ziplack- Linux newbie and X windows = confused (help me, please?)

urbansound · 03-22-2004, 12:27 PM

Nice Board everyone!!

Thank you for helping us poor lost newbie souls. Maybe I too can become great and profound in slackland and be a userland extraordinair one day, with your help.

I'm brand new to Linux, but I do see much happiness in the future already.

I dl'd the "current" zipslack, which I guess is the ZipSlack(tm) 9.1 UMSDOS Linux installation version.

The fun box I'm breaking in, is....

Quote:

Compaq
GenuineIntel Intel(r) Celeron(tm) Processor Intel MMX(TM) Technology
95MB RAM
Available space on drive D: 512MB of 611MB (FAT32)
Frequency : 466 MHz
Front Side Bus Speed : 66 MHz

Video Card data is...

Quote:

General Information :
Model : 82810-DC100 810 Chipset Graphics Controller
Bus Type : PCI
Support PnP/DDC : Yes
Refresh : Optimal Rate

Bios VESA :
Version : 2.0
Manufacturer : Intel810(TM) Graphics Chip Accelerated VGA BIOS
VESA VBE/PM Version : 1.18
Product : i810 Graphics Controller
Product Version : Hardware Version 0.0
Manufacturer : Intel Corporation
Total Memory : 32 Mb
Used video memory : 2048 Kb (soit 400.00 %)
Memory Type : Shared Memory (SDRAM)

One can see I'm on a DOS partition, which is win98(SE) with 512 of 611, meg, remaining after Linux install. Linux came up fine on the setup in D drive, using a DOS prompt pif, for Pure DOS. Boots fine from the PIF, no boot disc, F-DISK or F-this or F-anything else.

First pursuit was to figure out what's up with X windows. Documentations reads that it "is" and "isn't" contained in zipslack.

Meaning that the install created what I see in the windows directory observed is ... D:\linux\usr\x11r6.{_a\lib\x11.{__ Wherein I see Xserver, fonts, etc., among 13 objects alltogether.

Yet no configs do anything. Xfree86 configs, nada, zip, outahere, ROFLOL

So I'm assuming I have to DL an xwindow package, (I guess), but questions follow...

Do I have to do anything with the "footprint" that exists at x11r6, like uninstall it, before installing the xwindow package?

AND

What is the best way to profile a "minimum package", so xwindows doesn't chew up the rest of the partition with unused goodies?

AND

Does a minimum package have to be "built", or just load the components into the install directory and hit "GO"?

That should be enough to start confusing me adequately, so I might then confuse others just as much.

Please do give the newbie some ideas. I searched the links here and at slack and one other site, but I still have to look up references like reboot, let alone how to install a package.

Thanks fellow bit-heads, so much for your consideration.

_____________
Urbansound, the InvisibleImage

aaa · 03-22-2004, 12:59 PM

Zipslack does not come with X at all. To install, get the packages:
http://www.slackware.com/pb/?vers=slackware-9.1&set=x
I think you will need the main XFree86 package and a font package.
Then get a window manager (you don't want to use the builtin one):
http://www.slackware.com/pb/?vers=slackware-9.1&set=xap
Pick a window manager like fvwm or windowmaker.
Install them as root: 'installpkg [the xf86 tarballs (*.tgz files)]'
Now it's installed. You need to configure now:
run 'xf86config' (configure X)
run 'xwmconfig' (pick window manager)
run 'startx' (see if it works)

urbansound · 03-22-2004, 01:23 PM

TripleA,

Thanx for the reference...

Quote:

Originally posted by aaa
[B]Zipslack does not come with X at all. To install, get the packages:
http://www.slackware.com/pb/?vers=slackware-9.1&set=x
I think you will need the main XFree86 package and a font package.

From the link you mention (been there, done that, btw)...which of these is "the main xFree86 package"?

x3dl X server for cards using 3DLabs chips (XF86_3DLabs)
x8514 X server for cards using IBM8514 chips (XF86_8514)
xagx X server for cards using AGX chips (XF86_AGX)
xi128 X server for the #9 Imagine 128 (XF86_I128)
xma8 X server for cards using Mach8 chips (XF86_Mach8)
xma32 X server for cards using Mach32 chips (XF86_Mach32)
xma64 X server for cards using Mach64 chips (XF86_Mach64)
xmono A Monochrome X server (XF86_Mono)
xp9k X server for cards using P9000 chips (XF86_P9000)
xs3 X server for cards using S3 chips (XF86_S3)
xs3v X server for S3 ViRGE chips (XF86_S3V; obsolete, use SVGA)
xsvga X server for most SVGA cards (XF86_SVGA)
xvg16 A 16-color generic X server (XF86_VGA16)
xw32 X server for cards using the ET4000/W32 chipset (XF86_W32)
xxfb Generic framebuffer server for most VESA cards (XF86_FBDev)

AND

Given I'm an Intel 801, I don't see a package that applies to my video hardware.

