Hey everybody, I'm looking for a bit of input here. After watching my Windows XP box collect dust for the last 6 months since switching to slackware, I'm finally ready to go completely M$ free. I need a little advice on the Slackware install, since in the past I haven't bothered selecting packages manually... full install's just so damn convenient.

I'll be using a Radeon 9550, and since ATI's so horrible about drivers, I have to use XFree86 4.3. Can I just leave off the entire X windows system without running into any problems? I plan on compiling XFree 4.3 from scratch after the base install is complete, and I want to make sure I won't have any trouble with libs and the various X apps (like xfontsel, etc.).

Another thing. I don't plan on installing any window manager during the base install. I plan on using Fluxbox CVS, so obviously I'll install that after the base installation. But I'd also like to play around with KDE 3.3, and I'll have to compile that from source too. I know I'll probably have to upgrade alsa for KDE 3.3, so I guess I should leave that off the base install too. Am I going to run into a bunch of dependency issues leaving all this stuff off the base install?

I may also try installing Gnome 2.8, but I'm not sure if it requires Xorg 6.8 or not. I know Dropline incorporates Xorg 6.8.1, so I'm a bit concerned. Maybe I'll have to use an older version of Gnome. And what about GTK? Will that have to be built before installing Gnome, or should I just install all the GTK components during the base install?

I'll probably upgrade the kernel also. If not 2.6.9, I'll at least upgrade to 2.4.27 or .28 and get rid of all the bloat. Which brings me to my final question. In what order should all this happen? I'm guessing that it's probably best to update the kernel first. Then I'm sure I'll probably compile the latest ALSA. And I'm assuming that I'll probably have to install XFree before I start compiling any window managers.

Basically, this is the first time I've really taken the time to see exactly what I need, and I'm afraid of ending up in dependency hell. Is the best approach leaving stuff off the base install and then compiling after the fact? Or should I just do a full install to avoid dependency problems and then use pkgtool to remove the stuff I need to change?

If anyone has any pointers for me, I'd be extremely grateful.

The ATI drivers are simple enough to install, just not the best for top gaming frame rates. A full install of slack @ 3 gigs will make it easier down the road for upgrades and installs. With a full install you will have everything you need and want that you mentioned in your post. Just my opinion for someone new to Slack or linux for that matter.

See, that's my point. A full slack install would definitely work. But I don't need it. By getting rid of Windows, I have a free box to experiment on. A box with a Radeon 9550. So I can't use Xorg. If I want to use an ATI driver, I'll have to use XFree 4.3. And that's exactly what got me thinking. If I can't use Xorg, then why wouldn't I leave it off the base install. And if I'd rather use KDE 3.3, then I should skip KDE 3.2 as well. And the same for Gnome. Why install 2.6 if I can compile 2.8? etc, etc... I'm just looking for some pointers. I'm not gonna do a full install this time 'cause there's waaaay too much $hit that I don't need. I dunno. It may be a bad idea. Maybe I should just try out Gentoo and compile only what I need. But I would rather use Slack. If Gentoo can be compiled from stage 1, then slack can be compiled from "A".

I use xorg with my ATI just fine. If your experimenting then you best keep your XP box around

I think it's great you want to try to build your own system. I might suggest you read up on linux from scratch. They list the software and give you some instructions. After reading over that, you can decide if you want to do it that way or use Slack for the base and build up from there.

If it's a spare box, just try installing with only the packages that you think you need. If it doesn't work, no big deal. Just try again. If it does work, you can try removing even more packages and seeing if it still works. That's what's nice about a spare computer.

Don't know about ATI, but with Nvidia even if you can't get the drivers to install/run you still can use the open source drivers to get things running. Just no hardware acceleration.

There are also xfree-4.4 slackware packages in /unsupported on the Slackware mirrors

xorg works fine with ati, just don't use the 6.8.1 that is in current, stick with slack 10's 6.7.0

Thanks for the input everybody. I didn't even think about reading up on LFS. I'm not sure if I want to get that far into it, but at least it will give me an idea where to go from a base slack installation. And using Xorg 6.7 will sure save some headaches in the process, as long as it works with full 3D accel. Good to know. Thanks again.

Honestly, I feel a full install is a pain in the ass.
Tons of stuff I don't use, & more wories about secruity/upgrade/whatever.

I always use the expert install.
I'm no expert, it's just quick & easy.
I can run down each sections menus & have it going very fast.

Just me, rather than taking fluxbox from cvs, I'd take the lazy route and get the slack current pack for .9.1.
http://www.slackware.com/pb/searchpk...string=fluxbox

If you want to build X & flux from source, it's no biggie.
Just install links, then you can use it as a web browser to download anything you need.
It doesn't use X, & I find it very useful on my server.

Yeah, I used the expert install for a P233 laptop with a 2G hdd, and it's really pretty easy. I'm just thinking that with a spare box that's collecting dust with WinXP, I want to experiment with how much I can strip it down... and see how much I can compile on my own without running into problems. I have a couple working systems, so if I get really lazy I can download the sources I need on one of them and then ftp to the experimental box. The win XP box is actually the most powerful of all my computers, so I'm just curious how quick I can get it by stripping it down. All my other setups are responsible for the serious stuff, so I'm basically just trying to set up a super slick desktop to play around on, and maybe use it as my print server. I figure it's better than having a klunky WinXP desktop that doesn't do crap...

And for flux, I'll probably stick with CVS. Easier to keep it current that way, and the people on #fluxbox are always coming up with new patches and stuff. Makes it really fun to tweak.

I didn't know that. I haven't messed w/cvs flux before.
I compiled enlightenment & have been using it lately.
Although I used flux for about 2years before that.
Thanks for that tip. I'll read up on that.

As for compiling & playing. I did the same thing.
It's fun learning howto build X from scratch.
I built xfree, kde & gnome that way one time just playing around.
Learned alot by doing so. It's nice having an xtra pc to tear up.

To play a sort of devil's advocate here...

If you want the Radeon for games, dual-boot Windows XP.
I would stick to Windows for games for the general support and speed for drivers and games.

I have 200 gigs of HD space and only use 30 for Windows XP, and I've never been happier.

I realize that the feeling of having just Slack is way better, but as far as functionality goes, Linux is a little crippled for games.

imho, that is.

See that's my problem. I never play games. In fact, I never do anything that would require blazing 3D acceleration. It would just really bug me to know that my card isn't performing to its full potential. Basically, the only reason I need to have the Radeon working with full acceleration is so the GL screensavers don't look like crap. Other than that I'd probably be fine using the generic drivers that come with xorg. Oh well, it'll be a good learning experience.

Ok. I'm pretty far into it by now. I just decided to go with Xfree 4.3 just to see how the ATI drivers would work. Compiled it from source and it's working for the most part. Got fluxbox current from svn, and it's working. But whenever I try to install firefox i get an error that it can't open the shared library "libXinerama.so.1". Sure enough, the file doesn't exist. The only thing in /usr/X11R6/lib is libXinerama.a. Anyone have any ideas why I might be running into this problem?
As a sidenote, LQ does format nicely in lynx