How to implement the XFree86 windowing syste

Hi guys,

I'm interested in implementing the XFree86 windowing system in my installation of CentOS 5.4. Currently the included install only allows me to implement gnome, kde or server without a gui. Does anyone have any idea how I would be able to implement the XFree86 windowing system in my installation of linux? Also if there is a way of doing this, is there any way of automating this process within my ks.cfg file?

Is there some specific reason you want xfree86 instead of xorg? Most(almost all current) linux distributions have switched to xorg instead of xfree86 for a variety of reasons including licensing, activity, etc. xfree86's last release was in late 2008. If you aren't tremendously familiar with *nix you want xorg, they both are derived from the same codebase.

What do you want to use as a window manager? Also keep in mind, the window manager/desktop environment in *nix is separated from the operating system and window manager. Any window manager or desktop enviroment you install is going to install the necessary x packages required for it... KDE/Gnome/fvwm/enightenment/fluxbox/ratpoison/sawfish/whatever, etc... all require a base x-windows system to run on top of (eg: xorg, xfree86, etc.) If you install gnome or kde it will install the default x-windows for the distribution you're using as a prerequisite as those are desktop environments / window managers.

In *nix think of it kinda in layers

<applications>
<window manager>
<desktop environment> 
<x windows>
<operating system>
<hardware>

It's much far more complex than that, but it gives you the basic idea as long as the previous layer is in place the layer above it can be built. In windows a lot of the layers have been compressed down into the operating system layer. MacOS X still has all the layers although some appear to be invisible to the end user/functionally speaking.

I'm confused as to the motive....Are you saying that no other Desktops are offered in the repositories? If that's true, then switching to XFree86 won't help.

The documentation on xorg is pretty marginal and I don't see how XF86 could be anything but worse.

Originally Posted by rweaver Is there some specific reason you want xfree86 instead of xorg? Most(almost all current) linux distributions have switched to xorg instead of xfree86 for a variety of reasons including licensing, activity, etc. xfree86's last release was in late 2008. If you aren't tremendously familiar with *nix you want xorg, they both are derived from the same codebase. What do you want to use as a window manager? Also keep in mind, the window manager/desktop environment in *nix is separated from the operating system and window manager. Any window manager or desktop enviroment you install is going to install the necessary x packages required for it... KDE/Gnome/fvwm/enightenment/fluxbox/ratpoison/sawfish/whatever, etc... all require a base x-windows system to run on top of (eg: xorg, xfree86, etc.) If you install gnome or kde it will install the default x-windows for the distribution you're using as a prerequisite as those are desktop environments / window managers. In *nix think of it kinda in layers <applications> <window manager> <desktop environment> <x windows> <operating system> <hardware> It's much far more complex than that, but it gives you the basic idea as long as the previous layer is in place the layer above it can be built. In windows a lot of the layers have been compressed down into the operating system layer. MacOS X still has all the layers although some appear to be invisible to the end user/functionally speaking.

I need to implement XFree86 because it is a requirement. Basically when I login to the system I want to see a black background with a little tabled icon in the bottom right or left that says root, and I want the cursor to be that X you might be familiar with in linux. I don't want to go into a gui or a shell. Is there anyway I can do implement this without losing my mind?

As the others have said, XF86 has been deprecated in favour of Xorg, which is XF86's binary compatible replacement. Any documentation that specifies XF86 as a requirement is probably quite old, and X.org is a valid substitute in this case.
Can you clarify a little what it is you are trying to achieve, and to what end?
Running Gnome, KDE or pretty much any other desktop environment means you are running X.org (XF86 replacement). Does this not satisfy your requirement?

Originally Posted by linux_newb Basically when I login to the system I want to see a black background with a little tabled icon in the bottom right or left that says root, and I want the cursor to be that X you might be familiar with in linux.

You can achieve this by running one of the basic window managers, like twm

Originally Posted by linux_newb I need to implement XFree86 because it is a requirement. Basically when I login to the system I want to see a black background with a little tabled icon in the bottom right or left that says root, and I want the cursor to be that X you might be familiar with in linux. I don't want to go into a gui or a shell. Is there anyway I can do implement this without losing my mind?

You are in a gui or a shell if you are logged in. Just because the gui doesn't load a lot of panels, backgrounds, and such doesn't make it any less of a gui. Unless you're talking about a display manager *shrug* which is functionally a gui version of the login system.

