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X11/Fink and Fink Commander

Billicus

Billicus

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 3, 2002
981
2
Charles City, Iowa
Where do I begin? At the beginning I suppose. I downloaded and installed X11 and OpenOffice.org 1.0.3 last night on my computer. I also downloaded and installed both Fink and Fink Commander. I must not be a unix geek because I used Fink Commander to install a couple of binaries, but I don't know what I can do with them now. I was hoping to get a few free applications up and running in X11, but other than Open Office and the Xterm application that is part of X11, I'm at a loss. I am in over my head. I hope you guys can help me sort this out...:confused:
 
If you downloaded binaries you can start them using the terminal. Just change into the right directory and type the binary name or better:

./binaryname

I hope you don't mean that you actually don't have a clue what binaries you downloaded. ;)

Of course, you must have started X11.
 
I don't know how much help I can be other than to let you know that I too am no Unix geek, but I have downloaded and installed all that you mention in your post, plus a few more, and by sheer dumb luck or whatever, I have them all running w/o problems. For example, I downloaded the gimp ( a wonderful thing to just fool around with), and to launch it, i simply launch X11 from my dock, and at the prompt type "gimp", and then "return" in the xterm window -- that's all it takes, it's up and running. And I don't even know what I'm doing. As another example, I downloaded a little app called gperiodic. Again, at the prompt in a xterm window, i simply type "gperiodic" and it launches.

I know also that there are 2 methods of downloading thru Fink Commander, one of which is binaries, and then the other way. I also know that one of them is for geeks who know what they're doing, because it has to be compiled, the other for idiiots like me who don't know what they're doing. I am not sure which is which, but I fear you might have chosen the wrong method with binaries. For myself, I decided that Fink Commander did not simplify things for me, that I actually understood what to do better if I downloaded and installed through the terminal.app or xterm.app by typing "sudo apt-get install programname". All is done automatically for you. Your next step is simply to launch from a xterm window as I have described.
A final note -- you did not mention that as part of your X11 install, you also installed the X11 SDK that is also available for download from the same sight as X11. As I recall my experience, the X11 SDK was a necessary part of making all this work. without it, I believe there is a possibility that you are downloading and installing things that for all practical purposes disappear into the ether after you are done. I hope this helps, and I fervently hope that somebody who really knows what they are talking about follows my post, correcting any misstatements I have made. In any event, don't give up, X11 is the most fun I am having on my mac these days. :)
 
Re: X11/Fink and Fink Commander

Originally posted by Billicus
Where do I begin? At the beginning I supose. I downloaded and installed X11 and OpenOffice.org 1.0.3 last night on my computer. I also downloaded and installed both Fink and Fink Commander. I must not be a unix geek because I used Fink Commander to install a couple of binaries, but I don't know what I can do with them now. I was hoping to get a few free applications up and running in X11, but other than Open Office and the Xterm application that is part of X11, I'm at a loss. I am in over my head. I hope you guys can help me sort this out...:confused:
Click to expand...

I'm not too much of a unix geek either, but i do know enough to survive in the unix world. If you wanna launch the programs from x11 easier than having to move into the dirrectory every time, then you can always type:

mv filepath /usr/X11R6/bin/filename

with the file path being where the original file is including the original filename. Here is an example of a filepath:
/randomprogfolder/randomprog
The "/usr/X11R6/bin/filename" is the path to copy to. make sure you put a filename that doesn't conflict with anything else (you probably should use the original just to be safe). Now when you just type the name of the binary you should be able to run the program without moving to the dirrectory and typing ./filename. This is cause when you just type a command, the shell looks in all of the places that you have specified as executable paths. The first time it finds a binary in one of the paths specified it will run it, but if it doesn't find a binary of that name in any of the specified paths it will give up and return an error. You *could* edit the file that contains the information as to where the binaries are held, but it would probably be safer to copy them into the folder i showed you above. Hope this helps, and sorry if that didn't make sense. Please ask if you have any problems. :)
 
Originally posted by Billicus
I downloaded the Gimp 1.2.5, and decompressed it, but how do I install it so that I can get the application to run in X11?
Click to expand...

