Afterstep

[mlangdn]

I downloaded and installed Afterstep-1.8.11 and cannot get it to show up in the menu for X. I went to the mailing list and have tried a few things I found there, but still no go.

I used:
./configure
make
su to root
make install
with no options passed. Maybe that was the wrong way to go in the beginning.

[Grogan]

No, that's the right way to go about it. If you didn't specify --prefix, by default it will be installed to /usr/local. (/usr/local/bin for the executables and /usr/local/share/afterstep for the system wide configuration)

However, for it to show up in your KDM login menu as a session type, you'll have to make some edits to some files. Unfortunately I don't really know for sure how Mandrake implements the back end. (In slackware, that's XDM and the business end of it is /etc/X11/xdm/Xsession ).

For the KDM front end, the file is kdmrc in $KDEDIR/share/config/kdm, but you don't have to edit that. You can add session types through KDE Control Center, under Administration. There's a Login Manager dialog where you can configure many aspects of the KDM login's appearance and behaviour.

So try adding afterstep as a session type, in that dialog. There may be more you have to do to get it to work, but that'll at least make it show up in the KDM session type menu :-)

For now, until you get that figured out, you can start the system in, or change to runlevel 3 and use the startx command to start X with afterstep as your window manager. At least you'll get to see what you built anyway. I'll caution you though, adding entries to the afterstep menus will entail manual edits to menu files. It's not hard... they are in /usr/local/share/afterstep/start, or can be overridden with user based menu files. For now you can start anything not in the menus using a terminal (or use afterstep's "run" script)

OK, when you use the startx command to start XFree86, a hidden "dot" file in your home directory, named .xinitrc is looked for. Make it contain the command to start your window manager. This may be all that's required (.xinitrc can contain environment variables and stuff but often not necessary)... open a terminal as your user, and be in your home directory (usually the default anyway when you open a terminal)

echo "exec afterstep" > .xinitrc

chmod 755 .xinitrc

Now, you can either reboot the machine and issue Linux 3 at the LILO boot prompt (in Mandrake you might have to press F1 to actually be able to type a command at the boot prompt)

Or you can drop down to runlevel 3 by typing as root (you can use su)

init 3

That will kill all processes (It tries gracefully first, then terminates if the processes don't listen) and drop you down to command line, and you can type startx and Afterstep should load. There are some decent Themes/styles included, that you can play with and see what look you like best.

[mlangdn]

Thanks G, I will give this a go and let you know what happens.

[mlangdn]

Rats - didn't work!
Changed to init 3 and got this:
Line 1: exec: afterstep: not found
Changed to init 5 to get the log on screen back and chose afterstep from the menu and got IceWm instead. Back to the drawing board! It isn't finding something. I had no errors during the configure or install.

[Grogan]

type which afterstep

If it's in your path, it should tell you where it is.

Type whereis afterstep and if the binary or man pages exist in locations that aren't in your path, it'll show you where they are.

find / -name afterstep

To search the whole system.

If it built correctly (the build didn't fail) and you sent it to the default location, the binary should be /usr/local/bin/afterstep.

You might just have to edit .xinitrc and type the full path to it, if for some reason the binary can't be found.

exec /usr/local/bin/afterstep

[mlangdn]

That find command takes awhile. This is what I got from find:

[Grogan]

It doesn't appear that the binary compiled or installed. Try compiling it again maybe.

[BobGuy]

Originally posted by mlangdn
I downloaded and installed Afterstep-1.8.11

What exactly did you download? A .tgz or .rpm, source-rpm, .src.rpm?

Is this for Slackware or Mandrake?

[mlangdn]

All-righty then. I am in business now!
Grogan pointed out that the executable did not compile. I re-compiled and had the same result. So I just went back to afterstep.org and downloaded the 2.0 Beta version and started again. This time, it worked! I checked for an executable and found one in /usr/local/bin.

Now I have the dangest looking desktop I ever seen! This is going to take some time getting used to.

Sorry Bob, it's Mandrake - had to edit real quick!

[mlangdn]

I downloaded both files as .tgz
The 2.0 Beta was nearly twice the size of the 1.8.11.

This manager is way different from KDE. I ahve a lot to learn in using this one. I started KPPP from a terminal because I did not find it in the menu anywhere. After it started and I wanted to close it, I couldn't find it again. Had to kill it from a terminal with the kill command.

I still have to drop to init 3 from a terminal, then use startx to bring up Afterstep. It is listed in the menu, but starts IceWm instead.

When I open Mozilla, I do not see the bottom where I use to open Mozilla mail - which is what I use. Have to use Ctrl-2 to open the mail client. Windows do not maximize with the third button, they still only fill 1/4 of the screen. There seems to be a separation bar in the middle of the screen. Can't seem to figure out the layout yet. But I have time, and it sure is a different look! It can be damn pretty! Have to get some more themes.