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 The Great Tiling WM Adventure + Some Wireless Stuf, Hosted by G-17

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TSfarkinid
post Mar 2 2011, 03:58 PM, updated 15y ago

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Ok guys, I've decided that enough is enough and my ubuntu login is broken. I can't even get to my login screen. The background just appears and then nothing happens. The mouse, sound, everything is working but nothing is showing (except for the background).

So, I guess im going to uninstall GDM and go with scrot. Or maybe icewm. Stupid ubuntu updates. Broke my laptop.

This post has been edited by farkinid: Jul 14 2011, 12:21 AM
TSfarkinid
post Mar 2 2011, 04:31 PM

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Err... because ubuntu is install friendly. Minimal configurations etc. This is a work laptop and I have tons of sensitive data inside it. I think i installed ubuntu 9.10 the moment it came out... slightly over a year ago i think.

It seemed fine. Who knew that a year plus later they'd break my laptop
TSfarkinid
post Mar 3 2011, 09:10 AM

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Hey G-17.

Its more than just the GDM. After 1 update the GDM doesn't work, Gnome Desktop Environment's applets have errors AND to top it off, my video drivers stopped working. After many hours of troubleshooting I have now uninstalled GDM and GDE.

I've tried moving from fglrx to mesa but I think the kernel is still pointing to the proprietary drivers. Currently my boot error is as follows :-
CODE
(EE) open /dev/fb0: No such file or directory
(EE) AIGLX error: dlopen of /usr/libdri/r600_dri.so failed (/usr/lib/dri/r600_dri.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory)
(EE) AIGLX: reverting to software rendering


For the record, my drivers shouldn't be the r600. It should be RS880. I am so confused rclxub.gif
TSfarkinid
post Mar 3 2011, 11:50 AM

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QUOTE(Eventless @ Mar 3 2011, 10:42 AM)
It is possible that your xorg.conf file is still referring to the fglrx driver. Try reconfiguring the xorg to use a different driver. Vesa should work in most cases.
CODE

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

*
Yup, thats what I thought in the 1st place. so I completely re-wrote the xorg.conf to use vesa. Result, the current set of errors you see. Before this, it was a different set of errors.

I've even tried to use Envy to fix the issue. But I get a different set of errors.
TSfarkinid
post Mar 3 2011, 01:02 PM

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QUOTE(Eventless @ Mar 3 2011, 12:57 PM)
What did you update before this problem occurred? Was it the kernel? Is it possible that you don't have the ATI drivers installed for the new kernel? Did you use Envy before that?

Like I've said before, it is probably a good time to upgrade the ubuntu that you are using to a more recent version. Hopefully the upgrade will fix the problem that you are having. Do a backup before hand.
*
Mmmmm, I can't remember what the upgrade was. I know I was kinda busy on another computer and just let the upgrade run. I don't think its the kernel either but I can't be too sure. I've never used Envy before.

Looks like a friggin reinstall is in order. Only 1 issue now, how to backup my thunderbird mails? Exporting them out to eml doesn't save the attachments. Also, I have problems loading thunderbird now. I'm more worried about the attachments than anything else.
TSfarkinid
post Mar 3 2011, 02:53 PM

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Thanks man. I'll read that. Also, any suggestions for a distro to use? I'm starting to get hooked on the scrotwm
TSfarkinid
post Mar 4 2011, 09:44 AM

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Oh just after I made the decision to move distro, I decided to lshw my lappy and I found this
CODE
*-display UNCLAIMED


The reason for my errors is that its not loading my drivers. I think I'll try another round with xorg.conf before giving up. TAK PUAS HATI!!! vmad.gif
TSfarkinid
post Mar 4 2011, 12:13 PM

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QUOTE(G-17 @ Mar 4 2011, 11:55 AM)
@farkinid
Sorry I wasn't here (too much work) and sorry for misunderstanding you're earlier question. I thought it was just GDM. If I had know it was more serious, I'd have checked in here more often.

It would be good if you remembered what it is you updated. Might have helped narrow it down earlier. It's most probably Xorg-related.

What specs are your computer? fglrx is ATI, right? (sorry, never used that card before, so I'm unfamiliar)If that's the case, I think the problem might stem from either ATI or Xorg devs always moving certain models of cards from main to legacy, though I could be mistaken here. for ATI, this might help = http://wiki.x.org/wiki/radeonhd

If you haven't moved distro or upgraded to a more recent Ubuntu yet, you could post your xorg.conf and your /etc/X11/XF86Config here, to help us understand what goes on in your system normally.  I think "Screen" section on either might give some clues, based on the last error message you posted.

