Repo Usage/Installation

Contained within these walls are some Slackware package repos. Currently, my long-term goal is to provide as much software as I can for slackwareaarch64 (and some for x86_64). As of now, I’m offering builds of Cinnamon (CSB) and my own GNOME (GCS) Desktop Environments. In the future I hope to offer Slackware-based ports of Asahi Linux packages, needed to run slackwareaarch64 on Apple Silicon. My main focus will be providing the community with aarch64 packages, but I’m also serving up a x86_64 LIVESLAK featuring a full GNOME 43 Desktop, as well as a package repo complimenting that.

To use these packages, it’s recommended you install slackpkg+ to manage 3rd party Slackware repositories on your systems. slackpkg+ has no arch requirements, as it’s all script based, so all systems can install and use it. My packages are all signed with my GPG Key and slackpkg+ will check and verify that for you during installs/updates.

If you choose to install packages manually, without slackpkg+, that’s always an option, but keep in mind many of these packages are included in Slackware already, but we are going to be updating them. To that end you’ll need to ensure when installing them, you use “upgradepkg –install-new *.txz” on your package directory.

Each repo has users/groups which you must add to your system to ensure the environments operate correctly. I have a simple script to add users/groups for GNOME here. Executing that script for either of the GNOME package sets provided here will set you up correctly.

For the Cinnamon Desktop, you only need the colord user/group installed. You can edit that script or just add the colord user/group manually (but the other user/groups won’t hurt to have setup, either way).

The avahi package needs it’s rc scripts started locally upon boot, they should both install exec but you’ll need to add them to your /etc/rc.d/rc.local:

if [ -x /etc/rc.d/rc.avahidaemon ]; then
/etc/rc.d/rc.avahidaemon start
fi

if [ -x /etc/rc.d/rc.avahidnsconfd ]; then
/etc/rc.d/rc.avahidnsconfd start

and also in /etc/rc.d/rc.local.shutdown: (if doesn’t exist, create it)

if [ -x /etc/rc.d/rc.avahidaemon ]; then
/etc/rc.d/rc.avahidaemon stop
fi

if [ -x /etc/rc.d/rc.avahidnsconfd ]; then
/etc/rc.d/rc.avahidnsconfd stop

Ensure all four of those files are chmod +x as well so the daemon starts upon boot.

You also need to remove a erroneous flag for gdm from /etc/rc.d/rc.4, there are two statements with gdm commands stating “gdm -nodaemon” you MUST remove the “-nodaemon” from the commands or GDM will not run at all. Please don’t be that guy.

In order for GNOME to run using Wayland, it must be loaded through gdm. You can boot to a console and run “telinit 4” as root to start gdm after booting or edit /etc/inittab and change the run level from 3 to 4, and upon your next boot, gdm will load automatically.

The only other bit of work required is adding a status bar to GNOME. After your first login to the session, open the Extensions application and enable the AppIndicator status bar. If you do this fast enough the first login, the HP Printer Agent should load and be visible in your title bar. If you manage to do it after you get an error message and close it, have no fear, it will start on your next session.

There are also 2 Slackware packages you must remove on a GNOME 43 system:

at-spi2-atk-2.38.0-x86_64-3.txz

atk-2.38.0-x86_64-1.txz

The included at-spi2-core-2.46.0 package combines them both into one library which includes the contents of both separate packages under one module.

---

Setting default language/time zone

Slackware by default ships/enables the en_US.UTF8 locale. While booting the liveslak, the extlinux boot menu gives you the option to change the locale and time zone to your preference. Those settings will persist until shutdown of the system.

If you choose to install the liveslak system, you will have to set the locale properly for it to persist locally each boot. Edit ‘/etc/profile.d/lang.sh” to set your desired locale, or you can optionally add the flags to your user “.profile” within your home directory to have a system locale of one language and your user use another.

Setup “/etc/ntp.conf” so your network-enabled system reaches out to a ntp server to sync time accordingly. I’ve heard of some issues with GNOME showing time that is wrong, so verify Slackware and the gnome-control-center aren’t fighting each other for setting time. The easiest way is to let the network do it, but you may have reason to not use a network. Setting the date manually can be done with the “date” command on the cli, where you can specify your time zone, as well as use UTC time if you wish on your system.

That should be enough to get one going with GNOME on Slackware. If you have questions, or things aren’t working the way you’d expect or at all for you, leave a comment explaining your issue, and I’ll do what I can to help.