Playing with desktop managers

After checking KDE for my needs, playing with all the nice features, looking around in the settings, setting up Amarok after being used to Rythmbox, I got quickly bored of KDE. It is looking nice, has quite some features, but nothing I would miss if it is not there. Also, my computer is not the newest generation, and KDE feels a bit sluggish compared to Gnome.

So I decided to try somthing else: XFCE, installed using the command:
sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

Once logged out, I could log in using the new desktop. Wow! What a fast start after using KDE! Also, everything looks simple and clear, easy to get familiar with this interface. Of course, it does not look so modern like KDE or even Gnome itself, but fashion is not a top requirement to me.

But now, how to I remove KDE? Installing was easy, but removing looks a bit more complex, even after some google searches. I found my solution there: "Getting Back to a Pure Gnome on Ubuntu".

Since I did not wanted to get Gnome back as my default environment, but prefered XFCE, the proposed command line needed only a small change at the end, replacing ubuntu-desktop with xubuntu-desktop

Here is the complete modified command (just one character changed!):

sudo apt-get remove a2ps abiword abiword-common abiword-plugin-grammar abiword-plugin-mathview aumix aumix-common browser-plugin-parole catfish elementary-icon-theme exaile exo-utils fortune-mod fortunes-min gdebi gdebi-core gigolo gimp gimp-data gnumeric gnumeric-common gnumeric-doc gtk2-engines-xfce gvfs-bin hal hal-info imagemagick libabiword-2.8 libaiksaurus-1.2-0c2a libaiksaurus-1.2-data libaiksaurusgtk-1.2-0c2a libbabl-0.0-0 libcdt4 libexo-0.3-0 libexo-common libgdome2-0 libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a libgegl-0.0-0 libgimp2.0 libgoffice-0.8-8 libgoffice-0.8-8-common libgraph4 libgsf-1-114 libgsf-1-common libgtkmathview0c2a libgvc5 libhal-storage1 libhal1 libilmbase6 libjpeg-progs libjpeg8 liblink-grammar4 libloudmouth1-0 libmagickcore3-extra libmng1 libnetpbm10 libopenexr6 libotr2 libots0 libpathplan4 libpsiconv6 librecode0 libsexy2 libtagc0 libthunar-vfs-1-2 libwv-1.2-3 libxcb-keysyms1 libxdot4 libxfce4menu-0.1-0 libxfce4util-bin libxfce4util-common libxfce4util4 libxfcegui4-4 libxfconf-0-2 link-grammar-dictionaries-en mousepad murrine-themes netpbm orage oss-compat parole pidgin pidgin-data pidgin-libnotify pidgin-otr plymouth-theme-xubuntu-logo psutils python-cddb python-mmkeys python-mutagen ristretto smartdimmer tango-icon-theme tango-icon-theme-common thunar thunar-archive-plugin thunar-data thunar-media-tags-plugin thunar-thumbnailers thunar-volman thunderbird ttf-lyx wdiff xchat xchat-common xfburn xfce-keyboard-shortcuts xfce4-appfinder xfce4-clipman xfce4-clipman-plugin xfce4-cpugraph-plugin xfce4-dict xfce4-fsguard-plugin xfce4-mailwatch-plugin xfce4-mixer xfce4-mount-plugin xfce4-netload-plugin xfce4-notes xfce4-notes-plugin xfce4-panel xfce4-places-plugin xfce4-power-manager xfce4-power-manager-data xfce4-quicklauncher-plugin xfce4-screenshooter xfce4-session xfce4-settings xfce4-smartbookmark-plugin xfce4-systemload-plugin xfce4-taskmanager xfce4-terminal xfce4-utils xfce4-verve-plugin xfce4-volumed xfce4-weather-plugin xfce4-xkb-plugin xfconf xfdesktop4 xfdesktop4-data xfprint4 xfswitch-plugin xfwm4 xfwm4-themes xscreensaver xubuntu-artwork xubuntu-default-settings xubuntu-desktop xubuntu-docs xubuntu-gdm-theme xubuntu-icon-theme xubuntu-wallpapers && sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

Missing default

After a change from Gnome to KDE, simply using the command sudo apt-get ubuntu-desktop, answering bravely to use kdm as default, I came to the login screen. This one looked already promising, KDE-style. Once I logged in, there was only a terminal window, unmovable, on a part of the screen, the rest using the background of the login-screen (or default KDE background).

