191 lines
8.7 KiB
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191 lines
8.7 KiB
HTML
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
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<HTML>
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<HEAD>
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<title>Clueless at the Prompt Issue 19</title>
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</HEAD>
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<H4>
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"Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"
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</H4>
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!--===================================================================-->
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<html><ClueLess.html, a new user help document>
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<center><h3>CLUELESS at the Prompt: A new column for new users</h3></p>
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<P>by Mike List,
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<a href="mailto:troll@net-link.net">troll@net-link.net</a></center>
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<P><HR><P>
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<body><center><IMG ALIGN=MIDDLE SRC = "../gx/list/gnub.jpg" ></center><p>
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<h4>Welcome to installment 6 of Clueless at the Prompt:
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a new column for new users.</h4>
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<P><HR><P>
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This time let's take a quick look at
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the XF86Setup utility. at X window managers, concentrating on FVWM, adding
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popup menus, adding and subtracting apps from existing popups and other
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relatively easy ways to get a custom appearance and feel.
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<hr>
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<h4>Using XF86Setup to configure X</h4><p>
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Judging from the posts I've seen on the usenet, a lot of people aren't
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aware that there's an easier way to get X up and running than configuring
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it the old confusing way(at least I found it to be that way), using a
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tcl/tk script called XF86Setup. While it doesn't totally eliminate the
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need to manually edit your XConfig, it does provide a method of getting a
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usable configuration for most common video cards and monitors. XF86Setup
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first appeared in the XFree86 3.2 distribution, and uses the lowest common
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denominator VGA 16 color mode server and a tcl/tk(corrections welcome)
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script to start the config process in X and by using the graphical nature
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of this utility script you can be almost certain to have X running in a
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couple of tries, and if worst comes to worst you can have it running in 16
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color mode until you can get the details to optimize it to your video
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hardware. Current downloads of Xfree86 all seem to have this included, and
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if your CDROM diskribution has X 3.2 or better you already have it
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available to install to your HD. If you download it from xf86.org, be sure
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to read the Relnotes for the component files necessary to insure a
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successful install. You'll need :<ul>
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<li>preinst.sh Pre-installation script
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<li>postinst.sh Post-installation script
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<li>X3?bin.tgz Clients, run-time libs, and app-defaults files
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<li>X3?doc.tgz Documentation
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<li>X3?fnts.tgz 75dpi, misc and PEX fonts
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<li>X3?lib.tgz Data files required at run-time
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<li>X3?man.tgz Manual pages
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<li>X3?set.tgz XF86Setup utility
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<li>X3?VG16.tgz 16 colour VGA server (XF86Setup needs this
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server)</ul>, where ?=the level of the distribution you're using, ie.3.2,
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3.3 etc.,
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for all installations, read the relnotes for any oher files your specific
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hardware might need.
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Since the 3.3 version just came out, if you are just getting around to
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setting up X you will most likely want to get this distribution, since
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every successive version has support for more hardware and often better
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support for hardware already supported.
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<p>OK, you have the files you need, that is the ones listed above, and the
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server for your particular video card, in my case the SVGA server, you may
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need to do a little detective work to determine which server to use.
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If you are using the X version that comes on your CDROM, you can probably
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install all the servers(assuming there's space on your HD)and let the
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XF86Setup prog make the choice. To install,type:
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<pre>
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cd /usr/X11R6
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</pre>
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Next, copy the preinst.sh and postinst.sh scripts to /var/tmp, then go to
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/usr/X11R6 and type:
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<pre>
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cd /usr/X11R6
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sh /var/tmp/preinst.sh
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</pre>
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the script will remove some symbolic links, and check to see that all the
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files you need are available, and may output a message asking for those
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files that are needed but not present. But assuming that you have followed
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the above, everything should be in place, and you should get a generally
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encouraging message on exit from the script.
