BT4beta GNOME edition

[orange]

Ok sorry bout the confusing gnome repository statement, what I meant was that if were to do step three first, and then remove KDE it should all still work, although I guess I am about to find out because that is what I am doing right now.

I clearly see where you're coming from, BUT you have a logical inconsistency in your argumentation. There's no way around using "/etc/init.d/networking start" whether you switch Steps 2 and 3 or not. The reason is easy: The wicd deb package is configured to remove NetworkManager anyway. So, if you follow the tutorial as is (highly recommended), you'll remove Networkmanager (in Step 2) and afterwards install wicd OR you install Gnome first along with wicd and wicd will automatically uninstall NetworkManager. So, there's not at all an advantage with it. What's the actual problem of using "/etc/init.d/networking start" for the Network while following the process? Just wondering!

PS: You could split the Steps even further and leave NetworkManager out at first glance, then install Gnome, then install wicd, BUT I honestly can't see the point of over-complicating the process. Please just do what I proposed and you'll see that it's the easiest of all possible roads.

[imported_gr8gorilla]

Ok, thanks for the work on the Gnome edition of BT4, Its all up and running just fine now. Not sure exactly what the issue was with the script, but when i re-copied it and put it in gedit and made it executable and ran it everything was fine.

I am thinking of starting to work on something for xfce, if i get it to work, using the tutorial as an outline, i will be sure to post it, if someone hasn't already beat me to it.

Well, I am not as good at this as or4n9e but I am trying. xfce works fine, you can remove the KDE enviroment just like in the Gnome tutorial. Install wicd, cause I agree with or4n9e that it is very nice. However I am having the same problem with the menu, and need some advice on fixing it. The items show up but just like they do in Gnome before you run the cool scripts and install the good menu that or4n9e made.

I am researching how to modify the xfce menu, but am pretty busy at work now. Any help is appreciated or advice.

[orange]

gr8gorilla,

JFYI, I also started to work on a custom BT4 with XFCE. The scripts I provided just "convert" the existing BT4 Desktop Entries to confirm with the FSF specification. Thus they should work without any modifications with XFCE as well. As of the BT4 menu: You need to know, GNOME merges my custom /root/.config/menus/applications.menu with the existing system menu. XFCE has a slightly different approach to handle this, but it's explained in detail at howto:customize-menu [Xfce wiki] - it shouldn't be too difficult to adjust my GNOME menu to an appropriate /root/.config/menus/xfce-applications.menu to get it up and running. Unfortunately I'm a bit busy currently and thus I'd appreciate very much if you'd take care about it. Please keep me in the loop about the process. I'd certainly host your xfce-applications.menu along with my custom GNOME menu.

Let me know,
orange

[Archangel-Amael]

gr8gorilla,
JFYI, I also started to work on a custom BT4 with XFCE.
Let me know,
orange

I have worked on a xfce4 tutorial for BT4 for the last few days actually.
The easy part is the menu and if you so desire I have one already done up.
As for making the commands work well that is the harder part.
The commands are not processed in the terminal the same as they are with kde, or gnome. I have been talking with some of the xfce dev's and xubuntu guys and they didn't have much help available either.
The one part I am stuck with right now is, in BT calling a command from the menu will give the standard output and then return to the directory from where the command is called from. In xfce4 it will not do this (at least that is what I have learned and the dev's tell me too.)

[orange]

The commands are not processed in the terminal the same as they are with kde, or gnome.

You "converted" the existing BT4 Desktop Entries (Menu Items) with my scripts already? This is urgently needed to confirm with the FSF specifications as outlined in my previous post. In its current state (BT4beta), the Desktop Entries just work in KDE as this environment is less strict on the specifications.
That said and assumed you have "converted" them already: If I understand you right, the Path key isn't recognized by xfce4-terminal, right? That'd be another (so far) undiscovered non-conformity with the FSF specifications specific to XFCE. If that's the case we'd need to adjust the scripts to parse for the existence of a Path=somepath key and add a "cd /somepath" to the Exec key accordingly (for xfce4-terminal). Still on the same page?

As of the FSF specifications: In short the Exec key needs to be ONE command - this is achieved by my scripts. The Path key is recognized as the PWD by the terminal-emulator, assumed the environment/terminal-emulator fully confirms with the specifications.

