[SOLVED] Maya LXDE - decided to try...

[gosa]

hi all

First of all a declaration if innocence and newbie-ness:

Most of the time I have absolutely no idea about what I'm doing, and this thing with Linux is something I've been trying to learn for just under two years now. What I'm doing at the moment probably has a lot of problems "under the hood" (or not?), but if I get it working the way I want it to I might actually make it my default OS on my netbook.

Anyway - after reading the guide by squeezy (http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=103554) on how to make your own Maya XFCE I decided to do some cooking on my own, following the same guide, but installing LXDE instead.

So - I downloaded and installed the mini.iso from Ubuntu, copied over the preferences & sources.list from the Maya XFCE install, installed lxde and some other things recommended in the post by squeezy and this is what I've got so far:

lm13lxde-01-small.png

lm13lxde-02-small.png

Apart from missing some minor tweaks and some of my preferred applications this setup seem to run quite well. Memory usage is quite low (could be even lower if it weren't for Jupiter). What I can't figure out though are two things.

- If I pull the network cable and reboot the computer it gets stuck for some time with the following text:

• "Waiting for network configuration..."
  "Waiting up to 60 more seconds for network configuration..."
  and finally it says something about "booting without..." (don't have time to see it).

- Since I've never seen this kind of problem in any "regular" distro I'm wondering if there's anyway to get around this?

- The second one is about my wifi. As you can see in my inxi -F window my has the status listed as "down".
I imagine this is about loading a driver, some kind of autostart thing or something, but I can't figure out how to solve it. What I've tried so far is:

• Installed Wicd - this works perfectly. Eats more ram than I eat popcorn on a good movie night. Also - I am not very fond of the icon in my system tray. UGLY!
  
  I also looked at Mint 12LXDE which seem to be using network-manager-gnome (and the nm-applet). Installing that one and choosing to add the network manager to the panel gives me two icons - one for wired and one for wifi. Clicking the wifi icon does something with my desktop that I haven't figured out yet - but the panel disappears. Apart from that it doesn't seem like the wifi-card gets activated either.

So I'd like to ask you all for any kind of input on the two obstacles on my way to my perfect netbook experience.

Thanks in advance,
/gosa

EDIT: I realize I wasn't clear on what this post is about (apart from my - now solved - problem). Anyone can install the Maya XFCE Edition and then install LXDE on top, something that really doesen't merit a new thread.

[gosa]

Instead of editing out my two "problems" in the above post I thought it would be better to post the "fix" separately, to create some kind of "relationship" in case someone decides to try the same...

It turned out that both of my two network related issues were caused (directly or indirectly I don't know - I'm an inexperienced dude, remember) by the file /etc/network/interfaces

By commenting out the eth0 & the wlan0 items in that file (the wlan0 wasn't there from the beginning, but who's to say it won't be there in someone elses install?) I got rid of the "waiting for network configuration..." thing at boot.
It also allowed me to get NetworkManager (after installing network-manager-gnome) to take over and properly manage my connections. I did have to add an entry about it to /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE/autostart though. Don't know if that necessity got caused by me experimenting to much installing/reinstalling different options or if that is something that comes with running LXDE.

Anyway - I now have my system up and running, and I can freely switch between the different connection types. And so far I have to say that I have myself a very lean, mean and fast thing going. And I believe I might actually have a 5 year LTS variant of Maya running LXDE. (Feel free to correct me on that part)

This makes me wonder - if I can get this far, how difficult can it really be for someone with a bit more knowledge and experience to set up a "real" community edition of Maya LXDE?

[squeezy]

Anyway - I now have my system up and running, and I can freely switch between the different connection types. And so far I have to say that I have myself a very lean, mean and fast thing going. And I believe I might actually have a 5 year LTS variant of Maya running LXDE. (Feel free to correct me on that part)

You are correct. Running on the Ubuntu Precise repos you'll get all the updates they send out. Of course, being an unofficial spin you won't get support like you would from KDE or Cinnamon, etc., but you seem to be pretty good at troubleshooting already. But then, these forums are filled with some very nice, helpful people!

