that in the traditional Unix spirit, does only one thing and tries to do it well.
Panel applets, which I now call "panlets", are written within shared libraries and conform to a simple procedural API to communicate with the panel. A panlet can be instantiated several times, can have its own configuration information, dialog boxes, etc. Its configuration is recorded as XML by the panel, in a central file managed using ROX-Filer's Choices system.
Currently Panelizer only manages one panel with horizontal shape. I intend to extend it with at least vertical shape, and ability to manage several panels within the same process (only if highly requested).
Panelizer comes with several panlets:
- digital clock with date as tooltip
- removable storage (u)mounter and ejecter
- mail notifier / MUA launcher
- network interface launcher with traffic monitor
- cpu instant usage indicator
- memory and swap usage jauge
- internet connection manager
- program launcher menu (uses Net Desktop format)
(the following are not implemented yet)
- program launcher shortcut bar
- WM focused window switcher
- WM workspace switcher
- command scheduler
- APM battery jauge