Xfce Task Manager
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 The Xfce Task manager showing running tasks while a box is compiling. | |
| Developer(s) | Ivan Rozhuk, Breuil Landry, Harald Judt, Peter de Ridder, Simon Steinbess, Mike Massonnet, Johannes Zellner |
|---|---|
| Platform | Xfce |
| Type | Task Manager, System Monitoring |
| License | GNU General Public License |
| Website | docs.xfce.org/apps/xfce4-taskmanager |
The Xfce Task Manager (xfce4-taskmanager) is a task manager and system monitoring program made with the Xfce desktop environment in mind. It has a simple list of running processes and two simple non-resizable graphics showing CPU and memory usage at the windows top area. It can show all processes as either a list or a tree by changing a configuration option. It does not have any functionality for showing network utilization, disk I/O or anything else beyond a plain process list and CPU and memory graphs.
Features[edit]
The Xfce Task Manager presents a simple list of running processes, the processes CPU usage, resident memory use and PID. Additional columns are not available. The processes are color-coded if they are starting, changing or terminating tasks.
Right-clicking on a process brings up a menu where processes can be stopped, terminated, killed or prioritized.
The toolbar in the upper left corner has a launcher button for starting applications, a configuration button, a cross-hair that can be used to select windows (and highlight their related process) and a information icon. And that's it.
There is also a search box that can be used to search the processes list for a given keyword.
The Xfce Task Manager version 1.2.3 showing some processes.
Missing Features[edit]
The Xfce Task Manager is a really limited program in so many ways. There is no way to filter the process list by user, user processes or system processes. All processes are shown. They can be shown as a tree. Switching from a plain list to a tree view requires you to change a setting, there is no quick and easy toggle.
There is no support for showing network activity, GPU memory usage or load, disk activity or anything at all beyond a simple process list.
Verdict And Conclusion[edit]
The Xfce Task Manager is a really basic program capable of showing a process list and small CPU and memory usage graphs, nothing more. It is really limited compared to the terminal monitor programs top and its more advanced counterpart htop and it is very plain and limited compared to the much more advanced graphical KDE System Monitor.
The Xfce Task Manager is light and it has much fewer dependencies than KDE System Monitor so it does have that going for it if you are looking for a task manager to use in a plain window manager like fluxbox or a light-weight desktop environment like Xfce. It is somewhat pointless even then since htop, while not being a GUI program, is a much more advanced plain task manager program.
The KDE System Monitor is a much more powerful choice if you are willing to install all the Qt and KDE dependencies it requires.
It is nice that Xfce has and comes with its own Task Manager program. It's there. But it's not very useful. And it is totally not worth installing if you don't already have it, KDE System Monitor is much better if you really want something graphical and htop if preferable if you just want a simple process list.
Alternatives[edit]
See Comparison Of System Monitoring Programs.
Links[edit]
- Homepage: docs.xfce.org/apps/xfce4-taskmanager
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