This makes me wonder - if I can get this far, how difficult can it really be for someone with a bit more knowledge and experience to set up a "real" community edition of Maya LXDE?

Post a call to arms in the LXDE section maybe? You might find some people willing to help create a community edition. LXDE certainly has its followers. You've certainly made a great start.

[jjaythomas]

sorta of...

gosa wrote:Anyway - I now have my system up and running, and I can freely switch between the different connection types. And so far I have to say that I have myself a very lean, mean and fast thing going. And I believe I might actually have a 5 year LTS variant of Maya running LXDE. (Feel free to correct me on that part)


You are correct. Running on the Ubuntu Precise repos you'll get all the updates they send out. Of course, being an unofficial spin you won't get support like you would from KDE or Cinnamon, etc., but you seem to be pretty good at troubleshooting already. But then, these forums are filled with some very nice, helpful peop

You will get 5 year suport on system (Ubuntu security fixes) that cover the system and anything else thats used in a 'Ubuntu default install' any thing XFCE related (XFCE power ect.) will have 3 year support (Xubuntu stated support for their patches they put in repo's) but any LXDE releated stuff are not gurenteed support (Lubuntu stated not 'LTS' only 1 year regular support) where Upuntu repo's would get their phatches ect. for 'LXDE stuff'. Even XFCE 4.10 because its not official in 12.04 (uses PPA) might not get 3 year suport (Things XFCE would be upgrading for repos).

Thats the way I understand (Ubuntu/Canotical) LTS policy
I.E. their LTS only supports system (security phatches and major breakages that hapen to default (unity) apps) and may upgrades to packages and apps at their discretion. Xubuntu/Lubuntu/Kubuntu/studio (I think that all the offical ones) will put their respected phatches and upgrades into the 'official repos' acording to their policies (if LTS limited LTS (3 year Xubuntu) no LTS (1 year normal support).

J.Jay

[gosa]

sorta of...

You will get 5 year suport on system (Ubuntu security fixes) that cover the system and anything else thats used in a 'Ubuntu default install' any thing XFCE related (XFCE power ect.) will have 3 year support (Xubuntu stated support for their patches they put in repo's) but any LXDE releated stuff are not gurenteed support (Lubuntu stated not 'LTS' only 1 year regular support) where Upuntu repo's would get their phatches ect. for 'LXDE stuff'. Even XFCE 4.10 because its not official in 12.04 (uses PPA) might not get 3 year suport (Things XFCE would be upgrading for repos).

Thats the way I understand (Ubuntu/Canotical) LTS policy
I.E. their LTS only supports system (security phatches and major breakages that hapen to default (unity) apps) and may upgrades to packages and apps at their discretion. Xubuntu/Lubuntu/Kubuntu/studio (I think that all the offical ones) will put their respected phatches and upgrades into the 'official repos' acording to their policies (if LTS limited LTS (3 year Xubuntu) no LTS (1 year normal support).

J.Jay

Please understand that I'm not trying to be a smartass now - just trying to understand you a bit better...

So basically you're saying that anyone who downloaded and installed the "standard" Ubuntu 12.04 release (5 year LTS) and in a year and a half decides to try out adding LXDE (the package offered by the "official Ubuntu sources) on top of that - out of curiosity or for whatever other reason that person might have - will not only risk getting a combination that won't even work from the start, but nobody will (pardon my English) actually give a sh*t about trying to fix it?

If that's the case I'm kind of sorry for the people behind LXDE because everyone in the above example will see LXDE as a crappy DE thaty doesn't work. For my part I'd probably be less bothered if that happened - I tried this thing both because I wanted to learn something new and because I wanted something a bit "more" than Lubuntu. If this install goes belly-up in a year I'll just start over again. (Don't expect this netbook to survive too long, but the leaner I can make my OS the longer I'll keep on enjoying using it.

