plymouth

is there any documentation for getting plymouth working? i cant find any

Bit on the way...
https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/Plymouth/

https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/plymouth/plymouth

See under Docs - development.txt

... I hope this helps

MDKDIO thanks for the reply. i think my problem is getting plymouth in the initrd. i can use the tool supplied with slackware to generate an initrd but i dont know how to add anything to the initrd

You just make your changes in /boot/initrd-tree and repack. As usual, Arch packaging is a good starting point: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/plymouth-nosystemd/ and they have a very good documentation: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/plymouth

arch wiki is awesome if you run arch. running slackware and reading arch wiki is like reading chinese to me.
cant i just add a link to plymouth in init-tree and somehow roll a new initrd with it?

Originally Posted by wigums cant i just add a link to plymouth in init-tree and somehow roll a new initrd with it?

I don't understand what you mean. Anyway there is a SlackBuild available. Why not just try it?

Anyway there is a SlackBuild available. Why not just try it?

im using the slackbuild. it comes with no instructions and doesnt setup anything for you. all it does is install plymouth. it doesnt roll an initrd for you

I am afraid that those graphical boot methods aren't for rookies on Slackware, because they requires changes on boot and init scripts, then a really good knowledge of Slackware is probably a must.

And a Slackware Guru will not say sentences like "it doesnt roll an initrd for you"

Let's see the bright side: you can live quite well without hiding the boot messages behind a shiny graphical screen.

So, I wonder for what needs OP this Plymouth...

Ask the maintainer of the SlackBuild how he uses it then or try to get help upstream. Sorry, I am too busy with the Slint project to experiment on something I don't need for Slint. I see that Arch just uses hooks for initcpio which makes things easier, however mkinitcpio is not used to build the initrd in Slackware.

PS If you want to experiment you can try initramfs generators like mkinitcpio, dracut or booster. Good luck.

Originally Posted by LuckyCyborg Let's see the bright side: you can live quite well without hiding the boot messages behind a shiny graphical screen. So, I wonder for what needs OP this Plymouth...

It could be a school admin, for example. Not doing it for himself but for the pupils, or -- more likely -- the teachers, who are usually the most demanding of all.

Aesthetics in computing is not a crime.

I am afraid that those graphical boot methods aren't for rookies on Slackware, because they requires changes on boot and init scripts, then a really good knowledge of Slackware is probably a must.

i admit ive only run slackware for 25 years. i can see how that makes me a rookie. ive simply never ever made an initrd before outside of using mkinitrd or geninitrd.

So, I wonder for what needs OP this Plymouth...

i want it because i want it. i dont need to give you a reason

This has me curious, but since it seems way above my level of knowledge and from what the OP says documentation to be scant - I don't know how I would even start. If anyone with more advanced skills would like to show what they did, that would be appreciated.

Originally Posted by wigums ive simply never ever made an initrd before outside of using mkinitrd or geninitrd.

I'd suggest that learning how an initrd works and is put together is probably the best place to start.

Then you could download and dissect the initrd from a distribution that ships it.

All of this seems like a lot of effort just for a few seconds worth of pretty pictures on the screen.

I'd suggest that learning how an initrd works and is put together is probably the best place to start.

thanks Captain Obvious. what do you think im trying to do?

All of this seems like a lot of effort just for a few seconds worth of pretty pictures on the screen.

what do you care how i spend my time?

I'll take the risk being regarded as lieutenant Obvious...

You may have good reasons for getting plymouth to work. However, if the main issue is to get rid of the message list during boot, then adding

append="quiet"

to your lilo.conf file might be the simplest solution.