So why did I had no full KDE desktop session? Just because I missed the option-arrow on the login screen, where one can select which desktop to use. There was no default selection (all radio-buttons unselected). Selecting here KDE on next login, I could get the KDE desktop.

Small hint: when on this terminal-only session, I got back to the login screen using sudo /etc/init.d/kdm restart.

Loud fans... WHAT?

Before becoming deaf, I thought it would be a nice idea to check what can be done to slow down the fans. The good keywords are 'fancontrol' and 'pwmconfig'. With these, plenty of setup descriptions can be found.


To resume quickly:

1. check what sensors you can use: sudo sensors-detect
2. copy the drivers like indicated. A manual copy is better to avoid duplicate entries in your /etc/modules
3. (optional) Some sudo modprobe work can be necessary if the drivers are not loaded
4. now, a call to sudo pwmconfig will configure the fan speeds. Follow the proposed steps, it is well explained
5. now the /etc/fancontrol file was created
6. running sudo fancontrol & activates the fan speed regulation based on the settings made with pwmconfig

Unfortunately, executing the command sudo fancontrol & got me an error in /usr/sbin/fancontrol at line 402... Looking there, I was middle in a UpdateFanSpeed function, and one the the variables got invalid value. Since this section looks like it reads the settings made in the /etc/fancontrol file, I looked there. The problem could be solved easily using information from pwmconfig about what temperature sensor name to use, since this was missing.

The fan control worked once I corrected the /etc/fancontrol from

FCTEMPS= hwmon0/device/pwm2=

to

FCTEMPS= hwmon0/device/pwm2=hwmon0/device/temp1_input

Note that hwmon0/device/temp1_input was my preferred sensor, chosen based on the measured temperatures shown during pwnconfig set-up. This is probably only valid for my box.

remote desktop and the 'd' key

Accessing my ubuntu box from windows over remote desktop connection worked without problem. However, after some update (again?), I figured out the 'd' key was not doing what expected: it would reduce all the windows of the gnome desktop instead of just inserting a simple 'd'... not really friendly when you want to play with 'sudo' command.

After some searching, the solution is quite simple: going to 'system > preferences > shortcuts' and looking for assigned shortcuts, 'd' was one of them, responsible for reducing all windows. Removing the shortcut (or replacing it with something useful) is enough to get 'd' back alive.

ubuntu killer update

Some ubuntu 10.10 update broke it! I'm still having some problems, but I already learned about groups and the importance of the first created user.

This first user belongs (normally) to the admin group, and is allowed to use the 'sudo' command. It seems my '/etc/group' file got corrupted at some point, leaving my first user with almost no rights. Specially, I was not even allowed to use 'sudo' to get it fixed.

Thanks to this page, I got at least the required access rights back, editing the '/etc/group' file in recovery mode, adding my first user to the admin group. 'nano' is already configured to be used as alternative to 'vidudo' (often recommanded to edit '/etc/sudoers'), and much simpler to use for normal people. Also worth reading about 'sudo', in order to understand what it is all about: this ubuntu help page.

After I got my user back into the admin group, I had to edit again the '/etc/group' file to add my user also to various other groups, since every settings were gone.

Here is the list of groups I used (found on serverfault.com): 

• adm
• dialout
• cdrom
• floppy
• fuse
• audio
• dip
• video
• plugdev
• sambashare
• lpadmin
• admin

Note: having a backup is always the best solution. If you are lazy and lucky, you can find a valid 'group' file at one of these locations:

• /etc/group_backup
• /var/backups/group.bak