BTW, I didn't know you used ScrotWM. If you're looking for another distro, you could do a minimal Ubuntu (mini.iso or command-line install from alternate iso) and just add what you need, or maybe a Debian netinstall of Squeeze (and upgrade your sources to Testing if desired), or Crunchbang (good community, relatively light distro) if you want Apt. Other options are Arch or Crux if you can find the time (though they're not the "install and forget" types and require a bit of care).

One note if you plan to upgrade your existing install. I think for Ubuntu yu can only upgrade to the next version (10.04 in your case) each time. so if you plan to get the latest version (11.04), you'll need to download each iso and upgrade version by version. It'd be better to just save your configs and home folder in an ext-HDD and do a clean install of whatever version/distro you desire.

I'll check back in later after I get home from work.
*
Thanks for the assist guys (Eventless and G-17). To be honest, the only reason I want to fix it is to understand what went wrong. Whether or not I manage to fix it, I've decided to move to a different distro. Ubuntu has been great while it lasted but I am getting better progress on Debian and our own SimpleLinux (although slax still confuses the crap out of me).

As for ScrotWM, I only started when my GDM + GDE + drivers broke. Decided its time for a new adventure in Linux (eventhough my iptables transparent firewall isn't ready). So far I'm really liking Scrot + dwm although I haven't really found the line that separates the two. And I still haven't figured out how to customize it.

Distro-wise, I want to move to something that will is just install + 1st configuration and then forget. This lappy has waaaaay to much sensitive data. I like the idea of Debian or Crunchbang. I've been looking at both (also i haz preference for apt).

My comp (very long. beware):
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
TSfarkinid
post Mar 5 2011, 01:02 AM

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Yup, thats my lshw. Its the simplest way to give details on laptop. I've decided to move on and not try and fix the laptop because I need it for work. If it weren't for that fact, I'll be stuck on it the whole weekend trying to figure out what went wrong.

As for iptables, I think I understand iptables. The problem is that I'm making a very specialized kind of firewall. Its more like a firewall + NAT + packet sniffer (for wireless network) + capture portal + optional radius server. There is another part to this but I don't really wanna talk about it publicly yet. If you do wanna know, I'll gladly PM you. This will help me be evil around my neighbourhood.

Regarding Scrot, yes pls on the example scrot.conf file. I'm about to format my laptop now as I type this. Procrastinating a little because I've got my doubts. Gonna do a Debian Netinst. I wonder how this is gonna work out. I've never done this sort of install before. Lets hope for the best blush.gif

Edit: Dammit, I shouldn't have chosen SG as mirror. I forgot their connection keeps dying out for some reason. AND its slow.... boo NUS, I expected more from you.

This post has been edited by farkinid: Mar 5 2011, 01:42 AM
TSfarkinid
post Mar 5 2011, 02:36 AM

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QUOTE(G-17 @ Mar 5 2011, 01:54 AM)
@Farkinid
Check post #122 of this page. I included a scrotwm.conf and a couple more there.
Read what's typed out in that post carefully, since it requires you to download some stuff.

As for Debian,
The netinstall will ask what kind of install you want, and you can select an environment if desired (shouldn't be too long if your Unifi gives the speed it advertised) or you can install to command-line only (base system) and then add what you need. If you take the latter route, first thing you'll have to do is edit your sources.list to enable non-free and contrib repos. Basically just modify every source to have  "main" "contrib" and "non-free" ... sorta like this if you're on Squeeze;

CODE
## Official Debian Repositories:
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free
deb http://security.debian.org/ squeeze/updates main
# deb-src http://security.debian.org/ squeeze/updates main


and apt-get update/upgrade

If you want testing or unstable, just replace the "squeeze" with "testing" or "unstable" ... won't be as rock-solid as Squeeze, obviously, but Debian Testing is still much more stable than 99% of distros out there.

Then (again, if you installed the base system only) you'll need to install xorg (or xserver-xorg) and your preferred DE or WM. I'm not sure if Xterm comes included in a base install, but you should install it (it can serve as a backup terminal if nothing else). Install drivers if required (your Atheros Wifi should work out of the box... I think) and wicd / wicd-curses to get wireless working. You can then create a file called .xinitrc (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc) to startX, or just install GDM if you're more comfy with that. Then additional stuff (like urxvt, terminus, a file manager like thunar or pcmanfm, conky if desired, htop).

