Here is my, erm, early desktop or non-x desktop. It's what I see on my system before running startx. The kernel is patched with the condecor patch and a modified initrd enables the console background picture during early boot time.

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Brings me back into Mandrake Linux days of customized console backdrops...

Experimenting with the Dracula theme for xterm.

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Could you kindly share how it's done?

It never occurred to me that anyone would ask that. Eep!

It was a PITA and complicated. Probably would need its own thread. For starters, one would need to be comfortable using the patch utility and with compiling ones own kernel.

Is this Point Lookout?

I did some googling and only found a post on the Tiny Core forum about it, but I could not find the patch itself or any clear instructions on how to do it. Maybe my google-foo just isn't what it used to be because I can usually find just about anything. So even just the patch would help tremendously. Meanwhile, I'll go back to hammering the google.

BTW, Utilities and the kernel do not scare me, I have plenty of spare hardware to use.

I think I found the patch, from that same forum: https://github.com/mjanusz/homepage/...cts/fbcondecor

Have fun!

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I think that fbcondecor is too old and will not work with newer kernels. However, there seems to be another one that should work with newer kernels: https://slackbuilds.org/repository/1...earch=Plymouth

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Thanks! I will look into both.

Brief summary. One: I went to gentoo for the kernel. Turns out that the e-build for the gentoo kernel is simply a fetch of the standard kernel source (exactly as is used by slackware) and the gentoo patch. Upon examination, the gentoo patch is actually several patches. I chose to ONLY use the fbcondecor patch, skipping the rest. The patch utility (already included in slackware, iirc) was used to patch the kernel source. Note. MUST match the specific gentoo patch to the version of the kernel.

After that, compiled the kernel, etc.

Two: again to the gentoo site for the package called splashutils. Compile that. Oh, and there are no themes as part of that package, will need to get those (gentoo packages, again, whose name i forget because I am an idiot, or at least forgetful).

That's the executive summary. LOTS of details left out. But at least you'll be using the right packages and not some random wrongversion found via google. There is considerable confusing between setting the console background and putting up just a picture with maybe a progress bar to hide all info text. This latter was not my intention! All I want is the picture behind the text.

Oh: and Plymouth is not splashutils and Plymouth possibly depends on that init system whose name we avoid mentioning. Avoid Plymouth.

And now we've gone horribly off-topic from screen shots in this thread.

p.s. @solarfields Yes, that's my character in Fallout 3. Good eye. I love that game.

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all we need now is a slackbuild for that

Thanks jr_bob_dobbs!

Funny enough, I already found and grabbed splashutils from Gentoo. The info about using the Gentoo kernel is a big help, thanks for that.

And yes after investigating plymouth, it is not what I was looking for. Like you, all I really wanted was the image behind the text. But it is interesting. I think that it needs (or is much easier to use) grub. While I'm not against grub, LiLo is just easier and default.

Thanks again for the info!

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Could you give some kind of "How to" when you manage to do it?

I will see what I can do if I manage to figure it out. However, jr_bob_dobbs is the current authority on the subject and should get the credit.

I will probably open a new thread if I run into problems.

EDIT:
I also found this in my travels: https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Fbsplash (which is where I found splashutils)