I am truly X challenged, X windows that is. I just cannot get X to run for anything. I get the gist of it, I have surely used it, but set it up form nothing, and I get nowhere.
At least two years ago, I was trying to setup up X windows on OpenBSD (I think it was 3.8 then) and try as I may, I could not get it to run. I scraped trying, I only have on installation left and it’s all text. 🙂
So recently, over the last couple of weeks, I have been working with Gentoo. I really like Gentoo, it’s a pain to setup, but its because of all the options and the ability to only build into it what you need. My IBM R40 installation is very quick for such an old machine. The issue, as usual, is that I cannot get X to work. I am truly X Challenged.
Why can’t there be a step-by-step guide explaining all the different pieces that are needed to get X to run. I don’t want anything fancy, just Windowmaker with perhaps wdm as a manager. Not sure really, because I have never successfully set it up from scratch.
So if you have a good walk through that you can point me to which explains the different pieces I need to get X working, I will be very grateful.
Stuff From an IT Slug 
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Monday, February 25, 2008 at 18:06:40
Nat
With OpenBSD you’d have had to download the x install sets, all of them start with x in their names during the install. /usr/X11R6/README would be available if you did install them, then you’d set machdep.allowaperture=2 in /etc/sysctl.conf as well.
Monday, February 25, 2008 at 20:08:55
Brettski
Thanks Nat, pretty sure I followed that. new I had all the x stuff installed from the installation. Don’t recall a setting of machdep.allowaperture=2 in sysctl.conf, but it has been a while. Perhaps I will throw together a vm and try it on a 4.2 install.
So whats that setting for anyway?
Monday, February 25, 2008 at 22:10:47
Nat
It allows X to access things it shouldn’t, because X is evil by design and wants to get to the hardware instead of going through the kernel like a good programme.
The install asks you if you want to run X these days, so it will set that for you based on your choice instead of making you edit the file.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 17:05:36
Brettski
Thanks Nat, I do appreciate your feedback. Btw, you ever setup Gentoo?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 21:09:22
Brettski
You know, it’s all to simple sometimes. Found a link
http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/xorg-config.xml
looks straight forward, but I am sure something will be wrong. I am X Challenged you know.