Question about KDE / X

Ron Gibson wrote:
>
> Boy I sure am awaiting the day for when the dust settles so Linux can
> benefit from some new and/or improved video apps.

That'd be nice.

> PS: I've tried every major distro and they are all more or less in the
> same boat for video. Of course the one really good app I'd like to
> have DVD::RIP only runs under Gnome.

Well, I often use Mandriva, and I have gnome installed on 2009.1
and continually get updates and my Bamboo tablet worked without
all the fiddling I'm going to have to go through to make it work
in Slack. Still wish they had the Wacom drivers already installed
in the kernal usb section.

--
Bud

On Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:35:18 +1100, Grant
<g_r_a_n_t_.RemoveThis@bugsplatter.id.au> wrote:

>So why not use konsole terminal? Just check the P4 box (it's running
>fluxbox at the moment) Ctrl-Alt-F2 happily switched to TTY. I'm also
>running the VESA framebuffer set to 800x600. Maybe some hints in my
>.config? See: http://bugsplatter.id.au/kernel/boxen/black/ I'm using
>linux-2.6.31.3 there today (on slack-13).

I mentioned in another post the odd thing is this only happens when I
start KDE. If I use XFCE no problems.

Once I exit KDE the only way I can get my TTY text back is to reboot
???

--
Email - rsgibson.RemoveThis@tampabay.rr.borg
Replace borg with com
"Ubuntu" - an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

On Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:43:41 -0500, Ron Gibson <rsgibson.RemoveThis@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:

>On Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:35:18 +1100, Grant
><g_r_a_n_t_.RemoveThis@bugsplatter.id.au> wrote:
>
>>So why not use konsole terminal? Just check the P4 box (it's running
>>fluxbox at the moment) Ctrl-Alt-F2 happily switched to TTY. I'm also
>>running the VESA framebuffer set to 800x600. Maybe some hints in my
>>.config? See: http://bugsplatter.id.au/kernel/boxen/black/ I'm using
>>linux-2.6.31.3 there today (on slack-13).
>
>I mentioned in another post the odd thing is this only happens when I
>start KDE. If I use XFCE no problems.

Works fine here with the custom kernel with KDE too.
>
>Once I exit KDE the only way I can get my TTY text back is to reboot
>???

The distro kernel doesn't get it right for some hardware. I duplicated
another poster's issues here with slack-13's distro kernel. I've not
explored whether playing with the /etc/rc.d/rc.modules can fix things
here.

Grant.
--
http://bugsplatter.id.au

On 2009-10-08, Bud <bud DeleteThis @bud.invalid> wrote:
>
> Still wish they had the Wacom drivers already installed
> in the kernal usb section.


We've made a note to look into that for Slackware -next;
someone (perhaps you?) mentioned this on LQ a few days
ago. Thanks for the reminder...

-RW

On Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:58:11 +1100, Grant
<g_r_a_n_t_.TakeThisOut@bugsplatter.id.au> wrote:

>>Once I exit KDE the only way I can get my TTY text back is to reboot
>>???

>The distro kernel doesn't get it right for some hardware. I duplicated
>another poster's issues here with slack-13's distro kernel. I've not
>explored whether playing with the /etc/rc.d/rc.modules can fix things
>here.

That's my bet too. My WAG is that it's loading the frame buffer module
and I actually have no use at all for that. I've always used the
standard vga text tty.

I'm reluctant to rebuild the kernel just yet because I want to see if
I can get my Twinhan 32500 HD capture card going. If I can get that
going and determine what modules are needed then I'll start trimming
the fat off of the kernel.

If I can't get that going quickly I can always build a test kernel.
Might be able to get the stock nvidia driver going too that way.

--
Email - rsgibson.TakeThisOut@tampabay.rr.borg
Replace borg with com
"Ubuntu" - an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

On Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:43:41 -0400, Ron Gibson <rsgibson RemoveThis @tampabay.rr.com>
wrote:

> I mentioned in another post the odd thing is this only happens when I
> start KDE. If I use XFCE no problems.

