openSUSE-11.3 LXDE Milestone2 experience

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

I just finished an install on my “sandbox” PC of openSUSE-11.3 milestone2, selecting the lightweight LXDE desktop. This is the first time I have actually installed LXDE in its own partition (previous I only played with liveCDs) and the first time I’ve installed an 11.3 milestone release, so that may mean my comments are coloured by a serious lack of experience with LXDE and 11.3 (milestone).

Thus far its been interesting …

Details:

My “sandbox” PC is a 10 year old 32-bit AMD Athlon-1100 w/1GB RAM (running on an MSI KT3 Ultra motherboard) w/nVidia GeForce FX5200 graphics AGP card. I replaced my previous openSUSE-11.2 Gnome installation for this LXDE (I’m a big KDE user, but I’ll miss that Gnome, and I may install Gnome in another partition - but thats not relevant to this thread). When installing 11.3 milestone2 LXDE, I installed from a DVD, choosing to deselect the “autoconfig” option, choosing the LXDE destkop, disabled ipv6 and enabled ssh. I also installed kernel-source, kernel-syms, and the base-development pattern (in anticipation of installing the custom nvidia proprietary driver).

Installation went ok as anticipated - this PC hardware is very Linux friendly. The initial boot came up at 1024x768 resolution (as evident by “xrandr” ) , and an examination of the log files indicated it was using the “nv” (opensource nvidia) graphic driver. I had to install “leafpad” editor to look at the log file. Is there an editor installed by default in the LXDE pattern? If not, then I suggest “leafpad” is a good light weight choice and should be added by default.

Fonts were horrible (and I’m typically NOT fussy wrt fonts). I note pulse audio was ENABLED by default. This “sandbox” PC has two audio devices, and as Murphy would have it, the wrong one (from my perspective) was enabled by default. But a quick trip to YaST fixed that, and sound worked fine. I note “GMixer” is the mixer.

Internet worked immediately (via a wired connection). I note when launching firefox and other apps, there is no feedback (such as a busy symbol, or bouncing ball, or something). Thats likely an LXDE characteristic, but that coupled with the fact that a double click was necessary to launch applications was irriatating to myself (I’m a one-click launch application user). I eneded up double-clicking, triple-clicking, and getting generally frustrated when trying to launch applications, launching many instances of the same apps by mistake due to the lack of feedback and my unfamiliarity with the doubleclick limiation. But thats just me struggling with LXDE :slight_smile: … oh … did I say the Fonts were horrible at 1024x768 with the “nv” graphic driver? … Note I am viewing this on a 26" Samsung monitor capable of 1900x1200 resolution.

I did go to System > preferences > appearance, and change to “crux” appearance, which IMHO has very slightly improved fonts, but the fonts were still bad. Real bad.

I noted no /etc/X11/xorg.conf file in this 11.3 milestone2 install. So I rebooted to run level 3 and ran “sax2 -r -m 0=nv” and configured to 1900x1200 resolution. But when I rebooted to LXDE, I was still at 1024x768 resolution, despite my previous sax2 efforts. I don’t know if this is an LXDE hiccup or a hiccup with the depreciated sax2, but it was puzzling. Did I say the fonts were still bad?

Still, no worries, as I did not intend to keep the “nv” driver". Instead, I rebooted to run level 3 and installed the proprietary nVidia 173.14.25 legacy graphic driver “the hardway” (which is not hard). I then ran “nvidia-xconfig” (instead of sax2) to configure the proprietary driver, and then rebooted to LXDE. This time the fonts were nice. Real nice :slight_smile: …

I ran ‘xrandr’ and noted the resolution was 1600x1200. Strange, as using the same driver on the same hardware on openSUSE-11.2 would give 1920x1200. … But no matter, the 1600x1200 does look nice. Did I say the fonts were now nice? They are now quite nice. Real nice. :slight_smile:

I then added the packman repository for factory, and installed MPlayer, vlc, and libxine1, and codecs from libffmpeg0. I played some videos and they played very nice !

