Re: Solution to problem starting GNOME for the first time

[Gleef <dzol virtual-yellow com>]

On Thu, 25 Mar 1999, Peter Zion wrote:
> 
> Wondering what all the fuss was about, I downloaded the GNOME 1.0
> sources and compiled them, following the instructions in the document
> located at http://www.gnome.org/start/gnometar.shtml, including all the
> 'ldconfig -v's.  However, when I first started GNOME I was presented by
> the blank X screen with the X cursor.
> 
> I found no solution reading through the archive of this list.  

It has been discussed elswhere in the list this week, but the archives
aren't necessarily the easiest to search through.  Check out
http://www.gnome.org/mailing-lists/archives/gnome-list/1999-March/2166.shtml
Obviously, you will have to change the directory names described there to
match your system.


> After some twiddling, I found that the gnome-session command didn't seem
> to be finding the /usr/local/share/default-session file.  Once I
> performed a 'cp /usr/local/share/gnome-session ~/.gnome/session'
> command, GNOME started (more or less) fine.  I think this will solve
> many of the problems people have been having compiling GNOM from the
> source. 

Congratulations, you have found one of the right solutions on your own!
:-)


> I have a question and a suggestion.  My question is whether the
> default.session file was installed in the correct place.

The correct place for gnome-session was changed right before gnome-core
version 1.03 was released.  Originally it was supposed to be in
$prefix/share (that would be /usr/local/share for you), but to avoid
cluttering up the share directory, it was moved to $prefix/share/gnome.


> If not, then perhaps the config file for the package which created it,
> or the instructions on how to build GNOME, needs to be changed.

The module that is responsible for this is gnome-core.  A lot of work has
gone into this section of gnome-core since 1.03, and the next release
should work more smoothly.  If you want to get updated right away, tarball
snapshots are available at ftp://ftp.jimpick.com/pub/gnome/snap/gnome-core


> My suggestion is the gnome-session produce some warning on the console
> when no commands are present in the session file, and an error when
> there is no session file and the default session cannot be found.

That makes a lot of sense.  Send it in as a wishlist item (unfortunately
bugs.gnome.org seems to be down, so you'll have to send it later).


Best of Luck,
-Gleef