The default x window manager for ages has been twm and it sounds roughly like what you're talking about, it's ugly but functional.

Try:

yum groupinstall "X Window System"

You can get a list of the other group installs by doing a:

yum grouplist

If you want a window manager other than twm you can search for it by doing a:

yum search wmname

The OP is clearly confusing terms. XFreee is just like Xorg, it's a graphics server, not a window manager. It won't help him get what he is talking about, I can tell that for sure even if I don't know what the exact GUI he is thinking of is.

Any WM that works under XFree86 will work the same under Xorg. So, the real question is what WM does he want to use?. A screenshot or a photo should help us identify it. Other than that, changing to XFree86 will not solve anything.

Originally Posted by i92guboj The OP is clearly confusing terms. XFreee is just like Xorg, it's a graphics server, not a window manager. It won't help him get what he is talking about, I can tell that for sure even if I don't know what the exact GUI he is thinking of is. Any WM that works under XFree86 will work the same under Xorg. So, the real question is what WM does he want to use?. A screenshot or a photo should help us identify it. Other than that, changing to XFree86 will not solve anything.

Thank you so much for clarifying that for me. I didn't even know what was asked of me for this thing. Ok the window manager I would like to use is called Motif window manager or mwm. Now could you please walk me through what steps I would have to do in order to get this window manager to work for me when I first boot up my machine. I am currently using centos 5.4. Do i need specific packages and where would i be able to obtain those packages please? I also would like to see the an xterm icon on the bottom right corner when I log in.

Type:

yum install openmotif

That should cover the install of motif and any of its requirements.

Probably, using openmotif as suggested above is your better alternative. I know nothing about mwm these days, but the original motif wm is probably not that free, and not maintained anymore, as far as I know (I could be wrong). There's also lesstif, I know nothing about that project at all.

Once you install one of these, you should be able to select it from your login manager menu, if you use a login manager at all. If you are using "startx" in command line to start your X session, then just launch whatever WM you prefer from your ~/.xinitrc file. The WM itself might need additional configuration, I can't help with that.

Another option if to use fvwm. Fvwm is highly configurable, and I know for good that some people have successfully created mwm and lesstif clones using it. It can probably mimic about anything mwm can do, and much more. It even has lots of compatibility options in the man page written explicitly for mwm emulation. However, setting fvwm up is not straightforward, so, if all you want is mwm leave fvwm only as your last resort.

Originally Posted by i92guboj Probably, using openmotif as suggested above is your better alternative. I know nothing about mwm these days, but the original motif wm is probably not that free, and not maintained anymore, as far as I know (I could be wrong). There's also lesstif, I know nothing about that project at all. Once you install one of these, you should be able to select it from your login manager menu, if you use a login manager at all. If you are using "startx" in command line to start your X session, then just launch whatever WM you prefer from your ~/.xinitrc file. The WM itself might need additional configuration, I can't help with that. Another option if to use fvwm. Fvwm is highly configurable, and I know for good that some people have successfully created mwm and lesstif clones using it. It can probably mimic about anything mwm can do, and much more. It even has lots of compatibility options in the man page written explicitly for mwm emulation. However, setting fvwm up is not straightforward, so, if all you want is mwm leave fvwm only as your last resort.

Ok thank you for your help. The problem is that I'm using a new version of centos which is 5.4. I can't seem to find any tutorials on how I can configure my window manager. I went in to my inittab file and was unable to find anything I could make any sense out of. It seemed like most of the options were commented out.

Originally Posted by linux_newb Ok thank you for your help. The problem is that I'm using a new version of centos which is 5.4. I can't seem to find any tutorials on how I can configure my window manager. I went in to my inittab file and was unable to find anything I could make any sense out of. It seemed like most of the options were commented out.

The personal config files for motif are located at:

~/Mwm
~/.mwmrc

They will let you change your menu's, what starts, colors and such. Doing a man on mwm or mwmrc will give you the information you're probably looking for. I think if you search the man pages there is also a motif keybinds file that you can specify too, but I don't recall the name of it as I've not used cde/motif for ... many many years.

The ~/.xinitrc is NOT the inittab just for clarification. If you're looking to setup something like xdm you will probably need to change some lines in the file (inittab) but otherwise, not so much.