Re: X11 install experiences
On Sun, 26 Mar 2000, Branden Robinson wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 23, 2000 at 09:30:05PM +0000, Dale Scheetz wrote:
> > First, when running the base-config script that executes the first time
> > you reboot after the base install, I can select both X11 tasks and all the
> > GNOME tasks, yet nothing gets installed from these packages.
>
> Don't know, this stuff is the province of the tasksel people. I just
> defined the X Window System tasks, I don't write the mechanism that
> enforces them.
Understood. Since they work fine when invoked outside base-config it is
base-config that is flawed.
>
> > 1. For the virtual xserver entry apt-get installed the w3 server, and I
> > had to ask for the svga server explicitly in an additional command.
>
> This would probably be worked around by tasksel doing the right thing, or
> anXious being invoked from base-config.
>
> Otherwise, it's an apt bug.
I saw it that way, but there is no spec'ed behaviour for virtual packages,
so it's a feature ;-)
>
> > 2. After installing xf86setup, XF86Setup refused to run because there
> > was no VGA16 server. The Depends line says: xserver-vga16 | xserver.
> > This should be reduced to xserver-vga16.
>
> No, it shouldn't. I have to keep fighting people on this. See the
> xf86setup package description.
A package description can not provide proper dependency information to apt
or dselect. I understand that you can't decide which desire is in the
heart of the installer at the time of installation, but seriously, a
restrictive depends seems better for the new user making a new
installation and can be overridden by the experienced user who just
doesn't want to have the vga16 server installed.
In the new installation situation I can't run XF86Setup because a
dependency was not required when the package installed.
>
> However, I should add xserver-vga16 to the core task package for arches
> that use xf86setup. Will do.
While I agree that this solves my problem, how does it solve the multiple
use problem you claim to be resolving by not putting the dependency in the
dependent package? There is nothing wrong with using the dependency
mechanism in the way that it was designed, is there?
>
> > 3. When I tried to start X after configuring, the server would refuse
> > to run, claiming a call to /dev/mouse held invalid arguments.
> > The mouse device is a link to gpmdata and probably should not be
> > used. This is more true as the configuration was told the mouse was
> > on /dev/ttyS0.
>
> What configuration? What does your XF86Config say?
>
Very interesting...
I used xf86config, as XF86Setup would not run. I'm certain that I provided
/dev/ttyS0 when asked for the mouse device, yet the actual XF86Config file
has /dev/mouse instead. Duuuh.
> > 4. After fixing the link for /dev/mouse I got nothing but the twm
> > window manager, even though I installed both olwm and olvwm and told
> > the olvwm postinstall to make it the default window manager.
>
> It may be that these packages don't follow the X window manager policy.
It turned out that they were not installed, even though apt-get gave no
indications of failure. Is is possible that something else required their
removal and I just didn't notice?
>
> Check to see if olwm and olvwm Provide: x-window-manager and that their
> postinst scripts register them as alternatives for
> /usr/bin/x-window-manager.
>
> If they do not, please file important bugs against them.
Once I actually got them installed they come up just like they're supposed
to...
>
> > 5. I also installed all of the GNOME tasks, but got nothing assigned to
> > the desktop. How do I enable GNOME once I have installed it?
>
> Don't know, not my department.
>
Oh Well! ;-)
Thanks,
Dwarf
--
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Flexible Software 11000 McCrackin Road
e-mail: dwarf@polaris.net Tallahassee, FL 32308
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