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Re: Debian 2.0




On Tue, 25 Aug 1998, Ira Abramov wrote:

> 
> On Tue, 25 Aug 1998, Liran Zvibel wrote:
> 
> > > and FX86Setup is supposed to still work though, right? it didn't...
> > 
> > One problem I could think of is that you didn't have the svga(I'm not sure
> > whwether it uses the svga or vga16 server) server installed, but since you
> > said that you had all the servers installed, it muct be another thing...
> 
> VGA16 is a must for XF86Setup, the dependencies in both Debian and RedHat
> show that fine. it's just that XF86Setup that came with Deb 2.0 didn't
> make the final symlink to the right Xserver binary, and I suspect it's
> because there was an actual binary file in it's place (/usr/X11R6/bin/X
> was a 4.5K file, I am guessing a wrapper). it DID create the config file
> OK though, since, like I said, removing that binary and symlinking to
> XF86_SVGA worked perfectly.

The /usr/X11R6/bin/X file is a Xwrapper. It knows what xserver to run from
the /etc/X11/Xserver file. This wrapper is more powerful then just running
X. One good example is that you can configure it to control who can run
the X server, etc. I like it that way. I've seen some cases, though that
the xf86config didn't change the file Xserver correctly, I don't know what
causes it (I saw it once or twice and can't connect the cases), but
editing Xserver manually fixes it.

> 
> > > someone from SVLUG sugested to me off-list. XDM is started by init on most
> > > distros I've seen, that's why I went to look in inittab first.
> > Fair enough. I think that in this part knowing too much isn't good
> > either... I think that for the nwebie, changing a line in a regular config
> > file  is easier then trying to understand inittab. Moreover, the
> 
> as much as I love knowing exactly what happens in each little config file,
> I wish someone (RedHat? Debian?) will finally integrate all those little
> annoying settings to a consistant unified control panel GUI so linux
> newbies will have an easier time too. SuSE is making good steps in that
> direction, but their mechanism also overrides too many things and they
> step over changes you made in the files yourself.

My thought exactly !

> 
> RedHat at some point tried to implement the entire install procedure in
> Xwin (Ver 3.X) but it failed horribly because many chipsets made XF86
> crash at even VGA16 modes at the time, and they also neglected the text
> mode install to the point it was almost useless in many situations. now
> that they started (read: still have a long way to get it right)
> integrating linuxconf which is also accessed from the commandline, maybe
> it's time to return to the dual-mode install (choose between console or
> X). no practical use whatsoever, but it'll be good for public relations.

I don't think that even if I had the option to install from X I would do
it. There is no point in it.

> 
> > I still don't understand what is the problem with the way Debian handles
> > runlevels.
> 
> well, we all agree that runlevel 1 is the equivalent of Single user mode
> in SunOS (or maybe all BSD systems?), and runlevel 6 is (usually) reboot.
> in all redhat (and if memory serves, also in slackware) versions, runlevel
> 2 was like a "low functioning, diagnostics but maintaining minimum
> environment for the users", finally runlevel 3 is full-featured running
> system. Redhat skips runlevel 4 for some historical reasons I guess and
> runlevel 5 is running XDM on the console (I turn off local console usually
> for servers, and only run XDM for logging in through XDMCP from windows
> machines (achkkkk)
> 

Now I see what you mean. Well, I like it that way. You don't need another
runlevel for XDM (I think that it is better if a user makes a mistake
editing the X configuration files then making mistake playing with
inittab. Anyone that has the knowledge can change runlevel 5 to be XDM (I
did it on some computers), and if he's not knowledgeable enough, he should
not be playing with the initialization files.
You might have a point here, though, the Debian developers could as easily
make runlevel 5 especially for XDM, and then the SysAdmin can choose
whether he wants to edit an X conf. file or just change a runlevel.

Liran.
---
http://www.math.tau.ac.il/~liranz/