downloading/installing/setting up and using fluxbox WM

[nillo]

im going to download the source rpms for fluxbox and it says i need the following software to install it:

rpm-build
spec-helper
libtool

1.) do i already have these
2.) if i dont where can i get them

thanx ;)

[carrja99]

Well... I installed it yesterday with no problem using the tarball. Just download the *.tar.gz file from thier site,

1) Unpack it
2) 'cd' to the directory it was unpacked to
3) type ./configure
4) type make
5) type install
it's that easy. Lot's of different people use different methods for running it, and I myself run it as a session option from gdm.

This is how "I" did it:

1) Go to /etc/X11/gdm/Sessions
2) make a new file named Fluxbox
3) edit it and input the following lines:
#!/bin/sh
exec /etc/X11/xdm/Xsession fluxbox
4}then make the file executable with chmod

Should work...

[nillo]

how do i start into it instead of gnome?



not sure if thats how it works but try your best :) haha

[carrja99]

it depends on how you start X. you really should take a peak at the thread that I had on this earlier today. Alot of it can be done through experimentation... just find out what login manager you use that let's you select sessions. I forgot where the kdm directory was that I edited, but as you use gnome I'm sure that gdm is what you use as a login manager. Basicsally, if your using kdm, you do the same thing.. go to the dir where thr Sessions are in kdm, you should see a bunch of files with crap like (but not exact)
01KDE 02Gnome 03Icwm (etc)
just make a file just like was mentioned earlier with a number in front of it (like 04Fluxbox) and you should be ready to go. I have heard that if use startx to start X, all you do is just change the session string after the command, but I never start X that way, cheeky_zombie could help you with that.

[nillo]

also could i get a little help untarring the file? i used gzip to uncompress it but im a little uinsure how to unpack the tar

[carrja99]

Yes, this one is simple, but confusing for alot of new people (especially me) just type

tar xvf <filename>

and away you go!

[nillo]

i typed make and it did a whole bunch of stuff then it stopped and now its doing nothing

[carrja99]

Did you get an error code? If not, everything is fine! Just type "make install" and your through! (then just to the getting it added to the sessions list)

EDIT:
I'm guessing this may be the first time you've compiled a source under linux. I remember how baffled I was at first too... but all that crap that gets dumped to the screen comes in handy for debugging when you DO get error codes! (otherwise, ignore it)

[Sonuby]

Once the package is installed you can do some clean up.
Begin by going one directory up,example if you wanted to clean up /usr/local/src/xxx-1.0.0
Then:
#cd /usr/local/src
Now:
#rm -rf xxx-1.0.0
This gets rid of all the temp files created during installation

[nillo]

do i type "make install" then carriage return? or "make" carriage return then "install" carriage return?

[nillo]

and im assuming you have to be root to do all this?

[nillo]

ok i got fluxbox up and running....:D haha

from the right click menu i noticed that only the original programs and such were in there...is there a way i can add more?

for example before fluxbox....i had AMSN and yahoo then i installed and started fluxbox and now i have no idea where those programs are...how do i put them in the menu?

[C_Pac]

There is a configuration program linked from the Fluxbox homepage. But I find it just as easy to edit the menu manually. Assuming you have a menu file in the ordinary place (~/.fluxbox/menu) just open it with a text editor and look at the syntax in it. You should be able to figure out how to add entries. Then just save it.

In fact, I added this line to my menu file:

[exec] (FluxMenu Edit) {gedit ~/.fluxbox/menu}

[nillo]

how do i close something without a close button e.g.: key shortcuts, hotkeys,etc.? i open something and i cant figure out how to close it