[vox-tech] how to configure X 4.x on debian woody

[Rick Moen]

Peter wrote:
 
> ok, there was a request on vox-tech for
> 
>    "how to configure X 4.x on woody",
>    
> which is another way of asking:
> 
>    "how to configure X 4.x on my linux machine when my GUI tools fail".
>
> 
> i wrote something up for the installfest tomorrow.  took about 5
> minutes, so don't expect too much:
> 
>    http://www.dirac.org/linux/debian/X.txt

Looking down through it, first of all, I heartily agree with "Install
Woody.  Don't install Potato."  Since you're going to want to stick
with the "testing" branch, why now start with what's _already_ the 
testing branch (3.0 aka "woody")?

Woody includes /usr/X11R6/bin/xf86cfg , a decent graphical configuration
tool for XFree86 4.x, apparently contributed by  Paulo César Pereira de
Andrade of Conectiva Linux S.A. to the XFree86 Project.  (Ah, I see you
mention that.)  There's also the gnarly old ncurse-type xf86config 
program, which should be used only by those already used to it.

I vaguely recall that the Debian Project also produced a fairly nice,
X-based alternative called anXious, but haven't found it necessary to
grab that.  (Warning:  That may be XFree86 3.x, only.)  xf86cfg does the
trick, nicely.

XFree86 v. 4.x's hardware-probing has proven sufficiently reliable that
I've never had to tweak config files the way one did with 3.x.  I'm
beginning to feel like a buggy-whip manufacturer in the era of the Ford
Model A.

-- 
Cheers,      "On the face of it, Microsoft complaining about the source license 
Rick Moen    used by Linux is like the event horizon calling the kettle black."
rick@linuxmafia.com             -- Adam Barr, former Microsoft Corp. programmer