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<p>
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Now for the installation itself,type:
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<pre>
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tar -zxvf /wherever/you/have/X3?files.tgz
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</pre>
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you'll have to repeat this step with each of the required files, although
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if you have these files in a directory by themselves, you may be able
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to type:
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<pre>
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tar -zxvf /wherever/youhavethem/*.tgz
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</pre>
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although it's been awhile, and I can't recall if it works, it won't hurt
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anything to try, since the alternative is to unpack each tgz file
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separately.
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<p> Next you run the postinst.sh script in the same manner as the
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preinst.sh above, this will make sure that you have all the X components
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in the correct places.Run ldconfig something like:
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<pre>
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ldconfig -m /usr/X11R6/lib
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</pre>
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or reboot to run ldconfig automatically. This links the libraries
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necessary to run X. At this point you should be able to start the actual
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setup by typing, naturally:
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<pre>
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XF86Setup
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</pre>
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which will present a dialog box asking if you want to start in graphical
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mode or tell you it will start momentarily.
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At this point you'll be in X, using the 16 color VGA server.Read all the
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instructions, and follow the routine, which I found to be pretty
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self-explanatory. You will probably have the most trouble finding the
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right mouse device and protocol, but try each one in turn if you aren't
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sure. You'll probably also want to change the keyboard to 102key US
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International keyboard. Specify the video card, and monitor info, don't
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worry if you don't know the salient monitor inf, you cna start at the top
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of the list and work your way down the list until you reach a good
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setting.Much easier if you have your monitor manual available, so have it
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on hand if you can. Finish the routine when you think it's right and that
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should do it. Congratulations on your hopefully valid Xconfiguration. If
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you muff it just try again using slightly different settings until you do
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get it right.
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<hr>
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<h4>Window Managers</h4>
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Most Linux distributions that i'm familiar with use the FVWM window
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manager as default and the rest of them should have it present, unless you
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downloaded the files directly from xf86.org, in which case the default is
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TWM.
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<p>
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FVWM is highly configurable by editing the
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/var/X11R6/lib/fvwm/system.fvwmrc file.You can use the file as it is,
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since it has the most common installed features already configured, but
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you can comment out those programs that you don't have installed by adding
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a "#" at the beginning of the lines you wish to drop, change colors, add
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popup menus, and more just by following the examples. Just be sure to save
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the system.fvwmrc by typing:
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<pre>
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cp /var/X11R6/lib/fvwm/system.fvwmrc
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/var/X11R6/lib/fvwm/system.fvwmrc.old
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</pre>
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or something similar, so if you do mess up on your customization you can
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always start from scratch by cp'ing .old to the original system.fvwmrc.A
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couple of months ago The Weekend Mechanic column had some very cool ideas
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on wallpapering the root window, so you might want to check them out.
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<p>I made "Internet" and "PPP" popup menus to include lynx, Netscape and a
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couple of telnet sites, as well as an IRC client, and to use the chat
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script from X. you may have other ideas more to your liking, don't be
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afraid to try, you can always start over again if you don't like the
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results.
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<p>
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Take a look at my <a href="cluelist">system.fvwmrc</a>, nothing too
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sophisticated, but if you compare it to the original you should get the
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idea. I commented the changes that I made so you can see some of the
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ways in which you can customize yours.
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<p>
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<!--===================================================================-->
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<P> <hr> <P>
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<center><H4>Previous "Clueless at the Prompt" Columns</H4></center>
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<P>
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<A HREF="../issue14/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #1 - February 1997</A><br>
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<A HREF="../issue15/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #2 - March 1997</A><br>
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<A HREF="../issue16/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #3 - April 1997</A><br>
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<A HREF="../issue17/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #4 - May 1997</A><br>
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<A HREF="../issue18/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #5 - June 1997</A>
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<P> <hr> <P>
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<center><H5>Copyright © 1997, Mike List<BR>
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Published in Issue 19 of the Linux Gazette, July 1997</H5></center>
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