Alpha testing started on Xfce 4.6 desktop environment

After 18 months of development, the first alpha version of the desktop environment Xfce 4.6 has been released. The final release is scheduled for December 21, after the release of three beta versions and two release candidates.

Of the main changes can be noted:

• libxfce4menu - implementation of the standard for the menu system from freedesktop.org;
• xfconf is a new system for configuring desktop environments and applications written for it. The xfconf architecture is similar to gconf. The system consists of several components that interact through the D-BUS:
• xfconfd is a daemon that manages the storage of configuration and notification of applications about its change. It can work without a GUI interface and is controlled through a client program operating in the command line mode;
• xfconf-query is a command-line utility that allows you to manage all Xfce settings. As a graphical frontend, xfce4-settings-editor was developed, which acts as an analogue of gconf-editor;
• libxfconf is a library that allows applications to organize storage of settings through xfconfd;
• xfsettingsd is an independent daemon that implements 'xsettings', the standard protocol for working with X Window program settings. In this case, the xfconf system is used as the final configuration storage. Developers do not exclude that in the future xfsettingsd may be isolated from the xfconf bundle as a separate product.
• xfce4-settings is a new graphical interface for setting up a desktop environment and independent applications. xfce4-settings replaced the mcs-manager configurator. In addition, xfce4-settings-helper has been added, which executes the launch of commands by hot keys and notifies applications when pressing certain key combinations;

Some elements of xfdesktop, a program for managing a desktop that provides display of wallpaper, icons, handles mouse clicks within the working environment (the result was somewhat gnom like), have been redesigned. Significantly changed the menu system and settings. The experimental possibility of hot plugging an additional monitor has been added (when connected, the monitor will be immediately activated by the desktop environment);
Completely rewritten volume control program - xfce4-mixer, which is now based on the use of GStreamer. The program provides support for sound systems such as ALSA, OSS and PulseAudio. Added ability to manage multiple sound cards;
Rewrote application fce4-appfinder, designed to work with a list of installed programs.

www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=17892
www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=xfce46_alpha&num=1
wiki.xfce.org/milestones_to_46