It'd be a pity though...

[jjaythomas]

Please understand that I'm not trying to be a smartass now - just trying to understand you a bit better...

So basically you're saying that anyone who downloaded and installed the "standard" Ubuntu 12.04 release (5 year LTS) and in a year and a half decides to try out adding LXDE (the package offered by the "official Ubuntu sources) on top of that

Yes way I Read it.
Probally wont be major breakages but packages probally won't be upgraded (newer versions) unless default in the desktop or system
I.E.Ubuntu-'System and Unity-5 years. Xubuntu 5 years system 3years desktop. Lubuntu 5 years system 3years any XFCE stuff (power manager) 1 year anything else default in desktop. AND even package versions unless major problems won't be upgraded!

Their are many packages in the 'Official Sources) that don't work anymore or are such a old version whats the point. Even the kernal rarely changes in a LTS.
Its not LXDE or other packages won't work (usually) just that your stuck (usuing official LTS repo's) at version X when the curent version is Z. Using PPA's can freshen things up but your not gurenteed support.

Hope Clarifies
J.Jay

Edit P.S. thats what happened in (I Believe Mepis Linux) led to believe LTS meant the whole Repo not just security type fixs. Needlless to say as package version became old the 'distro' rebased on something else (debian proper I think).

[gosa]

Ok, then I'm with you... I think we're trying to say the same but with different ords (I hope )

This is more or less what I thought as well, but got a bit mixed up when I read your first reply.

Since everything comes from the same repos and certain core stuff are more or less frozen you're gonna roll on for 5 years with a decently stable system but without the latest software, and that it's not until you introduce stuff from the outside by adding ppa's/backports/other repos that you are in any real danger of major breakages. I mean - if nothing changes, there's really no reason why it would break between today and tomorrow either.

I guess the major difference between a DIY and the releases that the Mint Team make is that there won't be any support on those small issues that might come up if a core part of the system gets an update that breaks my additions, but that is on the other hand what I have these wonderful forums and google for.

Anyway - I've seen what's in Julia so I think I might have a good idea, and I'm quite ok with her way of ageing with her own kind of grace. Who said a few wrinkles in the right spots can't be sexy? (At least that's what my wife say when I look at myself in the mirror and realize I have quite a lot more of them than we met )

[gosa]

You are correct. Running on the Ubuntu Precise repos you'll get all the updates they send out. Of course, being an unofficial spin you won't get support like you would from KDE or Cinnamon, etc., but you seem to be pretty good at troubleshooting already. But then, these forums are filled with some very nice, helpful people!

Post a call to arms in the LXDE section maybe? You might find some people willing to help create a community edition. LXDE certainly has its followers. You've certainly made a great start.

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. In the end I didn't really do much on my own apart from solving my connectivity problems, the rest came from your thread. I did end up doing it the hardcore way though, getting to impatient trying to figure out what happened when I tried it in Virtualbox.

With regards to the idea of a Community Edition... From what I see in the various threads here there are quite a number of competent people with an interest in LXDE as a DE, so I'm sure it is possible if the interest is great enough. It does however look like a great part of what I read right now is focused more on people being frustrated by the fact that the official edition got discontinued rather than showing initiative to start looking at alternatives (there are some exceptions though - please don't kill me for generalizing). I guess that's a phase that we all need to get through before we can start looking into the future.

Meanwhile I'm sitting here flipping between Lisa LXDE and my homebrew taking notes on what I might want to "bring" with regards to system utilities and software - quite a slow process when you have an 11 month baby craving attention.
Then when I'm done I'll just have to figure out how to (if possible) move and expand my homebrew partition to replace Lisa, but I'm quite sure that's information I can get somewhere in these excellent forums.

Anyway - thanks again for your reply.