Some LXDE specific (I think) observations:

  • file transfer between PCs
    : how do I do this? With KDE I could use dolphin or konqueror and “sftp”. With Gnome I could use nautilus and “sftp”. But “sftp” does not appear to be an option with PCMan file manager.
  • reboot menu item
    . When I select reboot from the menu item, it does NOT reboot, but rather it takes me to the loggin prompt. From there, the reboot works fine. I think there is a bug there.
  • speed
    . The desktop itself appears fast. However applications have the same sort of speed as I saw on Gnome and KDE4 with same apps. In truth, this 10-year old PC has too much RAM @ 1GB and it is also too new !!! to challenge LXDE. I think LXDE would really shine (in comparison to Gnome/KDE) on much less capable hardware.
  • automount of USB device
    . I put in one USB stick that worked under KDE4/Gnome in 11.2 on same hardware. It was not automounted, and fdisk gave a really bizzare reading, with fdisk not recognizing the memstick properly (it did see something). I put in a second (different) USB stick, and again it was not automounted. But this memorystick was properly seen by fdisk, and a manual mount worked. I suspect the fdisk hiccup on the 1st memory stick is an 11.3 milestone2 problem, but the lack of automount is a lack of such a feature in LXDE. IMHO thats an omission that others will complain about.
  • no default editor ?
    As noted, I could not find a default GUI editor, so I installed leafpad. IMHO that should be included in the LXDE pattern as the default editor, IF there is no GUI editor already in place (that I may have missed).
  • nv driver resolution
    . The 1024x768 resolution only with the “nv” graphic driver puzzled me. I did not get that limitation on same hardware with openSUSE-11.2 and KDE4 nor Gnome. BUT that may be an 11.3 milestone2 hiccup and not an LXDE hiccup …
  • nv driver fonts
    . These were really really bad. Fortunately with the nvidia proprietary driver in place the fonts are really nice.

Thats all I have for now, maybe later this weekend, or next week, I’ll play with this LXDE install further.
I have no special desktop effects. To me that is the way it should be if one is choosing a desktop with LXDE. Still, I guess I should ask, should I be testing something there?

#2

On 02/20/2010 01:56 PM, oldcpu wrote:
>

>
> Some LXDE specific (I think) observations:
> - file transfer between PCs: how do I do this? With KDE I could
> use dolphin or konqueror and “sftp”. With Gnome I could use nautilus
> and “sftp”. But “sftp” does not appear to be an option with PCMan
> file manager.

I’m running LXDE on an Asus EeePC.
I’m using Konqueror for those, just as I use it in other desktop
environments.

I use fish most of the time, but sftp does the same thing.
I really don’t know their difference in detail.

I also mount remote directories via sshfs.

I think all the above use ssh.

Vahis

“Sunrise 7:47am (EET), sunset 5:21pm (EET) at Espoo, FI (9:33 hours
daylight)”
http://waxborg.servepics.com
Linux 2.6.25.20-0.6-default #1 SMP 2010-01-14 18:58:36 +0100 x86_64
3:44pm up 8:13, 14 users, load average: 0.61, 0.47, 0.34

#3

I thought about that, but when I selected Konqueror for installation, I noted dozens of other dependencies were to be installed, and I decided I did NOT want that, at least not for now until I’ve had a chance to consider it.

Does not installing so many extra KDE specific apps (just for ssh/sftp/fish) defeat the purpose of a light weight distribution? If there is no other option, I may just install konqueror, but I’m curious if there are other solutions (for LXDE).

#4

On 02/20/2010 04:46 PM, oldcpu wrote:
>
> Vahis;2124172 Wrote:
>> I’m running LXDE on an Asus EeePC. I’m using Konqueror for those, just
>> as I use it in other desktop environments.
> I thought about that, but when I selected Konqueror for installation, I
> noted dozens of other dependencies were to be installed, and I decided I
> did NOT want that, at least not for now until I’ve had a chance to
> consider it.
>
> Does not installing so many extra KDE specific apps (just for
> ssh/sftp/fish) defeat the purpose of a light weight distribution? If
> there is no other option, I may just install konqueror, but I’m curious
> if there are other solutions (for LXDE).
>
>
See what this is:
http://blog.lxde.org/?p=445

Looks like a solution.