I think you should just be able to run it from the xterm window by typing gimp. It's been awhile since I loaded it up.
 
Originally posted by pivo6
I think you should just be able to run it from the xterm window by typing gimp. It's been awhile since I loaded it up.
Click to expand...

But how do I need to set it up so that I can just type "gimp" to run the program? All I have now is a folder on my desktop with a bunch of files in it I don't know what to do with..:confused:
 
billicus, if you want to mess around with something cool, you should install KDE on uour X11. there are instructions here. you need to install bundle-kde with fink commander. i don't know how to use FC, never have. if you want, you can open a terminal window and type "sudo apt-get install bundle-kde" though, and that will get it for you. then you have to mod your X11 startup script (/users/yourname/.xinitrc) to have that stuff in it mentioned in the site. then there is a menu option in like the settings submenu of the Kmenu to find programs to add to the menu. it is pretty cool. at any rate, from there you can get everything added to that menu and have it be much easier than running an xterm everytime you want something. i did it for awhile, it's a lot of fun to toy with (never tried KOffice though). have fun, and post any questions if you try it. i don't remember a lot of specifics, but i can try to help you.
 
Originally posted by Billicus
Do I need a compiler like GCC to get these binaries to work?
Click to expand...
for fink to work, it's usually a good idea to have the developer tools installed. but that should be only if you are downloading source code and compiling it. i think fink commander lets you just get the binaries. for that you don't need them. but if you want the latest developer tools, you should get them from apple. it's a darn big DL :)
 
I went ahead and got the Developers Tools and updated to GCC 3.3. I'll have to figure out what I need have installed tomorrow in order to run GIMP. It said something about GTK and some other things.
 
warning about developer tools with GCC 3.3: http://fink.sourceforge.net

fink doesn't like GCC 3.3 for some reason. at least, not yet. just download binaries till they update fink--in other words, don't run the "fink" command in terminal, use apt-get instead, or if you use FinkCommander, make sure it doesn't try to build the stuff. once again, i am not sure how that works with commander, but be wary. ;)
 
hehehe, billicus, i went through and reinstalled fink and KDE and GIMP on my baby, got it all working and all. here's a pic of how it looks:

screen001.jpg


also, when you want to add GIMP to the menu after you have installed it with fink commander, you just run "kAppFinder." it's in like the settings submenu i think.
 
What do you think this means? I'm trying to install GTK+-2.2.2 so as to be able to compile GIMP to run, but GTK gives me this error while I'm compiling it:

*** The pkg-config script could not be found. Make sure it is
*** in your path, or set the PKG_CONFIG environment variable
*** to the full path to pkg-config.
*** Or see http://www.freedesktop.org/software/pkgconfig to get pkg-config.
configure: error: Library requirements (glib-2.0 >= 2.1.4 atk >= 1.0.1 pango >= 1.0.1) not met; consider adjusting the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable if your libraries are in a nonstandard prefix so pkg-config can find them.
 
i would say you shouldn't have gotten GCC 3.3. fink told you on that front page i linked you to earlier not to use it. other than that, i have no idea. honestly, why not just download the precompiled binaries? they take a lot less time to install. compiling can take hours. no kidding. KDE 3.1 compile (back before it was stable ;)) took me overnight and then some. don't waste your time.

you want gimp? do this: open a terminal, type "sudo apt-get install gimp"

it's that easy. it will download it and put it where it goes just like that. then you can do the KDE thing like i said and use kAppFinder (the convenience is worth it), or you can configure the apps menu on X11 to run /sw/bin/gimp-1.2 or something like that. actually that probably won't work, there is some stupid linking problem with the /sw folder and executing under X11 from that menu. i never got it to work. but thus stands my advice.
 
I installed gimp, that worked great, but I didn't have a .xinitrc file. I went ahead and made one, just putting in it the stuff mentioned on the website. However, when I tried to start X11 again, it hung and didn't work. None of the X11 Apps work with that file in my home directory so I removed it? Any ideas shadow?
 