So, how does one determine the "minimum package" to load up, specifically for the given hardware indicated, (Intel 801)?

C wut I meen?

Urbansound

aaa · 03-22-2004, 01:30 PM

Not sure what you're looking at. The main package is xfree86-4.3.0-i486-5

urbansound · 03-22-2004, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by aaa
Not sure what you're looking at. The main package is xfree86-4.3.0-i486-5

My snip in the last response was from the link you sent me. I dont see xfree86-4.3.0-i486-5 on that page. Am I nuts, or overlooking it?

urbansound · 03-22-2004, 01:38 PM

Time out, I found it

urbansound · 03-22-2004, 02:03 PM

OK, AAA, I see the package, (I bumped into another xlink I had open already and thought your link had staged it, very sorry.

I DL'd the docs file, but do you think the intel 801 is covered in this distribution? I don't see a text, or readme or an Index.htm that explains the docs file inside the docs files, even. ??

AND

I thought I saw a .txt file on Slac's server, that said one should see the file/x1.txt, (or similar), for individual data to build smaller x-configs?

Could be I'm all wet, but I really don't want to pull in a config that has a multitude of various driver data in it, that I won't need, because I'm on a small partition for now.

Thanx again. Sorry for all the confusion.

Urb

aaa · 03-22-2004, 02:29 PM

X should take only about ~150mb. Don't think you can get less than that unless you use an older version. You should use the 'i810' driver:

Code:

from the /etc/X11/XF86Config file
 ...
Section "Device"
    Identifier  "Intel 810"
    Driver	"i810"
 ...

Running 'xf86config' should put that in for you. I think the i810 driver is builtin.

urbansound · 03-22-2004, 04:07 PM

OK, We'll give this a shot and see if it lets the smoke out!

Thanx for the ever so qulified Sepai Guru level advisements,

_____________
I hope to be on my way to exceeding myself.

Urbansound Kohei, the InvisibleImage

urbansound · 03-22-2004, 07:36 PM

Ok, on the slack site...

FAQ > ZipSlack FAQ > Q3 resides the following:
(this link http://www.slackware.com/faq/do_faq.php?faq=zipslack#3

Quote:

Q: How do I add X to this?

Assuming you've got the space to install it, download the X packages (the files ending in .tgz) from this directory:

ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackwar...e/slakware/x1/

You might also grab the diskx1 file, which describes each of the packages. You can save disk space if you don't install all of the X servers (you only need the one for your video card), and you might also leave out extra fonts, old X shared libraries (oldlibs*.tgz), and possibly development tools if you're not planning to compile X software yourself. Once you've collected the packages you plan to install into a directory, run this to install them:

installpkg *.tgz

Before running X, you'll need to set it up with 'xf86config'.

This, to me, suggests that probably 65% or more, of the install, can be dropped for a fixed config. Problem is, how do you know what can vs. cannot, be dropped.

Is there a diskx1, for the 9.1.0 distribution?

Or is there an equivalent, which directs a user to know what each is, within the package.

Please

Urb

aaa · 03-23-2004, 06:54 AM

A google turned up stuff for 8.0 or older. The file appears to just be descriptions of the packages, which are already on the page I posted. Just get the main package and the xfree86-fonts-misc package.

urbansound · 03-23-2004, 08:56 AM

Well, I happened across the answer last night, while I was looking at dealing with mangling. I'll be D***d if I didn't lose the uri to it.

It appeared to me to have about 9 critical components, to provide the minimal package and that one would have to install them individually or form them into a package and install them.

It is out there. Once I'm a little more versed with Slack, I'll return to this post, post it and maybe you could trim the post back then AAA.

I figure I should determine which of what I want and need, before tying to minimalize XFREE. That way I can post some configuration examples with it.

Fact is, I'm having too much fun with Linux altogether, just yet, to head there, but ... I will be back.

Thanx again for your help, AAA.

Urb