Xscreensaver and DSL
Forum: User Feedback
Topic: Xscreensaver and DSL
started by: Alisdair Kelly
Posted by Alisdair Kelly on Aug. 11 2004,02:33
I've installed the xscreensaver on my hdd install of DSL. Interesting program. I think that the author had to have had some rather interesting times back in the 60's. The screensaver lacks some of the images that are called in the program. That's OK, gives you some thing to edit. Alltogether, it works well, but seems to interfeer with the power savings mode of the monitor. Of course I may have missed some setting in the configuration.
FWIW the program is aslo set up to only work if you are logged in as a user and not as root. A handy idea.
Posted by ke4nt1 on Aug. 11 2004,03:56
The xscreensaver is a package donated by mpie...It is still in testing, and after both mpie and myself have tweaked it,
I still see some things that need further TLC...
Not ALL of the possible screensavers enabled work,
so the default enabled group or set should be whittled down some more...
I suppose that's why it's in "testing"
..so we can work with it.. feel free to do so..
73
ke4nt
Posted by Alisdair Kelly on Aug. 11 2004,13:08
I've been keeping a list of the screensavrs that don't work, it's not complete as yet. When I get a complete listing, I'll post back the ones that aren't available on the install that I have.Just call me "Beta" Al
Posted by ke4nt1 on Aug. 11 2004,13:19
Al,The file to focus on is the "/etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver-nogl"
It contains the default data set that is placed in each users ".xscreensaver" build.
( like /home/dsl/.xscreensaver )
Edit that baby, and I think the problem of non-working screensavers is licked.
Then we shoud try to remove those non-working ones from the .dsl build itself,
to lighten the size up as much as possible..
It would also be nice to have a smaller version,
with only 1 or 2 working screensavers, for systems that are ram challenged...
( how SMALL can we make it, and still run effectively? )
mpie may have even more suggestions....
He's more familiar than I am with the original build...
73
ke4nt
Posted by mpie on Aug. 11 2004,14:47
Yeah in theory it could be stipprd right down to one working screensaver, it was really built with hd installers in mind , but yeah stripping it is a DGI (damn good idea) for what it doe's its far too heavy but it was the second package i made and have learned a great deal since!!! i may when i get the chance redown load it can't till friday my tel line is down i'm replying in work at the mo........ 
All the screens present are what comes by default, I notice that xfishtank and xfireworks have had the damnsmall treatment these items can also plug in to xscreenie..... when i reget the file I'm a gonna play.....as a side note thanks for the great info on the tar switches ke4nt1 i have another theme to send but cant till tel line repaired..... I beleive this one will have only files and has been chmodded 644....... this one puddy tat who learning....
Posted by Alisdair Kelly on Aug. 13 2004,02:24
Thanks for the tip on the file to edit. I've been a bit tied up with other tasks for a couple of days. The earliest time I have on the schedule when I can try my hand at stripping a version of xscreensaver down to minimal size looks to be early next week.
As Mpie commented, this is another puppy that be learning, slow but sure!
Posted by Alisdair Kelly on Aug. 17 2004,12:44
Good morning All.I've spent some more time working with the xscreensaver over the past few days. Did a little editing
of the /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver-nog file. The author suggests using a minus sign (-) to comment out
settings when editing this file. I found that if I used the # sign it was just as effective. In editing the file,
the screens that could not execute ("No such file or folder") were actually commented out by the author.
I let the program cycle through as many of the screens as I thought it could find, then re-edited the
/etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver-nog! file to allow those screens if they were listed to be executed.
The xscreensaver executes those screens at ramdom as best as I understand the manual.
I have also edited my copy to permit the powering down of the monitor, again the same file controls that aspect
of xscreensaver. I have not been able to access the GUI to adjust the program at all, nor access the help menu.
Instead, I read and re-read the manual, then did my editing of the /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver-nog! file while
operating as root.
This all seems to have cleared up my problems with the program except accessing the GUI, which isn't needed.
Earlier it was mentioned stripping the program down to a smaller size. I'm sure someone who is more
of a programmer than I could do this. The most recent version that I can find of the program is still around 3.8mb making
it pretty much too big for regular inclusion in DSL. I do like it for the many different, ramdomly accessed screens.
I'm not sure if it has cycled through all of the many screens that are listed in the master file yet. I've enabled
enough of them by removing the minus (-) sign and have not seen the error message repeat on those
screens as yet.
HtH
Posted by mpie on Aug. 17 2004,12:58
the gui lets you choose which screen and would not have selected one that is not available..........sounds like you've sussed a bit more out tho.........
Right click select run program type xscreensaver...... the gui should then load up there are mant options from within there too....
Posted by ke4nt1 on Aug. 17 2004,14:41
If that doesn't work, try "xscreensaver-demo" ...It should work by itself from menu ...
What version of DSL are you running ?
73
ke4nt
Posted by Alisdair Kelly on Aug. 17 2004,22:42
Howdy gents,I have yet to get the GUI to load whether I'm logged in as root or user. I'm not too concerned since I can do most things with xscreensaver by editing the XScreenSaver-nog! file. I'll do a little more research as time permits.
I may go ahead and use apt-get to set this up fresh with the latest version. But for now, it's going OK...or will after another edit or two. I've at least figured out how to go about editing the file using sudo /bin/bash to get the editor screen loaded.
I'm still using DSL 071 on the PII450 box. I think that what I'm running as xscreensaver is the first dsl extension. If that's the case it may explain the inability to access the GUI. When I start the xscreensaver, I do get a splashscreen, but can access neither the demo or help. Again, no biggie, but this is the reason to keep exploring the program. Just another bit of learning,eh?
Posted by Alisdair Kelly on Aug. 19 2004,00:00
Update: After extensive editing and more than a wee bit of cussin' I decided to start from scratch with xscreensaver.
I removed the earlier .dsl version that I've been working with and used apt-get to install the almost latest version.
The latest Debian version is 4.16 and the latest version of the source is 4.18. Anyhow, the 4.16deb package has now been running for about 2 hours with out a single 'hiccup".
So, from this I would conclude that the earlier version that I was using didn't install properly since I was unable to access the GUI (and I now can).
If you are planning on using xscreensaver *and* you are operating from a hdd install of DSL, you are probably best served to either use apt-get or synaptic to install the screensaver.
IF you're running from RAM, then the dsl extension may be a better option. Although there are newer versions of xscreenaver around. And I still favor editing the XscreenSAver-nog file directly over the GUI.
And BTW, one of the previously unseen screensavers looks like the desktop is melting! WOW, I've got to get my meds adjusted.:p