Originally posted by Billicus
I installed gimp, that worked great, but I didn't have a .xinitrc file. I went ahead and made one, just putting in it the stuff mentioned on the website. However, when I tried to start X11 again, it hung and didn't work. None of the X11 Apps work with that file in my home directory so I removed it? Any ideas shadow?
Click to expand...
did you get the bundle-kde package, then, i assume?

if so, there are tons of tricks to make it work better sharing the screen with OS X, i can make a list if you want.

as to your .xinitrc, let's just make sure you did it just right. don't listen to just what they say on the site, just do this and overwrite it. if worst comes to worst, just delete it and X11 will use its own file. to delete it, from terminal type: "rm ~/.xinitrc"

as to the rest, follow this:
in terminal, type "pico ~/.xinitrc"

make this the text of it; you can copy and paste it"

"source /sw/bin/init.sh

/usr/X11R6/bin/quartz-wm --proxy-only
/sw/bin/startkde
"
that <ENTER> after the last line is, i believe, very important. don't leave it out. now save it, hit ctrl-x to exit, and close terminal. run X11. if it closes before it starts up, log out and back in, then try it again. if the problem persists, run "pico ~/.xinitrc again and put a "#" in front of the "/usr/X11r6......" line. then do that again. if all goes well, KDE should start up after a second and it will have a wizard configuration. fill it out as you wish (don't tell it to act like a mac, make it act like KDE, you'll be glad you did. nobody wants 2 menu bars, and that is basically what that would do). i'll make that list of tips later if you want.
 
Thank you so much! It worked with the lines of code in .xinitrc that you provided. I have a new toy to play around with now!:D Thanks for your help and I would appreciate some tips/comments about KDE. Thanks again!:D
 
that's awesome. i'll play around with it and double chec all my tricks and find all the links i need to get you to theme it and stuff, a good walkthrough to make it fit with the rest of your mac. i don't have time just yet, but i'll either edit this post or post a new one soon.

about the OpenOffice, i DLed it sunday morning and didn't get it working right. i think i missed something key in the installation process, but i didn't get it working at all. i uninstalled it; i don't really want to mess with it, as i have MS Office natively in carbon... it's MS. but it's the best.
 
that little list i promised...

sorry about the wait, man.

so:
  • one thing to consider beforehand is that you may want to run to versiontracker and pick up tinkertool, which allows you to put the dock on the far left side or far right side of the bottom of the screen (see my screenie above).
  • with KDE open, click the Kmenu (start) button, navigate to settings, and select configure panel. this will allow you to tell it how much of the screen you want it to take up and where you want it. i put my dock on the bottom left with tinkertool, and use this to then have the panel take up 50% of the width of the screen on the bottom.
  • on to icons: i don't like the KDE ones much. a place you should familiarize yourself with is www.kde-look.org. it has some rockin' stuff on it. as to getting the icons, i personally prefer "Aqua Fusion." click download, and download it to your desktop. if you use safari and it automatically unzips it, throw away the unzipped folder. it's the zip you need. follow the "how to install" instructions on that page now, except change "look and feel" with "appearance and themes."
  • to get the aqua window manager theme, go here. let it save to your desktop and extract iself. to install it, open an xterm (from the panel, there should be an icon there (which, by the way, to save space i would trash any of those you don't need to use much, as you can just get them through the kMenu), and enter "cd ~/desktop/Acqua-Graphite/" after you have done this, enter "/.install.sh" you've run a script! let it do it's work, then go to the site above and follow the other "how to install" instructions. it will be a little different with KDE 3.1, because there is no "look and feel," "style" should now be under the "Appearance and Themes" tab.
  • a final thing you may appreciate is that if you go to "desktop" in Control center, then "behavior" under than, and uncheck the "enable desktop icons" it will make it so that your OS X background displays for you.
good luck, and tell me if i missed something or you have more questions.
 
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