070410 - GNOME 2.18.0

[easuter]

A fully working 2.18.0 GNOME desktop environment is available for download from the testing repository.

The download is very big: roughly 140MB worth of packages, which after extracted will occupy about 900MB of hard-drive space.
The core packages can be found here:

http://ftp://ftp-osl.osuosl.org/pub/vectorlinux/veclinux-5.8/testing/gnome

And corresponding source code (along with custom build scripts):

http://ftp://ftp-osl.osuosl.org/pub/vectorlinux/veclinux-5.8/source/testing/gnome

I'm not going to bother posting the entire dependency list here since the number of packages exceeds 100, so the only way to install GNOME without driving you nuts will be to use slapt-get.
Make sure you enable the testing repository as well as the patches repository (http://ftp://ftp-osl.osuosl.org/pub/vectorlinux/veclinux-5.8/testing and http://ftp://ftp-osl.osuosl.org/pub/vectorlinux/veclinux-5.8/patches), refresh the package list and then grab the gnomemeta package.

When the installation is completed you may want to reboot to get all the newly installed daemons up and running (HAL and Avahi in particular).
After that, GNOME will be listed as an option in the login "Session" menu.

Lastly, credit is also due to:

-Thanks to DarkVision for his GNOME build-order list (http://www.mkanet.de/data/slackbot/0.5_jupiter/logfile.package_buildorder-slack110.txt). It would have taken me months more to figure out the correct order in which to build all those packages.

-Thanks to the CBLFS Cross Wiki for useful compile-time flags (http://cblfs.cross-lfs.org/index.php/Main_Page).

Post any comments (good or bad) that you may experience with this GNOME build in this thread.


EDIT:

Installing GNOME is a one-way ticket. Once its been installed it won't be easy to remove since there is no "central" GNOME package to be removed (as mentioned, it is composed of roughly 100 packages, some of which are upgrades to pre-existing ones)

EDIT 2:

Note to SOHO users: once you have installed GNOME you need to "clean out" any KDE interference in GTK themes by removing the gtkrc files that exist in your home directory:

Code:

rm ~/.gtk*

After you do that, all GNOME themes will function 100%.

[M0E-lnx]

Not a Comment as much as a dumb question, but I've always wondered....

Since we get vl-hot (shipped with vl)... can we expect any kind of conflict after installing these packages which include HAL?...
Do we need to disable one or the other?

[easuter]

HAL and its libraries are a necessary dependency for many GNOME components, but since VL-hot does exist for automounting, you probably don't need the HAL daemon running all the time. Unless you intend to use apps that rely on the daemon specifically.

If you don't care much for things like CD/DVD automounting or using NetworkManager in the future, then edit rc.M and remove policykit hal at line 31. That will keep GNOME from trying to automount everything and other apps (like Totem) can still use HAL's libraries.

[tomh38]

Fan-freaking-tastic!  Thanks easuter, and to anyone else involved in making this so easily available on VL.  Flawless install ... click click click!  I'm not a regular GNOME user, but I like a lot of the apps and now I have them.  You people are the best.

[EyesOnly]

I second tomh38's statement as to just how fantastic this is easuter! Incredible in fact! I'm sort of a "collector of desktops & window managers" and so I've seen a tonne of Gnome compliations. Yours is definitely The Best and should be used as the standard marker by which all other distros should attempt to emulate, be it for their desktops or repos.

It was quick to download & install (for me anyway) via GSlapt and after going through and putting in my basic favourite settings I just had to come and comment, plus to thank you for all of your hard work and efforts.

Now if you'll excuse me? I have a nice desktop here to go and admire for awhile then get back to work.

Thanks so very much again easuter! Well done!

Amicalement,

Eyes-Only
"L'Peau-Rouge"

[Triarius Fidelis]

Just be ready to maintain Gnome packaging, easuter.  /me ducks

[easuter]

Thanks for the all feedback. 

Just be ready to maintain Gnome packaging, easuter.    /me ducks

Hehe, hopefully if the packages behave as they are supposed to they won't need around-the-clock babysitting 

[wcs]

That's great!

Thanks a lot.

[DrGrov]

Hi there!

I want to thank you easuter for a really nice GNOME package. I was a bit sceptical to it from the beginning but now I get it up and running. The problem is that Avahi and another daemon had some problems upon startup, it said "Failed" in the graphical bootsplash. I'm on VL 5.8 RC3 and now I wonder that how can I remove GNOME completely? I do not mean that the package is badly done or anything. It is just that I prefer KDE instead of GNOME.
The thing is that I can't remove it from gslapt even if I try to remove the gnome metapackage. 

[The Headacher]

DrGrov: the meta package doesn't actually contain any files (which is why it's a META package), the dependencies do all the work: the dependencies in the meta package contain everything needed for a functional gnome desktop.

