I finally got around to downloading VL 5.9 Beta2.3. All I can say is wow! I should have stuck with Beta1. What a mess.
NVIDIA Drivers:• When I installed, the driver chooser thing came up and I chose NVIDIA-latest (later I also tried the 9xxx one). It compiled fine and everything. Good.
• After the install, I loaded up the system but X failed. It couldn't find the nvidia module. Bad.
• I tried VASM to fix it but that didn't work (I'll tell a little bit more about that later) to finally get to X I had to use the vesa driver. This doesn't look so nice because the resolution is all wrong and I can't have any 3D acceleration.
• I tried to reinstall the nvidia drivers by running
./usr/src/vl-pkgs/NVIDIA-100.14.23/nvidia-installer
This however didn't work and it failed saying it it couldn't find the kernel source. So I ran the nvidia installer again only this time passing:
--kernel-source-path=/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.9/
It seemed to compile fine but again the nvidia driver failed with this error:
ERROR: Unable to load the kernel module 'nvidia.ko'. This happens most frequently when this kernel module was built against the wrong or improperly configured kernel sources, with a version of gcc that differes from the one used to build the target kernel, or if a driver such as rivafb/nvidiafb is present and prevents the NVIDIA kernel module from obtaining ownership of the NVIDIA device(s).
Sound:• My sound card was correctly detected on install.
• When I try to "play" a file I get this error:
ALSA lib confmisc.c:769:(parse_card) cannot find card
ALSA lib conf.c:3510:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_card_driver returned error: No such device
ALSA lib confmisc.c:392:(snd_func_concat) error evaluating strings
ALSA lib conf.c:3510:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_concat returned error: No such device
ALSA lib confmisc.c:1251:(snd_func_refer) error evaluating name
ALSA lib conf.c:3510:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_refer returned error: No such device
ALSA lib conf.c:3982:(snd_config_expand) Evaluate error: No such device
ALSA lib pcm.c:2144:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM default
sox: Failed writing default: cannot open audio device
• Even though my card was correctly detected in the installer, when I run alsaconf later, it politely informs me that "No PCI or PNP cards found." Bummer, no sound.
Vasm XWMSET:• Trying to change the default window manager for all users has no effect. Xfce is always loaded by default with startx.
Vasm XDMSET:• When I tried to change login managers I got an error when loading init 4:
which: no gdm in (/bin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin)
which: no wdm in (/bin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin)
• This happens no matter whether I chose KDM or XDM. After trying to change it back numerous times, it finally worked and I was able to go back to KDM.
Vasm Xconf:• As I mentioned before, I tried to use Vasm to fix my X server after nvidia failed. Vasm seems to be working up until you get to the part when it asks about screen resolution. I usually chose AutoConfig and it works. But no matter what I chose, I find that Xconf quits and acts like it finished making its xorg.conf. In other words, after the resolution screen, it drops back to the main menu. And it doesn't fix the xorg.conf. It moves it so now your X system is messed up. If I weren't a Linux geek it would be reinstall time.
• The problem right now is that if you're not a geek or a CLI expert, messing up your Xorg server is equivalent to hosing your system. I did some searching for fixes to this and here's what I found. The Ubuntu guys came up with a nice solution for this problem, not that I'm an Ubuntu fan (I'm not) but it seems like a nice fix nonetheless. They call it the "BulletProof X" and it basically works like this: IF your xorg.conf file is messed up and X fails to start, THEN it loads up X in a "safe mode" (really just like the xorg-vesa.conf) and then displays a message that you are in safe mode and gives some info on how to fix it. It would be nice if when the average user's X gets horked, it will boot into some safe mode thing that can get them out of a pinch (especially if they are not very good at the CLI) Here is BulletProof X:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BulletProofXStartfluxbox(-desk):• From the terminal startfluxbox "Error: Couldn't connect to Xserver"
• startfluxbox-desk doesn't exist
KDM login:• Funky login! But the System and Session buttons don't work on the left half of the buttons. They work on the right half. (This may be because my screen resolution is all messed up but I doubt it)
Fluxbox:• Multimedia->Graphics->gimp-2.2 shouldn't be there
Desktop Background:• Wow, an uglier background could not be found. A better one would make the whole desktop look much more polished and professional.
HAL:• I'm experiencing all the HAL problems that have already been reported. However, HAL worked perfectly for me in Beta1
Modules:• When I was trying to fix nvidia, I ran lsmod. Interestingly, there are NO modules loaded. There's something wrong with this picture.
In short, I couldn't get nvidia drivers or sound to work. And those are the two main things that I need for packaging. I can't compile or test a lot of the multimedia programs for the Multimedia Bonus Disc if my system is messed up in those two things. Also I experienced major problems with Vasm and X. Either VL is having the equivalent of a "bad hair day" or I don't know what I'm doing. (I'd like to think it was the former) I appreciate all the work it takes to get a distro ready. Keep going!
