PCLinuxOS Openbox Bonsai 2010.11<s>.13</s> who wants to test ?

[melodie]

Thanks for your work on this, Melodie! I am giving my wife my desktop machine and putting LXDE on it. This means I get to play with her old emachines (128mb ram, 4mb video!). 

128mb ram is really very little. When you will be trying, incase you use PCC, or Synaptic, if it starts lagging a bit or even too much, (which is very possible as they are the most gready apps installed actually) what you could do is give up on theses : maybe you know that, or maybe not : all the sections of PCC can be accessed from a console, in a very nice dark blue ncurse fashion. For instance, to configure internet : drakconnect is your friend. Or to get to configure X : drakx11. How to know ? Not very difficult, by typing "drakx<tab>" (hit tab without leaving a space before hitting the tab key"). Not using Synaptic is not too difficult either, apt-get, apt-cache search and apt-cache show are of a great help to get most informations we need.

When I am home, I will have the opportunity to play with this more, including installing.

Galen

Looking forward to read about it.

Regards,
Mélodie

[jlf001]

Hi,

Second new version of the day:
pclinuxos-openbox-mini-2010-09-07_2.iso

pclinuxos-openbox-mini-2010-09-07_2.md5

Regards, and thanks again to all testing them,
Mélodie

Hi Mélodie,

I just got home from work and I'm downloading the latest version at this time.  I look forward to testing it out.

Jeff

[gseaman]

First report:

I am using the latest download as a livecd, copy from my windows partition to a usb flash drive. This drive has no drive in win98. There is very little memory left and no swap partition, but it is not crashing! I will attempt to install in graphical mode, but I am very doubtful that it will work. If it fails, I will boot to cli only and install from there. (The icons for pcmanfm should be changed.)

Galen

[melodie]

Hi,

Next version will have destop-file-utils, because it provides the update-desktop-database command and, it appears after I read the pcmanfm 0.5.2 documentation that this command should be invoked at post-install time, just after the command update-mime-database /usr/share/mime.

Extract of this doc you can see by opening file:///usr/share/doc/pcmanfm-0.5.2/README (if there is no doc there, I may have erased it, you'll get it back by reinstalling pcmanfm, with the "--reinstall" option of "apt-get install" command line).

Extract:

Here are some detailed IMPORTANT notes and FAQs for users and packagers.
...
1. Add these two commands in your post-inst scripts, or some things won't work:
  update-mime-database /usr/share/mime
  update-desktop-database

...

** Detailed explanation for every issues related to PCManFM:

Mime Type Handling:

1. Running update-mime-database /usr/share/mime as root after installation
  is needed because PCManFM adds some new mime-type definitions
  to the system to speed up the recognition of some well-known Windows files.
  (This also improve other programs using the same shared mime database)
  So, regenerating the the cache of the database is required since it's changed.

  * To packagers: Don't forget to do this in your post-inst scripts.

...

  * Besides, running update-desktop-database as root is required after
  installation since all applications for all mime-types are cached on
  the system according to the freedesktop.org specs to improve performance.
  Without this cache, PCManFM won't work properly.

  * To packagers: Don't forget to do this in your post-inst scripts.

...

update-mime-database itself is ok, as it it provided by shared-mime-info which is already a dependency of this pcmanfm package version. (rpm -qf and apt-cache search are my friends !)

I also have to change the default console in lxpanel, as it's still "lxterminal" whereas only sakura is installed.

Regards, and test well.

For thoses who still have the preceeding version : of Sept 06 or before, would you please try this to see if it improves the desktop background first login problem ?

Install desktop-file-utils ; reinstall pcmanfm ; incase you don't see post-install messages (I hope they have been set... ?) then start them yourself in a root console:

Code: [Select]

# update-mime-database /usr/share/mime && update-desktop-database
copy /usr/share/applications/pcmanfm.desktop to /home/user/.config/autostart/

After login, whether background *with icon* is there or not, would you check the home user .xsession-errors log and report if you see anything related to pcmanfm ?

Thanks,
Mélodie

[jlf001]

Mélodie,

I've got pclinuxos-openbox-mini-2010-09-07_2 up and running in VirtualBox.  So far, here's what I find:

1)  On initial log on, the My Documents folder is sporadic, sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not.
2)  Htop will not run from the drop down menu, however, it runs fine within the terminal.
3)  When I change to View as Detailed List in PCman File Manager, I have problems opening more that one folder.    The other options, View as Compact List and View as Icons work fine.
4)  When I shutdown, I get a read error in reference to libpng, however, the system does shutdown.