My apologies if this is further up in the thread, but how exactly do you
start KDE? Is this using a Display Manager?

Have you tried the Generic Kernel? I assume also that Lilo is set to use
the standard console, and not the ones with fancy framebuffer resolutions?
And what driver are you using for X?

Aaron W. Hsu

--
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its
victims may be the most oppressive. -- C. S. Lewis

On Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:00:50 -0400, "Aaron W. Hsu"
<arcfide RemoveThis @sacrideo.us> wrote:

>> I mentioned in another post the odd thing is this only happens when I
>> start KDE. If I use XFCE no problems.

>My apologies if this is further up in the thread, but how exactly do you
>start KDE? Is this using a Display Manager?

Well actually KDE is my default so I just use startx, at first. Then
after some configuration I use...

startx -- -dpi 96 -depth 24

>Have you tried the Generic Kernel? I assume also that Lilo is set to use
>the standard console, and not the ones with fancy framebuffer resolutions?
>And what driver are you using for X?

This is something really odd. Just to see what would happen I tried
using my xorg.conf file from 12.2.

The first time I used it and did a CTL-ALT-F2 I got text! I logged out
of KDE dropped to tty1 and had text.

I logged back in and got the same problem every since.

I have a bad feeling this is going to take a lot of time to track down
and fix. I appreciate the suggestions but for now I'm going to place
that problem on the back burner until I get more time as I'm terribly
busy now and am planning on going on vacation to see my Mom.

BTW, the default mechanism for installing TT fonts is broken again. It
could have been xfs was not running as a daemon. I used a sledge
hammer approach and added xfstt also as a font server for the TT stuff
(You can run multiple font servers).

I prefer Verdana for web browsers but it was not showing as being
available after two attempts using the font installer widget.

I tweaked /etc/X11/fs/conf, compiled and installed xfstt and started
them both as daemons via rc.local and that is fixed now on my machine.

--
Email - rsgibson RemoveThis @tampabay.rr.borg
Replace borg with com
"Ubuntu" - an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

On Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:36:19 -0400, Ron Gibson <rsgibson.TakeThisOut@tampabay.rr.com>
wrote:

>> Have you tried the Generic Kernel? I assume also that Lilo is set to use
>> the standard console, and not the ones with fancy framebuffer
>> resolutions?
>> And what driver are you using for X?

> This is something really odd. Just to see what would happen I tried
> using my xorg.conf file from 12.2.

> The first time I used it and did a CTL-ALT-F2 I got text! I logged out
> of KDE dropped to tty1 and had text.

> I logged back in and got the same problem every since.

> I have a bad feeling this is going to take a lot of time to track down
> and fix. I appreciate the suggestions but for now I'm going to place
> that problem on the back burner until I get more time as I'm terribly
> busy now and am planning on going on vacation to see my Mom.

This problem reminds me a lot of a problem I had on OpenBSD with one of my
older Macbook Pros. For some reason, framebuffers and such in the X and
TTYs would conflict with each other. I had to disable something in X to
get it to work. It is possible the KDE is enabling something that causes
this problem. That was such a long time ago, though, that I would be
surprised if this were the exact same error. I think that KDE does enable
compositing and some other features, and may do something with xrandr, so
you may want to see if you can duplicate this problem using different
settings in the xorg.conf file. You might also try to generate a new,
fresh default xorg.conf file using 'X -configure' and edit that to see
what happens. Maybe there is something in the KDE display settings that
causes it. You should check your Xorg logs as well.

Aaron W. Hsu

--
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its
victims may be the most oppressive. -- C. S. Lewis

On Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:49:32 -0400, "Aaron W. Hsu"
<arcfide DeleteThis @sacrideo.us> wrote:

>> I have a bad feeling this is going to take a lot of time to track down
>> and fix.

