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
fiif [ -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
fiif [ -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.
it can’t use on new Currie slackware
Sorry? What can’t use on -current Slackware? I’ve updated the ISO with latest changes, removed files from repos, everything should work with the latest current.
What is not working for you?
How do I complete the dependency of gcs43
thanks
I wang install gcs 43 on Slckware-current ,not use the ISO,but it woring
I think it Missing dependencies
How do I complete dependencies
Thinks
No dependancies are missing but one must take care to correctly install all the packages. Some packages in gcs must be updatepkg since Slackware ships older libraries. This is why I recommend installing from the iso as I cannot know what users have installed on their systems. If you want to install to existing current use “upgradepkg —reinstall —install-new *.txz” to ensure all packages are installed properly.
The GNOME is ok
but I can’t change language to chinese
how can I fix it
and I can’t change time zone
– By default at the start, the system’s language set in /etc/profile.d/lang.sh is used to set everything (GDM and individual users).
– If a user chooses a different language in the gnome-control-panel, their account’s language changes. However, all user accounts change to that language also (this is due to blocaled). The first time any user does this, blocaled makes a conf file and tracks the changes there.
– User’s can then set a custom language to override the system wide AND blocaled settings with a local profile script like $HOME/.profile. This allows different users to have different language settings on the same system.
– GDM will only ever follow the system wide /etc/profile.d/lang.sh, or can be customized on its own with its own $HOME/.profile script for its language setting.
Ensure you have the “blocaled” package installed as it directly controls setting the language in gnome. If you were booting this on the liveslak, language and time zone is configurable on the boot screen, to do this once installed, you must use slackware’s native scripts to set locale (/etc/profile.d/lang.sh) and tzdata (https://docs.slackware.com/howtos:hardware:syncing_hardware_clock_and_system_local_time). Run “locale -a” will show you the locale choices installed.
Thanks for the GNOME packages just found them on LQ today 🙂
–Luna bittin Jernberg (GNOME Foundation Member and new Slackware current user)
You’re welcome! I don’t particularly advertise them much, as there are quite a few contributors over-all to the package set. My main goal is shipping the liveslak environment with them, but anyone can use them on a current system freely as well. Welcome to Slackware, I hope you find the community welcoming and we are working on 44 (literally at this moment), hopefully I have that up soon as well!