I'll report back later on anything else I find.  Keep up the great work.

Jeff

[melodie]

Mélodie,

I've got pclinuxos-openbox-mini-2010-09-07_2 up and running in VirtualBox.  So far, here's what I find:

1)  On initial log on, the My Documents folder is sporadic, sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not.

It is ugly to get a black background at first login isn't it ? As yet I didn't find out why pcmanfm crashes at that moment, I used a trick, and feh is also started : look into the autostart.sh file ! You will see it. (I have put the comments in english and in french into it, so many people can see what each line is meant for). I installed that version in Vbox, and it also did like that at first boot in live session, then after install I got the background and the icon directly (=managed by pcmanfm). Really if I don't find the true and clean solution, at the end everybody will get it with tint2 and background managed by feh.

No way I can leave it as it is, even if no icons at all are on the desktop !  
/icons on the desktops are not really necessary... imo

2)  Htop will not run from the drop down menu, however, it runs fine within the terminal.

What does it do when you click on the dropdown menu ? Is that in the live session or even after install ? :idea: what if you change the terminal from lxterminal to sakura in the panel settings, advanced tab, then logout/login and try again ? Does it still not start htop from the menu ?

3)  When I change to View as Detailed List in PCman File Manager, I have problems opening more that one folder.    The other options, View as Compact List and View as Icons work fine.

Would you try what I said just above a few minutes ago ? Install desktop-file-utils and launch the 2 commands as root in terminal. Then try again and tell us if that helps ?

4)  When I shutdown, I get a read error in reference to libpng, however, the system does shutdown.

This one is in all versions, and appearantly no one has discovered why. At least I'm sure it's also in the full Openbox version and in Lxde, although libpng has been updated after it had been seen first. Maybe something related to plymouth and how it starts and stops... not sure at all.

I'll report back later on anything else I find.  Keep up the great work.

Jeff

Thank you very much.

[jlf001]

No way I can leave it as it is, even if no icons at all are on the desktop !  
/icons on the desktops are not really necessary... imo

I agree, icons on the desktop are not really necessary.

What does it do when you click on the dropdown menu ? Is that in the live session or even after install ? :idea: what if you change the terminal from lxterminal to sakura in the panel settings, advanced tab, then logout/login and try again ? Does it still not start htop from the menu ?

It was both the live version and after the install.  Changing to sakura in the panel settings took care of this, without a logout/login. 

Would you try what I said just above a few minutes ago ? Install desktop-file-utils and launch the 2 commands as root in terminal. Then try again and tell us if that helps ?

Unfortunately, that did not work, however, I'm now able to move the panel to the bottom of the screen and not lose it.  I think that problem was already mentioned in another post.  Would that have something to do with desktop-file-utils?

Jeff

[melodie]

Would you try what I said just above a few minutes ago ? Install desktop-file-utils and launch the 2 commands as root in terminal. Then try again and tell us if that helps ?

Unfortunately, that did not work, however, I'm now able to move the panel to the bottom of the screen and not lose it.  I think that problem was already mentioned in another post.  Would that have something to do with desktop-file-utils?

Jeff

This is possible, as I read in the pcmanfm manual, it contains the update-desktop-database command, and... well the package or the srcrpm package chould be interesting to visit, to see exactly what else.
The command line:

Code: [Select]

$ apt-cache show desktop-file-utils
provides some informations:

Description:
 desktop-file-utils contains a couple of command line utilities for working
 with desktop entries. It requires GLib and popt to compile, because the
 implementation requires Unicode utilities and such.
 
 Right now the only documentation is "desktop-file-install --help".
 desktop-file-validate takes a single argument, the file to validate.

Therefore we can conclude with little risk that it brings in 2 commands, desktop-file-install, desktop-file-validate additionnally to the other one:

Code: [Select]

# rpm -qf /usr/bin/update-desktop-database
desktop-file-utils-0.14-2pclos2007
(what package does this file belong to ? we got the answer)

What did you find (in the home directory) in the above mentioned file .xsession-errors ?