>This problem reminds me a lot of a problem I had on OpenBSD with one of my
>older Macbook Pros. For some reason, framebuffers and such in the X and
>TTYs would conflict with each other. I had to disable something in X to
>get it to work. It is possible the KDE is enabling something that causes
>this problem. That was such a long time ago, though, that I would be
>surprised if this were the exact same error.

I think you are right as I finally tracked what triggers the problem.

I use the CLI a lot but usually do it in X as it gives me a little
more flexibility using the multiple desktops, etc.

Anyway opening a konsole in X is what causes the problem. Since I
almost always open one I just caught the cause last night.

IOW, as long as I don't use the Konsole in X (I assign hotkey sequence
CTL-F12 to open it, FYI) I have text in my tty's.

As soon as I open a konsole, tty text disappears. I'm also having
other problems like the color thing. I notice when I open a konsole I
get a very brief but detectable screen flicker.

THIS is a very serious problem for me as one thing I liked about X is
how fast I could track, trace, reconfigure (ya know all those things
that they claim are sooo hard in that article on distrowatch).

THIS is in general a very bad blunder - I can't imagine KDE without a
usable konsole. That's a "primitive" feature.

If I need to do that I guess I have to use XFCE.

--
Email - rsgibson DeleteThis @tampabay.rr.borg
Replace borg with com
"Ubuntu" - an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:52:00 -0500, Ron Gibson wrote:

> As soon as I open a konsole, tty text disappears. I'm also having other
> problems like the color thing. I notice when I open a konsole I get a very
> brief but detectable screen flicker.

Is it just Konsole that causes this problem, Ron, or does every terminal
do it?
--
Chick Tower

For e-mail: aols2 DOT sent DOT towerboy AT xoxy DOT net

On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:14:53 -0400, Chick Tower <c.tower.RemoveThis@deadspam.com>
wrote:

>> As soon as I open a konsole, tty text disappears. I'm also having other
>> problems like the color thing. I notice when I open a konsole I get a very
>> brief but detectable screen flicker.

>Is it just Konsole that causes this problem, Ron, or does every terminal
>do it?

Well now I've found other things along with konsole. What I've know at
this point is I have text until I get that odd "screen flicker" and
then I lose TTY text.

I should hold off further comment until I make an exhaustive study of
this event. So far I've been reporting "on the fly".

Although I did not see the problem with XFCE I really need to be dead
sure if it's only an KDE problem.

--
Email - rsgibson.RemoveThis@tampabay.rr.borg
Replace borg with com
"Ubuntu" - an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:49:15 -0400, Ron Gibson <rsgibson.TakeThisOut@tampabay.rr.com>
wrote:

> What I've know at
> this point is I have text until I get that odd "screen flicker" and
> then I lose TTY text.

Try disabling the compositing, the compiz special niceties, and the
speciale effects that KDE does. That might remedy the problem. The Screen
Flicker I usually see happens on the Splash screen when KDE switches from
normal X to a sort of composited system that uses more of the graphics
card for OpenGL or some such.

Aaron W. Hsu

--
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its
victims may be the most oppressive. -- C. S. Lewis

On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:03:49 -0400, Aaron W. Hsu wrote:

> On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:49:15 -0400, Ron Gibson
> <rsgibson.TakeThisOut@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
>
>> What I've know at
>> this point is I have text until I get that odd "screen flicker" and
>> then I lose TTY text.
>
> Try disabling the compositing, the compiz special niceties, and the
> speciale effects that KDE does. That might remedy the problem. The
> Screen Flicker I usually see happens on the Splash screen when KDE
> switches from normal X to a sort of composited system that uses more of
> the graphics card for OpenGL or some such.

For Ron or anyone else wondering how to disable compositing, I had this
stanza in my xorg.conf from Slack 12.2, which worked great:

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "Disable"
EndSection

I simply added that to the very end of the xorg.conf file. I don't seem
to need it with the new X in Slack 13.


--
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".
"Bother!" said Pooh, as he garotted another passing Liberal.
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