So, in my VM, I installed FreeBSD, xorg, and KDE according to the handbook. I did not run startx until after adding the appropriate line in the~/.xinitrc file. Shutdown and restart controls worked without issue. So the issue I've encountered where needing to run startx before using sddm or startx seems to be limited to XFCE.
Thanks for letting me know. I wonder if this changes what
astyle and I have been discussing and if Rough Draft #2 (see
post #84) would work without issues (though I would still need to change the last part to have the
~/.xinitrc file edited from a usr account).
Correct. If you run pkg info xorg (better do it as root), that will tell you if you even have the package installed. I assume you already have drm-kmod installed? And i915.ko kldload-ed? If you don't, Xorg won't run, even if you install the package.
I'm pretty sure I don't have Xorg, drm-kmod, and i915.ko kldload-ed installed yet. The
only thing I've done so far is install FreeBSD 13.0-RELEASE and make sure I am able to log in and restart. I haven't installed anything or done anything else.
Why reboot twice? No harm done, but pointless.
I was just going to err on the side of caution, but I believe you. I might not include this step.
Google the exact term I gave you. You will get mostly Linux-based results, that's OK. the point is to take a look at screenshots of what a running, but bare-bones Xorg even looks like, and get some ideas of how to navigate that kind of graphical interface. Then getting in and out of Xorg will be easy on your FreeBSD install. And yes, the mouse should work fine.
I Googled the exact term you gave me, "Using TWM window manager," and looked at this article,
Get back to basics with the TWM Linux desktop. This passage seems relevant: "You can get a pop-up menu with a left-click on the desktop. By default, it has one application listed: xterm. When you launch xterm, the outline of a window appears until you click to place it on the desktop." What's the last sentence talking about? You wanted me to return to text mode by typing
exit in every single xterm I can find. How does that last sentence figure in? I guess I'm just worried about the possibility of being stuck in TWM if I am not able to close all the xterm's for some reason.
Your i14 really needs to happen BEFORE my troubleshooting list. Basically, move that instruction WAY up your list. It should be i2 or i3, not i14. Done correctly, the text on the screen (command line that you booted to) will appear smaller after a screen flicker.
Thanks. This brings me back to my first quote for you in this reply. I will make sure Rough Draft #2's I10-I14 happen right away in Rough Draft #3 (see below). I think I know what you're talking about regarding the text on the screen in the command line I boot to appearing smaller after a screen flicker (from my first install over two years ago).
Your understanding is correct on that.
I'd say it is a good idea to take notes on what you did, what works, what doesn't - but order of steps matters. in the world of FreeBSD, the basic logic of software management is:
- install - Just run
pkg install for what you need. Some packages have dependencies (pre-requisites).
- configure - this comes AFTER installing everything you need. Some softwares have their own .conf files.
- turn on - edit rc.conf so that .ko files get loaded at boot, and daemons get started.
Decision tree stems from there. If something isn't working, just be willing to backtrack. First, comes drm-kmod. Go through the steps (install, configure, turn on). Then comes xorg (install, configure, turn on). Then KDE (install, configure, turn on).
Thanks for the confirmation. And I am definitely taking notes. One of the reasons I started this thread and keep asking so many questions is I want to have good instructions for future installs as well. Your basic logic of software management is helpful; I will keep it in mind. Thanks also for reiterating the order for installing the components of the desktop.
Typo. There's no such module.
Thank you. I take it
astyle meant running
# kldload /boot/modules/i915kms.ko. not "i915.ko kldload-ed," or am I missing something?
Thanks; that's good to know. I'm not sure if anyone else has said anything about KWin yet.
Starting X does
not require membership of the
video group.
View attachment 12052
Please recall <
https://forums.freebsd.org/posts/534211> and the bug report that arose later in the topic.
I'm not aware of a requirement.
Interesting. Thank you. I made my main user part of the operator, wheel, and video groups. So this wasn't necessary? Is there ever an event where it would be helpful? Could it cause any harm?
