1 TITLE: Installing XFree86 4.1
3 AUTHOR: Matthias S. Benkmann <m.s.b@gmx.net>
6 This hint describes how to install XFree86 4.1 without any special
7 optimizations. If you want to use optimizations look at the x11 hint.
8 Note however that at the time of this writing it is outdated and has
9 caused problems for some people. As it does contain some information that
10 is not in this hint (and this hint contains some information not in the
11 x11 hint) you should probably read both.
15 Download the newest zlib from
17 http://www.gzip.org/zlib/
19 (unless you have zlib already installed).
23 ./configure --shared &&
25 make prefix=/usr install &&
26 cp zlib.3 /usr/share/man/man3 &&
36 from the xfree site (I guess that's ftp://ftp.xfree86.org)
38 Install with (from inside the xc/ directory that the archives extract to):
40 echo $'#define HasZlib YES\n' >config/cf/host.def &&
41 echo $'#define HasNCurses YES\n' >>config/cf/host.def &&
43 echo /usr/X11R6/lib >>/etc/ld.so.conf &&
49 Configure XFree86 by doing
51 export PATH=$PATH:/usr/X11R6/bin
52 #you will want to put this in .bashrc/.bash_profile
56 ln -s <you should know> mouse
58 #<you should know> is the device for your mouse,
59 #/dev/psaux for PS/2, /dev/ttyS0 for COM1
65 #This will auto-detect your graphics hardware (black screen for several
66 # seconds, don't panic.
67 #It creates a file XF86Config.new. Make sure that
68 #the information in it is correct (I had a crash that required reset
69 # because I had /dev/mouse set up wrong so that it thought I had a
70 #PS/2 mouse while I have a normal serial mouse.
72 XFree86 -xf86config /etc/X11/XF86Config.new
74 # This will test the server. You won't get anything but a flimmering
75 # 640x480 screen with an annoying pattern and an X shaped moused cursor
76 # that you can move (if the mouse works).
77 # Press Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to exit
79 mv XF86Config.new XF86Config
82 Congratulations. You have installed X.
84 But you'll probably want to do some more configuring in XF86Config. Read
85 the XF86Config(5x) manpage. It won't tell you much, though. Maybe you
86 should skip it and read
87 /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/XF86Config.eg
88 which is a well-commented example.
90 Some things you will surely want to set are
93 Identifier "Keyboard0"
95 Option "XkbModel" "pc102"
96 Option "XkbLayout" "<your layout>"
97 Option "AutoRepeat" "250 30"
103 Identifier "Monitor0"
105 ModelName "VisionMaster 450"
110 Of course you will need to enter the correct values for your monitor. If
111 you set the right values you don't need to fiddle with modelines anymore
112 (what a relief!) because XFree86 will choose an appropriate VESA mode with
113 a high refresh rate. Just specify what mode you want like this:
129 This is all it takes to get a nice virtual screen of 1280x960 with a real
130 resolution of 1024x768 with eye-friendly 85Hz (on my system, it depends on
131 your monitor's capabilities of course).
133 Now read the XFree86-HOWTO you get from linuxdoc.org. It will give
134 you an overview of how X is started. Read the scripts
135 /usr/X11R6/bin/startx and /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/xinitrc
136 These scripts determine what happens when you type "startx".
138 You can use the command
142 now, to get X started with the default setup (twm and some xterms as you
143 can see in .../xinitrc)
145 Now you may want to do
147 man /usr/X11R6/man/man*/*
149 which will let you read all manpages in a row (just press q to go to the
150 next manpage). Once you're through you know more about X than 99% of the