It should be pretty straightforward if you're just taking a standard Debian route. I doubt you'll wanna do advanced symlinking and scripting this soon into your install.

Hope this helps.

P.S ... Sorry for any typos you find. It's Friday night / Saturday morning and I just got back from some moderate drinking =P
*
Fuah, so late still awake.

I already got past the installation. Lets see what I've done so far :-
  1. x-server = installed
  2. WM = ScrotWM (installed)
  3. Graphical Login = SLIM (can't find it yet)
  4. file manager = Midnight Commander (installed YEEEEaaaaah)
  5. wireless = down (dunno how to set this up yet)
Thats pretty much as far as I have gotten. Oh also.. just installed sudo

Oh also, 1 more thing... I don't know why but everytime i press backspace too much, i get an annoying buzz from my speakers. How do i kill that?

This post has been edited by farkinid: Mar 5 2011, 02:39 AM
TSfarkinid
post Mar 5 2011, 03:05 AM

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QUOTE(G-17 @ Mar 5 2011, 02:53 AM)
Hah... first time I installed Gentoo years ago, I didn't sleep the whole weekend, and went to work on Monday looking like a heroin-addicted refugee ... and I still broke teh install after all that >_<
Forgot to tell you that you'll need alsa (or alsa-base) for sound.

Never used SLIM before. It's always been standard startx or XDM for me. Try this;
http://rustyshacklefordslibrarycard.wordpr...debian-squeeze/

For wireless, install wicd. Then type "wicd-curses" to set up your wireless.
I dunno. I remember reading something about it (you'll have to blacklist your pc-beep speaker), I'll search for the solution tomorrow.... I cannot stay awake already... very tired X_X
*
Yup, i got alsa up pretty fast. SLiM is done too. I'm reaching limit already. Gotta sleep. Good nighte man

Added on March 5, 2011, 9:27 pmAlright, I'm stumped. I can't get transparent xterm on scrotwm. What other x-terminal-emulator is there which supports transparency?

This post has been edited by farkinid: Mar 5 2011, 09:27 PM
TSfarkinid
post Mar 6 2011, 01:57 AM

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hmm that sounds good but I can't find the scrotwm.conf here.

Also, I've already played around with SLiM and Midnight Commander. Just don't have the brain power to handle Scrot right now. Will appreciate your conf file.
TSfarkinid
post Mar 6 2011, 03:25 PM

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QUOTE(Acid_RuleZz @ Mar 6 2011, 02:08 AM)
create 1 in ~/

refer to this post by G
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...&#entry38616789
*
thanks man

QUOTE(G-17 @ Mar 6 2011, 02:08 AM)
Gaah ... sorry... just realized I didn't actually post the link >_<

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1637124/+121
Read, download and place the config where it's supposed to go.
Also includes a basic .Xdefaults with one of my colorschemes to match the .scrotwm.conf colors, and also a .bashrc if you want (it's pretty basic though ... I haven't used a bashrc in a while since I migrated to zsh)

Edit: you might need to modify some of the quirks that control the floating behaviour, since I configured it for other people who use Nautilus as their primary FM.

Added on March 6, 2011, 5:18 amEdit2: Regarding that speaker beep you mentioned yesterday, I found I had a similar issue on my old ThinkPad earlier today. This was in Gentoo, but should work universally on any Linux system.

As root, open up your /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf with your desired editor.

Then add this to the end;
CODE
#disable annoying pc speaker beep
blacklist pcspkr


Save.

Fire up your terminal and do this to unload the pcspkr module.
CODE
rmmod pcspkr


Worked for me, and I hope it does the trick for you too.
*
yup, I've done the annoying beeps already. thanks.

As for the scrotwm.conf, I wonder whats going to happen since I already chose to use Midnight Commander as my file manager. Its pretty lightweight and highly configurable but really configuration heavy.
TSfarkinid
post Mar 7 2011, 01:15 AM

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QUOTE(G-17 @ Mar 6 2011, 05:04 PM)
Well, you just comment out the Nautilus quirk (I think I only put 1 in there), since you'll usually start MC in a term, or if you want a keycombo to launch it, you can do "urxvt -e mc" (if you're using urxvt, that is).

As for Midnight Commander, it all depends on the user's level of comfort. I used to be a huge fan or Norton Commander (which MC is based on), so transitioning to MC was natural for me. Recently, I've gotten more mileage with Ranger (you'll have to install from source) with it's Vi keybindings and simple layout. Other CLI file managers you can try are Vifm and FDclone, both are in standard Debian repos. I prefer CLI, but one disadvantage some people might not be able to live with is the lack of USB/SD-card hotplugging support. Depends on the user.

