Desktop

I'm currently using the FVWM2 window manager to manage the system's virtual desktops.

While FVWM2 is an older window manager, it's heavily customizable, which suits our purposes well. Some of its features that I currently use are its layering ability (to put screenshares on top), its ability to move windows on and off the screen (to hide windows when doing a screenshare, or in "teacher mode"), and its ability to execute arbitrary shell functions while passing in a window's title (to handle mouse clicks on the miniaturized windows).

"Teacher mode" and screenshares, in particular, are implemented with heavy support from FVWM2, so while another window manager could be used, it would take some time to figure how to re-implement these functions.

Currently, I recommend using the following one-line FVWM config, and putting this one line in /etc/skel/.fvwm/config so that new user accounts use it by default:

PipeRead 'python3 -m vnc_collaborate print fvwm_config'

When run, this will detect if the current user is logged into Big Blue Button as a moderator, and present the teacher controls if so. Otherwise, you get the student controls, which are fairly standard.

The current teacher controls are:

• "Teacher Mode", which shifts the desktop into a view showing all of the students (i.e, all of the Big Blue Button users with "viewer" status)

• "Screenshare", which projects the teacher's desktop to all of the students.

  A small button appears in the top-right corner during a screenshare. Click it to end the screenshare.

• "Undeaf all students", in case they were deafed in "teacher mode".

Once in "Teacher Mode", you can click on any student desktop to connect to that student desktop. Press "ALT-SHIFT-Q" to disconnect and return to teacher mode.

If the student was deafed, they will be undeafed for the duration of the connection, then re-deafed when you disconnect.

No students are currently deafed by default, but there is an option in the menu to "Deaf all students".

You can also screenshare a single student's screen to all of the students by right-clicking on the student's screen and selecting the screenshare option. Like the teacher screenshare, a button will appear in the top-right corner to end the screenshare (only visable and usable by the teacher).

Multiple teachers aren't really supported yet.