Vahis

“Sunrise 7:47am (EET), sunset 5:21pm (EET) at Espoo, FI (9:33 hours
daylight)”
http://waxborg.servepics.com
Linux 2.6.25.20-0.6-default #1 SMP 2010-01-14 18:58:36 +0100 x86_64
5:20pm up 9:49, 14 users, load average: 0.24, 0.24, 0.26

#5

One thing I forgot to mention, was I saw this error when installing LXDE. I think this is a milestone2 error and not an LXDE error (note my PC does NOT have a TV card):
http://thumbnails26.imagebam.com/6902/5f71b269016129.gif](http://www.imagebam.com/image/5f71b269016129)

When trying to upload the image from my Canon Ixus 800 IS digital camera to the web, I decided to see if LXDE would work with my camera. I plugged in a USB cable between the camera and the PC, switched on the camera, and nothing. … There was no real surprise there. I now have the view that LXDE does not have “popup” support for devices connected.

So I then checked to see if there was any camera program installed by default. There was none. Again, no surprise. This is a minimal desktop. So I checked to see what would be involved to install the program digikam that I use on KDE. I got this screenshot:
http://thumbnails7.imagebam.com/6902/19a81769016135.gif](http://www.imagebam.com/image/19a81769016135)
That did NOT appeal to me. Far too many dependencies. So I cancelled that.

I then looked at gphoto:
http://thumbnails26.imagebam.com/6902/dbca0e69016138.gif](http://www.imagebam.com/image/dbca0e69016138)
That did not look so bad, but I decided to check some more before deciding what to install, so I cancelled that.

Then I looked at gtkam:
http://thumbnails23.imagebam.com/6902/5e6f4869016141.gif](http://www.imagebam.com/image/5e6f4869016141)
That did not look to bad either, so in the end I flipped a coin and I installed gtkam.

I then plugged in my camera. Nothing. No popup. Ok, no surprise there. LXDE does not provide such popups. So I then ran gtkam, and had it detect my camera. I had to have it scan twice before it finally picked up the Ixus 800 IS camera, but it did see the camera, and I was able to download images.

So that was a successful test !! LXDE works with my camera on my Sandbox PC. Very nice !

#6

While posting screenshots, I thought I would also post a screenshot illustrating the large number of required dependencies to install Konqueror on LXDE. … Its large … I checked out the konqueror dependency requirements so as to install a file manager that has “sftp” support:
http://thumbnails15.imagebam.com/6902/68627269016131.gif](http://www.imagebam.com/image/68627269016131)

I did not install konqueror (at least not yet).

#7

One thing I can not figure out is out to change the LXDE default number of 2 desktops, to the value of 4, which I prefer.

… having typed that, 2 probably makes more sense for an old PC, where one is limited in the number of applications that one can run simultaneous (due to memory constraints).

#8

I tested vnc (server) with LXDE , and succesfully took over an LXDE desktop (on my Sandbox PC) from my main PC on the same LAN (running KDE-4.3.4 on 11.2).

Thats an important capability for me, as I can see LXDE could be on the old PC of an elderly relative, and to be able to maintain their PC and train on their PC remotely (using software such as vnc) is important.

I used my standard command line method to do this, typing on my KDE-4.3.4 PC (to connect to the LXDE PC):

1st terminal on KDE-4.3.4 PC:
ssh -t -L 5900:localhost:5900 oldcpu@ip-address-of-lxde-pc 'x11vnc -localhost -nolookup -nopw -display :0’

2nd terminal on KDE-4.3.4 PC:
vncviewer -encodings “tight copyrect hextile” localhost:0

Note I had the firewall ports appropriately open for both ssh and vnc.

