X Configuration Woes

[Arindam]

> > Some updates:
> >
> > Following this I did a fresh install using the FreeBSD6.1 CD1. Xorg
> > installed is 6.9.0.
> > I did not run xorgconfig or anything. There was no /etc/X11/xorg.conf
> > either. From the command-line I ran "xdm" and the GUI started ... I
> > could login ... and then that's about it.
> >
> > 1. The Mouse still does not work ... may be I should try MouseSystems
> > protocol.
>
> I can't say much about the mouse.   I usually let it figure out
> things itself and it works.  Is it a plain ps2 mouse (with round ps2
> connector)?   I just do the mouse test during sysinstall and it works.

Well, well ... sometimes I feel these days being a Linux user is no
big deal. May be it never was but at least in the old days, by being a
Linux user, I used to be more aware of what goes inside my box and
what lights blink to tell what story. These days, Linux ... should I
say most of the distros rather, make you feel like a pampered fuzzy
user ... you really don't need to know an awful lot more about your
box to get a fully functional system than you need to install M$
Window$. Some like it that way, but for me the fun is lost ... perhaps
_the_ reason why I switched to FreeBSD ... anything comparable could
do for me but I just happened to get my hands on these couple of ISOs.

>
> > 2. What should I do about GNOME / KDE etc. I am not aching to get a
> > jazzy a GUI on my FreeBSD installation. I can make do with a very
> > minimal one. But I want a minimal one at least now, I just have to get
> > this running or I can't sleep.
>
> If you don't want a fancy GUI desktop, then skip KDE and Gnome.
>
> I prefer to use Afterstep.   It installs nicely.
> It is found in ports at    /usr/ports/x11-wm/afterstep
> It can be a little confusing at first to set up and configure - as are
> all X things - but after getting it configured for me, it gives me what I
> need: several windows for logging in to various hosts, a button to bring
> up Firefoxand X support for whatever I run, such as OpenOffice or Xpdf
> or Xmahjongg and a couple of other games, etc.
>
> The only thing I haven't managed to my liking is getting it to create
> anchor buttons for each thing when I bring it up.  It only does so for the
> minimized windows.   I got that in one version, but it seemed to mess up
> the focus control and click to bring forward action so I gave up on that.
>
> I edited:   /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/xinitrc
> to make it work my way.   I think you can make individual .xinitrc files
> in home directories as well, but I wanted mine to work for all of my
> small handful of accounts so I edited the main one.

I am tired of these two lookalikes ... KDE and GNOME. They weren't in
the olden days ... but they have undergone some serious plastic
surgery of late and now I don't like the taste of either. So XFCE or
Afterstep would be welcome changes. As another poster mentioned
Ratpoison, I would be keen to find out about it too ... since it has
been dubbed for being keyboard friendly. I hate mice.

>
> Have fun,

You bet I am having fun. I am writing a blog article on why I picked
up FreeBSD. You can find it after a while on my sparse blog
http://shoddykid.blogspot.com.

>
> ////jerry
>