Here's the bad thing about gnome though: It's made of approximately 9326563254 different packages. So removing it completely might prove sort of difficult. Here's what packages would be installed if I was going to install it on my box:

Code:

glib2-2.10.3-i486-1 is to be upgraded to version 2.12.10-i586-4vl58
glitz-0.4.4-i486-1frg is to be upgraded to version 0.5.6-i586-5vl58
cairo-1.0.4-i586-4vl58 is to be upgraded to version 1.4.0-i586-5vl58
pango-1.12.4-i486-1 is to be upgraded to version 1.16.1-i586-5vl58
atk-1.10.3-i486-2 is to be upgraded to version 1.18.0-i586-5vl58
gtk+2-2.8.20-i486-1 is to be upgraded to version 2.10.11-i586-5vl58
dbus-glib-0.72-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
dbus-qt3-0.70-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
dbus-python-0.71-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
dbus-0.62-i586-4vl58 is to be upgraded to version 1.0.2-i586-5vl58
Linux-PAM-0.99.6.3-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
PolicyKit-0.2-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
hal-0.5.8.1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
avahi-0.6.16-i586-7vl58 is to be installed
intltool-0.35.3-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
scrollkeeper-0.3.14-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
docbook-xml-4.5-noarch-4vl58 is to be installed
docbook-xsl-1.71.0-noarch-4vl58 is to be installed
xmlto-0.0.18-i586-5vl58 is to be installed
libxklavier-3.1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
ORBit2-2.14.7-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
GConf-2.18.0.1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libbonobo-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
at-spi-1.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gamin-0.1.7-i586-4vl58 is to be upgraded to version 0.1.8-i586-4vl58
gnome-vfs-2.18.0.1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libgnome-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libbonoboui-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-keyring-0.8-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libgnomeui-2.18.1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-desktop-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-menus-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libsoup-2.2.100-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libgtop-2.14.8-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
evolution-data-server-1.10.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
bug-buddy-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libwnck-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-panel-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
metacity-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libgnomecups-0.2.2-i586-5vl58 is to be installed
libgnomeprint-2.12.1-i586-5vl58 is to be installed
libgnomeprintui-2.12.1-i586-5vl58 is to be installed
librsvg-2.14.4-i486-1 is to be upgraded to version 2.16.1-i586-4vl58
libgnomekbd-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gail-1.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
eel-2.18.0.1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
nautilus-2.18.0.1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
control-center-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
dasher-4.4.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
enchant-1.1.5-i586-4vl58 is to be upgraded to version 1.3.0-i586-4vl58
eog-2.18.0.1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
evince-0.8.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
file-roller-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gcalctool-5.9.14-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gconf-editor-2.17.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gtksourceview-1.8.5-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gedit-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libgksu-2.0.3-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gksu-1.0.7-i586-4vl58 is to be upgraded to version 2.0.0-i586-4vl58
gnome-applets-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-backgrounds-2.16.2-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-common-2.12.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-doc-utils-0.7.1-i586-4vl58 is to be upgraded to version 0.10.1-i586-4vl58
gnome-games-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-icon-theme-2.15.2-i586-4vl58 is to be upgraded to version 2.18.0-i586-4vl5 8
gnome-keyring-manager-2.17.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-mag-0.14.3-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-media-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-mime-data-2.4.3-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-netstatus-2.12.1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-nettool-2.17.4-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-python-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
totem-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-python-desktop-2.17.93-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-session-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-speech-0.4.10-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-system-monitor-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
vte-0.12.0-i586-2vl58 is to be upgraded to version 0.16.0-i586-4vl58
gnome-terminal-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-themes-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-themes-extras-0.9.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-user-docs-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-utils-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gnome-vfs-monikers-2.15.3-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gtk-engines-2.6.5-i586-4vl58 is to be upgraded to version 2.10.0-i586-4vl58
gtkhtml-3.14.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
icon-naming-utils-0.7.2-i586-4vl58 is to be upgraded to version 0.8.2-i586-4vl58
iso-codes-1.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libcroco-0.6.1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libgail-gnome-1.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
libgnomesu-1.0.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
liboobs-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
pycairo-1.4.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
pygobject-2.12.3-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
pygtk-2.8.6-i586-4vl58 is to be upgraded to version 2.10.4-i586-4vl58
pyorbit-2.14.2-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
speex-1.2beta1-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
system-tools-backends-2.1.4-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
vino-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
xulrunner-1.8.0.4-i586-5vl58 is to be installed
yelp-2.18.0-i586-4vl58 is to be installed
gion-icon-theme-0.0.4-noarch-4vl58 is to be installed
tango-metacity-theme-0.1-noarch-4vl58 is to be installed
gnomemeta-2.18.0-noarch-4vl58 is to be installed

Good luck, you're going to need it .

[easuter]

if the Avahi daemon is not starting it probably means that DBUS is giving problems too.

After you boot your computer, open a terminal and type in htop
Hit return and in the list see if you can find the "messagebus" and "avahidaemon" users.
If not then as root in the terminal run:

Code:

/etc/rc.d/rc.avahidaemon start

Post any errors you may get.

PS: I've just added a warning to the original announcement about the GNOME installation.

[DrGrov]

Easuter, thanks for the fast reply 
I will just try to "manually" remove everything with GNOME and do some downgrades as well. I hope it goes well. As I mentioned earlier, it is not because I don't your package but because I prefer KDE.

[tomh38]

Okay ... just a little update.  I've had Easuter-GNOME installed for around 24 hours, and ... no problems yet!  I even used the GNOME desktop for about an hour last night, and despite what Linus may say (I know, he's Linus, but he's not God or anything) I kind of like it.  Plus, now I've got a whole sh*cough*boatload of more games to play.

[DrGrov]

Well, I guess it is a question about personal preference. I did not like the layout of GNOME but I like the KDE layout but as I mentioned, it is just a question about what WM or DE a person wants to use. It is a free choice.

[GrannyGeek]

I will just try to "manually" remove everything with GNOME and do some downgrades as well. I hope it goes well. As I mentioned earlier, it is not because I don't your package but because I prefer KDE.

Are you short on disk space? If not, think about leaving Gnome on. You don't have to actually use Gnome. You can totally ignore it. But chances are you'll want to install some programs that will require Gnome libraries, and you'll have them if you don't remove Gnome.
--GrannyGeek