Thanks, and good night to all.

[jlf001]

What did you find (in the home directory) in the above mentioned file .xsession-errors ?

See the following from the .xsession-errors file:

etc/X11/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup...
/etc/X11/gdm/Xsession: Setup done, will execute: /usr/bin/ssh-agent -- /usr/share/X11/xdm/Xsession default
localhost being added to access control list

** (process:5021): WARNING **: removed previous socket file
** (lxpanel:5022): DEBUG: cache file_name = /home/guest/.cache/menus/428bd1e323ab13303a9c02c120ea6cac

By the way, I'm now unable to move the panel back to the top after a reboot without losing it.

I look forward to your next remake and will continue this tomorrow,

Jeff

[ka9yhd]

Hi Melodie:

I would like very much to test it, however I have discovered that the B43 module and the 2.6.33-7 kernel do not play nice with each other.  Because my wireless, Broadcom BCM4318, will not connect to anything.

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,78729.0.html

[melodie]

Hi,

Jeff, the message from .xsession-errors don't show anything abnormal so far. At next version, would you look at it just after the very first login please, and copy it entirely here ? (in code would be ok).

The new one is out.

When I try to change lxpanel from up to bottom now, in the install from where I pull the remasters (I'll call it the factory remaster), if I try to move lxpanel to the bottom it crashes with this message (starting it from the console):

Code: [Select]

[guest@localhost] lxpanel
** (lxpanel:3254=: DEBUG: cache file_name = : /home/guest/.cache/menus/428bd1e323ab13903a9c02c120ea6cac
lxpanel: simple.c:432: snd_mixer_selem_get_playback_switch: Assertion `elem` failed.
Aborted
[guest@localhost]
Well... seeing this message I may have solved it. I had formerly removed the place where the mixer is shown, because of the right logout button that can't be used without more packages installed (lxession-lite which contains the lxde-logout command... but brings in too many packages - more or less all Lxde). I just removed the mixer from within the lxpanel right-click menu > Add / Remove Panel Items.

Then I tried again changing from top to bottom and now it goes to bottom without crashing. This one looks like it's solved.

New one (where this is not yet solved) is here:
http://melodie.tyruiop.org/pclinuxos-core-cli-and-children/

[ ]   pclinuxos-openbox-mini-2010-09-08.iso   08-Sep-2010 03:33    249M
[ ]   pclinuxos-openbox-mini-2010-09-08.md5   08-Sep-2010 03:33    72

Don't forget to check md5sum.

(Reminder: the command line "md5sum -c pclinuxos-openbox-mini-2010-09-08.md5" started in a directory where both files are installed will - if iso is ok - return back: "OK").

Hi Melodie:

I would like very much to test it, however I have discovered that the B43 module and the 2.6.33-7 kernel do not play nice with each other.  Because my wireless, Broadcom BCM4318, will not connect to anything.

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,78729.0.html

Hi ka9yhd,

Someone has told me some time ago already, so I changed the kernel for one that make the broadcom modules work ok.
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,79046.msg652970.html#msg652970

and it works:
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,79046.msg653219.html#msg653219

You would need the specific drivers for the wireless though, so I would suggest you download them and install them by yourself (I don't want to put all the wireless drivers, otherwise it's going to become as large as other versions... this Openbox Mini is meant to make each one's own version, adapted to his specific needs, so I try to install only packages that more or less everybody needs, and that can also be easily removed along with as little dependencies as possible. (ie: wpa_supplicant, rp-pppoe, ndiswrapper are installed).

Regards,
Mélodie



Regards,
Mélodie

[melodie]

What if I leave the panel at the bottom ? Does this suit every one here better ?

Thanks,
Mélodie

[melodie]

For next version as well:
I added a file named .Xresources in the home directory + in /etc/skel and in the home of root. It contains this:

Code: [Select]

Xft.lcdfilter: lcddefault
and is meant to improve the look of the characters on lcd screens.

[uncleV]

What if I leave the panel at the bottom ? Does this suit every one here better ?

Thanks,
Mélodie

You better put it diagonally to the screen.
Yes.

[melodie]

What if I leave the panel at the bottom ? Does this suit every one here better ?

Thanks,
Mélodie

You better put it diagonally to the screen.
Yes.

I will, if you tell me how to do that.

(catched! )