This release offers an impressive list of very useful features that should certainly satisfy all Xfce users. The Xfce 4.8 update was released in January 2011, although it is overdue I still wanted to review some of the most important changes for everyone's benefit.
Next Xfce 4 Updates
I was very happy to see the Xfce desktop acquiring many of the modern features. But hopefully the 4.10 updates will not leave us with an unrecognisable desktop.
The popular Thunar file manager has now included optional support for the Gnome virtual filesystem or GVFS. This will give users the ability to get access to remote filesystems including SMB, FTP, WebDav, SSH and many more. When enabled web shared should be detected automatically and displayed in the bookmarks panel.
Enhanced Operations dialogs
You will now notice optimized file transfer dialogs which combine multiple file transfers into one single notification dialog.
Eject Option Included
Users can also eject all of their removable devices by clicking on the exect button which sits next to the device in the bookmarks panel.
The Xfce panel has also become even more powerful, and much more visually pleasing. The code has been completely revised, and likely optimized as well.
More Control
Support for panel positioning and sizing has been improved. You can now resize the panel to a percentage of the desktop size.
Transparent Panel Background
Users can set the level of transparency to be used for the panel background. Items within the panel will stay at full opacity so they can always be seen unless the panel is hidden of course.
Panel Item Editor
There is now an item editor for the desktop panel which allows users to conveniently add plugins and launchers to their panels. Alternatively users can drag items from the applications menu, the application finder, or Thunar.
Panel Plugins
A few extra plugins have been added to the list as well.
Xfce 4.8 also offers improved support for multi-monitor configurations. When adjusting your video settings you will also notice a confirmation dialog asking if you would like to accept the changes.
XConf Upgrade
The XConf settings tool is no longer simply a settings viewer, users can now edit all the available settings for the Xfce desktop from one convenient location.
Helpful Links
Tags: changes, notes, release, updates, xfce 4.8 | Posted in News
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