There's nothing wrong with using a graphical file manager, but most people who use lightweight window managers tend to prefer lighter types like Thunar, Gentoo or PCmanFM.

If you need any other assistance with regards to ScrotWM (or any other WM, for that matter), feel free to ask. smile.gif Some people have had trouble getting their startup apps and wallpaper to when when starting ScrotWM, for example. It's just a matter of creating a simple script, making it executable, and have your GDM/SLIM/.xinitrc config point to it.

Cheers~
*
Thanks man. I've already gotten the wallpaper up and running. I know how to get the startup apps running (I think) but I haven't done it because I don't really want anything running on boot. Basically I've decided to let SLIM do the startups.

Added on March 7, 2011, 12:15 pmOh crap, need some help with midnight commander. I can't seem to open .zip files. I'm not sure what software to use. For .tar.gz files MC uses utar. Oh wai... i got it..... nvm...

On a side note, Arch users are called Archers. Slackware guys are called Slackers, what about debian guys then?

Oh great, another problem. I just realized my touchpad is either scroll enabled or tap-click enabled. On default installation, the scroll on the touchpad was working. But after I managed to get my tap-click, the scroll has been disabled.

Tried using gpointing-device-settings to enable both at the time but it doesn't seem to find the touchpad. 'sudo tpconfig' shows that Synaptic touchpad found, firmware 8.96. Pretty confused now.

This post has been edited by farkinid: Mar 7 2011, 04:43 PM
TSfarkinid
post Mar 8 2011, 09:58 AM

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Ok, thread renamed. Enjoy biggrin.gif

As for the touchpad, the following works :-
CODE
synclient TapButton1=1 &

Now I gotta make it run on boot. I've figured out why it didn't use to work though. I had created touchpad.conf and placed it into the modprobe.d folder. That managed to get my click-tap on but disabled scroll. Once I deleted the conf and ran synclient, it worked.

I'm curious though, if I put the synclient command into touchpad.conf, will it work? We'll find out later today I guess.

Added on March 8, 2011, 11:22 amOh, 1 more thing. I'm stumped. How do I take a screenshot? (stop laughing at me). I tried using screenshot.sh and put it in ~/bin. But when I do that, instead of getting a screenshot, I get the same buzz I used to get before I blacklisted pcspkr.

This post has been edited by farkinid: Mar 8 2011, 11:22 AM
TSfarkinid
post Mar 8 2011, 12:53 PM

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QUOTE(G-17 @ Mar 8 2011, 12:32 PM)
Why would I laugh at you?
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «


Are you sure your ~/bin is in your $PATH

To see what's in your current $PATH, do this in terminal;
CODE
echo $PATH


...and to add your~/bin to $PATH, do this;
CODE
PATH=$PATH:/home/xxxx/bin

Replace 'xxxx' with your user name

With regards to screenshots, I don't use ScrotWM's included screenshot script. I prefer simple scrot.
Note: scrot and scrotwm are totally different packages. the former is a screenshot taking tool and the latter is the wm.

just "apt-get install scrot" and then use it from terminal

Examples:
scrot = takes instant screenshot
scrot -d x = takes screenshot after x delay (replace x with a number for seconds)
scrot -cd x = same as above, but it displays a visual countdown for you. (see my last screenshot in the screenshot thread here)

You can do "man scrot" in terminal for more variables, or refer here = http://pwet.fr/man/linux/commandes/scrot

smile.gif

P.S
Could you remove the "Hosted by" part from the thread title. Very embarassing/paiseh/malu lah. sweat.gif
*
Yup, my path is definitely ~/bin. I checked before I cp-d the script there.

I also already have scrot. The screenshot.sh bash script uses scrot to take the picture. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong though. Will read through man scrot. (I hope my boss doesn't realize that I'm pretending to work instead of actually working).

As for the title... NO! I like it there tongue.gif
Having your name there will give newbies comfort that they are getting info from a guru instead of just farkinid.

Edit : ok after reading thru the man. I think i got it. Attached is result

This post has been edited by farkinid: Mar 8 2011, 01:06 PM


Attached thumbnail(s)
Attached Image
TSfarkinid
post Mar 9 2011, 10:14 AM

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QUOTE(G-17 @ Mar 8 2011, 08:58 PM)
^ Wah!! ... that's a very serious looking desktop, girl!!

