I have the impression that the look of Jabref in the new version 3.7 is not as desired in my Linux. Specifically, the search bar looks quite detached from everything else. Icons that are greyed out are greyed out so much that they are invisible. Also, menu items that are selected, seem to have the same colour as the background. Is this the layout or look that is expected of Jabref in Linux?
Here is an example of what I see:
system info:
JabRef 3.7
linux 3.16.0-38-generic amd64
Java 1.8.0_111
Yes, but mainly no 
The searchbar should be placed next to the remaining icons - but if there is not enough space the wrap to the next line is intended.
But the grayed out icons should of course be visible…
Can you tell us what “LookAndFeel” you are using? Edit: And is the “invisibility” of grayed out icons a new effect of 3.7?
Here’s a screenshot of my JabRef on Win10:
Let me add that we currently have no core developer who is working with Linux as his production system. This is why Linux is getting less optimization.
It seems almost as if Linux users are less willing to contribute to open source 
My look and feel is the standard (com.sun.java.swing.plaf.gtk.GTKLookAndFeel). I tried the other look and feels, but found that they were more ugly.
At least with com.jgoodies.looks.plastic.Plastic3DLookAndFeel the greyed out icons are more visible. I don’t see a difference between com.jgoodies.looks.plastic.Plastic3DLookAndFeel and javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel. As Linux user I did not dare to try the Windows look and feel. Well, I did in the end, but it didn’t work.
No, the greyed out icons were already invisible in Jabref 3.6. My question here was mostly prompted, because of the new position of the search bar, but I thought I also mention the other things.
Perhaps Linux users are not so much into Java. Then again, there’s Android. Anyway, Jabref is great even despite the layout glitches in Linux! Thanks for developing!
I just downloaded 3.7 and it looks no different on my Slackware-14.1 system than did 3.6. The appearance uses the GTK look-and-feel because I’ve used GTK for almost 2 decades on linux and prefer it.
While I cannot generalize about other linux users and java (I have a friend who’s a professional java developer), I don’t like it. The two java applications I use (JabRef and Jgnash) support only a very few keyboard controls. I suppose that’s to be expected since Microsoft users are trained to use the mouse/trackball for everything and many fear the command line. I prefer working on the command line, and do for most of my work, so not having commands like ctrl-a and ctrl-e to move to the head and tail of a line is annoying.
Java is not from Microsoft, but from Oracle. Anyway, from a Linux point of view I guess this does not make too much of a difference in the end. The main message I wanted to get across is that we could really need a Linux user for development support. We do testing on Linux, but support for it will never be on par with Windows, if there is no person dedicated to it.
This is maybe a good time for mentioning that we will upgrade the GUI to JavaFX with JabRef 4.0 (no fixed schedule yet), which might be a problem for Linux users. Support for this technology in OpenJdk is mixed, but supposedly there. Nevertheless, I expect that Linux users will be forced to switch to OracleJdk.
@Rich If you love the terminal, have you already seen the “Tools -> Open Terminal here” feature in JabRef 
Java is not from Microsoft, but from Oracle.
Joerg,
Started by Sun and acquired by Oracle when they bought Sun.
Anyway, from a Linux point of view I guess this does not make too much of
a difference in the end. The main message I wanted to get across is that
we could really need a Linux user for development support. We do testing
on Linux, but support for it will never be on par with Windows, if there
is no person dedicated to it.
I’ll do what I can in terms of testing, but cannot contribute to
development unless you switch to Python. 
This is maybe a good time for mentioning that we will upgrade the GUI to
JavaFX with JabRef 4.0 (no fixed schedule yet), which might be a problem
for Linux users. Support for this technology in OpenJdk is mixed, but
supposedly there. Nevertheless, I expect that Linux users will be forced
to switch to OracleJdk.
How about putting out two versions, one with the current UI (I forget what
it’s called; SWIG?) and FX until both work on all platforms and FX supports
the same features?
@Rich If you love the terminal, have you already seen the “Tools → Open
Terminal here” feature in JabRef
No, but I just tried it and nothing happened. What is it supposed to do?
Thanks,
Rich
If I remember right, I, Linux user, already had to switch to OracleJdk with Jabref 3.0, because it wouldn’t work with OpenJdk.
This is more or less the way in which we will be going, at least this is how it is being developed at the moment. There is just no official release of the FX version yet. Unfortunately, we do not have the manpower to develop both versions in parallel if features start deviating too strongly and I am afraid waiting will not help. JavaFX is a decade old already and I do not expect OpenJdk support to increase. So, at some point we will have to make a cut.
Heh 
It is supposed to open a terminal in the folder of the currently selected bib file. We have a default setting for each operating system, which should have worked for Linux as well, but as it seems…
You can configure the command to execute under Options-> Preferences → External programs → Open Console to set the path to the command line you like most.
@sbitzer: That would be excellent news, actually! With the OracleJdk, there shouldn’t be problems with JavaFX (except for the ones that also apply to Windows)
Worked for me right now.
Digging through my memory (and the internet) I found that I switched to OracleJdk, because in distributions based on Ubuntu 14.04 OpenJdk-8 is not available, but it is available in later versions of Ubuntu. So I guess that not all Linux users will be using OracleJdk right now.
If I remember right, I, Linux user, already had to switch to OracleJdk
with Jabref 3.0, because it wouldn’t work with OpenJdk.
Sebastian,
On my Slackware-14.1 workstation I have only openjdk-8u91_b14 installed. I
think that oraclejdk was required prior to openjdk-8. Once all features of
oraclejdk were available in openjdk the former was no longer required.
Rich
This is more or less the way in which we will be going, at least this is
how it is being developed at the moment. There is just no official release
of the FX version yet. Unfortunately, we do not have the manpower to
develop both versions in parallel if features start deviating too strongly
and I am afraid waiting will not help. JavaFX is a decade old already and
I do not expect OpenJdk support to increase. So, at some point we will
have to make a cut.
Interesting.
Heh
currently selected bib file. We have a default setting for each operating
system, which should have worked for Linux as well, but as it seems…
You can configure the command to execute under Options-> Preferences →
External programs → Open Console to set the path to the command line you
like most.
I could, but I don’t know what benefit this provides me. I don’t manually
edit bibtex files so I use the GUI to enter new acquisitions, select those I
need for a report, and install the reference in the LyX/LaTeX document.
@sbitzer: That would be excellent news, actually! With the OracleJdk,
there shouldn’t be problems with JavaFX (except for the ones that also
apply to Windows)
I had both openjdk and oraclejdk installed for a while.
Rich
For Ubuntu 14.04 and newer there is a ppa which includes the Oracle JDK.
I have some old server which still runs 14.04 and uses java8. Works like a charm
We already had some other issues with the Look&Feel in Ubuntu/Linux and some user reported a solution, which you could try, too:
