RE: missing XFree86 executable in woody (and perhaps potato too)

[Andras Simonyi <simka@ludens.elte.hu>]

Hello,
On 19-Nov-2001 Glen Coates wrote:
> I am a redhat user trying to migrate to debian and have had no luck
> Anyway ... issuing a 'startx' or 'xinit' as either root or user at
> terminal prompt gives me an error message telling me to make sure
> that:
> 1.  /usr/X11R6/bin is in my path (which it is)
> 2.  'X' is a valid executable
Experts will correct me (I hope), if this is not true, but AFAIK in
woody X is set up in the following way:
the _real_ xserver for your videocard e.g. XFree86 from the  4.0.3
distribution, or XF86_SVGA from 3.3.6 etc. sits in /usr/X11R6/bin,
and it is _not_ named X. /usr/X11R6/bin/X is only a wrapper, which in
effect tries to run the executable, which the symlink /etc/X11/X
points to (so it should point to the _real_ xserver). Probably,
although you have installed the xfree86-common package, you have not
installed an actual xserver for your videocard. So install one: the
chances are, that the XFree86 "universal" server in the
xserver-xfree86 package will do, but of course it depends on your
videocard.

Hope this help:

Andras