Now you should start theming it.
Start with your .Xdefaults
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=51818&p=1
http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic/99...ith-screenshot/

I assume you're on the default bash/dash shell (rather than zsh or ksh)
Look here: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Color_Bash_Prompt

Edit: to theme MC, look here:
http://plug-and-pray.blogspot.com/2009/09/...ders-color.html

Also try these wonderful Term Apps;

IRC: Weechat, Irssi

IM : CenterIM, Finch

RSS/Atom Feeds: Newsbeuter, Snownews, Raggle

Mail: Alpine, Mutt
Alpine is easier to set up. Mutt can be a b*tch, but is highly customizable

Browser: Elinks, W3m, Links2

Audio: MoC, MPD/Ncmpcpp, Cmus, Orpheus
I personally use MoC because of it's in-built EQ, but many people like Ncmpcpp

Video: Mplayer. use "mplayer -msgcolor -msgmodule file.extension" to get colored output like this. You can set an alias for it in your ~/.bashrc

Editor: Vim

Here's a great blog by a friend from the Arch/Ubuntu forums.
http://kmandla.wordpress.com/
*
Thanks, I like serious looking desktops. Makes me look like a serious computer geek & virgin for life tongue.gif

QUOTE(Acid_RuleZz @ Mar 9 2011, 04:44 AM)
Just want to share my Great Debian Tiling Wm Adventure.. hosted by G-17  tongue.gif

1. My Volume buttons won't work out of the box. I had to add this lines into .scrotwmconf to enable it.
2. Instead of "feh --bg-scale <insertpath>" i use "sh ~/.fehbg" to change my wallpaper so i don't have to reedit the path in my startup script everytime i want to change it.

3. I had to put "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" in my startup script to set my cpu scaling to Ondemand. Default is Performance.

@farkinid
do you have dmenu installed?
*
Yes actually, I do have dmenu. Thanks for the keyboard volume shortcuts. I was wondering how to do it but wasn't high on priority (being forced to listen to myFM everyday makes me play my music loud)
TSfarkinid
post Mar 9 2011, 07:02 PM

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OK, you guys have been a great help. But I have to ask a really really really really noob question now. I've been trying to get
CODE
synclient Tapbutton1=1 &

to run on boot the last 4 days with no luck. What am I missing?

I'm a little confused with xinit, xsession and slim.
TSfarkinid
post Mar 10 2011, 10:50 AM

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Here is slim.conf
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «


The thing is, I don't have an .xinitrc anywhere. When I try to put 1 in /home/(username)/ my boot fails. So I'm a little confused.

The command
CODE
find / -name '.xinitrc'
doesn't return any results. Also, with slim, I suspect the reason why my bootup script after slim isn't working is because slim has to be configured to boot into my custom settings. Currently, its on default. Only problem is, I don't know where to put the custom settings.
TSfarkinid
post Mar 10 2011, 11:51 AM

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QUOTE(G-17 @ Mar 10 2011, 11:32 AM)
@farkinid
Okay, I have a very busy day ahead of me, so I'll make this quick and will try to check in whenever I have time.

Firstly,
Do you have a file called "login" (probably a script) in your /bin? If yes, what's inside? if it contains stuff other than your personal details (username, password) can you paste the contents here (after removing your personal details, obviously)

Also, try to see if you have a /bin/bash -login /etc/X11/Xsession %session and paste contents here.

A temporary thing you can try for now;
Install "rcconf" from repos and run it (as root or sudo) and disable slim. Then create a ~/.xinitrc and put in whatever you need followed by "&" for each, except for the final exec line...

Example:
CODE
#!/bin/sh

#Enable uim at startup
export LANG=en_US.UTF-8 LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8

#US Keyboard
setxkbmap us &

#Touchpad Tap-2-Click
synclient Tapbutton1=1 &

#Wallpaper
feh --bg-scale /home/farkinid/wallpapers/smile.jpg &

exec scrotwm


Make executable (just in case)

Save and reboot. If it works, you should boot into a TTY and asked for your username and password. Then you launch scrotwm by typing 'startx'

if it fails, from tty, delete the ~/.xinitrc, run rcconf again and enable back slim and reboot, and you should go back to square-1, and I'll try to help some more after work or during tea-time if I can escape for a bit.

Sorry if you find typos .. I'm in a rush
*
No worries. Take your time. The laptop is working fine. Its just the little things what I want changed. I'm not in a rush. Have a good day and stop embedding little hentai references in the "[code]" boxes tongue.gif
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