Re: FVWM: suddenly: a gnome-fvwm conflict problem
On Mon, Aug 13, 2007 at 04:15:37PM -0700, Peter Scott wrote: [I now have an FVWM config file that I like, with pretty extensive comments. I would be happy to forward it to anyone who wants it. I also found it helpful to create a pdf file from the FVWM man page (using enscript to create a PostScript file, and then ps2pdf to create the pdf). Then one may use acroread to view the file, whose excellent search routine can then be used to find words or phrases---thus supplying a useful ersatz index to the FVWM man page.] There's already a lot of GNOME information relating to FVWM on the FvwmWiki which you're welcome to add to [1]. If you're that obsessed by your config you can also add it to the screenshots and configs section of the FVWM Forums [2]. -- Thomas Adam [1] http://fvwmwiki.bu-web.de/FrontPage [2] http://fvwm.lair.be -- He wants you back, he screams into the night air, like a fireman going through a window that has no fire. -- Mike Myers, This Poem Sucks.
FVWM: suddenly: a gnome-fvwm conflict problem
Although I have been using fvwm as a window manager under gnome for years (and much appreciating its excellent attributes), suddenly two days ago (perhaps after altering some permissions in /tmp, trying to get k3b to work properly, and maybe upgrading about four or five packages) I found an odd problem when trying to start fvwm in a running gnome-session. I am using Fedora 7, with the fvwm-2.5.21-4.fc7.1 package that came with it (wow was I surprised to see fedora now ships fvwm). When I installed F7 about a month ago everything worked smoothly; all I had to do was to give the fvwm -s 0 --replace command and since I had created $HOME/.fvwm with my config file in it, everything worked, metacity was replaced by fvwm and I was swimming again. Sessions are saved, and subsequent logins start the gnome-session with fvwm as the window manager, just as advertised. Right now, however, the fvwm session has ceased to work; windows (like xterm or gnome-terminal) are sans title bars and unusable, the FvwmButtons panel flashes on and then disappears, the gnome panels are gone, and about all I can do from such a state is to hit CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE to get back to my login screen. However there are ways some things do (or do not) work: 1. If I delete $HOME/.fvwm (so my config file is gone) then fvwm starts under the gnome-session, although it complains about not being able to find a config (or .fvwm2rc) file. (What does fvwm use for a config in that case? I have no idea.) Of course then I get crummy titlebars (even over the gnome panels) etc., which I have no idea how to fix. 2. I don't think my config file is at fault, however, since if I replace my config file with, say, system.fvwm2rc, or system.fvwm2rc-sample-1 (samples that are in the fvwm source distro) it also does NOT work. 3. I can log on with bare fvwm (no gnome) and that works, and then I can start a gnome-session after fvwm is working (with my config). As long as I don't kill the window from which I started gnome-session I have a usable system. Since I don't want the gnome desktop to act as a barrier to my root window I do the following: (a) In System--Preferences--Personal--Sessions change the nautilus from restart to normal and apply; (b) issue the command pkill bonobo; (c) issue the command killall nautilus; sleep 2; nautilus --no-desktop (Maybe there are other ways to accomplish this, but the above works for me.) But I would like to be able to run fvwm under gnome-session and not the other way around. Does anyone have any idea what might be happening? Is this an EWMH issue? What could have possibly changed in my system to have caused this problem? What should I try? Has anyone else experienced this behavior? -- Peter
Re: FVWM: suddenly: a gnome-fvwm conflict problem
On Jul 26, 2007 at 12:16 am, Thomas Adam wrote: | | So I guess ConfigFvwmDefaults works. I | will try putting THAT file in ~/.fvwm (renaming it config) and see if | that works. | | _NO_ -- just leave ConfigFvwmDefaults alone... please? I suspect what's | happening is that there's something in your ~/.fvwm/config doing something | weird -- such as StartFunction issuing some command, it's hard to say. | | I'd wish I'd never mentioned ConfigFvwmDefaults... | | -- Thomas Adam | OK, I had not realized that one's own config file's commands get ADDED to those in FvwmConfigDefaults (rather than replace that entire file). (Is that right?) So I will just try altering my config file and see if that works. (I will start with just a few commands that should be harmless.) But I was surprised that the sample fvwm2rc file also behaved in a way similar to my own config file, i.e., it did not work. Maybe I should try all three sample config files. Oh well. I will post anything I find that might possibly be useful. If something related to gnome just appeared on the scene (an update) that caused FVWM to misbehave it would be good to know about it. And actually I'm glad you DID mention ConfigFvwmDefaults, since knowing of its existence helps the understanding of how FVWM works. Thanks, -- Peter
Re: FVWM: suddenly: a gnome-fvwm conflict problem
On Wed, Jul 25, 2007 at 11:52:02AM -0700, Peter Scott wrote: 1. If I delete $HOME/.fvwm (so my config file is gone) then fvwm starts under the gnome-session, although it complains about not being able to find a config (or .fvwm2rc) file. (What does fvwm use for a config in that case? I have no idea.) Of course then I get crummy titlebars (even over the gnome panels) etc., which I have no idea how to fix. OK, here's what FVWM does. (Why some of this isn't documented is beyond me). When FVWM loads it loads a *minimal* internal set of commands -- just the barebones so that *something* happens. Once that is done, it then goes on to read: $(fvwm-config -d)/ConfigFvwmDefaults It's *this* file which defines some initial key-bindings (for things like menus) and a few style options, as well as mouse-bindings (needed to display buttons on the titlebar anyway). In addition, this file also defines some of the internal functions such as WindowListFunc. Often is the case that one's own ~/.fvwm2rc file overrides some aspects of this anyway. Once it's done that, then FVWM goes on to look for *one* of the following files in the order listed, using whichever one comes first: $HOME/.fvwm/config /usr/local/share/fvwm/config $HOME/.fvwm/.fvwm2rc $HOME/.fvwm2rc /usr/local/share/fvwm/.fvwm2rc /usr/local/share/fvwm/system.fvwm2rc /etc/system.fvwm2rc As for titlebar removals, you'd need to do that via Style lines in your ~/.fvwm/config file (since you're using FVWM 2.5.21) a la: Style foo !Title, !Borders etc... Note that deleting your ~/.fvwm/ directory means nothing -- FVWM only recreates it anyway. 2. I don't think my config file is at fault, however, since if I replace my config file with, say, system.fvwm2rc, or system.fvwm2rc-sample-1 (samples that are in the fvwm source distro) it also does NOT work. Which means you can't be forcing FVWM to run under a session manager at all. What steps are you undertaking to try and do this? (Maybe there are other ways to accomplish this, but the above works for me.) A little dated now, but see: http://linuxgazette.net/100/adam.html -- Thomas Adam -- He wants you back, he screams into the night air, like a fireman going through a window that has no fire. -- Mike Myers, This Poem Sucks.