[Archangel-Amael]

You "converted" the existing BT4 Desktop Entries (Menu Items) with my scripts already? This is urgently needed to confirm with the FSF specifications as outlined in my previous post. In its current state (BT4beta), the Desktop Entries just work in KDE as this environment is less strict on the specifications.
That said and assumed you have "converted" them already: If I understand you right, the Path key isn't recognized by xfce4-terminal, right? That'd be another (so far) undiscovered non-conformity with the FSF specifications specific to XFCE. If that's the case we'd need to adjust the scripts to parse for the existence of a Path=somepath key and add a "cd /somepath" to the Exec key accordingly (for xfce4-terminal). Still on the same page?

As of the FSF specifications: In short the Exec key needs to be ONE command - this is achieved by my scripts. The Path key is recognized as the PWD by the terminal-emulator, assumed the environment/terminal-emulator fully confirms with the specifications.

I know nothing of your scripts since it is merely something that you mentioned, but did not post here.
As I mentioned above I have already created the menu. It took about 30 minutes or so to do. The menu as you know is only an xml file.
As for getting the commands to work well that is were the real problems lies.
xfce4-terminal doesn't parse them the same way as other terminals.
Example : In BT4 w/ konsole, you open a command for dnsenum or whatever the launcher will run the command and return to the directory where it was called from (/pentest/enumration/dnsenum).
Where as in xfce4-terminal it will not do this.
Now based on my experiments, one could use a "- e" or "-hold" on the command line but the -e will not do anything but make the terminal useless ( it will be frozen with the cursor in the upper left corner) and the -hold will only allow the command to run and then hold the terminal until closed. No follow on command can be passed through it.
So then I wrote a wrapper script to call the program but the only problem is that since I believe it is impossible to manipulate a parent terminal with a child terminal I can't get it to both run the command an change to the appropriate directory. There probably is a way to do it but so far as I have stated some of the xfce gurus that I have talked with have stated that it is not possible. I have also talked to Pureh@te in regards to this as well.

Like I said everything else is done but what point would it to be to have a menu that can't run all of the commands properly.
As for the gui based applications (zenmap, metasploit-web, et al.) the menu works just fine.

Hit back, and we can continue to work on it or pass ideas or whatever.

[purehate]

archangel.amael and or4n9e,

Let me see if I can clear this up a little. What or4n9e is talking about is making backtrack free desktop compliant. freedesktop.org - Home

What that means is that every desktop that uses .desktop files will work with backtrack. This is how ubuntu and other distros make it possible for different desktops like gnome and kde to work. So in the past our kde desktop files were not FDF compliant meaning that they would not work with gnome due to the syntax we were using. We have found a way to fix this in the upcoming release. So we are working towards gnome support.

Now for the bad news The xml syntax for xfce4 is outdated. They have also moved to a FDF compliant system. Anything above 4.5 will use the traditional desktop files.
howto:customize-menu [Xfce wiki]
This is good for backtrack because we can maybe now use xfce4 for those that wish however with the solution or4n9e came up with for gnome it doesnt work for xfce4. So I am working on it as well becasue I am a big xfce4 fan.
So update to 4.5 or 4.6 and then work with the desktop files. The end goal is that we get files that work with any distro that uses .desktop. Hope I cleared some stuff up.

PLEASE NOTE: This does not mean Gnome will be on BT4 this only means things are in the development process to maybe add gnome someday.

[Virchanza]

The one part I am stuck with right now is, in BT calling a command from the menu will give the standard output and then return to the directory from where the command is called from. In xfce4 it will not do this (at least that is what I have learned and the dev's tell me too.)

Don't ask me how, when, what or why, but I ran into this problem many moons ago when I used Xubuntu as my main OS.

I think I was trying to debug a program or something but the window kept disappearing.

Anyway, the remedy I used was something along the lines of starting a shell within a shell, for instance:

 xterm xterm whatever_program

Something along those lines anyway. I remember I definitely got it working.

[purehate]

Don't ask me how, when, what or why, but I ran into this problem many moons ago when I used Xubuntu as my main OS.

I think I was trying to debug a program or something but the window kept disappearing.

Anyway, the remedy I used was something along the lines of starting a shell within a shell, for instance:

 xterm xterm whatever_program

Something along those lines anyway. I remember I definitely got it working.

It will work with xterm fine but not with the default terminal. Just look at my bt3 flux menu for examples on how to do it with xterm. That doesn't help us be FDF compliant though.

[Virchanza]

It will work with xterm fine but not with the default terminal. Just look at my bt3 flux menu for examples on how to do it with xterm. That doesn't help us be FDF compliant though.

Instead of specifying a particular kind of terminal (e.g. xterm, kterminal, xfterm), maybe specify a script which can be modified, or even just specify a symbolic link that can be redirected to different terminal emulators.

That's just a five-second idea so it might not come to anything, but I can see it working... somehow... some way