X11 Configuration Automation

Forum: DSL Ideas and Suggestions
Topic: X11 Configuration Automation
started by: scrop

Posted by scrop on Mar. 04 2005,16:41

This is a *great* project. I'm very pleased with what small amount I have seen. One suggestion I have, and if its already been accomplished please tell me, is to improve the X11 configuration. Unbuntu's livecd will do a great job guessing my hardware, or configuring vesa or the framebuffer (I dont know what method it uses) right automatically with no prompts. This would be great for a system that starts X11 with no user intervention.

DSL prompts you with some text boxes and doesn't always get things quite right. For instance, my dual headed nvidia card doesn't get configured with resolutions that fit the screens correctly. Unbuntu somehow gets this right.

I have a feeling this is possible already and I just dont know how to do.

Posted by SaidinUnleashed on Mar. 04 2005,17:12

Might be because ubuntu uses Xfree86 or X.org.

DSL uses the Kdrive tinyX server.

It's much smaller than the normal X servers.

Posted by oh on Mar. 04 2005,17:37

That probably explains it. Is there an Xfree86 mydsl extension?

Posted by mikshaw on Mar. 04 2005,21:36

yep.
< http://www.ibiblio.org/pub....testing >

Posted by RoGuE_StreaK on Mar. 05 2005,02:14

Is there any way to get an auto-config for the XFree86 extension? I had to download and run knoppix to get an xconfig for my setup - seems rather overkill, downloading 700MB worth just to generate the right config file. Didn't have much clue about editing it myself (for instance, I now get 85hz @ 1024x768, whereas under windoze it only reckons my monitor can handle 72hz at that size (85hz for 800x600))

Hmm, completely OT here, just noticed that when I'm typing a reply under DSL the reply is in a sans-serif, whilst the body of the site is in a serif. Under windoze it's all sans-serif. That's why I've been asking about other fonts - the body of the forum looks cr#p and very hard to read in serif. Interesting... (goes to hunt down the style sheet...)

OK, the body calls Tahoma, quotes etc call Verdana or Arial, so obviously DSL has some sort of support/replacement for either Verdana or Arial, but no support/replacement for Tahoma... Any way of linking a Verdana call to whatever is being used for Verdana or Arial (eg a generic sans-serif)? Would greatly improve browsing in general, as Tahoma is very widely used (though you usually have backup fonts specified, eg. an order of Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif). But if the style sheet ONLY specifies Verdana, looks like DSL defaults to a serif font instead.

Posted by cbagger01 on Mar. 05 2005,04:55

If the Xfree86 extension was integrated into the KNOPPIX autodetection routine, it would automatically figure out your XFree86 config file.

In fact, you could even use the KNOPPIX xserver related cheatcodes.

Since it works in KNOPPIX, it is obvoisly possible but would require wrapping up some of the scripts from the KNOPPIX livecd into the XFree86 extension.