FreshPorts finds
/dev/fd in package messages for these ports:
Thank you. It sounds like a good idea to mount it then.
--
I will now prepare a third version of my rough draft for installing KDE. If
astyle and anyone else could kindly look over the instructions, that would be great. I think it is necessary to have a third version of the rough draft because (primarily)
astyle and I have discussed many changes from the second rough draft. I think it will be much easier to discuss changes (if there are any) after looking at fresh set of instructions.
Instructions for Installing KDE on FreeBSD (Rough Draft #3)
In this third rough draft of instructions, I will show you how to install KDE that will be started with the command startx. My second rough draft of instructions should not be followed because steps I20-I23 are not edited from a usr account (i.e. they should not be edited as root). My first rough draft of instructions shows you how to install KDE that is started by sddm. This third version of instructions contains edits suggested mostly by astyle. Thanks go to him!
J1. Enter the superuser/root account by entering
% su and the password for the root account. Note that the command prompt on the shell (
%,
$,
#, etc.) is dependent on what user is currently logged in. Therefore, the
% should not actually be typed out. Once in the root account, the command prompt will be
#.
J2. Run
# pkg install drm-kmod
J3. Enter the easy editor to edit the file
/etc/rc.conf by entering the following command:
# ee /etc/rc.conf
J4. Once in the easy editor, on a new line, enter the following line:
Code:
kld_list="/boot/modules/i915kms.ko"
J5. Make sure to hit
Enter so the file starts on a new line after saving.
J6. Save and exit the easy editor by pushing
Esc and following the prompts to save and exit. The KMS driver should now be set up.
J7. Go ahead and load the drm driver. Run
# kldload /boot/modules/i915kms.ko
J8. Run
# pkg install xorg
J9. Reboot by running
# shutdown -r now and booting up to a command-line login prompt.
J10. Log in as regular user (this is important).
J11. Run
% startx as regular user (Even the Handbook tells you to do that, the
Quick Start section 5.4.1, Step 3.)
J12. TWM window manager will start. You can return to text mode by typing
exit in every single Xterm you can find.
J13. Become the superuser/root account again by running
% su
J14. Reboot by running
# shutdown -r now
J15. After logging in, become the superuser/root account again by running
% su
J16. Run
# pkg install kde5 firefox
J17. Enter the easy editor to edit the file
/etc/fstab by entering the following command:
# ee /etc/fstab
J18. Once in the easy editor, on new lines, enter the following two lines (you can push the
Tab key or spacebar after entering each field):
fdesc /dev/fd fdescfs rw 0 0
proc /proc procfs rw 0 0
(See
post #33. There is debate on whether this instruction should be included; I am including it because it may be beneficial for those who want to run applications such as LibreOffice.)
J19. Make sure to hit
Enter so the file starts on a new line after saving.
J20. Save and exit the easy editor by pushing
Esc and following the prompts to save and exit.
J21. Run
# mount /dev/fd
J22. Run
# mount /proc
J23. Enter the easy editor to edit the file
/etc/rc.conf by entering the following command:
# ee /etc/rc.conf
J24. Once in the easy editor, on a new line, enter the following line:
J25. Make sure to hit
Enter so the file starts on a new line after saving.
J26. Save and exit the easy editor by pushing
Esc and following the prompts to save and exit.
J27. Run
# service dbus start
J28. Exit the superuser account by running
# exit. All files in your $HOME directory should be edited as a regular user, not as root.
J29. Enter the easy editor to edit the file
~/.xinitrc by entering the following command:
% ee ~/.xinitrc
J30. Once in the easy editor, on a new line, enter the following line:
Code:
exec ck-launch-session startplasma-x11
J31. Make sure to hit
Enter so the file starts on a new line after saving.
J32. Save and exit the easy editor by pushing
Esc and following the prompts to save and exit.
J33. Become the superuser/root account again by running
% su
J34. Reboot by running
# shutdown -r now
J35. If you chose not to reboot, enter
# exit to leave the superuser account.
J36. If everything worked, you should see the KDE desktop after running
% startx as a regular account.
