nanogui: nano-x questions
Subject:
RE: [nanogui] nano-x questions
From:
"Darran D. Rimron-Molloy" ####@####.####
Date:
23 Jan 2002 04:06:27 -0000
Message-Id: <HAEDKNJBOGMNPFLJGKNKGEBDCCAA.ddrm@digital-science.net>
> I have been trying to fool around with some embedded linux
> projects. For now I want to set up the smallest Linux system
> possible that has some network capabilities and some basic
> graphics. Micorwindows seems like the best thing
> out there for my application.
I used slackware. Slackware 8 has FB support compiled into the Kernel on
a standard install. Nummy :) I stuck it on a P75 with an 800meg disk and
16meg RAM, ran like a DREAM! :)
> Does anyone know of an embedded linux distribution that
> Nano-x works well with?
If you're sticking it on an i386 (which I suspect you are) on a desktop
box (which I suspect you are) - you may want to look at Slackware 8 -
not the most feature rich distribution, and certainly not going to get
you AWFULLY far in the userfriendly stakes, but it's light, and fast to
install. Couple of boot images and an NFS install - interestingly
Deadrat (um, redhat, opps, sorry) needs 48meg to do a netinstall, IIRC,
Slackware works in 8, IIRC again.
> I can get the microwindows and nano-x examples to run on top
> of X-Windows. I tried to run Nano-x server from within console
> mode and it started up and said something about Stopping (can't
> remember exact message, but it could have mentioned tty, but I
> don't even know what that is).?? I ran a ps -aux and the nano-x
> server was running. I ran the demos that go along with the nano-x
> server that I tried out before on nano-x on top of X windows and
> they started up, but again, nothing special was showing on the
> screen. Again ps -aux and everything is running.
You're going to need to compile nano-X with X support to make it work in
an X environment, also, the console support will be expecting
framebuffer support to be enabled.
> I am starting to thing that it is going to some weird output
> other than the monitor but I really don't know much about
> the way linux graphics work.
NanoX isn't at all hard to program in for graphical stuff. I took a C
novice (done some textmode Java applicitions, some Director and PHP) and
get her coding "Hello World" nanoX-style in less than 3 days, that's
including a crash course in C, networking, Linux, event driving
programming, the concept of windows, graphical environments from the
developers point of view and generally how to use GCC and VI :)
> Any help would be greatly appreciated! Help a young foolish
> programmer in need!!
Your questions may be a little too "generic" and "high level" for this
list, but others may disagree, atleast into getting nanoX up and
running - you can contact me off list (this offer applies to anyone, of
course, but don't expect either instant or guru level answers, I'm not
that advanced myself)
> I am running a Caldera system that could be up to 8 months
> old. I don't know if my 2.2.(?) kernel has framebuffers on
> or even if you have to turn them on.
Do you have a little penguin on a wavey grey background at boottime, in
the upper left corner of the screen - never used Caldera so dunno
personally, but most distributions DON'T enable /dev/fb by default.
try putting vga=301 on your bootline (depending what your default Linux
kernel image is and what bootmanager you're using) "linux vga=301" and
slapping enter may help some.
> I used the config.fb preset config.
Then you most definitly will need FB enabled and this setup WON'T work
under X.
-Darran