#9

I’ve been using gimp to do my screenshots …

… the reason being the guidance given here How to make screenshots - LXDE.org does not work for me.

…

… another LXDE source of mild irritation is the <CTRL><A> key not only selects but it also copies to the clip board. In comparison on gnome/kde if I wished to select and copy, I would have to press both <CTRL-A> and <CTRL-C>.

Where this affects me, is I am in the habit of selecting an item with <CTRL-C> (which puts the item in the clipboard). Then I go to where have a screen of text that I wish to replace (with my clipboard contents) and I press <CTRL-A>. But unfortunately on LXDE (but not on Gnome nor on KDE) by pressing <CTRL-A> I completely replace what I previously copied with <CTRL-C>, and hence I can not paste/replace. I need thus to go back to my original, and reselect. … I’m not saying this is bad … its just different and it will take some getting used to.

#10

I notice on this wiki page for LXDE that leafpad is the LXDE editor of choice. Hence I think that should be included in the openSUSE LXDE pattern: LXDE.org

#11

I note from here:
LXDE:Questions - LXDE.org

Does LXDE automount plugged in removable devices (USB drives, Flash disks, etc)?

Yes, it does. It mounts devices from /etc/fstab automatically, others - removable and such - get mounted through HAL software.
… if so, and given I get no popups from USB sticks nor from my digital camera, suggests to me that :
(1) either I misread that, or
(2) that is not accurate, or
(3) there is a problem with either the openSUSE LXDE implementation or with openSUSE-11.3 milestone2 for popups …

#12

I finally found where to change this from 2 to 4 …

… under the start menu > system > preferences > openbox configuration > desktop > number of desktops.

Changing that from 2 to 4 worked nicely.

#13

Following the guidance from this blog, I managed to put some icons on the desktop:
how to add a program, icon, application on LXDE desktop | Organizing Linux Information!
… not as friendly as KDE nor Gnome, but that is what one expects with a light weight desktop.

I still have not figured out how to have an icon on the desktop ask the user for the root password.

#14

Hi oldcpu
I would guess it’s xdg-su to ask for the root password.

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.3 Milestone 2 (i586) Kernel 2.6.33-rc7-3-default
up 2:03, 3 users, load average: 0.08, 0.07, 0.08
GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 195.36.03

#15

Thanks, … I note

xdg-su -c 'smart --gui'

works when run in a terminal.

But if I put it in a desktop file:

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=smart-software-manager
Comment=Direct-link-to-smart-software-manager-with-root
Exec=lxterminal --command "xdg-su -c 'smart --gui'"
Icon=/usr/share/pixmaps/smart.png
MimeType=text/plain
Terminal=false
Type=Application
MimeType=text/plain
Categories=System;Utility;Settings;PackageManager;System;

it does not work for me. Likely I am making some other mistake.

I posted asking for help here: LXDE.org Forum • View topic - How to have desktop icon prompt for root password?

#16

Hi
Try the following edit, you might also have to set terminal=true

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.3 Milestone 2 (i586) Kernel 2.6.33-rc7-3-default
up 2:45, 3 users, load average: 0.06, 0.07, 0.11
GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 195.36.03

#17

Thanks that works.

My /usr/share/applications .desktop file ended up being:

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=smart-software-manager
Comment=Direct-link-to-smart-software-manager-with-root
Exec=xdg-su -c 'smart --gui'
Icon=/usr/share/pixmaps/smart.png
MimeType=text/plain
Terminal=false
Type=Application
MimeType=text/plain
Categories=System;Utility;Settings;PackageManager;System;
#18

I managed to setup my HP C309a multifunction printer to work (on our home network) for printing under openSUSE-11.3 LXDE milestone2. It was not easy, not because of LXDE nor openSUSE-11.3 M2, but rather because my test PC is on a sublan, and I had to go thru a router in order to print. … But in the end I succeeded. So I now have printing working with LXDE.